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A walk on the BruckheimerProlific producer on screen and tube
By Todd Leopold
(CNN) -- You never see Jerry Bruckheimer, but you can't avoid him. He's a producer, the man behind the scenes who makes things happen. And this year, there's been a lot happening: Bruckheimer has had a couple No. 1 movies ("Pirates of the Caribbean" and "Bad Boys II"), the No. 1 TV show ("CSI"), and a hand in a No. 1 album (the "Bad Boys II" soundtrack). He's also the producer of several other hit TV shows, including "CSI: Miami" and "Without a Trace," and there's always a Bruckheimer movie in production. Yet his name can provoke eye-rolling among critics. It's not hard to see why. Bruckheimer movies are often loud, populist extravaganzas. "Pearl Harbor" was a Bruckheimer movie; so was "Gone in 60 Seconds" and "Armageddon." When he's turned away from action movies, the results have been mixed, with the plus side (for most reviewers) including "Black Hawk Down" and "Remember the Titans" and the minuses "Coyote Ugly" and "Kangaroo Jack." His TV shows are both praised and deplored for their production values: One person's professionalism is another person's slickness. But regardless of how he's viewed, the man is nothing if not successful. And this week come two more sides to Bruckheimer: the Fox drama "Skin" and the Joel Schumacher-directed film "Veronica Guerin." Eye on Entertainment takes a look. Eye-openerIf you're as big a baseball fan as I am, "Skin" has been in your face since the beginning of the division series. "His father is the district attorney!" por -- uh, adult entertainment merchant Ron Silver erupts at his daughter. "I don't want you going out with that porn peddler's girl!" D.A. Kevin Anderson directs his son. (Or something like that.) The ads have been inescapable. But the two young lovers will not have their romance stifled. It's "Romeo and Juliet" in modern-day L.A., and based on the ads, it looks great, full of dramatic lighting, throbbing, eerie music, and a beautiful cast. Whether it's well-written or well-acted, well ... Still, you don't want to bet against Jerry Bruckheimer. And Silver is usually good even when the show (or movie) is bad. Monday, 9 p.m., Fox. As for the movie, "Veronica Guerin" is based on the true story of an Irish newspaper reporter who took on the drug lords and dealers of Ireland and was killed for it. The movie stars Cate Blanchett and a host of other British and Irish actors, including Brenda Fricker ("My Left Foot"), Ciaran Hinds and Don Wycherley. "Guerin" director Joel Schumacher has taken even harder hits from the critics than Bruckheimer, with only a handful of his films earning positive reviews ("Tigerland" is probably rated highest). And yet he's known for bringing his works in on time and under budget, and they generally do well at the box office. Whether "Veronica Guerin," a prestige project for both Schumacher and Bruckheimer, will be greeted positively is anyone's guess. But it will probably do well. On screen• A long time ago, Dustin Hoffman and Gene Hackman were struggling actor pals in New York (along with a third friend, Robert Duvall). Now they're two of the most highly honored actors in movies. Their first movie together, "Runaway Jury," features Hoffman as a lawyer and Hackman as a jury consultant, playing chess with human pieces including John Cusack and Rachel Weisz. Based on the John Grisham novel. • The original "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" has long been a favorite of gore movie fans. So, now that technology makes limbs and brains look all the more real, why not remake it? Ah, your wish is granted: A new "Massacre," starring Jessica Biel, "Full Metal Jacket" drill sergeant R. Lee Ermey and a cast of no-names, is slicing into theaters. On the tube• Fox isn't taking any chances with "Skin." Along with the endless ads during the baseball postseason, they're placing it right behind the new "Joe Millionaire." This time, "Joe" is a poor cowboy being displayed to European women as a wealthy oil scion. Expect his pals, the Clampetts, to drop by to show him how to use the Cement Pond. Monday, 8 p.m., Fox. • Baseball has had an exciting postseason so far, with the Marlins taking the National League pennant in seven games over the Cubs and, as of this writing, the Yankees and Red Sox heading to a seventh game. The world champion will be decided in the World Series, starting Saturday, 8 p.m., on Fox. Sound waves• Those clever Canadians, the Barenaked Ladies, come back with their first album since a 2001 greatest hits collection -- "Everything to Everyone" (Warner Bros., like CNN a Time Warner company). Due Tuesday. • Mandy Moore takes on some favorites of a time long before she was born -- that is, the 1970s. Among the cover songs on her new album, "Coverage" (Sony), are Elton John's "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters," Cat Stevens' "Moonshadow" and what I can only assume is XTC's "Senses Working Overtime." That's from 1982, which is still two years older than Moore. Due Tuesday. Paging readers• His writing can be smug, snobby or unpleasant -- or heartfelt, beautiful and crystalline. It's usually the latter, which is why he's one of the most renowned writers of the past century. A collection of John Updike's short stories, "The Early Stories: 1953-1975" (Knopf), is due Tuesday. • Bill Cosby wonders what, exactly, he's been doing to his body all these years with "I Am What I Ate ... and I'm Frightened!" (HarperEntertainment). Due Tuesday.
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