Which star would you want to haunt your dreams?

by Cláudio Alves

Maybe Mitzi Fabelman was right. Maybe films are dreams you never forget, imagination unbound and projected wide at 24 frames per second. And yet, the reverse trajectory can happen, too. From dreams becoming movies to dreams made from movies– who hasn't been lost in some oneiric reverie with one or two elements borrowed from a cinematic favorite? I know I have on multiple occasions, and sometimes it's not even the pictures themselves but the faces that shine brightly within the frame. Movie stars can feel bigger than life, already a step removed from reality with a foot planted in myth, making them perfect fodder for the unconscious mind. 

In Dream Scenario, soon in theaters, Nicolas Cage stars as Paul, a hapless man manifesting across strangers' slumbering fantasies. He's a nobody whose unlikely place in other people's dreams transforms him into somebody. He's a star of sorts, just like the man playing him…

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Hollywood Weirdo: A Nicolas Cage Top Ten

by Cláudio Alves

A new Nicolas Cage movie is in cinemas, a blessing to the actor's fans and all those who've ever dreamed of this Hollywood weirdo playing Count Dracula. Renfield comes at a time in his career when the industry seems ready to recognize him as something more than a meme, finding value in the thespian's oddities past the point of self-parody. This happens after many years when it felt like Cage was only ever mentioned in jest, the butt of a bad joke, a meme to make the internet laugh. And so, it tastes a bit like justice. At least, it does to longtime admirers that never entirely bought into a negative narrative that stems partly from the supposition that exaggeration and what's beyond realism don't belong in the box labeled 'good acting.'

In celebration, allow me to give in to the homosexual prerogative to make lists and present you with my top ten best Nicolas Cage performances. As with recent lists for Angela Bassett and Gwyneth Paltrow, this will only include big screen work, and the movies will remain unranked. However, I decided to add a unique twist to this Nic Cage lovefest...

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25th Anniversary: "Face/Off"

by Nick Taylor

Yeah, that’s right motherfuckers, we are talking about ci-ne-MA! We’re celebrating the 25th anniversary of Chinese action auteur John Woo’s third English-language film, the 11th highest grossing film of 1997, a lone Oscar nominee in the now-subsumed Sound Editing category (may her memory be eternal) that was inevitably bulldozed by Titanic. It's one of the most voluptuously insane movies Nicolas fucking Cage has ever appeared in; Face/Off, where they take the face OFF.

Anyone who knows me knows I’ve been proselytizing about this film for years, ever since I first saw it with my sister Melina and some friends of our  about 8 years ago. The 25th anniversary was an ideal opportunity to pop in the Blu-Ray Tommy got me for Christmas and finally share (he might say inflict) its majesty with him. Our roommates even joined us, and I had so much fucking fun watching them experience it for the first time...

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I'll Link To That

Today's must read
• IndieWire's Eric Kohn has an interesting piece on Jim Carrey's retirement and why A list actors get bored and why they don't pursue more challenging opportunities. Some good theories here even if some of the information shared about how name actors (and their agents) invest time in finding fresh auteurs who could improve their filmographies.

Secret Lynch film, Nicolas Cage reflections, Nimona resurrected, Joel Grey celebration, Mother's Instinct pre-production, and more after the jump...

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Oscar Volleys: Four locks, and the race for the fifth spot in Best Actor

Continuing our Oscar Volley series at The Film Experience. Tonight Gabriel Mayora and Ben Miller on Best Actor in a Leading Role

Ben Miller: My big question: is this a race only for the fifth slot? Will Smith, Benedict Cumberbatch, Andrew Garfield, and Denzel Washington all feel locked in. Is there any vulnerability in that top four?

Gabriel Mayora: I am surprised by how excited this self-professed raging actressexual™ (thank you to Nathaniel for that genius term) is to discuss this year's Best Actor category. Most years I find it hard to muster much enthusiasm for this category, but maybe after seeing the race take some surprising shifts last year, I have a renewed interest. I  agree with you that Smith, Cumberbatch, Garfield, and --to a slightly lesser extent, maybe? -- Washington are all locks, there is little room for surprise come nomination morning.

And while my first instinct is to complain about the Academy's lack of originality, I can't say I blame them. Those four are all so good...

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