Nicolas-Cage Movie Reviews

Nicolas Cage was either broke (or whatever) when he made this New Orleans filmed trash. There's no other excuse. He plays a "tortured artist" flinging with the wife of a friend (Judge Reinhold). She is Zandalee (Erika Anderson). Zandalee---what a name. Zandalee loves to----and she likes it as often as possible. You see, she's a "free spirit" and her hubby's a bore. No stretch for Reinhold. But no matter who's naked or how often this is an awful movie. Not even worth the one star. It's so bad I watched it going "oh BROTHER". There is no acting in this movie. Just really bad dialogue spoken by the ones being paid to do so. Marisa Tomeii is somewhere in this mess too. But who cares. It's all pointless. Directed by someone named Sam Pillsbury.

For those of us who cherish the steamy city of New Orleans, Zandalee captures the steaminess while transcending its shortcomings.

Rehinhold could have made more of an effort to exhibit a more tragic figure - and could have made an attempt at maintaining
ANY accent. Cage is satan personified. More than a bit melodramatic in many scenes, good cameo appearances by Marissa Tomei, Joe Pantoliano (pricesless cross-dresser!) and Steve Buscemi (playing Steve Buscemi) add to the memorable scenes and memorable/quotable dialogue: ("I'm your reality check" "Its a heartifact" "A little decorum!".

Its worth the 3 bucks to rent of the $ to buy it. Nice steamy, sexy movie. Not the greatest . . . but . . .

She IS Zandalee, the sexy and sex-starved creature who propels this tragic story of lust and betrayal. Wow, this actress captivated me when I saw this in theatres eleven years ago. Beauty and talent and loads of sex appeal. Friends and I would debate whether she or Carre Otis (Wild Orchid) were the hottest babes on screen at the time.
Judge Reinhold is her mopey and inevitably cuckolded husband, Thierry. Zandalee yearns for a full and satisfying sex life with Thierry but he is too wrapped up in his own repression to appreciate the glorious gift that is (literally) dancing naked right in front of him.
On the scene comes Johnny (Nicolas Cage), a sleazy old friend of Thierry's who takes full advantage of Zandalee's sexual frustration. She is at first standoffish and untrusting, but caves in to her compelling need and allows Johnny to seduce her and ravish her in the most inappropriate places (like on the freezer in the pantry while Thierry and another dinner guest are chatting in the dining room). The sex with paint scenes are also good, an idea later copied (and abused) by the movie Luscious. I was torn between loathing the treacherous Johnny and eagerly anticipating his next liaison with the beautiful Zandalee.
The French Quarter location and Bayou scenes give great flavor to this movie. Also the assortment of character players whom I can now look back at and say, "Oh, that was him or her!"
Someone else mentioned the great Cajun-sounding score by Pray for Rain, which truly did enhance the exotic mood in the movie. A pity it was never released as a soundtrack.

Nicolas Cage was either broke (or whatever) when he made this New Orleans filmed trash. There's no other excuse. He plays a "tortured artist" flinging with the wife of a friend (Judge Reinhold). She is Zandalee (Erika Anderson). Zandalee---what a name. Zandalee loves to----and she likes it as often as possible. You see, she's a "free spirit" and her hubby's a bore. No stretch for Reinhold. But no matter who's naked or how often this is an awful movie. Not even worth the one star. It's so bad I watched it going "oh BROTHER". There is no acting in this movie. Just really bad dialogue spoken by the ones being paid to do so. Marisa Tomeii is somewhere in this mess too. But who cares. It's all pointless. Directed by someone named Sam Pillsbury.

For those of us who cherish the steamy city of New Orleans, Zandalee captures the steaminess while transcending its shortcomings.

Rehinhold could have made more of an effort to exhibit a more tragic figure - and could have made an attempt at maintaining
ANY accent. Cage is satan personified. More than a bit melodramatic in many scenes, good cameo appearances by Marissa Tomei, Joe Pantoliano (pricesless cross-dresser!) and Steve Buscemi (playing Steve Buscemi) add to the memorable scenes and memorable/quotable dialogue: ("I'm your reality check" "Its a heartifact" "A little decorum!".

Its worth the 3 bucks to rent of the $ to buy it. Nice steamy, sexy movie. Not the greatest . . . but . . .

She IS Zandalee, the sexy and sex-starved creature who propels this tragic story of lust and betrayal. Wow, this actress captivated me when I saw this in theatres eleven years ago. Beauty and talent and loads of sex appeal. Friends and I would debate whether she or Carre Otis (Wild Orchid) were the hottest babes on screen at the time.
Judge Reinhold is her mopey and inevitably cuckolded husband, Thierry. Zandalee yearns for a full and satisfying sex life with Thierry but he is too wrapped up in his own repression to appreciate the glorious gift that is (literally) dancing naked right in front of him.
On the scene comes Johnny (Nicolas Cage), a sleazy old friend of Thierry's who takes full advantage of Zandalee's sexual frustration. She is at first standoffish and untrusting, but caves in to her compelling need and allows Johnny to seduce her and ravish her in the most inappropriate places (like on the freezer in the pantry while Thierry and another dinner guest are chatting in the dining room). The sex with paint scenes are also good, an idea later copied (and abused) by the movie Luscious. I was torn between loathing the treacherous Johnny and eagerly anticipating his next liaison with the beautiful Zandalee.
The French Quarter location and Bayou scenes give great flavor to this movie. Also the assortment of character players whom I can now look back at and say, "Oh, that was him or her!"
Someone else mentioned the great Cajun-sounding score by Pray for Rain, which truly did enhance the exotic mood in the movie. A pity it was never released as a soundtrack.

Yeesh! This has gotta be one of the worst cinematic adaptations of a classic TV show I've ever seen! For starters, most of the core characters that made the infamous sitcom so endearing aren't even in this! Calhoun, Lightnin', Sapphire-- nowhere to be seen! Also noticeable is the movie's PC spin on a very un-PC show! A most obvious example of this is Amos (Nicholas Cage), who is now a white guy with a bad sense of direction! And where the original Amos was pretty much just a supporting character who did the narration, the new one is the co-star! Then there's Andrew (Samuel L. Jackson)-- that's right, they made his first name a bit more 'proper'-sounding here--, who's changed from the Kingfish's somewhat dense tag-along sidekick into a Pulitzer-prize winning author/columnist/professor who pretty much stands on his own-- or tries to, anyway. And as far as I can figure, the Kingfish character was so gratuitously altered into the town sheriff (Dabney Coleman), you can't even see any similarities between the two anymore! Well, except perhaps the underhanded scheming that is. But other than that, the newbie's pretty much a polar opposite of the original.

In summation: if you wanna see a good cinematic adaptation of a classic TV series, check out The Untouchables™ or The Fugitive™, and forget about this one altogether. Better yet, why not just watch the original show-- granted you can find tapes of it of course...

'Late!

This movie may just be under 3 stars; it may be around 2 3/4 stars, but that's neither here nor there. I love Nicolas Cage's movies and I like Samuel L. Jackson as well. I'm sorry to say that I did not see the original "Amos And Andy" film; so I have no comparison there, but in comparing it with other Cage movies, it's pretty funny.

Cage and Jackson play almost reverse roles as to how blacks and whites are viewed in modern society. Nicolas Cage plays the part of Amos Odell, a dirty convict. And on the other side we have Jackson playing Andrew Sterling, a famous black man who thinks that because he lived in a majority-white town that all whites hate him. So as Andrew (I don't know why they changed the name from Andy to Andrew--maybe to make it more 'professional' or something) moves into a new town, his neighbors spy a black man (Jackson) in what they didn't know was his house, standing by a stereo. And of course, being the simplistic white peoples they are, they call the police; assuming he was stealing his neighbor's stereo. Funny, in itself...

I'll stop there, I don't want to give away the story or the ending here. You'll have to watch it for yourself and decide whether you like it or not. If you enjoy either Nicolas Cage or Samuel L. Jackson movies, you may enjoy this one.

Once you understand that, it makes for a very good comedy or sattire with a title that is reminiscent to the old classic television show.

Samuel L. Jackson plays the role of Andrew Sterling, a rich African-American producer,author, and entreprenuer. He buys a home and moves to a small suburban community that isn't use to seeing people of color. A couple is out walking their dog one night and is suprised to see a black man in the home of their neighbors (they don't know that the house has been sold to Sterling) so of course they call the police. They also think that Sterling must be holding their neighbors hostage. Dabney Coleman (9 to 5, War Games) is the opportunistic police chief who looks at this as a chance to plug his campaign for County Commissioner. After the chief figures out that they've been shooting at Andrew Sterling - in front of his own house - and not a burglar they hatch a crazy scheme to cover up their blunder.

Enters Amos Odell (Nicolas Cage), a petty theif. The chief sends him into the house with a shotgun to tie up Sterling and pretend to hold him hostage. Unfortuneatly the media catches wind of the hostage situation and rushes to the scene. Hilarity ensues. It get's wilder and funnier from there. Definetly worth a watch.

Nicky Cage was not very good in this cinematic decomplishment, as he turns in a horrible acting job in this dull and boring movie

Enrico (Nicholas Cage), a young soldier stationed in Africa, struggles to survive the consequences of a passionate crime igniting an obsessive search for rescue and redemption. A painful toothache becomes the catalyst for a series of bizarre events when Enrico abandons his camp in search of a dentist, but finds instead a hidden oasis and sanctuary with an exotic young African woman. A brief moment of violent lust gives way to an unexpected bond of friendship, but their passionate encounter comes to an abrupt end when she is mortally wounded one night by one of his stray bullets. Guilt ridden, Enrico covers up his crime only to be confronted with the chilling realization that she may have infected him with leprosy. Haunted by the threat of banishment and fearful he may never be allowed to go home again, Enrico embarks upon a desperate odyssey, searching for the truth in her past and the fate of his future.

Nicky Cage was not very good in this cinematic decomplishment, as he turns in a horrible acting job in this dull and boring movie

Enrico (Nicholas Cage), a young soldier stationed in Africa, struggles to survive the consequences of a passionate crime igniting an obsessive search for rescue and redemption. A painful toothache becomes the catalyst for a series of bizarre events when Enrico abandons his camp in search of a dentist, but finds instead a hidden oasis and sanctuary with an exotic young African woman. A brief moment of violent lust gives way to an unexpected bond of friendship, but their passionate encounter comes to an abrupt end when she is mortally wounded one night by one of his stray bullets. Guilt ridden, Enrico covers up his crime only to be confronted with the chilling realization that she may have infected him with leprosy. Haunted by the threat of banishment and fearful he may never be allowed to go home again, Enrico embarks upon a desperate odyssey, searching for the truth in her past and the fate of his future.

This could have been an excellent animated version of "Christmas Carol" except the character design is seriously flawed. The backgrounds are beautiful, the story well told with some humerous additions, yet, in this day of CGI animation, the characters are FLAT. There is no shading of the characters, no folds in the clothing, even printed comic books have more dimention than these characters. This leads to a rather boring watching experience.

On the disc's special features, the original live opening and closing are shown. They really are wonderful sequences and there is no explanation of why they were cut for the DVD version. They explain why the two mice are used throughout the film. They are a delightful addition to the story.

There is a motivation as to why Scrooge becomes the unpleasant character he is concerning his loss of Belle in early life. She becomes a major character in this version and the idea works well even if it is not strictly Dickens.

This is a decent version of the classic that could have been really wonderful if the animators had fully used the CGI shadings that the characters really need.

This is an absolutely awful directorial debut from Nicolas Cage! There are so many things to dislike about this turkey, not the least of which are a bad script, overacting on the parts of Blethyn and Franco, terrible music, predicatable plot and a host of other problems. Blethyn's southern accent is so overdone that it is actually humorous. And a scene with Franco in which he discovers that a woman he just had sex with is addicted to cough syrup is outright silly. This is a terrible, dreadful, awful, insipid waste of time. See "Showgirls" instead; it's bad as well, but at least it provides some good laughs!

Given the talent of Nicolas Cage (even though this is his debut as a director), Brenda Blethyn, James Franco, Mena Suvari, Brenda Vacarro, and Harry Dean Stanton, one would think this little film was a sure-fire hit. The ingredients are all there, but the problem is the story itself. Many books and films are out there telling the tale of a young hustler who attempts to forsake his old life for something better, only to fall back on his only known existence that works, even with the added twist that the hustling techniques were taught from the crib by his call girl mother who now relies on her protege son to be her old age pension. Tennessee Williams handled these twisted tales with sleazy dignity, giving us characters developed well enough that we could believe them if not identify with them. There is where this film falls on its face: the script (and director) are more concerned with graphically showing us the spectrum of sexual deviation than with taking the time for such indispensibly important issues as character development. Cage may in time match his acting skills with directing skills, but here he wastes the talent of such troopers as Blethyn, Stanton and Vacarro as well as promising newcomers Franco and Suvari.
Poorly edited and tastelessly scored with a melange of music types, this film just sinks into the mud of Lousiana streets. And that is a shame.

James Franco plays a very attractive former military man who returns home to his less than stellar family. I loved this movie. It was original and something different. James Franco deserves some indy awards buzz for his portrayal of Sonny. Nicholas Cage did a great job with his directorial debut. There is not much I didn't like about this film. It was something different and I appreciated that. Nick Cage also shines in his brief cameo in the film.

Nicholas Cage is usually good in anything he does and John Woo did a good job of directing. The war scenes are riveting and could not be done better. We see some introspective in five of the characters, Sgt. Enders, Yahzee, Sgt. Anderson, Charlie Whitehorse, and Chick. The rest are poorly developed. We hope to see the story of the Windtalkers but it is never truly developed completely. We see there is a Navaho code developed, and Tank is Turtle in that code. Then we see Cage told he must defend his code talker and the code itself above all. Most of the rest the movie is battle scenes but we periodically see a sprinkling of code talkers telling enemy coordinates to one another for support or shooting the breeze about what is happening in their company. Although very interesting it doesn't touch us emotionally like Private Ryan did. I think with a little more character development, especially the Indians, it would have been a great movie. When Yahzee gets mad at Sgt. Enders and runs around wildly killing Japanese without concern for those trying to protect him, it didn't endear me to him. This said this is still a movie worth owning. I certainly bought it on DVD.

What can I say - I've been a huge admirer of Director John Woo since Broken Arrow, Face Off and Mission Impossible 2. His brilliance is again displayed in Windtalkers. But beware . . . Woo is a little too good here. I'm not a fan of war films, for obvious reasons. It really felt like I was part of the action; didn't really want to be there. But, that's war - and that's Woo.

Based on actual events -
Navajo Americans have been recruited to World War II. Their native language is to be adapted and used as secret code, unbreakable by the Japanese. This is the Marines' new secret weapon. Ben Yahzee (wonderfully played by Adam Beach) is one of several hundred Navajo code talkers or "Windtalkers" as they've been called. US Marine Joe Enders (the always amazing Nicholas Cage) has been assigned to protect Yahzee. Enders has seen much of the war and harbors many demons. Enders must "protect the code," not the man, at any cost.

All of the lead actors here were unfamiliar to me. I was pleased with the chosen cast. Christian Slater, like Nicholas Cage, is no stranger to John Woo's work (Broken Arrow). Slater also plays a marine assigned to protect the Navajo code. Slater's acting never disappoints me - huge fan here.

Keep in mind, the story told here isn't just about a war and a code. There's much, much more to it. Don't miss it.

One of the best movies I have seen. Very realistic like and true. Shows a lot of blood but hey, that was how war was like. There was a flaw in the movie though that the movie should have reflected more on how the navajos used their code rather than World War 2 battle scenes. One flaw, but everything else was good.

this film suffers from bad writing& trying to showcase non-big screen acting David Caruso.he should have stayed on Blue.Nicolas Cage is okay.but only Samuel L.Jackson keeps your attention.this film goes nowhere fast.despite having names there's no Chemistry.

All right, so he's not the most convincing goon. It's still amusing to see him in this role. I'd say these nay-sayers need to lighten up. As a poor country boy unfamiliar with the urban crime cliches and plot twists, I can honestly say I enjoyed this movie. No, it's no masterpiece, but it is entertaining enough to be worth seeing, even buying at such a reasonable price. Caruso and (as they all admit) a fine supporting cast do very well with a now conventional plot that is at least not as droll as they say. This is probably the first time I've rated something higher than others. Strange.

When David Caruso made headlines by leaving the hit TV show "NYPD Blue," the question people were asking was "Is he making a mistake?" Looking back on his career the past few years, we have to say that he did. But you couldn't tell that from his performance in "Kiss of Death." He's actually quite good.

Caruso plays Jimmy Kilmartin, a reformed car thief with a wife and baby who is desperately trying to go straight. Before he does, though, he reluctantly agrees to help his worthless cousin Ronny (Michael Rapaport) on one last run. If he doesn't, then Little Junior (Nicholas Cage), a sadistic killer, will bury Ronny. Naturally, things go bad. A cop gets shot and Jimmy ends up taking the fall by himself.

True to his personal code of honor, Jimmy won't rat out the others no matter how hard the sleazy DA (Stanley Tucci) pushes him. Then Ronny starts to move in on Jimmy's wife (Helen Hunt) and things really go wrong. Jimmy agrees to make a deal and cunningly manipulates events so that Little Junior takes Ronny down.

Three years later, Jimmy finally gets out of prison. The DA's not about to let things drop, however. He wants Little Junior bad and he'll do what it take to get him, even if that means using Jimmy and his family.

The plot of "Kiss of Death" is loosely based on the 1947 original-a class film noir-which featured Victor Mature, and Richard Widmark in his star?making role. (Remember his maniacal giggle as he pushed the old lady down the stairs?)

The story's been updated and it is grittier, realer and even more gripping. Novelist Richard Price ("Clockers") wrote the screenplay and he is one of the very best writers working in movies today. He has a true affinity for the seedy side of life and the characters and situations that populate his films are always enthralling to watch.

The direction by Barbet Schroeder ("Reversal of Fortune") is tense, well?paced and energetic. The acting is very good, especially by Caruso and Cage. Caruso is a very subtle and contained actor, much like Robert Mitchum, a veteran of many films noir. Also like Mitchum, Caruso seems like a powder keg about to go off. He projects seething fire and intensity without overplaying his hand.

Cage is mostly known for his dimwitted nice guy, hero roles, but he shows here that he has some real chops, creating a maniacal thug with a hair?trigger temper. With his pumped?up body and goatee, he has a hard look that goes great with his intense persona. It would have been very easy to go over?the?top with this part, but Cage never does. This is a very good performance.

The ending is the weakest part of the movie. It seems that the filmmakers ran out of gas and had to settle for less than the picture deserves. This is not a great crime film like "Goodfellas" or "Pulp Fiction," but it still makes for an enjoyable viewing.

this film suffers from bad writing& trying to showcase non-big screen acting David Caruso.he should have stayed on Blue.Nicolas Cage is okay.but only Samuel L.Jackson keeps your attention.this film goes nowhere fast.despite having names there's no Chemistry.

All right, so he's not the most convincing goon. It's still amusing to see him in this role. I'd say these nay-sayers need to lighten up. As a poor country boy unfamiliar with the urban crime cliches and plot twists, I can honestly say I enjoyed this movie. No, it's no masterpiece, but it is entertaining enough to be worth seeing, even buying at such a reasonable price. Caruso and (as they all admit) a fine supporting cast do very well with a now conventional plot that is at least not as droll as they say. This is probably the first time I've rated something higher than others. Strange.

When David Caruso made headlines by leaving the hit TV show "NYPD Blue," the question people were asking was "Is he making a mistake?" Looking back on his career the past few years, we have to say that he did. But you couldn't tell that from his performance in "Kiss of Death." He's actually quite good.

Caruso plays Jimmy Kilmartin, a reformed car thief with a wife and baby who is desperately trying to go straight. Before he does, though, he reluctantly agrees to help his worthless cousin Ronny (Michael Rapaport) on one last run. If he doesn't, then Little Junior (Nicholas Cage), a sadistic killer, will bury Ronny. Naturally, things go bad. A cop gets shot and Jimmy ends up taking the fall by himself.

True to his personal code of honor, Jimmy won't rat out the others no matter how hard the sleazy DA (Stanley Tucci) pushes him. Then Ronny starts to move in on Jimmy's wife (Helen Hunt) and things really go wrong. Jimmy agrees to make a deal and cunningly manipulates events so that Little Junior takes Ronny down.

Three years later, Jimmy finally gets out of prison. The DA's not about to let things drop, however. He wants Little Junior bad and he'll do what it take to get him, even if that means using Jimmy and his family.

The plot of "Kiss of Death" is loosely based on the 1947 original-a class film noir-which featured Victor Mature, and Richard Widmark in his star?making role. (Remember his maniacal giggle as he pushed the old lady down the stairs?)

The story's been updated and it is grittier, realer and even more gripping. Novelist Richard Price ("Clockers") wrote the screenplay and he is one of the very best writers working in movies today. He has a true affinity for the seedy side of life and the characters and situations that populate his films are always enthralling to watch.

The direction by Barbet Schroeder ("Reversal of Fortune") is tense, well?paced and energetic. The acting is very good, especially by Caruso and Cage. Caruso is a very subtle and contained actor, much like Robert Mitchum, a veteran of many films noir. Also like Mitchum, Caruso seems like a powder keg about to go off. He projects seething fire and intensity without overplaying his hand.

Cage is mostly known for his dimwitted nice guy, hero roles, but he shows here that he has some real chops, creating a maniacal thug with a hair?trigger temper. With his pumped?up body and goatee, he has a hard look that goes great with his intense persona. It would have been very easy to go over?the?top with this part, but Cage never does. This is a very good performance.

The ending is the weakest part of the movie. It seems that the filmmakers ran out of gas and had to settle for less than the picture deserves. This is not a great crime film like "Goodfellas" or "Pulp Fiction," but it still makes for an enjoyable viewing.