Hits Theaters MAY 23, 2008 in NEW YORK & LOS ANGELES

OFFICIAL 2008 TRIBECA SELECTION

ARTICLES, PRESS & APPEARANCES

SCREENINGS

WAR, INC. in Theaters MAY 23, 2008 LANDMARK Theater in LA ANGELIKA Theater in NY WAR, INC. infiltrates the T.DOT April 25, 2008
AMC Yonge & Dundas 24 Cinemas - 10 Dundas Street East, TORONTO, ON.
EMPIRE Empress Walk 10 Cinemas - 5095 Yonge Street, TORONTO, ON.
AMC Winston Churchill 24 - 2081 Winston Park Drive, OAKVILLE, ON.
AMC Kennedy Commons 20 - 33 William Kitchen Road, SCARBOROUGH, ON.
AMC Interchange 30 - 30 Interchange Way, WOODBRIDGE, ON.
Visit WAR, INC. on FACEBOOK

" WAR, INC. is a powerful new film that pulls off the near-impossible: finding a savage reality-altering humor amidst the tragedy of Iraq. It delivers a wicked punch in the gut, making you laugh, wince, and get outraged all at the same time." - ARIANNA HUFFINGTON, The Huffington Post "A brain-twisting, Machiavellian ride through the 'what if' of future corporate warmongering. The most disturbing part about watching it is how familiar that nightmarish scenario seems. The best part is the belly laughs.
Oh, and by the way, the filmmakers seem clinically insane ;)" - LIZ PHAIR, Artist/Songwriter/Agent Provocateur " 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 "Really funny. I think this type of satire is by far the hardest thing to pull off successfully. If it doesn't work, it REALLY doesn't work but this one does, with great dialogue and actors able to make it sing. Reminded me of the kind of filmmaking Billy Wilder , Kubrick and Richard Brooks have done in the past. Recalls movies like Dr. Strangelove, One Two Three and Wag The Dog. I love this kind of cynical, acerbic moviemaking and seeing it reminds me just how much this kind of thing is missing today. It's perfect for this election year and hopefully will find its audience. This is not a movie for everyone but those who get it, will love it. "
- PETE HAMMOND, Box Office Magazine "If you think Bush, Cheney and McCain are running the Iraq War absurdly, wait 'til you see how WAR, INC. takes it to the outer fringes of reality and shoves it back in their faces (or somewhere). I know it's only March, but this is the most compelling movie I've seen in 2008. And it's as fun as it is viscerally stimulating and provocative. I can't wait to see it again!" - HOWIE KLEIN, Publisher of DownWithTyranny.com / Former President of Reprise Records " War, Inc. is one of those mystifying cinematic works that defies categorization. Its constant genre-hopping from satire to soap opera to piercing sincerity leaves the audience feeling literally shell-shocked. Just like the experience of watching Brecht's Mother Courage, you feel the chaos of war and its profiteers, but on a global and far more sinister corporate level. Surprising, shocking and one to keep you mulling for hours...." - VICKY WARD, Vanity Fair "Love it!!!!!
The world's a fucked up place, you have to laugh or else you'll cry, what the hell are we gonna we teach our kids? Dog eat Dog, Kill or be Killed. People prefer celebrity to love, i once went out with a girl who had breasts on her back - she wasn't much to look at but boy was she great to dance with!!?? Death sells, time is money, there are no pockets in a shroud! Time is running out fast man! Make bombs not war, there is no gravity - the world sucks! I had a friend who died but luckily he didn't die of anything serious. You really do find love in the most unexpected places, I come from a very musical background-even our sewing machine was a singer! You will kill, you in turn will be killed, and the people who kill you will be killed. Dr. Strangelove for today!" - DAMIEN HIRST, Artist/Comedian/Belly Dancer/Handy Man/Sex Pest/AKA "Mr. Love" " War, Inc. is a modern day 'Putney Swope' - worlds apart but with all the same issues - whether corporate America in advertising or corporate America in the business of war, this is a movie about the comedy and horror of greed. Now, back to my shit jokes..." - SARAH SILVERMAN, Comedian " War, Inc. is a well-written war satire about corporate greed, riddled with hilariously executed absurdities. Totally fresh, War, Inc. achieves what Hollywood won't attempt, comedy in the theatre of war. But it still has a satisfying Hollywood ending!" - LIZA RICHARDSON, KCRW DJ/Music Supervisor "John Cusack has exposed the Blackwater / Halliburton military complex with a lens that is as much 60 minutes as it is South Park, as frequently surreal as it is spoof. War, Inc. is a reality show where none of the contestants are survivors." - WAYNE BARRETT, Senior Editor for the Village Voice "I thought the film was brilliant, though it was unnerving to realize that, even if you strip away all the nationalism, religion and racism, this war is going to be intractable. A fever dream, indeed." - ELAINE TUENNERMAN, CROOKS&LIARS ticket giveaway winner " WAR, INC. is a pyrotechnic genre-buster that will diddle your synapses but good. This film is like a petal of pickled ginger: tart, bright, and just searing enough to resonate." - DIABLO CODY, Writer "It’s a rare movie that offers, alternatively, scathing political commentary, broad satire, and a gorgeous pop star dropping a poisonous scorpion down her trousers, but that’s the unique mix that John Cusack has concocted for us here. It’s a little obvious to say that War, Inc. is a smart and thought-provoking movie; we get plenty of those from the horn-rimmed glasses, documentary-making crowd … but too few that make you enjoy the ride as much as this one. I’ve seen every one of John Cusack’s movies that end with a romantic kiss in Central Park; there’s none of that here, but go see it anyway. It’s better." - CRAIG FERGUSON, Author, Comedian, Host of CBS's The Late Late Show " "WAR, INC. WOW! Who knew that disaster capitalism had a humongous, wacky theme park (a.k.a. the Middle East)?
This movie is nothing less than a thrills’n’chills, satirical, world-wide roller coaster ride. The twist is that John Cusack and company have transmogrified those scary little tin cans on tracks into ordnance enhanced Hummers—buckle up, buttercup! The go-for-broke cast that made this zingy, screwball-nightmare comedy— Cusack, his sister Joan, the best comedic actress I’ve seen, Marisa Tomei, the heart and soul of any show she’s in, Hillary Duff, brilliantly disguised as a Middle Eastern Western style pop star—a live scorpion is her Victoria’s Secret—and Sir Ben Kingsley, a dystopic Wizard of Oz (!), have outsourced the whole story to the only place where Dr. Strangelove and Wag The Dog could produce their love child and have it blessed by the Marx Brothers. That place? Wherever this movie is playing.
To fully appreciate the hysterical, mind-boggling ramifications of this boast, you’ve got to see “War, Inc.” You owe it to your country. I laughed, I cried, I moved to Canada." - ROBBIE CONAL, Legendary Graffiti Guerilla Assassin Master " WAR, INC. is a powerful parody of the cavalier brutality of US imperialism. Very intelligent and wonderfully edgy." - ROCKY ANDERSON, former Mayor of Salt Lake City, UT "For this profound and shockingly funny effort to stick it to the man, War in the Middle East reaches an absurdist fever pitch in War, Inc. --a film that’s both unforgiving and uncensored. Toss in inspired performances by Marisa Tomei, Hilary Duff, Sir Ben Kingsley, Joan Cusack, and Dan Aykroyd, and you wind up with a refreshing and unconventional spring comedy. - Neil Patrick Stewart, LA CONFIDENTIAL "I can't explain anything anymore about the war or politics or hot reporters or terrifying pop songs without referencing War Inc. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll never be able to look at the Vice-President again without seeing Dan Aykroyd straining in the bathroom. Very, very funny and very, very true. - RACHEL MADDOW, Air America "Calling up the spirit of Catch 22 and MASH, WAR, INC. is the kind of movie you rarely see these days, a movie with guts, content, laughs and heart." - Tim Robbins, actor " War, Inc. pulls out all the stops to shine a damningly aggressive light on the privatization of war -- It is not subtle as far as satire goes, but it is precisely the sledgehammer hit, the "shock" of the totally outlandish and suffocating all-over the place bombing of the viewer's senses that makes the film a truly onomatopoeic visual to the audacious crimes it is ridiculing on screen." - Larisa Alexandrovna, Writer, The Raw Story "Whereas Stanley Kubrick's masterpiece Dr. Strangelove showed that the power of military technology in the hands of man could be extremely disastrous, WAR, INC. shows that disaster in the hands of man can create an extremely powerful and immoral economy." - TORONTO METRO NEWS Soundtrack Score composed by Dave Robbins HAUSER's PLAYLISTThe Tourist - Ray Davies Get Down Moses - Joe Strummer Sorrow - David Bowie Blood of the Lamb - Wilco Devil's Playground Gram Rabbit Yalla, Yalla - Joe Strummer

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+ John's Interview with Naomi Klein

For transcripts of John's confab with Naomi, click the links below

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

TRAILER

MARSHA

REAL TIME ...

YONICA

HILARY on TRL HILARY on REGIS...

HAUSER'S JUICE

THE WATCH

CAST

JOHN CUSACK .......... Hauser

MARISA TOMEI .......... Natalie Hegalhuzen

BEN KINGSLEY .......... Walken

HILARY DUFF .......... Yonica Babyyeah

JOAN CUSACK .......... Marsha Dillon

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WAR, INC. is a political satire set in Turaqistan, a country occupied by Tamerlane Industries, an American private corporation run by a former United States Vice-President.

In an effort to monopolize the opportunities the war-torn nation offers, Tamerlane hires a troubled hit-man HAUSER, who suppresses his emotions by chugging shots of hot sauce, to kill a Middle East oil minister. Now the assassin, struggling with his own growing demons, must pose as the corporation's trade show producer in order to pull off this latest hit, all the while maintaining his cover by organizing the high-profile wedding of YONICA BABYYEAH, an outrageous Middle Eastern pop star and keeping a sexy left-wing reporter NATALIE HEGALHUZEN in check.

This audaciously funny and surprisingly poignant film written by Mark Leyner, Jeremy Pikser and producer/star John Cusack, also stars Hilary Duff, Marisa Tomei, Joan Cusack, Dan Aykroyd and Ben Kingsley.

SoapBox

From N Fede (March 18, 2008):
Q: Hi John, great trailer for the new film.

JC: Thanks

From Jaimelee Wisdom (March 19, 2008):
Q: Hello John. I am basically am a fan of everyone in the movie and i am really excited to see it. based on the small scene i saw of Joan and the trailer it seems great. I hope to see more scenes soon. Just wondering though, will there be any songs out to accompany the movie's release?

JC: Yeah, we will release some video of Hilary as her character Yonica...she plays a slutty central asian superstar with a mysterious past...

From Chansathya Khieu (March 20, 2008):
Q: hi u guys at war, inc.
i am a fan and i really wanna know if it does really premier at tribeca and does it really have a may 23rd opening. i'm a big fan of hilary and i think that the movie will prove that she has great talent. please reply to me and can u tell me some more info on the movie that hasn't been post thx. bye.

JC: Yes it does. First Tribeca then on May 23rd in New York and LA...if the theaters sell out it will expand and play in more theaters ...so go opening weekend!

From Julia Mendez (March 22, 2008):
Q: Hey John, I'm a huge fan of your work & have been eagerly anticipating the release of War, Inc. since I first started seeing pictures of it! The cast is very talented & unique so I'm excited about that. My question is, what are your expectations for the film? Do you think it will or should be successful, or are you more about just getting your point across?

JC: I want people to go see it and think and laugh or get uncomfortable... it's up to everyone to go see it in the theaters if they like the vibe...!

From Ed Marble (March 28, 2008):
Q: Hi John, I noticed you've got a mention of Blackwater atop the site and satirical allusions to Blackwater throughout the film descriptions -- is the army in War, Inc. entirely privatized or a mixture of private and government...

JC: It is set five minutes into the future and it is the first war that is 100% outsourced to a private corporate army.

From Amanda Goode (March 28, 2008):
Q: "The Machine" is too f'n big now. It's far too easy for good information to get wiped off the map by stupid stuff. Couple that with a large portion of the general population who believe almost anything simply because it was said on a "news" program...or worse, television period and you there you have it - planet in chaos.
So I guess my question would be...did you make War Inc. as an act of hope, or was it more like a cry of despair?

JC: What's the difference?

Either way - thanks for making movies like this one sir - we really appreciate the comic relief!

JC: Thanks

From Junolyn (March 29, 2008):
Q: Is the scorpion that Hilary Duff was holding real or computerized?

JC: 100% real, seriously, it was a real fuckin scorpion.

From Steve Braun (March 29, 2008):
Q: What can we as citizens do on a daily basis to undermine the media control and the celebrity deflections?

JC: Start your own media. Be your own media.

Q: What control do we as citizens have over this whole mess? Is there anything we can do besides see this movie?

JC: Look, the thing about resistance is that while it's very, very serious, paradoxically it's really fucking fun. It feels good to express what you see and not feel cowed by these bastards. It's supposed to feel good to tell truth and it does... subversion is fun.

Gotta question??? Email John.
warinc@newcrime.com

BOOKS I READ....

RIGHT IS WRONG

Published: April 29th Online and Wherever Books Are Sold
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BookBlurb:
With her trademark passion, intelligence, and devastating wit, Huffington Post editor-in-chief Arianna Huffington tackles the issues that are crucial to this year's presidential election and, even more so, to the fate of the country.
Huffington makes the case that America has been hijacked from within by a radical element—the "lunatic fringe" of the Right that has taken over the Republican Party. Despite holding views at odds with the majority of Americans, these zealots have given us an endless war in Iraq, a sputtering economy, a health care system on life support, a war on science and reason, and an immoral embrace of torture.
But they haven't done it on their own: they have been enabled by a compliant media that act as if there is no such thing as truth and are more interested in cozying up to those in power than in holding them accountable, and by feckless Democrats who have allowed themselves to be intimidated into backing down again and again.
Both a withering indictment and a hopeful call to arms, Right Is Wrong is an explosive, boldly incisive work that will help set the national agenda.
Arianna Bio:
Arianna Huffington is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of The Huffington Post, a nationally syndicated columnist, and author of twelve books. She is also co-host of "Left, Right & Center,"public radio's popular political roundtable program. In May 2005, she launched The Huffington Post, a news and blog site that has quickly become one of the most widely-read, linked to, and frequently-cited media brands on the Internet. In 2006, she was named to the Time 100, Time Magazine's list of the world's 100 most influential people. Arianna Huffington has made guest appearances on numerous television shows, including "Charlie Rose," "Oprah," "Nightline," "Real Time with Bill Maher," "Inside Politics," "Larry King Live," "Hardball," "Good Morning America," the "Today" show, "Countdown" and "The O'Reilly Factor."

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