Showing posts with label Cage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cage. Show all posts

February 26, 2010

Knowing


Knowing, 2009.

Nicolas Cage, oscar winner and the biggest action star of the 90s (see The Rock, Con Air & Face/Off) was on a big run of strike outs when this reviewer decided to part with his $15 of his hardest earned to see his latest offering. Bangkok Dangerous, The Wicker Man remake, Next & Ghost Rider were all akin to having tabasco sauce forcefully shoved into one's eyeballs. Quite simply, big Nic needed this film to do well at the box office and for it to be entertaining for his legions of loyal, if not growing somewhat impatient, follwers.

Well, this film goes someway to redemption. The film was a huge box office success taking over $180M worldwide.

The film centres on a series of apocalyptic events, as predicted by a troubled young school girl in the 1950s. A university professor, Cage, takes it upon himself to decipher to girl's predictions in order to prevent any future disasters. Edge of your seat special effects and a surprisingly strong sense of tension throughout keep this film moving along nicely.

It is hard to take Cage seriously these days though in many ways, whether it be the hair plugs or the fact that it is laughable to think of him as a professor.

Early in the film, heavy focus is placed on his relationship with his son and troubles he confronts in moving on from his wife allow him to explore his other side (he did win an Oscar. No really, he did) which hasn't been seen much at all since 2002's Adaptation.

This is an entertaining film which this reviewer believes most will enjoy, although it was hard not to think back to Cameron Poe or Stanley Goodspeed.

6/10

Willo

February 24, 2010

Face Off



FACE OFF (1997)
(Cage, Travolta, Allen, Nivola)

by the midbus

After spending 138 minutes with Castor Troy and Sean Archer, any red-blooded male could comfortably speak their names in the same breath as Tango & Cash, Lowrie and Burnett or Vega and Winnfield.

This is one of John Woo's best voyages into Hollwood, complete with slow motion doves, extravagant weaponry, tip-top 90s effects and a hard-hitting cast. As Troy, and Archer for that matter, Cage steals the show in his best performance since Stanley Goodspeed in the equally gripping crash-boom feast, The Rock.

Without 'spoiling' the plot, Archer (Travolta, Cage) must get his hands dirty in the criminal world of the comatose'd Troy (Cage, Travolta... are you keeping up?) after a state of the art temporary facial transplant. And wouldn't you know it, comas are a funny thing, Troy wakes up to unleash his wrath upon everything Archer holds dear.

If you're after Woody Allen like dialogue or a Hans Zimmer awe inspiring score, please bypass the collection of $200 and go directly to jail. This is tits out fun, with big guns, great chases, a smooth, reinvigorated Travolta and a tasty script which leaves the punter asking the question: 'There couldn't be Face Off 2, could there?'

I know at least one reviewer out there who hopes so.

'Peach, I could eat a peach for hours'

8/10