Good Luck to 'War Inc.'
By John Amato Friday May 23, 2008 9:50pm 
From what I'm hearing the screenings of "War Inc." are doing very well so far this weekend. If you're in the area, check it out.
This clever new movie takes the next logical step in the evolution of the Bush Doctrine. Instead of sending the US Armed Forces to conquer oil rich Middle Eastern countries, we now have the Tamerlane Corporation leading the charge to fulfill a Dick Cheney-like CEO's wet dream. John Cusack plays a hit man hired by the corporation to make sure their bottom line is met at all costs. His conscience has had about enough of the carnage left in his wake in this sobering, yet funny look at war profiteers. Blackwater's got nothing on Tamerlane Corporation.
Here's John Cusack with Bill Maher talking about his new picture.
Download | play 
Download | play
And John on Democracy Now talking to Amy Goodman and Jeremy Scahill.
(h/t Heather)
Login or Register to post comments.
they are being blackballed by the carlyle group theatre chains.
Cusack comes across as horribly naive in this interview. Maher tries to get him to realize that Bushco and Blackwater are just manifestations of things inherently wrong in the US, but John just nervously swipes at his hair and talks himself into believing that somehow "justice" will prevail.
Good luck indeed.
CoIntelPro against Repug DoucheBaggery @ 1:
What else did we expect?
Any worthwhile effort is never easy.
Good luck and Gospeed,Cusack and Company.
I don't even see this movie listed in the top 100 weekend box office grosses. Too bad. Looks like a funny movie. It's gotta be a kick in the teeth getting beaten at the theater by Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead
Damn the spell check.
Cusack should just say, "We're ashamed that Bush is President of the U.S."
The media will be go on the rampage, denouncing him as a traitor, next thing you know everyone around the planet will be wanting to see the movie.
L.A. Confidential @ 6:
You nailed it! Then he should say "I'm thinking of moving to France" to top it off!
ConcernedCanuck @ 7:
Heck he'd probably sweep the Academy Awards also. Sweet Vindication.
I saw it at the USC screening on Tuesday night. Grosse Pointe Blank is a perfect movie and this is a worthy 'sequel'. Joan Cusack is just over the top funny.
ConcernedCanuck @ 4:
It's only in 2 theaters this weekend, I'd be surprised it it was in the top 100.
I've already bought tix for the group I'm bringing tomorrow.
and 3 more cities already booked for next week... it's growing.
eh, 'scuz me. The movie got panned -- 26% on rotton tomatoes
just because we want it to be good, doesn't mean that it is... otherwise we start looking like mirror images of Faux News nutjobs who tauted Narnia as a great movie, just because it was based on chrisian themes. CS Lews would have thrown up had he seen what they had done to his stories.
You're right, we should listen to the MSM when it comes to making our movie selections.
You think MSM movie reviewers are part of some Bush engineered plot? Flip side of Malkinism.
Ha! no I just don't agree with them most of the time.
Fair 'nuff.
Just seen it. Very funny, right on target and the Dr. Strangelove for the New American Century. If you haven't seen it, STFU.
ConcernedCanuck @ 4:
its in very limited release and its up against some heavy hitters this weekend...shoulda opened closer to the election when there wouldnt have been so much competition
ciu @ 12:
Wow...Who the fuck is rotten tomatoes? I don't know any of those guys...But I am familiar with THESE people:
"One of those rare films where one listens carefully to the dialogue as one laughs, weeps."
- GORE VIDAL, Writer
“The courage it took to make this movie is matched only by the importance that its message is heard. This is for every thinking man (or woman) in America who does not want their blood split – or blood spilt in their name – unless it means something greater than all of us”.
- LARA LOGAN, Chief Foreign Correspondent, CBS News and 60 Minutes
"War, Inc. is one of those rare satires with the danger left in. It cranks up the dial on the state of privatized war just enough that we can finally see our present clearly. As you're watching it, you can't help wondering: Can these guys really get away with this? Are we all going to get in trouble? It's an extremely good feeling. It's what risk feels like."
- NAOMI KLEIN, Writer - The Shock Doctrine
And they liked it. So I'll believe them instead.
I saw it about 2 weeks ago:
Kind of like a low budget "Lord of War" set in just one location. It's not an action flick at all, it's more of a parody of Iraq - a Right Wing wet-dream and an orgy of Free Market insanity.
It wasn't funny or dramatic or overly thought provoking; I was left more with the uncomfortable feeling that the world has become frighteningly close to a Hollywood dystopia over the last 8 years.
ConcernedCanuck @ 4:
We're talking ratio ticket sales to screenings. If a limited release has good box office then they put the movie in more theaters. It was panned in a lot of reviews surprisingly. It was made with no budget. C&Lers will get all the joke. I believe Sundance said. "We don't see the world that way," when they tried to get it placed. What does that even maea?
Interesting they have a release date in August for distribution in Russia, but no other foreign sales....hmmm.
(joking about the "hmmm", but good luck John, I bet it does better overseas than here. Remember Hendrix!)
The movie had a great premise but it lost itself along the way. It seemed overtly comical, it could have been a far better movie but I personally could not wait for it to end. Instead of being comical, they should have done it seriously. Defense Forces, Police, Jails are scared institution of the state and it is a serious matter that these institutions are being outsourced not something to make a funny movie about. If War Inc fails, producers would think twice before touching this subject matter. Cinema is a powerful media. It could have been a powerful movie. It was a sad parody.
It is my personal view. I did spend my money on it and my friends did theirs.
Commentator @ 20:
Correction - Last Weekend.
Here's my more complete review.
The story of "War Inc." revolves around an assassin wrestling with inner turmoil (al-la Gross Point Blank) during a business convention in the "Green Zone" (more grey) of the fictional country of "Turaqistan". It's a world where the "Free Market" has run amok - war is outsourced, over-sexed teens are exploited, tanks have advertising on the sides, the sycophantic media is never allowed outside the secure capital (for their own protection of course) and gets it's stories from a "Battle Simulator" and Popeye's Chicken is the first thing to open up in the newly liberated nation. The mercenary Conglomerate, Tamerlane is run by a Dick Cheney like figure, "the head ChickenHawk" and the Chief of Operations, the "Viceroy" is an ex-CIA agent paraplegic cross between L. Paul Bremer and an unfunny Dr. Evil who hides behind a screen displaying a loop of pictures of right wing heros like Reagan, the Marlboro Man, and Charlton Heston. The typical "Liberal" reporter love interest is at first repulsed by the greedy corporate convention host (the assassin's cover) but as usual is intrigued to the brooding, slightly awkward and troubled yet charming hit-man (think John Cusack in - well, everything he's done). Almost the entire movie takes place in the "Green Zone" so there's not much scenery or action and the dialog is quite predictable at best. The plot line takes a few twists but there's no real sense of shock or drama. It's a parody of Iraq, the media and pop culture all mixed together; and not a particularly comical one. For anyone keeping up with the War and the politics surrounding it the movie just hits too close to home. It's a fictionalized dystopia, but one that's far too close to reality to really laugh at.
See it; you'll want to strangle Grover Norquist and William Kristol and the corporate media even more (if that's even possible) because Turaqistan represents the sick, immoral, unregulated, pure capitalist, 100% spin kind of world they want to create. Vote Democrat.
Not Blackwater, but the Carlyle Group.
The young lady in the ad for the movie is rather attractive.
Not doing very well with the critics.
er...uh...I'll try the link again
Rotten Tomatoes
It's a great flick. The irony of it isn't lost, and there are lots of gems in it.
""Don't forget your gift bags. They have a coffee mug, a dessert umbrella, a beer-cuzzi. And an autographed copy, from you know who, of "How I Conquered The World And Worked Out Issues With My Dad""
GREAT Movie.
Be your own critic- and meet your friends there - then you can all make up your own mind. Critics, pundits, marketeers make money stepping between you and your own choices. If you don't like something you learn - not just about losing money but what you don't like. Keep it real.
The young lady is Hillary Duff who was a Nickelodeon/Disney child star.
Personally I thought it was terrible. I don't think people should just automatically support stuff like this because its basic concept agrees with your sensibilities. I couldn't force myself to think it was clever or funny. Can't please everyone, I guess.
I'm going to see it and ?. Everyone's sensibilities are different. My Mom caught me one time watching the Rose parade with the sound off and a simulcast by Firesign Theatere. She thought it was horrible. I thought it was hillarious.
Friday morning, I turned on the TV in time to hear the CBS movie reviewers talking about this with the same specific criticisms you'd expect from two guys at the end of the bar. One guy said (I'm paraphrasing), "Nobody likes this movie." The other guy said, "Nobody understands why this movie was made. Joan Cusack usually makes better movies." I was horrified that critical thinking about art and politics had disappeared into a pile of loud, shiny cash. Then I remembered it was 2008 and remembered that critical thinking had disappeared into a pile of loud, shiny cash.
http://moviesthis.blogspot.com/2008/05/war-inc.html
I just love this site, Crooks and Liars rocks. As my appreciation to a good read, you can watch War INC for Free at the above leak.
For other great documentaries get them Disclosed here at BlogLeak
miss_kitty @ 19:
Miss Kitty -
Regarding your question: "who the fuck is rotten tomatoes?"
Rotten Tomatoes was founded "to create a site where people can get access to reviews from a variety of critics in the US". It has both too good, the bad and the ugly reviews and then averages the reviews. War, Inc is at 25%
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/war_inc/
Netflix possibly, I've never seen a movie so plugged before on the internets.. No I haven't seen it and yes it looks like it has potential to be ironically funny however, it's draw is not being enhanced by the constant plugging as a matter of fact, it is already old news. Don't get your panties in a bunch, I'm just "some asshole" on the internets..
I saw it. It's just not that good. There are some funny parts, but for the most part, the movie is kind of a mess. Before you go nuts on me, I am a regular reader of this blog, and I really enjoy it. I wanted the movie to be good, but it's just kinda eh. Sorry, everybody.
Lindsay @ 37:
Why do you feel the need to apologize for not being that fond of a movie that isn't that good? It's not like we're scientologists marching in lock step to go see "Invasion Earth". Just because the films has an idelological point does NOT make it entertaining.
Bob Roberts @ 38:
well by some of the nasty responses to descenting opinions, we might be mistaken for scientologists soon.....
Just got back from seeing it... all 5 of us found it highly amusing. a couple were upset it was over so soon.
and no, don't apologize for not liking it, so long as it's your opinion.
And sorry ciu, I just looked back in the thread and couldn't find anybody giving a nasty response to a dissenting view of someone who'd seen the movie and didn't like it.
rotton tomatoes stands by it's first name Rotten, you want good reviews check out Entertainment This and for more in actual news on current events that takes the spin Media is trying to feed you along with the corporate whores check out The Rebellious Remix where the spin you are feed is turned into reality
Login or Register to post comments.