John Cusack admits he has been in some stinkers

Actor says he has only starred in ten good movies. Shall we name them and shame which one's were garbage?

John Cusack is probably feeling a little glum right now. His thriller with director Jan de Bont titled Stopping Power got it's money yanked away right at the last second, which in truth was the best thing that could have happened to him. I've said for years that Cusack is one of the most likeable actors around, typifying the unlikely hero and can play the average modern day American better than anyone on screen. Yet he keeps putting himself in some terribly crap movies. Quotes today found over at IMDB, suggest that Cusack is starting to realise some of the shit he has been in...

"I've made 10 good films. The ones that suck I tend to blank out. It's like I never even made them. Well, there aren't 40 that are great, put it that way. But that's fine. Ten is a good battling average."
Ya know ten good movies, is a total that many actors don't reach. Let's see which 10 he was probably talking about... 1. Grosse Pointe Black - the comedy/thriller he actually mentions as one of his best works. Can't say I disagree either. 2. Being John Malkovich - awesome stuff, and again he mentions this as his best work. 3. High Fidelity - Cusack totally made this movie. A stunning performance. My favourite of his work. 4. 1408 - The movie has gone down really well with audiences. It's just hit the U.K, I'm desperate to see it. Cusack was born to play a Stephen King paranoid and synical hero. He must rank this one as one of his ten. 5. Say Anything - The great Cameron Crowe movie that should never be forgotten. This was the start of the Cusack persona which would carry through the rest of his movies. 6. The Thin Red Line - Terrence Malik's awesome war movie ranks as one of the best of the 90's for me. 7. Runaway Jury - I actually really dig this movie. Great cast, great actors and a cool thriller. A great fast food of a movie and Cusack shone once again for me. 8. The Grifters - An early team-up with his future High Fidelity director Stephen Frears. The Grifters is fun, fun, fun. 9. Bullets over Broadway - Haven't seen it myself but Woody Allen/John Cusack sounds good to me. 10. Identity - Well it was Ok, I guess. If I'm being honest, I'm just placing this movie on this list because I haven't seen much else from Cusack and what I have seen I haven't liked. A movie with a ton of flaws but Cusack was good. Cusack's recent filmography is hardly glowing. If you take away 1408 from what he has filmed recently your left with... Grace is Gone (I'm hearing it's horrid), The Contract (had Morgan Freeman in and it went straight to DVD!), The Ice Harvest (negatively reviewed), Must Love Dogs (dito). The future of Cusack... Martian Child - a comedy about a guy who adopts a six year old child after the death of his fiancce. Looks awful! War, Inc. - Cusack returns as a hitman in this action/comedy about Middle East oil. I'm banking on this being a killer. Igor - Cusack voices Igor, an animated monster which is set to bring about a new twist on the genre. Talking with Dog - Mark Roper's apocalytpic about a post-global warming future where just like Children of Men, women can't get pregnant. Sounds pretty cool to be, though how similar it is to Alfonso Cuaron's movie I don't know. At least we have two good sounding movies from Cusack to look forward to. Here's hoping he makes it 12 good movies by the end of this decade.

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Matt Holmes is the co-founder of What Culture, formerly known as Obsessed With Film. He has been blogging about pop culture and entertainment since 2006 and has written over 10,000 articles.