NIC GAUGE / Joe

MOVIE: Joe

STARRING: Nicolas Cage, Tye Sheridan, Gary Poulter, Ronnie Gene Blevins, Roderick L. Polk, Adriene Mishler

RELEASE DATE: April 9th, 2014

WHERE TO WATCH: VOD (Amazon Prime, Hulu, Ruku, Vudu)

By Justin Pomerville (2 Broke Geeks)

Gary (Tye Sheridan) and Joe Ransom (Nicolas Cage) in Joe.

Seeing Nicolas Cage doing serious dramatic roles really is a sight. I always reference Pig because he really shows a full spectrum of talent in that film. So, it’s always refreshing when you find another film that has a similar feel, much like today’s film, Joe. 

The plot follows Joe (played by Cage) who is a foreman for a Texas tree poisoning crew as he gets involved in the life of 15-year-old Gary (played by Tye Sheridan). He hires Gary and learns about his life as a penniless boy trying to provide for his mother and daughter while dealing with his abusive drunk father, Wade (played by Gary Poulter). While helping Gary to overcome his challenges and put him on a path of greater purpose, Joe himself is dealing with his inner demons as he finds himself stuck in a mess he made of his life.

Joe (Nicolas Cage) and Gary (Tye Sheridan) in Joe.

Watching Joe and Gary’s interactions with each other is great. You can see the chemistry they build off the “elder teaching the youth” troupe. I use that loosely because although the overall story is that, there is an inner laying storyline that pulls you out of it. This is because it’s a Nic Cage film in the early 2010s and there has to be some action. That action just feels out of place, because it comes out of nowhere.

Wille (Ronnie Gene Blevins) and Gary (Tye Sheridan) in Joe.

This film is based on a book of the same name, and I’m sure it is better explained there. The side story is a guy named Willie (played by Ronnie Gene Blevins) is mad at Joe for fighting him in a bar. Willie also comes across Gary and insults his family, which results in Gary beating him up. Willie then decides that both of them need to “learn a lesson” and spends the film seeking revenge. Willie’s whole arc is odd, out of place, and also super petty if you really pay attention. Willie’s not a crime boss or some guy of great power. He is just a guy. Because of Willie’s storyline, that drops Joe into the lower end of “Good” on the Nic Gauge.

NIC GAUGE / 211

MOVIE: 211

STARRING: Nicolas Cage, Weston Coppola Cage, Michael Rainey Jr., Dwayne Cameron, Cory Hardrict, Alexandra Dinu, Sophia Skelton, Ori Pfeffer

RELEASE DATE: June 8t, 2018

WHERE TO WATCH: VOD (Amazon Prime, Hulu, Vudu)

By Justin Pomerville (2 Broke Geeks)

Officer Mike Chandler (Nicolas Cage) in 211

Code 211 over police radio means armed robbery in progress. In 2018, that code was turned into a crime-action film directed by York Shackelton. One of the most notable things about this film is that not only does it have Nicolas Cage, but also has his son, Weston Coppola Cage playing one of the antagonists. The film has a 4% on Rotten Tomatoes, but does it really deserve that rating? Personally, that might be a tad bit gracious.

The plot of 211 is police officers Mike (played by Cage) and his son-in-law, Steve (played by Dwayne Cameron) take a high-school student, Kenny (played by Micheal Rainy Jr.) on a ride-along to teach him about making the wrong decisions. While on the ride-along, they accidentally find themselves uncovering an armed robbery at a bank from 4 men who were in the special forces. Now they must protect themselves as well protect Kenny in a deadly game of cat and mouse.

Mike (Nicolas Cage) in 211

This is going to be a pretty short review because this movie is terrible. You might as well call this film, “Everyone’s SAG Cards” because this film hardly has any good actors and is filled with overacting background extras and I assume some “breakout” supporting actors. There is no chemistry among the weaving storylines that feel rushed. The camera work is laughable, especially scenes where snipers are looking through scopes and somehow can see through car doors.

Cage’s performance in this is subpar at best. His whole story arc is he refuses to talk to his daughter after his wife dies of cancer, and he refuses to retire from the force. That character development is all thrown at you in the first 10 minutes of the film and is just tossed aside for the rest. This movie is an hour and a half long and nothing about it hooks you in to care about anyone. This film is going on the lower end of “Hot Mess” on the Nic Gauge.

NIC GAUGE / Between Worlds

MOVIE: Between Worlds

STARRING: Nicolas Cage, Penelope Mitchell, Franka Potente, Hopper Jack Penn, Garrett Clayton, Lydia Hearst

RELEASE DATE: December 21st, 2018

WHERE TO WATCH: VOD (Amazon Prime, Apple TV)

By Justin Pomerville (2 Broke Geeks)

Joe (Nicolas Cage) and Billie (Penelope Mitchell) in Between Worlds

Have you ever watched a movie and think to yourself, “Wow….that was an idea that they actually ran with”? I feel like you could ask that question about a lot of the later Nic Cage catalog. But hear me out when I say that 2018’s Between Worlds is up there with one of the weirder premises and one of the most outlandish scenes that is equal parts uncomfortable, hilarious, and stupid. But I am getting ahead of myself.

Between Worlds is a supernatural thriller that follows truck driver Joe (played by Cage) who is haunted by the memories of his dead wife, Mary (played by Lydia Hearst). He meets Julie (played by Franka Potente) who has the ability to cross over to the spirit realm. She asks Joe to choke her so she may cross over to retrieve the wandering soul of her dying daughter, Billie (played by Penelope Mitchell). Joe and Julie begin dating, but as Penelope is recovering, she slowly becomes more and more infatuated with Joe. Slowly, Joe realizes that the soul they brought back was not her daughter, but that of his wife Mary. And she refuses to let Joe leave her again.

I’m not going to sugarcoat this, the plot is garbage with a bunch of plot holes and erratic pacing. It’s never explained how Julie has supernatural powers, and no one even is curious how this is possible. The script is all over the place as well. It felt like they ran out of time for filming so they cherry-picked the scenes to make the best story, but failed to make them come together in a cohesive way. The acting is terrible across the board. Even Cage can’t pull a good performance out of this. He overacts in his usual Cage fashion, yet it doesn’t help anything within the scenes, which is saying something. 

Joe (Nicolas Cage) and Julie (Franka Potente) in Between Worlds.

I mentioned at the beginning that this film contains one of the most insane scenes I have seen. Now, I will tell you what that scene is. In all honesty, I don’t think you guys need to check this film out, but you do need to know about this. There is a scene where Joe ends up having sex with Billie, while at the same time, Joe is having sex with Mary in some sort of memory. In the middle of it, Mary/Billie asks Joe to talk dirty to her by speaking about memories. Joe then pulls out a book that is titled “Memories by Nicolas Cage” and begins reading abstract nonsense bits out of it. This whole scene was uncomfortable and what I would call a “WTF” moment. That scene couldn’t even save this film.

As of now on Nic Gauge, this beats out Willy’s Wonderland as the worst of the worst at the bottom of “Hot Mess”.

NIC GAUGE / The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent

MOVIE: The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent

STARRING: Nicolas Cage, Pedro Pascal, Lily Mo Sheen, Ike Barinholtz, Alessandra Mastronardi, Tiffany Haddish, Neil Patrick Harris, Sharon Horgan

RELEASE DATE: April 22nd, 2022

WHERE TO WATCH: In Theaters (as of May 1st, 2022)

By Justin Pomerville (2 Broke Geeks)

You never really know what to expect these days going into a new Nic Cage film. Gathering from his newer films, it feels like anything (and everything) could be on the table. Mandy, Prisoners of the Ghostland, Pig, and even Willy’s Wonderland clearly show (and can be argued) that Nic Cage will do anything that comes across his path. That makes The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent such a delight, or even more of a breath of fresh air for Cage. It also really cements the fact that he can do any kind of film, and pull out a great performance, even if some of his films are not up to par. After the last couple films I have reviewed, it was time for a more positive review of an insanely fun film.

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is a film where the plot starts out extremely simple, but then takes a weird turn that blends the realms of fiction and non-fiction. Nicolas Cage plays himself as he tries to land his next acting role. As his hope diminish, he gets an offer to get paid one million dollars to go to the birthday party for his biggest, wealthiest fan, Javi (played by Pedro Pascal). While at this party, Cage is approached by CIA operatives Vivian (played by Tiffany Haddish) & Martin (played by Ike Barinholtz). He is told that Javi is the leader of an international gun smuggling operation and has kidnapped the daughter of an anti-crime politician. They need his help to find her. Unsure about his feelings, Cage starts becoming friends with Javi and second-guesses if Javi truly is as evil as they say he is.

Nicolas Cage (as himself) with Javi (Pedro Pascal) in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent.

The movie is hilarious from start to finish. Both Javi and Cage look like they are having the best time making this film. You can really feel the budding friendship throughout. They have great comedic timing, amazing chemistry, and just make the most out of all their time. The script is really funny, being extremely self-aware about Cage’s acting history, including this film as well. It really hits the nail on the head about the current climate of film these days, while also winking to the audience about the insanity that is going to come forward.

My favorite part by far is Nic Cage interacting with a younger version of himself. His younger self is more erratic and more over the top than his current self and it makes me laugh every time. Current Cage does not let off the gas with his acting either, not going full insane Cage as we have seen, but having small gut-busting outbursts throughout the film. 

As of right now, this is the best comedy film I have seen Cage in, and because of that reason, this film is in the high “Bloody Awesome” of the Nic Gauge.

NIC GAUGE / Deadfall

MOVIE: Deadfall

STARRING: Nicolas Cage, Michael Biehn, Charlie Sheen, James Coburn, Sarah Trigger, Peter Fonda, Talia Shire

RELEASE DATE: October 8th, 1993

WHERE TO WATCH: VOD (Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Vudu)

By Justin Pomerville (2 Broke Geeks)

Eddie (Nicolas Cage) in Deadfall.

Deadfall is a crime/drama that was directed in 1993 by Christopher Coppola. The film was influenced by an American hardcore punk band, Snot, that had a song of the same name. As mentioned in my last article, Nicolas Cage’s character “Eddie King” appeared in 2017’s Arsenal, but his first appearance was in this film. That is really all the fun facts there are on this film.

The plot is about con-artist, Joe Donan (played by Michael Biehn). Joe accidentally kills his father Mike (played by James Corburn) during a sting where his blank bullets were replaced with live rounds. In Mike’s last words, he sends Joe on a mystery involving Mike’s brother, Lou Donan (also played by Corburn). Lou is also a con-artist and Joe works his way into Lou’s operation to figure out what Mike was talking about. In the process, Joe falls in love with the girlfriend of Lou’s assistant, Eddie (played by Cage). Joe gets roped into Lou’s biggest con, which reflects the same way his father died, and he must choose a side.

Eddie (Nicolas Cage) with is girlfriend Diane (Sarah Trigger) in Deadfall.

This film also is not very good, however, it has some weird moments that make it endearing… sort of. The script is terrible. It’s cookie-cutter dialogue that is just there as glue to keep the film from falling apart. There didn’t seem to be any budget because there are scenes in Santa Monica, CA where they keep mentioning how busy the place is, yet they only use 10 background actors that I think get recycled throughout the film. They also have lots of shots of prop money, clearly just out in the open.

But, the main entertainment in this film is obviously Nic Cage as Eddie. He is insane in this film. Overacting, lots of yelling, angrily dry humping a bed, making weird noises while sniffing coke, and pulling out some hilarious fighting moves. The sad part is (*spoiler alert) he dies with 40 minutes left in the film by getting his face melted off in a deep fryer. Which makes it weird looking back to last weeks film. Eddie appears in Arsenal as the exact same kind of character.

Because of that, Charlie Sheen’s amazing outfit, and that there is a guy who has a scissor for a hand, this film will place on the border of “Terrible” and “Hot Mess”.

NIC GAUGE / Arsenal

MOVIE: Arsenal

STARRING: Nicolas Cage, John Cusack, Adrian Grenier, Johnathon Schaech, Megan Leonard, Lydia Hull

RELEASE DATE: January 6th, 2017

WHERE TO WATCH: VOD (HBOMax, Amazon Prime, Vudu, Apple TV)

By Justin Pomerville (2 Broke Geeks)

Eddie King (Nicolas Cage) in Arsenal.

Oh, look at that! We are back to the “straight-to-dvd” section of Nic Cage’s catalog. We are here with 2017’s Arsenal. This film is one of the few I have seen where Cage plays the villain. Not only does he play the villain, but his character actually first appears in an earlier Cage film called, Deadfall (which gives you a hint on next week’s film).

Most of these straight-to-home video reviews will probably be shorter reviews because in researching, they just don’t have much going on except for the bombardment of not so pleasant reviews. In this case, Arsenal does fall into the category of a bad film. But how bad is it? The plot is as follows: JP (played by Adrian Grenier) is a wealthy construction worker whose deadbeat older brother, Mikey (played by Johnathon Schaech), gets kidnapped and held for ransom by a sort-of mobster, Eddie King (played by Cage). JP now must save his brother and get rid of Eddie before others get hurt.

JP (Adrian Grenier) and Mickey (Johnathon Schaech) in Arsenal.

This is a very typical action thriller film that was very predictable. The script is beyond mediocre, especially with character building, or even structure for that matter. The only story that needed to be told was “how far will you go to save your brother” and although that criteria was met, it felt lackluster. Nothing felt like it had any real stakes. The fight scenes were nothing to write home about and the gun fight at the end of the film is probably the funniest thing with the usage of slow-motion bullets. It includes a slow-motion shot of a guy getting hit in the testicles with shotgun rounds. Yes, that was a scene that made it into this film.

Eddie King (Nicolas Cage) in Arsenal.

But of course, this whole review page is about Nic Cage’s performance right? His role, albeit being the main antagonist, had very little to do with this film. With the time he did have, he pulled out as much screaming at random times as he could manage. Honestly, his performance fell on deaf ears because I could not stop looking at the hilarious looking prosthetic nose he had. I know I pick these films at random, but next week is going to be Deadfall because I need to know if Cage’s character does more in that film because this was just awful. It lands in the middle of “Hot Mess” on the Nic Gauge.

NIC GAUGE / The Wicker Man

MOVIE: The Wicker Man

STARRING: Nicolas Cage, Ellen Burstyn, Kate Beahan, Leelee Sobieski, Molly Parker, Frances Conroy

RELEASE DATE: September 1st, 2006

WHERE TO WATCH: VOD (Amazon Prime, Vudu, Apple TV)

By Justin Pomerville (2 Broke Geeks)

Sister Rose / Sister Thorn (Molly Parker) and Edward Malus (Nicolas Cage) in The Wicker Man.

From what I see from this list of films, Nic Cage really had not done many horror films until later in his career. There are probably some early films that I just have yet to see, but just from what I have so far, older Cage means more diversity within the genres. Back in 2006, Cage did star in arguably one of the most memed/gifed horror films; a remake of the 1973 cult classic The Wicker Man. Seriously, I’ll get into the specific piece that has been mocked, but if you are a fan of Cage and this film, you know exactly which scene I’m talking about.

After being forced to take time off from a car accident involving a young girl, police officer Edward Malus (played by Cage) gets a letter from his ex-fiancé, Willow Woodward’s (played by Kate Beahan) daughter is missing on a secluded island and has asked for his help in finding her. Upon arrival, Malus starts to realize that there is more going on than just a missing girl. He discovers hardly any men, an insane love for harvest festivals, and dead bodies. It’s not till we get to the third act that we learn he was tricked to come to the island. He is to be a human sacrifice to ensure a bountiful harvest.

Dr. T.H. Moss (Frances Conroy) and the island’s residents in The Wicker Man.

It’s not a very good film. In the first ten minutes, Cage fails to save a small girl and her mom from a burning car that ends up exploding and killing them. That scene keeps being brought back up throughout the film since he is now attempting to save a different girl. He is plagued with nightmares that replay in his head, so you understand his determination to find her. However, later in the film, you find out the missing girl is actually his daughter. He thoughts still goes back to the dead girl in the car though. It all feels very backward in terms of motivation.

The film also feels to be more of a comedy because of how Cage plays up some of the scenes. He gets into a fight with one woman and kicks her so hard, she flies across the room. It was as if she was hit by someone with super strength. Cage’s weird romance with his ex-wife is just awkward and off-putting. But the biggest thing is the “Not The Bees!” scene. Cage is captured and has a cage put on his head with CGI bees flying in to cover his face while he screams. It’s terrible. Just insanely bad visual effects that will make you laugh.

Edward Malus (Nicolas Cage) in The Wicker Man.

I do give this movie more crap than praise. However, it still is much better than some of the other films in his catalog. So, with that, this film is going to sit in the lower end of “Terrible” on the Nic Gauge.

NIC GAUGE / Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance

MOVIE: Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance

STARRING: Nicolas Cage, Violante Placido, Ciarán Hinds, Idris Elba, Johnny Whitworth

RELEASE DATE: February 17th, 2012

WHERE TO WATCH: VOD (Hulu, Amazon Prime, Vudu, Apple TV)

By Justin Pomerville (2 Broke Geeks)

Because Ghost Rider made about $230 million at the box offices, the studio decided to go ahead and make a sequel, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance. If you remember from last week’s article, I was not a fan of the first one. Would the sequel surpass the it and Johnny Blaze be more of a household name that can carry an ongoing franchise? I’ll answer that for you, not even close. This is the first time I have watched this film. I remember when the trailer came out, the biggest selling point was it would be darker, but also humorous. I remember one scene in particular, Ghost Rider was urinating fire on the side of the road. From there, I knew what I should expect from this mess.

Ghost Rider: Spirt of Vengeance trailer scene where Ghost Rider is peeing fire.

The plot is Johnny Blaze hiding out in Europe, struggling with controlling the Ghost Rider. A priest named Moreau (played by Idris Elba) finds Johnny and makes a deal with him. If Johnny can rescue a boy named Danny (played by Fergus Riodran) from Mephisto (played by Ciarán Hinds), he will free Blaze from the Ghost Rider.

I talked about how in the first film, Ghost Rider felt like there was very little plot for a film that was a little over 2 hours. This film was an hour and a half long and still felt like not much happened. The big difference was that they filled the movie with a lot of action; fight scenes, car chases, and explosions. However, the special effects were kind of choppy and was overused. They made almost everything feel like a big action sequence, even scenes like injecting a needle in someone’s arm or simply walking in a dramatic fashion.

Johnny Blaze (played by Nicolas Cage) with Kurdish (played by Sorin Tofan) in Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance.

The story is odd too. By the end of the first film, Johnny is starting to learn how to control Ghost Rider. Yet in this film, he still acts as if he has no clue how it works. They had a flashback moment of young Johnny making the deal with Mephisto.Instead of using the same scene from the first film, they made a completely different scene with different props. Due to replacing the actor who portrayed Mephisto, they re-did the scene. This made it feel more like a soft reboot versus a sequel.

The only positive thing I can say about this film is that I actually like the design of Ghost Rider, but that doesn’t save this film. Much like the urinating scene, this film goes right down the toilet and is going in the lower end of the “Hot Mess” section of the Nic Gauge.

NIC GAUGE / Ghost Rider

MOVIE: Ghost Rider

STARRING: Nicolas Cage, Eva Mendes, Sam Elliott, Matt Long, Raquel Alessi, Brett Cullen, Peter Fonda, Donal Logue

RELEASE DATE: February 16th, 2007

WHERE TO WATCH: VOD (Hulu, Amazon Prime, Vudu, Apple TV)

By Justin Pomerville (2 Broke Geeks)

Back in the early 2000s, Marvel was not the big-time film production studio that it is now. They sold off characters to other companies that wanted to try and make superhero films. In 2000, Fox’s X-Men film kickstarted the superhero film phenomena. In 2002, Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man came out and was also a huge success. Some of the other films that followed didn’t fare so well. 2003’s Daredevil, 2004’s Punisher, and 2005’s Fantastic Four were all considered flops. Then in 2007, Ghost Rider was brought to the big screen and I remember being kind of excited about it. I consider Ghost Rider to be in my top 5 favorite Marvel characters. How well did it actually hold up? In all honesty, not that well.

The plot is roughly based on the Marvel comics. Motorcyclist Johnny Blaze (played by Nicolas Cage) makes a deal with Mephisto (played by Peter Fonda). If Mephisto saves Blaze’s father’s life from cancer, in return, Blaze will be the new Ghost Rider. Years later, Mephisto calls upon Blaze to go and kill his son, Blackheart (played by Wes Bentley) before Blackheart can get his hands on a missing contract that has the power to overthrow Mephisto.

Nicolas Cage as Johnny Blaze in Ghost Rider.

The main problem with this film was that Ghost Rider is a darker Marvel super hero that (on paper) sounded like a good gritty character that could go up against more well-known properties like Spider-Man and X-Men. Unfortunately, for a bloated film that runs just a little over 2 hours, there isn’t much happening until about halfway through. The first 15 minutes are dedicated to Johnny’s childhood and the deal with Mephisto. Then a good chunk of this film is Johnny’s on-off relationship with Roxanne (played by Eva Mendez). It just feels very unbalanced for a superhero film.

The special demonic effects are extremely laughable. Ghost Rider itself keeps changing size and shape throughout the film. All the lesser demons had a blurry effect that made them hard to make out at times. In addition, Blackheart was a lazy special effects piece. It appeared as if they just overlayed a demon/monster face on top of the actor’s. Also, Cage’s acting is a little nuts as he pretends to be on fire for his transformation. It’s just overall a bad time.

Blackheart (played by Wes Bentley) in Ghost Rider.

Overall, I hope Ghost Rider gets a much deserved re-do in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (that is not Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.). With characters like Moon Knight and Blade getting more attention, Ghost Rider would be a great addition. Just maybe don’t get Cage to come back. As for this film on the Nic Gauge, it will be placed firmly on the lower end of “Terrible”.

NIC GAUGE / Honeymoon In Vegas

MOVIE: Honeymoon In Vegas

STARRING: Nicolas Cage, James Caan, Sarah Jessica Parker, Pat Morita, Peter Boyle, Anne Bancroft

RELEASE DATE: August 28th, 1992

WHERE TO WATCH: VOD (Amazon Prime, Apple TV)

By Justin Pomerville (2 Broke Geeks)

An Elvis impersonator with Jack Singe (played by Nicolas Cage) in Honeymoon In Vegas.

Who doesn’t love a good romantic comedy about getting married in Las Vegas? Las Vegas just has a reputation. Do you want to get married fast and either win or lose a bunch of money in the process? Vegas is the place to be! Do you want to be surrounded by an ocean of Elvis Presley impersonators? Again, you go to Vegas. Surprisingly for my one trip there, I didn’t see a single Elvis so I ask the question, “Did I truly have a Las Vegas experience?” In tune to Sin City’s famous reputation, Honeymoon In Vegas is exactly the kind of romantic comedy film you would expect.

The plot is Jack Singer (Nicolas Cage) is convinced that marriage will ruin your life. He is dating Betsy Nolan (played by Sarah Jessica Parker) when he finally decides to pull the trigger and takes her to Las Vegas to elope. Upon arrival, they are spotted by gambler and con man, Tommy Korman (played by James Caan). Korman realizes that Betsy looks a lot like his deceased wife and decides to try and take her from Jack. He tricks Jack into accepting a game of poker. Jack looses $65,000. Korman makes a deal that if he can spend the weekend with Betsy, he will forget about the debt. When Betsy starts falling for Korman, it’s up to Jack to get her back.

Tommy Korman (played by James Caan) and Jack Singer (played by Nicolas Cage) in Honeymoon In Vegas.

It’s a light-hearted romantic comedy that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Unfortunately, I believe it can feel outdated and modern audience may have difficulties connecting. Watching this now almost feels like cartoons with stories of the villain kidnaping a girl and forcing them to love the bad guy. I know there are probably some newer films that still use that plot point, but I believe we have evolved to a point where it’s not the main focus of contemporary romantic comedies.

Betsy Nolan (played by Sarah Jessica Parker) and Jack Singer (played by Nicolas Cage) in Honeymoon In Vegas.

That being said, it’s an entertaining film. I had never seen it, so as a first-time watcher, it did the job of being fun. As always, Cage’s acting throughout the film is hilarious. There was never a point where he overacted….too much. There were a couple of moments in the later parts of the film when he tries to find Betsy, that he just chews the scene. But this was nowhere near the “Full Cage” level of acting.

There really wasn’t too much about this film that needed to be said, except now I feel like I need to go back to Vegas and find myself an Elvis impersonator. I would put this on the higher end of “Good” on the “Nic Gauge”.

Now, who wants to go and get eloped in Vegas? Maybe I’ll jump out of a plane for you.

NIC GAUGE / Primal

MOVIE: Primal

STARRING: Nicolas Cage, Famke Janssen, Kevin Durand, LaMonica Garett, Michael Imperioli, Jeremy Nazario, Drake Shannon, Braulio Castillo Jr.

RELEASE DATE: November 8th, 2019

WHERE TO WATCH: VOD (Hulu, Amazon Prime, Vudu, Apple TV)

By Justin Pomerville (2 Broke Geeks)

Frank Walsh (Nicolas Cage), Morales (Braulio Castillo Jr) and Dr. Ellen Taylor (Famke Janssen) in Primal.

Primal was a straight to DVD release in November of 2019 that stars Nic Cage, Famke Janssen (of “X-Men” fame), and Kevin Durand (who has been in “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” as The Blob). This film came as part of a group of other straight to DVD releases from Cage after Color Out Of Space went to theaters. Most of the time, straight to DVD films are usually considered not to have the budget for a theater release and/or just not being strong enough contenders for theaters that they just skip right to mass production. Primal is one of those films that I found underwhelming and overall cheap in terms of production, fitting that mold.

The plot of Primal is this; big-game hunter Frank Walsh (played by Cage) catches a rare white jaguar in the Brazilian rainforest, loads it on a container ship to illegally bring it back to the states and sell it to a zoo, in hence to make a fortune. On that same ship, US Marshals are bringing in notorious political assassin and ex-special forces operative, Richard Loffer (played by Durand). When Loffer breaks out and lets loose Walsh’s animals, it’s up to Walsh and the US Marshals to get everything back under control before Loffer kills everybody.

The White Jaguar in Primal

This film is pretty bad. 90% of the animals are CGI and they look like they were made with early 2001 graphics. More so, he main problems are the acting and writing in this film. Characters make horrible choices. There’s a scene where everyone who is working on the boat is locked in one room and is learning about Loffer’s escape, and the engineers have to leave to keep the ship running. In the midst of that, Loffer shows up in the engine room and asks the engineers about how to power the boat. The engineers just tell him how to even-though, they should know he’s Loffer as he was not with the rest of the crew and marshals. There is also one child actor who’s skill is laughable. Everything he does is incredibly flat and has no emotion. There is even a moment where Loffer goes to grab the kid’s head to hold him hostage, and the kid visibly leans over for Loffer to predictably grab it. The only (sort-of) saving grace of this film is the overacting of both Cage and Durand. Their fight scenes are extremely comical, especially Cage’s reaction to a single punch or kick. Because of their acting, this film is in the upper section of “Terrible” on the Nic Gauge.

NIC GAUGE / World Trade Center

MOVIE: World Trade Center

STARRING: Nicolas Cage, Michael Peña, Will Jimeno, Anthony Piccininni, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Maria Bello, Jay Hernandez, Michael Shannon

RELEASE DATE: August 9th, 2006

WHERE TO WATCH: VOD (Amazon Prime, Apple TV)

By Justin Pomerville (2 Broke Geeks)

(L to R) Maggie Gyllenhaal (as Allison Jimeno), Maria Bello (as Donna McLoughlin, Michael Peña (as Will Jimeo) and Nicolas Cage (as John McLoughlin) in Oliver Stone’s World Trade Center.

World Trade Center was a film I wasn’t entirely sure how to approach among the ranks of Nicolas Cage films. This film is nestled in with the group of questionable films that he has made in the 2000s, many of which I still need to get to (if you have been keeping track). This is the only film in the group that involves real-life events and is probably one of the stronger performances of Cage’s career. The film was directed by Oliver Stone, known for directing many films like Platoon, Born on the Fourth of July, JFK, and Natural Born Killers. This film also had input from the real police officers the story revolves around; Will Jimeno and John Mcloughlin. Both officers, along with their wives, were in the writing room as well as took part in the overall production of the film.

The film is about Port Authority Police officers Will Jimeno (played by Micheal Peña) and Sergeant John Mcloughlin (played by Nic Cage). They are part of a group of officers that are responding to the World Trade Center as the North Tower was hit by the plane. As they prepare to enter the building to help with evacuation, the South Tower comes down, trapping them in an elevator shaft under the rubble. Throughout the film, we keep switching from their perspective to that of their wives; Allison Jimeno (played by Maggie Gyllenhaal) and Donna Mcloughlin (played by Maria Bello). The wives are left in the dark about their husband’s lives.

Nicolas Cage as Sergeant John McLoughlin in World Trade Center.

I’m going to keep it short about this film because I’m not comfortable doing a deep dive into a 9/11 film. The film is first rate. It’s a part of American history and felt very much like a time capsule. Seeing the horrific events from the perspective of those who were involved firsthand, painting a picture that I felt was needed. Also, the film has a strong overall narrative of humanity in a time of need. The visuals of firemen, officers, and military from around the U.S. banding together to help the survivors calls attention to that point . There’s not much really to say in terms of what I expected from this film. It’s obvious what you are watching.

On the “Nic Gauge” this sits comfortably on the higher end of “Good”.

NIC GAUGE / Face Off

MOVIE: Face/Off

STARRING: John Travolta, Nicolas Cage, Joan Allen, Alessandro Nivola, Gina Gershon, Dominque Swain, Nick Cassavetes

RELEASE DATE: June 19th, 1997

WHERE TO WATCH: VOD (Amazon Prime, Apple TV)

By Justin Pomerville (2 Broke Geeks)

Caster Troy / Sean Archer (both characters played by both (L to R) Nicolas Cage & John Travolta) in Face Off.

I don’t think you understand the excitement I had when the generator picked Face/Off for this week's Nic Gauge. This was the first film I saw Nic Cage in back when I was around 15 years old. Revisiting this film, I already knew I was going to have fun. 

Face/Off came out in 1997, and was directed by John Woo. Woo has directed films like Hard Boiled, Mission Impossible 2, and Windtalkers (also staring Cage). Face/Off was nominated for an Academy Award for Sound Effect Editing at the 70th Academy Awards. The film was also the 11th highest-grossing film of 1997, earning $245 million. An interesting fact, the original actors that were envisioned to play the rivals were Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone. My personal opinion, if those two would have been cast, I don’t think this film would have done as well. The chemistry between Cage/Travolta is what makes this movie so special.

Caster Troy / Sean Archer (both characters played by both (L to R) Nicolas Cage & John Travolta) in Face Off.

The plot begins after a failed assassination attempt from Castor Troy (at the time played by Cage) on FBI agent Sean Archer (at the moment played by John Travolta) that results in the death of Archer’s son. Archer spends six years hunting Troy and his brother Pollux (played by Alessandro Nivola). Eventually, Archer catches them, but not before they plant a bomb in Los Angeles. In order to gain information on the whereabouts of the bomb, Archer masquerades as Troy by literally wearing his face. Archer switches faces with Troy in order to speak with Pollux in a maximum-security prison. So now Cage playing a villain (Troy) becomes the good guy (Archer) and Travolta playing the good guy protagonist (Archer) becomes the criminal (Troy). Unfortunately, Troy escapes custody while still wearing Archer’s face and destroys all traces of that facial exchange. He gets his brother out of prison, and becoming the false hero, disarms the bomb. This leaves Good Guy Archer (who is wearing Bad Guy Troy’s face) to rot in his place as a criminal. Add on, Archer then escapes and has to save his family from Troy and try to get his life back.

Summary for those who are confused (easy to do when recapping the plot per editor Jenny):

Beginning of Story:

Cage/Troy = Bad

Travolta/Archer = Good

Mid-Story:

Cage/Archer = Good

Travolta/Troy = Bad

From start to finish, this film does not let up on the action. The first opening fight really tells you the story of this rivalry and it just gets better from there. Especially with the climactic battle at the end involving a speed boat fight. Throughout, Travolta and Cage work extremely well with each other and have great interactions. Because of the films personality switch, I think they did a great job with making Cage’s eccentric homicidal tendencies and Travolta’s more reserved and stoic nature easily transferable. I do find the whole actual face swap mechanic very cheesy and hilarious in practice, but as it is the main driving force of the film, I let it slide a little bit. Beyond that, the story itself, essentially being a Freaky Friday situation (but with more guns) works well, albeit slightly hilarious.

Troy (Nicolas Cage) “meme-scene” in Face/Off.

On the Nic Gauge, I comfortably sit this in-between “Bloody Awesome” and “Good” mainly because of how much meme material Cage’s expressions have given us with this film alone.

NIC GAUGE / Season of the Witch

MOVIE: Season of the Witch

STARRING: Nicolas Cage, Ron Perlman, Claire Foy, Robert Sheehan, Stephen Campbell Moore, Ulrich Thomsen

RELEASE DATE: January 7th, 2011

WHERE TO WATCH: VOD (Starz, Amazon Prime)

By Justin Pomerville (2 Broke Geeks)

Debelzaq (Stephen Campbell Moore), Behman von Bleibruck (Nicolas Cage), and Felson (Ron Perlman) in Season of the Witch

I’m a sucker for films set in medieval times. Especially when magic and supernatural elements are involved. Films like Lord of the Rings, Willow, & as previously stated several times, The Green Knight. So, you throw in Nicolas Cage AND Ron Perlman, how could I possibly ignore it. Well, turns out, I have never seen this one. So, considering the track record so far with “The Nic Gauge”, I kept my expectations pretty low, especially after the last entry.

Season of the Witch takes place in the 14th century and revolves around two knights, Behman (played by Cage) and Felson (played by Perlman), that were fighting in the crusades. But after one battle, they realize they are just butchering women and children in “the name of God” and desert their posts and leave for home in Austria. A month after they have returned, they learn that the people have been infected with The Black Death. When they enter a town for supplies, they are arrested for their desertion and are then tasked by the cardinal (played by Christopher Lee) to take a woman (played by Claire Foy) to a remote monastery. The woman is accused of witchcraft and must be put to trial.

Behman (Nicolas Cage) and “The Girl” (Claire Foy) in Season of the Witch

This film was awkward. That is the best way I can put it.

The first portion of introducing Behman and Felson is fine. The lead-up to taking the woman to the monastery is fine. Once they leave for the actual adventure is where everything starts going south. The main chunk of this trip is just everyone arguing on whether or not the woman is actually a witch, while actual witchcraft is happening. The woman calls upon wolves to come kill everyone and she tricks one guy into killing another. So, you would think it would be safe to say she is actually a witch. Spoiler alert, you find out in the third act that she is actually possessed by a demon. That discovery kind of kills the momentum of the film (on top of terrible early 2010’s special effects). You are conditioned to believe that by the end of the film, there will be a final showdown between Cage and a witch.To then take the weird route and switch the witch into a demon just does a horrible disservice to the audience. To add to it, the special effects on the demon feel incomplete and very muddy looking, making the film feel very unfinished.

This film started out being in the middle of “The Nic Gauge”, but as it reached the hour mark, it started plummeting. Once the film finished, it now sits comfortably on the lower end of “Terrible”.

NIC GAUGE / Next

MOVIE: Next

STARRING: Nicolas Cage, Cher, Jessica Biel, Julianne Moore, Peter Falk, José Zuñuga, Tory Kittles

RELEASE DATE: April 25th, 2007

WHERE TO WATCH: VOD (Amazon Prime, Apple TV, HBOMax)

By Justin Pomerville (2 Broke Geeks)

José Zuñiga, Nicolas Cage, Jessica Biel and Julianne Moore in 2007’s Next

I knew going into this endeavor that there was going to be a very large amount of films in Nic Cage’s library that were going to be a first-watch experience. Those mainly being the films that took over the 2000’s and a portion of his early career. So from this point on, “The Nic Gauge” is a number-generated list that I pick at random and go from there. I believe this is the fairest way and more importantly, it just takes out the deciding factor. Some days, it will come up with really cool films that might become new classics for me, or in this case, makes me laugh at how ridiculous some of these films can actually be. With that introduction, this week's film was 2007’s Next.

Next is a film loosely based on a 1954 short story called The Golden Man written by Phillip K. Dick. The film was directed by Lee Tamahori (director of 2002’s James Bond Die Another Day and 2001’s adaptation of James Patterson’s Along Came A Spider).

The plot of Next is kind of messy when you really think about it. Cris Johnson (played by Cage) is a Las Vegas magician that possesses the ability to see up to two minutes into the future, but only when it affects him directly. This gift makes him the target of a group of terrorists as well as FBI’s Callie Harris (played by Julianne Moore). Harris wants to recruit Johnson to help thwart the terrorist for they have stolen a nuclear bomb and has a plan to use it in Los Angeles.

Cris Johnson (Nicolas Cage) and girlfriend Liz Cooper (Jessica Biel) in Next

Overall, this movie is not very good. Giving Johnson the ability to see only 2 minutes into his future is a weird choice, and because this film revolves around that idea, it makes the rest of the film feel anticlimactic. Johnson’s girlfriend (played by Jessica Biel) gets kidnapped by the terrorists, and Johnson goes into their lair with the FBI. He just walks his way through all the dangers, giving you nothing to hold on to. On top of that, Next decides that the events of the last hour are just a dream sequence of Johnson somehow seeing into the future by days. Thus, making the main payoff of the film feel hollow. The entire ending sequence is a combination of uninteresting and underwhelming.

There is a line in the film from Johnson that says, “Here is the thing about the future, every time you look at it, it changes, because you looked at it, and that changes everything else”. So the message being he saw how the future would turn out under certain circumstances that involved destruction and death, so he chose a different path. A path we don’t see because we lived through what would be considered the action scenario. It’s not a good way to end a film.

If I could see into the future, I probably would have another better film set up to wash this one out of my head. I place Next on the lower end of the “Nic Gauge” as “Terrible” but pretty close to “Hot Mess”.

NIC GAUGE / Moonstruck

MOVIE: Moonstruck

STARRING: Nicolas Cage, Cher, Olympia Dukakis, Danny Aiello, Vincent Gardenia, John Mahoney

RELEASE DATE: December 18th, 1987

WHERE TO WATCH: VOD (HBOMax, Hulu, Amazon Prime)

By Justin Pomerville (2 Broke Geeks)

Moonstruck is a romantic comedy directed and co-produced by Norman Jewison, written by John Patrick Shanely, and has a great cast. It received 6 nominations at the 60th Academy Awards, with winning Best Original Screenplay, Cher winning Best Actress, ad Dukakis winning Best Supporting Actress. 

Cher plays 37-year-old Loretta Castorini, who accepts the marriage proposal of her boyfriend, Johnny (played by Danny Aiello). Johnny immediately leaves for Italy to attend to his sick mother. Before leaving he asks Loretta to invite his estranged brother, Ronny (played by Cage) to the wedding. Ronny has a bad boy attitude that resents his brother’s good fortune. He blames Johnny for the loss of his girlfriend and literally a hand. In Johnny’s absence, Loretta and Ronny immediately (and I do mean immediately) go to bed with each other, and continues throughout the rest of the film, Loretta slowly realizes she’s falling in love with Ronny. As she is figuring out her situation, she finds the rest of her family suffering from similar problems.

Loretta (Cher) and Ronny (Nicolas Cage) in Moonstruck

The overall story is really good with the idea of love not being as black and white as we perceive it to be. Cher shines in this film, just falling into the role with ease. Cage is pretty reserved by Cage standards for the majority of the film. His introduction is where he really stands out. His whole monologue gives the whole story about his past. Cher and Cage play really well off each other, but I feel some of the dialogue is a bit choppy and rushed. The movie is 1 hour and 42 minutes, and it feels like it just flies by because of how they do a great job pacing the plot the film. It all felt natural, except for that first meet-cute of Cher and Cage. I place this movie in the middle of “OK” on the Nic Gauge.

NIC GAUGE / Color Out Of Space

This year, my goal is to watch all of Nicolas Cage’s films and rate them on the “Nic Gauge”. Some of you are probably sitting there and thinking, “that is a lot of films” and you are correct! As of the day this article was posted, he has a total of 124. 

Join us weekly in the comments and let us know if you agree with my ratings for each.

MOVIE: Color Out of Space (#5 of 124 movies)

STARRING: Nicolas Cage, Joely Richardson, Madeleine Arthur, Elliot Knight, Tommy Chong, Brendan Meyer

RELEASE DATE: September 7th, 2019

WHERE TO WATCH: VOD (Shudder, Amazon Prime, iTunes)

By Justin Pomerville (2 Broke Geeks)

Color Out of Space - Poster Art

A year after “Mandy”, I had the opportunity to attend another Nic Cage film premier with the actor in attendance. This time around, it was for Color Out Of Space. A movie based on the short story by H.P. Lovecraft that follows Nathan Gardner (Cage) and his family as they deal with strange happenings around their New England home. After a meteorite lands in their front yard, their quiet forest home turns into an extremely colorful horror show.

What is really great about this film is the blend of practical effects vs special effects. There is an excellent amount of special effects that really give the film an eerie presence that feels like it comes right out of a Lovecraftian nightmare. In addition, the practical effects not only add to the experience, but there is one scene in particular that feels like they borrowed some tricks from John Carpenter's The Thing but with more alpacas than people.

As for the acting in this film, overall strong performances across the board. Nathan, played by Cage as the alpaca obsessed father, pulls out a decent performance with some of the crazy Cage mannerisms that we come to expect. The rest of the family members do a pretty reputable job as well, with the standout being Lavinia Gardner (played by Madeleine Arthur). Playing the daughter that follows witchcraft and is the first to realize that the family is slowly going into a downward spiral because of the strange happenings.

Nathan (Nic Cage) and Benny (Brendan Meyer) in Color Out of Space

The overall feeling of this film is that the effects are great, the acting is alright, and the story is pretty solid. That is all you really need to be honest. Color Out of Space is a film that sits on the border of “Good” and “OK” on the “Nic Gauge”.

NIC GAUGE / Mandy

It’s a new year and here I am to fill you in on a pretty cool goal/project. This year, my goal is to watch all of Nicolas Cage’s films and rate them on the “Nic Gauge”. Some of you are probably sitting there and thinking, “that is a lot of films” and you are correct! As of the day this article was posted, he has a total of 124. 

I have yet to decide if this list will include animated films like The Croods or Spider-Man Into The Spider-Verse or films where he is a minor character, but I will cross that bridge when I come to it. There are a couple of films I have already reviewed on this site; Pig, Prisoners of the Ghostland and Willy’s Wonderland. If you are curious about my thoughts, you can go check out those articles. 

Join us weekly in the comments and let us know if you agree with my ratings for each.

MOVIE: Mandy

STARRING: Nicolas Cage, Andrea Riseborough, Linus Roache, Ned Dennehy, Olwen Fouéré, Richard Brake, Bill Duke

RELEASE DATE: October 12th, 2018

WHERE TO WATCH: VOD (Shudder, Amazon Prime, iTunes)

By Justin Pomerville (2 Broke Geeks)

Nicolas Cage as Red Miller in Mandy

This film is a fever dream of insanity straight out of Heavy Metal magazine. This is the second film by director Panos Commatos and the story arc is relatively simple; Red Miller (Nicolas Cage) and Mandy Bloom (Andrea Riseborough) live a simple life in the middle of the woods in the Pacific Northwest. Everything turns sour when cult leader, Jeremiah Sand (Linus Roache) sets his eyes on forcing Mandy to join his organization. This causes Red to go on a journey of rage and vengeance of insane proportions.

Mandy, from start to finish is just one psychotic piece of art from start to finish. It fells like a living version of an 80’s metal-themed mural on the side of vans (but fewer dragons and unicorns, and more drugs and death metal bikers). This movie is full of memorable moments of Cage just eating the scenery and most importantly, this film has a sword fight involving two chainsaws. Everyone is great. The story is interesting. For any die-hard Cage fans that are looking for a newer film that has Cage going “full Cage”, this is where I would direct you.

Cast of villains in Mandy

On the “Nic Gauge”, this takes the top of the list, comfortably sitting as absolutely Bloody Awesome with Pig close behind, almost on par. Honestly, the only reason that Mandy beat out Pig was because I had a more personal connection with Mandy as I was lucky enough to go to the premiere and shook Cage’s hand after the film.

Movie Review / Prisoners of the Ghostland

MOVIE: Prisoners Of The Ghostlands

STARRING: Nicolas Cage, Sofia Boutella, Bill Moseley, Teresa Ruiz, Imogen PottsNick Cassavetes, Takato Yonemoto, Kanon Nawata, Tak Sakaguchi, Lorena Kotô

RELEASE DATE: September 17th, 2021

WHERE TO WATCH: Theaters / VOD Rental ( Amazon Prime, Apple, Google Play )

By Justin Pomerville (2 Broke Geeks)

Nick Cassavetes and Nicolas Cage in PRISONERS OF THE GHOSTLAND, Courtesy of Mongrel Media

Back again with the newest Nic Cage film, Prisoners of the Ghostland. The last two films I have reviewed of his had been 50/50 so far, with Willy's Wonderland being less than great, and Pig being one of the best films he has put out since Mandy. So, where will Prisoners of the Ghostland sit upon Justin's self-made "Nic Gauge"?

The plot of the film is fairly simple when it's described to you; Nic Cage (whose character's name is Hero in the cast list) is imprisoned for robbing a bank and being a part of a shooting in the bank. The Governor (played by Bill Mosely) makes a deal with Cage; go and save The Governor's adopted granddaughter, Bernice (played by Sofia Boutella), from The Ghostland. If so, Cage will be set free. To ensure that she is returned safely and unharmed, Cage has to wear a leather onesie that has bombs attached to each wrist, the neck, and one on each testicle. Yup, you read that right.

Sofia Boutella in PRISONERS OF THE GHOSTLAND, Courtesy of Mongrel Media

The overall package of this movie is interesting. There are two locations within the entire film, Samuari Town and The Ghostland. Both look really interesting, but the story provides extremely little information about the places. Samurai Town is a small town that not only has samurai running around, but also cowboys and geishas. The Ghostland seems to be a wasteland in a junkyard that everyone else lives in. Why do they people live there? I'm not sure.

Scene from PRISONERS OF THE GHOSTLAND, Courtesy of Mongrel Media

This film feels like there is a lot of plot that was cut out for unknown reasons. It felt disjointed and everything kind of just happens too easily for Hero. Even when some of his costume bombs explode (I'll let you guess which ones), they just feel like a minor inconvenience for him. Bernice is supposed to have her own path of redemption when you meet her, but it does not actually come across very well.

I commend this film for being pretty insane. I have not seen any other film from director Sion Sono, but I have heard these violent and bizarre films are his kind of thing. But this film felt very empty in terms of dialogue and character development. Was it better than Willy's Wonderland? Yes, but only by a small margin because of how insane Cage acts in this film. He goes nuts.

So, if you want to hear Cage yell "Hiya" and "My Testicle", then this is the movie for you.

Check out Justin’s other “Cage” reviews at www.atomicgeekdom.com and stay tuned for his next “Nic Gauge”.

FOUR EYES REVIEW / Pig

Welcome back to another “Four Eyes” review. We take this moment to share 2 opinions on a single geek topic.

Below both Justin and Jenny will each dive into what they thought about Nicolas Cage’s movie Pig. Join us for an interesting recap.

Let us know your thoughts in the comments or on social media using #foureyesreview

MOVIE: Pig

STARRING: Nicolas Cage, Alex Wolff, Adam Arkin

RELEASE DATE: July 16th, 2021

WHERE TO WATCH (as of September 2021): Theaters / VOD Rental on Amazon Prime - slatted for streaming later on Hulu

FROM JUSTIN POMERVILLE:

The last time I talked about Nicolas Cage, it was about how I was not a fan of Willy’s Wonderland and if you are interested in the reasons, please go check out the Four Eyes Review.

This time, I’m here to talk about his latest feature from Neon, Pig.

Directed by Michael Snaroski in what seems to be his first big feature film, Pig is the story of a master chef, Rob (Nicolas Cage), living in the seclusion of the woods with his truffle sniffing pig. One night, men break into Rob’s cabin and take the pig. Rob now must go back into civilization with the reluctant help of Amir, played by Alex Wolff (Hereditary, Jumanji films).

From the trailer, this film felt like it would be an intense action style flick that follows a similar plot like John Wick. On the surface, that is sort of true but his film is so much deeper and meaningful than that. Throughout the hour and a half runtime, you are taken on an emotional journey where Cage hones in on his more serious acting techniques. There is no over-the-top theatrics or crazy Nic Cage moments that people gif into oblivion. 

This is just a story about loss and holding onto the things we love before they're gone. Learning to be happy with yourself and with what you do. Knowing that you are living to your full potential without sacrificing to make everyone else happy. 

This film is an emotional journey and I’m not afraid to admit that I cried when it finished. We are so used to Cage being attached to so many insane films over the years, that we forget how much of an amazing actor he really is. I hope that down the road, he does more projects like these. I highly recommend you see this film if you can.

Nicolas Cage as Rob in Pig

FROM JENNY ROBINSON:

I can safely say that amongst friends, everyone knows I am not the biggest Nick Cage fan. Don’t get me wrong, I think he’s a tremendously talented actor but his choice in roles sometimes leaves me less than excited. He seems to thrive in the SUPER strange and eclectic movies (e.g. Color Out of Space, Mandy, Willy’s Wonderland), yet I enjoy the more direct characters (e.g. Raising Arizona or Leaving Las Vegas). I am not sure where Pig lands in those black and white categories. It may need to be placed within those vast shades of grey that fall in-between. 

As you may have guessed, I did not rush out to see Pig. “Why do I need to see John Wick but with Nicolas Cage and a Pig instead of Keanu and a puppy?” is what went through my mind. It takes a lot to motivate me to jump for Cage and after what felt like a million messages telling me I had to watch this, I finally did.

It was way better than I anticipated. The reason is that instead of a violent crime movie the trailers had me believe, it was more just a sad accumulation of a mysterious man’s life and his beloved pig. The violence almost feels out of place in spots where the determination of the character was a better fit throughout. 

Nicolas Cage has some top notch emotional scenes throughout the movie. Some moments had me (as the audience) relating intensely to his despair. It’s a very sad story about rejection and forgiving ones self even if ultimately leading to tragic heartache. The only happy ending this story left me with was similar to ripping the bandaid off giving a potential chance to heal. This applies for all parties involved. 

That being said, this movie was weird but Cage is weird. 

I also feel that Alex Wolff steals the show. His character Amir is dramatically more relatable and empathetic than Cage’s Robin Feld. Following Amir’s struggle for respect (in his fathers eyes) brought such a secondary layer to the movie. Adam Arkin’s portrayal of Amir’s father Darius also just doubles down on the emotional and unexpected reaction of what deceptively appears to be cookie-cutter characters yet are much more complex. 

So in summary, I give this a thumbs up. It’s not your average Nicolas Cage film. It’s emotional and way more than just about a pig.

Rob played by Nicolas Cage and Amir played by Alex Wolff