Nicolas Cage = Dreadful

[AnnO'Neemus]

I watched 'Left Behind' on Netflix recently and that's definitely ridiculously shit.

Rotten Tomatoes' synopsis:

"The entire planet is thrown into mayhem when millions of people disappear without a trace -- all that remains are their clothes and belongings. Unmanned vehicles crash and planes fall from the sky, overwhelming emergency forces and causing massive gridlock, riots and chaos. Airline pilot Ray Steele (Nicolas Cage) struggles to save the lives of the passengers who remain on his flight, while his daughter (Cassi Thomson) races to find her brother and mother, both of whom have disappeared."

Scores a 1% rating. Which is too high, imho.

 

[Riklet]

Bad Lieutenant - Port of Call... literally makes up for every bad film he's ever done (ok maybe not quite).

So awesome.

 

[8ball]

I don't accept that Con Air or Face Off are ridiculously shit.

 

[strung out]

I don't accept that Con Air or Face Off are ridiculously shit.

I've rowed back on that now. I was very very wrong 13 years ago.

 

[FridgeMagnet]

Out of that list I've only seen Face/Off, which I remember being daft but entertaining and he was fine in it, and half of The Rock because I fell asleep during it because it was so boring.

 

[Reno]

I don't accept that Con Air or Face Off are ridiculously shit.

When people rhapsodise about these they sound like fun, both have a decent premise but they are poorly realised (same goes for The Rock). Is there a so-bad-they-are-good appeal ? Because they aren't even rubbish enough to be funny. I need something resembling a credible human being in an action film to care, but these are about human cartoons. I suppose I'm just not a fan of the action-film-on-steroids approach of the 90s, all slomo explosions and they look like they've been edited by a blender. With the exception of 1999, the 90s is also my least favourite decade for film overall, because it was full of rubbish like this and equally formulaic romantic comedies.

 

[Reno]

Why is Leaving Las Vegas not on the list?

Considering how many bad films he has made, a multi awards wining film, which won Cage the best actor Oscar may not be the first on everybody's mind. I had problems with the film's depiction of alcoholism, but it's still far from his worst.

 

[agricola]

When people rhapsodise about these they sound like fun, both have a decent premise but they are poorly realised (same goes for The Rock). Is there a so-bad-they-are-good appeal ? Because they aren't even rubbish enough to be funny. I need something resembling a credible human being in an action film to care, but these are about human cartoons. I suppose I'm just not a fan of the action-film-on-steroids approach of the 90s, all slomo explosions and crap. With the exception of 1999, the 90s is also my least favourite decade for film overall, because it was full of rubbish like this and equally formulaic romantic comedies.

Not sure about that. The Rock (to use the best example) portrays much of the US state in an incredibly negative way throughout the film - the inadequate security (and obvious idiotic design) of the chemical weapons, the serial betrayal of their own men that causes Ed Harris to do what he does, the illegal detention of Sean Connery's character and how they are clearly intending to cheat him (and kill him once he's given up what they are after), them sending Cage's character into something incredibly dangerous against his will, them sending the SEAL team in (to their deaths) rather than acknowledge what Harris was on about, the decision to incinerate everyone on the island, the actual (financial) motivations of most of the Marines with Harris and how gleefully they are killed off etc etc.

I am not saying it is in any way subversive, but its hard to think of any US blockbuster film made since where all the bad guys are the US government behaving in ways that the US government behaves.

 

[Reno]

Not sure about that. The Rock (to use the best example) portrays much of the US state in an incredibly negative way throughout the film - the inadequate security (and obvious idiotic design) of the chemical weapons, the serial betrayal of their own men that causes Ed Harris to do what he does, the illegal detention of Sean Connery's character and how they are clearly intending to cheat him (and kill him once he's given up what they are after), them sending Cage's character into something incredibly dangerous against his will, them sending the SEAL team in (to their deaths) rather than acknowledge what Harris was on about, the decision to incinerate everyone on the island, the actual (financial) motivations of most of the Marines with Harris and how gleefully they are killed off etc etc.

I am not saying it is in any way subversive, but its hard to think of any US blockbuster film made since where all the bad guys are the US government behaving in ways that the US government behaves.

In this case Michael Bay's inability to structure a film or shoot and edit a decent action sequence ruins the film for me. With a better director, this could have worked.

 

[killer b]

I started watching face off a bit ago and didn't think much of it tbh. Didn't get very far in before giving up. It just looks so cheap.

 

[maomao]

Considering how many bad films he has made, a multi awards wining film, which won Cage the best actor Oscar may not be the first on everybody's mind. I had problems with the film's depiction of alcoholism, but it's still far from his worst.

The awards and praise just make it even more annoying.

 

[Reno]

The awards and praise just make it even more annoying.

I feel like that with Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. Without all the acclaim and awards I would merely have found it a bad film. With the awards it's my most hated film of the last decade.

 

[FridgeMagnet]

I started watching face off a bit ago and didn't think much of it tbh. Didn't get very far in before giving up. It just looks so cheap.

I haven't seen it for decades and I was on a John Woo thing at the time so I'm not going to claim that it's actually worth watching.

 

[Orang Utan]

Never liked Face/Off
Cage’s best films are Raising Arizona and Wild At Heart

 

[Orang Utan]

Oh and he’s ace in Spider-Man: Into The Spiderverse
And Lord Of War is very underrated

 

[Reno]

There is a new Nic Cage film coming out called Pig, which could be among the more gonzo films which use him well, rather than his pay-off-the-debts-films. Man goes in search of his beloved truffle pig.

 

[Sweet FA]

Never liked Face/Off
Cage’s best films are Raising Arizona and Wild At Heart

I'd add Birdy and Rumble Fish.

 

[Orang Utan]

I'd add Birdy and Rumble Fish.

Hmm, saw them recently and Rumble Fish wasn’t as good as I’d hoped. It’s no The Outsiders

 

[butchersapron]

No teen wolf either

 

[Sweet FA]

Hmm, saw them recently and Rumble Fish wasn’t as good as I’d hoped. It’s no The Outsiders

Agree RF isn't as good as it should be. The book has darker themes & they properly went with the dark tones in the film. SE Hinton's books were a big part of my teens though so I loved the film at the time for bringing the book to life.

 

[T & P]

Oh and he’s ace in Spider-Man: Into The Spiderverse
And Lord Of War is very underrated

Agreed. I also liked him in Kick-Ass.

 

[8ball]

Agreed. I also liked him in Kick-Ass.

Yeah, he was great in that.

And Color Out Of Space.

 

[FridgeMagnet]

He is who he is. Some films clearly will not work with a Nicholas Cage, some will. I can't think of any that have been ruined by his presence.

 

[8ball]

He is who he is. Some films clearly will not work with a Nicholas Cage, some will. I can't think of any that have been ruined by his presence.

Titanic would have been marginally improved.

 

[kenny g]

8mm was absolutely terrible. Saw it at the cinema by myself during a matinee performance midweek with about two other people in the audience and was disgusted by it. No redeeming features and appeared to be just getting off on the concept of snuff films. It was made in 1999 which was a far more innocent age being pre-ISIS and God knows what else which has meant nearly every form of live death is now a few clicks away.

 

[chandlerp]

Next from 2007. unmitigated shite from the very start.

 

[Thaw]

"Left Behind"

 

[Riklet]

This is gonna be the one.

 

[chandlerp]

hahaha, that looks spectacularly bad

 

[paul mckenna]

Considering how many bad films he has made, a multi awards wining film, which won Cage the best actor Oscar may not be the first on everybody's mind. I had problems with the film's depiction of alcoholism, but it's still far from his worst.

Do you think it glamourised it? It was pretty full-on portrayal i thought and didn't swerve the ending