There are two types of Nicolas Cage movies that exist in this crazy world we live in: first there are what I like to call "Nicolas Cage" movies and then there are "Nic Cage" movies. Nicholas Cage movies, like Moonstruck and Leaving Las Vegas, tend to be more serious/lighthearted romps that actually showcase the man's chops as an actor. Nic Cage movies, on the other hand, are absolutely batshit pieces of cinematic insanity. These films range from guilty pleasures (Face/Off) to mildly entertaining grab bags (Ghost Rider), all the way down to the absolute dregs of the Cage Canon (The Wicker Man). Well, it looks like the fates are giving us a little bit more of a challenge in guessing which category his next film will fall into, as he's signed on for a film that bears the title, Pay The Ghost.
Variety ran the scoop pertaining to the Voltage Pictures production, which is shopping for a distributor to call home. Directed by Uli Edel, who's best known for his foreign language film The Bader Meinhoff Complex, the film will star Cage as a professor whose son disappears on Halloween. So far, this sounds like a Nicholas Cage movie that could give us a compelling, heart pounding thriller about a father's love for his son. But looking deeper into the project's pedigree, we see something that resembles more of a Nic Cage movie. Read the following synopsis, and tell me you don't see the makings of a crazy time at the movies:
"On Halloween night, a couple's young son is mysteriously abducted. A year later, they begin to sense his presence in frightening ways. A string of terrifying clues draws them to search for the boy throughout New York, where they uncover ancient secrets and discover a vicious, vengeful spirit."
Now I'm not saying that this doesn't have the potential to be a more sober, more thrilling middle ground film like he made with Kick-Ass, but judging the man's track record, it's clear that he the majority of his work exists on one of those two planes I mentioned earlier. I really like both sides of Nicholas Cage, as they've provided memorable moments that show off a badass who's in charge, a sensitive and fragile man just trying to get by, or a completely batshit insane person who's chewing scenery as if they were a hungry rabbit. The Cage works in mysterious ways: one moment he's making a movie like Joe that looks like a return to dramatic form, and the next he's remaking the Christian cult classic
[[ ahref http new nicolas-cage-casually-discusses-jesus-rapture-left-behind-footage-41368.html www.cinemablend.com ]] Left Behind. The point is, we never know what we're going to get, but either way it should be an interesting ride.
Nicolas Cage can next be seen in the new thriller Rage, which will hit VOD on June 10th and theaters on July 11th. It definitely looks like a Nic Cage movie, but he has surprised us in the past.
