The Party's back On in First Trailer for the 'Entourage' Movie

"Sadly, all good parties must come to an end." That doesn't apply to HBO's Entourage, apparently. When last we left Vince, Turtle, Drama, E, and Ari they were all leaving the wild life of Hollywood for the next phase of their lives. Vince was flying off to Paris to get married, E was moving to New York to be a father, and Ari was about to take over as head of Warner Bros. How much of that will be picked up on in the new movie? Who knows, but it looks like the party is really just beginning.

The first teaser trailer or the Entourage film is pretty much everything a fan of the show's eight seasons could hope for. You've got angry Ari screaming into his phone, Drama acting like a fool, hot girls, big celebrities, and Vince has completed his directorial debut in some kind of superhero flick.

Of all the HBO shows this is probably the one that needed a movie the least, and it will be interesting to see if its audience turns out. Then again it worked for Veronica Mars, didn't it? Directed by series creator Doug Ellin, Entourage opens June 5th 2015.

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Review: 'Think Like a Man Too' Starring Kevin Hart, Michael Ealy, Meagan Good, and Taraji P. Henson

They say what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, and by the time Think Like A Man Too is over you'll wish it had stayed there, also. Following up on 2011's surprise comedy hit based on the relationship book by Steve Harvey, the film leans heavily on breakout star Kevin Hart to carry the comedic load, to the detriment of the equally-talented cast he's surrounded by. Not to say that Hart isn't talented as well, but as a colleague of mine put it, "A little Hart goes a long way". It's the classic case of a sequel that's bigger but not necessarily better, louder but not necessarily funnier.

Admit it, the first time you heard Vegas would be the setting you knew the sequel was doomed. Vegas has become something of a black hole from which fresh ideas never escape. The only one to break this disturbing trend was The Hangover, which then proceeded to return to Vegas disastrously in the franchise's finale. Overconfidence will kill ya. But the worst side-effect of the Vegas problem is the locale guarantees there will be less relationship insight and more indulging in the night life.

Everybody's back for what turns out to be a big wedding bash in Sin City, only now their respective relationships have been kicked up to sitcom levels. Candace (Regina Hall) has settled into a comfortable groove with her fiancé Michael (Terrence J), who is still a "momma's boy" and perhaps even more so. Mya (Meagan Good) is having issues dealing with "Zeke the Freak" (Romany Malco) and his sexual history, made worse by his reputation around Vegas. Lauren (Taraji P. Henson) and Dominic (Michael Ealy) are having work/life balance issues; Jeremy (Jerry Ferrara) and Kirsten (Gabrielle Union) are trying to maintain their passion while trying to get pregnant, and of course the requisite unhip white couple (Gary Owen and Wendi McLendon-Covey) is along for the ride and get spruced up roles. Aggressive motormouth Cedric (Hart) has a wild bachelor party planned and a $40K-per-night hotel all booked up for the festivities, hilariously mistaken into thinking he's been asked by Michael to be the best man. Making fun of Hart's diminutive stature has become all too common, but director Tim Story finds new ways to emphasize his lack of height. Cedric, who narrates the action as he did before, sees it as a competition between the sexes to have the craziest evening possible, frequently and weakly reaching for basketball metaphors to make his point. They were probably lifted word-for-word from Harvey's book, but on the plus side the author's appearances are thankfully few.

Hart gets the bulk of the funniest lines as Cedric berates his friends and their love lives, racing them from one disastrous mishap after another. “I’m sick of this nontourage", he cleverly quips. You can't blame them for making Hart the centerpiece but his rat-a-tat-tat shtick has a limit, and you don't know when the line has been crossed until it's too late. In one tell-tale moment, Hart indulges in a Risky Business-style dance number that goes on way too long and would have been funnier as a shared scene with the group. The ensemble is what audiences love, and they will absolutely flip over the film's creative highlight; a music video of the ladies rappin' to Bell Biv Devoe's "Poison". From there it's all downhill for Think Like a Man Too, a sequel that, if we were to use a relationship metaphor, is like a really bad rebound date.

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Trailer for 'Think Like a Man Too' Takes the Action to Vegas

The emergence of Kevin Hart as a superstar really kicked off in 2012 with Think Like a Man, the relationship comedy surprising many with a $96M box office. Audiences jumped at the chance to see the cast full of favorite supporting actors such as Michael Ealy, Regina Hall, and Romany Malco get their chance to shine, and now they gang is back again for the sequel, Think Like a Man Too.

The first trailer for the film has been released and it worryingly takes the action to Las Vegas for some "sin city" shenanigans. The entire cast has returned, and this time the couples are together for an impending wedding, although the footage keeps secret who will be tying the knot. The first film was smart, funny, and relatable in a way I don't think many were expecting, but this looks to be relying heavily on silly antics rather than the ties that bind these characters together.

This could be a step in the wrong direction but so far the combination of director Tim Story and producer Will Packer have yet to strike out. The duo also collaborated on the $100M-topping Ride Along, and Packer produced this weekend's About Last Night remake which features much of this film's cast.

Co-starring Taraji P. Henson, Gary Owen, Terrence J., Meagan Good, Jerry Ferrara, La La Anthony, Jenifer Lewis, and Gabrielle Union, Think Like a Man Too opens June 20th 2014.


Think Like a Man Too (2014) Trailer by Afro-Style.com

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Review: 'Last Vegas' Starring Robert De Niro, Michael Douglas, and Morgan Freeman

Old folks are funny. Everybody knows this, right? Especially in movies they are hi-larious. And Las Vegas? Also a place where funny movies tend to take place, like in The Hangover. Hey, The Hangover didn't suck until it got away from the "sin city", right? So old folks and Vegas should be like mana from comedy heaven in Last Vegas, but it's really the combination of Michael Douglas, Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman, and Kevin Kline that the film manages to overcome some glaring shortcomings with the script.

The screen vets play lifelong friends, known in their reckless Brooklyn youth as the Flatbush Four, but now are dealing with the effects of old age. Archie (Freeman) is a military vet who has suffered a stroke, and thus his son (Michael Ealy in a throwaway role) has him on a short leash. Sam (Kline) has retired to Florida where he's stuck in a boring, passionless marriage. Paddy (De Niro) has fared the worst, having become a shut-in after the death of his wife, a woman he and former best pal Billy (Douglas) were both vying for back in the day. Resentment still brews between them for reasons that are dangled in front our noses like a carrot, but really aren't that difficult to figure out. Despite the script by Crazy Stupid Love writer Dan Fogelman, this isn't a film sturdy enough to support long-lasting mysteries.

Billy is the only one of the group who has chosen to remain a swingin' spring chicken, and after a rather awkward funeral speech he decides to ditch bachelorhood and marry his 30-year-old girlfriend.  Sam and Archie, eager for an escape, are totally gung-ho for throwing their millionaire pal a bachelor party in Vegas, but the fuming Paddy has to be tricked into it, and even when he arrives he's little more than a dark cloud.

Directed with a brisk pace by Jon Turteltaub, the film easily bypasses any threads that (rather ironically) would be too mature for a sophomoric comedy such as this. Instead it's a constant barrage of old age stereotypes (did you know old people are bad with technology and use Viagra?) delivered in a fairly conventional package. Archie hits the black jack tables and stumbles into some cash, good enough to earn the gang a swanky hotel upgrade and a resentful concierge (Romany Malco).  In one of those storylines that could have really gone somewhere with a little effort, Sam's wife has given him free reign to basically sleep with whoever he wants (armed with Viagra and condoms) in an effort to bring some spark back to his life. Of course what we get is a creakier version of Hall Pass but his attempts to get laid do provide some of the biggest chuckles. It's Freeman and Kline who carry much of the comedic burden, and the former seems especially jazzed to get drunk, party with models, and down one too many Red Bulls.

It's Douglas and De Niro who are expected to carry the marginally heavier stuff, which amounts to a resurgence of Billy and Paddy's old beef. The always-welcome Mary Steenburgen enters the picture as Diana, a sultry lounge singer who seems to have an eye for both guys, rekindling their feud. She's actually one of the more refreshing aspects of the story and takes it in some interesting directions, mainly because Diana is feisty and completely open about whom she is. She doesn't stand for Paddy's gloom 'n doom, but nor does she totally buy into Billy's playboy attitude. We come to learn that she hit Vegas to live out her golden years doing what she always dreamed of doing, an experienced lesson that is imparted on the gang in numerous ways without being heavy-handed. But for every instance of nuance there are a half a dozen more where Sam gets hit on by drag queens or De Niro punches out some young jerk (usually the victim is Jerry Ferrara), or the gang pretend to be mobsters.

Last Vegas is basically The Bucket List meets The Hangover, and if that sounds like it would make for a schizophrenic combination then you're absolutely right. Its sillier aspects far outweigh the endearing ones, and more jokes miss than hit, but the film breezes through enjoyably enough that this is one Vegas experience you'll be happy to remember.

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'Entourage' Movie Is Officially Happening

Over the last couple of weeks the prospects for an Entourage movie were looking a little dim. The film was green lit by Warner Bros. months ago, but recently the cast has been embroiled in some nasty contract negotiations that made for great tabloid material. The dawn started to break yesterday when co-star Jerry "Turtle" Ferrara told talk show host Wendy Williams that a deal "could be closed today", and clearly he wasn't just pulling our legs.

Show creator Doug Ellin took to Twitter and revealed that a big screen version of the hit HBO series is officially a go...

It's a go. love you all. pic.twitter.com/KcIPV5fqR8
— Doug Ellin (@mrdougellin) October 29, 2013

That was followed up by Ferrara who  enthusiastically tweeted...

I am proud to announce the #Entourage movie is officially a GO! Have to thank @wbpictures and @HBO for all the support to make this happen!
— Jerry Ferrara (@jerrycferrara) October 29, 2013

Mark Wahlberg had been suggesting that some of the cast was being greedy by holding out for a better deal, but it looks like everyone has "hugged it out" and production is expected to begin in January. Ellin will direct, and the story will pick up six months after the series finale.  

Honestly, I don't know why everybody has been clamoring so hard for this movie to happen. The show had a good run over the course of eight seasons, but I don't know what a 2-hour movie could possibly add to their story.

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Ready to party? 'Entourage' film gets the greenlight

Even before HBO's long-running Entourage aired its final episode, talk of bringing Vince and the gang back for a feature film had begun. Mark Wahlberg and co-creator Doug Ellin have been talking it up ever since, and now that the script is finally completed, Warner Bros. has given the thumbs up to bring it to the big screen.

The story will pick up about six months from where the finale left off, with Ari the head of his own studio, Vince heading off to get married, and the gang kind of going in their own direction. Here's what Ellin previously said about what his film would entail...

“There are interesting developments about Ari as a studio head, and that’s still the first page for me. But foremost is the friendship between the guys who are still hanging out and going to fun parties, and it continues with the same characters.”

Um, I hope there's more to it than that. We could just pop in a Blu-Ray of Season 1 if that's all we're going to get.  And honestly, that stuff got boring by the end of Season 2. Surely Ellin, who will also be directing, won't just litter the film with more celebrity cameos and call it a day?

Deals are being worked out with the principle cast to return, which shouldn't be that big of a deal. Expect to see the most important supporting players turn up, as well. I'd kill for Sasha Grey to make a comeback as Vince's pornstar girlfriend.[Deadline]

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