John Cusack (Horror)

1408
Horror
R
Fun (Few horror movies will be anything but Fun or Bad)

In the continuing saga of John Cusack movies you need to check out, this is...well, part two! *cue cheesy horror film music* This movie is a little special to me, because it touches on one of my favorite hobbies: Ghost Hunting. Not the kind of hunting you're thinking about, Wisconsin. I dont have a ghost call whistle that attracts paranormal beings, nor do I sit in a gloryfied treehouse in the freezing temperatures waiting for that "turdy point ghost." Ghost hunting is the act of trying to capture evidence of the paranormal through video, picture, or audio devices. It's a lot harder than you think, I assure you...nay-sayers, always nay-saying and whatnot. Anyways, all nay-says aside, ghost hunting is a sport of champions, and cool people, hence the Cusack.

In 1408, as stated previously, John Cusack is a ghost hunter/author. He travels to all supposedly haunted places and stays the night then writes his findings in books. Still not interested? Well hows-about if I told you he was able to secure a room in the Dolphin Hotel in NYC which has had over 100 or some odd deaths from natural and weird causes to include scissor-cuts, jumping from the window type suicides, and even drowning. Sam Jackson, a personal favorite, is the hotel manager who tries to convince our hero into changing his mind about staying in the room, but John sticks to his guns and stays in the room. With disbelief in his heart, he suddenly begins noticing things are a miss such as the radio turning on by itself, the chocolate mints return to his pillows, the towels are re-folded, etc. Before long, things begin to get stranger and scarier. There are jump scenes for those of you who are looking for an excuse to hold your girlfriends hand for the first time, or boyfriends hand...whatever, I dont discriminate. It's got some crazy twists and turns like the back roads of Missouri in the middle of the night. The acting is also phenominal, despite it's predominantly solo acting, talking to himself, and horror acting, which is generally bad. Yeah, I said it, Jamie Lee Curtis.

Favorite Quote:
Circumstances: John Cusack falls back into the room after trying to escape through the vents, where he encounters some pretty scary business.
Quote: "Ah, it's good to be back."

THINGS TO WORRY ABOUT:
1. Mild, mild cursing. I think the F word is said once, and other than that, the cursing is very, very minimal.
2. Scary images, but nothing more than you've seen in any other horror movies you've seen, but still original.

LESSONS TO BE LEARNED:
I'm gonna keep my big mouth shut here, because the lesson to be learned is a hard one for people who have similar circumstances, and it's a BIG part of the plot twisting. If you have ever lost a family member, be careful on this one. It's a tender subject for some.

As far as horror movies go...this is one.

John Cusack (Action/Comedy)

Grosse Pointe Blank
Action/Comedy
R
Fun

Howdy, strangers. Sorry for the inappropriate delay in posting, not that I should be too worried being my fan-base consists mostly of myself and my dog who reads just because his cousin stopped writing his blog "Dogs DO know it's not bacon," which I believe is about his favorite dog snacks, but don't quote me. Ok, enough with the lies. Here's some truth for you: Grosse Pointe Blank is a movie you need to watch. It doesn't matter what you're into, this movie has it all: comedy, drama, action, love (aww), and whatever else it is you're looking for. Yes, you miscreants, there is a mild sex scene, so don't even ask; however, there is no nudity. If you're in it for the movie, here's the story:

John Cusack's character is a contracted hitman who hails from the mean streets of the Detroit area. His secretary informs him there is a high school reunion in his home town of Grosse Pointe and schedules him for a hit in the area as part of a kill two birds with one stone scenario. Despite his reluctance, he returns to his home town where he runs into his senior prom date, who is still bitter she was stood up on prom night by Mr. Blank himself. During this time, he begins rebuilding the shattered relationship with his long, lost love, unfortunately, Dan Aykroyd (Yes, the Ghost Buster and father of Britney Spears in the Academy Award non-nominated Crossroads), a fellow hitman, is trying to convince Blank to join a "Club" of hitmen in order to prevent mishaps on the job, which Blank refuses. The continual Man VS Man, Man VS Himself, and Man VS ...Woman prediciments ensue even during the Grosse Pointe High School Reunion.

The movie is full-to-bursting with dry, sarcastic humor as well as gun play and ...what I can only call "the other kind of gun play" which is often referred to as romance. That chemistry that everyone rants on about is definitely there between John Cusack and Minnie Driver as well as the negative chemistry between John Cusack and Dan Aykroyd. If you want to have a good time doing something other than your normal Wednesday evening activities, which I can only assume include doing laundry at the 25 cent laundramat and maybe calling your cousin after 7 when you get free minutes kick in, you should definitely check this movie out. It'll probably cost you a dollar to rent it for five days, so do that.

Favorite Quote: (New Segment)
Circumstances: Blank stands before a convenience store which is now in the place where his old house once stood. He calls his psychiatrist and leaves a message.
Quote: "You can never go home...but I guess you can shop there."

THINGS TO WORRY ABOUT
1. This movie is pretty loaded down with curse words, but why wouldn't it be? I don't know that I would believe someone is a hitman if they use words like "darn" and "dang" as I've previously stated in my introduction. Cover your ears when Dan Aykroyd talks if that kind of thing offends you.
2. There is a mild sex scene, but nothing is shown.
3. There is very little violence considering it's a movie about hitmen. People are shot, but the gore is minimal. I believe most of the blood you see is less than you see when you floss your teeth and shave...at the same time.

LESSONS TO BE LEARNED
Alright, at the risk of sounding like I'm unoriginal, which I am, the tagline reads "Even a hitman deserves a second chance." Hitmen are people, too, hence the "man" in the job title. It's as respectable a job as PoliceMAN or FireMAN or SuperMAN, but only when contracted for jobs that involve the mercenary killing of a man who harms other people, but that's just my opinion. Someone has to take out the "trash," and by that I dont mean the GarbageMAN.