GETRUNTAH

Nic November Ghost Rider and Adaptation

Here we are, back with some Nicolas Cage movies. I think Ive already come to realise that the majority of his films arent that bad - but then again, I am mixing the good with the bad: last week with Gone in 60 Seconds and the considerably better Lord of War, and this week with the awful Ghost Rider and the brilliant Adaptation. We can still have faith in good old Nicolas!


The Hairstyle: Get Me in a Boy Band/The Intense Ginger

I think that Nic should stay away from films that have him spending prolonged amounts of time in/on a vehicle. Gone in 60 Seconds was terrible. Ghost Rider was even worse. Basically, Nic is Johnny Blaze, a stunt man who likes to ride his motorcycle in dangerous ways and everyone resents him for it but he does it anyway. Oh, and he sold his soul to the devil. Mhm.

Honestly, I think I checked out of this film from the first five minutes. It is all well and good that Johnny sold his soul to the devil. But when he runs around on fire, it just isnt that exciting. No one seemed terribly fussed about him running around on fire. I wasnt terribly fussed that he was running around on fire. It just struck me as a little incredibly weird, because...IDK, he was on fire. It just didnt make sense to me. But then again, Im not sure that this movie was striving for sense.

Something that also didnt make sense to me was the relationship between Johnny and Roxanne (Eva Mendes). Sure, they were little childhood sweethearts. Then they got torn apart. And then they came across each other again. Johnny creepily checks up on her, they fall in love, and then she is doomed to become the ragdoll thrown around by all of the bad guys (one of whom is Wes Bentley, which was also weird). It just shows how immensely lazy and eventless the movie is. Just like this review. Life imitates art...or whatever.


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The Hairstyle: The Fuzzy Jersey

Another example (and a far better example) or life imitating art lies in Adaptation. which brought Nic his second Oscar nomination. The film is a strange little project, as it is an autobiographical film written by Charlie Kaufman, based on his struggle to adapt Susan Orleans book The Orchid Thief into a film. Nic stars as both Charlie and his fictitious twin brother Donald - who was also credited with writing the film and became the first fictitious person to be nominated for an Academy Award. This movie is about as strange as they come from the outset, but when your watching it, everything seems perfectly normal. Including dear old Nicolas Cage.

This is probably Nics best performance - and his performance in Leaving Las Vegas was pretty damn good. I think that he succeeds so well here because he is given a slightly crazy script, which means he doesnt have to really go out of his way to unleash every crazy bone in his body. He is somewhat restrained, and somewhat normal. Never once was I thinking "oh, here I am watching Nicolas Cage in a Nicolas Cage movie" - which is usually the biggest problem I have with his films. Hes just wonderful, even when theres two of him.

The film itself was fantastic, especially for all of its strangeness (again, it is the premise that is strange, not the film), and the cast. Also featuring Meryl Streep, Chris Cooper (in a role which won him an Oscar), Tilda Swinton, Cara Seymour (who looked insanely like Carey Mulligan in this film - no wonder they cast Cara to play Careys mother in An Education), Brian Coz and small appearances from Maggie Gyllenhaal and Judy Greer, this is one heck of a film, which is really the full shebang: funny, depressing, dark, light. Oh, to have the brain of Charlie Kaufmans...

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What do you think of these films, and how do they rank on the Cage Rage scale for you?

Available link for download

Nic November Bad Lieutenant Port of Call New Orleans and Face Off

First of all, my apologies. Ive been away from the blog for the past few days to focus on studying, and now those exams are all over. I did put a status up on Facebook, but because theyve brought in those retarded new things so only 10% of my likers can see my stuff pop up on their newsfeed, I doubt anyone saw it. Yay Facebook. Alas, Nic November is a day later, but I think Nicolas Cage films are just what I need to empty my brain out of all the biology stuff Ive taught myself in the past three days. Now, aside from my Drama exam which wont take a lot of effort, I can run around the streets shouting out that "Im a vampire!", reciting the alphabet in a very angry way and generally yelling and tearing stuff down. People underestimate the awesomeness in which Vampires Kiss has bestowed upon people who no longer have to remember a whole lot of foreign terms.

Alas, we aint talking about Vampires Kiss here. Were talking about one of Nics last good roles in Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans and one of everyones favourite 90s action films Face/Off. Which I apparently should have seen ages ago. Oops.


The Hairstyle: The Carefree Wind Sweeping

So anyway, I suppose that The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans was the last real meaty Cage Rage role. Seeking Justice, Trespass and Stolen all kind of melded into one, no-one remembers that Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance exists, Drive Angry, Season of the Witch and The Sorcerers Apprentice were all fairly muted and apart from the "now SWIIIIIIITCH, to KRYPTONIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITE!" scene in Kick-Ass, there wasnt a lot of Cage Rage to be had over the poorly chosen places to put emphasis on his words. So yes, Werner Herzogs non-remake Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans it is.

So wow. Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (I dont know why Im still writing that ridiculously long title) wasnt just high for Cage Rage levels, it was high for general rage levels. Thats probably because I was mega tired while watching this, so I pretty much had no idea of what was going on. Basically, Nic plays Terrence McDonagh, a lieutenant who is, well, bad, and is trying to investigate the killings of five Sengalese immigrants. All the while he gets high a lot. I would say that only Cage could get away with half of the stuff that he is seen doing on here, but things do get a little too strange, namingly that interesting carpark sex scene that has practically scarred me for life. That being said, I did like Cage here. He was wonderfully off the chain. Plus, I liked all the post-Katrina stuff going on in this film. And Val Kilmer was in here. All we needed was Ray Liotta and this would have been a real feast for my LOL bones. (that being said, I didnt really mind Kilmer either)

One thing I do have to ask, though: what was with all of the reptile stuff? Like the weird shots of that crocodile (?). I feel like that was some symbolism, but I totally missed it.


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The Hairstyle: The Barely There

Face/Off is a film I totally enjoyed, though. And I honestly wasnt expecting to, given my aversion to most 90s action films - which means that I probably wouldnt have watched this film had I not been doing this marathon thing. So yes, Nicolas, I have to thank you for introducing me to this little gem of an action film.

One thing I was not expecting, though, was Nicolas and John Travolta to literally swap roles. From the beginning, I was thinking that this was some more typical Cage Rage, in the vein of Vampires Kiss. And then John Travolta became Nicolas Cage, and Nicolas Cage then became John Travolta. Which I guess I thought was pretty disappointing because I always love a bit of Cage Rage, but it was fairly entertaining to see John Travolta do his best Nicolas Cage. So for the rest of the film, we had Travolta being all crazy and Nicolas Cage being given the more sentimental, nice guy role. And to be honest, he actually nailed it. He was given his chance to go crazy at the beginning (and that craziness would have been enough to last an entire film), and then he got to be somewhat settled down for the rest of it. The guy nearly made me cry, for heavens sake.

I think this movie really succeeds because it is the ultimate test of good and evil, but it is given the flair of an above average blockbuster. I just thought it was really cool. And damn entertaining. Probably everything a blockbuster should be.

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What do you think of these films? Are you a fan of Bad Lieutenant, or is Face/Off more your bag?

Available link for download

Nic November Wild at Heart and The Wicker Man

Well, here we are at the end of an interesting month of devouring a whole bunch of Nicolas Cage movies. I cant really say Im thinking that he is now a great actor, but this experience has definitely opened my eyes to his...wide array of talents. Especially this week, as I left Wild at Heart and The Wicker Man until last.


The Hairstyle: The Carefree 90s Punk-Rock/Boy Band Cross-Over

One of the main reasons why I added Wild at Heart to the list - and why I left it until last - was because it is a David Lynch film. And I thought that Lynch + Nicolas = more craziness than you could imagine. And I was right. Wild at Heart is one of the strangest movies Ive ever seen, even though I suppose it is more sane and easy to follow than some of Lynchs other stuff. To be honest, theres just a whole lot of sex. Like...a lot. Honestly, it was just the basis for the entire film. There was a story of Sailor (Cage) and his 20 year old girlfriend Lula (Laura Dern) getting chased down by a gang that Lulas mother (Diane Ladd) assembled because she doesnt approve of Sailor. The gang itself is pretty crazy, mainly because it involves Willem Dafoe being crazy. But at any rate, this is just an interesting take on a road trip movie melded with a love story.

In fact, the love story was probably the best thing this movie had going for it. It was like, a partially insane coming-of-age story intertwined with tones of The Wizard of Oz. And it has Nicolas Cage singing Love Me Tender at the end, which was interesting. Nicolas himself was actually very good, but that comes with the insanity of the material - Ive found that the more insane the material is, the more tolerable he is. Sailor is just a cool dude in a snakeskin jacket, and the role isnt all that demanding to be honest. If Nicolas had taken Willem Dafoes role, then things would have gone absolutely crazy. However, Dafoe did a terrifying job all by himself (hes no Dennis Hopper in Blue Velvet but theres shades of that character in his character). I cant say I loved the film, but I definitely enjoyed it, I guess. An interesting entry to the David Lynch cannon, thats for sure.


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The Hairstyle: IDGAF

So anyway, the one Ive eagerly been awaiting: The Wicker Man. Yes, it is as bad as I previously thought I was going to be. Seriously, I dont even know where it was going. It was just so poorly made and scripted, and definitely wasnt at all scary because it tried to hard. It really did try too hard to be everything that it couldnt be. And you know why?

Because it had Nicolas Cage in a bear suit.

I dont care if this was the best film ever made, Nicolas Cage in a bear suit brings down a whole movie. Luckily it occurred towards the end of the film, because I had trouble taking anything seriously at that point. Mind you, I couldnt take this film seriously because it took itself too seriously. It was kind of sad to watch.

One person that wasnt taking themselves terribly seriously, though, was good old Cage. He wasnt even trying. It is like how you feel when youre really tired so you just weakly beg and plead with people to listen to you. When he was saying "howd it get burned? Howd it get burned?", he really had the life sucked out of him. And then there was that bear suit, which is something Ill never forget, thats for sure.

It was just a really bad movie. Im not even sure it was "so bad its good". I do have to wonder why James Franco turned up at the end. That was strange...


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The quality of the Nic November movies, ranked:
8. The Wicker Man (2006) Dir. Neil LaBute
7. Ghost Rider (2007) Dir. Mark Steven Johnson
6. Gone in 60 Seconds (2000) Dir. Dominic Sena
5. Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (2009) Dir. Werner Herzog
4. Wild at Heart (1990) Dir. David Lynch
3. Lord of War (2005) Dir. Andrew Niccol
2. Face/Off (1997) Dir. John Woo
1. Adaptation. (2002) Dir. Spike Jonze

What did I think of my experience as a whole?
To be honest, I dont know how it has gone so fast. I thought this would be a torturous month, but there were some real surprises in the mix here. Still, Nicolas Cage isnt a great actor to me. He is capable of greatness, though. In small doses.

And that is the end of me dipping my toes in anything for the year! Sometime during the weekend/after I do my Magic Mike review there will be a huge post up looking back at all four of the different realms Ive explored this year. For now, though: what do you think of these films? And how do you feel about Nicolas Cage?

Available link for download

Nic November Gone in 60 Seconds and Lord of War

Just in case you didnt get the message in my last "Dipping My Toes" post, November will be dedicated to the work of everyones favourite actor, Nicolas Cage. Throughout the month, I will be subjecting myself willingly watching eight Nicolas Cage movies, so I can figure out whether I love him or I hate him. Starting off the month I have 2000s Gone in 60 Seconds and 2005s Lord of War. Brace yourself, this is going to be an interesting month...

Also, while were at it, this month Ill be giving all of the Nic November movies their own specialised ratings. Theyre called the "Cage Rage" scales, which I used a long time ago, but am bringing back for this. Youll see them below, but the more on the Cage Rage scale, the more raged it is. It isnt a reflection on how good the movie is, just how crazy Cage is.


The Hairstyle: Yes, Peroxide Makes Me Look More Badass.

Gone in 60 Seconds is exactly the kind of movie that they play thousands of times on TV, pretending like it is a "Premiere Movie" when in reality, it has been a "Premiere Movie" the first 13 times they played it on a Saturday night. But that doesnt matter, because it is so forgettable that people will go on thinking that it is a "Premiere Movie" until the Friends reruns stop being aired at 6.30pm every weeknight.

Honestly, Gone in 60 Seconds is so disposable that I watched it on Sunday morning, and Ive already forgotten about it. There wasnt even that much Cage Rage to burst out at me. I guess, if you like cars, then watching a whole bunch of annoying people steal a whole bunch of annoying sounding cars is the most fun you can have with your clothes on. Then again, I dont think that this would have appealed to the eight year old me who was so obsessed with cars that she knew every make in the world. Alas, now I cant tell a Mercedes from a BMW so there was no car candy for me. Which I suppose was kind of the point of the movie, because no-one bothered to make up an actual story. There were just people stealing cars, Nicolas Cage running around in a leather jacket, Angelina Jolie looking really weird with a blonde wig and blue eyes, and something about Nicolas Cages brother having problems with Nicolas Cage. Oh, and theres a really awkward car themed kind of sex scene between Cage and Jolie. Like, Cage is rambling on about car parts while Jolie is all over him. The movie isnt that Cage Ragey, but it was a bit Cage Stagey, if you know what I mean. This makes me sound like a spastic reviewer, but it isnt my fault that Gone in 60 Seconds was so dumb.


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The Hairstyle: Take Me Seriously.

Lord of War, however, is the kind of movie that they show at 1.30am on a Sunday morning because it is actually half decent, and dear lord no-one should ever watch good movies at a decent time. Even though the movie is directed by Andrew Niccol, who was born in Paraparaumu (of all places...I dont mean any hate to anyone that might be reading from Paraparaumu...I saw (500) Days of Summer at your cinemas), who also directed such awesomeness as Gattaca and Justin Timberlakes crying in In Time. Lord of War is actually pretty good, as an unflinching tale of gun-running in the Middle East. Theres only one problem (aside from the really messy plot structure): Nicolas Cage.

Sure, Im not the biggest believer in Nicolas Cage, so every time I see him theres a part of me laughing away. Sometimes that can be a little problematic, but I cant help it. Of course, while I was watching Lord of War - it being a very serious film - I was laughing away at Nicolas Cage because in all honesty, I think he was a total miscast. His performance as the gun-runner, Yuri Orlov, was okay, but hes Nicolas Cage. I couldnt imagine him selling guns and stuff. I can imagine him stealing cars, but I cant imagine him selling guns. He just doesnt have that persuasive, "yes, listen to me" vibe running through him. Man, I sound kinda awful but really, this film would have been better without Nicolas Cage. Plus, I totally couldnt see Jared Leto being his brother. Although I do wish that Jared Leto would return to acting. (Actually, I just found out this afternoon that hes gonna return to acting. So thats awesome.)

Lets just say, Lord of War was a good film, with an okay Nicolas Cage who shouldnt have been in it. If that makes sense.



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What do you think of these two films? How would you rank the Cage Rage in them?

Available link for download