Simon Reynolds Mar 2, 2018Beyond Jerry Bruckheimer's The Rock and Con Air, here are a handful of Nicolas Cage films worth seeking out.It’s very easy to get lost with Nicolas Cage. On his day, Nicolas Cage can still deliver work that reminds us why he was once one of the most sought-after actors in Hollywood. And while Cage has made great sport of going big or not going at all in one puzzling project or another over the past couple of decades, every few years or so, he seems to find a film that reminds us just what a uniquely gifted actor he really is. Those who loved the recent heavy metal-ish ride “Mandy” may also appreciate this one. It’s a sweet film with a very charming Cage performance in its center and Fonda is great as well. He plays Joe Ransom, a drinker and gambler whose only companion is his snarling bulldog. What else can we want from a film like this? Given the sheer volume of major properties at their disposal, it hardly came as a surprise when Disney dominated the annual list of the year’s highest-grossing movies in 2019. Even if it was at the hands of a better director instead of Gore Verbinski, someone who understands how to capture such character studies on screen, maybe the film would even be better, but it still is an original and great attempt on itself. Both John Carter and The Lone Ranger went down in history as two of the biggest bombs ever, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time may have become the most successful video game adaptation ever but it still posted a loss, while Ava DuVernay’s lavish A Wrinkle in Time also sank without a trace. Cage is excellent in the leading role as a man who finds himself in a kind of trouble that he certainly didn’t expect. Top 10 Underrated Nicolas Cage Movie Performances. Snake Eyes (1998) Admittedly, Snake Eyes is not a great film. Cage is on fine form here, but he’s matched every step of the way by Rockwell and Alison Lohman, who’s excellent as Frank’s estranged daughter. It has a lot of grindhouse elements, lots of crazy stuff, and the story just never stops delivering. 02 March 2018 ... 2018 Beyond Jerry Bruckheimer's The Rock and Con Air, here are a handful of Nicolas Cage films worth seeking out. Certainly, it’s violent and a bit of an “ugly” film to watch, but it’s a gripping mystery, very atmospheric and it creates a very specific world around the fictional snuff underground; as our hero goes to the dark side, you feel on the same journey with him and it’s not just a film here just to shock you. Both actors are perfect in the lead roles and they almost complete each other; both are showy roles but they don’t try to outshine each other, which is why it works so great to see them together. “Racing with the Moon” is one of the first major roles for Cage, right after “Valley Girl,” and he’s pretty strong in it, as is Sean Penn in one of his early great performances when he was not overacting all the time like he has in some of his recent stuff. It’s everything and more you can ask from such a movie. Overall, “Guarding Tess” is harmless, amusing entertainment for those who never get tired of watching such old-fashioned feel-good stories with some funny and sad moments. The two have only six weeks before they have to start their service. Valley Girl tends to get overlooked in the discussion of great ‘80s teen movies but it’s well worth seeking out, if only to see Cage in his first starring role. Cage also had a prolific career at nearly every stage of his career, so not surprising that some of the entertaining stuff ended up getting overlooked." Parker managed to bring the complexities of the original novel it was based on by William Wharton. Cookies help us deliver our Services. But Cage is also great; no matter if it’s a comedic moment where he is goofing around or during any of the film’s more emotional, dramatic moments, he manages to be effective. Posted on June 22, 2020 June 22, 2020 by Mansur Zeynalov. Поможем Иннокентию! One can expect it to get mixed reviews; but seriously, this negative? Beyond Jerry Bruckheimer's The Rock and Con Air, here are a handful of Nicolas Cage … and the continued fascination surrounding his unmade Superman film, you’d be forgiven for losing sight of the fact that he’s a bona fide, megawatt movie star. It has twists and turns, it has some unexpected character revelations, some excellent turns by an almost all-star ensemble cast and so much more. Not without some action-y moments, but it’s still mostly a character-driven comedy. x. The film was sort of inspired by a real life story but beyond the basic premise, it’s mostly fictional. Matchstick Men is one of the most underrated movies in recent years and it also ends with one of the most jaw-dropping and shockingly plausible plot twists ever conceived on film. Cage’s first “auteur” effort came through with his collaboration with Alan Parker on “Birdy,” a powerful and complex story on friendship, post-war trauma, the horrors of war, being free, and just a poetic tribute to flying away. Ridley Scott tends to shift between mammoth studio blockbusters and smaller, character-driven fare led by a major A-lister. He later made other great stuff for movies, especially the soundtrack for “The Last Temptation of Christ,” but “Birdy” remains a great achievement on its own. Brown, who is the bar owner and – as Mike will find out later – also the sheriff of the place, gives Williams half of the $10,000 agreed as payment. Matchstick Men falls definitively into the latter category, and it’s one of those films that flies under the radar when talk of Scott’s best films comes up. Here Cage plays Randy to Deborah Foreman’s Julie in a modern riff on Romeo and Juliet, giving a performance of charm, charisma and the incredible delivery of the improvised line “Well fuck you. With ‘Cage Rage’ memes, the tales of celebrity eccentricity (remember when he turned on Bath’s Christmas lights?) Privacy Policy (http://www.tasteofcinema.com/privacy-notice-and-cookies/) Theme by, Taste of Cinema - Movie Reviews and Classic Movie Lists, 10 Underrated Nicolas Cage Movies You’ve Probably Never Seen, Taste of Cinema – Movie Reviews and Classic Movie Lists, 10 Forgotten Movie Masterpieces of World Cinema. Unfortunately, though, more often than not the 56 year-old is more than happy to just show up for the paycheck, and his drop from the top of the A-list to the biggest name in direct-to-video genre movies has been rather interesting to watch. Here are 10 of them that show the different sides of Cage’s talent. Honorable Mentions: his somewhat rare villainous turn in “Kiss of Death”; the very passable Christmas comedy “Trapped in Paradise”; De Palma’s over-criticized “Snake Eyes”; and despite the logical flaws in Proyas’ “Knowing” and one of his DTV-ish films “Seeking Justice,” both are enjoyable. It's called The Croods, and it finds Cage playing a well-meaning caveman, who is seriously stuck in his ways, and is eventually forced to evolve when fate pushes him well out of his comfort zone. The film’s opening credits, showing the lifecycle of a bullet, is unforgettable. Another one of Disney’s big hopes was The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, which re-teamed National Treasure duo Nicolas Cage and Jon Turteltaub for a $150 million fantasy blockbuster loosely based on a segment from Fantasia. An Underrated Nicolas Cage Movie Hits Disney Plus This Week. He’s proud of this film, calling it an “edgy, thought-provoking, independent-spirited” film alongside his other film in the same year, the great “Lord of War.” And he should be.