Cusack, Bill

War, Inc.

Recreating his role as a hitman John Cusack gives a hilarious performance in War Inc . a political satire set in Turaqistan a Country occupied by an American private corporation run by a former U.S. Vice President (Dan Aykroyd). In an effort to monopolize the opportunities the war-torn nation offers the corporation's CEO hires Hauser (Cusack) to kill a Middle Eastern oil minister. Now struggling with his own growing demons the assassin must pose as the corporation s Trade Show Producer in order to pull off this latest hit while maintaining his cover by organizing the high-profile wedding of Yonica Babyyeah (Hilary Duff) an outrageous Central Asian pop star and keeping a sexy left-wing reporter (Marisa Tomei) in check.System Requirements:Running Time: 107 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE/POLITICAL THRILLER Rating: R UPC: 687797121998 Manufacturer No: FLP-12199

A wobbly mix of violence and sentiment, War, Inc. takes up where Grosse Pointe Blank left off. A conscience-stricken killer in the previous film, producer/co-writer Cusack now plays an international assassin. In Joshua Seftel's political satire, corporations operate like governments. In the volatile nation of Turaqistan, Cusack's hot sauce-addicted Brand Hauser sets his sights on Omar Sharif--the oil baron, not the actor (it's never clear why this is meant to be funny). As a cover, Hauser passes as the producer for an economic trade show with fellow operative Marsha (Joan Cusack) acting as his assistant. Trained by Southern smoothie Walken (Ben Kingsley) in his CIA days (depicted though flashbacks), Hauser now takes orders from an oily CEO (Grosse Pointe co-star Dan Aykroyd). Offing Sharif, however, turns out to be harder than expected. Hauser's obstacles include left-wing journalist Natalie Hegalhuzen (Marisa Tomei) and foul-mouthed pop tart Yonica Babyyeah (Hilary Duff, erasing innocent images of Lizzy McGuire). Cusack and his crew come up with a few clever ideas, but too many crass gags blunt their thesis about military contractors run amok. Pitched somewhere between Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove and Mike Judge's Idiocracy, War, Inc. registers as more of a miss than a hit. On the plus side, Cusack and Tomei have a snappy rapport; it's the more over-the-top performers who look out of place, especially Ms. Cusack and Kingsley, though the latter's deft turn as a boozy hit man in the overlooked You Kill Me almost makes up for this misfire. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Quiet Days in Hollywood

Miracles only happen in the movies. Behind the glitz and glamour, another Hollywood exists--a world in which aspiring starlets, hardened gangsters, teenage runaways, and straightlaced innocents share the stage. In this sprawling tale, the lives of eight people intersect as they search for love, redemption, and meaning on the streets of Hollywood. Director Josef Rusnak (The Thirteenth Floor) brings poignancy and relevance to a remarkable ensemble piece led by rising stars Hilary Swank (Academy Award and Golden Globe Winner--Best Actress, Boys Don't Cry), Natasha Gregson Wagner (Urban Legend) and Daryl "Chill" Mitchell (Galaxy Quest).

Bats: Human Harvest

Time: Present Day. The Place: Russia. The mission: To track down and capture Dr. Walsh a fanatical weapons specialist hiding in a research facility deep in the notorious Belzan forest of Chechnya. Specially trained and armed an elite unit of soldiers is combing through the endless forest looking to bring their target to justice. But what they're about to find is an enemy they're not prepared to fight - genetically altered vampire bats programmed to feast on human flesh and blood - in this horrifying action thriller.System Requirements:Run Time: 87 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: HORROR/MONSTERS & MUTANTS Rating: R UPC: 043396227965 Manufacturer No: 22796

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