Movie Review - The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent

Director: Tom Gormican
Genre: Comedy/ Action/ Crime
Runtime: 107 minutes
Year: 2022
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Pedro Pascal, Tiffany Haddish, Sharon Horgan, Neil Patrick Harris, Ike Barinholtz, Lily Sheen
 
Description: Nic Cage (Nicolag Cage) is channeling his iconic characters as he’s caught between a superfan (Pedro Pascal) and a CIA agent (Tiffany Haddish).

Review: The past decade did no go very well for actor Nicolas Cage. He seemed to be in every movie he was offered. This created a huge stream of bad movies, with some exceptions of course. With that, Cage became a joke on the internet. The sometimes it’s best to go along with the joke. In “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent”, Cage plays a version of himself, Nic Cage, and shows why he is still one of the most beloved actors of his generation.

Things are not going well for Cage in this film either. He has just gone through a divorce and is living in a hotel. Films are no longer offered to the actor, but there is a millionaire who wants to meet him, to show up at his birthday, for a large sum of money. Since Cage is desperate for work, he decides to accept the offer. The eccentric millionaire, Javi, has a plan to make a movie with Cage.

However, Javi is also being followed by the CIA. They suspect him of being a ruthless criminal. For example, he allegedly kidnapped the daughter of a prominent politician. The American spies more or less force Cage to work for them and spy on Javi. The result is a hilarious comedy with a nice pace, funny dialogues and above all a delightful interplay between Nicolas Cage and Pedro Pascal, who are constantly outdoing each other in craziness.
You never know it with Nicolas Cage, he’s sometimes super good, sometimes super bad. In this movie, it’s him the way we love him the most. He always does something unexpected and does not shy away from self-mockery. The film is a joy to watch, has great humor and action in it. Only the subplot of the kidnapping and the CIA didn’t always work for me.

This movie is mainly about Cage, but lets talks about Pedro Pascal and how amazing he is in this film. He holds up very well opposite Cage and they work so well together. I loved their growing friendship and how Javi was a Cage super fan. My favorite part was when Javi is listing his 3 all-time favorites. One of the is, of course a Cage film, another is “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari”, which is also a favorite of Cage. The third is a surprising and hilarious choice (although I understand why, because it’s a favorite of mine too) and they start watching it together. It’s been a while since I laughed out loud over a movie.

“The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent” may well mark Nicolas Cage’s definitive return. With this film, Cage seems to be able to transcend all jokes and parodies. It’s definitely a favorite of 2022 for me.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

10s Movie Review - The Lego Movie 2

Director: Mike Mitchell
Genre: Action/ Animation/ Famiy
Runtime: 108 minutes
Year: 2019
Starring: Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Tiffany Haddish, Stephanie Beatriz, Alison Brie, Nick Offerman, Charlie Day, Maya Rudolph, Will Ferrell, Jadon Sand, Brooklynn Prince, Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill, Richard Ayoade, Ben Schwartz, Noel Fielding, Jason Momoa, Cobie Smulders, Ike Barinholtz, Ralph Fiennes, Will Forte, Jimmy O. Yang, Jorma Taccone, Bruce Willis

Description: It’s been five years since everything was awesome and the citizens are facing a huge new threat: Lego Duplo invaders from outer space, wrecking everything faster than they can rebuild.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2021 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 5: AN ANIMATED MOVIE

Review: The makers of “The Lego Movie” proved that it is not necessarily a bad idea to base a film on famous toys. The animated film by directing duo Phil Lord and Christopher Miller combined the Danish construction toys that we all grew up with, with a charming story about the good-natured builder Emmet who took on Lord Business.
This was accompanied by wonderfully wooden animations and a world built almost entirely from Lego bricks. You could, so to speak, rebuild and recreate it with your own Legos. After many mediocre animated series, the successful approach of “The Lego Movie” provided the foundation for a number of Lego movies, including “The Lego Batman Movie” and “The Lego Ninjago Movie”.
A sequel to the movie that started it all was inevitable. It is to the credit of the makers that they did not continue in the same vein and even left out some of the characters from the first film. However, you are immediately and hastily thrown into the story. Apparently Brickburg has not fared very well. The Lego world has been attacked by the cute looking but aggressive Duplos.
Five years later, the building world isn’t exactly looking good. Brickburg is a dilapidated, run-down town where Emmet may still score his favorite coffee, but it still looks most like a location from “Mad Max”. The sight of a collapsed Statue of Liberty in what is now called Apocalypseburg brings back memories of “The Planet of the Apes”. When Emmet’s friends including Unikitty and Lcuy are kidnapped by the evil shape-shifting Queen Watevra Wa’Nabi, the orange-clad good guy has to spring into action.
But is Emmet really a hero or is he mostly goot at being loyal and being the best friend, according to the reading of the once Wylstyle known Lucy. In his mission to save his friends from the slimy but seemingly evil alien queen, Emmet comes face to face and side by side with the megalomaniac and tough Rex who is the antitheses in everything. Emmet wants nothing more than to also be as tough and heroic as his new friend.
Where the first film adventure around the popular toy still revolved around different Lego worlds and the jokes around their use, “The Lego Movie 2” is more universal in scope and theme. The question of who is a hero or a loser could have been inserted into practically any family film. On top of that, the story is messier and less straightforward. Emmet had the simple task of rescuing his friends, which at best results in some reflections on right and wrong.
The result is a series of artifacts and a new catchy song. In short, more of the same. In terms of color and tone, this second film is a lot more gloomy and does explore new territory, but the humor doesn’t hit as hard as its predecessor. In terms of plot, it all could have been a lot more original, but the characters and animations are again of high quality. The result is a wild roller coaster ride that occasionally comes to a halt and is more than a vehicle to sell merchandise.

Rating: 3,5/ 5