Left Behind (2014) on Netflix. Nicholas Cage surpasses himself

[Brundle-Fly]

He's done some stinkers, but I thought no Nick Cage film could be more ludicrous than the The Wicker Man remake, but fuck me, this makes a ruddy good stab at it. Even on this promo pic, the expression on his face seems to be saying, "I'm really sorry this time"



But this almost left me speechless. It's sort of a bizarre Christian propganda film in the style of a potboiler eighties TV disaster movie. Cheesy script, relentless dated syrupy soundtrack, laugh inducing tragedies and such peculiar cardboard cut out characters throughout. Poor Cage doesn't even look like he's having fun. I kept waiting for Leslie Neilson to appear for some kind of explanation.

It is nearly a two hour long endurance test but compellingly bad. If you are willing to put yourself through Left Behind don't watch the trailer or read any synopsis/reviews.

File it alongside the equally barmy mess but marginally better Red State (2011)

[goinggoinggone]

My and a friend of mine tried watching this a few years back and we bailed on it after 50 minutes (and we've watched some crap together).  To make things even sadder, not only is this is a remake, but it was the directorial debut of Vic "I've done the stunts for every film you've ever seen" Armstrong!

[BlodwynPig]

Nicholas Cage getting desperate in an ill-fitting suit and some other people you've never heard of IN

NIC CAGE'S CAREER FOR THE LAST 20 YEARS

[mothman]

I knew there was a series of films and/or books that were basically Christian propaganda about how awful it'll be after all the "nice people" have been Raptured. I'd no idea it'd been remade with Nicolas freaking Cage.

[Shit Good Nose]

I saw it on 5 some years ago - I believe it premiered on there the same day it was released on DVD and for streaming.

Aye, it's shit.  If your eyesight isn't very good, or if you take your TV watching glasses off, or if you squint your eyes a little bit, it co-stars Han Solo.

Lea Thompson is also in it.  For about 7 minutes.

[Dex Sawash]

What happened to Kirk Cameron? I thought this was his franchise.

I decided I would read the series of books about 10 fuckme, 20 years ago. Made it through 7 or 8 but couldnt bring up the courage to ask librarian to get me a copy of the next one on inter-library loan since the local didnt own it.

[Dr Rock]

I recommend YouTuber ralphthemoviemaker's NICK CAGE-A-ThHON

[bgmnts]

I've been meaning to get to thid for years because Cage's career trajectory is brilliant anc these latter films get more daft and depressing.

Of course bis mid to late 90s peak won't be topped; The Rock, Face Off, Con Air etc.


However there was that other film on netflix where he is predicts the end of the world (may be called Numbers, no idea) which is actually gold.

[Mini]

I reviewed this last year, probably one of the worst films I've ever seen. https://screengoblin.com/2017/04/19/left-behind/

[Bad Ambassador]

I've been meaning to get to thid for years because Cage's career trajectory is brilliant anc these latter films get more daft and depressing.

Of course bis mid to late 90s peak won't be topped; The Rock, Face Off, Con Air etc.


However there was that other film on netflix where he is predicts the end of the world (may be called Numbers, no idea) which is actually gold.

Knowing, which Roger Ebert named as his favourite film of that year. It's not very good.

[bgmnts]

Knowing, which Roger Ebert named as his favourite film of that year. It's not very good.

Thats it! Began with a N sound at least.

It was better than expected, which maybe made it better than it was in my head. Rewatch needed.

I just like Nicolas Cage.

[Shit Good Nose]

Knowing is, by far, the best of those types of films he's done for...well, what seems like forever now.  Obviously the genuinely decent Joe and okay-but-could've-been-better The Frozen Ground were a bit of a diversion and totally different beasts, and then back to the likes of low to middling budget straight to DVD action films.  But it is half decent, I think.  Certainly light years ahead of Left Behind in terms of quality, which I know isn't saying much.

[mothman]

I quite like Knowing. It's like Melancholia but with Nicolas Cage in. Or Lars Von Triers' 2012. Or both those films at once.

[goinggoinggone]

It was a letdown considering it was directed by the once great Alex Proyas.

[Brundle-Fly]

I reviewed this last year, probably one of the worst films I've ever seen. https://screengoblin.com/2017/04/19/left-behind/

Spot on review. I must link your review site.  The unforgiving tone of this God who condemns anyone who doesn't fit his unreasonable criteria reminds me of the snooty morality you get in those Hammer or Amicus anthology EC comic horror movies. Had an affair? Bit too house proud? Plageurised a voodoo chant for a jazz number? You're all going to burn in Hell for eternity!

[mrfridge]

He's in Mandy which looks like it could be either amazing or total shit:

https://youtu.be/hRKVxT4-1wM

[Bad Ambassador]

If you've seen the director's previous film, Beyond the Black Rainbow, you may have an idea of what this will look like. Makes Nicholas Winding Refn look like Thomas Vinterberg. Little joke for all you Danish cinema fans.

[greenman]

He's been working for his debts post 2008 hasn't he?

[SavageHedgehog]

In terms of his Direct to Video/On demand/in theatres for two days or whatever films from the last decade, of the not insubstantial number of ones I've seen I would say Dog Eat Dog, Army of One and especially The Trust are the ones that are either oddball enough or that give him enough room to be oddball enough to make them worth a look if that sounds enticing to you. Also possibly Dying of the Light, which was "famously" butchered to make an idiosyncratic Paul Schrader film into more standard Netflix fodder before release; it's still somewhat interesting and the performances are generally strong. It was as probably always destined to be more ambitious than successful in all honesty. Haven't seen Mum & Dad yet, which I hope is a gooden. Personally I love the guy, but even I struggle to keep up with or get enthused by a lot of the generic potboilers he cranks out these days; still it's proven more rewarding than when I was keeping up with Seagal, Van Damme etc. DTV efforts about a decade ago.

[Dr Rock]

He's been working for his debts post 2008 hasn't he?

That's my understanding, he has to take every film offered to pay back the billion dollars he blew on Superman comics and islands. He bought an island. If he was still being offered 20 million dollars a movie I assume he'd have cleared his debts by now, but he isn't. I also love the guy.

[Shit Good Nose]

He was also buying little castles.  For a couple of years he owned Midford Castle (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midford_Castle), just outside Bath (he also bought a large property on Bath's Circus - mega bucks - and split his time between the two, EDIT - oh, and he switched on the chrimbo lights one year as well) and my bicycle commute to work took me right by there.  Whilst he was living in Bath, he would regularly be seen walking around with his (then) missus and their kids (one of whom presumably being Kal-El), with no security or bodyguards, and he was always happy to stop for photos and autographs.  And this was when his career was still relatively good as well.  I saw him in town a couple of times, but never approached him as I'm not good with famous types, but several colleagues got photos and autographs and commented on what a nice chap he seemed to be.

Fucked it, though, didn't he buying all those comics, islands and castles.  Expect he lives in a shitbox bedsit now.

[Icehaven]

Nic Cage and the Bad Films. This is the kind of shite that pops up in the afternoon on The Horror Channel but rarely has anyone as famous as him in, it's usually just people you half recognise from either some 15 year old American TV series and/or other equally low-rent films. Although a Baldwin turns up every now and then.

[Shit Good Nose]

Nic Cage and the Bad Films. This is the kind of shite that pops up in the afternoon on The Horror Channel but rarely has anyone as famous as him in, it's usually just people you half recognise from either some 15 year old American TV series and/or other equally low-rent films. Although a Baldwin turns up every now and then.

Or Ron Perlman.  But then, in his defence, intentionally so as he rarely says no to an acting job figuring it's best to have plenty of work than go begging.

Mind you, John Cusack is having a similar Cage career now isn't he, to the point of even being in a few of the same shit films.

[Clownbaby]

Looks like his face has been photoshopped on in that picture haha

I was watching Moonstruck the other day and he's quite sexy in that. Tell you what's a genuinely fuckin good film with him in: Joe. I really like that film.

[Phil_A]

Looks like his face has been photoshopped on in that picture haha

If you stare it for a while you can see it isn't quite angled correctly with his own head, as if a duplicate of Cage's mildly concerned countenance is emerging through a smooth pink portal where his real face should be.

[garbed_attic]

I used to have a blog in which I tried to review every Cage film. My partner at the time and myself made a good stab at it, but Left Behind came out and I could not bring myself to watch it and then he followed it up with a bunch of dismal revenge thrillers.

Still glad that Ren took the bullet of watching Boy in Blue, not me - a biopic about the creation of the rowing machine...
https://cagewisdom.wordpress.com/tag/boy-in-blue/

[bgmnts]

Doesnt Nicolas Cage own a self built pyramid/tomb od some shit?

Ijust want Nicolas Cage to be crazy and charming again. Before he dies.

[surreal]

Reminds me of the Community episode where they have to study Nic Cage and it sends Abed over the edge: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1XCUo_Uu8M

[bgmnts]

Reminds me of the Community episode where they have to study Nic Cage and it sends Abed over the edge: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1XCUo_Uu8M

Always
Be
Cageing.



Brilliant gag.

[SavageHedgehog]

I loved Community but always found Danny Pudi's Cage impression embarrassing. A nice way of looking at it is that it perhaps inadvertently makes a good argument for the real thing.