CATCHING UP WITH FILM - THE QUEST FOR A PERSONAL CANON

This year, I am going to try to get through the whole oeuvre of Nicolas Cage because my fascination with this man and his contradictions is endless. God help me. Matchstick Men (2003) Ridley Scott was a director who knew enough to let Nicolas Cage work and bring his unique energy to his character. At first, all the signs point towards a bad movie that doesn’t know how to use Cage. His character is strongly defined by his obsessive compulsive disorder and all the usual signs o

This year, I am going to try to get through the whole oeuvre of Nicolas Cage because my fascination with this man and his contradictions is endless. God help me. To borrow a term from the two friends on the Blank Check podcast, this movie is so sweaty, literally and figuratively. Other than the large man sweats that Nicolas Cage’s twin brothers Charlie and Donald Kaufman accurately suffer through, this movie, and the screenplay specifically, has to exert itself so hard to mak

This year, I am going to try to get through the whole oeuvre of Nicolas Cage because my fascination with this man and his contradictions is endless. God help me. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin (2001) I happened to love the Louis de Bernieres’ novel that this movie was supposedly based on for its colorful characterizations and beautifully drawn relationships not just between the central couple but everyone else. Instead, this movie is a thudding bore that made this vibrant novel,

This year, I am going to try to get through the whole oeuvre of Nicolas Cage because my fascination with this man and his contradictions is endless. God help me. Gone in 60 Seconds (2000) Gone in 60 Seconds is basically just another slick Bruckheimer production. The man knew how to deliver a product that would do well in theaters and provide solid B entertainment, and occasionally, these movies could transcend their lowly origins when a director was really given some serious