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Entourage, directed by Doug Ellin
Entourage, directed by Doug Ellin

Entourage, directed by Doug Ellin

(R, 104 minutes)

The HBO comedy series of the same name dragged on for about three seasons longer than it needed to, so there's really no excuse for resurrecting this worn-out idea as the subject of a feature film four years after the series ended.

But for those who find handsome movie star Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier) and his knuckleheaded hometown-Queens pals (Kevin Connolly, Jerry Ferrara, and Vince's brother Johnny, played with astoundingly accurate idiocy by Kevin Dillon) to be entertaining companions, here they are again, taking on the same old first-world Hollywood challenges and behaving like spoiled Hollywood brats.

Along for the Ferrari-­fueled ride (among the film's many gorgeous cars) is super-agent turned studio head Ari Gold (suitably acerbic Jeremy Piven) and Lloyd (Rex Lee), plus newcomers Billy Bob Thornton as a rich financier, Haley Joel Osment as his obnoxious son, and a hilarious lengthy cameo by mixed martial artist Ronda Rousey.

Other cameos abound -- look for Emily Ratajkowski, Piers Morgan, Mark Cuban, Greg Louganis, Gary Busey, Jon Favreau, Andrew Dice Clay, Mike Tyson, Liam Neeson, Mark Wahlberg, Kelsey Grammer, Warren Buffett, Tom Brady ... it will give you something to do besides try to follow the practically nonexistent plot.

Spy (R, 117 minutes) Don't let the mediocre movie trailer put you off. Spy is smart, fast, sassy and very, very funny, the best work Melissa McCarthy has done since her hilarious turn in 2011's Bridesmaids. She plays schlubby desk-bound CIA analyst Susan Cooper, whose job is to use video screens and audio hookups to anticipate and aid hotshot field agent Bradley Fine (Jude Law) in his daring exploits.

When he disappears and next-best agent Rick Ford (Jason Statham) proves unreliable, Susan somehow finds herself volunteering (and completely transforming herself in the process) to go undercover in an attempt to prevent global disaster, deal with deadly criminal Rayna Boyanov (a deliciously vicious Rose Byrne), and rescue Bradley from peril. With Bobby Cannavale, Allison Janney; directed by Paul Feig.

The Avengers 2: Age of Ultron (PG-13, 142 minutes) Bursting with action that's tempered with just the right amount of wisecracky humor, this decently written fantasy concerns Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) and other Marvel superhero sidekicks, who make an effort to restart a dormant peacekeeping program. The problem? It's quickly commandeered by the program's wily artificial intelligence, known as Ultron (James Spader). With Chris Evans as Captain America, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Mark Ruffalo as the Incredible Hulk, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye; directed by Joss Whedon.

Cop Car (R, 88 minutes) You'll never guess what's coming in this linear, precise and tense who's-the-cop-and-who's-the-criminal drama. A pair of definitely under-privileged 10-year-olds, in the act of running away, find joy when they discover an abandoned cop car, complete with keys, in a grassy field and take it for a ride. They don't yet know that a small-town sheriff (Kevin Bacon) is looking for his missing car and the cargo he left in the trunk. But they will. With James Freedson-Jackson, Shea Wigham; directed by Jon Watts. A making-of featurette is included as a bonus feature on the DVD.

An American in Hollywood (R, 89 minutes) A cynical, smartly observed comedy in which young filmmaker Josiah (Richard Carroll Jr.), determined to stand out from the crowd and be a true-to-himself artist, gathers up a couple of longtime friends and moves from New York to soul-stifling Los Angeles to pursue his elusive dream of writing graphic novels. With J.D. Williams, Hassan Johnson, Samantha Esteban; directed by Sal Varadan.

Aloft (R, 112 minutes) Peruvian director Claudia Llosa's first English-language project is a needlessly complicated allegory that supplies affecting moments before evaporating, leaving viewers with the vague suspicion that a larger point has been missed.

Single mother Nana (Jennifer Connelly) has two sons. Gully (Winta McGrath) has a brain tumor. Older brother Ivan (Zen McGrath) resents the attention his sibling receives. When Nana hauls her kids off to see a faith-healing shaman (William Shimell), Ivan brings along his pet falcon. Something goes horribly wrong, but in the aftermath, Nana discovers that her touch can also heal.

Years later, Ivan (Cillian Murphy), a professional falconer who trains young birds, wants nothing to do with his mother, who has attained a degree of notoriety. Journalist Jannia (Melanie Laurent) contacts him under the pretext of making a documentary on falconry. But she's more interested in contacting Nana. So they embark on a journey to connect with Nana and get some answers as to why she couldn't save the ones closest to her.

This is an austere film, but it's not an ugly one, and Llosa employs an icy blue and white palette to sometimes spectacular effect. All the performances are fine, if consistently downbeat.

Best of Netflix this week: Avengers 2: Age of Ultron (2015), Cop Car (2015), Aloft (2015).

MovieStyle on 10/02/2015

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