John Cusack film takes on Bush, Iraq

CANOE ^ | tara burghart

[World_Events]

CHICAGO (AP) - John Cusack's motivation for his latest film grew out of something he did not see - flag-draped caskets returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Pentagon policy bans media coverage of America's war dead as their remains are returned. The administration of U.S. President George Bush has strongly enforced the ban, something Cusack describes as "one of the most shameful, disgraceful, cowardly political acts that I've seen in my lifetime."

So the actor started looking for a project that would illustrate "what happens when the coffins come home."

While Cusack's motivation for taking the part are political, he insists the movie is not. "It's kind of a spiritual story about grief and, hopefully, a little bit of redemption," Cusack said recently........

The actor said he wonders if people reading about his political opinions will keep some from seeing the movie. Others, he believes, will appreciate the timeliness.

"I feel that people will be interested in seeing the story of the human cost of this" war, Cusack said. "I think people are probably tired of being manipulated endlessly on the reasons and realities of this misadventure - political misadventure. I don't mean the soldiers fighting, I mean the civilian leadership."

Whatever the case, Cusack said he does not dwell on how his movies are initially received by the critics or public.

"I'm not worried about how it turns out in the first two months after it's released. A piece of art takes a while to be appreciated or not - if it is a piece of art. You try to make something that has some value and then in three, four or five years, it will still be interesting or it will have a pulse.

[Mr. Silverback]

I bet you don't even know the names of the American Idol winners.

I don't either. I'll try not to be smug about it. ;-)

[Mr. Silverback]

Who is Will Smith.

Serious question? If so, go to wikipedia, they'll have an article about him.

[Uriah_lost]

no, but still wins an award.

[MrCruncher]

Is he as deep a thinker as Cusack?

[FreedomNeocon]

What is this?

Attack of the 80s part 5?

[Atchafalaya]

...was there really a tree?

[Atchafalaya]

The term "pussies" you used should give you a hint regarding the answer you seek.

[Pajamajan]

sigh.....another "actors" name to add to my excrement list. There are so many names on the list- it's getting to where the only movies I can see, will have to be Animated.

[Recovering_Democrat]

An anti-Bush film coming from Hollywood? Damn, and that is George W.'s base! He's in real trouble now.

[Spktyr]

Warning: Puns.

John Cusack has been known to Say Anything to promote his chosen Identity on Broadcast News. Most of the time he's in Hot Pursuit of what he perceives to be the Map Of The Human Heart, but like so many liberals, what he thinks is reality turns out to be Shadows And Fog, and then he shows his True Colors.

His idea of The Road To Wellville does not lead to an office in City Hall, but he keeps Floundering in a morass of liberal ideas that prevent him from finding The Sure Thing of earthly nirvana. Perhaps his career would be Better Off Dead, then he might be more effective as a political figure. Serindipity, are you listening?

I feel sorry for any kids he might have. They'd have to say that "This Is My Father."

[Kozak]

Another stupid meat puppet I will now avoid.

[prairiebreeze]

Pentagon policy bans media coverage of America's war dead as their remains are returned. The administration of U.S. President George Bush has strongly enforced the ban, something Cusack describes as "one of the most shameful, disgraceful, cowardly political acts that I've seen in my lifetime."

I guess he wasn't paying attention during 8 long years of Clinton fecklessness and malfeasance. Of course, he isn't old enough to remember Carter..

[moose2004]

John Cusack is a joke, but I think his sister Joan is a great comedy actress.

[Klatuu]

The actor said he wonders if people reading about his political opinions will keep some from seeing the movie.

If this jerk has to wonder about that, he's even more stupid than I thought!

[weegee]

I don't even know who was in the photo I saw. It was a person in a body bag and appeared in the French version of PHOTO magazine. American Photo also devoted an issue to images from the 9-11 attacks (both publications rarely run anything close to one another) but did not run the photo.

[weegee]

I guess he wants to do what the thugs in Mogadishu did. "Drag" the bodies through the streets in defiance of the US.

[VRWCmember]

Man, that's a real shame when folks be throwin away a perfectly good white boy like that.

[rightinthemiddle]

It felt good working on completing my Bruce Willis DVD collection this weekend. Five of 'em.

[GretchenM]

something Cusack describes as "one of the most shameful, disgraceful, cowardly political acts that I've seen in my lifetime."

So, I'm guessing he REALLY lambasted the American video-based press when they refused to show the jumpers on 9/11.

Right.

[Edgerunner]

“This dude who’s got control of the White House now, he’s gonna do a lot of damage,” Cusack says. “I think people are gonna respond to all the hypocrisy of this Bush administration. He’s sort of like this great sort of symbol of inversion to me – the inverse of the truth. It’s like the ethics of the new millennium, the new dawn: All you have to do is say something and it’s true. It doesn’t matter if it’s based on any core principle; it doesn’t matter if it’s based on any facts. The most important thing is the aesthetic. If you have a compassionate aesthetic, that‘s all we need to do. All you have to do is say ‘I’m Muslim.’ But you don’t actually ever go to a mosque. You don’t have to give up pork. You don’t have to do anything. You don’t have to believe in Allah. You just say it. And maybe wear a turban. That’s the level of the hypocrisy and stupidity that’s going on right now.”

Looks to me like he is speaking of the Democrats...