8 Milestones in the Evolution of Nicolas Cage
Con Air (1997)
I often ask this question: If you heard there was a new movie coming out with John Cusack, John Malkovich, Steve Buscemi, Danny Trejo and Dave Chappelle, would you be excited? Hey, it's already out! It's called Con Air! After winning an Oscar for Leaving Las Vegas, Cage turned up the sh*t-o-meter to warp seven with... well, whatever exactly this is. I mean, Christ, in what world does a man get convicted and sent to prison for such an obvious act of self-defense? And then the judge declares that his fists are... You know what? Whatever. At least all the names mentioned earlier recovered. For my own health, we're skipping Face/Off.
Adaptation (2002)
A movie like Adaptation is frustrating because it proves (along with World Trade Center and Bad Lieutenant) that Cage, when he wants to, can still give a great performance. In director Spike Jonze's Adaptation, Cage plays twins Charlie and Donald Kaufman as they try to adapt Susan Orlean's book, The Orchid Thief, to a motion picture.
The Wicker Man (2006)
The plot: doesn't matter. The performances: meaningless. All that matters are the bees. For better or worse, there is no scene that sums up modern day Nic Cage more than this.
Fever Pachinko Commercial
OK, except perhaps this. Not a film role, but I just want to point out that this Japanese commercial exists. Again: What the hell happened?
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Comments
And Wild at Heart? I miss him.
Waking up in the middle of the night having urges to buy a beautiful piece of glass, thats what happened.
Is there no Japanese translation of the word "Fever"?
Such a curious land...
If you didn't like Con Air or Face-Off(Woo's direction of the church scene is operatic mayhem) despite Nicholas Cage, then you aren't exactly his fan.
Those movies were crap, But Nic Cage can just up his and our hold of even the most tenuous roles.
Face it, he's a star. Just 'cause he does any godawful movie doesn't give you any cache to retrospectively trash films like Con Air...whatever its faults, I understand what Simon Pegg's character in that stupid movie with Kirsten Dunst, said about Con Air being the archetypal Hollywood film(trash)(..something that ended with 'John Cussack for the gays').
Nicholas Cage is a star. He makes bad films awesome.
No one, not De Niro, Not Brando, not even Day Lewis has a snide-free CV.
Love that you linked the meltdown from 'Honeymoon in Vegas" at the airport. I love that scene!
Lay off Nic Cage! Yes - he's made some stinkers, but what Hollywood star hasn't. I liked Con Air, The Rock, National Treasures 1 & 2. I even like the movie he mad with Bridget Fonda about the guy that won the lottery. I don't like his forays into dark action like Ghost Rider and this new one seems a little too violent for my taste, but I do like him. In fact - I may have been only 1 of 10 people who liked Season of the Witch.
The restless charisma in Vampire's Kiss and Matchstick Men, the staright arrow role in Kick Ass and his chemistry with Chloe Mortez.
you do seem to selectively forget his films.
Nick Cage is a master thespian. He makes every role memorable and has made even questionable films 10x better simply by his participation. MR. Cage: I salute you!
Some actors bend themselves to fit the role and the film they are in, an example would be Daniel Day Louis. This is not a bad thing, however Nick Cage somehow makes any film, any role fit him, and it works. He is THE MASTER PIMP