The Numbers Station (2013)

Tagline: The Code has never been compromised. Until now.

Cusack Plays: CIA Operative Emerson Kent

After a black ops killing job gone wrong Cusack is sent over to England to watch over a remote number station and to pal up with one of the ladies who works in it. A number station, for those not au fait with clandestine broadcasting techniques is a sort of radio station which broadcasts sequences of numbers which are then picked up by agents and decoded to get their orders. One has to assume this is some sort of well paying job, because seriously who wants to sit in an underground bunker and read out lists of numbers for a living? Especially when you’re the gorgeous Malin Akerman. 

Cusack and Akerman turn up for work one day  -  all is not well and people start shooting at them – what follows is them listening back to the recording of the last shift, and trying to piece together what’s going on and undo the wrongs that have been done – spoiler – essentially someone sending out some unauthorized lists of numbers which translate to orders to kill people.  

If you like guns, lists of numbers and people using words like 'cypher' you will be all over this bad boy. And for the rest of you, I wouldn’t bother unless I have somehow made that synopsis sound tantalising. Cusack and Akerman's acting talents probably elevate this slightly above other similar films, and they both enjoy a lot of screen time as we don’t see too many other characters, especially when they are in the bunker. Having been binge watching Game of Thrones of late though I did notice ‘Married to her Dad’ Gilly near the start and "Onion Knight" Davos as one of Cusack’s fellow agents.

Looking ahead, this weekend sees the release of The Frozen Ground where Cusack plays a serial killer. I have to say I’m pretty tired of seeing him play killers and cops though so looking forward to “The Butler” where he plays Richard Nixon…

The Factory (2012)

Tagline: 'Based on actual events'

Cusack plays: detective Mike Fletcher

Not a biopic of Andy Warhol’s studio, the factory in this case is a baby making factory. A crazy dude is picking up prostitutes, taking them back to his and them impregnating them and making him call him ‘daddy’. Oh goody.

As cop Mike, Cusack has been on the case for a while along with his partner Kelsey (Jennifer ‘Deb from Dexter’ Carpenter) when it gets personal after ‘daddy’ kidnaps his teenage daughter. Daughter is not a hooker but sort of gets mistaken for one and taken. Taken, incidentally being a far superior film if you're in the mood for a man looking for his kidnapped daughter. Anyway, I digress.

This is a just about passable, if very predictable watch. There are some big ‘reveals’ but you will likely see them coming a mile off. Cusack is looking good with a nice full head of hair and some super big black coats and leather gloves for investigating. It has a nice gruesome start when crazy killer Gary accidentally picks up a transsexual prostitute who is of no use to him and disposes of them accordingly.

The film claims to be ‘based on true events’. Can’t find any real proof of this after a quick google but I suppose there have been a few cases where girls have been kidnapped and impregnated by their captor. Probably not the taking-the-cops-daughter-by-accident though.

The Paperboy (2012)

Cusack plays: Death row inmate Hillary Van Wetter

Here I am making my yearly return to my blog to post the latest Cusack film review. And Blogger has changed and looks different, argh. But anyway -

The Paperboy, based on a 1990s novel of the same name, is a warm film. Not warm in a a family friendly Christmassy huggy way, but warm, like sticky and hot, dripping with sweat. I went to see it on one of those evenings in Edinburgh where it was snowing every night so it felt odd sitting there in my wellies while Zac Efron pranched about in his pants in a sweaty Southern 1960s summer. If Zac Efron in his pants is something that interests you, seek this film out immediately - it happens a lot.

The plot - The titular paperboy refers to Efron, college drop out delivering papers, while Matthew McConaughey is his investigative reporter older brother who returns to town to look into the case of death row inmate Cusack, a bad guy for sure, but did he really do the murderous crime? While banged up he has begun a letter writing romance and pledged marriage to trashy Nicole Kidman. The film follows the efforts to exonorate Cusack while Efron falls hard for Kidman.

This film seems to have received seriously varied views suggesting its an acquired taste - and dependent on how much you like the trashier bits (eg Kidman peeing on the jellyfish stung Efron, Kidman and Cusack dirty talking across the prison visiting room) and alligators being sliced open and their guts flying everywhere. Me? I sort of enjoyed it, but am not in a rush to rewatch.

Ned Bellamy pops up again, which must surely now make him Cusack's most frequent co-star. Next in the challenge? Imdb suggests we are in for a ropey looking thriller and Cusack playing another murderer..

The Raven (2012)

Tagline: The only one who can stop a serial killer is the man who inspired him.

Cusack plays: He IS Edgar Allan Poe.

Over 150 years after his death at the age of 40 mystery still surrounds the death and last days of American author and poet Edgar Allan Poe. This film imagines what might have happened if he'd spent his final days chasing a serial killer around Baltimore who is chopping up and murdering people in the style of some of his stories. The hunt is given extra urgency when Poe's ladyfriend is abducted and imprisoned by aforementioned nutter.

The film starts off, murdering aside, in a quite lighthearted and comedy style, with drunky Poe/Cusack rolling about taverns getting pissed, begging for work and flirting away. It then becomes a reasonably engaging whodunnit, with some misdirection (lingering shots willing you to believe certain people are dodgy), clues and culminating in gun fights on horseback.

"Is this your lamp?"

At just under 2 hours it still felt a bit like it was dragging in parts, and while I won't be adding it to the DVD collection I would probably watch it again in the future. Lots of British actors feature, including (hold onto your hats ladies of a certain age) Mr Bates from Downton Abbey. Cusack drops some weight and gets a reasonably dashing 'tache and goatee, and turns in what I deem a respectable performance.

Shanghai (2010)

Tagline: In a world filled with secrets, solving a mystery can be murder.
Cusack plays: Secret agent/journalist Paul Soames

I'm back! Over a year since my last review I have returned to the Cusack Challenge as there are new films to be watched. And even though I've been away its good to know some things never change - Cusack will be there playing a writer, in a suit, standing in the rain. Starting to wonder if these things are contractual...

Shanghai sees Cusack's Paul Soames travelling to Shanghai ("the Paris of the Orient") in the months before Pearl Harbour, initially planning to meet up with a friend/fellow naval intelligence agent, but upon hearing of the friend's murder starts digging into who did it and why. Working undercover as a journalist (his editor being the Earl of Grantham from Downton Abbey!) he falls in with local crime lord (Chow Yun-Fat) and his wife (Gong Li). Tensions rise both personally and politically...

This film seems to be aiming for a detective/crime/noir from the 40s or 50s vibe, down to the Cusack voiceover - "Connor was a lot of things, but he wasn't a fool". It's partially successful - I wasn't sure where the plot was going - problem being I didn't really care all that much either. Things only get really entertaining in the last 20 or so minutes when the action is ramped up and the guns , explosions and scenes in the rain kick in.

Would I recommend you see it? Nope, not really...

The best and worst

So, job done, the obvious question is - which the

best? and worst? Now they all have their pros, cons and things that make them special but in general

The top 5:

"I won? Yay, me".

1. High Fidelity - For me, his most iconic role to date. And its a top 5, so, duh.
2. Grosse Point Blank - The one that got me hooked, and where he looks the most handsome.
3. Being John Malkovich - Fabulously original and playing against type.
4, Say Anything - So sweet.
5. Con Air - So. Much. Fun.

The worst 5:

" I knew she was a cat person, but come on.."

1. Must Love Dogs - for oh so many reasons
2. Tapeheads - badly dated
3. War Inc - utterly wasted opportunity
4. One Crazy Summer - comedy lacking in funny
5. Elvis Stories - I never need to see this again

And some other observations:

The guilty pleasure - Serendipity
The one that made me cry - Grace is Gone
The underrated (or unheard of?) one - The Jack Bull
The one that I just don't seem to like as much as other people - The Grifters
The one that I never pictured him doing, but loved it anyway - Hot Tub Time Machine

Hot Tub Time Machine (2010)

Tagline: Kick Some Past
Cusack Plays: Adam, recently dumped 40-something

So I made it. 50+ Cusack films, done and dusted. And pretty much exactly within a year. Woop.

A fun note to finish on with a time travelling hot tub comedy. 3 friends, plus Cusack's nephew, depressed with their lives in 2010 go on a holiday to re-live the fun ski-trips of their youth. A drunken night where they all pile into the hot tub, a Russian energy drink spilled on the controls, and they're back in 1986.

I was pretty excited when I learned of the existence of this film, and regularly checked for updated trailers. The moment I saw Craig Robinson say "Must be some kind of hot tub time machine" and stare into the camera, I was sold. The 1980s is ripe for mocking and the laugh ratio is pretty high, and although there is some room for improvement I'll give it the benefit of the doubt. If there is a straight guy/everyman it's probably Cusack (what a surprise) and the characters played by Craig Robinson and Rob Corddy get most of the laughs. It manages to be quite crude, and yet rather feelgood come the end.

Hot Tub Time Machine has high re-watch factor in my opinion - perhaps it will be coming along on my ski holiday next month...






Still to come....reflections on the Challenge...