WATC(H) = World According to Cage (Hee-haaaaaii!*)

A guy I know, Tom, has been working his way through all of Nicolas Cage’s movies and has been reviewing them on Instagram where he posts them to the nicolas_cage_is_a_genius. Besides enjoying his Cage-themed artwork (Tom’s an art director at a well-known game company), and the excellent reviews, ratings, and factoids he provides about Nic Cage, (whom he describes as an “acting genius”), I’ve found myself somewhat inspired simply by the idea of his pursuit–to watch the entire body of work of a still-living and increasingly eccentric sort of actor.

(Aside: Another blogger I came across is watching every Nicolas Cage movie in order to win the lottery. Strange logic, but excellent and funny undertaking.)

In this age of infinite on-demand streaming content, where’s it’s hard to remember how many new series are out, which ones you’ve watched, and which ones you’ve long abandoned, the idea of sticking to just one guy through thick and thin, over the course of his entire career, has a certain simple, yet focused charm to it.

And maybe that’s exactly why I’m interested in trying it out, too. Unlike Tom, I’m not convinced that Cage is an acting genius, and I likely won’t be watching these movies while high (it might be arguably necessary for some of them, but I’ll forgo the temptation.) But I do believe the pursuit is worth pursuing, even if it is daunting (at over 100 movies and counting).

The subject matter is worthy and intriguing because Cage (who’s family name is actually Coppola) is an Academy award winning actor who appeared in films at a pretty young age (17) and has a pretty famous uncle, director Francis Ford Coppola. It’s also interesting to me because Cage seems less and less concerned about the quality of the films/scripts he is signing up for, and seems more concerned with just being out there (releasing from 2-4 movies almost every year since he started.)

Quantity over quality I suppose. (Or so we shall assess.)

So in some ways I’m TOTALLY copying Tom’s concept, but with my own spin and approach to this thing. With that said, let me lay down my guidelines / disclaimers for how I will approach this experiment, just in case you kind folks elect to come along for the ride.

The World According to Cage Terms & Conditions

• Guideline 1: I will watch every Nicolas Cage film listed on IMDB in chronological order from his earliest works to his latest.
  • Disclaimer: I reserve the right to skip a movie and come back to it if it is out of print, hard to access, or if I feel so inclined. Screw that. I’m watching them all (7/27/23).
  • Disclaimer: I reserve the right to skip an animated or voice-over where Nicolas Cage is not alive and physically present onscreen. In for a penny, in for a pound (7/27/23).
• Guideline 2: I will write a short review or reflection on the experience of watching it. I am not obligated to write about the quality of the movie itself (I’m not a critic per say) or Nicolas Cage’s performance therein, but rather will explore what strikes me about the world as defined in the movie, the world outside of the film at the time of its creation, and most importantly, the perceived world within Nicolas Cage’s mind (or that of his character) within the context of the film.
  • Disclaimer: But I might go against this guideline and review the movie for its quality or lack thereof or Cage’s acting performance. [Yeah, I’m going to review the quality (7/27/23)]
  • Disclaimer: I reserve the right to work from my memory on any recent watches (e.g. Season of the Witch, Pig) Oh, naive February Todd, of course you’ll watch them again, sometimes multiple times and not from memory as you may have hoped at surmised (7/27/23)
• Guideline 3: I will wait to watch The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (since I have not yet seen it) until I have completed Guidelines 1-2.
  • Disclaimer: One last word here…I do not consider myself a super fan (REDACTED as false on 7/27/23) or all that knowledgeable (REDACTED as false on 7/27/23) when it comes to all things Nicolas Cage. Maybe that will change. I loved Raising Arizona and consider it a favorite film. Other than that, this is all experimentation.

With that, let’s get this thing started! I give you
The World According to Cage...

(*This is representational for a variety of sounds that Nicolas Cage makes, a high pitched Heee—followed by either a karate-sounding “hiyah” or “hai” sound.)