John Cusack's latest film grew from Iraq grief

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Herald & Review - AP
Saturday, June 10

CHICAGO - 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 Bush administration 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."

The result is "Grace Is Gone," a small, independent film in which Cusack plays a man whose wife, Grace, is killed in service in Iraq. Filming wrapped last month; the movie's producers _ who include Cusack _ will be looking for a distributor or film festival opportunities.

"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."

more: http://www.herald-review.com/articles/2006/06/10/ap-state-il/d8i5ev9o1.txt

[AnnInLa]

1. Good.....thanks for the heads-up

I like him so much....and, not that it matters one little bit, but he is such a nice example of liberal, male eye-candy.

[havocmom]

2. Great actor, funny as hell, thoughtful, and courageous

John Cusack ROCKS! And his sister, Joan, does too.

Looking forward to this one being distributed.

[Drum]

6. I'll second that!

Hoping we see this film picked up and on screens sooner than later!

When the institutions of government or commerce fall short of our dreams, sometimes it's the artists who keep our dreams alive.

[havocmom]

9. And, he and Joan made a movie about THAT point

They are wonderful patriots.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

8. I fell asleep on something last night and woke this morning to his

film Serendipity. I've seen it before and watched what was left again. He always grabs my attention, from the lightest of movies (like the one I saw this AM) to his powerful films like The Grifters. He just blows me away. And personally, as a movie star, he isn't my "type" but I find him as attractive as all hell.

And Joan! She is brilliant in everything she does!

[tenshi816]

10. Me too!

He's really grown on me over the years. First there was me thinking "wow, he's a good actor" and then it was "hmm, he's quietly hot". I like me some John Cusack.

Have you seen "High Fidelity"? People in Britain were poised to hate it because the film changed the setting from London to Chicago, but Cusack made it work.

And Joan? What you said...

[shadowknows69]

13. Brilliant movie

and one of the few I know of to have a cameo of Bruce Springsteen. Oops spoiler.

[tsuki]

16. I agree. Two of my favorites. They are so versatile. nt

[MuseRider]

3. Good for him.

I admire the people who put themselves out front to stand for what is right. He is using his fame in a good way. I always have liked him, this just firms it up for me.

[madame defarge]

4. His whole family are peace activists...

His mother & sister Joan are both very active in peace activities in Chicago area. Great, great family.

[tridim]

5. His only flaw is that he dislikes Jon Stewart for some reason.

Actually they dislike each other equally. No idea why.

[Wrinkle_In_Time]

18. Why do you say that?

I had never heard that before and went searching. I found nothing to imply that -- actually, the converse:

"All this makes me think of Jon Stewart, and the tricky position he finds himself in...I love the man. He is the most important media watchdog right now. As Bill Moyers said "If Mark Twain were back today, he'd be at Comedy Central.
HuffPo, 11 November, 2005 (emphasis mine)

He appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart IMDB, 19 December 2002.

If you are going to float that meme, please provide something to back it up.

[tridim]

19. It was the December 2002 TDS that I was referring to

If you saw it, it was obvious that they didn't like each other. That said, it's not a big deal. I love both of them. There's a post or two about it in the DU archives.

[Wrinkle_In_Time]

22. I can't find anything to support your claim.

Mind you, that's your responsibility. Please let me know if I missed something:

1) I'm a fan of both peoples' work, yet I have never heard of this enmity. I think I saw Cusack's 2002 appearance on TDS, but my memory could be faulty. So I searched.

2) There is nothing on Google to support your claim.

3) The DU archives only go back to 2003, but I searched them. There isn't "a post or two about it in the DU archives." There's nothing.

4) Cusack posted that glowing praise on huffingtonpost.com in November, 2005 -- three years after his appearance on TDS. If there ever was any enmity between the two of them (which only you claim) then it is obviously gone by now. Or ficticious.

Look, it's not like you claimed that Karl Rove was indicted on May 12 in a popular left-wing web publication or anything, so it's not really a big deal. However, you made a specious claim that isn't backed up with anything. I don't like those.

7. my father said hi to him at a grocery store in Chicago.

He has such a baby face.

[Totally Committed]

11. He is one of my favorite actors ever...

He is enormously talented, and I like his politics, too. I can't wait to see this movie!

TC

[StellaBlue]

12. Aaah

John Cusack :loveya:

Love him even more now.

[shadowknows69]

14. God that's going to be a good flick

not the kind you want to watch but have to watch. I fully expect to be in tears for most of this movie. Very brave of them telling it from a man who has lost his wife's point of view. I can't even imagine what a husband would go through. I know chilvary is dead and all and women are equals but the ancient alpha male in me would never recover from not being there to save my wife.

[Cha]

15. Love John Cusack!

Runaway Jury was good and political too, not to mention Suspenseful!

[applegrove]

17. Good for him.

[porphyrian]

20. I knew I liked him for reasons other than Better Off Dead. - n/t

[checks-n-balances]

21. 'Grace is gone' as a title - good double entendre

Thanks for posting this - I think this will be a must-see. He's definitely a hottie, yes, and shines equally in dramatic as well as comedic roles. His prolific talent had made contributions to film for over 20 years, and I totally agree with what he says about the subject of this latest one.

Thanks, Jon, for making this one and I hope it draws a huge crowd at the box office.

[BrklynLiberal]

23. This will be yet another excellent movie for John Cusack.

They have all been terrific. How about "Identity"? That was really a cool movie.
And "The Grifters"? O. MI. GAWD!!!