Is Nicolas Cage one of the best actors of our time?
Jeez, no way. I mean, I guess it depends how deep your list goes. He's certainly not one of the top 25 actors of our time.Off the top of my head, over the past 20 years, my list would include:Christian BaleJavier BardemJeff BridgesGeorge ClooneyRussell CroweMatt DamonDaniel Day-LewisRobert DeniroJohnny DeppLeonardo DiCaprioRobert Downey, Jr.Harrison FordMorgan FreemanTom HanksPhilip Seymour HoffmanSamuel JacksonHeath LedgerJack NicholsonLiam NeesonEd NortonAl PacinoSean PennBrad PittChristoph WaltzDenzel WashingtonZero chance Nicholas Cage makes a "one of the best actors of our lifetime" list. To be clear, he certainly has some great individual performances, including Raising Arizona (1987 movie) and Leaving Las Vegas.
Why is Nicolas Cage considered such a bad actor?
There is a rumor that due to his very extravagant lifestyle of mansions, very expensive cars and boats (yachts) and various other “needed” items that he is constantly running into cash flow problems.This means he has to take on any project that will hire him. In his younger years he still retained an “OKAY LOOK” where he could have bunch of roles thrown his way in some decent film which he often ruined due to his inability to act. Now that he has matured, and many of the better quality roles are being given to younger and often more talented actors, he is being forced to take any film thrown his way.There's a name for a person who does their “work” strictly for the money and his last projects are basically painful to watch, outside of “Kick Ass” which was a good movie in spite of, rather than because of, him being in the movie.I ask anyone to sit through a “Nicolas Cage Film Festival” to come up with their own opinion of his skills in acting. He has basically an acting range of “a1” to “a2” while most other actors have a significantly wider range and is he ever believable in these roles?
In which movies is Nicolas Cage excellent and in which of his movies is he terrible (as an actor)?
Excellent Nicolas Cage films include as follows (Not that I have seen all these films, but they are considered essentials within Cage's filmography) but not limited to: Raising Arizona (1987)Moonstruck (1987) Leaving Las Vegas (1995) The Rock (1996) Face/Off (1997) Adaptation (2002) Matchstick Men (2003) Lord Of War (2005) World Trade Center (2006) The Bad Lieutenant: Port Of Call New Orleans (2009) Kick-Ass (2010) Joe (2013) On the polar opposite side, some terrible (not necessarily unwatchable because Cage is highly entertaining even in bad movies) films from the actor himself include: Vampire's Kiss (1989) The Wicker Man (2006) The two Ghost Rider films, Ghost Rider (2007) and Ghost Rider: Spirit Of Vengeance (2012) Next (2007) Bangkok Dangerous (2008) Season of the Witch (2011) Rage (2014) Left Behind (2014) Certainly, the man is overall an enigma in Hollywood - he can give an amazing, Oscar-worthy acting in one movie and a terrible, hammy over-the-top one in the next, although he never stops being entertaining regardless of how good or how bad his movies are.
Why has Nicolas Cage's career gone into a tailspin?
Last several years have been quite challenging for Nicolas Cage. His troubles started in 2009 when the IRS filed charges against him concerning unpaid federal taxes. Cage’s financial crisis was a result of his lavish lifestyle which made payment of tax liens and other debts a major challenge for him. The same year Cage was sued by his partner and actress Christina Fulton. In 2011, Cage was arrested on charges of domestic violence, which were later dropped. This was a period of great turmoil for Cage. In order to overcome his financial difficulties, Cage ended up doing a series of abysmal films which jolted his career badly. Although, things have improved during the last few years, Cage is still looking to reclaim his place in Hollywood. While his solid performances in films like Joe (2013) and The Frozen Ground (2013) did offer glimpses of what he is capable of doing in front of the motion picture camera, he is far from his best. His admirers all across the globe must be hoping that the real Nicolas Cage would stand up, sooner rather than later. Cage may be down but he is certainly not out, for a performer of his pedigree just needs one goof film to turn the tide. A lot now rests on how the three films viz. In Army of One, Men of Courage, and Dog Eat Dog fare.Read Nicolas Cage - A brief look at his career and the three upcoming films 'In Army of One', 'Men of Courage', and 'Dog Eat Dog'
When was the last time Nicholas Cage was in a movie that didn't suck?
Joe (2013). If you have not watched this film, check it out. Not only that it is one of Cage’s best performances throughout his career as a rather polarising actor, but it is also one of his least hammy/over-the-top - he was totally subdued in his role and showed a lot of depth in his character.P.S. To be fair, lately Cage has been having a lot of trouble with the IRS, where he hence takes up any role regardless of how really bad the movie is to pay off his debts. Whenever he gets a good role (e.g. Kick-Ass), the man really showcases that he still got it.
Why do people say Nicolas Cage cannot act? If he cannot act, how come he won an Oscar?
It's not that he cannot act. It's that he doesn't do it very well anymore. We know that he has come across financial difficulties. Despite making $40 million in 2009 (according to Forbes) he has come across some major financial woes. Cage was a big spender during his peak time in the mid to late 90s and going into the 2000s. He had multiple multi-million dollar properties, including an island in the Bahamas. Most of which faced foreclosure. The IRS then fined him $6.2 million in tax liens in 2009. He sued his money manager for negligence and fraud. His manager counter-sued. According to records, the manager said that Cage wasted $30 million some dollars on vintage cars, four luxury yachts, and fifteen palatial homes around the world, as well as two European castles. He spent millions on art and jewelry as well. So you see why he's been taking all of these terrible paycheck movies. And he's been phoning it in each and every time. There is some speculation regarding alcohol problems, or worse as well. He's an amazing actor caught in a terrible situation that he himself created. It really isn't his lack of acting ability. It's the choices he has been forced to take. And before you wonder how one of the highest paid actors of all time can have money troubles, understand that a $20 million paycheck isn't $20 million. After you figure in percentages taken by representation, publicists, lawyers, and managers, you can almost cut that in half. Then consider that the government takes a very good portion of that as well and you're left with still a small fortune for sure. Well, at least for us. Then you have to factor in the cost of living and clearly, by the evidence above, his cost of living was outrageous. It caught up to him. The guy can act. He can. He just needs to settle down and start working his craft again rather than chasing paychecks.
Why doesn't Nicolas Cage give up and retire? All of his movies in the past 10 years are terrible and they don't get cinema releases. Why doesn't he declare bankruptcy if he still has tax problems?
It’s been largely said above, but Nicolas Cage not only has massive debts to pay (I read somewhere a few years ago that he needed to make at least $20 million a year just to stay solvent) but that will likely only compound with the news this week that he is divorcing his third wife, Alice Kim, after 11 years of marriage.The bigger point is this — after years in the b-movie and c-movie doldrums, he needs only one movie to turn it around.It happened to Sylvester Stallone (remember that streak back in 2002–2003 where all of his films went straight-to-video? No? Eye See You, Avenging Angelo, and Shade were 3 in a row that couldn’t even get a theatrical release. Then he bounced back with Rocky Balboa.)It happened with Matthew McConaughey (in 2007–2010 he did a string of failed romantic comedies before a return to dramatic form in the excellent The Lincoln Lawyer started the “McConaissance.”)And it could happen much sooner than you think with Nicolas Cage. Why? Simple - he’s got a supporting role in the forthcoming Oliver Stone film Snowden this fall.Given the talent involved in that film (Cage included) I wouldn’t be at all surprised if by this time next year people remember how great an actor he is when he’s not just phoning it in.
Could you suggest me movies similar to "Lawless" or "Fried Green Tomatoes" or "Deliverance" like rural/country/historical type movie?
Fire Down Below (1997) Environmental protection agent Jack Taggart is fighting big business types led by Orin Hanner who are dumping toxic waste somewhere in the Kentucky hills region. They also killed his fellow agent and are killing the nature of the region. A Time To Kill (1996) A young lawyer defends a black man accused of murdering two men who raped his 10-year-old daughter, sparking a rebirth of the K.K.K. in Mississippi. Public Enemies (2009) starring Johnny Depp The Feds try to take down notorious American gangsters John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson and Pretty Boy Floyd during a booming crime wave in the 1930s. The Help (2011) An aspiring author during the civil rights movement of the 1960s decides to write a book detailing the African-American maids' point of view on the white families for which they work, and the hardships they go through on a daily basis. Takes place in Mississippi. Joe (2013) starring Nicolas Cage An ex-con, who is the unlikeliest of role models, meets a 15-year-old boy and is faced with the choice of redemption or ruin. Filmed in rural Texas. The Color of Purple (1985) starring Whoopi Goldberg The life and trials of a young African American woman in the deep South (North Carolina).