Nic Cage Is An "Army Of One"

Army of One (2016)  

Rated R

Starring Nicolas Cage, Russell Brand, Wendy McLendon-Covey

Directed by Larry Charles

The Story:

When Gary Faulkner (Cage) gets a message from God (Brand) to go find Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan, the unemployed handyman on dialysis sets out on his holy crusade.

Is this the part where I say it's based on a true story?

Of course it is.

And filing this one under the truth is stranger than fiction department, it is indeed a crazy ride that Faulkner embarked on, and came so very, very, very close to succeeding.

How close?

Well, let's just say that within days of Faulkner's last attempt, mission accomplished.

You can draw your own conclusions from there.

So when you say you need to portray a man that's just this shy of crazy on screen, who can you turn to?

The obvious answer is Nic Cage. And he's at his manic best...and yet...he's also oddly restrained.

Toning down his usual over-the-top Cageisms, he channels the feelings of man who is sincerely convinced that God wants him to find Bin Laden when all other efforts have proven futile.

The movie wanders a bit here and there, but for the most part, you remain glued to the proceedings wondering what the heck is going to happen next with Faulkner.

In that case, mission accomplished!

Final Grade: C+ 

The Nic Cage Experience..."Gone In Sixty Seconds"

Gone In Sixty Seconds (2000)

PG-13

Starring Nicolas Cage, Angelina Jolie, Giovanni Ribisi, Will Patton, Delroy Lindo, Timothy Olyphant, Chi McBride, Robert Duvall,

Directed by Dominic Sena

The Story:

"Memphis" Raines (Cage) is an ex-car thief who went straight years ago. When his little brother (Ribisi) gets in over his head in a car-theft deal, it's up to Memphis to save the day, and his brother's life. He reassembles his old crew (McBride, Duvall, Jolie and more!) to get a mountain of cars stolen in one night. Meanwhile, the cops (Lindo, Olyphant) know he's up to something and are out to bust him.

This is just plain, stupid fun.
:)

I have no idea how much of this film is a remake of the 70s film by the same name, and I don't really care.

This is an all-star, popcorn film that doesn't disappoint.

And that says something, because Nicolas Cage is a myriad of disappointment on many of his films.

However, when he's on, and they're fun, there's no stopping how fun it can be!

(See Con-Air for the best example of Nic Cage/All-Star popcorn fun!)

The fact that this is a heist/caper film helps sway my opinion as well.

The movie is fun, dialogue is hilarious and the action stunts are amazing.

So many stars, many in different phases of their career (starting or peaking), but for me, it all works.

This is one of those films that if it's on, I'm watching it.

Which is why this review is coming now (better late than never) because when I had cable, I was surfing and it was on, so I watched.

Still loved it.

Great B movie fun.

In fact..

Final Grade: B+

And The Oscar Goes To... "Drive Hard"

Drive Hard (2014)

N/R (R)

Starring Thomas Jane, John Cusack

Directed by Brian Trenchard-Smith

The Story:

Peter (Jane) is a former race-car driver who left the thrills and spills and moved with his family to Australia. He now teaches people how to be drivers. Cue the appointment with Simon (Cusack) who takes him out for a lesson, then along for the ride of his life!

Throw caution to the wind, and watch a pair of American actors race across the Outback eluding the police!

Cusack is having a ball as the bad guy, but not as bad of a guy as you might think...

Jane waffles between amused and bemused as the poor driver taken hostage and forced to work his old magic to keep himself alive.

But that's just it, this is a cheesy, cornball of a movie where it seems like they said, hey, Australia wants to make a movie two, here's a pair of actors you can use, have fun with it.

They did.

You're rolling your eyes one minute, and then laughing in spite of it the next.

Cusack has been doing a lot of these films that are coming straight to streaming or otherwise missing the appearance in theaters.

Whether he's doing it "for the paycheck" or not, that's a whole different argument.

He at least is always a professional and gives a good performance and that is commendable.

I wasn't expecting much, heck, I thought it was a sequel to Nic Cage's Drive Angry at first, but I stayed for the whole thing and didn't feel bad about those 90 minutes slipping away.

:)

Currently available to stream on Netflix as of this writing.

Final Grade: C+

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I could watch it again in the future, but I've got plenty of other things to watch first! :)

A Movie That Will Put You In A "Rage"

Rage (2014)

Rated R

Starring Nicolas Cage, Rachel Nichols, Danny Glover

Directed by Paco Cabezas

The Story:

Paul Maguire (Cage) is a former criminal who has lived the straight and narrow life for some time. However, when his daughter is kidnapped, and then turns up murdered, he assumes that members of the Russian mob have decided to come after him.  So he rounds up his old buddies, and they search for his daughter's killer, using any means necessary.

Never heard of this one?  It was originally titled "Tokarev".

Never heard of that one either?

You're not missing anyting.

Cage's latest direct-to-DVD affair (or at least it seems like it) is the worst yet.

Stolen was pretty good. The Frozen Ground had its moments. Seeking Justice was okay.

I watched this one, but the eyes pretty much glassed over by the halfway point.

Thankfully, I had homework to keep me occupied and I kept looking back up to see if the movie was getting any better.

Nope, just louder and more violent.

Your typical twists and turns as the body count rises.

Then, there's the big reveal of who really killed his daughter.

I was only half-paying attention, and I figured out the killer an hour earlier, and could have easily saved the lives of 30 extras.

:)


Available to stream on Netflix as of this writing.

Final Grade: C-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Nah, the latest in a string of Cage's direct to DVD features is my least favorite of the bunch.

A John Cusack Kind Of Weekend: "The Frozen Ground"

The Frozen Ground (2013)
Rated R for language and violence

Starring Nicolas Cage, John Cusack, Vanessa Hudgens

Directed by Scott Walker

The Story:

Alaskan State Trooper Jack Holcombe (Cage) has been on the hunt for a notorious serial killer.  Robert Hansen (Cusack) seems like a stand-up guy in the community, but someone is abducting young girls, torturing them, and then leaving them for dead out in the wilderness.  When Cyndy Paulsen (Hudgens) escapes, this is the first break that the troopers have in catching their man.  However, Cyndy is hardly reliable, and Hansen's been covering his tracks for decades.

Naturally, based on a true story.

Cage reins his usual out-there self in with this role, and plays a no-nonsense trooper ready to head to the Lower 48, but wanting to close out this last case before he goes. 

Cusack is effectively creepy and sadistic, playing completely against type as a man with a deep, dark secret.

It's a slow build that's definitely moody and atmospheric.

Given the wild terrain and abilities of pilots, it's no wonder Hansen was able to pull off his treachery.

The conclusion of the film is worth it, and this winds up being a touching tribute to the ladies that were lost to this filth.

Available to stream instantly on Netflix as of this writing.

Final Grade: B-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Once was good.  Creepy, but good.

Read This Review...Or the Bunny Gets It! "Con Air"

He's got the whole world...
In his hands!

The Story:

Ex-Ranger Cameron Poe (Nicolas Cage) gets sent to prison for killing a man in self-defense.  He does his time, and when it's time to go home, he decides to hop a flight on Con-Air, a prison transport.  But not just any transport, this one is moving the worst of the worst, and they just decided to break free.  If Poe has any hope of getting home to see his wife and daughter, he's going to have to save the day.

If I say "popcorn movie", this is the movie that could easily be in the dictionary as the definition.

It's loud.
It's crazy.
It's fun.

In fact, while Cage is playing his best cajun-accented hero, he gets support from some of the best villains ever assembled:

John Malkovich. Danny Trejo. Ving Rhames. Steve Buscemi.

They're chewing up the scenery, and making Poe's life miserable.

Realizing that he has a sense of duty to a friend onboard, as well as a female marshal who will likely be killed if he leaves her alone, Poe passes up an opportunity to leave the plane and plots to save the day from inside the plane.

Luckily, he's got some help on the ground in the form of John Cusack who races to help Poe get to safety.

The movie is fast-paced, written by Scott Rosenberg who also helped Cusack with High Fidelity and went back for Cage once more with Gone in 60 Seconds.

Given that this was the first time Simon West sat in the director's chair, he knocked it out of the park.  He could never have made another movie, and I would have considered him a great one-hit wonder. 

West sort of disappeared, but came roaring back in the last few years with The Mechanic and Expendables 2 last year. 

Welcome back to the Popcorn Movie genre Mr. West, you've been missed!

Yes, I can pop this movie in, anytime and just lose myself in 2 hours of pure adrenaline fun.

It's not a perfect movie...

But it's perfectly fun!

Final Grade: A

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I own it. I love it. I have seen it so many times, I've lost count! :)

What's the Best Kind of Gold? "Stolen"

There's gold in them there banks...

The Story:

4 criminals: Will (Nicolas Cage), Vincent (Josh Lucas), Riley (Malin Ackerman) and Hoyt (M.C. Gainey) are pulling off a $10 Million Dollar heist under the nose of the FBI.  As they attempt to getaway, Will and Vincent scuffle over killing a janitor, Will shoots Vince in the leg, throws him in the van and goes back to get the money...and his partners drive away.  Will is caught, sent to prison, and 8 years later he returns to New Orleans.  The FBI agents (Danny Huston and Mark Valley) are watching Will to see where he stashed the money.  Vince, presumed dead by the FBI returns to steal Will's daughter, and is holding her ransom for $10 million, and if he doesn't get it in 12 hours, the girl is dead.

What would you do?

This flick gets savaged by critics, opens in about a dozen theaters and disappears onto Netflix streaming, so it must suck, right?

Not so fast...

Apparently Nicolas Cage has moved to New Orleans and is going to do nothing but star in direct to DVD thrillers for the rest of his career.  That's okay if the output is like Seeking Justice or this one, which is even better.

If the worst complaint I can muster about this one is that it's like a 90s action movie... well that's actually pretty good praise, as the 90s cranked out some great popcorn movies.

Check your brain at the door, and just have fun.

Cage (and Gainey) re-team with Simon West who helmed one of the greatest (# 61 on my Top 100) 90s action flicks: Con Air.

Is this as good?

Nope, you don't have the cast and budget to pull off that spectacle here.

But they make the most with what they've got, and that actually works.

The story tightly weaves within New Orleans over the course of a day as Will frantically races throughout a Fat Tuesday New Orleans to find his daughter before resorting to return to a life of crime to save his little girl.

The ending climax is a bit over-the-top, but forgivable.

Available to stream instantly on Netflix as of this writing.

Final Grade: B-

Would I Own It: Yes, I could get this one and watch it again.

A Secret Society for "Seeking Justice"

How far would you go for revenge?

The Story:

When Will (Nicolas Cage) finds out that his wife (January Jones) has been assaulted and raped, he makes a deal with Simon (Guy Pearce), a stranger he meets at the hospital, to have the man who did this to his wife killed, in exchange for a favor down the road.  At first he hesitates, then he agrees.  True to his word, the offender winds up dead, and then suddenly Will is being asked to kill another sex offender.  Will isn't a murderer, but Simon and his partners are very persuasive.  The race is on as Will has to try and clear his name, and get out from under Simon's thumb in this thriller set in New Orleans.

This is another film that came out, and didn't last long in theaters, if it even showed in theaters.

It's really not that bad.

I'm not sure which is the worst part of the film: Cage's goatee or Pearce's shaved head.  Both seemed wrong and unnatural to me.

: )

It's a by the numbers thriller with twists that you expect, and maybe some you don't.

Nothing monumental, but nothing that doesn't hold your attention while you watch it, and that's a good thing.

Now streaming on Netflix as of this writing.

Final Grade: C+

Would I Own It: Probably not, but if it was playing, I could watch it again.

100 Greatest Movies of All Time...That I Own. # 51 ~ The Rock

Well, we know that the list was already perfected by the appearance of Nicolas Cage.

So apparently, it is now two times as perfect as it could have been, because Cage strikes again!

However, this movie lands on the countdown on the strength of Sean Connery's performance.

The 90s basically saw Connery wind down his acting career, but he went out with a bang, giving us The Rock and Entrapment (and Finding Forrester) before hanging up his accent.

I debated over which movie would make it, and in the end, the over-the-top action of The Rock beat out Catherine Zeta-Jones sliding under lasers...but only barely. : )

The addition of the always stellar Ed Harris as a misguided Marine also helped  push this movie onto the list with the pure starpower (and firepower!) from the assembled actors.

For those that haven't enjoyed this Michael Bay action-fest, the story in a nutshell:

Some Marines take over Alcatraz and threaten to launch the ever-deadly V-X rockets onto the Bay Area.  Naturally, the government doesn't think that's a very good idea,  so they send in one of their best agents (Cage) along with a former British Spy (Connery) who was the only man to successfully escape from...

The Rock!

Mayhem ensues.

Glorious mayhem!

As only Michael Bay can deliver.

And yes, you can mark me as a Michael Bay fan.

His first three movies (Bad Boys, The Rock and Armageddon) are all movies that hold up to repeated viewings, and Bad Boys made the original list, and then found itself bumped at the last second.  Armageddon was not in the running, because I can never fully get behind a movie that kills Bruce Willis.

Now if only Bay would stop directing movies about Autobots... unless they are voiced by Sean Connery!

100 Greatest Movies of All Time...That I Own. # 61 ~ Con Air

Everyone has a favorite Nicolas Cage role.
Don't lie, you know you do.

And no list of 100 Greatest Movies can truly be complete without an appearance by Nicolas Cage.  Amazingly, this will not be Mr. Cage's only appearance on the countdown.







You've been warned!

Today, I proudly present you with Nicolas Cage's greatest movie:  Con Air!

I can feel the eyes rolling from here, but this movie is all kinds of awesome, wrapped in greatness, and deep-fried in outstanding.

It probably shouldn't be, but it is.

It's Die Hard...on a plane!  Mostly.

It's Nicolas Cage, with his best Elvis Impression since Honeymoon in Vegas as a convicted Army Ranger (in one of the most bogus travesties of justice ever committed on screen...) who finally gets out of jail and simply wants to go home and see his wife, and the little girl who was born while he was in prison.

Naturally, the most effective way to get our hero home: 

Fly on a planeload of felons being transferred to another prison facility.

What could possibly go wrong?

Everything.

And then some!

Your gang of villains is headed up by the always enjoyable John Malkovich.  He chews the scenery as usual, and that is a good thing.  Ving Rhames provides the muscle.  Then you bring in the always effective, uber-creepy Steve Buscemi...

Who steals the whole movie right out from under everyone.

Then you have your cop on the ground (see, I told you, Die Hard on a Plane!) where John Cusack (!!) attempts to stop that plane... by himself.

That's right, John Cusack went action star on you, right before your eyes.

The DVD should come with a side order of bacon and s'mores, that's how awesome it is.

I can't begin to tell you the number of times I've watched this one.  But it's a lot.

And I've loved every viewing of it.

Simon West should have stopped directing after this, his first feature.  We'll see how he does at the helm of Expendables 2.