The Movies, Films and Flix Podcast – Episode 451 – The Scenes Where A Character Jumps in Slow Motion to Catch Something/Someone Draft
You can download or stream the pod on Apple Podcasts, Tune In, Podbean, or Spreaker (or wherever you listen to podcasts…..we’re almost everywhere).
If you get a chance please make sure to review, rate and share. You are awesome.
Mark and Nicholas Rehak (@TheRehak on Twitter) draft their favorite moments that feature a character jumping in slow motion to catch someone or something. In this episode, they talk about the slow motion jumping scenes in Encino Man, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Army of Darkness, Cliffhanger, Guardians of the Galaxy and more! Enjoy!
If you are a fan of the podcast, make sure to send in some random listener questions (we love random questions). We thank you for listening, and hope you enjoy the episode!
You can download the pod on Apple Podcasts, Tune In, Podbean, or Spreaker.
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John’s Horror Corner: Prom Night II: Hello Mary Lou (1987), a very Nightmare on Elm Street-ish makeover for the classic slasher source material.
MY CALL: So much more exciting than its 1980 predecessor, and more fun, gory and campy like a Freddy Krueger sequel. This was a blast! MORE MOVIES LIKE Prom Night II: First off, I’d skip the remake Prom Night (2008) and even the original Prom Night (1980). I’d avoid even associating this with the slasher subgenre, lest we deviate to the supernatural demon slasher Freddy Krueger… in which case I’d recommend the Krueger sequels A Nightmare on Elm Street parts 2-5 (1985-87; podcast discussions).
From the time we meet her in a 1957 Catholic confession booth, we learn right away that high school prom queen Mary Lou (Lisa Schrage; Food of the Gods II) is no angel. In fact, quite the opposite, and proud of it! When a vengeful prank from scorned boyfriend Bill accidently leads to Mary Lou horribly burning to death, her vile spirit is trapped in the high school basement and her killer eventually grows up and becomes the principal of their high school.
So 30 years later, Principal Bill Nordham’s (Michael Ironside; Still/Born, Extraterrestrial, Scanners, Turbo Kid) son Craig (Louis Ferreira; Dawn of the Dead, Sav IV) is taking Vicki (Wendy Lyon; The Shape of Water, Kaw) to the prom. And when Vicki accidentally opens an old trunk entrapping Mary Lou’s essence, she and Mary Lou become connected.
Director Bruce Pittman (Maniac Mansion) does not come from an impressive horror pedigree. However, from the opening scenes and effects during Mary Lou’s fiery death, I’m inclined to call this superior to the original Prom Night (1980) in overall entertainment value. Despite some expected, classic 80s death scene hokiness, the subsequent kills remain at a superior level to the low bar set in 1980.
With chalk boards turning into gravity-defiant pools of death with drowning arms reaching out, murderous animated bedsheets, a demonic rocking horse with an inappropriate tongue, and what appears to be the Upside Down evil version Vicki’s high school… the nightmarish daydream sequences and evil imagery harken a very strong influence from A Nightmare on Elm Street parts 1-3 (1984-87). The same similarity can be recognized for the death scenes themselves. So whereas Prom Night part I was very much a typical mysterious 80s slasher, part II felt rather clearly like a Freddy Kruegerless Elm Street sequel. Let’s not forget that our vengeful evil spirit was burned to death by the father of our protagonist’s boyfriend, not unlike John Saxon’s relationship with Fred Krueger.
Once fully possessed by Mary Lou, Vicki’s body becomes a vessel of revenge on those who wronged her decades ago as well as a vessel of sultry desire. But this film focuses more on classic Freddy-like shenanigans rather than devolving into a cheap sexy succubus killer movie. My favorite death scene was probably the simplest: the gym locker crush, complete with gooey pink sludge oozing out of the vent! Delicious.
For 80s horror, the pacing is really solid. There’s a lot of good horror action, diversity of effects, and not even the innocent are safe from Mary Lou’s wrath. And yet somehow this movie just keeps getting yet better! The finale has a gore-slathered Mary Lou literally ripping her way out from inside Vicki’s body. So wonderfully gross, it feels like Carrie (1976) meets Demons (1985).
This is the rare sequel that is completely unlike its predecessor and also vastly superior in most every possible way. I really enjoyed this!
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Dinner in America (2020) – Review by Jonny Numb
DINNER IN AMERICA (2020)
By Jonny Numb – Make sure to listen to the Feel Good series that he’s recorded with us. The episodes include Elle, Only God Forgives, Dragged Across Concrete, Super Dark Times, Bad Lieutenant, and more!
Grade – (A- per the MFF criteria)
When we’re young, we do stupid stuff. We bob up and down in an ocean of peer pressure and raise our hands for a life preserver of belonging. We don’t wanna be conformists (because conformists are squares), but we strive for acceptance all the same. There’s a lot we don’t understand when we’re muddling through forced public education and dodging bullish jock in gym class.
I remember the time I pinched a beer from a friend’s father’s mini-fridge and promptly threw up from drinking it too fast. The time I pinched myself with a nail clipper, leaving a permanent scar on my left hand. Or the time, post-high school, when a group of friends decided to pass around a taser and administer shocks, just to see what it felt like.
Adam Rehmeier’s Dinner in America hypothesizes that we get no closer to understanding the stupidity of the actions that govern our youth when we’re adults. And when the youth inevitably become adults – with their mortgages and notions of propriety and “family time” – it turns out they’re just as clueless (if not more so). Some philosophers have posited that with age comes wisdom…but that seems like an overly optimistic assessment.
And besides…in the grand cosmic joke of human existence, what is the point of wisdom if we’re too old and physiologically deteriorated to apply it to our lives? That’s the rub.
There are shades of SLC Punk in Dinner in America, with its sensibility toward coming of age as a jaded outcast in a desolate and deadly dull hellscape. That said, an existential darkness also worms its way into the acerbic proceedings. There’s a bit of David Cronenberg’s Maps to the Stars, too – a virulent strain of diseased “Americana” that the current gatekeepers of “propriety” have tried so hard to normalize.
Dinner in America is similarly caustic, preoccupied with the abrasion of family life in modern America, with parents who range from the permissive to the grossly intolerant. In an early moment that sets the tone for what’s to come, a sexually repressed housewife (Lea Thompson) pounces on the sneering bad-boy charm of Simon (Kyle Gallner), an arsonist and punk rocker on the lam from the cops. In this vision of suburbia, the slightest hint of excitement or danger is met with eager carnal desire.
While on the run, Simon encounters Patty (Emily Skeggs), an oblivious yet empathetic community-college dropout. He ingratiates himself into her family and, through an awkward dinner where he pretends to be a missionary from Tanzania, finds a place to hole up while the heat dies down. Crusty yet suave, callous but caring, Simon makes for an unlikely foil to Patty, whose naivete renders her a paragon of purity.
And, through the layers of his tough, no-f**ks-given persona, Simon is a kindred spirit, albeit on the opposite end of the social spectrum. He flings off-the-cuff opinions at anyone within earshot, indifferent to his targets’ reactions (he’s a bit like David Thewlis’ character in Naked). The difference between him and an unlikable-for-unlikable’s sake indie-film protagonist is the kernels of often disagreeable truth within his observations that glisten like corn in sh*t.
During a meeting with his bandmates, Simon gets into a heated argument about a gig with a popular band. The bandmates see it as an opportunity to make some money to retrieve their masters from a label head and get some exposure in the process. Simon sees it as a sellout move, antithetical to his punk ethos. The idealistic 20-year old in me cheered his fortitude, while the grounded 41-year old couldn’t help but wonder if his more Melvin bandmates had a point.
Simons and Pattys are standard-issue characters in more straightforward teen comedies – the rebel and the outcast who are both outcasts – but seldom do they seem as keyed-in to the withering dream of suburbia in the age of COVID (even though the film’s Sundance premiere predated the pandemic).
Rehmeier is an unconventional filmmaker – his previous efforts explored themes from dehumanization (The Bunny Game) to unsettling religious fervor (Jonas). For as colorful and contemporary as Dinner in America feels, its sense of exaggeration in the sterile living rooms and kitchens of expensive modern homes carries the feeling of Gen-X parents trying their damnedest to reconcile their moral compass against a world that’s evolved far past their understanding.
In that regard, Patty’s shell-shocked, uptight dad (Pat Healy) and mom (Mary Lynn Rajskub) are just as lost in the world as Simon and Patty, unaware that adult life doesn’t come with an instruction manual. That Rehmeier makes us understand different generational perspectives – not to mention dealing with adoption in a way that gives a supporting character a neat arc – speaks to the thoughtfulness of Dinner in America overall.
Such paradoxes permeate the film: looking through a lens of who you were and who you are, and the growth gap between the two. I could easily see this becoming a cult favorite in the vein of Ghost World, where bits and pieces of ourselves manifest in different characters as time moves on. One of the great things about cinema is how the profundity of truly great movies manifests in different ways over the course of decades. Dinner in America is incendiary and timeless, an indicator of where we’ve been and where we might be going.
Bio: Jonny Numb (aka Jonathan Weidler) is a contributor at Crash Palace Productions and co-host of The Last Knock horror podcast. His writing also occasionally appears at The Screening Space. And, despite his skepticism toward the merits of Deep Blue Sea, has somehow appeared on numerous episodes of the MFF podcast. You can find him on Twitter and Letterboxd @JonnyNumb.
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The Movies, Films and Flix Podcast – Episode 450: Breakdown (1997), Kurt Russell, and Powdered Sugar Doughnuts
You can download or stream the pod on Apple Podcasts, Tune In, Podbean, or Spreaker (or wherever you listen to podcasts…..we’re almost everywhere).
If you get a chance please make sure to review, rate and share. You are awesome.Mark and John Leavengood (@MFFHorrorCorner on Twitter) discuss the 1997 thriller Breakdown. Directed by Jonathan Mostow, and starring Kurt Russell, J.T. Walsh, and some powdered sugar doughnuts, the movie focuses on what happens when a group of maniacs attempt to mess with Kurt Russell. In this episode, they also talk about terrible trips, 1997 cinema, and J.T. Walsh. Enjoy!
If you are a fan of the podcast, make sure to send in some random listener questions (we love random questions). We thank you for listening, and hope you enjoy the episode!
You can download the pod on Apple Podcasts, Tune In, Podbean, or Spreaker.
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John’s Horror Corner: Prom Night (1980), an early 80s slasher starring Jamie Lee Curtis.
MY CALL: Extremely weak kills and basically nothing happens on screen. Really, there’s no reason see it except for early 80s Jamie Lee Curtis nostalgia. Sorry. MORE MOVIES LIKE Prom Night: First off, I’d skip the remake Prom Night (2008). There are many early 80s slashers of much better quality. I’d recommend Maniac (1980), The Prowler (1981), Madman (1981), Pieces (1982) and maaaaaybe even The Slumber Party Massacre (1982).
IMDB summary–“At a high school senior prom, a masked killer stalks four teenagers who were responsible for the accidental death of a classmate six years previously.”
Hot on the coattails of Halloween (1978), director Paul Lynch (Humongous) calls on the early 80s scream queen to play Kimberly Hammond (Jamie Lee Curtis; Halloween, Halloween H20, Virus), our main protagonist and daughter to her high school’s principal Mr. Hammond (Leslie Nielsen; Creepshow, Dracula: Dead and Loving It).
With prom around the corner, our high school senior perps start getting strange phone calls and calling cards from our whispery killer, who stalks them closely. Red herrings abound. High school groundskeeper Mr. Sykes (Robert A. Silverman; The Brood, Scanners, Jason X) feels like the inspiration of the similar character in Pieces (1982), as are many other aspects of this film echoed in the 1982 classic.
Focused on her debut as prom queen, Kim pays less attention than she probably should to her (and their) obvious stalker. From Kim’s perspective, her greatest threat is her arch-frenemy Wendy (Anne-Marie Martin; The Boogens, Halloween II).
While not at all unusual for the era, there is no satisfying action in the first hour—not even a respectable opening death scene. Just a lot of bickering teen angst and man-sealing prom drama. And once the action does finally start, it’s really pretty soft on the horror (in terms of effects and on-screen violence). The first prom murder is an off-screen throat slit with the bloody results seen only after the fact, followed by off-screen stabbing (also bloodily revealed after the fact), and then off-screen ax attack (yup… bloody after the fact). There’s only one on-screen kill worth mentioning: a proper beheading, right before the “meh” reveal of the killer’s identity.
The only real reason to watch this movie is for the Jamie Lee Curtis nostalgia. Truly, there are many early 80s slashers of much better quality.
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The Movies, Films and Flix Podcast – Episode 449: The Green Knight, Dev Patel, and A24
You can download or stream the pod on Apple Podcasts, Tune In, Podbean, or Spreaker (or wherever you listen to podcasts…..we’re almost everywhere).
If you get a chance please make sure to review, rate and share. You are awesome.
Mark and Lisa (@FoolishMinion20 on Twitter) discuss the 2021 fantasy film The Green Knight. Directed by David Lowery, and starring Dev Patel, Alicia Vikander, Joel Edgerton, and a cheeky Green Knight, the movie is an adaptation of the 14th-century poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. In this episode, they also talk about beheadings, giants, and literary adaptations. Enjoy!
If you are a fan of the podcast, make sure to send in some random listener questions (we love random questions). We thank you for listening, and hope you enjoy the episode!
You can download the pod on Apple Podcasts, Tune In, Podbean, or Spreaker.
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MY CALL: If you’re in the market for green-screened guts, black magic curses, boobed pig monsters, and birth-robbing crotch-vampirism, then look no further! The very premise of this film is the product of unfettered screenwriting lunacy and, thankfully, subsequent filmmakers stood on the shoulders of the minds behind Bali to get even weirder. MORE MOVIES LIKE Mystics in Bali: For yet more bonkers Asian horror, consider Seeding of a Ghost (1983; aka Zhong gui), The Devil’s Sword (1984), Evil Dead Trap (1988; aka Shiryô no wana), Lady Terminator (1989), The Boxer’s Omen (1983; aka Mo, Black Magic 4) and, of course, Black Magic (1975). Though not Asian, I’d also recommend the Demon Seed (1977), The Manitou (1978), Re-Animator (1985), From Beyond (1986) and Bride of Re-Animator (1990) for some wild horror that packs some awkward insanity laughs and out there concepts.
Boasting a movie poster labeling this “the Holy Grail of Asian Cult Cinema,” Mystics in Bali has always been something I wanted to see. For decades I’ve seen images and posters in Fangoria magazine and websites and horror convention artists’ booths, building to the eventual day that I finally just bought the movie! And having just recently enjoyed another Asian cult movie (The Boxer’s Omen) also featuring a flying disembodied head dangling its guts below, today just felt like the day to watch it!
Based on the novel Leák Ngakak, the story follows American occult researcher Cathy (Ilona Agathe Bastian) who is interested in learning the practices of Leák black magic solely for the purpose of writing a book about it. So her friend Mahendra (Yos Santo; The Devil’s Sword) arranges for her to meet a monstrously disfigured evil witch (Sofia W.D.; The Queen of Black Magic) known as the greatest master of the Leák, who agrees to teach her. What could possibly go wrong?
The dialogue with the elderly witch has the maturity and exposition of a child’s fairy tale, and Cathy’s first lessons in black magic are visually just as silly. The animal transformation scenes are… well… they tried. But the major special effect of this movie is when Cathy’s head flies away from its body with her bodily organs and guts in tow. The effects are done by some pretty poor rotoscoping, and lack the grossout appeal for which we’re accustomed in newer movies. However, in concept, the movie remains an oddity in that Cathy has become a sort of floating head vampire which feeds on unborn children still inside their mother during childbirth. Are you thinking what I’m thinking? Yup, I’m reminded of that scene from Re-Animator (1985) as well!
Unfortunately, we only witness this gag three times, and only once with any “feeding” action. So it’s mostly just a head flying around with its lungs and intestines dangling about, often on a hokey zipline cord when not green-screened. Personally, I’d prefer more birth-robbing crotch-vampirism. But that’s just me.
How crazy one considers this movie will be inversely affected by the number of crazy Asian movies they’ve seen prior. If you’ve seen few such insane oddities, then this will be a ridiculous delight. If you’ve seen many, then it will seem less provocative; even tame for its wacky subgenre. So all told, (for me) this movie isn’t super exciting at all. However, it clearly paved the way for subsequent, and even more nutty movies. So for his service to wild cult cinema, we owe director H. Tjut Djalil (Dangerous Seductress, Lady Terminator) a great debt. And speaking of wild cult cinema, the final fight would lead me to suggest The Manitou (1978)—which is also an amazing piece of completely unfettered cinema lunacy. This final fight in Bali is extremely clunky with wooden acting and yet more rigid action choreography. The “laser fighting” is laughably stupid, the “boobed” pig monster was ridiculous, and when the battle ends… so does the movie! Huh? Just roll the credits? Alright, I guess.
I’ve seen a lot of wild Asian horror, and this one is very patient and thorough in its storytelling and exposition. In fact, the story actually makes more sense than most of these zany Asian movies. Given the far slower pacing of Mystics in Bali, I’m inclined to consider The Boxer’s Omen (1983) the far more bonkers and vastly superior of the two films. But credit must be given that Mystics clearly influenced Omen. This film is… special.
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The Movies, Films and Flix Podcast – Episode 448 – Celebrating the One Year Anniversary of Malignant
You can download or stream the pod on Apple Podcasts, Tune In, Podbean, or Spreaker (or wherever you listen to podcasts…..we’re almost everywhere).
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Mark and David Cross (@ItsMeDavidCross on Twitter) celebrate the one year anniversary of the beautiful horror film Malignant. Directed by James Wan, and starring Annabelle Wallis, Maddie Hasson, George Young, and an awesome villain named Gabriel. In this episode, they talk about chair throws, horror weapons, and the brilliance of James Wan. Enjoy!
If you are a fan of the podcast, make sure to send in some random listener questions (we love random questions). We thank you for listening, and hope you enjoy the episode!
You can download the pod on Apple Podcasts, Tune In, Podbean, or Spreaker.
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John’s Horror Corner: Glorious (2022), a gloriously gory, gross and squishy cosmic horror chamber thriller in a rest stop bathroom.
MY CALL: Awesomely disgusting cosmic horror with a heavy dose of well-written, feisty dark comedy. If you love Lovecraft and indie squishy tentacle horror, then step right up. This was a very pleasant surprise. Very well made! MORE MOVIES LIKE Glorious: Wanna keep things gross and cosmic? Easy… The Color Out of Space (2019) and Mandy (2018).
After breaking up with his girlfriend (Sylvia Grace Crim; The Hunt, Unhinged) and swan diving into depression, Wes (Ryan Kwanten; True Blood, Flight 7500, Dead Silence) finds himself trapped in a rest stop bathroom where he is coerced to save all existence by a self-proclaimed God named Ghatanothoa (J.K. Simmons; Dark Skies, Jennifer’s Body) preaching cosmic mysticism though a glory hole in toilet stall. Yes, you read that right. Through a glory hole.
By some manner of supernatural means at Ghat’s disposal, Wes is trapped in the restroom, presumably until he submits to Ghat’s rather robustly intimate request to save all humanity. Ghat challenges Wes’ sense of self, guilt and responsibility, while trying to convince him to act on behalf of the universe. Outside the bathroom, strange signs cue us to the obvious weirding that has afflicted the area—e.g., a strange purple flower dripping thick ooze.
Curious to put a face to the enigmatic voice, Wes’ attempts at glimpses into the mysterious stall reveal squishy, squirmy, wet tendrils attached to a grotesque mass largely obscured from our most curious view. What is this thing? This… God? Is this Wes’ mental breakdown fueling psychotic hallucinations? Is this some twisted Jacob’s Ladder scenario of his troubled purgatory after falling asleep drunk at the wheel? Or is this… really happening?
The tone readily shifts from ominous to happy-go-lucky, going from shocking glimpses of imagery of alien morphology to gleeful scoring as we first meet a road-weary Wes. At times, the scoring is even cartoonish, playful, feisty. The same can be said for JK Simmons’ lines; playfully provocative, amusingly inquisitive, self-satisfied in his own mystique. There is a strong dark comedy vibe, and I dig it very much.
This film does an excellent job capturing the provocative nature of something you mustn’t see, for if you do you may go mad simply by viewing and comprehending its maddening, indescribable form. Yet the temptation itself is somewhat maddening. Ghat warns again and again not to look upon him, and Wes again and again is tempted. For a chamber horror, this film is imbued with a strong grasp of cosmic horror—and I love that sensation.
Director Rebekah McKendry (All the Creatures Were Stirring) has come a long way since her first feature film, and I am impressed. This is probably nothing I need to own, but I’m so glad I watched it. I love cosmic horror and, on an indie budget, this is cosmic horror done so very well. It may not be the ultra-dark, inside-out gory stuff of Brian Yuzna (From Beyond) and the creature effects may be limited, but this was cool. Moreover, it was very well acted, produced, written and directed. It’s kind of like a one-act play… but with tentacles and blood.
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MFF Data – Nicolas Cage, Sleeveless Shirts, and His Filmography – An In-Depth Study
Quick Note – This Nicolas Cage data is silly. Enjoy the randomness of a thoroughly detailed, slightly pointless, and time consuming dumb movie data article. Also, make sure to listen to our podcast episodes about this data and the time he ran around in a bear suit in The Wicker Man.
This data article came about because earlier this year I was talking to someone about Con Air (because I’m the co-host of Con Air – The Podcast), and Nicolas Cage’s 1990s action run, and the conversation led us to discussing the mythical being known as “Tank Top Nic Cage,” the man who has appeared in Raising Arizona, Moonstruck, Con Air, Kiss of Death, Valley Girl, Birdy, The Boy in Blue (watch the trailer please), Wild At Heart, Red Rock West and The Croods (both of them). These are some of Cage’s most well-regarded movies, and they also feature him wearing a sleeveless t-shirt. I began to wonder if there was any correlation between his clothes selection and the critical/audience/box office averages. Also, I recently watched the 2019 movie Primal (listen to the episode we recorded about it) and noticed that he wears a henley throughout. Then, I thought back to Dying of the Light, Rage, Inconceivable, A Score to Settle and Looking Glass and remembered that he wore a henley in those low rated movies. These two clothing choices were enough to fuel my research to see if “Tank Top Nic Cage” is the ultimate Nic Cage.
To figure out the data, I watched every Nic Cage movie (thank you every streaming service invented, Hoopla and my local library) and logged all the instances in which he wore a sleeveless t-shirt, leather jackets (which he is known for), suits/tuxedos, or a henley t-shirt. I didn’t count uniforms (the pilot uniform in Left Behind doesn’t count as a suit, it’s a uniform), and included all other clothing options in a “None” category. In 8 MM, Cage wears all four of the clothing options I researched, thus, 8 MM is included in all the categories.
Quick Note – In movies like World Trade Center, he’s buried underneath rubble for the majority of the screen time. I didn’t feel the need to watch every minute of the film. I don’t want you thinking that I slacked on my research though. There are blink-and-you-miss-it sleeveless shirt moments in Looking Glass and Joe, so I knew I had to take the data collection seriously. I’ve just known when I could fast-forward. I also had to rewatch many of the films because I originally only planned to cover sleeveless t-shirts. However, I noticed the suit/leather jacket/henley trends so decided to include them.
Here are the overall averages throughout his career.
- IMDb User Score Average – 5.89
- Rotten Tomatoes Average – 48.6%
- Worldwide Box Office Average (not inflated) – $102 million
- Academy Award Wins – One – 1996 – Best Actor in a Leading Role – Leaving Las Vegas (1995) – He was nominated for Best Actor in 2003 for Adaptation.
Sleeveless T- Shirts or Tank Tops (Vests not included)
IMDb User Score Average – 6.12
- Theatrical Release Average – 6.58
- VOD Average – 4.9
Rotten Tomatoes Average – 54.9%
- Theatrical Release Average – 62.5% – Highest of all the averages
- VOD Release – 30.8%
- Worldwide Box Office Average (not inflated) – $89 million
- # of movies – 22
- # of Fresh movies – 12 (54.5% of them are Fresh)
- # of movies with a 7.0 or higher IMDb score – 7 (31.8%)
Quick thoughts – With Raising Arizona, Moonstruck, Valley Girl, Red Rock West, Birdy, Joe and The Incredible Weight of Massive Talent in this category, it’s easy to understand why it has the highest IMDb and Tomatometer average. The category is loaded. Toss in Racing With the Moon, Wild at Heart, Kiss of Death, The Croods and The Croods 2, and you have a solid group of Fresh, but not wildly loved (by critics) movies.
The 0% rated Deadfall didn’t help the “Tank Top Nic Cage” category, BUT, if you are a Cage completist, you need to watch it (Arsenal too).
Cage performances you need to watch
- Kiss of Death – Little Junior Brown is a beast.
- Joe – It’s proof Cage was crushing it in the 2010s
- Valley Girl – Cage is a solid romantic lead
| MOVIE | IMDb Score | Tomatometer Score | Year Released | Worldwide Box Office |
| Valley Girl | 6.4 | 83 | 1983 | 17 |
| Birdy | 7.2 | 80 | 1984 | 1 |
| Racing With the Moon | 6.7 | 60 | 1984 | 5 |
| The Boy in Blue | 5.3 | NA | 1986 | NA |
| Raising Arizona | 7.3 | 90 | 1987 | 23 |
| Moonstruck | 7.1 | 93 | 1987 | 80 |
| Fire Birds | 4.7 | 10 | 1990 | 15 |
| Wild at Heart | 7.2 | 67 | 1990 | 15 |
| Deadfall | 4 | 0 | 1993 | NA |
| Red Rock West | 7 | 97 | 1993 | 10 |
| Kiss of Death | 5.9 | 68 | 1995 | 15 |
| Con AIr | 6.9 | 57 | 1997 | 224 |
| 8MM | 6.6 | 23 | 1999 | 96 |
| Captain Correlli’s Mandolin | 5.9 | 28 | 2001 | 62 |
| Bangkok Dangerous | 5.3 | 9 | 2008 | 47 |
| The Croods | 7.2 | 72 | 2013 | 573 |
| Joe | 6.8 | 86 | 2014 | NA |
| Between Worlds | 4 | 32 | 2018 | NA |
| Looking Glass | 4.6 | 21 | 2018 | NA |
| A Score to Settle | 4.7 | 15 | 2019 | NA |
| The Croods 2 | 6.9 | 77 | 2020 | 215 |
| The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent | 7 | 86 | 2022 | 25 |
Suits/Tuxedos/Suit Jacket
IMDb User Score Average – 6.04
- Theatrical Release Average – 6.54
- VOD Average – 5.02
Rotten Tomatoes Average – 48.2%
- Theatrical Release Average – 56.5%
- VOD Average – 28.2%
- Worldwide Box Office Average (not inflated) – $94 million
- # of movies – 55
- # of Fresh movies – 23 (41.8% of them are Fresh)
- # of movies with a 7.0 or higher IMDb score – 12 (21.8%)
Quick thoughts – There are some beautiful movies in this category (Adaptation, Face/Off, Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, Leaving Las Vegas), and it makes me happy that his prison trilogy (or Beige Volvo Trilogy) features him wearing suits in Face/Off, The Rock, and Con Air
It’s worth noting that Leaving Las Vegas (won an Oscar) and Adaptation (Nominated for an Oscar) feature him wearing a suit AND dying. Is that his Oscars formula?
Cage performances you need to watch
- Matchstick Men – So so so good.
- Vampire’s Kiss – It’s his favorite performance.
- Adaptation – He plays two characters. Perfection.
| MOVIE | IMDB | Tomatometer Score | Year | Worldwide Box Office |
| Fast Times at Ridgemont High | 7.1 | 78 | 1982 | 27 |
| Valley Girl | 6.4 | 83 | 1983 | 17 |
| Birdy | 7.2 | 80 | 1984 | 1 |
| Racing With the Moon | 6.7 | 60 | 1984 | 5 |
| The Cotton Club | 6.5 | 77 | 1984 | 26 |
| The Boy in Blue | 5.3 | NA | 1986 | NA |
| Peggy Sue Got Married | 6.4 | 86 | 1986 | 41 |
| Raising Arizona | 7.3 | 90 | 1987 | 23 |
| Moonstruck | 7.1 | 93 | 1987 | 80 |
| Vampire’s Kiss | 6 | 61 | 1989 | NA |
| Zandallee | 4.3 | 33 | 1991 | NA |
| Honeymoon in Vegas | 5.8 | 65 | 1992 | 35 |
| Deadfall | 4 | 0 | 1993 | NA |
| Amos and Andrew | 5.7 | 17 | 1993 | 9 |
| It Could Happen to You | 6.4 | 71 | 1994 | 38 |
| Trapped in Paradise | 5.9 | 5 | 1994 | 6 |
| Guarding Tess | 6.2 | 56 | 1994 | 27 |
| Leaving Las Vegas | 7.5 | 91 | 1995 | 50 |
| The Rock | 7.4 | 69 | 1996 | 336 |
| Con AIr | 6.9 | 57 | 1997 | 224 |
| Face/Off | 7.3 | 92 | 1997 | 241 |
| Snake Eyes | 6.1 | 40 | 1998 | 104 |
| 8MM | 6.6 | 23 | 1999 | 96 |
| Gone in 60 Seconds | 6.5 | 25 | 2000 | 233 |
| The Family Man | 6.8 | 53 | 2000 | 125 |
| Captain Corelli’s Mandolin | 5.9 | 28 | 2001 | 62 |
| Adaptation | 7.7 | 91 | 2002 | 33 |
| Sonny | 5.6 | 22 | 2002 | NA |
| Matchstick Men | 7.3 | 82 | 2003 | 59 |
| National Treasure | 6.9 | 46 | 2003 | 331 |
| Lord of War | 7.6 | 61 | 2005 | 60 |
| The Weather Man | 6.6 | 59 | 2005 | 15 |
| The Wicker Man | 3.7 | 15 | 2006 | 38 |
| Next | 6.2 | 28 | 2007 | 74 |
| National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets | 6.5 | 36 | 2007 | 457 |
| Bangkok Dangerous | 5.3 | 9 | 2008 | 47 |
| Knowing | 6.2 | 34 | 2009 | 186 |
| Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans | 6.6 | 86 | 2009 | 12 |
| The Sorcerer’s Apprentice | 6.1 | 40 | 2010 | 218 |
| Trespass | 5.3 | 9 | 2011 | NA |
| Seeking Justice | 6.1 | 28 | 2012 | NA |
| Stolen | 5.5 | 20 | 2012 | 18 |
| The Frozen Ground | 6.4 | 61 | 2013 | NA |
| Dying of the Light | 4.5 | 11 | 2014 | NA |
| Rage | 5 | 12 | 2014 | NA |
| Pay the Ghost | 5.1 | 10 | 2015 | NA |
| The Runner | 4.7 | 24 | 2015 | NA |
| Dog Eat Dog | 4.7 | 49 | 2016 | NA |
| Snowden | 7.3 | 61 | 2016 | 35 |
| The Trust | 5.4 | 63 | 2016 | NA |
| Vengeance | 5.2 | NA | 2017 | NA |
| Arsenal | 4 | 3 | 2017 | NA |
| A Score to Settle | 4.7 | 15 | 2019 | NA |
| Prisoners of Ghostland | 4.2 | 61 | 2021 | NA |
| The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent | 7 | 86 | 2022 | 25 |
Other Wardrobe
IMDb User Score Average – 5.6
- Theatrical Release Average – 6.34
- VOD Average – 5.02
Rotten Tomatoes Average – 47.5%
- Theatrical Release Average – 59.9%
- VOD Average – 32.5%
- Worldwide Box Office Average (not inflated) – $94 million
- # of movies – 31
- # of Fresh movies – 12 (38.7% of them are Fresh)
- # of movies with a 7.0 or higher IMDb score – 4 (12.9%)
Quick thoughts – With Pig, Kick-Ass, Mandy, Color Out of Space, Bringing Out the Dead and Army of One, this category features some legit films, but they can’t make up for Left Behind, Season of the Witch, Outcast, Grand Isle, 211, and USS Indianapolis.
Cage performances you need to watch
- Mandy – It’s a sensory blasting experience
- Bringing out the Dead – Tired Nicolas Cage = Excellent Nicolas Cage
- Pig – Dude should’ve been nominated for an Oscar. Maybe if he wore a suit…
| MOVIE | IMDB User Score | Tomatometer Score | Year | Worldwide Box Office |
| Rumble Fish | 7.1 | 75 | 1983 | 3 |
| Time to Kill | 5.1 | NA | 1989 | NA |
| Never on Tuesday | 4.6 | NA | 1989 | NA |
| City of Angels | 6.7 | 58 | 1998 | 199 |
| Bring out the Dead | 6.8 | 72 | 1999 | 17 |
| Christmas Carol – The Movie | 5.4 | 13 | 2001 | NA |
| Windtalkers | 6.1 | 33 | 2002 | 78 |
| World Trade Center | 6 | 66 | 2006 | 163 |
| The Ant Bully | 5.8 | 62 | 2006 | 50 |
| Grindhouse | 7.5 | 84 | 2007 | 50 |
| G-Force | 5.1 | 22 | 2009 | 293 |
| Astro Boy | 6.2 | 50 | 2009 | 42 |
| Kick-Ass | 7.6 | 76 | 2010 | 98 |
| Season of the Witch | 5.4 | 11 | 2011 | 91 |
| Drive Angry | 5.4 | 47 | 2011 | 41 |
| Left Behind | 3.1 | 0 | 2014 | 21 |
| Outcast | 4.6 | 4 | 2015 | NA |
| USS Indianapolis | 5.2 | 17 | 2016 | NA |
| Army of One | 5.1 | 25 | 2016 | NA |
| 211 | 4.4 | 4 | 2018 | NA |
| Humanity Bureau | 4.6 | 25 | 2018 | NA |
| Mom and Dad | 5.5 | 75 | 2018 | NA |
| Mandy | 6.5 | 90 | 2018 | NA |
| Teen Titans | 6.7 | 91 | 2018 | 52 |
| Spider-Verse | 8.4 | 97 | 2018 | 375 |
| Grand Isle | 4.6 | 0 | 2019 | NA |
| Running With the Devil | 5.4 | 24 | 2019 | NA |
| Kill Chain | 5 | NA | 2019 | NA |
| Jiu Jitsu | 2.9 | 28 | 2020 | NA |
| Color out of Space | 6.1 | 86 | 2020 | NA |
| Pig | 6.9 | 97 | 2022 | 4 |
Leather Jackets
IMDb User Score Average – 5.75
- Theatrical Release Average – 6.05
- VOD Average – 4.98
Rotten Tomatoes Average – 42.8%
- Theatrical Release Average – 44.8%
- VOD Average – 38.2%
- Worldwide Box Office Average (not inflated) – $99 million
- # of movies – 24
- # of Fresh movies – 9 (37.5% of them are Fresh)
- # of movies with a 7.0 or higher IMDb score – 5 (20.8%)
Quick thoughts – Call me crazy, but his most famous leather jacket moment was in Gone in 60 Seconds. It’s a part of his character.
Cage performances you need to watch
- Wild at Heart – Wowza
- Lord of War – Cage is really good in Lord of War. It’s an appreciated performance but it’s not one of his most talked about (aside from cinephile circles)
- Willy’s Wonderland – I love this movie. He has a great bathroom fight with an evil gorilla
Leather jacket fact – For years I thought he wore a leather jacket in Snake Eyes. He didn’t. Turns out it’s a rust brown-colored suit constructed from a polyester/cotton blend woven with narrow horizontal ribs and slubbed for a silky sharkskin effect of gold fleck detailing.
| MOVIE | IMDB User Score | Tomatometer Score | Year | Worldwide |
| Valley Girl | 6.4 | 83 | 1983 | 17 |
| Birdy | 7.2 | 80 | 1984 | 1 |
| Fire Birds | 4.7 | 10 | 1990 | 15 |
| Wild at Heart | 7.2 | 67 | 1990 | 15 |
| Face/Off | 7.3 | 92 | 1997 | 241 |
| 8MM | 6.6 | 23 | 1999 | 96 |
| Gone in 60 Seconds | 6.5 | 25 | 2000 | 233 |
| The Family Man | 6.8 | 53 | 2000 | 125 |
| Lord of War | 7.6 | 61 | 2005 | 60 |
| The Wicker Man | 3.7 | 15 | 2006 | 38 |
| Next | 6.2 | 28 | 2007 | 74 |
| Ghost Rider | 5.2 | 27 | 2007 | 230 |
| Bangkok Dangerous | 5.3 | 9 | 2008 | 47 |
| The Sorcerer’s Apprentice | 6.1 | 40 | 2010 | 218 |
| Ghost Rider 2 | 4.3 | 18 | 2012 | 149 |
| The Frozen Ground | 6.4 | 61 | 2013 | NA |
| Dying of the Light | 4.5 | 11 | 2014 | NA |
| Rage | 5 | 12 | 2014 | NA |
| Inconceivable | 5.1 | 31 | 2017 | NA |
| Vengeance | 5.2 | NA | 2017 | NA |
| Between Worlds | 4 | 32 | 2018 | NA |
| Willy’s Wonderland | 5.5 | 60 | 2021 | NA |
| Prisoners of Ghostland | 4.2 | 61 | 2021 | NA |
| The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent | 7 | 86 | 2022 | 25 |
Henley
IMDb User Score Average – 5.45
- Theatrical Release Average – 6.35
- VOD Average – 5
Rotten Tomatoes Average – 32.3%
- Theatrical Release Average – 48.75%
- VOD Average – 25%
- Worldwide Box Office Average (not inflated) – $45.5 million
- # of movies – 13
- # of Fresh movies – 3 (23% of them are Fresh)
- # of movies with a 7.0 or higher IMDb score – 1 (7.69%)
Quick thoughts – Uff da. Willy’s Wonderland, Adaptation, and It Could Happen to You are worth watching. Also, Fire Birds and Seeking Justice are a good time.
Cage performances you need to watch
- Deadfall – It’s insane
- Fire Birds – It’s Cage’s Top Gun.
- Primal – The guy who directed worked as the 2nd Unit Director on RRR (2022).
| MOVIE | IMDb User Score | Tomatometer Score | Year | Worldwide Box Office |
| Fire Birds | 4.7 | 10 | 1990 | 15 |
| It Could Happen to You | 6.4 | 71 | 1994 | 38 |
| 8MM | 6.6 | 23 | 1999 | 96 |
| Adaptation | 7.7 | 91 | 2002 | 33 |
| Seeking Justice | 6.1 | 28 | 2012 | NA |
| Dying of the Light | 4.5 | 11 | 2014 | NA |
| Rage | 5 | 12 | 2014 | NA |
| Pay the Ghost | 5.1 | 10 | 2015 | NA |
| Inconceivable | 5.1 | 31 | 2017 | NA |
| Looking Glass | 4.6 | 21 | 2018 | NA |
| A Score to Settle | 4.7 | 15 | 2019 | NA |
| Primal | 4.9 | 37 | 2019 | NA |
| Willy’s Wonderland | 5.5 | 60 | 2021 | NA |
Fun Charts
Last stat – His movies are better off when he only wears one of these items.
- Only one item (Leather Jacket, Henley, Suit, Sleeveless T-Shirt) – 52.8% Tomatometer Average
- Two items worn – 47.1% average
- Three items worn – 39.8% average
- Four items worn – 23%
Which is the best outfit and why?
- Sleeveless T-Shirt – 54.9% – Tomatometer Average
- Sleeveless T-Shirt AND a Suit – 52%
- Sleeveless T-Shirt AND a Leather Jacket – 48.75%
- Leather Jacket AND a Suit – 46.25%
- Henley AND a Suit – 32.3
- Henley AND a Leather Jacket – 24.5%
- Sleeveless T- Shirt AND a Henley – 16%
Which kind of clothing is featured most in his highest ranked films?
| Movie | Tomatometer | Clothes |
| Spider-Verse | 97 | NA |
| Red Rock West | 97 | Sleeveless |
| Pig | 97 | NA |
| Moonstruck | 93 | Sleeveless/Suit |
| Face/Off | 92 | Suit/Leather |
| Adaptation | 91 | Suit/Henley |
| Leaving Las Vegas | 91 | Suit |
| Teen Titans | 91 | NA |
| Raising Arizona | 90 | Sleeveless/Suit |
| Mandy | 90 | NA |
| Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent | 86 | Sleeveless/Suit/Leather |
| Joe | 86 | Sleeveless |
| Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans | 86 | Suit |
| Peggy Sue Got Married | 86 | Suit |
| Color out of Space | 86 | NA |
| Movies | IMDb Score | Clothes |
| Spider-Verse | 8.4 | NA |
| Adaptation | 7.7 | Suit/Henley |
| Kick-Ass | 7.6 | NA |
| Lord of War | 7.6 | Suit/Leather Jacket |
| Leaving Las Vegas | 7.5 | Suit |
| Grindhouse | 7.5 | NA |
| The Rock | 7.4 | Suit |
| Face/Off | 7.3 | Suit/Leather |
| Raising Arizona | 7.3 | Sleeveless/Suit |
| Matchstick Men | 7.3 | Suit |
| Snowden | 7.3 | Suit |
| Birdy | 7.2 | Sleeveless/Suit |
| The Croods | 7.2 | Sleeveless |
| Wild at Heart | 7.2 | Sleeveless/Leather Jacket |
| Moonstruck | 7.1 | Sleeveless/Suit |
| Fast Times at Ridgemont High | 7.1 | NA |
| Rumble Fish | 7.1 | NA |
| Red Rock West | 7 | Sleeveless |
| Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent | 7 | Sleeveless/Suit/Leather Jacket |
| Movies | Worldwide Box Office | Clothes |
| The Croods | 573 | Sleeveless |
| National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets | 457 | Suit |
| Spider-Verse | 375 | NA |
| The Rock | 336 | Suit |
| National Treasure | 331 | Suit |
| G-Force | 293 | NA |
| Face/Off | 241 | Suit/Leather Jacket |
| Gone in 60 Seconds | 233 | Suit/Leather Jacket |
| Ghost Rider | 230 | Leather Jacket |
| Con AIr | 224 | Sleeveless/Suit |
| The Sorcerer’s Apprentice | 218 | Suit/Leather Jacket |
| The Croods 2 | 215 | Sleeveless |
Final thoughts
- Adaptation and Leaving Las Vegas featured a suit wearing Nicolas Cage. He won his Oscar for LLV, and was nominated for his performance in Adaptation. Also, in both films he plays a writer, and he dies. Dang.
- His five highest grossing films feature him wearing a suit.
- His recent run of Color Out of Space, Pig, and Mandy feature him not wearing a suit/leather jacket/henley or sleeveless shirt.
- Face/Off, The Rock and Con Air feature Cage wearing a suit.
- Red Rock West, Pig, Moonstruck, Joe, Mandy and Raising Arizona are some of his highest rated films. In them, he plays a blue-collar (or down on his luck) guy. I like this variation of Cage. Also in Leaving Las Vegas and Adaptation his characters haven’t definitely seen better days.
- If you want critical acclaim, have Cage play a blue collar guy who wears sleeveless shirts. It worked in Raising Arizona, Valley Girl, Birdie, Joe, Red Rock West, and Moonstruck
- If you want to make money, put Cage in a suit or leather jacket. It worked for National Treasure, Face/Off, The Rock, Gone in Sixty Seconds, Con Air, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, The Family Man and Snake Eyes
Final Final thought – If he keeps it up, “Flannel Nic Cage” might be the ultimate Nic Cage. Adaptation, Joe, Mandy, and Color out of Space feature some legit flannel. There
Movies, Films & Flix 