More Downfall-of-Cage
Washington Post contributorJohn Anderson isn't suggesting that today's Nic Cage has become a kind of pod-person replica of his former self, as I did earlier today, but his 3.22 article, readable now, comes close.
"It seems the unavoidable conclusion that Cage, once held up as an example of the intrepid artistic impulse, has become something of the poster boy for blind ambition, cynical role selection, questionable judgment and, worst of all, humorlessness: He glowers, he hunches, he looks meaningfully into the distance without it meaning anything at all.
"If Cage were replaced tomorrow by Ben Stiller, we'd get all of the above plus a couple of laughs. Instead, we have an actor who used to be able to do something remarkable -- overcome a lack of native charm by embracing his inner outsider, creating affectionate portraits of unlikely heroes, and soldiering on despite a seemingly unmerciful universe. It may not pay as well. But that's a Nic Cage we could use."
Posted by Jeffrey Wells on March 20, 2009 at 3:03 PM
comment #1
Ray
says ...
Every single Cage performance of the last ten years has been the thespian equivalent of wearing a wet blanket on a cloudy, rainy day while suffering through bilateral pneumonia at your mother's funeral. He is serious to the point of ludicrousness.
Yet, the American people mistake that glazed, vacant, hung-dog gaze for importance and integrity ... so they lap it up every time.
I gotta give him this, though: Aside from the awful WICKER MAN remake, Cage seems to have an uncanny knack for picking projects that have huge box office potential. Perhaps at this point in his career he would make a better studio exec than an actor.
Posted by Ray
at March 20, 2009 3:23 PM
comment #2
Chris Willman
says ...
I recommend "The Nicolas Cage Movie Plot Generator," courtesy of Cracked.com:
http://www.cracked.com/topic/118-nicolas-cage/
Posted by Chris Willman
at March 20, 2009 3:29 PM
comment #3
hunterd
says ...
So...Bankok Dangerous sounded good to you?
Posted by hunterd
at March 20, 2009 4:16 PM
comment #4
lazespud
says ...
Ray Says:
"Every single Cage performance of the last ten years has been the thespian equivalent of wearing a wet blanket on a cloudy, rainy day while suffering through bilateral pneumonia at your mother's funeral. He is serious to the point of ludicrousness."
Well I'm not gonna argue that Cage has just been horrible in movie after movie, but if I'm not mistaken, both Adaptation and Matchstick Men came out in the last decade, and he was pretty great in both. So that's two for what, 30?
Anyway, point being, he hasn't been uniformly horrible. Just about 98% horrible.
Posted by lazespud
at March 20, 2009 6:08 PM
comment #5
Chase Kahn
says ...
I disagree, Cage's performances have plenty of humor -- most especially 'Knowing'. Who didn't laugh when he hit the tree with the baseball bat shouting, "you want some of this"?
Posted by Chase Kahn
at March 20, 2009 6:46 PM
comment #6
corey3rd
says ...
blame a lot of this on Nic having money issues. Those ex-wives will cost you. Plus what man can live with the stigma of having been married to a woman after Michael Jackson? Perhaps he does these brain dead films to keep from thinking that he followed Jacko. There's not enough Lava soap in the world to scrub your skin clean after that thought. Maybe Nic just needs a Karen Silkwood shower and then he can regain his artistic soul?
But Nic can't be doing that bad since he did turn down $20 to play me in my parents' Christmas video.
Posted by corey3rd
at March 20, 2009 6:49 PM
comment #7
erniesouchak
says ...
The only director who might help Cage redeem himself is Werner Herzog.
Posted by erniesouchak
at March 20, 2009 7:13 PM
comment #8
Hallick
says ...
I sat through National Treasure 2 last weekend, and there was only ONE moment near the end of the movie where I could see a flash of the old Nick Cage and remember how he used to be one of my all time favorites. He wasn't even doing anything flashy or demonstrative, he was just letting that goddamn slapped ass of a face drop and momentarily acting like a human being.
It physically hurts me to remember what this guy could do with a good part.
Posted by Hallick
at March 20, 2009 7:13 PM
comment #9
Sabina E
says ...
leave Cage alone!
Posted by Sabina E
at March 20, 2009 7:39 PM
comment #10
Jeffrey Overstreet
says ...
(Sigh.)
How I miss the actor who gave us H.I. McDunnough.
Posted by Jeffrey Overstreet
at March 20, 2009 10:13 PM
comment #11
Marty Melville
says ...
"How I miss the actor who gave us H.I. McDunnough."
Those were the happy days, the salad days.
Posted by Marty Melville
at March 20, 2009 11:17 PM
comment #12
dangovich
says ...
Perhaps he does these brain dead films to keep from thinking that he followed Jacko. There's not enough Lava soap in the world to scrub your skin clean after that thought.
You're assuming Jacko consummated that relationship. I'm not ready to make that assumption.
Posted by dangovich
at March 21, 2009 12:02 AM
comment #13
D.Z.
says ...
http://www.thedigitalbits.com/articles/robertharris/harris032009.html
Posted by D.Z.
at March 21, 2009 12:46 AM
comment #14
snoop
says ...
This guy's overstepping things a bit, whereas I think Jeff nailed it. Nicolas Cage did always seem crazy, but it's only been the last 3 or 4 years where the films got pretty crappy. I mean hell, the best movie he's made since World Trade Center, which he was serviceable in, is Next (ya...).
But to say 10 years is nuts. In the last ten years, the guy's made Adaptation (arguably a career high), The Weather Man, Matchstick Men, and Lord of War.
He's just in a down period, which has happened before. From 1995 to 1999 he was pretty quality and interesting for the most part, then he sucked until 2002, was good until 2006, and has sucked since.
He needs a Spike Jonez to jolt him back to quality (interestingly I've read Jonez told him to avoid all his actorly inclinations and do just as he says). It's really about having a director who knows how to use Cage, because if you let him fly his freakflag, he will.
On a related note, what's with the characters that have unbelievable abilities to pick up on clues and patterns (National Treasure, Knowing...)?
Posted by snoop
at March 21, 2009 7:23 AM