ARMY OF ONE (2016)

Directed By: Larry Charles 
Written By: Rajiv Joseph & Scott Rothman 
Cinematography By: Anthony Hardwick 
Editor: Christian Kinnard 

Cast: Nicholas Cage, Russell Brand, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Paul Scheer, Will Sasso, Rainn Wilson, Denis O’Hare 


Frustrated with the U.S. Government for its fruitless efforts to bring down Al-Qaeda's leader Osama Bin Laden, the eccentric middle-aged, part-time construction worker Gary Faulkner, after a personal visit by God himself, takes the decision to embark on an adventure in the badlands of Pakistan to get the job done. With the intention to bloodlessly capture and bring the infamous, yet, elusive leader to justice, Colorado's former handyman turned vigilante, will overlook his problems with diabetes and meticulously prepare for the long and perilous journey. Between reality and pre-dialysis hallucinations, armed only with a telescope, katana and a Stars and Stripes hang glider, this American samurai on a mission from God is determined to take matters into his own hands and succeed at any cost. Is he a hero or a crackpot?

KNOWING (2009)

Directed By: Alex Proyas 
Written By: Ryne Douglas Pearson, Juliet Snowden & Stiles White 
Story By: Ryne Douglas Pearson 
Cinematography By: Simon Duggan 
Editor: Richard Learoyd 

 Cast: Nicholas Cage, Rose Byrne, Ben Mendelsohn, Liam Hremsworth

KISS OF DEATH (1995)

Directed By: Barbet Schroeder
Written By: Richard Price
Story By: Eleazer Lipsky
Based on the Original Screenplay by: Ben Hecht & Charles Lederer
Cinematography By: Luciano Tovoli
Editor: Lee Percy

Cast: David Caruso, Nicholas Cage, Helen Hunt, Samuel L. Jackson, Ving Rhames, Stanley Tucci, Michael Rapaport, Kathryn Erbe, Paul Caledron, Philip Baker Hall, Anthony Heald, Kevin Corrigan, Hope Davis,

8MM (2012)

Directed By: Joel Schumacher Written By: Andrew Kevin Walker Cinematography By: Robert Elswit Editor: Mark Stevens Cast: Nicholas Cage, Joaquin Phoenix, James Gandolfini, Peter Stomare, Anthony Heald, Chris Bauer, Norman Reedus, Catherine Keener Private investigator Tom Welles is hired by the recently widowed Mrs. Christian who has found a startling pornographic film in her late husband's possessions. In the film a teenage girl is apparently killed and Welles is pretty sure it's a genuine snuff film. He takes the case, first going through records of runaways finally identifying the girl and learning that she may have run off to California. There he enters the seedy underworld of pornography with the help of Max California, a porn store clerk. His principal clue is the masked man who killed the girl as he has a unique tattoo on his hand. He soon finds the culprits but there is little satisfaction in resolving the mystery. There is a really good film in here. The script is good I delves into the darkness that Screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker (SEVEN) usually likes to explore. Though it feels like it needs a little more defined characters and refinement. It might nor actually be the fault of the writer more the Director’s interpretation of his original screenplay and not fully understanding or feeling the material. Not communicating his ideas in the way they should be to fully interpret the material. The film feels like it would be more powerful in the right hands, like David Fincher who turned down the film. The actual script by Andrew Kevin Walker was reworked by Joel Schumacher and Nicholas Kazan after Walker left the project in disagreement with the director. The film's production encountered concerns regarding the dark subject matter, and the studio asked Andrew Kevin Walker to lighten the film's tone. With Joel Schumacher as director, Walker felt a rewrite would no longer be needed. But as it turned out, Schumacher supported the studio and made changes of his own, leading to a much-publicized fallout between the two, with Walker virtually disowning the film and walking away from the set. He refused to even watch the film. The enema porno film seen at the porn swap meet is a genuine S&M film that was heavily edited for inclusion in the main movie. This is a dark detective story that I feel just fell into the wrong hands to bring it to the screen. Joel Schumacher is a good popcorn movie director. I am in the minority of film fans out there that doesn’t hate him. None of his films are begging to be put as a social change film or any greatest film list. He makes popcorn entertainment plain and simple. His films follow and jump genres and are meant to entertain that’s it.Sorry he messed up the batman series of films. He’s not a deep director nor would any person who made ST ELMO’S FIRE, But he has a stylistic eye as a former Interior Decorator. This was not the type of film for him. The plot is extremely similar to that of Hardcore in which a man (George C. Scott) hires a private detective to track down his daughter after she runs away and he sees her in a 8MM porno movie. The plot is also very similar to a book called "The Cutting Room" by Louise Welsh in which an estate auctioneer finds disturbing photos among a client's porno collection and endeavors to find out if the girl in the pictures was actually killed. This is a well structured film that involves a seedy underground world and characters. This film needed to be more mid-range budgeted and have a director who is used to material like this. Here the film tries, but comes off a little too polished and the underground here looks too mainstream. Like what a person in the suburbs would picture it with designer clothing, Especially Peter Stomare. Nicholas Cage should being his element in a film like this, but he looks constipated and bored. He gives a similar flat performance. Joaquin Phoenix in a role first offered to Mark Wahlberg seems to be at least having fun with his role, but… SPOILER When he dies. So does most of the films good graces and credibility. END SPOILER The film has some good stand alone scenes. Like the battle of Nicholas Cage Vs. The Machine. I was even intrigued by the character of the machine, but for the most part the film felt off. In full disclosure. I did read the script before seeing the film. So maybe I am bias of having a picture in my head that didn’t match what I saw on screen. The film has so much potential that you can see trying to bust out. It seems to be a matter of wasted talent. I wish someone could come along and remake it. The film is not horrible it may even be a satisfying rental for you, but to me it is a very flawed piece of work. I saw this in the movie theater for free and still felt disappointed as the film kept going. I just sank deeper and deeper in my seat. GRADE: C+

GHOST RIDER (2007)

Written & Directed By: Mark Steven Johnson Cinematography By: Russell Boyd Editor: Richard Francis-Bruce Cast: Nicholas Cage, Eva Mendes, Donal Logue, Peter Fonda, Wes Bently, Sam Elliott, Rebel Wilson

SEASON OF THE WITCH (2011)

Directed By: Dominic Sena
Written By: Bragi F. Schut
Cinematography By: Amir Mokri
Editor: Dan Zimmerman, Mark Helfrich & Bob Ducsay

Cast: Nicholas Cage, Ron Perlman, Stephen Campbell Moore, Christopher Lee, Robert Sheehan, Ulrich Tomasen, Claire foy, Stephen Graham

FACE/OFF (1997)

Directed By: John Woo
Written By: Mike Werb & Michael Colleary
Cinematography By: Oliver Wood
Editor: Steven Kemper & Christian Wagner

Cast: John Travolta, Nicholas Cage, Joan Allen, Alessandro Nivola, Nick Cassavetes, Gina Gershon, Robert Wisdom, Dominique Swain, Harve Presnell, Colm Foere, CCH Pounder, John Caroll Lynch, Danny Masterson, Margaret Cho, Thomas Jane, Kirk Baltz, Lisa Boyle

DRIVE ANGRY 3D (2011)

Directed By: Patrick Lussier
Written By: Patrick Lussier & Todd Farmer
Cinematograpy By: Brian Pearson
Editor: Patrick Lussier & Devin C. Lussier

Cast: Nicholas Cage, William Fichtner, Amber Heard, David Morse, Billy Burke, Todd Farmer, Christa Campbell, Charlotte Ross, Tom Atkins, Katy Mixon

KISS OF DEATH (REMAKE) (1995)

Directed By: Barbet Schroeder
Written By: Richard Price
Story By: Eleazer Lipsky
Based On The Original Film Written By: Ben Hecht & Charles Lederer
Cinematography By: Luciano Tovoli
Editor: Lee Percy

CAST: Samuel L. Jackson, David Caruso, Helen Hunt, Kathryn Erbe, Michael Rapaport, Nicholas Cage, Stanley Tucci, Ving Rhames, Paul Caledron, Jay O. Sanders, Philip Baker Hall, Anthony Heald, Kevin Corrigan, Anne Meara, Hope Davis

The film is about a ex-con who ends up going to jail for a crime he tried to help his cousin with. while in prison his wife is killed and he decides to help the feds by going undercover to catch the boss who he did the job for but as usual complications rise and a lot of dirty dealing and double crosses.

This was one of the most exciting trailers I had seen at the time. So I anxiously wanted to see this film though it didn’t live up to the trailer I enjoyed it none the less.

Coming on the heels of PULP FICTION at the time it came out it borrows heavily from that film. The quirks and at least three cast members that make it feel like a sort of Pulp fiction redux at times. Which beat many of the imposters that started to be made for years afterward.

None of the characters feel realistic in this film. They feel like movie characters, Normally this would be ok but when you are trying to look gritty and truthful it doesn’t at all it looks like a polished production. I would go as so far as to say it feels like a LAW & ORDER episode come to life the locations and the plot are reminiscent only this time it focuses more on the criminal side of the equation.

The cast is great with the characters and there quirks. Nicholas Cage gives one of his best performances as kind of a comic book villain sequel gangster in a realistic world with all his bulked up muscle. It shows a certain dedication to the role. David Caruso is a consummately good actor whose personal life and attitude may have cost him film roles before he got NYPD BLUE he was a dependable character actor then after he decided to leave the show at it’s height of popularity to be a movie theater. It was a bad decision that he seemed to keep getting punished for and hurt his career until he got another hit TV series. Before he would pop up here and there in various films this was one of his first starring roles that was a hit that made him decide to leave the show. But here he proves he has what it takes to play a lead.

This was the first Stanley Tucci Performance I remember vividly. It made me really notice and pay attention to him as an actor.

This film feels like a graphic novel version of a gritty pulp thriller. It’s too colorful and gloss to be a true down and dirty tale. Though it surprisingly funny in a lot of scenes intentionally. It has scenes of Nicholas cage bench pressing strippers and Samuel l. Jackson as a FBI agent with a constantly tearing eye. But it is a fun film that is never boring. Though he does get over his dead wife rather quick.

A Satisfying Rental

GRADE: C+