8.1 | / 10 |
Users | 3.5 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Comedy | 100% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
French: DTS 5.1
Spanish: DTS 2.0
English SDH, French, Spanish, Dutch, Norwegian, Swedish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
Region free
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Entourage's sixth season rivals its best, propelling everyone but poor, inexplicably famous Vince into new, uncharted territory. As far as I'm concerned, the episodes are sharper, the dialogue funnier, the drama meatier, and the characters' slow but steady development that much more intriguing. The series' previous five seasons tracked Vince (Adrian Grenier) as his promising career exploded and imploded, much to the dismay of his inner circle: Eric (Kevin Connolly), Drama (Kevin Dillon) and Turtle (Jerry Ferrara). Season Six finds Vince rocketing to the top again after his latest project, Gatsby -- a reimagining of "The Great Gatsby" directed by none other than Martin Scorsese -- wins critical acclaim and earns the resurgent star a role in Frank Darabont's next film. Not that Vince's crew is tagging along anymore. With Eric having lept into Ari's hyper-competitive world, hoping to become a super agent himself, Drama finally stepping out of his little brother's shadow, co-starring in a successful network series, and Turtle coming into his own, Vince's entourage begins striking out on their own.
The boys are back in town...
HBO continues to produce some of the most consistent AV presentations on the market, and the Blu-ray edition of Entourage: The Complete Sixth Season does little to damage that reputation. Armed with a sharp and striking 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer, the series makes its BD debut count, outclassing HBO's HD broadcast and its DVD counterpart. Director of photography Rob Sweeney's sun-sweltered LA palette is brimming with rich colors, punchy primaries, and decently resolved blacks, and Ellin's actors have never looked better. Skintones are surprisingly natural (as are the vast majority of the hues that spring up over the course of season six) and fine detailing is quite good, lending closeups the sort of clarity one might expect from a more grounded drama. Edge definition is nice and crisp, textures are refined, delineation is revealing, and the series' at-times heavy grain field is intact. Softness does creep into the image on occasion, but it shouldn't be attributed to any technical issue with HBO's notably proficient transfer. It all traces back to artistic intent. Moreover, I didn't notice any substantial artifacting, banding, smearing, aberrant noise, or crush. Ringing does affect numerous scenes, and some overzealous processing spoils a few shots (chief among them an oceanside argument between Eric and Sloan in the season finale), but neither issue is intrusive enough to be cause for much concern. Ultimately, while HBO's transfer isn't as slick or shiny as some might be hoping for, longtime series fans will approve.
The same goes for The Complete Sixth Season's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track, yet another solid sonic offering from HBO. Since the very beginning, Ellin has infused Entourage with hard-hitting Hip Hop; aggressive rap anthems that evoke the cutthroat intensity of Hollywood and the arrogance of its rising stars. On Blu-ray, the series' music erupts from the front channels, pairing Ellin's living, breathing vision of LA with each episode's chest-thumping, LFE-driven soundtrack. To that end, the soundscape balances every brisk beat and barking rapper with the revving engines, tantruming starlets, lightning-lipped agents, and chaotic film sets the boys encounter, making for a fairly attention-grabbing experience. Dialogue remains clean and clear throughout, and prioritization is spot on; dynamics are punchy but purposeful, and pans are smooth. The only downside? The track's rear speakers don't exactly engage the listener, leaving the series' passing cars, busy restaurants, and crowded clubs anchored near the front of the soundfield. Still, several elements -- the distant roar of Ari's voice as he closes in on a hapless victim (or the pok pok pok of a paintball gun as it were) springs to mind -- make their way into the rear channels, to effective ends. All in all, HBO's DTS-HD Master Audio track is faithful to the series' sound design and shouldn't disappoint anyone with appropriate expectations.
Like the concurrently released Blu-ray edition of Hung, Entourage: The Complete Sixth Season doesn't flex as much supplemental muscle as it should. That being said, it at least offers a more entertaining trip behind the scenes. First up are three cast and crew Audio Commentaries with creator/executive producer Doug Ellin, executive producer Ally Musika, and actors Adrian Grenier, Kevin Connolly, Jeremy Piven, Kevin Dillon, Jerry Ferrara and Bob Saget. While Saget ducks out and Dillon steps in for the set's third track, the rest of the group is on hand for all three episodes ("No More Drama," "Scared Straight," and "Give a Little Bit"), touching on the development of season six, discussing the ins and outs of the characters and plotlines, dissecting the changes Vince's boys undergo, and dishing a bit of Hollywood dirt along the way. Compliments, playful jabs, and distractions abound -- it seems revealing production insights aren't on the menu -- but the participants' laid back chemistry makes for a trio of fun, fairly engaging chats.
Elsewhere, a palatable season six featurette, "Life on Top" (HD, 15 minutes) avoids every EPK pitfall, digging into the various character arcs and evolutions that grace the latest Entourage episodes. Just beware: it drops a few serious spoilers. "A Day at the Speedway" (HD, 3 minutes) focuses on a single episode -- "One Car, Two Car, Red Car, Blue Car" -- and delivers a decent overview of the creative process. If only every episode was featured in a similar short. Finally, a fantastic in-character "ONEXONE PSA" with Vince, Ari, and Matt Damon (playing himself, as well as the director of the commercial). Damon brings the goods, an on-set argument erupts, hilarity ensues, and Jeremy Piven kills with a devastating Good Will Hunting reference. I watched it twice.
Reactions to Entourage's sixth season have been mixed, but I couldn't get enough. While the series' writers still seem far too infatuated with Vince's aimless sexual escapades, the rest of the boys -- Turtle, Drama, Eric and, yes, even Ari -- continue to evolve, lending each episode a comic ferocity and snarky intensity unlike anything else on television. The Complete Sixth Season makes for a fine Blu-ray release as well; one that offers an excellent video transfer, a solid DTS-HD Master Audio track, and a decent (albeit easily exhaustible) supplemental package. Even the set's price is primed to please. If you have any affection for Entourage whatsoever, be sure to scoop up the series' Blu-ray debut.
2004-2011
2004-2011
2009
2010
2010
2011
2011
Bonus disc
2011
2015
1996
Limited Edition
2005-2012
2008
2012
Cidade dos Homens
2007
2008
Unrated & Theatrical Cuts
2009
2008
1993
2-Disc Unrated Collector's Edition
2010
2009
2008
2003
2002-2008
2008
2008
2010
2011
1999-2007