comment #1

Josh Massey says ...

Cue outraged voices at the labeling of Bringing Out the Dead as "meh" - though you're right.

comment #2

Live for Films says ...

Cage is a bit of an enigma to me. I enjoy watching him in many of his films as you are never quite sure what he is going to do. However, in recent years it gets tougher and tougher to like his films.

You missed out Next on his wackazoid streak. I actually loved the concept and some of the scenes allowed him to go full freak out, but again he just seems to be going stranger and stranger.

I am sure there is a correlation between the length of this hair/wig and the bizareness of the performance, but I have yet to sit down and work it out.

I have a feeling that with Bad Lieutenant and maybe Kick-Ass he will have a bit of a turn around. Who knows though.

This mashup of him watching The Wicker Man always makes me chuckle though.

comment #3

Eloi Manning says ...

He was good in The Weather Man.

comment #4

Jeffrey Wells says ...

The Weather Man? The movie that hung on the idea that you can't have a happy and fulfilling family life or give a kid a quality-level upbringing and education in New York City with a high-salaried lifestyle? And that the only dependable way (for Cage's character, I mean) to achieve same is to move back to ethnic New Jersey and sell tires?

comment #5

Pynchon8 says ...

Partially owing to nostalgia, but, Cage has a lot of goodwill bc of that performance in The Rock. Con/Air and Face/Off to lesser extents. The guy was clearly having a blast and either knew to rein it in or the directors insisted, whatever the reason, the glimmers of madness worked.

comment #6

RSBrown says ...

Massey,

I am one of those outraged voices.
I love that movie.

comment #7

jesse says ...

Jeff, Eloi Manning is talking about The Weather Man (2005), the movie that hung on the idea that you may not be able to be happy or fulfilling life, period, but you do what you can. He's referring to the smart, funny-sad Gore Verbinski movie with Cage as the depressed, frequently milkshake-pelted Chicago weather guy. It's a wonderful (and well-shot) movie, with an excellent Cage performance. I'd argue that the 2002-3 period that brought us Adaptation/Matchstick Men had a slight echo in 2005 with Lord of War (not a great movie by any means, but very interesting material and a reined-in Cage) and The Weather Man (which I pretty much love).

I'd also object to Wells and Massey both characterizing Bringing Out the Dead as "meh." It's one of Scorsese's and Cage's most overlooked; at the time, I feel like it got attention mostly for being Cage's biggest flop since breaking through as a movie star. (Snake Eyes and 8MM both made OK dough mostly off of his name.) But it's one of those movies, like 25th Hour, that seems to have had its rep grow over time, and deservedly so.

I don't get why Cage (mostly) stopped doing fun trashy movies, which he's generally been great in -- Face/Off, The Rock, Con Air, Gone in 60 Seconds, etc. -- and started doing this lower-rent, non-Bruckheimer stuff like Bangkok Dangerous, Next, and Ghost Rider. The National Treasure movies are pretty fun; you'd think the money from those would be paycheck enough (although I guess we're seeing that he has money/spending problems).

I kinda liked Knowing, though -- at least he was working with a cool director in Proyas, even if the movie goes a little silly at times. It certainly has the courage of its ridiculous convictions, something I like about Cage himself.

comment #8

pchu says ...

Cage is awesome in Bad Lieutenant. Just a masterful wacko performance.

The Rock is probably the best movie Michael Bay has ever made. Cage is good in it, but he is better in Face/Off.

comment #9

Chicago Joe says ...

Yes, The Family Man is a wretched Brett Ratner movie that rings like a Chinese gong of insincerity for all the reasons Jeff mentioned. The WEATHER Man, on the other hand, is a decent, solid movie about a divorced Chicago weather guy dealing with some medium-level hell, and it was a solid performance and film (although somewhat overrated at the time.)

comment #10

btwnproductions says ...

THE FAMILY MAN is the movie mistaken for THE WEATHER MAN. Brett Ratner's most "respectable" credit, too long but not bad despite the class issues. It leaves you feeling bad for the kids, though; will they ever get born?

comment #11

poseidon72 says ...

I agree The Rock is Bays very best.A great genre movie.

comment #12

poseidon72 says ...

The Family Man is another Cage film that has really grown on me and has built a nice following over the years.

comment #13

googs says ...

I would have to argue that The Weather Man is extremely underrated. A very funny dark comedy, which i would lump with Adaptation and Matchstick Men as his best three of the decade.

comment #14

Jeffrey Wells says ...

My error -- thanks for correcting -- but both The Family Man and The Weather Man were bad. The former was treacle, and the latter was nihilistic and went nowhere.

comment #15

Abbey Normal says ...

Will no one defend Ghost Rider? Actually, I won't either. One of the worst movies I've ever seen, and I loved the comic book.

comment #16

RSBrown says ...

This is ridiculous. Jesse and myself are the only ones defending 'Bringing Out the Dead'?!

comment #17

LarryGopnik says ...

Nope, RSBrown. Consider me a full-on LOVER of "Bringing Out the Dead," as well as "The Weather Man" -- excellent Cage performances in both. "Lord of War" has problems, but Cage is terrific in it as well.

I stand by the fact that he's a fantastic actor, he just seems to have the inexplicable urge to do silly genre movies that allow him to indulge his craziest impulses. But I think it's undeniable that ability-wise, the man has very few equals in his field.

comment #18

Geoff says ...

He was really good fun in those '90's action films - it was obvious that Travolta and him were just having a blast in Face/Off, probaby one of the five best action movies of the decade.

And I really dig Bringing Out the Dead - probably the most underrated Scorcese film, next to The King of Comedy.

I just saw Knowing on On Demand cable, the other day - I was surprised how strong it was. Kind of ridiculous, but the film really has a corker of an ending and Cage gives just the right kind of notes for his performance. I actually watched it late at night and was surprised how strongly the

SPOILER ALERT

end of the world scenes were pulled off at probably a fraction of the budget of 2012, which I had seen earlier in the day. Really effective stuff, the film would probalby make my Top 15 for the year, pretty effective sci fi.

But for me, my favorite performances from Cage (besides Adaptation and Leaving Las Vegas) would have to be his late '80's work. He was just great in Vampire's Kiss and I think he did as well as anybody in Moonstruck - sorry, that "I lost my hand!" monologue just makes me smile, can't imagine just about any other actor pulling off that scene.

comment #19

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comment #20

gaintwee says ...

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