i also understand objecting to genre subversion on the face of it, i just thought this movie did it really well, balancing a total ridiculousness with a weary low-key wisdom, which made it very much more than a revenge-movie-with-the-revenge-subtracted for me. i did see promising young woman a few weeks beforehand so maybe i had an object lesson in How Not To Do It in mind as well
i also now wholly cop to it being similar to fight club bc the message of both movies seems to be that there are all kinds of bullshit in the world that you can use to fill the void or assemble your personality around but the only thing that's mostly not bullshit is genuine human connection
― STOCK FIST-PUMPER BRAD (BradNelson), Wednesday, 1 December 2021 14:46 (two years ago) link
Cage’s character in Pig knows that his entire shtick is incompatible with society and isn’t telling anyone to go live in a shack with a pig and no shower imo the film makes it clear his ideals were untenable in the long term. he had success, an amazing restaurant, and ended up ditching society completely when he lost his wife because he wasn’t getting anything out of life anymore and decided everything is fake. despite the fact he’s able to break down his antagonist with a sublime meal in moments in the last act! he breaks down the chef/former employee about “realness” but imo it’s partially a reaction to “oh, I didn’t recognize you, the greatest chef ever!”all he has at the beginning of the film is a recording of his dead wife’s voice and a pig. and at the end it seems like maybe he’s willing to let the former go
― mh, Wednesday, 1 December 2021 19:07 (two years ago) link
Just watched Pig last night, found it odd and enjoyable. During the middle section, when it still seems like it might go full revenge film, I said to my wife that it was like a Safdie Brothers film directed by Kelly Reichardt. (Alternatively, Oldboy meets Old Joy.)
But then it didn’t go that direction at all, and turned into something more minor key, and a bit pat. That both the protagonist and antagonist are mourning lost spouses was very tidy, and Cage’s apparent total-recall thing was sort of gimmicky. Still, I liked that it never quite went where I thought it would. And Cage’s restraint was a nice gimmick of its own, because of what we have been conditioned to expect from him.
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Saturday, 8 January 2022 17:05 (two years ago) link
Safdie/Reichardt is good comp. yeah, I think the landing could have been stuck better but overall the performances were great. Really liked the first face to face between Cage and Arkin.
― Western® with Bacon Flavor, Saturday, 8 January 2022 22:40 (two years ago) link
Cage gave one of 2021's best perfs.
― So who you gonna call? The martini police (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, 8 January 2022 22:43 (two years ago) link
I encourage viewers to watch Nic Cage in PIG ❣️— Sharon Stone (@sharonstone) January 8, 2022
― xyzzzz__, Saturday, 8 January 2022 23:46 (two years ago) link
I thought it was great, spellbinding, beautifully paced and knowing without quite crossing into arch, and so generous
― pandmac (darraghmac), Sunday, 9 January 2022 00:56 (two years ago) link
apropos of nothing I just remembered this SNL clip in which he appears next to Andy Samburg who is playing a Nic Cage clone. the fact that Cage doesn't smirk even a little through any of this is incredible. I'm not saying it's particularly funny (I mean, I like it) but idk if any other actor could do a live comedy skit like this without cracking once
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMol8x9aUj8
― frogbs, Thursday, 13 January 2022 22:23 (two years ago) link
Pig ain't great but was a huge surprise.
― So who you gonna call? The martini police (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 13 January 2022 22:24 (two years ago) link
Just watched it last night, it’s slow paced and a bit hard to follow (thanks to a protagonist who mumbles everything) but by the end I was pretty emotionally wrapped up in it. I’ll give it points for subverting expectations, both in this type of “gruff stoic older man tries to take back what’s his” film and what you expect out of Cage, who you can forget sometimes is a damn good actor when he wants to be.
One thing that did bother me though - Cages character doesn’t take a shower, doesn’t change clothes, was (until recently) hanging around with a pig all day….wouldn’t he smell fucking awful? Like bad enough that it would’ve bothered everyone he came in contact with?
― frogbs, Saturday, 16 April 2022 14:09 (one year ago) link
i think you just have to ride your suspension of disbelief there along with "he looks like shit, shouldn't he go to the hospital"
― flamenco drop (BradNelson), Saturday, 16 April 2022 14:14 (one year ago) link
film seemed to delight in the absurdity of never addressing either of these things afaict
― flamenco drop (BradNelson), Saturday, 16 April 2022 14:15 (one year ago) link
Maybe there are a lot of infrequent bathers in Portland and he didn’t stand out
― mh, Saturday, 16 April 2022 14:29 (one year ago) link
How did "Leaving Las Vegas" get no votes???
― immodesty blaise (jimbeaux), Saturday, 16 April 2022 14:31 (one year ago) link
Someone in the underground restaurant worker fight club should have said something at least.
― Chris L, Saturday, 16 April 2022 14:47 (one year ago) link
timely thread bump as i'll be seeing the unbearable weight of massive talent tonight. hope it's fun
― flamenco drop (BradNelson), Saturday, 16 April 2022 15:05 (one year ago) link
Pig was a sweet movie that went in unusual directions, though as someone who'd be fine never going into a restaurant again, I struggled with the concept of "magical chef who remembers every meal he makes" and "diner whose heart can be unlocked by dinner nostalgia".
Two points:
- There's a dark irony in the scene where Amir is in a loading bay trying to get a reservation to the fancy restaurant... and there's multiple pigs (?) hanging on hooks, unloved and unsearched for.- I was startled to do the math that this guy living in the woods for 15 years would have retreated from society... in about 2005! I've got a fixed idea that everyone who goes Unabomber did it by 1979.
― Halfway there but for you, Saturday, 16 April 2022 15:14 (one year ago) link
The more I think about it the more I think of it as being like a parable - like one major lynchpin of the plot is the guy cooking a meal so great that it becomes the best moment of someone’s life!
― frogbs, Saturday, 16 April 2022 15:18 (one year ago) link
I liked Pig in part because it excited me about eating in restaurants again.
― So who you gonna call? The martini police (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, 16 April 2022 15:22 (one year ago) link
I struggled with the concept of "magical chef who remembers every meal he makes"
ok, think of an artist instead
― flamenco drop (BradNelson), Saturday, 16 April 2022 15:42 (one year ago) link
Treating it as a parable makes sense.
― Halfway there but for you, Saturday, 16 April 2022 16:18 (one year ago) link
about the pig thing:
Nicolas Cage says “I would love to be in a Muppet movie. I think Kermit and I can be best friends and I've always had a crush on Miss Piggy.”(Source: @TwitterMovies) pic.twitter.com/ts0KkujRkH— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) April 16, 2022
― mark s, Saturday, 16 April 2022 17:46 (one year ago) link
<3
― terminators of endearment (VegemiteGrrl), Saturday, 16 April 2022 18:14 (one year ago) link
I will say the pig itself was really cute. I had no idea they looked like that.
― frogbs, Saturday, 16 April 2022 18:21 (one year ago) link
I watched Pig last night with my wife. It 'worked' for me in spite of what I considered to be a weak, barely adequate, and often ludicrous script. A lot of loving care was lavished on this film. The temptation to play the script for its comedic potential must have been powerful. Playing it straight-faced and making it work anyway was damn near a miracle.
I credit a big part of it's fascination to the audacious choice to keep Cage's derelict-who-slept-under-a-bridge appearance unchanged throughout, except for the addition of caked-on blood in his hair and beard after the assault, while never treating any of this as worthy of comment by other characters. Cage's acting was excellent, but it often consisted of looking stolid while his appearance did most of the work.
― more difficult than I look (Aimless), Monday, 16 May 2022 04:28 (one year ago) link
That's often all I want from actors.
― Malevolent Arugula (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 16 May 2022 12:16 (one year ago) link
wanted to look something up at will m's blog but it seems to be dead now? :(
― visiting, Saturday, 17 September 2022 19:17 (one year ago) link
was reminded of depalma's snake eyes and was wondering if it's worth watching.
― visiting, Saturday, 17 September 2022 19:18 (one year ago) link
Sad that it went offline before Massive Talent, seems like the perfect way to wrap that up
― frogbs, Saturday, 17 September 2022 19:51 (one year ago) link
what the heck, i have no idea why it's down. i will try to figure out why
i do plan on going back at some point and playing some catch up, i wanna say maybe around november but no promises! i had a few more written up after mandy but it's been so long! last i checked i have between 15 and 20 movies to do again damn
― Kompakt Total Landscaping (Will M.), Sunday, 18 September 2022 20:47 (one year ago) link
first 20 minutes of Snake Eyes is one of DePalma’s best movies, and a jaw-dropping piece of technical work by Cage. He leads the choreo, never stops moving, presumably had the script letter-perfect to coordinate with the motion, and always, always finds his light and makes sure the camera has him without appearing to see it.
― Vance Vance Devolution (sic), Sunday, 18 September 2022 21:06 (one year ago) link
site's back up, after puzzling over its disappearance and finally contacting support
― Kompakt Total Landscaping (Will M.), Sunday, 18 September 2022 21:25 (one year ago) link
i watched snake eyes and... it certainly was a depalma movie, but not a very good one. but yeah cage is fantastic throughout that intro.
― visiting, Sunday, 18 September 2022 22:02 (one year ago) link
I just watched Pig, and did not expect to be this emotionally affected by it. Was kind of blindsided by the fact it was a) good and b) so very sad
― FRAUDULENT STEAKS (The Cursed Return of the Dastardly Thermo Thinwall), Monday, 9 January 2023 05:44 (one year ago) link
lmao what is this
DEAD BY DAYLIGHT - NICOLAS CAGEOfficial Gameplay Trailer pic.twitter.com/sVOluyKrzL— ❦ (@dvveet) June 8, 2023
― frogbs, Thursday, 8 June 2023 20:55 (nine months ago) link