My brain is not in full operating mode tonight for for once ro I'll keep it simple.

Nic shines, always..

Yes I do have a discerning brain and I still feel it to be true, for me.
Yes the final cut and the resulting product after marketing may not showcase this, just as the beauty of a rare raw gemstone may not have the same lustre after it has been polished, mounted and packaged (especially if the materials don't match the jewel) but nevertheless, Nic's acting is pure soul.

Hi there,

I'm new to the forum and have been a Nic Cage fan for several years.  Here's what I can tell you:  Based on the (mostly negative) response from Nic's latest movie Bangkok Dangerous, it's clear his fans would like to see him take on more serious roles.  And not necessarily dramatic roles but roles that aren't in what most critics and fans believe to be "laughable", "silly" and "forgetable."  I have to tell you, I was floored by the outrageous and negative comments made about Nic these past few weeks.  Everything from his hair to the selection of movies to his acting abilities.  I mean, it's got to be something to it when critics and fans start questioning Nic's acting abilities.  The man's an acting genius for christ sakes! I keep hearing the same old rumors: Nic's doing it for the money.  He's attained massive real estate and expensive toys these past few years and because he's no longer an "automatic" $20 million dollar man, he's got to make more movies to make more money.  That rumor is debateable.  The truth is, we have no idea why he's making movie after movie after movie??  Just a year ago, he said he was going to take a break from acting, maybe even get out of the business all together because it was no longer exciting to him.  Now we see, he's literally making almost 2-3 movies a year... I love you Nic!  Come back to us!!

Hey, sorry to interrupt you, ladies. It seems you're having fun with the discussion, LOL!!

True...... I too think Nic should make a breakthrough in his acting job. Just as Mara said, the last great movie he had made was The Weather Man, IMO.

And...... every time I'm surfing IMDB, I feel sorry for him because there are too many people criticizing about his work, even the man himself!! Some even say he should retire from the screen!!

Whatever, keep working, Nic!!
There are still many fans standing by your side!!

Guess what!! When I saw Nic´s bow I was blinded by his smile (and my lust)... and inmediately lost balance and slipped from my soap box... and in the process of falling on my face on the floor, I was frantically looking for something to grab and... I´m afraid I accidentally smacked you!! Sorry, LOL!

Oh how very silly I can become after midnight...

-- Edited by mara at 18:42, 2008-09-07

Look who´s talking! You´re very perceptive as regards Nic...

You about summed it up. And I believe (my opinion again) that in BD he acts organically, as he himself calls it, and bares it all, as you rightly put it.That´s why I hate it when critics don´t appreciate his performances for what they are... Glimpses of his very soul. Such a gift given by him to us only deserves the best possible wrapping, i.e. a first rate script, director, costars, team, studio, financing, marketing... To become truly great.

And with that I´ll get off my soapbox... Thankfully, LOL!

I make a point of not throwing rotten eggs to anyone who speaks honestly and sensibly... Thanks Bonnie for your brave remarks. We know you´ve got Nic´s best interest at heart, as we all do.

Yeah I also think that Nic´s busy and varied career is a display of his incredible range as an actor... But I miss something as of late. His talent is above and beyond the movie, but leaves the movie behind too often... and that way it doesn´t shine as bright as it used to.

What I mean is, in my opinion The Weather Man was the last truly challenging movie he was in. He managed to play the quintaessential j e r k with warts and all and still made us root for him and his existential angst. The movie moved beautifully along with Nic, and it took us places where conventional mainstream fare never gets. It was deeply original and beautifully set up and carried out....Like Adaptation, like Bringing Out the Dead, like Leaving Las Vegas, like Vampire´s Kiss, like Wild at Heart... you get the point.

After that he´s been in many good projects, but the scripts, in my opinion (and I stress that: it´s only my personal opinion) didn´t catch up with Nic. Take for instance World Trade Center... his performance was top nocht and he was giving it his best as an actor and a human being. He acted without moving his body, without long lines of dialogue, only with his eyes and his very soul... It was amazing as well as touching. But, was the script worthy of such an effort? In my opinion, it was a conventional script filmed brilliantly by Stone, but conventional nevertheless.

Then again, Nic is so talented and his vision is so different from anybody else´s that he seems to find chances to showcase his talent where you could only expect formulaic fare: in The Rock and Face/Off and Kiss of Death for instance his take on the "hero" or the "villain" is far from the routine cliche... truyly unique creations of his genius. These movies were made great by him and him alone, with a little help from his costars of course, LOL.

I hate to sound patronising like the author of the article I posted, but... Yeah I miss the movies that could keep up with our Nic and challenge him, and us, to take off-beat chances. I hope Knowing and Bad Lieutenant and projects like The Ghost can achieve that. Because sucha a talent as Nic´s needs to be placed in the right place, among the very best... He deserves no more than that.

Sorry if I offended anyone, in the widest sense of the word. Far from my intention, believe me. You know what the saying goes: "We only hurt the ones we love"....

-- Edited by mara at 17:04, 2008-09-07