Tag: nicolas-cage

Film Review: Not All Satanic Serial Killers Are That Interesting

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Longlegs is a horror film that has an interesting plot idea but somehow manages to miss the mark in keeping this viewer engaged. Osgood Perkins is the writer and director, so he can shoulder most of the blame for this film’s downfalls.

Maika Monroe plays the lead role in the shape of FBI agent Lee Harker. Nicholas Cage, Blair Underwood, and Alicia Witt are included in the cast, so there isn’t a lack of experienced performers. Cage plays the demonic killer known as Longlegs, and he delivers his usual distinctively manic performance.

Lee Harker displays a peculiar intuition concerning a series of similar murders that involve the father inexplicably slaughtering his family before taking his own life. There are strange letters being sent to Harker, and she finds that her own past may play a part in these atrocities that are connected to Satanic rituals as well. There are plenty of dark aspects to give Harker some disturbing dreams and memories.

The revelation as to how Longlegs operated is kind of interesting. As I mentioned, the basic plot is actually not that bad. The problem is that I didn’t really like anyone. Lee Harker as a character is just not that interesting in spite of her mysterious, troubled past. Cage was just too weird, and I found myself wondering how he eluded capture for decades in spite of his distinctive facial deformities and bizarre behavior. I suppose since he was getting some guidance from Satan, apparently, that could have helped him avoid the attentions of law enforcement.

I don’t usually bring in what the professional reviewers note in this film, but I was somewhat surprised that the critical score was higher than I would have thought. The audience seems to have a much more tepid reaction. I think I will have to agree with the general audience here.

Anyway, the idea has some potential, but there isn’t much more merit beyond that.

Film Review: Some Retirements Don’t Go As Planned

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

The Retirement Plan is a comedy action film written and directed by Tim Brown. Nicholas Cage is in the lead role as a seemingly aging beach bum named Matt, who lives in the Cayman Islands. Other cast members include Ashley Greene as Matt’s estranged daughter, Ron Perlman, Jackie Earl Haley, Ernie Hudson, and Grace Byers. There’s a cute kid played by Thalia Campbell, who may actually be the best thing in this film.

Ashley and her husband run afoul of some ultra powerful crime syndicate, and she sends their daughter to the Cayman Islands to meet her grandfather for the first time. When Ashley is forced to take some of the bad guys to her father’s doorstep, she finds that he had a secret past that led to their rift. It seems Matt is not as inept as he first appears and was at one time a government assassin. When the granddaughter falls into the hands of one of the henchmen, Matt dusts off some of his old skills to make sure he does not lose another opportunity to reconnect with his family.

There are some actors that can make eccentric characters rather charming and fascinating. Cage didn’t hit that mark here. Matt just seems a little weird, although the fight scenes were pretty good. The film kept getting interrupted by this one second flash card effect every time a new character was introduced. The villains were more like caricatures. Byers had a couple of almost chilling moments as a crime boss lady named Hector. Haley and Perlman were the peculiar killers sort of in the lead of those actively hunting for this elusive hard drive with some unspecified important information that is supposed to change the world or upset lots of people. I sort of lost track of what was so significant about this thing.

Thalia Campbell plays the granddaughter who gets caught up in this caper involving her sketchy parents. Her scenes with were her newly met grandfather were kind of charming. Most of the film has her in the company of Ron Perlman, who plays the lead henchman who kind of kidnaps her. I think I would have preferred her to have more scenes with Cage.

Anyway, the film is pretty campy but falls short on overall charm. It was supposed to be somewhat comedic, but it was kind of dull. The dialogue wasn’t all that creative. The bungling antics of the bad guys were just a little too stupid for my liking. Somehow, Cage’s character, who could have been more interesting, just didn’t hold my attention.

Overall, there are a couple of very mild amusing scenes, however this is another exercise in relentless mediocrity. That really is a shame because there is some real talent here that ended up being wasted. Hopefully, Brown isn’t kicking around the idea for a sequel.