That`s awesome! Really great movies they have chosen! Thanks for posting, Lula!

Absolutely ! About time the rest of the world discovered what we fans have known for years, there is no other actor with such remarkably talented range and depth !

I just came across this interview with the organiser of this event, Jesse Wente, Head Of Programmes at TIFF, by John Semley from AVclub.

http://www.avclub.com/toronto/articles/jesse-wente-head-of-film-programmes-at-tiff-bell-l,66806/

These parts interested me the most, quote:

"AVC: The previous programs, both Colin’s Midnight Madness program and the Monty Python program, were no-brainers in a way. But the Nic Cage program seems unique, and seizes on the way he’s being reappropriated as an actor in certain pockets of the culture. What was the thinking behind it?

JW: Well there’s definitely been a wave in the film community around—I don’t know if it’s “reappropriating,” but at least reconsidering, how we look at Nicolas Cage and what he’s accomplished over his career. I think that was really the idea behind the series.

I will admit that, while the series is new to Toronto, other venues in New York tried something similar at the IFC Center, though they used different movies than we did. But that inspired me to think of if we could do something similar here and, if we could, how we’d present it in “TIFF style,” if you will. We’ve really chosen the films that show the broadest range of what he can do as an actor ... I would love to say we had our finger on the pulse, but I also just think they’re fun movies. And they’re fun late-night movies. These are movies you don’t necessarily watch on the big screen all the time. We got really good crowds for the Monty Python stuff, because a lot of people have never seenHoly Grail on the big screen and with a crowd.

AVC: The range of films is interesting because it gets at this oscillation in Cage’s career between his respectable work as an actor, respectable action hero stuff, and these B and C movies. It’s like he’s a bankable movie star, a respected thespian, and a cult figure all at the same time. Maybe Charlton Heston has done that, but it’s hard to think of anyone else in American cinema.

JW: Maybe Steve McQueen. But he didn’t really do B-movies in the same way. I think you’ve sort of nailed it. And there’s the fact that he’s an Oscar winner, on top of all of that. We’ve tried to represent all of that in there. It was a very conscious decision not to show Leaving Las Vegas, though. In some ways, the Oscar performance is not as interesting as the other choices he’s made in his career. The thing that’s interesting is he’s always committed to his roles. Even the craziest ones, like in The Wicker Man. There’s a certain courageousness in that that makes him always interesting to watch. You know you’re going to get something, but you don’t necessarily know what."

Yes, his range is not just genre wise, it is the kind of actor he has boldly created the freedom to be!

and, quote:

"AVC: Well, that’s it. He brings this edge to roles where he could just snap at any time, which makes the characters seem kind of dangerous. Which is why Leaving Las Vegas doesn’t really work. It’s a great performance, but he pours into it a bit more and is still colouring within the lines, however broadly defined.

JW: And in Adaptation, you get to see him play weird and kind of normal at the same time. Who would even think that you could do that, other than Nic Cage? It’s these manic choices that I love, and that I think make him perfect for late night. Sure, Adaptation isn’t perfect for late night, butSnake Eyes is frickin’ awesome. He’s also so up front in our understanding of popular culture. He makes so many movies, and he’s memorable in all of them, that you realize how big of a star he is, and how much we connect him with modern moviegoing.

AVC: And again, the title Bangkok Dangerous seems to suggest action stars in Asia, where the industry is a lot more workmanlike, and you have actors who are in about 100-plus movies in their careers. You can’t really rest on your laurels; you have to go in and work. And Nicolas Cage seems to do this, but in the Hollywood context.

JW: For sure. Who takes more work than Nic Cage? For me, it was that sense where there’s both something truthful and absurd in the title Bangkok Dangerous. And that was the whole idea of the series. Believe it or not, a Nic Cage series takes a couple of months to put together. And when we started putting this together, that was the title that immediately sprang to mind. The whole of the series is perfectly Bangkok Dangerous. But I also think Bad Lieutenant is the prize piece: It works on so many levels. And that’s what the series is—enjoying a performer who gives it his all, even when it’s absurd."

I so agree about the edge Nic brings and about the "colouring within the lines" but this is precisely what makes him a great actor..and Pffftttt....."Leaving Las Vegas doesn't really work" !? it more than works in my world!!!

So true.. and what separates Nic from other actors, in my opinion! can you think of any other actors out there today, who can come any where near this?!?!

That`s really a great article! Indeed!: "You have to give the people what they want." (And, it`s obvious what we want! Isn`t it? WE WANT NICOLAS CAGE!!!) Thanks for posting it, Lady T.!

Indeed, Lula!

Oh excellent choises indeed! Thanks Lula!

yup..that stood out for me too Lady T!!! awesome..Nicolas Cage really is in a class of his own, a staggering level in quality as well as quantity.  

I don't think any of Nics' flicks have been 'wretched' though.

I think it is the former lady T, talk about a mixed compliment! and yes, i disagree even more strongly if he is referring to Nics' performances, that is just one steaming pile of horse poop! and quite frankly a little boring but if he means the latter then I strongly agree.

The glorious thing about comments like that is  you end up playing a mega montage of all Nics' performances on that home cinema behind your eyelids, which can only brighten up the day!!!