Nicolas Cage Challenge

[brokenface]

Goal
Watch Nicolas Cage films. Discuss Nicolas Cage films.

Rules
All films featuring Nicolas Cage are allowed. Even Left Behind
Rewatches encouraged

Links
IMDB
ICM (there's a few on there, this seems to be most up-to-date at time of writing)

Participants (update 06 Jul 2020)
blocho 22
albajos 21
Carmel1379 15
brokenface 12
Lammetje 8
OldAle1 6
nimimerkillinen 5
vortexsurfer 3
allisoncm 1
funkybusiness 1


View count
7
Mandy (2018)

4
Vampire’s Kiss (1988)
The Wicker Man (2006)
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)

3
Valley Girl (1983)
Moonstruck (1987)
Raising Arizona (1987)
Wild at Heart (1990)
The Trust (2016)

2
Fire Birds (1990)
Zandalee (1991)
Face/Off (1997)
Bringing Out the Dead (1999)
National Treasure (2003)
Lord of War (2005)
National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007)
The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010)
Season of the Witch (2011)
Left Behind (2014)
Dog Eat Dog (2016)
Arsenal (2017)

1
Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)
Rumble Fish (1983)
Racing for the Moon (1984)
Peggy Sue Got Married (1986)
Industrial Symphony No. 1: The Dream of the Broken Hearted (1990)
Red Rock West (1993)
Kiss of Death (1995)
Snake Eyes (1996)
Con Air (1997)
8MM (1999)
The Family Man (2000)
Gone in Sixty Seconds (2000)
Adaptation. (2002)
Matchstick Men (2003)
World Trade Center (2006)
Bangkok Dangerous (2008)
G-Force (2009)
Kick-Ass (2010)
Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (2011)
Seeking Justice (2011)
The Croods (2013)
The Frozen Ground (2013)
Joe (2013)
Dying of the Light (2014)
The Death of "Superman Lives": What Happened? (2015)
The Runner (2015)
Army of One (2016)
Snowden (2016)
USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage (2016)
The Humanity Bureau (2017)
Vengeance: A Love Story (2017)
Between Worlds (2018)
Looking Glass (2018)
Teen Titans Go! To the Movies (2018)

55 titles in total

[sebby]

A challenge where everyone is the winner.

[Lammetje]

I'm in. I watched The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans recently, Nicolas was pretty funny in that movie.

[funkybusiness]

holy shit yes count me in. I've got Bad Lieutenant on my shelf and I want to watch Leaving Las Vegas some time soon. and those Ghost Rider movies look fantastic. and I can always rewatch Raising Arizona.

[allisoncm]

lol yes maybe, but i've even seen Left Behind and his new one with Paul Schrader (that was great).

[drbop]

This is the best thread ever. Unfortunately, I don't believe any Nic Cage films are on my near-term plans.

[Knaldskalle]

[Perception de Ambiguity]

I think he's already my most-watched actor and I had no new viewings or rewatches planned in the immediate future but I feel it is my duty to sign up for this challenge. I guess I'll catch up on his most recent endeavors ('Dying of the Light' which I wasn't aware of until now, 'The Frozen Ground',...) and see at least one very early Cage show, probably 'Valley Girl'. Like sebby said, with Cage you just can't lose. So let's party!

[Knaldskalle]

('Dying of the Light' which I wasn't aware of until now,

Dying of the Light has been erhm... "non-disparaged" by the director, Paul Schrader, Anton Yelchin, Nicolas Cage and executive producer Nicolas Winding Refn. Apparently the studio was very unhappy with what Schrader delivered and they completely recut the movie.

[allisoncm]

The film was so funny, probably not intentionally, but I had such a great viewing that I rated it 9/10.

[brokenface]

1. Bringing Out the Dead (Scorsese, 1999) Rewatch.
Ten, probably going on fifteen years since I last saw this and while I really liked it first time I was a little unsure how it'd hold up. Happily it held up nicely, it's a really good one - no-one does disintegrating grip on reality quite like Cage. I'd say it's comfortably better than anything Scorsese has made since, certainly one of his most overlooked/underrated. Technically impressive & Schrader's writing always complements Scorsese style - also funnier than I remembered. Weak point is the Patricia Arquette character.

[Lammetje]

1. Vampire's Kiss (1988): 7/10

My goodness, what a crazy movie! This has to be one of Nicolas' funniest performances. Replace him by some B-movie actor and the movie becomes meh or even bad. I might be a little frisky with my rating, especially when I take the weakish ending into account, but I lol'd several times. Gotta love Emilio's car too.

Seen

1. Vampire's Kiss (1988)

[Perception de Ambiguity]

1. Vampire's Kiss (1988): 7/10

I wrote a little analysis after my third viewing:

I just rewatched it, and it keeps growing on me. It seemed funnier than ever, and the whole ending with the "sidewalk psychiatrist session" is fascinatingly sad, it has him hallucinating that he has his desires satisfied, the last desperate effort of a madman. Thanks to the contrasting of him on the sidewalk and his ludicrously perfect psychiatrist session it's not only sad but also one of the film's comedy highlights (if it is even possible to point out only a few), while the impalement very much had the underlying seriousness of the matter crushing down on me.

I thought it was quite blatantly about his fear of having a meaningful relationship, with the very same thing also being his number one desire. It's the incompatibility of his fear and desire, the constant battle between the two, that drives him over the edge. It's certainly a very simplified psychological portrait but it made a great and poignant comedy in this case.

It's not so much that he finds his work so horrid but that he only really comes alive at night when he can pick up a girl at a club and have his way with her. He dreads the day because then he's alone again and he envies all the people around him who are in steady relationships. Of course all this ties in nicely with the vampire allegory.

Rachel is certainly a real person although of course she isn't a vampire and the film leaves a bit open how involved the two really are. Right on the next morning of their first night Peter is seen bringing breakfast to the empty bed. Obviously she left and he wishes she hadn't. I think that was probably their only night together and the rest was imagined. He uses Rachel as a way of avoiding Jackie, blaming a "vampire woman" for being unable to keep his appointments with Jackie, instead of having to admit to himself that he only has his own fear to blame.

I never was all that affected by Alva's plight. I think those scenes are quite necessary to make sure that Peter doesn't become a likable guy. It's perhaps his (masculine) need to have control and power over people (and women in particular) that causes his fear of relationships, knowing that he would lose that control if he was in a relationship. This ties in with his job, his subordinates are all women while his colleagues (and what seems to be his boss) are all men, the guy who has the most control over his women is the most powerful at the job and the likeliest to soon get a promotion. That's perhaps also why after having to beg his female psychiatrist for an earlier appointment he doesn't dare actually showing up there, maybe feeling that she got the upper hand now. He needs to prove his own dominance and he chose Alva because of her weakness (she's lacking self-confidence and she's dependent on keeping the job). In his weaker moments he alternatively hopes that she could be his salvation by killing him and putting him out of his misery, which only makes him even more of a sadist towards her.

He becomes a vampire himself to regain that power but it's also an attempt of killing his desire to be in a relationship, he can be just as coldblooded as Rachel who had her way with him and then left. During his fantasy psychiatrist session he's ready to forget the whole vampire thing again since now he has his desire realized. But his fear comes back and he goes back into vampire mode.

Here is the whole IMDb thread with interesting comments from other users as well: http://www.pedeamb.t15.org/VampiresKiss.htm

[funkybusiness]

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/73 ... cages-face


I really want that Nebulas Cupcage shirt. and those playing cards are pretty dope. and OH GET IT! CUP OF JOE! JOE! MOVIES!

[Local Hero -- aka MestnyiGeroi]

I read the name of this thread and knew I had to respond immediately, because someone needs to warn you fools that Nicolas Cage is NOT someone whom you want to challenge. I know by hearsay and by watching his films that he can be quite dangerous when provoked. Think you better reconsider this little project of yours.

[Lammetje]

2. Raising Arizona (1987): 4/10

It felt like the Coens were trying too hard to be funny here. Also, it doesn't help that I cannot think of an uglier newborn animal than the human baby. How annoying it must have been to watch this in the cinema full of people going "awww" and giggling and stuff each time the little brat was on the screen!

Seen

1. Vampire's Kiss (1988)
2. Raising Arizona (1987)

[brokenface]

2. The Frozen Ground (Walker, 2013)
Okay but unremarkable film, which seemed like the result of a unsatisfying compromise between the grim Zodiac-like procedural it wanted to be and a cat-and-mouse thriller that would sell more tickets. Cage plays a by-the-numbers detective role with minimal development, co-star Cusack gets a bit more to work with. Funny seeing those two together, as I always thought Cusack was the guy that Hollywood went to when Cage turned down a role (at least, back in the days when he turned down roles).

[Lammetje]

Also, it doesn't help that I cannot think of an uglier newborn animal than the human baby. How annoying it must have been to watch this in the cinema full of people going "awww" and giggling and stuff each time the little brat was on the screen!

I'm gonna take this back. A baby on tv reminded me that they don't look that bad.

[funkybusiness]

Don't think I've forgotten about you, Nicolas Cage.

1. Snakes Eyes (1996) [rewatch]

I rewatched this on Saturday. There are some pretty brilliant moments in the first half of the film, Rick 'Ricky' Santoro trying to work his way through the case, the boxer's perspective of the first couple scenes, the roaming camera + long takes,the absolutely fantastic 4-way split screen segment. The second half, excluding the Gugino in the casino -> hotel room scenes, is pretty bad. The dialogue scene between Cage and Sinise isn't nearly as awful as I thought it was the first time I watched it, but it's still about twice as long as it needs to be. and Cage is pretty bad at pretending to have just been beat up by the heavyweight champion. other than that, Cage's acting is, of course, a highlight. There are moments where he's brilliant, and then moments where he's weird and awful, almost always immediately juxtaposed. Like, a switch from line to line, word to word sometimes (this might be explained by his character being super coked up, a reasonable assumption, but it remains an assumption because there's not a single allusion to drug use in the film, which I find strange in a film taking place in a casino). I think Cage is an actor who never does the same take twice, and that's what makes him interesting to watch, because you never know what you're going to get. Some (most) people say this is bad, I think it's great. Cage is anything but paint by numbers. (but we'll see if I keep that opinion after watching some of his later films...)


up next is either Leaving Las Vegas, Face/Off, or The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call – New Orleans.

[Carmel1379]

The best thread.

Watchlist for the near future: Raising Arizona (1987), Vampire's Kiss (1997), Industrial Symphony No. 1: The Dream of the Brokenhearted (1990), Adaptation. (2002) (rewatch), The Wicker Man (2006)

[brokenface]

3. Kiss of Death (Schroeder, 1995)
Remake of classic noir with Nic Cage in the Richard Widmark role, supporting cast including Samuel L Jackson, Helen Hunt, Ving Rhames, Philip Baker Hall & Stanley Tucci and directed by Barbet Schroeder of General Idi Amin Dada, Barfly and Maitresse (not to mention being married to Bulle Ogier) fame. With those ingredients, it probably should have been better than it was. It felt reigned in - showed signs of breaking into joyous excess & weirdness but then kept falling back to stolid 90s action characterisations & staging, with a smidge of Tarantino-wannabe (presence of Jackson, Rhames & Michael Rapaport from True Romance factor into this). Cage plays beefed up bad guy with a quirk - gotta have a quirk - in this case: asthma. He has a few good moments & generally is the best thing here, as you'd expect. Having David Caruso as the uninspiring lead helped make him stand out but hindered the film in general. Ultimately fairly enjoyable and forgettable, with a sense of missed opportunity.

[brokenface]

up next is either Leaving Las Vegas, Face/Off, or The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call – New Orleans.

win-win-win situation

[allisoncm]

Yeah

[Pretentious Hipster]

[Perception de Ambiguity]

Nice interview with Sailor.

I just wanted to share this picture of Nicolas Cage wearing a "You Don't Say?" Nicolas Cage shirt, which is probably the most normal thing about his outfit.

[blocho]

Wow, yes, I'm in. I'm willing and eager to see any movie Nic Cage is in (no other actor reaches that bar for me).

In case anyone hasn't seen it yet:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOCF0BLf-BM

[allisoncm]

I would have posted in this thread before this, but I've seen nearly every Nicolas Cage movie. However, yesterday, I did see Windtalkers.

While one of his lesser efforts, it still isn't that bad. Lots of explosions and one of John Woo's lesser films, it still had some interesting moments and conversations (and moral dilemmas). 6/10

[Local Hero -- aka MestnyiGeroi]

I don't know if people have already seen this, but ... Cage of Thrones:

http://imgur.com/a/tum01

[brokenface]

Game of Thrones, meh. But that, I would watch

[blocho]

1. Moonstruck (1987)
2. Zandalee (1991)
3. Joe (2013)

Three strong Cage performances. Zandalee was terrible and not in a good way either. Cage was the only good thing about the movie, but he couldn't rescue it. Cage in Moonstruck was a great variation on his goofball romeo from Peggy Sue. And Joe was a very nice movie, which inevitably will be unfavorably compared to Mud, especially given the same actor plays the kid in both flicks.

[blocho]

4. Racing for the Moon (1984)
5. Seeking Justice (2011)

I enjoyed both movies, though neither was great. Racing for the Moon was a nice coming-of-age period piece that also featured a very young Sean Penn. Seeking Justice was a by-the-numbers but still entertaining thriller. Cage is a bit more subdued that he usually is in both movies, especially Seeking Justice.

I think I'm gonna take a Cage-break before I start hitting some of the really awful movies on Netflix like Trespass, Rage, and Left Behind (but hey, Seeking Justice was supposed to be terrible and I thought it was pretty good).

[brokenface]

In case you were wondering which films the man himself rates as his best (and he knows his stuff):

"I though that Werner [Herzog] and I got up to something special in Bad Lieutenant. Certainly, Mike Figgis and I found something pretty emotionally naked in Leaving Las Vegas

"I was very happy with Vampire’s Kiss, which in my opinion was almost like an independent laboratory to start realising some of my more expressionistic dreams with film performance. Then using what I had learned in Vampire’s Kiss and putting it into a very big action movie in the form of Face/Off with John Woo. If you look at those two movies back to back, you can see where I stole from my performance in Vampire’s Kiss".

[Carmel1379]

More:
https://i.imgur.com/RH9G4Mk.png
https://i.imgur.com/EECWOOX.png
https://i.imgur.com/M9hcoo3.png

#1 Adaptation. (2002) (rewatch) 7/10 (from nothing)

[Lammetje]

3. Wild at Heart (1990): 7/10

And Nicolas delivers again. I'm not a big fan of David Lynch, but this was nicely done. I found myself already laughing out loud during the first scene. I also learned where forum member Bobby Peru got his name from.

Seen

1. Vampire's Kiss (1988)
2. Raising Arizona (1987)
3. Wild at Heart (1990)

[Lammetje]

Could you update the OP, Broken?

[brokenface]

Could you update the OP, Broken?

done

[Lammetje]

4. Moonstruck (1987): 3/10

At least it got a little more bearable from the moment Cher stepped out of the hair salon. Unfortunately Nicolas couldn't save this movie.

Seen

1. Vampire's Kiss (1988)
2. Raising Arizona (1987)
3. Wild at Heart (1990)
4. Moonstruck (1987)

[Carmel1379]

#2 Lord of War (2005, Andrew Niccol) (2nd viewing) 9

[Carmel1379]

#3 Wild at Heart (1990, David Lynch) (2nd viewing) 8 (from 9)
#4 Raising Arizona (1987, Coen brothers) 5

[blocho]

6. The Wicker Man (2006)

Fantastic. It's remarkable that I hadn't seen this movie yet. Of course, I had seen all the great Cage-going-nuts clips many times, which definitely detracted from the viewing experience. But even knowing some of what was coming, I found the movie wonderfully awful. There are so many bad movies. Why can't we have more bad movies that are this great?