Right-wing radio host Rush Limbaugh may publicly disparage Hollywood to his legions of Ditto-heads, but that is not keeping the movie biz away from cashing in on the widely followed conservative. And John Cusack is just the man to do it.
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James McTeigue’s The Raven, a thriller set in Baltimore during the last days of Edgar Allan Poe’s life, is a handsome-looking thing, with fairly grand period costumes and reasonably lavish sets. So much for production values: In every other way the picture is stiff and unyielding, hampered by a clumsy plot and diorama performances. The whole thing has the feel of a second-rate living-history exhibit.
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In this week's The Raven, John Cusack brings 19th century author Edgar Allan Poe to life in a mystery-thriller that envisions Poe locked in a battle of wills against his biggest fan: a serial killer murdering in the style of Poe's most twisted stories. The piece is a paradox in itself, literary-minded meta-meditation masquerading as a pulpy mainstream entertainment; between genre beats and moments of Sherlock Holmesian heroism, Cusack and director James McTeigue leave provocations to be found or ignored, depending on your inclination. Whether or not audiences choose to dive in, Cusack just hopes they take the film on its own merits: "If you want a very different, quiet, Masterpiece Theater version of this, someone will go make that movie. But this is what we made. We made a dream about Poe."
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A flurry of new images recently hit offering a sweaty, revealing look at Lee Daniels' Precious follow-up, the '60s-set adaptation The Paperboy -- so how's about a round of Caption This! After the jump, help Movieline caption this startling image of Nicole Kidman as the sensual woman at the center of this dark Southern potboiler, here seen having what I can only imagine is quite a moment while sandwiched between Zac Efron, Matthew McConaughey, and David Oyelowo.
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Movieline received many varied submissions in our John Cusack-themed 10-word review contest, inspired by films from Say Anything... to Grosse Pointe Blank to Bullets Over Broadway and beyond. "Alas!" quoth the raven. "There can only be one winner!" (That's how the old Edgar Allan Poe saying goes, right?) Hit the jump to read the winning submission and congratulate the lucky Movieliner that gets to attend the L.A. premiere of Cusack's The Raven next week.
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Having had the chance to work with one of his heroes, Paul Newman (in 1989’s Fat Man and Little Boy), John Cusack turned to a Newman classic for a round of Movieline’s My Favorite Scene. “There’s a scene of Paul Newman in The Verdict that I would use as the best example of economy and what a close-up is supposed to mean,” Cusack explained during our chat for The Raven. “It’s the example where the film does what no other art form can do – a book can’t do it, and theater can’t do it, it’s only for film, and it’s the best example of it.” Pay attention, kids – Professor Cusack’s Film Language 101 is in session.
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John Cusack dives into the twisted psyche of 19th century author Edgar Allan Poe in this week's The Raven, a fictional adventure-mystery that blends the writer's real life with the kind of dark, macabre tales he wove -- and Movieline has your chance to catch it before it opens on April 27! Enter Movieline's 10-word review contest (critiquing any film from Cusack's nearly three-decade career) and you could win a pair of tickets to the Los Angeles premiere and after party for the film. So turn on the hot tub time machine and crank up the high fidelity, tapeheads and grifters and America's sweethearts, because, um, the cradle will rock over Broadway. Or something. It's a sure thing! Oh, just say anything... [UPDATE: Contest is now closed. Thanks for playing! Winner will be announced shortly.]
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Director Lee Daniels made Oscar magic tapping Mo'Nique for Precious; the comic and talk-show host took the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress that year in addition to a slew of festival awards (including an acting prize at Sundance, where the film premiered in 2009). Now, Daniels has asked John Cusack to join his anticipated The Butler, playing the role of Richard Nixon. What does Cusack have in mind, and does his own masterpiece await?
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Depending on your conspiracy theory of choice, the world may end 11 months and change from now, give or take a few days. And just in case all of those qualified real scientists are wrong about the 2012 doomsday being complete hooey, we’ve got filmmaker Roland Emmerich’s 2009 opus 2012 on hand to guide us for the potential cataclysm ahead. So grab a notepad and jot down the 18 or so essentials you’ll need to start stockpiling if you’re going to be ready to face down ultimate destruction, John Cusack-style.
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There've been updates about The Paperboy's casting for awhile, but only now do I realize the gravity of what's occurring. Um, wow: Nicole Kidman and Zac Efron are sharing a screen! And John Cusack! And Matthew McConaughey, for the hell of it! And -- what now? -- Lee Daniels is directing! They should call this quaint tale Extra Precious: Based on the Cutie 'Zac' by Efron. Synopsis and impressive poster after the jump.
The last time we saw John Cusack onscreen, he was turning back time in a hot tub. Now, Cusack returns to the multiplex to travel much deeper into the past -- far beyond embarrassing '80s ski suits and Rick Springfield singles and into the 1800s, where as Edgar Allan Poe, he helps search for a serial killer who uses Poe's own gothic stories as inspiration for his murders. Take a look at the first eerie trailer for The Raven below.
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