"There are often lists of the great living male movie stars: De Niro, Nicholson and Pacino, usually. How often do you see the name of Nicolas Cage? He should always be up there. He's daring and fearless in his choice of roles, and unafraid to crawl out on a limb, saw it off and remain suspended in air. No one else can project inner trembling so effectively." Ebert adds, "He alway seems so earnest. However improbable his character, he never winks at the audience. He is committed to the character with every atom and plays him as if he were him."
Yeah, I included it at some point on my blog - it's great!
Ebert is a strange fish. He's grown increasingly reflective in his old age, which I like. He can turn against films for odd reasons though and I find it bizarre that he considers Irreversible to be a more 'moral' film than Blue Velvet (he hated the latter on release). Also, he wrote Beyond The Valley of the Dolls... which is a silly thing to spend one's time doing!
thanks for posting Lady True, It's one of my all time favourite quotes written about Nic! it's almost poetic description of Nic as an actor.... i wonder.. Is it true he never 'winks at the audience' ?
I think sometimes he is having fun with his role and sometimes there is a complicit understanding between his character and the audience, it seems to me anyway, that at this point he's not taking himself too seriously..parts of Ghost Rider come to mind, which I love for it's humour as well as it's fantasy/darkness/western flavours...there's definitely, for me anyway, a tiny bit of winking at the audience and it makes the film all the more enjoyable for it! but..clarifying....., that doesn't mean Nic is somehow not in the character.....so perhaps it would be more accurate to say his character occasionally winks at the audience!
Ebert is not an automatic fan of Nic's work though, he absolutely hated Kick Ass.
Yeah, he did not appreciate Kick-Ass at all, and he did have some valid reasons why, I felt. I was somewhat disturbed by the violent role the child had too.
But I don't recall that he actually critiqued Nic's performance in it, did he? Or did he, can't remember.
parts of Ghost Rider come to mind, which I love for it's humour as well as it's fantasy/darkness/western flavours...there's definitely, for me anyway, a tiny bit of winking at the audience and it makes the film all the more enjoyable for it!
Oh absolutely in agreement! The last shot, where Nic's eyebrow is raised seems to cst a wry look back over the course of the film. Ebert might have written his piece earlier in Nic's career though.
Also, he is straight up the best thing about Kick-Ass, easily.
Phew... That's a relief Sprocket! You are so right of course....Ghost Rider came long after this comment from Ebert....now we will have to wrack our brains for winks from long before!
Agree with you both about Nic's performance as Big Daddy, and I can't remember either Lady True!
