Maybe consider another Nick Cage Retrospective Film & 40s

I believe there are still a lot of Nick Cage movies that would work for Film & 40s. It would be cool if they could do some more.

Of course there are other actors they could do as well- like Sandra Bullock, Keanu Reeves, Kurt Russel, or others (I'm too tired to think of more).

The thing is Nick Cage has been in a lot of movies. Some unintentionally funny, others legitimately great, and many middling. Very few actors have a resume like Nick Cage so I feel like one retrospective may not be enough. There's definitely fodder for one or two more at least. I wanted to recommend a few, and mention others that actually may not be feasible but I feel worth mentioning.

Adaptation: Does have some serious stuff, and IS a fantastic movie, but it's bonkers enough that it's a fun movie party movie so would be good for this. Although, I feel that way about all of Charlie Kaufman's work.

The first Ghost Rider Movie: I think it's more fun, and good bad, than the second film (which I found much duller despite it having a scene where he pees fire) and I think it would be good fodder for mocking while getting drunk. It's also got some good Nick Cage is in a bad movie making the most out of it moments.

Either Color out of Space or Mandy: Both are newer films he was in that are both good but insane enough that watching with a group is a ton of fun if everyone is in for an outrageous time (Color out of Space is legit one of Nick Cage's best movies in terms of "holy shit that was insane" and it just came out not that long ago). I prefer Color out of space for this because Mandy has a lot of drawn out scenes where it's just art film happening, with music, and not much else- which is fine but in a movie party atmosphere I personally feel Color out of space would work better. Or just do both of them. Why not? They're great films!

Next- it's a really dumb premise with a lot of really fun Nick Cage moments. I mean, shit, it's Nick Cage basically playing Nick Cage if he were a street magician.

Peggy Sue Got Married- He's not the main character in this movie, so it's not technically a "Nick Cage" movie, but the character he does in this is pretty legendary so it's worth mentioning. Could be fun just to hear Vinny go nuts every time he hears the choices Nick Cage makes in this film.

Raising Arizona: A classic. Everyone has probably seen it. I still think it's a fantastic movie. Maybe they wouldn't do it because everyone has probably seen it, but what with them doing these Disney TV movies that apparently all them saw already it's maybe not a hard and fast rule that someone has to not have seen the movie. I think this movie is crazy enough for the discussion. Certainly more conversation than Drive Angry seemed to be I would think.

Wild At Heart: Maybe too slow, I'm not entirely sure, but it's crazy art house David Lynch and in certain groups that could be fun. While it's not the most absurd Nick Cage has been- just considering the context- it's still pretty nuts and has a good Nick Cage angry scene right near the beginning.

Gone in Sixty Seconds: I don't know if it would work or not. I never was fond of it, because I don't care for car movies, but people seem to like this movie and the interesting ticks he gave the character. I did not find that interesting enough to watch the movie myself, but who knows. Maybe they like it. I didn't like Fast and Furious that much before listening to it with Film & 40s so at this point I don't judge.

Mentions but may not be great for this:

Kiss of Death: They talked a lot about Nick Cage being a hunk during the first retrospective. I would argue this was Nick Cage at his most intimidating. I saw it for the first time when I was a kid, and it's always been one of my favorites. The scene where he beats- I think Michael Rappaport- to Death with his bare hands is legitimately creepy. Maybe it's too good, but I remember this movie being maximum Cage insane. When he's around (he's not the lead in this one either so it's not technically a Nick Cage movie, but again could be worth the mention).

Snake Eyes: I don't actually remember this movie. I don't know why. I saw it more than once when it came out, but haven't seen it since. I remember liking it, but that's it.

Trapped in Paradise: A lot of people say this is a bad comedy, but I actually enjoyed it myself. I find the trio of Cage, Lovitz and Carvey so outlandish I actually think that in itself makes the movie fun for me to watch. I don't remember anything else, though. Could be fun if it's not problematic- I don't really remember I only mention that because there's a stupid love interest sub plot but it's about three robbers and it's a comedy from the 90s so it's possible.

Left Behind: YES! Nicholas Cage was IN A LEFT BEHIND MOVIE! I don't know why, or how they got him in this movie but it's hilariously bad. It's legitimately a bad movie. The problem is I don't know how easily people could obtain it- or stream it- nowadays. A long time ago it was on netflix, but I doubt anyone is streaming it now. Possible you could rent it on Amazon. I didn't look.

Knowing: This was actually the first movie that made me think Nick Cage may be religious. I don't know. I don't stalk celebrities, read periodicals about them, and no one has told me. I don't really care. It's just the first time he was in a movie with religious overtones and it's bonkers bad. May not be interesting enough, for this, but when I first saw it I remember it being a fun time. I could be mistaken.

Trespass: Another comedically bad movie that Nick Cage did within the last 10 years (he's done a surprising amount of them). Fun Fact: he made several million dollars to be in this movie. A lot of people think Nick Cage is still having financial troubles since his tax thing with the IRS, but I can tell you that that was decades ago and he has made even more millions than he had before that in some of the worst movies he's ever done. This one is hilariously bad for so many reasons- and one is the choices Nick Cage makes in this movie. It cannot be understated how unintentionally hilarious I find this movie. It's SO BAD! The problem is I don't know if you'll find it anywhere. It seems like with some movies, when certain celebrities are in them, if they garner a certain reputation they become harder to find after a time. Then again- you can find Wickerman (2006) very easily streaming so who knows?

Moonstruck: I think overall Moonstruck is boring, but the scene when Cher meets Nick Cage for the first time is legitimately one of the greatest scenes in Nick Cages career. I don't know if it would work or not. It's a slow romance movie other than a few good Nick Cage tantrum scenes.

A lot of people talk about Deadfall in bad movie circles. It's so infamous for Nick Cage he brought the character back in something else fairly recently I think. I don't know. I never saw Deadfall. I've had it on my Amazon list for years, but with bad movies it's a real gamble so I've never taken the plunge to check it out. It's considered one of his shining achievements but the movie is bad and he's not in all of it. So, technically, again, it's not a Nick Cage movie.

City of Angels: Remember when Nick Cage played an angel? It was pretty popular when it came out, but I remember hating it. *shrug*

I wrote more than I thought so I turned this into a blog that I will not do any work to beef it up because I never intended it to be much else but I just wanted to put this out there. I'd love another series of film & 40s. It doesn't have to be Nick Cage. I just think there's more that could be done on that front. I think the Sandra Bullock idea was a really good one too.

(Just for reference: I know I did not mention many great Nick Cage movies. The ones I do not mention are because they are a bummer, and while I love drama porn, it does not work for riff parties and while Fast 7 made us all cry together, mostly these are done to have a good time so I left that kind of stuff out.)

Aww, I liked the second Ghost Rider movie better! It was directed by the dudes who did the Crank movies, you know? Would totally second something like Adaptation or Mandy, they're both actually really good performances by him but are also still very funny/crazy. Next and Left Behind also get my vote, I think Next isn't as bad as some say but it's pretty hilarious and I think his hair was weird in that one, and Left Behind is a ludicrous film that is baffling even when The Cage isn't on screen so that's a good pick too.

I wish I could chip in some more but I have sadly not seen enough Nic Cage movies for being a fan, they've done most of the ones I've seen during the Cage-A-Thon. Only other ones I really got are 8mm and Lord of War. The former is actually kind of laughable but I dunno if really in a "get drunk and make fun of it" way, and Lord of War is just genuinely too good and he really only freaks out a few times, he's surprisingly subdued.

I like Nick Cage a lot, but Next is one of the worst movies I've ever seen, and not in a campy good way. That was a weird time in his career, people still hadn't *really* caught on to him needing to make any random movie possible to pay off IRS tax liens. It is probably the single worst adaptation of a Philip K Dick story ever put to film or tv, full of incoherent plot choices, terrible mid 2000's cg, and a total misunderstanding of what PKD was all about.

I haven't gotten around to seeing Color Out of Space yet but reading you say it's crazier than Mandy is very exciting.

@electricbarrier: I may have to watch it again, but I remember feeling like it was a movie where they kept getting studio notes that really hampered what they actually wanted to do with the movie and the movie suffered for it. I love the Crank movies, but I remember the second Ghost Rider movie being really tame in comparison to the first movie. Which is surprising given it's directors.

I did not mention Lord of War or 8mm because (at least to me) they are both very good movies about very serious and dark subjects. In my opinion anyway they tackle their subject matter very well and this makes it difficult for it to be a fun party film. Movies with a message, that get it right, aren't really funny. They are great movies, though. So is Bringing out the dead, Leaving Las Vegas, Joe, or some others. Nick Cage is a legit great actor sometimes, but when a serious movie is done well it's tough to watch in a group setting. You want stuff that's fun- whatever form that takes.

He's done some other newer films that could work too... probably. Mom and Dad sounds fun, but I haven't seen it yet, and I know over the last 6 years or so he's done a ton of movies that are really bad ranging from laughable to knock out juice (I've seen probably 90% of them). Dog Eat Dog is one of the weirder ones- I wasn't sure how much I hated that one. Then there was the Insidious rip off Pay The Ghost that might work too.

Nick Cage said a few years ago the reason he does so many movies now is because once he talked to another, older, actor who said they wished they did more acting in their 40s so he vowed he would work as much as possible until they won't let him anymore. I also think he just likes doing it. I don't think it's always about the money even still. I could be wrong, but that is the impression I get from him- when I hear him talk.

@north6: Ya, I know. Next is divisive among Nick Cage fans. I'm of the camp that enjoys it, but I know some people don't like it. The Philip K Dick connection aside (really? the worst? have you seen Paycheck haha) I just think it's better than Drive Angry (which is, in my opinion, the worst Film & 40s- they didn't seem to have much steam for that one so I use it as a barometer).

I don't know, I think it's a fun one.

@cyrusraven: I thought it was a very good movie. I highly recommend it.

If I was rating Nick Cage's past 6 years in film it would be difficult to choose "the best" between that and Mandy for me.

So this appeals to me a lot. I spent much of this quarantine working through his catalogue. I’m up to 65 films so far.

I think all your suggestions are good. You are spot on in saying Mom and Dad would be a perfect fit. Color out of Space would be better than Mandy for F&F but I do think Mandy is a better movie. Raising Arizona is also a must include. I think going all the way back to his first leading role in Valley Girl makes a lot of sense.

Honestly there are a ton of great choices. Matchstick Men, Red Rock West, Guarding Tess, Between Worlds (super weird movie), the list goes on and on. His upcoming movies also sound great.

Finally, my comments on Deadfall. I own that movie because it was only a dollar more to buy it rather than rent it on Amazon Video. There is a middle ten minutes of that movie that is a must watch for any Cage fan, but the rest of the movie is laughably bad. Even with a decent cast. Charlie Sheen has a weird cameo role that is also entertaining but overall there is too much movie without Nic in it.

@cornbredx: Oh I actually just thought of one: I haven't seen it personally, but a friend of mine who also likes Cage has, it's called "Between Worlds" https://letterboxd.com/film/between-worlds-2018/ and it features apparently like, birdemic or neil breen level acting, a scene where Cage is reading a book written by himself(but not his character, I mean his real self) about his "golden cock", and another scene where he lights himself on fire with absolutely 0 reaction. He says that a lot of it is actually boring but I dunno, maybe if they were a little drunk it could be fun. Also just wanna let people know about it because it sounds like a real trip. It is available for rent and purchase on Amazon Video.

Has there been any Drive Angry on this website before? I think that is an unsung classic of schlock Nic Cage

@asylumrunner: Here you go

@electricbarrier: I believe Between Worlds is also still available on Netflix in the US.

As a huge Cage fan I support this idea fully. There are lots of films to choose from. Basically anything from the 90’s would be good, but everything you list here would be great.

I think there’s potential for the reasons you mentioned. I know the Alamo Drafthouse years ago did three movie marathons, because they had so much Cage to show.

Would love to see a Raising Arizona one. Adaptation is great, but not sure if that would make for a fun one. That seems like a coin toss between great and alright.

At the same time, I like how there’s more variety of stuff, with the Halloween movies, Fast & Furious, Nick Cage, etc. I was really excited when Abby and Vinny teased a Keanu’s Reeves Film and 40s before COVID. I’m also looking to start the Disney channel movie run that Ben, Jan, and Abby just did.

A lot of good recommendations here, would love to see pretty much all of them. Gone In 60 Seconds and Ghost Rider would be easy picks. Those movies are exactly what you want for a series like this.

Color Out Of Space is a great recc for Film & 40s. Mandy is great, but in a more "whoa, dude" sense (to me at least). Where COOS is straight up hilarious at times.

Second on Matchstick Men, but its sort of just a good movie, not a good Nick Cage movie.