Hero

Advantages: Fascinating, comprehensive
Disadvantages: Nothing major

...'Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times' was first published in 1991 and written and compiled by the respected boxing writer Thomas Hauser. The book, which is over 500 pages long, is a comprehensive overview of Ali's life and career told mostly in quotes from countless people (both living and dead) who were there at the time. Ali, his entourage, his opponents, his parents, his children, promoters, journalists, celebrities and on and on. There is a vast amount of material in the book which charts his boxing career, political battles, relationships, friendships, rivalries and character. Although Ali now has probably more biographies about him than just about any other person, living or dead, if you had to buy just one book about him this would be my recommendation. I found the biography to be an insightful, absorbing, fascinating, sad, funny...

arthurpringle 19.02.2009 · Read review
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Review of Muhammad Ali - Thomas Hauser

If I'm not mee.. den who da Hell am I?

Advantages: Arnie in his prime, an intriguing premise
Disadvantages: Dating badly

.... Terminator 2 followed, then a string of soulless big budget turkeys like Last Action Hero and True Lies which effectively torpedoed his megastardom for good. With hindsight you could say he reflected American sensibilities about their place in the world at the time: invulnerable and righteous. When he started playing roles with frailties in them, Arnie became yesterday?s news. THE STORY (the start of it): Being based on a Phillip K Dick short story titled ?We Can Remember It For You Wholesale? (the bloke who wrote ?Bladerunner?) you can be sure the plot isn?t going to be simple. Unlike the typical Schwarzenegger premise of: (a) Arnie is looking for something. (b) Arnie kills everyone who gets in his way ?Total Recall? is a lot more labyrinthine. The year is 2020. Arnie plays Douglas Hauser, a construction worker who has little in his...

runningman77 23.03.2009 · Read review
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Review of Total Recall (DVD)

Yippeekayay, mothe.......oh, sorry, wrong film!

Advantages: Good war film
Disadvantages: Nothing special

...a man who hates himself and everyone else and only does what he does because it's his job. Then we see a more human side where he needs to think about the welfare of all involved. He is supported by Monica Bellucci as Dr Kendricks, and has a fine group of actors headed by Cole Hauser as his soldiers. Tom Skerritt provides a good turn, and the refugees do well. My Opinion The majority of this film does not require much thought or acting. The refugees mainly just have to stay together as a bunch, with a couple of exceptions where one of them has to speak. The same is the case with the soldiers. They merely have to look mean and menacing and know how to pull a trigger. Director Fuqua manages to achieve this at the same time as creating believable characters. The plot and premise is believable, and the excecution of it is convincing...

pmcds 27.03.2008 · Read review
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Review of Tears Of The Sun (DVD)

Anti-hero Riddick fights in the Pitch Black

Advantages: Believable, good acting and direction
Disadvantages: Limited due to simple plot

...'s been chasing him, Johns. The planet is seemingly sun drenched, but when the sun goes down and the darkness comes, scary happenings start. Strange flying creatures start hunting the survivors, and they need to reach safety on the planet. Sightless due to the darkness, they need a miracle, and it just so happens that Riddick has had his eyes surgically shined, meaning that the most dangerous serial killer is the only one who can see in the dark. The Cast and Performances Vin Diesel scares as Riddick, but the emotions he evokes through the character are also very well performed. Cole Hauser stars as Johns, Riddick's nemesis, and does so with the right amount of cynicism and scepticism, not trusting the serial killer in the slightest. Supporting roles from Radha Mitchell and Keit David make this sci-fi film very believable. The acting...

pmcds 17.03.2008 · Read review
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Review of Pitch Black (Special Edition) (DVD)

Get Ready To Blow

Advantages: Incredibly funny
Disadvantages: None really

...In the war torn country of Turaqistan the end of war is met with a US branding exercise by conglomerate Tamerlane. Sent into organise the branding of a country is Brand Hauser (John Cusack). Helped by his aid Marsha Dillon (Joan Cusack) the two try to sell the country, its people, and its inventions to the world. Natalie Hegalhuzan (Marisa Tomei) is a journalist suspicious of the whole branding exercise, and clearly sees through Hauser's message, while he tries to win her heart as well as her trust. But things take an unexpected new twist when Yonica Babyyeah (Hilary Duff) arrives in town (the Turaqistan version of Britney Spears when she was popular for the right reasons), while trying to woo the singer something about her makes Hauser violently ill, often vomiting at thesound of her music. But all this is just a cover Hauser is in fact...

sghawken 17.05.2008 · Read review
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Review of War Inc. (DVD)

Home and Away with Aliens

Advantages: The coolest bad guy in history, great effects
Disadvantages: God damned Aussies!

...in the film. They all act superbly though the pick of the bunch has to be Vin Diesel as Riddick (probably the best guy in movie history) ad Cole Hauser as his nemesis, the bountyhunter Jonze. The special effects are amazing, with the CGI creatures being so realistic there is a dinstict danger that those of a nervous disposition may soil their underwear. It’s 104 minutes of exhilarating tension. The DVD is presented in a 2.35:1 (anamorphic) ratio and has had a fantastic picture transfer. The images are really clean and the blacks, once the eclipse has occurred, are fantastic with very little pixellation The 5.1 Soundtrack is superb and will have you looking over your shoulder to make sure that one of the creatures isn’t behind you. You’ve got a choice of English and German for the languages as well as subtitles in...

robbroome 05.09.2001 · Read review
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Review of Pitch Black (DVD)

Perfect Pitch

Advantages: Fast paced, never obvious
Disadvantages: Don't examine the plot too closely

...great. Aren’t you sick of the whore with a heart of gold? The brooding misunderstood bad guy who just needs a chance to redeem himself? If it’s brooding you want then you get it from Vin Diesel, who plays Riddick, escaped prisoner, self confessed murderer and all round bad guy (catchphrase: “It ain’t me you got to be afraid of now.) And he plays it straight, where a bigger star might have been tempted to give a little wink to the camera now and then. Cole Hauser plays Johns, supposedly a cop taking Riddick to a prison colony, but actually a cold blooded, drug dependant bounty hunter, quite prepared to join with Riddick in slaughtering everyone in order to increase his chance of getting away. And then there is Radha Mitchell as Carolyn Fry. This is a dangerous lady. In the first scenes she is only too ready to...

baddog 02.06.2001 · Read review
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Review of Pitch Black (DVD)

Unbelievably stretched sequel

Advantages: Well-paced, all-star cast, superb special effects
Disadvantages: Somewhat hollow, inconsequential, outrageous

...Following my review of the prequel to this last week, I give you now the second installment of the increasingly far-fetched premise that is Stefan Ruzowitzky's "Anatomie 2". Picking up where we left off, the Anti-Hippocratic Lodge is at large again, this time in a Berlin hospital. We see the story through the protagonist, Jo Hauser, a young doctor who moves to a classy upmarket Berlin hospital to work. Soon he joins the evil Lodge and starts to compromise his integrity in order to achieve fame and also to help his crippled brother Willi who suffers from some muscular degenerative disease. He learns their unethical ways and discovers a new medical approach of implanting bionic muscles into the human body (illegally of course). With the help of a Filipino nurse he soon realises his folly and must work against time to save the many lives...

habitualdamnation 09.05.2006 · Read review
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Review of Anatomie 2 (DVD)

The Cave

Advantages: Paced Horror, Good looking cast
Disadvantages: Nothing original

...is a parasite that affected the hosts and this enabled them to survive and mutate under the surroundings they lived in. The film has a beautiful cast and some of you will agree as you may recogonise the actors. The cast consists of Cole Hauser, Eddie Cibrian, Morris Chestnut, Lena Headley, Piper Perabo, Rick Ravanello, Daniel Dae Kim and lots more. This film was like any other horror to be honest nothing amazing but it still worked for me. It did take its time in the beginning but that worked in a way as it kept you uneasy and looking out for that jumping moment. The special effects were good and effective considering the storyline. It was a great film to watch and bits of it reminded of Pitch Black especially the creatures. It was a fun film and the twist at the end is what really made it special....

cillamusic 06.10.2008 · Read review
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Review of The Cave (DVD)

Save Bruisers Mom, oo I like your Necklace!!

Advantages: Funny, Upbeat, Inspiring, Pink Scented Paper!
Disadvantages: None!

.... In true Elle Woods fashion she decides to fight to get the all the dogs out of the Lab. Elle goes to her law firm to get backing, but after a very blonde presentation it ends up with Elle getting fired. Worried that Emmett wont want to marry someone who has just been sacked. Elle becomes determined to get the law on animal testing changed, not only to get Bruisers mother free but to also secure her marriage will happen. Elle then joins a Legal Aid firm, where the other members take a straight disliking to her. With the Pink, the constant happy attitude, they think that she is just another barbie! But in true Elle fashion she proves that she didnt get a Harvard Law Degree for doing her hair and nails!! Elle gains support from the Doorman of her Hotel, Sid, a former Delta Nu Libby Hauser, Chairman Standford Marks, the owner...

bmthkatie 22.08.2007 · Read review
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Review of Legally Blonde 2 - Red, White And Blonde (DVD)