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EW review: Have your 'Cake' and enjoy

By Tom Russo
Entertainment Weekly

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Shane West
Evan Rachel Wood
Edward Zwick
Marshall Herskovitz

(Entertainment Weekly) -- Those who know first-time director Matthew Vaughn's resume -- he produced "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" and "Snatch" -- might expect his own gangster entry to be full-tilt wacky.

Instead, as the unnamed coke-dealing protagonist, Daniel Craig ("Enduring Love"), emphasizes in voice-over, this is an underworld where low-profile discretion is everything and flamboyance is deadly. It's smooth operators like Craig and his capped volcano of a middleman, George Harris ("Raiders of the Lost Ark's" Katanga), who give "Layer Cake" its richness.

EXTRAS The director's commentary with writer J.J. Connolly and a Q&A with Vaughn and Craig explain, among other things, how a little-indie-that-could managed to nab a Stones tune for its soundtrack and sweet-talk fashion label FCUK into lending its name for, incredibly, mock narcotics packaging. Meanwhile, you can practically picture Vaughn rolling his eyes as he notes in the deleted-scenes section, "This is the wonderful ending that we were forced to film by Sony." Luckily, he prevailed: It's an egregious wimp-out that would have negated the story's deglamorizing parting shot.

EW Grade: A-

'Oldboy'

Reviewed by Dalton Ross

Everything about this Korean revenge film, "Oldboy" (winner of Cannes' 2004 Grand Jury Prize), is simply remarkable. Remarkable visuals, remarkable violence (more power to you if you can keep your eyes open during that gruesome tooth-pulling scene), and, most of all, remarkable emotions laid completely bare. The story of a man who has been mysteriously locked away for 15 years is just as volatile internally as externally, and the shockingly intense climax shows that sometimes the truth can be even more painful than the tooth.

EXTRAS The deleted scenes don't add much, and a commentary track focuses more on technical issues like lighting and set design. Instead, head straight to the Q&A segment, where director Park Chanwook describes his unique approach to moviemaking: "I don't feel enjoyment watching films that evoke passivity. If you need that kind of comfort, I don't understand why you wouldn't go to a spa."

EW Grade: A

'Once and Again: The Complete Second Season'

Reviewed by Lynette Rice

As gorgeous as the first season was, "Once and Again: The Complete Second Season" didn't really find its soul until the second year, when sexy divorces Lily (Ward) and Rick (Campbell) became engaged and began the delicate task of melding their two families. Ward, as usual, is luminescent, but it's the children -- played with extraordinary maturity by Evan Rachel Wood (Jessie), Julia Whelan (Grace), and Shane West (Eli) -- who best communicate the pain of divorce.

EXTRAS On the lone commentary (buried on disc 2), creators Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz talk about the episode "Food for Thought," which focuses on Jessie's eating disorder and costars Zwick as a shrink. Listening to the duo -- who, regrettably, have yet to put a new drama on the air since "Once" was canceled in 2002 -- articulate how "Once and Again" is a "show about discomfiture" is fun, but too often they reiterate what we already know: how lucky they were to assemble such an amazing cast. Perhaps they're saving up the bonus materials for the release of the third -- and, sadly, final -- season.

EW Grade: A-


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