2018 brought what has to be the best performance of Nicolas Cage’s career — this is technically a re-view review of the heavy metal psychedelic, strange-trip, hallucinatory horror-action-comedy-thriller-romance-revenge picture; it’s Halloween film #31… it’s Mandy.
We’re deep enough into the year — I don’t think this will come as a surprise or a mystery, this has been my absolute favorite film-going experience (though Hereditary was a white-knuckle feel-bad opposite, but great movie). I have gushed about it before… but I’m here to do it again.
Escapism gets dogged and ‘realism’ is mega-in right now — I vastly prefer escapist fare that has hints of emotion vs hyper grounded in reality tries-too-hard to make you feel shit. They can both coexist… as of right now, I’m going through a bit of a hardline appreciation of movies that focus heavily on pure meditative cinematic entertainment. And Mandy, certainly is such a film.
A cryptic cult. Booze. Demon drugs. Lumberjack. Fantasy art. 80s tees. Skulls. Double exposure shots. Incantations. Chainsaw fight in the rain. Jeremiah Sand. Skulls. Guts. Demon bikers. Color blasts. Over-saturation. The best standing in underwear getting wasted in a bathroom scene in the history of film. Weapons forging…
And, of course, the Cheddar Goblin:
Attending the premiere was a joy I thought that I’d never be able to replicate… but hail the dark forces of the universe because the new release Blu-ray disc is a masterpiece. The colors are vibrant, the tunes rock, and the film is gorgeous and strange and funny and dark as ever.
It is hypnotic and you may lose your mind watching this movie.
Oddly it reminds me most of the quiet, surreal black & white Jim Jarmusch-helmed western Dead Man (1995) — one of my favorite films of all time. This is kind of the bombastic color-drenched, Wizard of Oz in Hell follow-up to that picture.
Cage and Bill Duke give career-best performances in the movie.
I have heaped praise on them before — but, really… the Academy should consider this picture on technological merit, but also in the realm of unchecked, raw emotion and pure physicality… it features truly great work by Cage.
The movie is this year’s best picture. It’s an all-timer for me. It might be for you, too.
Full appreciation for what director Panos Cosmatos was able to accomplish and the deep world and vision he managed to bring to the screen.
Fence-swinging strangeness… always appreciated.
The late Jóhann Jóhannsson’s final soundtrack — it’s a doozy. A sign of some fascinating things to come. A talent lost far too soon.
Here’s a link to listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKZEBhRX-TU
10 Nic Cages out of a possible 10 Nic Cages.
See it.
Own it.
Thanks for reading along and, as always, keep watching great flicks and talking about them and find the deep cut hidden gems for all of us… long live movies and movie theaters.
Peace & Love & Happy Halloween [jpr]