Knowing – 2009

Nicholas Cage is one of those hit and miss actors, one minute he’s acting out of his skin and the other he’s bumbling his way through another disappointment, with his quietly spoken drawl.

Knowing is a tale of two halves, the first half is a well thought out disaster thriller, the second is quite simply a shambles and totally ruined it. Why you ask? SPOILER ALERT: Aliens, the ending was all linked back to men from another planet. Why they felt the need to go down this route is beyond me, but I lost any respect for director Alex Proyas.

It’s a real shame as well, there were some spectacular disaster sequences which really ramped up the tension in the film, Cage was accomplished in his role and was edgy enough to win the audience over. However, that all fell away in the later stages as his acting became desperate, as he tried to clutch at emotional straws.

The films ending has a very ‘The Day the Earth Stood Still’ feel about it, poor! I felt like snapping the DVD in half and mailing in personally to screen writers Ryne Douglas Pearson and Juliet Snowden. I would only recommend this for the special effects, and not at all for the weak script or storyline.

View the trailer

Rating: (1.5/5)

Visit the IMDb page for Knowing

DVD Extras: Audio Commentary with Director Alex Proyas, “Knowing All”: The Making of a Futuristic Thriller, “Visions of the Apocalyspe” Featurette

Blu-ray Extras: same as for the DVD, audio commentary and includes both of the above featurettes.

Please feel to leave a comment about this film, I would love to know what you think and I will do my best to respond!

The Weather Man – 2005

Quietly good!

Quietly good

Despite some poor reviews that the The Weather Man got I actually enjoyed this film, Nicolas Cage plays a Chicago weather man in the midst of mid life crisis.

Separated from his wife, he must cope with a variety of things including his slightly overweight daughter, his troublesome son, his wife’s new partner and his dying Pulitzer prize winning father.

Top that with the fact he has to contended with everyone verbally abusing him and assaulting him with third rate fast food.

Cage is dead pan and plays the part well, his journey amidst simmering depression albeit why everyone else seems to be depressed around him is counteracted by his possible move to New York to join Good Morning America.

Michael Caine is by no means at his best but when the two are on screen you would almost feel that they were actually a father and son.

Overall The Weather Man is a good watch, there are some moments when you ask yourself should this be a drama or a comedy?

View the trailer

Rating: (3.5/5)

Visit the IMDb page for The Weather Man

DVD Extras: A number of featurettes including; Extended Outlook: The Script, Forecasts: Becoming A Weather Man, Atmospheric Pressure: The Style & Palette, Realtive Humidity: The Characters, Trade Winds: The Collaboration and a theatrical trailer.

Please feel free to leave a comment about the film, I would love to hear what you have to say and I will do my best to respond!

Matchstick Men – 2003

Matchstick MenA slick stylish con artist flick, but have we seen it before? In films like these you pretty much know the basis of how the storyline will go. A very good con artist tired of living the life of a crook tries to go straight, but before they depart is there time for one last con/heist.

It’s almost the same here but for some differences, firstly Cage’s character Roy Waller is not your run of the mill conman, he’s an is an obsessive-compulsive floating through life with no real emotional ties. Going through his daily motions is humorous to watch and Cage revels in the non action hero for the first time in a while.

Desperate to go straight (here we go) after the arrival of Angela (Alison Lohman) the 14 year old daughter he never knew he had, he manages to form a bond and the missing piece of his life is seemingly about to fit into place.

Plot suggests that this is not going to go well, and Frank Mercer (Sam Rockwell) who is desperate to carry the business on and to step out of Roy’s shadow is an integral part, although his screen time is fairly limited.

Director Ridley Scott is again stepping out of his alien/gladiatorial comfort zone but here his astute direction does not just focus on the characterization but also the development of a good story. As with most con flicks there is a twist but it is left to the audience to decide whether or not they think Roy has come out on top.

It’s a well scripted film and the emotional angle will play a key role, but the overall outcome is certainly more deceptive than anyone can possibly imagine.

View the trailer

Rating: (3.5/5)

Visit the IMDb page for Matchstick Men

DVD Extras: DVD extras include a commentary from Scott and his writers, Nicholas and Ted Griffin, as well as an extensive making-of feature/diary.

Please feel free to leave a comment about this film, I would love to know what you think and I will do my best to respond!