Tag Archives: Nicolas Cage

1990s, 30 Day Movie Challenge, Action, Adventure

Day 13 – 30 Day Movie Challenge

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A Movie That Is A Guilty Pleasure

I have to say that 1997’s Jerry Bruckheimer produced Con Air is an extremely fun ride, and it is one of my favorite action films. If I see this one on TV I will almost always watch it. The film is so over-the-top with its characters, dialogue, and situations that it can’t be truly believable and I don’t think it is meant to be. I know that this is not a high quality film, it doesn’t answer any metaphysical questions. But it is a good popcorn movie and it is endlessly re-watchable, even 15 years after it was released. True to most Bruckheimer productions Con Air is loud, crazy, and completely mindless fun during its 123-minute running time.

I’m not even going to give a synopsis. If you haven’t seen this movie, it is a lot of fun and would be a great film for a date night. It has a great cast of extremely talented actors playing extremely colorful characters. Our leading man Cameron Poe (Nicholas Cage), Drug smuggler Joe “Pinball” Parker (Dave Chappelle), serial rapist “Johnny-23” (Danny Trejo), Nathan “Diamond Dog” Jones (Ving Rhames), mass murderer William “Billy Bedlam” Bedford (Nick Chinlund), the Hannibal Lecter wannabe Garland Green, a.k.a. “The Marietta Mangler,” (Steve Buscemi), and the notorious criminal mastermind Cyrus “the Virus” Grissom (John Malkovich). With a cast like that stuck on a plane together for at least half of the film, it has to be good.

Con Air is loud, brash, and over-the-top (did I say that it was over-the-top already?). It’s hard to believe that Michael Bay wasn’t in the director’s chair this time, since it contains many of his trademarks including fast editing, crazy characters, outlandish dialogue, stunning action sequences, explosions, car chases, and shootouts. In reality it was directed by Simon West, (who gave us The Mechanic this year and is currently working on The Expendables 2), in his directing debut. Con Air is one boldly energetic and exciting action flick. I’ve seen the movie well over a dozen times since it first came out in 1997 and it’s never lost its luster or ability to be exciting, brain-dead entertainment. It’s one wild ride that I am a bit ashamed to say that I love to take.

Great Quote: “What if I told you insane was working fifty hours a week in some office for fifty years at the end of which they tell you to piss off; ending up in some retirement village hoping to die before suffering the indignity of trying to make it to the toilet on time? Wouldn’t you consider that to be insane?”- Garland Greene (Steve Buscemi)

Do you have a favorite movie that you are ashamed to say you like. Is it so bad it’s good? There were a lot of movies that I could have went with here, but probably because I love John Malkovich and Steve Buscemi, this one took the cake for me. What is your pick? Let me know in the comments below or on Facebook or Twitter. And if you decide to take the 30 Day Movie Challenge, please leave me a link to your quest so I can stalk you.

Holiday, Lists

Movies Set at Christmas

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Merry Christmas everybody. While my wife watches A Christmas Story (1983) for the 10th time and the kids fall asleep among the wrapping paper, I am thinking about movies that are either set at Christmas or remind us of Christmas without being “Christmas movies.” You won’t find the traditional Christmas favorites on this list, but you might find some fun movies to watch with your sweetie on a cold winter night.

5. Gremlins
What better than a movie that had trouble getting past the MPAA because they believed it was too scary for its target audience. This movie doesn’t even make me think of Christmas, and I didn’t even watch it until I was in college. But who wouldn’t want to get a cute fuzzy monster like Gizmo under their Christmas tree. In fact, I think it was partly because of this movie that Furbys became popular 15 years later.
4. The Family Man
Jack (Nicolas Cage) is given the chance to live the life that he could have had if he had followed his heart. It is a retelling of It’s a Wonderful Life. The film emphasizes the importance of having family and friends in your life. Christmas just happens to be the backdrop for this hypothetical journey. Don Cheadle as the street wise angel really makes this film.
3. Batman Returns
Everyone has had a Christmas when they got one too many pairs of socks or when their crazy relative has a little too much egg nog and started spilling all the family secrets. That’s nothing compared to Christmas in Gotham City. The Red Triangle Gang jumps out of a giant present, mess up the Christmas decorations and attempt to install the super creepy Penguin (Danny Devito) as mayor. It’s not all bad however, it inspired a crazy woman to make a homemade skin-tight shiny black leather cat suit.
2. Trading Places
It’s a simple concept. Take a well-to-do Harvard alumnus named Winthorpe (Dan Aykroyd) and set him up for a fall. Then take a street bum Billy Ray (Eddie Murphy) and put him in his old job to see if he can make it on the stock exchange. Pretty soon, Winthorpe’s a suicidal gun-toting thief dressed as Santa and Billy Ray’s scolding house guests for making a mess of his nice clean rug. Throw in Jamie Lee Curtis as a lady of the night and you have a heartwarming holiday classic. Or not.
1. Die Hard
Holiday office parties are the best! The boss gets tipsy, you see a whole other side of your co-workers, and international terrorists take everyone hostage in the office building! Well, at least that last one sounds fun for John McClane, a New York city cop who is attempting to surprise his estranged wife on Christmas Eve. But instead of a gift, he brings the pain. Who needs a “ho ho ho” when you can have a “yippie kai-yai motherf***er.” And McClane gets into more mischief around Christmas in Die Hard 2, but I think by Die Hard with a Vengeance he learned to stay home for the holidays.

These are some of my favorites. Can you think of some others?