A Movie for Each Decade [1920-2010]
March 22, 2020
Category: 2000 – 2009
6 Great Nicolas Cage Movies
April 24, 2017
People often ask me: why do you hate Nicolas Cage? Truth be told, I don’t.
Aside from the shitty movies he’s been doing for the past decade, Cage is an Oscar winner and one the most popular stars of the 90’s.
Let’s take a closer look at some of his finest moments.
Yes, they do exist!
LEAVING LAS VEGAS [1995]
Cage deservedly won an Oscar for his portrayal of a Hollywood screenwriter who lost everything because of his alcohol addiction. Many regard this as Cage’s greatest performance and it’s easy to see why. This is a top-notch movie (and performance) from start to finish.
FACE/OFF [1997]
The quintessential action movie of the 90’s, “Face/Off” brought together two of the most popular movie stars of that era: Nicolas Cage and John Travolta. The plot, as cheesy as it may seem, worked well, and the chemistry between the two stars couldn’t be better. Travolta plays an FBI agent who undergoes a face transplant surgery to assume the identity of a criminal (Cage). When Cage wakes up, he decides to take Travolta’s face and all hell breaks loose. The final showdown will blow you away. Ditto the movie. It’s one of best action films of the 90’s.
ADAPTATION [2002]
From the mi
nds of Charlie Kaufman and Spike Jonze (“Being John Malkovich”), “Adaptation” is a masterpiece. Nic Cage delivers an Oscar worthy performance, playing Charlie Kaufman himself, who is desperately trying to adapt Susan Orlean’s novel “The Orchid Thief”, with disastrous consequences. With Jonze behind the camera and Meryl Streep in front of it, you can expect fireworks. Add to that Cage in his most unusual self, and you get this deliciously twisted film. I highly recommend it.
THE FAMILY MAN [2000]
Call it “It’s a wonderful Life” meets “A Christmas Carol”, “The Family Man” gave us Nicolas Cage at the top of his game, playing a single investment broker who wakes up in a completely different life. He’s now married with kids and living in Jersey. The script is inspired by a lot of other classic films, but Cage gives it something extra special, turning the familiar into something completely fresh. “The Family Man” will get to you. It’s one of Cage’s best films.
MATCHSTICK MEN [2003]
With a jaw dropping finale, Nicolas Cage rose once again above the routine to play a scam artist who is trying to reconnect with his teenage daughter (played by Alison Lohman). No fair revealing more. But both actors forge a bond that never feels cornball, and director Ridley Scott keeps us glued to our seats until the very last minutes. I can’t recommend this movie enough.
LORD OF WAR [2005]
Probably the last “great” Nicolas Cage movie before he slipped into B movie territory, “Lord Of War” is a reminder of what made him a great actor in the first place. Cage plays an arms dealer who finds himself confronting the morality of his work while dealing with an Interpol agent who wants to bring him down. The gripping script by Andrew Niccol doesn’t just stick to the memory, it leaves an eternal scar. This is a first rate thriller from start to finish. Bring back the old Nicolas Cage.
Honorable mentions: “Raising Arizona”, “Racing with the Moon”, “Snake Eyes”, “National Treasure” (a guilty pleasure), “The Rock”, “Red Rock West”.
Shadow Of The Vampire [2000]
December 18, 2010
Amusing and creepy fiction about the making of F.W Murnau’s classic movie “Nosferatu”. John Malkovich is terrific as the German filmmaker who has to deal with a very difficult lead actor (Willem Dafoe in a chilling performance) who seems to be taking his role much too seriously. The local villagers become anxious about the actor, especially when a photographer becomes dazed and ill. All this will eventually lead Murnau’s people to suspect Max Schreck of being a real vampire. Dafoe’s performance is both creepy and fun to watch; creepy in how he manages to capture the true essence of the vampire, and fun in his own personality and reactions. No one could have pulled it off better than he did. “Shadow Of The vampire” is a must see for anyone who’s familiar with the 1922 film. Of course it’s just a work of fiction, but it brilliantly recaptures the feeling and mood of the orginal work, that you won’t be able to take your eyes off of it. Great stuff.
Fun fact: Based in part upon a legend that Max Schreck was in reality a vampire which is why he played the role of Orlock/Dracula so well. Some variations of the legend suggest that Nosferatu was the only film Schreck made, though in reality he was already a stage and screen veteran by the time Nosferatu was shot, and would appear in many non-Vampiric roles before his death in 1936.
Rating: 3.5/4
Dude, Where’s My Car? [2000]
November 2, 2010
Painfully unfunny movie about two potheads (Ashton Kutcher and Sean William Scott) who wake up after a long night of partying and try to put together the events of the previous evening. The title of the film has become a landmark in today’s pop culture, but I wish I could say the same about the movie itself. How are we supposed to derive any pleasure from it, when the two main characters are a couple of imbeciles? I usually don’t mind Kutcher’s sense of humour (afterall I’m a huge fan of “That 70’s show”), but his performance in this movie can easily be ranked as one of the worst of all time (if not the worst). So bad, it hurts. Oh and dude? Your movie sucks.
Fun fact: When Ashton Kutcher, first read the script for the film, he almost turned down the role because he found it to be “very stupid.”
Fiasco!
Requiem For A Dream [2000]
October 30, 2010
Disturbing (to say the least) movie from director Darren Aronofsky about four ambitious people who watch their lives go down the drain when their drug addictions go out of control. Meanwhile, the mother of one of those young men, living in her own Brooklyn appartment drifts into a dream state after getting hooked on diet pills. The actors give it their best, and director Aronofsky desperately tries to picture the struggle of these young people on a daily basis, but it all adds up to zero (though the movie has many loyal fans). Spending time with those drug addicts is no fun at all. Depressing and disappointing, to put it mildly.
Fun fact: “Most movies contain 600 to 700 cuts. Requiem for a Dream contains over 2,000.”
Rating: 2/4
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