Toaster pays tribute to the legendary Nicolas Cage!

We here at the Enigma Society are on this day paying homage to one of the greatest, most intense and quite possibly bat-shit crazy actors of our day… Nicolas Cage. In honor of this, Jonny Prophet and I are going to see Ghost Rider 2, but in addition to that I will now post a list of every Nic Cage movie I have ever seen in order of preference.

Miscellaneous Stuff: He was apparently in Fast Times at Ridgemont High. I honestly don’t remember him in it, but I love the movie. But since I don’t remember him, I can’t put it on the list. Same for Moonstruck; I know I saw part of it a long time ago, but I don’t think I saw the whole thing. I also have to add his brief but memorable appearance as Fu-Manchu in the trailer for Werewolf Women of the SS from Grindhouse. Maybe one day Rob Zombie will make this a feature length film like Machete before it. We can only hope.

#13 – Honeymoon in Vegas: This was a largely forgettable weird romantic comedy. It only had one memorable part right at the end where Nic Cage joined the “Flying Elvises” and while dressed as ‘The King’ parachuted down to intercept James Cann and that chick from Sex and the City.

#12 – National Treasure: While it had its moments, this movie was really just Indiana Jones Lite. It tried to apply a thinking man’s approach to archeological and historical adventure but was full of so many errors that entire websites are devoted to pointing them out.

#11 – Kiss of Death: This was an odd little remake starring the fresh off NYPD Blue David Caruso when everyone thought he was destined for bigger things. (Apparently those things would later consist of delivering cynical observational one-liners while putting on sunglasses, immediately followed by Roger Daltry’s screaming from The Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again.” Prepare that star on the Walk of Fame folks!) Anyways, this movie is largely forgettable save for Samuel L. Jackson being a hardass to Caruso and Nic Cage playing the bad guy. But what I found memorable about Cage was that he played a bad ass with asthma! I had never seen that before or have ever seen it since! As a lifelong sufferer of asthma, I think it’s awesome to show a bad ass overcoming the disease rather than a wimpy Sean Astin from Goonies just getting by from sucking on an inhaler.

#10 – Ghost Rider: Yes I am seeing the sequel, but mainly because I am a tool and a comic book geek. (Plus, most comic book movies improve with the sequel. Only Iron Man 2 is the exception to that rule.) I enjoyed the first for what it was. The movie was alright, but could have been a lot better. I think the casting was a major issue. The actor who played Blackheart just came across as a brooding emo kid trying to pull off bad ass. And unfortunately, while he did okay in the part, I think casting 40 something Nic Cage as late twenties/early 30’s Johnny Blaze was a mistake.

#9 – Leaving Las Vegas: One of the more interesting movies Nic Cage has been in, it was a real turn at serious acting, the likes of which we will probably never see again from him. He did a good job, but the movie is really depressing, making me seldom have the urge to rewatch it.

#8 – Matchstick Men: Another serious role from Cage, this time he was a neurotic con man. An enjoyable film with many twists, Nic again does a good job but honestly the bigger props I believe go to his co-stars Sam Rockwell and Alison Lohman.

#7 – Drive Angry: Yes, I am putting this guilty pleasure flick above both his serious films I’ve seen. This movie was so fun to watch. It knew it was a cheesy grindhouse movie and didn’t shy away from the over the top violence, the ridiculous action scenes (Nic Cage kills several armed men while doing a chick! Come on!) and the sheer indulgence that comes from a near invincible vigilante from Hell on a quest for vengeance. This isn’t a list about cinematic quality (and for the most part neither is Nic Cage’s acting career!), it’s just my faves.

#6 – The Rock: Even though it’s a Michael Bay picture that makes the cinema lover in me cringe, this popcorn flick is just too classic to ignore. It has ridiculous amounts of action and we get a wimpy Nic Cage paired with the badassery (I am making this a word now) of Sean Connery taking down a group of military renegades on Alcatraz. Just turn off your brain and enjoy.

#5 – Con Air: This is another popcorn movie that sees a bad ass Nic Cage paired with a ton of awesome actors including John Malkovich, Steve Buscemi, John Cusack, Ving Rhames, Dave Chappelle and Danny Trejo. Implausible premise, over the top action, and lots of fun. The 90’s were a good time to be Nicolas Cage.

#4 – Adaptation: This was such an odd but totally ingenius movie. It’s too hard to describe and I don’t want to give any of it away. If you haven’t seen it, you should. Also see it’s predecessor Being John Malkovich. Spike Jonze needs to make more films.

#3 – Face/Off: This will go down as being one of the most classic films Nicolas Cage has ever done. Both Nic Cage and John Travolta play good guy and bad guy in this extremely clever but really over the top violent action flick. It’s so much fun to watch and it is honestly one of my favorite Hollywood action films of all time.  

#2 - Kick-Ass: Twisted, violent and some of the most fun I’ve ever had at the movies, this movie was awesome. Nic Cage is absolutely great as the vengeance driven vigilante who is also a loving father in a demented sort of way. In the first scene he’s in, Cage is shooting his daughter with a gun to teach her how to take getting struck in a bulletproof vest! Plus, in his super-hero alter-ego Cage pulls out one of the best Adam West Batman impersonations I have ever heard.

#1 - Raising Arizona: This had to be number one. This early Nic Cage vehicle was also an early Coen Brothers film and is so underrated. It’s this oddball dark comedy full of eccentric memorable characters in a both disturbing and charming glimpse of highway town white trash ne’er-do-wells trying to carve out a piece of the American Dream. It’s both a guilty pleasure and absolutely brilliant, the same mix that made the Coen’s later work The Big Lebowski such a cult classic. I’m actually a little ashamed I don’t own this movie.

I will say that looking at IMDB there are several movies of his I would like to see but missed such as the Scorsese film Bringing Out the Dead, Gone in Sixty Seconds (for the Fast and Furious lover in me), Snake Eyes, 8mm and the infamous Vampire’s Kiss. Someday I will add these to the 13 above.

So on this day, do yourself a favor and stop to appreciate the intense and often aloof acting of the great Nicolas Cage. And play some Pachinko… he would like that.