Tag: Cole Hauser

THE RITUAL KILLER – Review

(l-r) Morgan Freeman and Cole Hauser in THE RITUAL KILLER. Courtesy of Screen Media

Any time Morgan Freeman is in the cast, a film is going to be worth considering. In the RITUAL KILLER, he’s second banana but still key to the proceedings. The crime drama opens with a grisly killing and dismemberment in Rome before an immediate switch to the Southern U. S. of A., where similar slayings start occurring in what may be some sort of occult ritual style. Cole Hauser stars as , Detective Boyd, the lead detective on the domestic cases, soon turning to a nearby professor of African cultures and historical practices, Professor Mackles (Freeman) who might understand why the bodies are piling up. Not because he’s the prime suspect. It’s just that aspects of the murder scenes seemingly relate to his slice (inadvertent pun) of academia. Hauser is right, and Freeman starts contributing to the task of ending the spree.

We see the perpetrator (Vernon Davis) before they do. The dude has exceptional skills, bordering on the mystical, in evading capture while he continues his conspicuously gruesome mission. Hauser’s investigation ties Davis to the Rome murder, helping I.D. the guy, while making that early scene shift less disjointed than it felt at the time. There is method to this seeming madness. No need for the whodunit component, as sufficient suspense lingers on the why, and whether they’ll be able to catch this elusive, prolific killer.

Director George Gallo, whose diverse resume spans many genres, spares little of the gory details of Davis’ acts and their results. He also wastes no time, completing the package with admirable efficiency. This film is for the strong of stomach, not the faint of heart. The script from veteran actor and first-time screenwriter Bob Bowersox and a handful of other credited penners is mainly a by-the-numbers procedural, upgraded by a few unusual and intriguing variations along the way. The three leading actors carry the load, with the rest of the cast, including gifted character actor Peter Stormare, called upon for little more than dutifully filling the standard roles for such tales.

Though not yet MPAA rated as this is written, the gore factor would warrant at least an R, and possibly an NC-17, depending on who’s doing the job. You’ve now been warned about the yucky parts. If that’s not a deal-breaker, then step right up for this solid crime drama. And Morgan.

THE RITUAL KILLER opens Friday, Mar. 10, in theaters and video on demand.

RATING: 2.5 out of 4 stars

THE MINUTE YOU WAKE UP DEAD – Review

Morgan Freeman in director Michael Mailer’s suspense tale THE MINUTE YOU WAKE UP DEAD. Courtesy of Saban Films.

THE MINUTE YOU WAKE UP DEAD is a title that looms as ominously as it plays for a concept that aptly grows in levels of menace as this quiet, twisty suspense tale unfolds.

The setting is a small, less-than-wealthy Southern town. An investment broker (Cole Hauser) has done well by his fellow citizens in the past, but has just cost a whole lotta folks a whole lotta money when a huge deal he’d touted fell apart, making their extremely non-discretionary funds evaporate.

We meet him as he enters the local diner to icy stares from all, and threats from a few, as he’s just become the redneck version of Bernie Madoff. The hot waitress (Jaime Alexander) he’d had a crush on since their school days is the only one who is still kind to him. He’s also renting the house next door from her and her father.

Hauser keeps getting whispered anonymous phone calls using the film’s title as a threat to life and limb. He tells the sheriff (Morgan Freeman, who also provides his special brand of voice-over, but the law is mostly helpless when the perp can’t be identified. Romance surprisingly blossoms with Alexander until her sickly father is gunned down one night. The theory is that the shooter was going for Hauser but missed HIS home by one door.

That’s when a surprising number of layers begin to unfold. We learn why the old man was shot but so do others, making a simple plan spin out of control, causing more bodies to pile up. One of my favorite Alfred Hitchcock films, THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY, is a wry little comedy about having to keep moving a corpse found in the woods, as everyone in a little neighborhood thinks they’re protecting someone else. This one vaguely evokes the memory of that, albeit with a higher body count and none of its whimsical humor. Or any other type of humor, for that matter.

The small-town setting provides a perfect backdrop for the tone of the tale, enhanced by the expected reality of everyone knowing everyone else’s business, or learning about it with little effort. Performances are solid, and Michael Mailer’s (Norman’s oldest son) direction is admirably efficient, as the script he co-wrote with Timothy Holland piles more and more problems upon the principal players. It’s an understated little film, with the essential sex and violence elements occurring either off-camera, or visually minimized. Nothing great, but most should find this tangled web they weave a satisfactory diversion.

It’s got Morgan Freeman, folks. That’s pretty much a guarantee of at least some merit on its own.

THE MINUTE YOU WAKE UP DEAD opens Friday, Nov. 4, in select theaters, and is available on-demand and via digital platforms starting the same day.

RATING: 2 out of 4 stars

Vin Diesel in PITCH BLACK Extras-Packed Blu-ray Now Available From Arrow Video

” All you people are so scared of me. Most days I’d take that as a compliment. But it ain’t me you gotta worry about now.”

Vin Diesel in an extras-packed new Blu-ray of PITCH BLACK is currently available from Arrow Video.

THERE S A NEW REASON TO BE AFRAID OF THE DARK.

When an intergalactic transport ship crashes on a remote desert planet with no sign of help on the horizon, the survivors, led by Fry (Radha Mitchell), band together to find a way back home. Among the passengers is Riddick (Vin Diesel), a convicted murderer being transported by marshal Johns (Cole Hauser) and now freed of his chains and on the loose. But as a solar eclipse plunges the planet into total darkness, a threat even worse than Riddick reveals itself, and the last humans standing may have to form an uneasy truce with the cunning fugitive (whose eyes have been surgically altered to see in the dark) to last the long night.

Boasting crackerjack direction and a whip-smart script by David Twohy, as well as a star-making performance by Diesel, Riddick s first outing is freshly unleashed in an illuminating, brand new 4K restoration, with hours of exclusive bonus content.

BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS

  • Brand new 4K restoration by Arrow Films of the Theatrical and Director s Cuts of the film, approved by director David Twohy
  • High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation
  • Original DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround on both cuts
  • Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing on both cuts
  • Archive commentary with director David Twohy and stars Vin Diesel and Cole Hauser
  • Archive commentary with director David Twohy, producer Tom Engelman and visual effects supervisor Peter Chiang
  • Nightfall: The Making of Pitch Black, a newly filmed interview with director/co-writer David Twohy
  • Black Box: Jackie’s Journey, a newly filmed interview with actor Rhiana Griffith
  • Black Box: Shazza’s Last Stand, a newly filmed interview with actor Claudia Black
  • Black Box: Bleach Bypassed, a newly filmed interview with cinematographer David Eggby
  • Black Box: Cryo-Locked, a newly filmed interview with visual effects supervisor Peter Chiang
  • Black Box: Primal Sounds, a newly filmed interview with composer Graeme Revell
  • The Making of Pitch Black, a short behind-the-scenes featurette
  • Pitch Black Raw, a comparison between early CG tests and the final footage
  • Additional behind-the-scenes footage from the making of the film
  • 2004 archive bonus features, including an introduction by Twohy, A View Into The Dark, and Chronicles of Riddick Visual Encyclopedia
  • Johns Chase Log, a short prequel narrated by Cole Hauser detailing the character s hunt for Riddick
  • The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury (in 16:9 widescreen with DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio), an animated short film directed by Peter Chung that acts as a bridgepoint between Pitch Black and The Chronicles of Riddick, featuring vocal performances by Vin Diesel, Keith David and Rhiana Griffith reprising their roles
  • Dark Fury bonus features including Bridging The Gap, Peter Chung: The Mind of an Animator, A View Into The Light, and a pre-animation version of the film
  • Slam City, a motion comic from the film s official website
  • Into Pitch Black, a TV special offering an alternative non-canon glimpse into what happened before and after the events of the film
  • Raveworld: Pitch Black Event, footage of a dance music event held to promote the film
  • Theatrical trailers, plus trailers for the two sequels and video game
  • Image galleries
  • Reversible sleeve featuring newly commissioned ‘night’ and ‘day’ artwork by Luke Preece

Bruce Willis in ACTS OF VIOLENCE Arrives on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital on March 27th

The action-packed thriller Acts of Violence erupts onto Blu-ray™ (plus Digital), DVD, and on Digital March 27 from Lionsgate. The film is currently available On Demand. Set in the dangerous world of human trafficking, the film stars Cole Hauser, action legend Bruce Willis, Sophia Bush, and Mike Epps. From the producers of 2 Guns and Lone Survivor, the Acts of Violence Blu-ray and DVD include a director’s commentary, a never-before-seen featurette, and cast and crew interviews, and will be available for the suggested retail price of $21.99 and $19.98, respectively.

When his fiancée is kidnapped by human traffickers, Roman (Ashton Holmes) and his ex-military brothers (Cole Hauser and Shawn Ashmore) team up with Detective Avery (Bruce Willis) to take down both the syndicate and the corrupt bureaucracy that’s been protecting it.

CAST

Cole Hauser                 Olympus Has Fallen, 2 Fast 2 Furious

Bruce Willis                   Die Hard franchise, Sin City franchise, The Expendables franchise

Shawn Ashmore           X-Men franchise, TV’s “Conviction”

Ashton Holmes             A History of Violence, TV’s “Being Mary Jane”

with Sophia Bush          TV’s “Chicago P.D.” and “One Tree Hill”

and Mike Epps              The Hangover, Where’s the Money, Girls Trip

BLU-RAY/DVD SPECIAL FEATURES

  • Director’s Commentary
  • “Making Acts of Violence” Featurette
  • Cast / Crew Interviews

JARHEAD 2: FIELD OF FIRE – The Blu Review

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A Marine unit stationed in the hostile province of Helmand Afghanistan wilderness faces a harrowing mission as they try to help a fugitive woman reach safety from the Taliban in JARHEAD 2: FIELD OF FIRE.  Packed with intense action, thrills and the gritty reality of war, the all-new movie JARHEAD 2: FIELD OF FIRE is inspired by JARHEAD, the highly praised feature film that follows a naïve young recruit and his platoon mates from the intensity of boot camp to being deployed to a lonely outpost in a surreal desert setting.  JARHEAD 2: FIELD OF FIRE transports the action to the brutal battlefields and dusty villages of Afghanistan, where a band of Marines risk their lives to save a woman fleeing certain death at the hands of her Taliban pursuers.

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Battle-scarred and disillusioned by the war, Corporal Chris Merriman (Josh Kelly) is put in charge of a unit whose next mission is to resupply a remote outpost on the edge of Taliban-controlled territory.  While driving through the hostile Helmand province, a Navy SEALflags down their convoy and enlists the unit on an operation of international importance: they must help an Afghan woman famous for her defiance of the Taliban escape the country.  Without tanks or air support, Merriman and his team will need all the courage and firepower they can muster to fight their way across the war-torn country and shepherd the woman to safety.  JARHEAD 2: FIELD OF FIRE is a thrilling action-adventure that celebrates the courage and patriotism of the men and women in the U.S. Marines.

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JARHEAD 2: FIELD OF FIRE will be released on Blu-ray August 19th but We Are Movie Geeks has already seen it!

The original JARHEAD had a satirical bent and was less about the insanity of warfare in the jungle than the insanity of inaction, boredom and frustration in the desert. JARHEAD was also directed by Oscar-winner Sam Mendes and had an A-list cast that included Jake Gyllenhaal and Jamie Fox. JARHEAD 2: FIELD OF FIRE is directed by John Michael Paul, whose credits include the TV quasi-sequels LAKE PLACID: THE FINAL CHAPTER and TAKEN: THE SEARCH FOR SOPHIE PARKER. It stars Stephen Lange, basically recreating his character from AVATAR (nothing wrong with that), actor Josh Kelly, who served three tours in Afghanistan and one in Iraq as an Army Ranger before starting his acting career mostly in TV, and Cole Hauser. It’s a cheaper-looking film featuring mostly hand-to-hand combat as opposed to large-scale battles or helicopter rescues, but the action is excruciating and relentless, and director Paul doesn’t spare the audience. If anything, he rubs our noses in the blood, sweat, and tears of combat. Bullets pierce bodies with sickening force and frequency, bones shatter, men die. JARHEAD is more in the mode of LONE SURVIVOR and more conventional in its tone than its predecessor and is a good, tough, satisfying war film.

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JARHEAD 2: FIELD OF FIRE looks very good on Blu-ray, offering a sharp image that bolsters the film’s gritty intensity.   The movie is provided with a 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 transfer in the 2.40:1 aspect ratio. This is a nicely detailed and impressive image that leaves little to complain about. Visual clarity is very strong, revealing a great sense of fine detail. Close-ups are especially striking, highlighting every dirty pore and unkempt whisker on the soldiers’ faces. Depth is also impressive, bringing a life-like sense of dimension to the image. Colors adhere to a palette that favors browns, yellows, beiges, and greens, emphasizing the Afghanistan wilderness setting. Contrast is high but well balanced and black levels are solid and consistent.

The film is presented with an English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix along with a Spanish DTS 5.1 mix. Optional English SDH and Spanish subtitles are also included. Nuanced, spacious, and absolutely assaulting when it needs to be, this is a powerful and fully enveloping track.

The only extras are a pair of deleted scenes.

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JARHEAD 2: FIELD OF FIRE will be available on Blu-ray™ Combo Pack including Blu-ray™, DVD & DIGITAL HD on August 19, 2014, including both an R-rated and Unrated version as part of the DVD Originals™ line from Universal 1440 Entertainment, a production entity of Universal Studios Home Entertainment.  The film will also be available on DIGITAL HD two weeks early on August 5, 2014.

Despite some budgetary limitations, JARHEAD 2: FIELD OF FIRE is a solid action film and worth a purchase for fans of good war stories.

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