Willy's Wonderland (2021)

 

A quiet drifter is tricked into a janitorial job at the now condemned Willy's Wonderland. The mundane tasks suddenly become an all-out fight for survival against wave after wave of demonic animatronics.

A tongue-in-cheek cartoonish gore fest isn't really much more than that, but it delivers the goods, and Nicolas Cage brings the necessary madness to his once again over-top-top performance. 

 

Mom and Dad (2017)

 

A teenage girl and her younger brother must survive a wild 24 hours during which a mass hysteria of unknown origin causes parents to turn violently on their own kids.

Good satirical premise has its moments and an enjoyably off-kilter performance by Nicholas Cage, but is really only mildly entertaining.  

Color Out of Space (2019)

A secluded farm is struck by a strange meteorite which has apocalyptic consequences for the family living there and possibly the world.

Entertaining H.P. Lovecraft adaptation has a nice B-movie touch to it, while offering some good and imaginative special effects and a deliciously over-the-top performance by Nicholas Cage.

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (2011)

Johnny Blaze, tortured by the Ghost Rider's curse, gets a chance of redemption through protecting the Devil's son, whose father is pursuing him.

Pure trash cinema: silly story, mayhem and a cast of overacting stars.

Maltin BOMB: "Even worse than the 2007 film; the potential for spectacle is trashed by the relatively low budget."

Mandy (2018)

The enchanted lives of a couple in a secluded forest are brutally shattered by a nightmarish hippie cult and their demon-biker henchmen, propelling a man into a spiraling, surreal rampage of vengeance.

Dark and very violent horror fantasy is presented with great sense for style creating an alternative universe in itself and giving Cage room to demonstrate the whole spectrum of his talents.

Trespass (2011)

As they're held for ransom, a husband and wife's predicament grows more dire amid the discovery of betrayal and deception.

Unpleasant thriller with an ensemble of disagreeable characters relentlessly stomps through its confused plot.

Maltin BOMB: "If there's a point to this unpleasant, endlessly repetitive time-waster, it's that the wealthy are just as corrupt and miserable as their "lessers." But you knew that."

The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans (2009)

A drug- and gambling-addled detective in post-Katrina New Orleans investigates the killing of five Senegalese immigrants.

Abel Ferrara's masterpiece is stripped down to a hypnotic, at times surreal crime thriller within a world of lost moral barriers; the movie is mainly successful due to Nicolas Cage's intense performance.

Maltin***: "Wacky police procedural...a long, tawdry, wide-ranging yarn in which the good guys  and bad guys are hard to differentiate. Cage is terrific in a no-holds-barred performance. Bear no resemblance to the 1992 film..."

The Frozen Ground (2013)

An Alaska State Trooper partners with a young woman who escaped the clutches of a serial killer to bring the murderer to justice.

Basically OK crime drama with some good performances doesn't add anything new to the genre.

Maltin**: "Sordid, fact-based account...well made and well acted, but it wallows in graphic depictions of the worst kind of violence against women that it claims to be condemning. This is entertainment?"

Red Rock West (1993)

When a promised job for a Texan Michael fails to materialise in Wyoming, he is mistaken to be the hitman hired to kill an unfaithful wife.

Playful and highly artificial Neo Noir has its moments,  especially when spiced with irony, and some great cinematography but hardly ever evokes a Noir feeling.


Halliwell*: "Enjoyable, blackly comic thriller with plenty of twists and turns."

Maltin***: "Rock-solid little thriller, crammed with twists, turns and suspense...Nothing that occurs is logical or probable, but the film is so good (and so funny) that you are willing to go along for the ride. Hopper aficiandos will savor his performance as "Lyle, from Dallas," the smarmiest of psychos, who is the real hit man."

The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010)

Master sorcerer Balthazar Blake must find and train Merlin's descendant to defeat dark sorceress Morgana le Fey.

Colorful nonsense offers lota of incomprehensive magic and action and fairly little romance, but is clearly intended for an audience of kids.

Maltin**1/2: "Formulaic but enjoyable-enough mix of large-scale action and humor..., ostensibly inspired by the famous sequence in Disney's FANTASIA. Wittiest part of the film is the inventive use of Manhattan locations, from Wall Street to a ledge on the Chrysler Building."

Birdy (1984)

After two friends return home from the Vietnam War one becomes mentally unstable and obsesses with becoming a bird.

At heart a moving drama about a close friendship, this movie scores with two excellent lead performances and some memorable visual moments thanks to Alan Parker's imaginative direction.

Halliwell (no star): "A case history that somewhat lacks plot advancement. Too self-indulgent even to earn marks for trying."

Maltin***1/2: ""...a surprisingly workable movie despite a weak "gag" ending. Terrific performances, with Modine a standout in a tricky, physically demanding role."