Watch the trailer for Roland Emmerich's new heavy on the SFX, heavy on the big budget premise, light on the character development film 2012 and you'll probably be slightly shocked to see John Cusack.

Following in the footsteps of The Day After Tomorrow and 10,000 B.C., it's not difficult to imagine the amount of non-love 2012 will engender with many critics, while still doing profitable business here and around the world. Among all that is Cusack, a generally respected actor who has built an enviable resume of roles and films. It's here that the disconnect will occur for some.

As for myself, respectable actor in a disaster film isn't much of a disconnect. You can build an entire bricks and mortar video store out of the number of films from the 1960s to the 1980s that starred respectable actors in questionable roles. In fact, as I write this, I'm probably overselling the amount of disconnect there might be. Even The Day After Tomorrow scored a 45% on Rottentomatoes.com. An almost even ratio of hate to love would be a in in my book.

What's more fascinating is when actors like Cusack misfire with projects that are actually personal. Those dear to their heart films that allow actors to tell the world how they really feel. Aren't these the films we'd rather see Cusack in? Aren't these the films we complain aren't made so 2012 can get the studio's greenlight?

When it's a film like War, Inc. I'd say no thank you sir. I'll admit, the underlying politics of War, Inc. I'm about 95% in line with (I do work at film festival, so liberal I am).

It's because War, Inc. was such a personal film, that I disliked it so vehemently. There's so much of Cuscack's politics in the film, I was constantly reminded of how liberal he is, as a opposed to thinking of how absurd (which they were), but true to life (which after 10 minutes in they weren't), the situations he and his creative team had created were.

The film really wanted to be Dr. Strangelove (which at the time of this post, will be airing on TCM on Wednesday night. TCM has been on fire this month). Yet, I'll be damned if I can tell you what the politics of either Stanley Kubrick, Peter Sellers or George C. Scott were based on Strangelove.

Kubrick's satirical masterpiece still holds up 45 years later as a commentary on war, while still being hilarious. Watch the Precious Bodily Fluids scenes. Is there anything in there beating politics aside your head?

I'm pretty sure Cusack's got another, better, stronger War, Inc. in him. Grosse Pointe Blank and High Fidelity have proven the man knows comedy, can do satire and can create films that are personal. 

By the by. The Day After Tomorrow has a 45% rating on rottentomatoes.com compared to War, Inc.'s 29%. Maybe that's less a sign that Tomorrow is a better film and more an indicator that when personal films suck, they really suck.