Way more Qanon similarities than I expected.
Famous Lesbian brands
Movies We've Seen Recently (post #797)
Honeymoon in Vegas (1992)
Director: Andrew Begman
Starring: James Caan, Nicolas Cage, Sarah Jessica Parker
Jack Singer (Cage) has made a promise to his dying mother that he will never marry, to the chagrin of his now long time girlfriend Betsy Nolan (Parker). After nearly a decade without commitment, she issues an ultimatum and he capitulates - they'll go to Las Vegas and get hitched. Unfortunately, at the same time, high-rolling big name gambler Tommy Korman (James Caan) is checking into the same Elvis-infested hotel and as fate would have it, the wife-to-be is the spitting image of his now deceased wife. He hatches a scheme put Singer into debt and makes him a generous offer - he'll erase the debt if he can spend just one weekend with his fiance. This is our premise and it takes an excruciating half hour to get this far - this is a romantic comedy, by the way. From this point the movie is, surprisingly, pretty fine. Tommy uses money, lies, and manipulation to buy the love of Betsy, who is either dense as rocks or, generously, very gullible. Jack chases them across the world, from Vegas to Hawaii to New Mexico to Vegas again in order to speak with his fiance and win back her love. I'm not a romcom connoisseur, I can't tell you what makes a *good* romcom, but I know enough to know what makes a *bad* romcom and this movie makes it over that hurdle. With the glaring exception of...
***Amos & Andrew presents Racism Corner***
Featuring: Peter Boyle! as Chief Orman
Peter Boyle cameos as a not-quite brownface native hawaiian named Chief Orman. He exists to waste Jack Singer's time and the joke is that he's blasted and incoherent. It's bad!
National Treasure (2004)
Director: Jon Tuteltaub
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Diane Kruger, Justin Bartha
Benjamin Franklin Gates (Cage) is ... who gives a shit, ya'll know what this movie is. It's a silly romp, got a bit of action, a bit of heist, a bit of indiana jones. Sean Bean is here. The only thing I really want to say about this movie is that the snarky nerd sidekick is written awfully. He isn't needed in this movie, he provides no narrative value, no emotional value, and as a comedy relief character he's just annoying. Stop putting this character in movies, it's always bad. Moving on.
The Trust (2016)
Director: Alex Brewer, Benjamin Brewer
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Elijah Wood, Sky Ferreria
Stone (Cage) and Waters (Wood) are Evidence officers in the Las Vegas Police. When Stone stumbles on a suspicious $200k bail bond, paid in cash, for a low level drug dealer, he starts pulling on the threads, roping in Waters, and uncovers a vault hidden in a run-down part of the city, what appears to be an unguarded heist waiting to happen. It's tight, focused, well directed, and tense. It's not amazing, but it's a solid heist flick from a pair of fresh writer-directors. I was optimistic when I saw Elijah Wood's name and I wasn't let down. A solid B, maybe B-. You don't need to go out of your way for it but if you've got the time, if you're interested in a quick heist flick, it won't steer you wrong.
Birdy (1984)
Director: Alan Parker
Starring: Matthew Modine, Nicolas Cage, John Harkins
Al Columbato (Cage) returns from the Vietnam War after taking an explosion to the face. As part of his recovery he's tasked with helping a hometown friend, Birdy (Modine) who has undergone a major mental break during the war. This acts as a narrative structure for flashbacks to their friendship in Philadelphia as poor high school students. Columbato is the son of italian immigrants, his father a garbage man, but himself the picture of a young, attractive man - popular with girls, good at sports, always looking to turn a scheme into a buck. Birdy, on the other hand, is a loner and a bit of a weirdo. The son of the high school's janitor, he gets his name from his obsession with birds, with being a bird, which escalates over the film and serves as the thematic and emotional core. There are some fantastic artistic sequences around this. Matthew Modine's performance is great and you really empathize with his character, but I don't know that I'd watch this again.
We're still only a few years into Cage's on-screen career here and they're still casting him as Young Hunk, albeit for half of the movie. Looking at the list of movies, that changes not long after.
Director: Andrew Begman
Starring: James Caan, Nicolas Cage, Sarah Jessica Parker
Jack Singer (Cage) has made a promise to his dying mother that he will never marry, to the chagrin of his now long time girlfriend Betsy Nolan (Parker). After nearly a decade without commitment, she issues an ultimatum and he capitulates - they'll go to Las Vegas and get hitched. Unfortunately, at the same time, high-rolling big name gambler Tommy Korman (James Caan) is checking into the same Elvis-infested hotel and as fate would have it, the wife-to-be is the spitting image of his now deceased wife. He hatches a scheme put Singer into debt and makes him a generous offer - he'll erase the debt if he can spend just one weekend with his fiance. This is our premise and it takes an excruciating half hour to get this far - this is a romantic comedy, by the way. From this point the movie is, surprisingly, pretty fine. Tommy uses money, lies, and manipulation to buy the love of Betsy, who is either dense as rocks or, generously, very gullible. Jack chases them across the world, from Vegas to Hawaii to New Mexico to Vegas again in order to speak with his fiance and win back her love. I'm not a romcom connoisseur, I can't tell you what makes a *good* romcom, but I know enough to know what makes a *bad* romcom and this movie makes it over that hurdle. With the glaring exception of...
***Amos & Andrew presents Racism Corner***
Featuring: Peter Boyle! as Chief Orman
Peter Boyle cameos as a not-quite brownface native hawaiian named Chief Orman. He exists to waste Jack Singer's time and the joke is that he's blasted and incoherent. It's bad!
National Treasure (2004)
Director: Jon Tuteltaub
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Diane Kruger, Justin Bartha
Benjamin Franklin Gates (Cage) is ... who gives a shit, ya'll know what this movie is. It's a silly romp, got a bit of action, a bit of heist, a bit of indiana jones. Sean Bean is here. The only thing I really want to say about this movie is that the snarky nerd sidekick is written awfully. He isn't needed in this movie, he provides no narrative value, no emotional value, and as a comedy relief character he's just annoying. Stop putting this character in movies, it's always bad. Moving on.
The Trust (2016)
Director: Alex Brewer, Benjamin Brewer
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Elijah Wood, Sky Ferreria
Stone (Cage) and Waters (Wood) are Evidence officers in the Las Vegas Police. When Stone stumbles on a suspicious $200k bail bond, paid in cash, for a low level drug dealer, he starts pulling on the threads, roping in Waters, and uncovers a vault hidden in a run-down part of the city, what appears to be an unguarded heist waiting to happen. It's tight, focused, well directed, and tense. It's not amazing, but it's a solid heist flick from a pair of fresh writer-directors. I was optimistic when I saw Elijah Wood's name and I wasn't let down. A solid B, maybe B-. You don't need to go out of your way for it but if you've got the time, if you're interested in a quick heist flick, it won't steer you wrong.
Birdy (1984)
Director: Alan Parker
Starring: Matthew Modine, Nicolas Cage, John Harkins
Al Columbato (Cage) returns from the Vietnam War after taking an explosion to the face. As part of his recovery he's tasked with helping a hometown friend, Birdy (Modine) who has undergone a major mental break during the war. This acts as a narrative structure for flashbacks to their friendship in Philadelphia as poor high school students. Columbato is the son of italian immigrants, his father a garbage man, but himself the picture of a young, attractive man - popular with girls, good at sports, always looking to turn a scheme into a buck. Birdy, on the other hand, is a loner and a bit of a weirdo. The son of the high school's janitor, he gets his name from his obsession with birds, with being a bird, which escalates over the film and serves as the thematic and emotional core. There are some fantastic artistic sequences around this. Matthew Modine's performance is great and you really empathize with his character, but I don't know that I'd watch this again.
We're still only a few years into Cage's on-screen career here and they're still casting him as Young Hunk, albeit for half of the movie. Looking at the list of movies, that changes not long after.
Yeah I'd love to see the Gaylor xianxia novel, it'd have several reasons to get censored by the Chinese authorities
Wow, I learned so much about being a lesbian! I've been doing it all wrong.
This is the worst metaphor that Extra Credit has ever covered.I think you might be right, and that's including the one who beseeched a skeptic to focus more on how good the koolaid tastes.
Lumbermouth, July 04, 2025, 04:25:19 pm
This is the worst metaphor that Extra Credit has ever covered.
I’m excited for this one. These people suck.
Edit: I listened to the episode. Gaylors think being smart means using a lot of words and being gay.
Edit: I listened to the episode. Gaylors think being smart means using a lot of words and being gay.
So, Ballpit, what did we learn today? (post #252)
Craig Ferguson and Peter Capaldi were in the same punk band in the '80s