I miss Nic! (and Cory)

So, yeah, posting has been pretty sporadic lately. We actually haven't been able to watch any movies in May. First we went to Marfa so Cory could work the Alamo show at the Marfa film festival, and now Cory is on tour until the end of the month. So, movie-watching on hold till June. Which has actually been kind of weird, to go from NIC CAGE OVERLOAD to...nothing (except for a couple seconds here and there when we've caught a snippet of a movie on T.V., which, silly enough, is slightly comforting).

However, we did watch a ton of movies right before this hiatus, so I've been kind of trying to slowly post about them this month, just so no one gets too bored and gives up on us. So don't give up on us! We Will finish this project!

For now, the last two of the nineties...

Snake Eyes (1998)

This was another one of those pleasant surprises. It's a pretty typical mystery story, but what sets it apart from a lot of crime dramas is that for most of it there's really no mystery for the viewer, only for the protagonist, which I liked.

Visually, there's a lot of interesting stuff going on in this one, which adds to its appeal. The entire movie takes place in one Atlantic City casino, which makes for a kind of claustrophobic and tense mood throughout. The first 10 to 15 minutes are awesome, as the camera follows a fast-talking Nic Cage around as he wheels and deals behind the scenes before and during a big boxing match at his casino. It's all fast and loud and looks like it's all one take which is cool (Cory looked it up though, and apparently it's a couple different takes edited together to look like one, but it's still cool).

Happily, Nic is totes on fire in his role as Ricky Santoro. You really find yourself routing for him, even if he is kind of a sleaze.

8 mm (1999)

We've come to dread the movies where Nic plays a good guy. As a general rule, he is totally great as a Flawed protagonist (e.g. Raising Arizona, Leaving Las Vegas) or at bringing emotional complexity to a villain (Kiss of Death), but when he's supposed to be the straightforward good guy or hero he usually plays it so squeaky clean and one-dimensional that it's unbelievable and you end up bored to tears (Guarding Tess, It Could Happen To You). Thankfully, in this one he avoids that trap and allows himself to go over to the dark side a little.

As for the film itself...it was okay. I felt it could have been way better. Definitely could have been creepier, more affecting. I mean, snuff films--that's not light subject matter. Not that this movie was lighthearted, but it all just seemed a little superficial, from the commissioned One Million Dollar snuff film to the long-haired, silk bathrobe-wearing porn director and the stereotypically freaky sex store. I feel like for whatever reason the director was scared to delve very deep into the subject matter, which left him unable do anything more than basically Hollywoodize it into a simple moralistic tale that entertained, but didn't really hit a realistic or emotional level.

Which, of course, happens all the time. It's hard to face all the sick shit that's in the world head-on, and even harder to take a piece of that sick shit and make it into a relevant Fictional movie. I certainly couldn't do it.

Oh you know what? We also watched Industrial Symphony No. 1: The Dream of the Broken Hearted (1990) which Was at Vulcan (thanks to whoever posted that tip, I don't know why I just assumed they wouldn't have it). Nic Cage is only in the first scene, and then it's just a long play of weird people running around on stage with Julee Cruse flying around over them, singing songs from the album that the Twin Peaks music is from. So...um...not that exciting. But whatever, I like her music. I would watch that 7 times in a row before watching Trapped in Paradise again.

And that's it for now! Check back in June, when we resume the madness with renewed vigor!

In the meantime, were you wondering how Nicolas Cage picks the types of meat he eats?