The Tao of Nicolas Cage: Is 2018 the Year of Cage?

By Chris Coffel

Less than two full months into 2018 and Nicolas Cage already looks to be well on his way to his most prolific year yet.

We’re still in February and Nicolas Cage has already had two films receive official releases and a third premiere at Sundance. For most actors that would be a quality year. For Cage, this is just a bit of light stretching. Before 2018 comes to a close Cage could have four more films make the rounds giving him a total of seven on the year.

Over the course of the last 15 years or so the public opinion on Cage has shifted from Hollywood A-list actor to dude that makes a bunch of direct-to-video movies each year. Those two thoughts are linked because consensus opinion is that if you’re doing a bunch of movies at once they can’t possibly be good. As I state on a regular basis I don’t find that to be true. Yes, an actor is more likely to make more bad movies if he’s making more movies, but he’s also likely more likely to make more good movies that way. Quality doesn’t reflect quantity and vice versa. What it boils down to is that shooters are gonna shoot, and Cage is nothing if not a shooter.

Another common conclusion people have drawn is that Cage makes so many movies because he has to. His financial troubles have been well documented over the years so the assumption is he doesn’t even care about the quality and just needs to pump out as many movies as possible to get a better footing on his financial situation. While there may be some truth to that, making a bunch of movies in one year is nothing new for Cage. Since 1984 there have been 13 different years in which Cage has made three or more movies in one year. In recent years it has become more frequent but it is nothing new.

Why Cage working so regularly is viewed so negatively by many I’ll never quite understand. Director Tim Hunter recently echoed these same sentiments in a conversation with me.

“You know if you can be James Cagney in this day and age, and God knows he has the talent,” Hunter told me, “I say terrific.”

I, for one, welcome the onslaught of Cage films and say, “keep ’em comin’!” And given what he has coming down the pipeline I cannot understand why everyone wouldn’t be as thrilled as I am. Let 2018 be the year of Cage.

Entering the Cage in 2018…

The Looking Glass

Hitting limited theaters and VOD today is The Looking Glass, an awesome little neo-noir from Rivers Edge director Tim Hunter. Cage and Robin Tunney play a married couple that purchases a small desert motel and uncover terrible secrets hidden deep inside.

Mom and Dad

Coming to Blu-ray on February 20th is the bonkers Mom and Dad. Cage re-teams with director Brian Taylor and decides to “discipline” his kids. This is a fun one and Cage and Selma Blair form the perfect combo.

Mandy

No word yet on when Mandy will be getting a “wide” release but it premiered at Sundance and by all accounts it’s awesome. Our own Rob Hunter described the movie as “amazingly over the top” while still featuring a “legitimately terrific performance by Cage.”

The Humanity Bureau

Filmed in 2018, the sci-fi thriller The Humanity Bureau has begun to screen across the world with a limited US release date of April 6th currently on the schedule. In this one Cage takes on global warming. Go ahead and sign me up!

Between Worlds

In the mystery-thriller Between Worlds Cage plays a down-on-his-luck truck driver haunted by his past. Currently Between Worlds is in post-production with no release date on slate but I would imagine it hits VOD at some point this year.

#211

The IMDb page for #211 describes this film as “a bank heist movie in the vein of End of Watch meets Black Hawk Down.” That’s a description that doesn’t really make much sense to me but I’m guessing that maybe it’s found footage? This is another project in post-production with no release date but I’d say it’s likely to spring up before year’s end. This film also stars Nic’s son, Weston.

Primal

Aside from Mandy, Primal is the Cage film I am most eager to see. Cage plays a big game hunter on a shipping freight with a fresh haul of exotic animals, including a rare white jaguar. Also on this ship is a political assassin. Apparently, the assassin breaks free and unleashes the animals. I’m guessing all hell then breaks loose. This one is currently being filmed and I’m guessing there’s no way that it isn’t awesome.

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