#32 Bringing Out the Dead

#32 Bringing Out the Dead

Year: 1999

Director: Martin Scorsese
MPAA Rating: R

Epic Co-stars: John Goodman, Patricia Arquette, Ving Rhames, Tom Sizemore

Running Time: 121 mins
Cage Time: 99%
Cage Kills: 2
Cage Flip-outs: 4 
Skyler's Review: 

This movie was bringing out the dead in me! First, let me state for the record that Nicolas Cage did an amazing job portraying his character with the style and grace that makes doves cry. Now for the movie...

Nic Cage keeps seeing this 'Rose' as a ghost everywhere.

At the start we see John Goodman who is awesome. John is saying some funny stuff and Nic Cage is being pretty cool. Cage is playing an ambulance driver that is dead inside. He's really pulling it off, too. It's cool at first but then it starts to be a drag.

Nic Cage starts seeing Rose's face everywhere. In reflections and stuff, every time he drives, and  when looking at other people.

Dr. Cage's hair is flat long hair; he kinda looks like a zombie. John Goodman is the only actor who comes even near Nic Cage in the flip-out department. Ving Rhames is pretty awesome too. Really funny. Cage just keeps acting dead inside.

As the movie moves along you get the feeling like they are trying to make a significant point by seeing Rose's face on other people, but after a few times it seems forced.

If you liked Insomnia or Edward Norton in Fight Club then you will totally like Bringing out the Dead. My favorite part was when they started talking about "applesauce cake" since that sounds really yummy.

You might be trying to really get "into" this review but then this girl's face keeps on popping up non sequitur.  

The overall plot is something about a new drug called "Red Death" that is causing young people to OD. All of the people that Nic and his co-drivers of the ambulance try to save are either old people that are too old to be saved, or drug addicts that can't be saved from themselves. After half of the movie is over, you feel that the writers have made their point; but they keep hitting you over the head with the same visuals and situations.

Seriously, they keep showing this girl's face so much that toward the end she served as a reminder to check your watch to see how much time was left.

Really the best part of the movie happens half way through when an ambulance does a flip. The credits really should have started to roll there. But, alas, there is still a whole lot of movie left. I would recommend this movie to someone that is so happy that they want to be brought down a little bit. Otherwise, leave this movie to folks spending a Year in the Cage.

If you are tired of seeing the same non-Cage image over and over, join the club.

Here, have a Cage... you'll feel better.

Movie quotability:

• "Hold this.  If you let go I SWEAR, I don't kill you."
• "I'm goin', it's easier than waitin'"
• "It's 6 am the cocktail hour.  Pass me the bottle."
• "You're in the stomach!"
• "Where the hell are the bandaids?  This is an ambulance isn't it?"

Plot Holes:

• Ambulance driving is a ridiculous fraternity of ridiculous doing ridiculous things. 
• Twins don't come out at the same time.
• Nobody holds the railing...

	CAGEamatic	Cinamatic
Skyler	Poor	Poor
Shauna
James	2.18/5	1.84/5
Martine	!Stayed in the Cage!

#23 Kiss of Death

#23 Kiss of Death

Year: 1995

Director: Barbet Schroeder

MPAA Rating:

Epic Co-stars: David Caruso, Samuel L Jackson, Helen Hunt, John Costelloe, Stanley Tucci, Ving Rhames, Philip Baker Hall

Running Time: 101 mins
Cage Time: ~25%
Cage Kills: 1
Cage Flip-outs: 4

James's Review: After watching Kiss of Death can I say that I'm surprised that I'd never heard of this movie before despite it's start studded cast?  No, I cannot.  What I can say is that the start studded cast does almost nothing to improve it's cinematic quality and that the story is basically total garbage.  Now that I have the truth out of the way I can get to the good stuff:  despite this movie being basically unforgettable on most fronts, it should still be considered Classic Cage based on his ridiculous performance playing a completely ridiculous character.

Nic Cage plays "Little" Junior Brown, a ruthless gangster who (according to the movie tagline) "rules the streets" and "owns his game", but unfortunately for him "doesn't own all of the players".  Jimmy Kilmartin (David Caruso) plays an ex-con trying to get his life back together and clean up his act.  He got a cute wife (Helen Hunt) and things seem to be going well until his inner moron comes screaming back to the surface and he gets sucked into little Junior's ring of crime.  Fast forward: Kilmartin wants his life back, cops get involved, "juicy" story unfolds.  

This pretty much sums things up - Kicking ass.  Taking names.  Short hair.  White Jumpsuit.

As I've said in previous reviews, for a Cage fan none of this really matters.  What does matter is that Cage plays is a psychotic career criminal with a strip-club whos hideout is a stripclub (i.e. plenty of nudity: all boobs no bush and it also seems the director had some trouble making David Caruso keep his shirt on).  He stays in shape by bench-pressing strippers, wears a terrible white outfit at all times, and hates the taste of metal in his mouth.  None of this really makes sense either in the real world or in the context of this movie, but that is generally what we're looking for with these types of films.  

The all powerful master of his ultra bad-ass strip club lair.

Although with Kiss of Death viewers are not in for wholistic cinematic quality, those who stick with it through for the long haul are in for a few treats.  Cage breaks all of the rules by having what sounds like a Boston accent despite his character being from Queens NY.  His hair is like we've never seen it; tight on the sides with a surprisingly small amount of fluff or bounce up top.  He pushes the bounds of human behavior by  performing some sort of strange cry-rage exercise dance that is both fascinating and extremely pleasing to the viewer.  Also, there are a couple of deaths (including Helen Hunt) that are pretty awesome...

Bottom line:  Watch for a great Cage performance and a few good deaths / special treats (see below), but not much else.

Only Nicolas Cage, nobody else.

Movie quotability:

• "Now!  Fucko!"
• "I have an acronym for myself. Know what it is? B.A.D. B.A.D... Balls, Attitude, Direction. You should give yourself an acronym... 'cause it helps you visualize your goals."
• "You know what I hate? I hate the taste of metal in my mouth.  Thanks why I never use silverware, forks and knives."

Plot Holes:

• Jimmy Kilmartin is the only guy who can drive a truck.
• Chopping a Rolls Royce is worth more than just selling it straight up.
• "Good family people" leave toddler unattended in a kiddie pool.
• David Caruso can handle himself on a prison basketball court filled with 6'4" 250lb black guys.
• David Caruso appears partially nude in half of his scenes.
• Good guys get to keep stolen cars.

	CAGEamatic	Cinamatic
Skyler	Exceeds Expectations	Poor
Shauna
James	3.34/5	2.04/5
Martine	!Stayed in the Cage!