I’m getting settled in to my new job, and I’m still trying to rejigger my schedule around, so this post will be a short one.
God bless Nicolas Cage. He has managed to invent an entirely new form of acting; a hyper-emotive assault on the audience that baffles as it aggravates. This is not news, but collecting all of these wonderful moments in one package demonstrates not only how surprising and alarming his acting choices are, but how often Hollywood has allowed Cage to do this on screen. I would think a lesser actor would only get one or two of these moments in their career, but Cage can fill a five-minute YouTube tribute, and there are still a couple of moments that were left out (notably, his “shaky hands before saying ‘OK'” bit from Gone in 60 Seconds).
Of course, The Wicker Man is well-represented here, and why shouldn’t it be? Those moments are now legendary; “How’d it get burned?” is an eternal meme amongst the Yakmala! crew. But the other films that slipped by me also look fantastic. The one I definitely need to see based on this video is Deadfall (I believe that’s the one where he has a tan and a fake nose). Those moments are just… magical. The part where he walks into the hotel room, growls, and yells, “SOMEONE’S TRYING TO KILL ME, MAN!” is a scene I need to reenact at least once weekly. I can only hope the movie proper is equally unhinged.
Even if you think Nicolas Cage is a terrible actor (and no one would fault you for that opinion, though I do think somewhere in there is a talented performer), you have to admire the sheer breadth of his batshittery. If you need someone not just losing his mind, but doing so in heretofore-unimagined ways, you need to get Cage. I mean, some of the noises he makes aren’t even human. You have to give him that much credit.
So, my advice to you this Thanksgiving: don’t lose your shit. Not only is it a waste of psychic energy, but you’re not gonna do it half as well as Cage.
The Satellite Show 