The Hush-Hush News Report 11.10.09: In Defense Of...John Cusack
Posted by Jeremy Thomas on 11.10.2009
Before 2012 ruins his reputation, we look at John Cusack's career this week and highlight the positives (of which there's a ton). Plus, news on Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie acting together, the Yogi Bear movie, Nicole Kidman playing a man (kind of), Eminem's horror anthology, the look of Smaug-to-be in The Hobbit, new mini-reviews and more!
Welcome one and all to the Hush-Hush News Report! Jeremy Thomas here, bringing you the latest in news, rumors and all that other stuff you love to hear about. It's been a busy news weekend, so we have a lot to get through; in retrospect, that's probably not good for the shoulder I tweaked this weekend. But that's the price I pay to bring you such a packed news report. Aren't I cool like that? Anyway, let's get down to it, shall we?
Before you start reading, have you bookmarked 411Mania.com yet? It's the easiest thing in the world to do, and it'll get you your daily dose of entertainment news that much quicker! Typing the URL out in the address bar is such a pain, don'tcha think? Hell, make it your home page and it'll be that much easier for you!
Depp is Sony's Latest Tourist
Johnny Depp is in talks to replace Aussie thespian Sam Worthington on the upcoming spy thriller "The Tourist" for GK Films and Sony Pictures says the trades.
A remake of 2005 French spy thriller "Anthony Zimmer", Depp would play an American tourist drawn into a web of intrigue by a female Interpol agent (Angelina Jolie) who is attempting to locate a criminal who was once her lover.
Jolie remains attached but both Worthington and director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck have dropped out due to creative differences. Alfonso Cuaron ("Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban," "Children of Men") is in early talks to replace von Donnersmarck.
This will be the third 'refreshment' of the project which was originally slated to have Bharat Nalluri directing while Tom Cruise and Charlize Theron were attached to star. Julian Fellowes wrote the original script which Christopher McQuarrie and Jeffrey Nachmanoff polished. Despite the changes, filming remains scheduled to kick off in February.
And the revolving door of stars for this film continues. Certainly, the project has to be intriguing if they can get some top names involved in it, but it's never a good sign when you have this many people signing on and then dropping out…especially when the ominous phrase "creative differences" rears its head. That phrase is usually a code-word for "no one could see eye to eye," and the more people who cycle through, the less and less the project starts to look like the promising piece it might have once been. The pairing of Depp and Jolie under the direction of the talented Cuaron is enticing, but I'll have to hear a lot more positive before I'm sure this won't be a mistake of a movie.
Fisher Goes Desperado
Universal Pictures is lining up the comedy "Desperados" as a potential starring vehicle for Isla Fisher says The Hollywood Reporter.
The story is set in motion when a woman sends an indignant e-mail to her new beau, who's gone silent after they have sex. When she discovers he's comatose in a Mexican hospital, she races south of the border with her friends in tow to intercept the e-mail before he recovers.
Ellen Rapoport penned the script. Mark Gordon and Jason Blum are producing.
I'm a huge fan of Isla Fisher as an actress and have enjoyed her work every time I've seen it, even if I haven't enjoyed the movie (see: Confessions of a Shopaholic). Still, this sounds like a terrible film that will take the standard road trip comedy and give it a lady's twist. We've seen this kind of film before in iterations such as Road Trip, and this doesn't sound any different except less Tom Green, more Fisher. I would love to see the actress continue her path toward A-Listing, but this is not the project for her and instead seems like the kind of lame screwball comedy that has failed many times before.
Timberlake, Aykroyd and Faris to Camp Out in Jellystone
Justin Timberlake, Anna Faris and Dan Aykroyd are in talks to star in the "Yogi Bear" feature film for Warner Bros. Pictures says The Hollywood Reporter.
Based on the classic Hanna-Barbera cartoon, Faris will play a nature documentarian who follows the antics of a bear in fictional Jellystone Park. Aykroyd will voice Yogi, and Timberlake is in talks to play either Ranger Smith or the voice of Yogi's companion, Boo Boo. The project will fuse live-action and CG animation ala "Alvin and the Chipmunks" and "Garfield".
Eric Brevig directs from a script polished by Brad Copeland, while Donald De Line and Karen Rosenfelt are producing. Filming kicks off in New Zealand in December.
Speaking of bad ideas…this one pretty much takes the cake. A Yogi Bear film has never been a good idea, and this one's been looking for someone to move it forward for a while for a while now; I guess they finally found their suckers. Aykroyd voicing Yogi is a dumb move on the level of Bill Murray as Garfield, which he at least apologized for on film recently. Timberlake is a better actor than this kind of dumb movie, and Faris continues to find lame scripts to attach herself to following her Scary Movie and Lost in Translation breakouts. I hated Alvin and the Chipmunks, I hated both Garfield and I'm sure I'll hate this…which means it will make loads of money and cause me to question audiences once again.
Kidman and Paltrow Chase The Danish Girl
Gwyneth Paltrow has joined the cast of transsexual artist drama "The Danish Girl" for Pretty Pictures, Harrison Productions and Blossom Films reports Variety.
Based on the non-fiction novel by David Ebershoff, Paltrow plays Greta Wegener, a portrait painter in 1920s Copenhagen who asked her husband Einar to stand in for an absent female model. Slipping on a dress, stockings and woman's shoes began a metamorphosis into Lili. When the photos became wildly popular, Greta encouraged her husband to do more.
The harmless game evolved into something deeper - the landmark 1931 first sex-change operation that shocked the world and threatened their marriage. Greta finally let go when she realized the man she married no lnger exists.
Nicole Kidman had already been attached to play Einar. Thomas Alfredson ("Let the Right One In") is directing from a script by Lucinda Coxon. Kidman, Gail Mutrux, Per Saari, Anne Harrison and Linda Reisman are producing.
I'm already counting down until people crap all over this and call it blatant Oscar bait, and maybe it is Oscar bait. However, that doesn't mean it's going to be a bad movie. I'm actually intrigued to see how Kidman and Paltrow will work together on-screen and the story is one that sounds very interesting. This won't be everyone's cup of tea of course, but with Thomas Alfredson involved and the caliber of the cast, I'll definitely be interested in checking it out if it ever plays in Portland.
Eminem To Bring Us Some Shady Talez
Eminem will star in and produce the 3D feature film "Shady Talez" for D.J. Classicz and Davis Entertainment says Screen Daily.
Described as "The Twilight Zone" meets "Creepshow", the project marks Eminem's first feature for seven years. Dallas Jackson and Kevin Grevioux are co-writing and producing the project alongside the rapper and John Davis. "Shady Talez" is also being turned into a four-issue comic book series.
You know what, I actually enjoyed Eminem's performance in 8 Mile. Sure, he didn't do much more than play himself but he showed charisma and a certain level of dramatic skill. Still, I don't quite know what I think of this. I note with some amusement that they're relating this to Twilight Zone and Creepshow as opposed to Tales from the Hood, an anthology that featured another rapper-turned-actor in Snoop Dogg. There's likely a very good reason for that, which is that most people hated Hood and I don't know if this one would turn out to be much better. Eminem certainly has a sense of horror that he can tap into and I wouldn't at all be surprised if he played some kind of Cryptkeeper-type role in the bookends and transition scenes, but personally I'm more interested in watching Trick 'r Treat a few more times and hoping for sequels to that.
Cooper Sows Dark Fields
Bradley Cooper ("The Hangover," TV's "Alias") is set to star in the thriller "Dark Fields" for Relativity Media and Rogue Pictures says Heat Vision.
Based on Alan Glynn's book, the story follows a down-and-out writer (Cooper) who gets his hands on a top-secret pharmaceutical drug that makes one smarter. He experiences sudden financial and social success but soon discovers that the drug has lethal and lasting side effects.
Before long, mysterious antagonists are pursuing him. Cooper replaces Shia LaBeouf who was originally attached to star. Neil Burger directs from a screenplay by Leslie Dixon ("The Thomas Crown Affair").
This sounds like a fun little project that a star on the rise like Cooper could handle quite well. It's low-enough risk, because he has enough high-profile projects coming that a potential bomb like this won't derail him and yet it could also end up being very good if the stars align correctly. Neil Burger also directed The Illusionist which was a surprisingly good little film, and he could do some good things here as well. This will either be very good or very bad, and I'm certainly hoping for the former as opposed to the latter.
Cohen Lining New Projects Up
"Borat" and "Bruno" creator/star Sacha Baron Cohen has lined up his next two projects, at least one a straight forward feature (not a mockumentary), at his new production company Four By Two Films says EW.
First up is "Accidentes" for Universal Pictures. Cohen will star as a personal injury lawyer who becomes a blue-collar hero when he helps an immigrant win a case against his employer after an on-the-job accident. Peter Baynham penned the script.
The second untitled film is being kept top secret but Cohen and all of his Borat/Bruno writers are involved in the project whose pitch alone started a massive bidding war that Sony Pictures eventually won.
The first of these movies sounds like a decent little starring comedy for a guy like Cohen, but the second worries me. Cohen is a charismatic and funny guy but he really needs to move out of the mockumentary category, which that top-secret nature makes me think it will be. Audiences enjoyed Borat, but Cohen's antics seemed played out by the time Bruno came about. Everything felt way too scripted and more of a one-note comedy that couldn't even sustain the jokes over the scant eighty minute running time. It will seem even more played out if they go down that route again. If Cohen seems riding his one-trick pony like this than people are going to get very tired of him and it will mean a huge hit to his career. On the other hand, if he can branch out and prove he can handle a scripted comedy than it will be quite a boost. We'll have to see where it goes from here.
Hobbit's Del Toro Talks Smaug
Director Guillermo del Toro tells Total Film that after nearly a year, much of the design stage for "The Hobbit" is now done as the project gears up for production next year.
Most notably Smaug the dragon which will be unique - "we're finishing his color palette and a little bit of the texture. But the bulk of the design took about a year, solid. It's because of the unique features of the dragon. Early in production I came up with a very strong idea that would separate Smaug from every other dragon ever made. The problem was implementing that idea. But I think we've nailed it" says Del Toro.
Asked about the story structure, the plan is to adhere to Tolkien's order of adventures in "The Hobbit", but they "will be integrating Gandalf's comings and goings" and so unlike the book we will "see where he goes and what happens to him".
There's a whole lot of good news in here for anyone who's been looking forward to the new entries in the Lord of the Rings films. I remember reading about Del Toro's desire to make Smaug unique and imagined that it would be very difficult to take such a well-ingrained image like the dragon and make it look too different without betraying the idea of the creature in the first place. But if he's come up with a way, then I really want to see what it is. As for the plot, that sounds quite good and it will mean a more significant presence for Ian McKellan, which can only be a good thing as he was always the best part about the trilogy (hence the Best Supporting Actor nom). Del Toro seems to have his eye on the ball with what fans want, and I'm more and more happy with his selection as director with each news bit I hear.
Check below for some of the excellent work here on-site you should be reading if you haven't already:
From Earl:
Okay, the new Dead looks pretty good, but after the disappointing Land and the just plain weak Diary, my expectations aren't high. Hopefully I'm wrong!
To each their own, Earl. I agree that Land of the Dead was disappointing, but I rather enjoyed Diary. I'm not totally sold on Survival but it could be quite good, and hopefully it will get that domestic distribution deal so we can get a chance to decide how we like it.
From The Great Capt. Smooth:
Here is to the "old guys"! As far as sequels go, the one that baffles me is the PA one. The only way I could really go for it is if the movie involved the mentioned demonologist, or better yet, tie it in with the new Ghostbusters.
I guess the demonologist thing could work, though even that would be a rather weak tie simply for marketing reasons. All in all I don't want to see a Paranormal Activity sequel, because some films just don't need a second story told.
From Todd Vote:
Speaking of Terminator Salvation. How have Transformers, and GI Joe both managed to beat Terminator to DVD? I'm one of the few that actually enjoyed Salvation, so I am looking to complete my Terminator collection.
I enjoyed Salvation myself; it comes out on DVD on the first of December. I have to assume that Warner Bros. was trying to push it out so it can get more of a Christmas sales window, and to distinguish it from the other, more profitable summer blockbusters.
From M:-X:
Mighty Aphrodite was better than I had expected when I first saw it years ago. That movie made me start liking Woody Allen... 'til Jade Scorpion made me hate him... but Jason Biggs imitation of him is dead on in Anything Else (though I can't say much else is good in that movie)
For me, the first film I saw of Allen's was The Purple Rose of Cairo, which I just loved. It would be years, though, before I saw another Allen film again. I think the next I saw was Play It Again, Sam since I was such a Casablanca fan, and since then I've come to know the director more and more. I still haven't seen Jade Scorpion or Anything Else, though I hope to catch them soon.
From DeimosMasque:
I have to say that Takashi Miike is one of the best horror directors who has ever lived. And one of the most dedicated as he'll do just about anything to make the movie the way he wants it to be (check out something he did for Ichii the Killer).
He just seems to have a knack for taking something that seems mundane at first and just twisting it until you are gut-wrenchingly disturbed about what's going on, and that's before he even uses gore.
Absolutely agreed on that, Deimos. Miike is a master of a very different type of horror than American audiences are used to, and while his work is very difficult to watch sometimes, it's often rewarding. Ichi and Audition are both truly disturbing movies, and I'm anxious to see more of his work.
From FCT:
Sanchez says the proposed story would ignore the events of the second film.
Praise the Lord.
Couldn't have said it better myself.
From dan:
Two Towers and Return of the King are not really sequels to Fellowship of the Ring. It was conceived and written as one story. It was just published as 3 volumes for financial reasons.
I'm aware that they were one story, but they are also sequels Dan. By strict definition, a sequel is simply a story that continues in a new volume, and that series certainly applies. My inclusion of them in that rant was simply to point out that very trend you talk about, the back-to-back films that tell one story split over two films (such as Pirates of the Caribbean and The Matrix. And as I said, I doubt anyone will ever be able to replicate Jackson's success.
From Guest#3838:
If you want to see a great Woody Allen film watch Take the Money and Run. That movie made this longtime Allen hater into a fan of his.
Another one that I need to see sometime soon. Thanks for the tip!
From Dave C:
Can't believe Polanski is still just sitting there. We all know he's going to be extradited, do it already. It's been almost two months. Bureaucracy, keeping things from progressing since 1777.
This isn't an unusual amount of time for an extradition of this sort. You're dealing with two different countries and there are a lot of things that the Swiss need to take into account here, including treaties and such. It's bureaucracy to be sure, but that bureaucracy is sometimes for a reason. And to say we know he's going to be extradited is a bit too assumptive; the odds are good perhaps, but not 100%.
Suspiria:Suspiria is widely considered to be Italian horror master Dario Argento's best film, and in many ways it is difficult to argue with that. The story is simple yet effective, featuring Jessica Harper in a very believable performance as a teenage American girl who attends dance school in Munich and finds something far more sinister occurring at the church. Argento's work might seem a bit slow and cheesy to younger audiences who are enamored of the frenetically-made horror films of today, but it still stands as a hallmark of the genre. The performances by Harper, Stefania Casini and Jean Bennett are quite good, especially considering the common state of acting in horror. Argento uses an oversaturated visual palette and a strong, disturbing score to amp up the tension and the viewer's nerves, as well as an impressive level of over-the-top giallo-style violence to keep the gorehounds satisfied. The film is undeniably dated by its production standards and 70's sensibilities, but it remains a great horror film for those who can appreciate Argento's vivid style.
Final Rating: 8.0
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang: Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer make a wonderfully funny mismatched pair in this film, a simultaneous send-up and homage of the classic noir crime stories. Downey does a fantastic job as the narrator and protagonist Harry Lockhart, handling what would have been an easy role to botch with charisma and finesse. Kilmer plays his role straight (pun intended) and has a strong chemistry with his co-star, as does Michelle Monaghan as the girl of Harry's dreams. The script is by Shane Black of Lethal Weapon fame and he directed as well, creating a film that blends humor, drama and even occasionally thrills in near-perfect pitch. Some may be put off by the fourth wall-breaking self-awareness of Downey's character but it almost always works, much like the movie as a whole. A sequel is supposedly on tap to be ready for late 2010, and this may be one of the few sequels to a completely self-encompassing film that will be well-worth checking out.
Final Rating: 8.5
Black Sheep: This horror comedy by Jonathan King was a good concept that could have been so much more, but ultimately disappoints. Featuring a story so outlandish as to only be possible in the genre it found in—New Zealand sheep that become mutant monsters that transfer sheep lycanthropy from bites—the film features some great monster effects and adequate performances by its cast, but the story doesn't keep the quality up through the end. The requisite jokes about sheep on farms are there, and there's definitely a chuckle to be had at the many images of the normally docile sheep charging down hillsides like a wave of white, murderous cotton; however, there's a sense that the film just runs out of steam about halfway through, and all that's left is to milk whatever humor they can get. While the movie isn't a bad film—at least, not in any way other than how it's supposed to be bad—it is far from a great film either. In the end it's just okay, and that's sad considering it could have been so much more.
Final Rating: 6.0
Once: Even for a fan of musicals, Once is a remarkably pleasant surprise. Filmed on a very low budget and featuring non-actors in the top two, unnamed roles, the movie is honest and largely without any pretension at all. Glen Hansar and Markéta Irglová are engaging individuals who truly make this story of happenstance love and how music can inspire such work. The songs are pure singer/songwriter material and are excellent, well-worth the Academy Award that one of them earned. It wraps up too quickly in the end, but the finale is very satisfying in a delightedly unconventional way. Writer/director John Carney's work occasionally dances along the edge of going too far in one direction or the other, and certain plot developments such as one involving the father of Hansar's character are too drastic to sustain true believability. Otherwise, this is a top-notch musical that can be enjoyed by many, including people who don't like the "random bursting into song" kind of musicals, as this is not that kind.
Final Rating: 8.5
Whatever Works: Larry David and Woody Allen sounds like, on the surface, a match made in heaven. The result, unfortunately, is something a little less praise-worthy than that. David's turn as pessimistic genius Boris Yelnikoff works for about half the film, but then starts to grate…and not in the way that Allen seems to want him to. The characters around Boris are pitched at him in perfect synchronicity to make him change his views, but that change is too slow in coming and it makes the final scene entirely unbelievable. The performances are solid, including Evan Rachel Wood as the young runaway-turned-romantic interest and Patricia Clarkson and Ed Begley Jr. as her parents, but the dynamic between David and Wood seems a bit forced, and Allen's script is uneven. Some portions, like Boris breaking the fourth wall, work very well. Others come off as wanting laughs too hard and thus getting none. The end result is a film which, while not bad, is certainly Allen's weakest in some time. It's a shame because it is a movie you want to really like but have to just settle for "okay" with.
Final Rating: 6.5
Anvil! The Story of Anvil: The story of the greatest metal band that you've never heard from is an often funny, occasionally sad and always poignant and heartwarming documentary. Early interviews with such people as Slash, Lars Ulrich, Lemmy and others, the story of the Canadian metal band that have made twelve albums without breaking into the mainstream remains a fascinating look into how far "following the dream" can go. Director Sacha Gervasi is a long-time Anvil fan, and his reverence of the band is obvious but doesn't keep him from pointing out how their quest for fame is at times bordering on hopeless dreams and fantasy. A film with its ups and downs, it takes a very hardened individual not to smile at the boundless enthusiasm that front man Steve "Lips" Kudlow has for the band and their music. Viewers may at times think the band is crazy for continuing their disastrous European tour or financing their album on their own, but it would be hard to lack appreciation for the band and Gervasi for making what is a top-notch musical documentary.
Final Rating: 8.0
The Hush-Hush Editorial Section: In Defense Of…John Cusack
This week Roland Emmerich's latest special effects extravaganza, 2012, opens nationwide. Based on the mythology of the Mayan calendar which some believe predicts the end of the year in that specific year, the film stars John Cusack, Amanda Peet, Danny Glover, Oliver Platt, Woody Harrelson and Chiwetel Ejiofor as the latest in talented actors to be suckered in to Emmerich's madness. This is nothing new—Emmerich suckered Cliff Curtis into the abomination called 10,000 B.C. and Jake Gyllenhall, Emmy Rossum, Dennis Quaid and Ian Holm into the overblown The Day After Tomorrow. Actors seem to think an Emmerich movie is just the thing they need, based simply off the fact that he made a star out of Will Smith in Independence Day. They must all forget about how far Matthew Broderick's career went after Godzilla
However, this editorial is not to be a rant about the worthlessness of Emmerich as a director over the past ten years (no, I didn't like The Patriot either). I would rather take an optimistic take, because I am an optimist at heart. And thus, before people come in to blast Cusack, who is the star of this particular disaster-to-be, I would like to take an opportunity while I still can to point out that Cusack is not a man who normally makes bad films—in fact, while I haven't seen all of his films yet (I'm still getting to The Contract, Erik and Chad), I have yet to find a truly bad film that he's made. So this week, we take a look in defense of the one and only John Cusack.
Cusack is not a megastar the way that some actors of his generation—and after his generation—have turned out to be. The second-youngest of the prolific Cusack family of actors (including his sister Joan), John got himself off to quite a good start in the 1980's with films in the Brat Pack era. Roles in films such as Sixteen Candles, One Crazy Summer, The Journey of Natty Gann and Better Off Dead did wonders for his profile, before he hit his early height in 1989 as the lead in Cameron Crowe's Say Anything. However, he never quite hit the top of the charts or tabloids the way actors such as Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer and others did. Instead, Cusack kept his profile relatively low, instead choosing roles in smaller, more respected films. Eight Men Out told the story of the 1919 Black Sox scandal, while The Grifters afforded him the opportunity to work with Angelica Huston and Annette Bening. The latter film earned Academy Awards nods for both actresses and director Stephen Frears.
In the 1990's, Cusack's career path continued to travel lower-profile but better films than what was generally coming out as blockbusters and high-profile hits. His work in political satires like True Colors and Bob Roberts helped lift those films to better heights of quality than they already would have found without him, and he appeared in Woody Allen's Bullets Over Broadway which earned seven Oscar nominations. However, it wasn't until Grosse Point Blank that the actor seemed to find his groove. The film, about a disillusioned hit man who returns to his high school reunion seeking a change in his life, didn't tear up the box office but earned a huge following and has appeared on many "Best Of" lists including Total Film's best comedies of all-time. It was a re-introduction of the actor to a younger audience and they took to him. A rare blockbuster choice in the silly but undeniably-fun Con Air followed, and then roles in Being John Malkovich, the fantastic High Fidelity and others. In the last half-decade he seems to have transitioned into a more comfortable era as he's serving as producer and even sometimes writer of his films. He still has time for starring roles though, and films like Identiy, The Ice Harvest, Grace is Gone and 1408 have shown that the actor still has a lot of good movies in him despite his long resume.
Are all of Cusack's films amazing pieces of work? Of course not. I don't think that there are many people who consider American Sweethearts a hallmark of any sort, and Pushing Tin isn't particularly amazing. But they're certainly not bad films, and are made better by Cusack's involvement. In the meantime, he has plenty of time to fit such good stuff as War, Inc., Runaway Jury or Max into his resume. Perhaps not every film he's made has been a phenomenal piece of work, but in a twenty-six year career, I can honestly say I have yet to see a bad film that he's made. You certainly can't say that about his more successful contemporaries. So while yes, 2012 seems destined to break that streak, I can still say with confidence that John Cusack has made—at the very least—ALMOST no bad movies. Which is good enough for me.
And before we leave off, it's time for the random video of the week. This week, it's a trailer I've seen in front of a couple movies recently, The Crazies. Starring some of my favorite actors who never seem to catch the right break—Radha Mitchell, Tim Olyphant and Joe Anderson—it's a startlingly effective trailer, perhaps thanks to the chilling use of "Mad World." Check it out and let me know what you think.
watching john since 16 candles , i have to say his performances always help the movie . just like matt dillon and robert downey jr from that era , they never hurt the movie . these three are in some of my all time favorites .
Posted By: nethdogg (Guest) on November 10, 2009 at 01:12 AM
Damn good column this week again. Totally agree with you on Cusack. I don't think he has ever done a really bad movie... even the ones I didn't like (America's Sweethearts) still weren't that bad.
Posted By: Santa (Guest) on November 10, 2009 at 01:57 AM
I like Observe and Report, and thought Farris was good in it. I don't know why other people hate that film; I quite liked it. I will ask if anyone picked up on all the plays on Taxi Driver, including the part where Rogen is giving a monologue and then restarts it at one point, just like De Niro did in TD.
Posted By: YepYep (Guest) on November 10, 2009 at 02:19 AM
Cusak is the epitome of consistency. While his films are rarely box office blockbusters, and he's no Willis, Arnold or even Tom Cruise in terms of bringing in the average moviegoer, you are rarely disappointed with his performance (even when the film itself is mediocre). And Cusak himselve has had some amazing films. The Sure Thing was a great film to debut as a star, as he nicely plays the goofball (which plays off of the straight-laced female character). You can't get much better than Cusak's scene where he psychs out a potentail rapist and saves Alison.
And then there is Gross Point Blank, a fun romantic comedy where Cusak plays an assassin going back to his high school reunion.
Finally, I also enjoyed Identity, a take on "And then there were None/Ten Little Indians" but with a very interesting twist.
What makes Cusak so appealing is that he usually does a very good job of playing the everyman, which is one of the reasons why Runaway Jury was so fun to watch.
Posted By: Michael L (Guest) on November 10, 2009 at 02:20 AM
John Cusack doesn't need a defense. 2012 won't ruin his reputation. In fact, he's not even the star. The star would actually be "Apeshit". Apeshit has been crapped on way too much. He needs to be defended. I'll be seeing 2012 this weekend and I'll be enjoying his work. Also, please no Yogi.
Posted By: The Great Capt. Smooth (Guest) on November 10, 2009 at 05:41 AM
Theres a recession gripping the world. Even John Cusack needs to whore himself. Which would be fine by me if he didn't act like a pretentious twat.
Posted By: Propagandhi (Guest) on November 10, 2009 at 09:04 AM
"I hated Alvin and the Chipmunks, I hated both Garfield and I'm sure I'll hate this…which means it will make loads of money and cause me to question audiences once again."
RIGHT ON! Screw Hollywood for making movies that might appeal to children! Screw Hollywood for choosing Dan Aykroyd and his spot-on Art Carney impression to do Yogi Bear's voice, also a spot-on impression of Art Carney! Screw them for not making movies only ***I*** might like! Screw them for not following the advice of attention-craving people who write for free on a pop culture websites! Screw the people who like movies ***I*** don't!
I am using teh InterNet... NOTICE ME!!! VALIDATE ME!!!!
Posted By: Guest#6606 (Guest) on November 10, 2009 at 08:23 PM
