Movie #295 - Identity

Identity
2003 - Rated R - 1 hr 30 min
Director: James Mangold
Starring: John Cusack, Ray Liotta, Amanda Peet, John Hawkes, Alfred Molina, Clea DuVall, John C McGinley, Jake Busey, Rebecca De Mornay

I really love this movie.  The early misdirection gets you looking the wrong way and just when you suspect something's up, they tell you what's going on.  They don't try to drag out the big twist too long.

And then of course, that ending just BAM.

I realize if you haven't seen this movie, you have no idea what I'm talking about.  But I can't really go any further into detail than that.  A group of strangers wind up at a motel on a rainy night and bad stuff starts happening.  What happens after that, I can't spoil.

Just be prepared for a some really unique story-telling and a great cast of characters.

Movie #294 - The Ice Harvest

The Ice Harvest
2005 - Rated R - 1 hr 32 min
Director: Harold Ramis
Starring: John Cusack, Billy Bob Thornton, Connie Nielsen, Oliver Platt

I'm moving steadily through the I's and the seventh shelf, so I'm pretty excited about that.  Plus, the letter I seems to be treating me pretty well so far.  Nothing I can't stand yet and plenty more goodies on the way.

Here, we have John Cusack, a personal favorite, in a movie that's a bit odd, but still decent.  A dark comedy about a mob-lawyer and a gangster who plot to rob their mob boss - what could go wrong?  Double-crosses happen, everything comes out in the wash, and our main character manages to wriggle free of all the traps set in front of him.

Oliver Platt is great as Cusack's "best friend" who openly admits he was sleeping with his wife while  Cusack was still married to her.  And oh yeah, Platt's married to her now.  Meanwhile, Cusack's in love with a strip club owner who's not exactly got his back.  Who's helping who?  And who survives?

The twists and turns make this one worth a watch.  Plus, the ensemble cast is just plain fun.  And crime movies set at Christmas are always a good time.

Movie #274 - Hot Tub Time Machine

Hot Tub Time Machine
2010 - Rated  R - 1 hr 41 min
Director: Steve Pink
Starring: John Cusack, Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, Clark Duke, Sebastian Stan, Lynsdy Fonseca, Crispin Glover, Chevy Chase

I know this movie should be dumb. But what makes it work is that this movie knows it's supposed to be dumb.  A group of middle-aged guys tries to relive their glory days with a vacation in their favorite old ski resort town... which is now a dump.  Disappointed, they get hammered and have a party in the hot tub. Which is a time machine that sends them back to the best vacation of their lives. In 1986.

Stupid. I know. But as a lover of classic John Hughes 80's classics (and John Cusack), it's hard not to want to love this movie.  The 80s jokes abound, the cast embraces their own ridiculousness, and the writers are acutely aware that their plot is campy.  It works.  And I think it's just plain hysterical.

Movie #126 - Con Air

Con Air
Touchstone Pictures
1997 - Rated R - 1 hr 55 min
Director: Simon West
Starring: Nicolas Cage, John Cusack, John Malkovich, Ving Rhames, Steve Buschemi, Colm Meaney, Dave Chappelle, Danny Trejo

If only he'd put the bunny back in the box...  Can't anyone just follow Nicolas Cage's instructions? I mean, he's the good guy undercover as the bad guy, helping the good guys on the ground, and all so he can face his wife and daughter with a clean conscience.  Is this what happens when you accidentally kill a man? Or only if you're Nic Cage?

So once you learn to ignore his lame-o Southern accent, this movie's not horrible.  I like it because in the 90's I thought it was awesome. Now as an adult, I'm pretty 'meh' about it, but John Cusack is my boy...so I'll watch it.  After all, I gotta wait till R to watch The Rock and get some good Nic Cage up in here, so this has to do for now.

Also, John Malkovich is a creepy bad guy... but something about him doesn't work for me.  Not sure if 'one note performance' is the term I'm looking for, but you  get the idea.  He's all "I'm Cyrus the Virus and so I'll eat your children" but I'm kinda like, "Man, really? That's your tough prison nickname? And you were safe in the shower?" But whatever. I've never been to prison, what do I know?

Onward...