The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022)

"CageTastic!"

If there is one movie star capable of playing themselves in a metatextual comedy thriller where that particular star's filmography is a significant part of the story, then there really is only one living actor that could fit the bill. Fortunately director Tom Gornican was able to get him and, after a cinema release earlier this year Lionsgate are now releasing THE UNBEARABLE WEIGHT OF MASSIVE TALENT on digital and on all disc formats.

The life and career of actor Nicolas Cage (Nicolas Cage) is in a downward spiral. After his latest audition is unsuccessful and he massively embarrasses himself at his teenaged daughter's birthday party he decides to give up acting. However his agent (Neil Patrick Harris) reminds him that he owes the hotel in which he is currently resident over $600 000 and advises him to take the million dollar offer of superfan Javi Gutierrez (Pedro Pascal) who wants Cage to attend his birthday party. What our hero doesn't know is that, as well as owning a massive collection of Cage memorabilia, Javi may actually be a dangerous gang boss and the CIA have plans to get Cage to help them bring him down.

THE UNBEARABLE WEIGHT OF MASSIVE TALENT is frequently funny, more charming than you might expect, and will quite likely be the most meta movie to come out this year, and possibly any year. You can just about see it working as a tale of a fictional film star who gets embroiled in a kidnap plot that ends up like one of his own action films, but the casting of Nicolas Cage (and the volume of movie references we then get as a consequence) is the masterstroke that elevates this, resulting in a unique piece of cinema that works delightfully.

Lionsgate's disc comes with a commentary track from director and co-writer Tom Gornican and co-writer and executive producer Kevin Etten. It makes for good listening, pointing out some of the visual homages to Cage's movies as well as providing behind the scenes stories. There's also a 15 minute SXSW Q&A with Cage resplendent in a Tartan suit he says he's wearing because he loves shortbread. There's 25 minutes' worth of 'Making Of' split over five featurettes that include interviews with Gornican, Etten, Cage and Pascal. Make sure you watch Cages 5 And Up in which small children deliver iconic Cage lines of dialogue, appropriately attired of course. Here's the trailer:

THE UNBEARABLE WEIGHT OF MASSIVE TALENT is out from Lionsgate on Digital on Friday 8th July 2022 and on Steelbook, 4K UHD, Blu-ray and DVD on Monday 11th July 2022

Willy's Wonderland (2021)

 

So Much Fun

In which Nicolas Cage has to fight giant puppet animals.

A must see.

Obviously.

It's surprising how many entries there have been in the 'Horror Amusement Park' subgenre in the past few years. These have ranged from 2018's BLOOD FEST (quite entertaining) to 2019's THE BANANA SPLITS MOVIE (could have been better) to 2018's FRIGHT FEST (terrible). 

However, it could be hypothesised that if enough people make enough movies with the central theme of a kids' entertainment attraction gone horribly wrong then at some point someone should get it right.

WILLY'S WONDERLAND is the one that gets it right.

This is due partly, and in no uncertain terms, to the presence of Nicolas Cage, who plays a man tricked into spending the night cleaning the amusement park of the title but actually intended as a sacrifice to the spirits inhabiting the giant animatronic animals that dwell within. Cage's character is a man who can down six cans of fizzy pop and never burp once, even when he's playing pinball and dancing, so we know he's not to be messed with, not even by nightmarish creations ten feet high that want to pull his head off.

That's almost it for the plot, which is exactly the right thing for this sort of film to do. Who wants lots of backstory and character development when instead you can see Mr Cage beating to death some kind of weird giant alligator wearing a beret? Or Tito the Turtle, a giant turtle that only speaks Spanish and is therefore subtitled? ("Oh my balls!")

There's a subplot about teenagers breaking in so they can get done in by the puppets but again the film treats their characters and what happens to them in just the right way for this kind of film so that they're never too annoying. WILLY'S WONDERLAND skilfully balances horror with humour, never outstays its welcome and is so much fun it's almost over before you realise. 

        Extras on Signature's Blu-ray include a seven minute behind the scenes featurette (including Cage interview), two minutes on the animatronics and another couple of minutes of a set tour.

Director Kevin Lewis has made movies in other genres but he might just have found his niche with horror comedy and I hope he gets to make another one. And the soundtrack (by 'Emoi') also deserves a shout out for combining a decent rock / synthesiser score with some great songs. A soundtrack album would be welcome.

WILLY'S WONDERLAND is out from Signature Entertainment on digital on Monday 12th April 2021 and DVD and Blu-ray on Monday 19th April 2021. Here's the trailer: