Cusack-mania going strong: John talks '80s flicks with NY Magazine

John Cusack is ALL over the place as his newest flick, 2012, is about to open nationwide. His latest appearance is in the pages of NY Magazine, where he actually goes back in time -- for a minute or so -- and talks about his '80s classics. Here are some highlights:

ON WHAT MOVIES STILL ENDURE: "Some of the ones that I make, like Say Anything, The Grifters, or even High Fidelity or 1408, those you can sort of feel right when they came out people were way into them. But I made a movie when I was a teenager, Better Off Dead, and people still come up to me and I'm like, "Wow." They quote lines to me and I don't even remember the movie that well."

ON 'ONE CRAZY SUMMER': "I remember even when I read the script for [Crazy Summer], they were mixing a teen movie with black comedy and even some surreal stuff. So I knew back then that this was a really cool tone and maybe this will be good."

Click here to read the full interview.

And if you're curious what Times film critic Steve Persall thought about 2012, here's his full review.

Comments

[don in tulsa]

i agree with you ian, he wants to keep evolving, not do the same thing over and over.

[Ian from Baltimore]

sorry for the double post, but in this line (If you think about it, as an entertainer (music, acting, etc), people get into it to make new music), I meant to say that people get into it to make new art.

[Ian from Baltimore]

Yup, here comes another long "Ian from Baltimore" rant.

You know, while I don't agree with him, I can respect Cusack's opinion on his old films. This opinion is probably pretty popular with many entertainers other than the ones we talk abot on this site (Cusack, Bryan Adams, etc). If you think about it, as an entertainer (music, acting, etc), people get into it to make new music. And then a person does a bunch of great thing and then we expect them to rehash and reminice on those things over and over again.

Think about the last retro concert you went to and expected to hear all of the old hits, and then the singer says "here's a track from our latest album" and then everyone heads for the bathroom. I had a friend who went to a recent Springsteen concert and told me that he hated it because he didn't do any old tunes (I think except for the encore). I can't blame him for wanting to hear the classics, but if you think about it, we have to deal with it. Musicians make music because they love to do make music.

And actors make movies (and tv shows and plays) for the love of the art. In Cusack's case, he just wants to make new movies; but it seems to him like all we (his fans) want to hear about is how much he loved playing Lane Meyer and Hoops McCann. You always hear about how actors try to be diverse so they avoid being typecast. For us, JC will always be Lloyd Dobbler cool. But for him, he is constantly trying to make new fans by shedding his 80's persona. So while I'll always love his 80's roles, I respect the man for taking a stance and sticking to his guns.

[CHAD]

it seems he's likes one crazy summer more than better off dead. i like both of those flicks, some good stuff in these.