comment #1

JR says ...

Jeff, you have got to be kidding.

No way. Freeman definitely deserved the nom over Cage.

Was there really any lively debate about this back then? I know it was pre blogging, but still...

comment #2

Jim Peacock says ...

One point lost for a shrink scene, even pre-Sopranos.

One point lost for obvious "acting."

Wrong Again, Wells.

comment #3

Rashad says ...

Great clip. I love him running down the street yelling "I'm a vampire" over and over.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lct6x-XqWrw

Freeman deserved nothing.

comment #4

Alboone says ...

Right again Wells. This is one of my desert island movies. Its just utterly hilarious. The timing. The craziness. Its all there. I love it. One of the funniest movies I've ever seen. Should he have been nominated? In a perfect world, yes. But the Academy is prejudiced against comedies anyway. Who got the last award for a comedic performance? Kevin Kline in a Fish Called Wanda? Its an uphill battle for comedies. Period.

comment #5

moviemorlock says ...

come on now. I was in college in NYC when that film came out. Hardly anyone saw that in the theater. I first saw it on video a year later. No one was taking Cage seriously back then. Of course no one takes him seriously now either. I wish he'd do more roles like this and less roles like "Drive Angry" or whatever that crap is.

comment #6

K. Bowen says ...

Strangely enough, I haven't spent much time in my life wondering why Nic Cage didn't win an Oscar for Vampire's Kiss.

You do know that Gwyneth Paltrow beat Cate Blanchett's Elizabeth, right?

As for 89, Matt Dillon in Drugstore Cowboy.

comment #7

ModernLifeIsRubbish says ...

God, I love the Cage.

He also deserved a nomination for The Weather Man.

comment #8

DiscoNap says ...

Now we're talking. One of the best and saddest depictions of a completely psychotic break ever, once you realize what it's about.

comment #9

moviemorlock says ...

I'm remembering 89 more clearly now. That's the year that a bunch of other more memorable films weren't even nominated for Best Picture.

Drugstore Cowboy
Roger and Me
Fabulous Baker Boys
Henry V (director only)
Crimes and Misdemeanors (director only)
Sex, Lies and Videotape (at the time there was a lot of shock at its near shut out)
Do the Right Thing

comment #10

Krillian says ...

This never would have occured to me, but now I'm really looking forward to where you're going to take this They Wuz Robbed theme.

comment #11

Mr Hooper says ...

Cage over Freeman? Perhaps in retrospect and looking at how well (or poorly) those performances/films have stood up; but hindsight is 20/20. Back in '89, though, there wasn't even a doubt. But feel free to play this game you've concocted.

comment #12

Kakihara says ...

What, no Michael Keaton and/or Jack Nicholson in Batman? Or even Harrison Ford and/or Sean Connery in Indy 3?

comment #13

Rashad says ...

I'm sure the title of the series is a reference to Spike's words about Do The Right Thing. It's even funnier since the Academy decided to reward a film that had a black man as the good ole negro servant.

comment #14

BobbyLupo says ...

Wait, Landau was "supporting" in Crimes and Misdemeanors?

Anyway, this isn't even the first "Cage should've been nominated for ____" that would occur to me (he was never nominated pre-'Las Vegas', right?

comment #15

CitizenKaned4Life says ...

Definitely love Cage in this, although I dunno if an Oscar nod would have been quite...appropriate for this performance, exactly. Seems more appropriately like something some small critic's guild or sci-fi/horror group would honor.

I do think Spader should have been recognized for his excellent work in the above-mentioned SL&V, however. Kind of hard to believe he's never been nominated by the Academy (and that certainly doesn't seem very likely to change in the very-near future, at least).

comment #16

George Prager says ...

Elliot Gould should've been nominated or Best Actor for GETTING STRAIGHT. Robert F. Lyons for supporting actor. That is all.

comment #17

CitizenKaned4Life says ...

And not to dump on Freeman (he was just fine in DMD, although the movie was very milquetoast), but I would have loved to seen Cage nominated for Bad Lieutenant last year instead of MF in Invictus.

Leave it to Herzog to channel his manic energy into something eminently awesome (let along watchable, lol).

comment #18

LexG says ...

Also robbed from 1989: Sean Penn as Sgt Meserve in Casualties of War, speaking of awesomely over-the-top insane performances. "Aaaaaanybody can blow aaaanybody away... which is the way it oughta be.... always!"

I'm sure Wells is working up to addressing 1998, but since in the last Wuz Robbed thread, the peanut gallery was already champing at the bit to discuss Roberto Benigni winning that year:

Allow me to inform or remind all of you that LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL was considered a four-star masterpiece that was on almost every critic's top ten that year. Sure, there were dissenters who question the movie's approach to such important subject matter, those who complained of Benigni's strident mugging.

But for the most part, it was a movie and performance that people were BLOWN AWAY by; Actually, much as SPR vs Shakespeare gets hashed out here with mystifying intensity, I seem to remember the BIG THREE of 1998 being Ryan, then Life is Beautiful, then maybe Thin Red Line, constituting some brilliantly trilogy of important WWII films. And Elizabeth was like a kick-ass cinematic feminist Godfather; Shakespeare was like the mega-lightweight on that car that had Joseph Fiennes mincing like a dork and an awkward Affleck cameo.

Anyway, I'm going too far afield, but Benigni was being feted all over town as this heartbreaking, brilliant, hilarious import, and people would come out of Life is Beautiful weeping like little girls and telling all their friends and doing some embarrassing "Buon giorno, principessa!" imitation. He was HUGE, and EVERYONE liked that movie. It's gone on to be one of those Forrest Gump-Titanic things where everyone claims to have hated it now, but at the time they probably thought it was a masterpiece.

comment #19

Guy who likes Glosette Raisins says ...

Two of the best ever Hollywood movies about race were also snubbed in '89: "Do The Right Thing" and "Glory."

Either deserved a nod over "Driving Miss Daisy."

comment #20

lyndontravis says ...

I'm really looking forward to where you're going to take this They Wuz Robbed theme. loan

comment #21

elzilcho says ...

Good call on Sean Penn in Casualties of War, Lex. One of the best things he ever did. And a much better performance than the ones he eventually won for.

comment #22

Rashad says ...

I always thought Hanks should've won in '98. Way better performance than in Gump or Philadelphia.

In regards to 1989, I think Always is pretty damn underrated. Holly Hunter is about as charming as I've ever seen her, and Dreyfuss is enjoyable throughout. Definitely one of Spielberg's overlooked films, although not near his best. It does feature the best aerial sequences in any movie as far as I'm concerned.

Also Dolph's The Punisher is badass. Easily (although not saying much) is the best Punisher movie.

comment #23

actionlover says ...

People seem to take such great delight in bashing "Driving Miss Daisy". It was a low-key, non-histrionic adaptation of a great play and was, I believe at least, a fantastic movie.
My fave of the year was "Crimes & Misdemeanors", though.

Another heavy-hitter of '89 that has been nearly forgotten now was "Enemies, A Love Story".

comment #24

actionlover says ...

Don't forget.... "Casualties of War" gave the world John C. Reilly. (his part grew as DePalma became more and more aware of his awesomeness)

comment #25

Krillian says ...

Who won Best Supporting Actor in 1989? Shoulda been DTRT's Danny Aiello. My friends and i would constantly Aiello each other after that, meaning just repeat what the other guy said incredulously.

Mookie: Is this the address?

Sal: Is this the address? Is this the address?! Is that what you just asked me, is this the address?

comment #26

BobbyLupo says ...

it would be interesting if they took away Denzel's Oscar to give one to 'Do The Right Thing'... but to a white actor! Man, what would Spike Lee have to say?

comment #27

darentu says ...

I always thought Hanks should've won in '98. Way better performance than in Gump or Philadelphia.

In regards to 1989, I think Always is pretty damn underrated. Holly Hunter is about as charming as I've ever seen her, and Dreyfuss is enjoyable throughout. Definitely one of Spielberg's overlooked films, although not near his best. It does feature the best aerial sequences in any movie as far as I'm concerned.

Also Dolph's The Punisher is badass. Easily (although not saying much) is the best Punisher movie.
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comment #28

austin111 says ...

ABSOLUTELY, Jeff!!! An iconic performance to be sure. A great performance. This one put Cage on the map for me. Before, I knew he was pretty good but after this it was obvious he could take off into the vapors (as Kael once described a DeNiro performance). What's tragic is that he hasn't come close since this and Leaving Las Vegas -- although Bad Lieutenant was a good try. It was like he was riffing in an utterly new way. The best depiction of an out of control psychotic ever caught on film. REALLY. Watching the women acting opposite him - particularly the terrified ones (the poor suffering Alma) and his psychiatrist (Elizabeth Ashley) - you could tell they weren't exactly sure what he would do next. And, of course, there is the infamous roach scene. He did eat it......didn't he?

comment #29

drbob says ...

You know who was robbed. Dennis Hopper in Blue Velvet. So what if he was robbed by Dennis Hopper in Hoosiers. He was still robbed.

comment #30

Gabe@ThePlaylist says ...

Issues:

1) Dolph's "Punisher" is quite good, and superior to the Hensleigh version (though Hensleigh has since repented with Kill The Irishman). But it suffers from a lowered, compromised budget, and a bit too much of a reliance on standard action cliches. Punisher War Zone, however, is some sort of comic-horror masterpiece, featuring an actor in Ray Stevenson that blows the doors off both Dolph (sorry, Dolph) AND Tom Jane, and an emphasis on absurdly fucked-up comic book violence that reminds one of "Batman Forever" as directed by seventies-era Argento.

2) Re: Benigni. His pre-Life Is Beautiful films are quite hysterical, even sort-of masterpieces in the Peter Sellers vein. I do wish that he didn't start treating himself as an Important Filmmaker, though in fairness, I didn't see any of them following "Beautiful." The synopses only produced cringes in me, though I doubt any would match the brilliance of Johnny Stecchino.

3) Nic Cage is the fucking TRUTH.

comment #31

CitizenKaned4Life says ...

@austin111: As far as I can recall the story (and it's been awhile so I could be off on minor details), the script called for his character to consume raw eggs. Cage didn't think that was "in keeping with his character" -- or something along those lines -- so he's actually the one that suggested it. The scene in question had like 3 or 4 takes, so presumably he ate 3 or 4 different cockroaches, although I'm not really sure swallowed them all (but knowing him, he probably did).

The funny part about all this -- arguably even crazier than eating it in the first place -- is the animal rights (is a fucking BUG really an animal?) people actually got on him when they heard about this, and I believe he actually ended up paying a small fine for this disgusting method act.

It's pretty fucking hard for me to reconcile this guy with the one that somehow -- a mere decade later -- became a staple of Bruckheimer summer action tentpoles.

comment #32

Rashad says ...

Man, I thought Warzone was terrible, From the villains (Jigsaw looked stupid and the catatonic brother? come on), to the ridiculous action, cgi blood, even to Stevenson's portrayal.

Goldblatt's version had a great dynamic with the Yakuza (seriously, Lady Tanaka and her female assassin had to be the basis for O-Ren and Gogo in Kill Bill) vs the mafia. It put Frank in a more conflicted light, and he had to save them out of his guilt for indirectly putting them in that situation. Dolph was great as that stone cold, emotionless killer out on a warpath. He doesn't care about nothing but punishing the criminals and meditation. It is funny that we see him twice naked meditating, and then one shot (for some reason) showed his balls hanging.

The action was top notch too, albeit with some of that '80s cheese. Goldblatt knows what he's doing too (edited such classics as both Terminators, True Lies, Starship Troopers, Showgirls) and it's just raw. I loved seeing Dolph fight Tanaka's assassin, and then saying fuck it - I'm snapping her neck. You don't see shit like that these days

http://www.comicsbulletin.com/foom/images/1004/Punisher3.jpg

comment #33

BobbyLupo says ...

"The synopses only produced cringes in me, though I doubt any would match the brilliance of Johnny Stecchino."

The thing that impressed me about 'Johnny Stecchino' is the subtlety. Not something you'd expect from the Begnini who made 'Life is Beautiful'. There's a point in the movie where it's strongly implied that (for reasons that are too complicated / farcical to get into, but are based in misunderstanding and good intentions) Begnini is going to give his retarded brother cocaine. And it's just there hanging over a large portion of the movie, and, at the end, they never go back to it, but you KNOW that the character is going to do it within the next day or two.

Most movies would never even start down that path, and would never have the balls to leave it hanging out there like that. Begnini managed to do it and still keep the movie feeling kind of innocent.

comment #34

austin111 says ...

CitizenKaned4Life
Yeah, it's deeply sad that Cage has become what Sean Penn once called him, rather disparagingly -- an entertainer. But his best performances aside from being scarily on the edge, somewhere between hysterical and pathologically eccentric, also seem like the kind of thing that could drain Dracula dry. Cage may well have depleted most of his resources as an actor along the way. He now does things for money and has been reported to be bankrupt or nearly so. Guess his eccentricities just caught up with him. The guy has spent millions on oddities and other weird shit, doesn't he?

comment #35

jesse says ...

You know who was robbed. Dennis Hopper in Blue Velvet. So what if he was robbed by Dennis Hopper in Hoosiers. He was still robbed.
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