<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: Full of inaccuracies and speculations
Review: Apart from some basic facts I already knew and rough descriptions of Russell Crowe's movies, that book contains only tons of inaccuracies and speculations, especially about how Russell Crowe was feeling and what he was thinking at certain times and situations in his life, even what Danielle was feeling in certain situations.
How does that guy know? He has obviously never spoken to Russ or Dani (he would have mentioned it if he had) and even though some things sound like they MIGHT be true, I don't buy most of what that guy wrote.
I don't remember all the details, of course - and I refuse to read that book again - but some of the things I remember as clearly wrong or totally speculative are:
- The author says Russ played the leading role in Brides of Christ. But he appears in that entire mini-series for only a few minutes.
- The author says Russell's opponent in The Crossing was a Robert Hanimone. But it was Robert Mammone.
- The author says Russell has always been insecure about his sexual orientation ("proof" of this, the author says, is that Russ didn't have a girlfriend before Dani, that he played a sexually ambiguous character in the Rocky Horror Show, and that he prefers playing movie characters who are insecure about their sexual orientation). This is complete nonsense.
- The author says Russell liked playing Nash so much, because he is also on the verge of being schizophrenic. "Proof" is that his parents have said he was always " a little crazy" as a child and that his sudden fits of rage can be explained by him being at least a little schizophrenic. This, too, is entirely speculative.
- The author says Russell has always hated his Maori heritage and still does. "Proof" of that, the author says, is that he was discriminated against in New Zealand because of his mixed blood, and that up to date, even though he speaks up against racism, he does not have any black friends and has never gotten involved in any activities to help minorities (or something like that, I don't recall the exact wording). How does the author know? Does he know all of Mr. Crowe's friends and all projects he is involved in?
Anyway, IMO the entire book contains mainly inaccuracies and speculations. There are other books out there who are much more accurate about Russell Crowe, his movies and his life.
Rating: 
Summary: On target with Crowe
Review: Here we go - another biography from James Dickerson, which means strap yourself in for quite a ride. Few, if any, biographers approach their subject with such sheer relentlessness as does this Mississippi-based author.And now he's taking on the life of Russell Crowe, one of the most enigmatic, and talented actors working today. The author knows a good subject when he sees one and a good case could be make that he's caught Crowe's life when he's getting ready to leap into full-blown movie stardom. We learn some things about Crowe we didn't know (his Maori ancestry), some things we'd heard about (his being a musician and a darned good one) and some things about him we know all too well (his, er, gruffness). It's a handsome book and if the author had packed any more detail into these 175 or so pages, you'd have to get help picking it up. Some say biographies don't mean much unless you have the subject's cooperation. It looks like Dickerson disagrees and we should be grateful for his attitude about his work. Without fetters or favor we get probably as close to Russell Crowe as anyone ever will -- and maybe closer. Bravo to the bio and to Russell Crowe for being his own man. Sometimes we need guys who throw punches - and biographies like this that refuse to pull them.
Rating: 
Summary: Beware of the phsychology...
Review: How can the author spit out phsychological assessments on a person he has not personally interviewed? According to his analysis, any young teenage boy who is shy with girls and prefers the company of his "buddies" or ("mates") suffers from some type of sexual ambiguity??!! This seems to describe just about all the teenage boys I know...Better not tell my 14 year old son...Apart from this, the books is an easy read, nothing really new, just take it with a huge grain of salt...
Rating:
Summary: Beware of the phsychology...
Review: How can the author spit out phsychological assessments on a person he has not personally interviewed? According to his analysis, any young teenage boy who is shy with girls and prefers the company of his "buddies" or ("mates") suffers from some type of sexual ambiguity??!! This seems to describe just about all the teenage boys I know...Better not tell my 14 year old son...Apart from this, the books is an easy read, nothing really new, just take it with a huge grain of salt...
Rating:
Summary: fantastic
Review: this is a fantastic story of russell's overcoming and persaverance. i think russell is probably a genius. . . aren't many these days (santana, russell, and jim carrey to name a few.) particularly interesting was russell's early years, having recently survived what i think was probably SARS I felt i could relate with the idea of struggle. buy this book, you will thank me for it!
Rating:
Summary: Okay but not the best
Review: While much of the information in this book is interesting, it's hard to know what to believe and what not to. When the author gets a simple, well-published, and easily verifiable, fact wrong - such as that Mel Gibson was born in Australia - Gibson wasn't; he was born in Rye, NY and moved to Australia as a child - you have to wonder how thorough his research about Crowe actually was. Also, the author's psychological 'insights' say more about the author than they do about Crowe. The book would have been much better without them, as they seem to point to a bias on the author's part rather than as true indicators of Crowe's thoughts, feelings, or reasoning. Watching Crowe's dedication and loyalty to not only his art, but also to his family and friends, tells one much more about the man than any unauthorized bio does, and does it better and with more truth. Get this book if you're a fan, but watch Crowe's movies and interviews, and listen to his music, if you really want the true story about the real Russell Crowe..
Rating:
Summary: Okay but not the best
Review: While much of the information in this book is interesting, it's hard to know what to believe and what not to. When the author gets a simple, well-published, and easily verifiable, fact wrong - such as that Mel Gibson was born in Australia - Gibson wasn't; he was born in Rye, NY and moved to Australia as a child - you have to wonder how thorough his research about Crowe actually was. Also, the author's psychological 'insights' say more about the author than they do about Crowe. The book would have been much better without them, as they seem to point to a bias on the author's part rather than as true indicators of Crowe's thoughts, feelings, or reasoning. Watching Crowe's dedication and loyalty to not only his art, but also to his family and friends, tells one much more about the man than any unauthorized bio does, and does it better and with more truth. Get this book if you're a fan, but watch Crowe's movies and interviews, and listen to his music, if you really want the true story about the real Russell Crowe..
<< 1 >>
|
