Peace sells, but who's buying?
Posted on 04/08/08
Written by Jessica Lewis
(The Eyeopener) - Ryerson students were the first in North America to see John Cusack's newest movie, War Inc., last Wednesday. They were also able to see the star talk after the advanced screening, along with co-writer and journalist Mark Leyner and CBC host Jian Ghomeshi.
Cusack co-wrote the dark satire about war with Leyner as well as produced and starred as Brand Hauser, an exhausted hit man whose weapon and method of intoxication is to take a shot of hot sauce. Hauser was sent to the Middle East to kill an oil minister, but became distracted with his cover as a producer for a Western trade show "auctioning off future and branding", a love interest played by Marisa Tomei, his hilarious assistant played by sister Joan Cusack, and a Central Asian pop star played by Hilary Duff who likes to put scorpions down her pants, has serious daddy issues, and sing songs called "I Want To Blow You Up".
The movie was, in short, clever. It has a slow start, but eases you into the fact that they are making fun of everything war-related yet still trying to be political at the same time. But the Library lecture hall filled with mainly FCAD students laughed hard at parts such as when Joan's character would freak out and say things like "I'm finally putting my Communications degree to use!" Each character is quirky in its own way but also has a message to be heard. The end might be seen from a mile away, but all in all it was an enjoyable movie and definitely something that hasn't been made in a while.
But Cusack is no longer the vulnerable face of Say Anything or High Fidelity. He came prepared with verbal ammo; the half an hour discussion between him, Leyner, and Ghomeshi after the film was mainly about American politics. They achieved what they came for; to get students to be more aware of what's going on in the world through the ways of media and personal talks.
"Things are going to have to get a lot worse in America, and it seems like they are unfortunately," said Cusack. "And people are going to have to become much more politically active."
Cusack dwelled on his disdain for what the United States is doing with Blackwater, a military contractor, his hate for Fox News ("Fox News can go fuck themselves!"), and hypocrisy of corporate companies.
"I'm not near the anti-corporate," he said. "I have a refrigerator. But its subsidized by the government and not getting people killed. It's a joke, but it's serious."
"Sorry I'm still reeling at the fact that you have a Frigidaire," laughed Ghomeshi a few minutes later. "You're a total sell out, man."
Addressing two themes in the movie of father figures and political leaders, Leyner said "People can't depend on some figure to lead them out of the wilderness, nor should someone try to pose as that. I think that's one of the things the movie is about. I think that's one of the problems in America."
The trio also discussed how complicated it was to have the film made at this point in time.
"When we made it, there was a great resistance to doing it in terms of our regular funding roots and the people at the top of the corporate chain of movies," said Cusack. "They didn't want to talk about it, and they said 'We don't see the world that way and it's not funny,' and its like well, we weren't really trying to make Wedding Crashers!"
Tyler Cowan, a second year film student, thought the movie was a cross between Space Balls and Jarhead.
"I really liked the comical approach to politics," he said. "It makes me grateful to be Canadian in light of where we stand on the world stage. It definitely makes you want to at least consider some of the stuff that's going on and appreciate the efforts we've been making to solve it."
War, Inc. will be in theatres April 25.
