Nicolas Cage Is Proud Of His Work In Straight-To-VOD Films

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Nicolas Cage reveals that he is proud of his performances in his straight-to-VOD movies. Most famously known for his work in films such as National Treasure, Raising Arizona, and Leaving Las Vegas, Cage continues to grace the screen with his presence through versatile projects. For example, his most recent film, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, finds him playing a fictionalized version of himself. Cage's first ever appearance in a theatrically released film was in 1982 with his role as "Brad's Bud" in Fast Times at Ridgemont High. 

 

Since Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Cage rose to stardom, but also learned that one's notoriety can be just as easily lost as it is gained in Hollywood. Beginning in 2010, the Oscar-winning actor began to star in a series of films that were panned by critics, such as The Sorcerer’s Apprentice and Stolen. After this run of films which did not receive critical acclaim, Cage started making several movies which were released directly to VOD; these include The Runner, Pay the Ghost, The Trust, and several others.

 

In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Cage says that he is proud of the work he did in the films that were released directly to VOD. Several of these films continued to receive negative reviews from critics, and because of this, Cage says that there is a misconception from the public that he put less effort into them than in any of his other work. He states that these films gave him the opportunity in a lot of ways to more easily access his emotions and creativity, as well as practice on how to give every film his utmost attention, even while making several each year. A full quote regarding Cage's straight-to-VOD films can be read below:

"I think that I did some of the best work of my life in that so-called ‘direct to video’ period. ‘Massive Talent’ was in that group. ‘Mandy’ was in that group. ‘Pig,’ ‘Bad Lieutenant: Port of New Orleans,’ ‘Joe,’ ‘Mom and Dad,’ ‘Color Out of Space’ — they were all in that group. ‘The Runner’ I thought was terrific. I’ll put any of those movies up [against] the first 30 years. If there is a misconception, it’s perhaps overlooking that there was a genuine commitment to performance."

 

One of the films which Cage mentions, Mandy, had a limited theatrical release on September 13, 2018 and was then released to VOD the next day. After premiering several months earlier at the Sundance Film Festival in January, the unique horror film from Panos Cosmatos received several glowing reviews from critics and ultimately landed a 90 percent critic score on Rotten Tomatoes. Although several of the films that Cage made in his direct-to-VOD era did not receive as much acclaim, his point that a film's quality should not be determined by whether it has a wide theatrical release or is released to VOD immediately is becoming more and more relevant today. This is especially true during the current Covid pandemic when theaters may not be accessible to everyone, especially those with compromised immune systems.

 

Another example of the shift in both the public perception and the film community's ranking of straight-to-video films is seen with the recent Oscar winner for best picture, Apple TV+'s CODA. That was a film that had an early home release, albeit via streaming. Although some may argue that Cage's performances in certain films are undeniably cheesy, his ability to nonetheless entertain viewers over his 40-year career is due to the amount of effort he puts in to every film regardless of critical reception. Besides this, Cage's devotion to a film no matter how its distribution is handled may earn him future roles that prove more fruitful in terms of a well-received critical response, or perhaps bigger at-home viewership.

 

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