Nic Cage: National Treasure - A Razzie Rebuttal

Catherine recently (as in, a mere few hours ago) outlined how Nic Cage was "snubbed" for the "Worst Actor of the Decade" award from the Razzies. However, Nic Cage's supposed ineptitude doesn't even begin to compare to the other actors who were nominated for the award (Ben Affleck, Eddie Murphy, John Travolta, Mike Myers, Rob Schneider). Let's look at the differences:

- Nic Cage has only been nominated for three Razzie awards. Among the five nominated, the closest is Mike Myers, who was nominated for four in the 2000s.
- Nic Cage has never "won" a Razzie. All of those nominated have won at least one Razzie
- Nic Cage has won an acting Oscar. None of the people actually on the list have won an Oscar for acting...ever. Only Ben Affleck (while leeching off Matt Damon) has an Oscar among those nominated, for the Good Will Hunting screenplay.
- Nic Cage was nominated for an Oscar in the 2000s (Adaptation). Only Eddie Murphy, among those nominated, was nominated in the 2000s for an Oscar (Dreamgirls).

Those facts alone show why he isn't the "Worst Actor of the Decade." Plus, no one is ever going to win an argument with Nic Cage's Bird Hair.

On a side note, I actually liked Knowing. Yes, Nic Cage had a couple of waaaay over the top moments, but overall it's actually an unusually reserved performance for late-2000s Nic Cage. It was especially refreshing considering everyone else in the movie seemed to be sleepwalking through their roles.

The movie, despite its horribly illogical plot, does a decent job of keeping the tension built, and far exceeded even my meager expectations. I don't recommend it for anyone looking for a "good" movie, but if you like Nic Cage or over-the-top sci-fi movies, it's worth a rental.

Nic Cage: National Treasure - "Snubbed" by Oscars AND Razzies

The nominations for the Razzies (which "honor" the worst movies every year) for films released in 2009 and the entire decade of the 2000s were announced yesterday (Feb. 1), and Knowing, which has continued Nicolas Cage's string of ridiculously bad movies this decade, didn't even get a nomination. Cage also failed to get a spot on the highly un-coveted list of nominees for Worst Actors of the Decade, which consists of Ben Affleck, Eddie Murphy, Mike Myers, Rob Schneider and John Travolta. All of those men are worthy contenders, but I honestly would have predicted Cage to be on that list, perhaps in place of Myers or Schneider (who only had a supporting role in about half of the films they mentioned). I mean, who else could claim the title of most ridiculous action-adventure star of the decade? He had a flaming skull (Ghost Rider), punched out a woman while wearing a bear costume (The Wicker Man) and kidnapped the president (National Treasure 2). The amount of ridiculous one-liners in most of his films this decade, especially The Wicker Man, could fill volumes. I was also saddened by the absence of that film amongst the Worst Movie of the Decade nominees, as it would definitely belong in my worst five films of the 2000s. (Warning: The following video does contain spoilers and bear-man vs. women action.)

The last part of 2009 brought a better Cage to the screen in director Werner Herzog's Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans. He even received a couple of nominations here and there for Best Actor with some of the critics' organizations. I don't think it was quite worthy of that praise; I personally think Cage is at his best when he's a little more low-key (Leaving Las Vegas, Bringing Out the Dead, The Weather Man). While it wasn't a huge shocker that his name was omitted from the Best Actor Oscar nominations this morning (Feb. 2), his name was circulating out there as a possible dark horse.

Nic Cage: National Treasure - Getting his Estate in Order

Okay, I hate linking to People, but it's where the story's at, so what can you do?:

Nicolas Cage Will Pay IRS $14 Million

It shows how much property and unneeded stuff he's bought over the years when he's paid $70 million in taxes and still owes another $14 million. Taxes in the U.S. are pretty low, although it seems that Cage would buy just about anything for a while. I know he's been selling off a lot of his property, but I still haven't seen anything on whether Leo DiCaprio has bought that dinosaur skull from him yet.

I really hope that Cage is able to settle this soon, because of his upcoming movies, only Kick-Ass looks like a surefire winner, whereas Season of the Witch could either be funny in a purely campy way or end up as a Wicker Man redux. Let's hope for Nic Cage's sake that it's the former.

Nic Cage: National Treasure - Second Editions

Today's edition of "Nic Cage: National Treasure" is brought to you by the number 2.

First, we have the second trailer for Kick-Ass, one of many Nicolas Cage movies coming soon to a theater near you. Most of the films that Cage has made throughout his career (especially in the last decade) have been pretty ridiculous. This has potential to be ridiculous in a good way. Judge for yourself (via The Hollywood Reporter):

Second, I bring some news that is ridiculous in a bad way. We've known for a little while that Ghost Rider 2 was a possibility, but things are really getting underway. Collider recently interviewed producer Mike De Luca, and, thanks to some help from Ben Wood, I've found an MTV interview with writer (and possible director) David Goyer from November. Cage is attached to reprise his role as the titular character.

I should mention that I haven't actually subjected myself to the torture of the first Ghost Rider, but from things I've read and things people have told me, I know it's not good. Both De Luca and Goyer address that, and claim that the sequel, which has been given the full title Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, will be different from and better than the first movie. According to Goyer: "I hate to say it's more realistic, because he's got a flaming skull for a head, but it's a bit more stripped down and darker. It's definitely changing tone. What Casino Royale was to the Bond movies, hopefully this will be to Ghost Rider." I would like to share a rebuttal: First and foremost, "realistic" is not a word that should be associated with this at all. "Stripped down and darker" maybe, "realistic" definitely not. Second, please do not compare your crap movie (and likely crap sequel) to one of the most successful movie franchises in the history of cinema.

The only possible "good" news about this is that Mark Steven Johnson, who directed the original, and Eva Mendes, who co-starred in the original, will not be returning.

I'm sure that both Ben and I will have more to say about Kick-Ass and Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance in upcoming "Nic Cage: National Treasure" posts.

Nic Cage: National Treasure - Happy Birthday

In honor of one Mr. Nicolas Cage's 46th birthday, I'm here to introduce Speaking of Cinema's very first semi-regular column: "Nic Cage: National Treasure!" The idea started because it's sometimes difficult to go more than a couple of days without hearing a new piece of news about Nic Cage, whether it be career related or one of his growing personal issues. There's no set timetable for the column, but it will generally be written by either myself or Catherine.

So, to get the ball rolling, here's a birthday poem!

Happy birthday Nic Cage,
hope you're not feeling much rage.
I know the feds are after you,
but there's one thing that you can do,
To turn this all around:

Speed up the production of National Treasure 3
You can use the cash to set you free,
Just please, if you have some sense,
Don't make a sequel to Bangkok Dangerous

Okay, so not my best poem, but I only had a couple minutes to write it, so hopefully Mr. Cage doesn't mind. And I personally liked Bangkok Dangerous, but it definitely lost too much money at the box office for Nic to be messing with stuff like it right now.

Happy birthday you crazy sonofabitch, and here's hoping that Bad Lieutenant wins some awards this season!