For me watching the movie 8mm is kind of like eating gas station nachos. (Okay. I’m sure you know exactly where I’m going here, but if you’ve read a few of my blogs then you also know I can’t resist this stuff. So…) I actually like gas station nachos. I don’t live on them by any means but, yeah, every now and then I get the urge for some florescent orange goopy cheese and super vinegary canned jalapeno peppers over stale tortilla rounds. What can I say? Call me crazy. What I don’t like is admitting to it. It’s a little embarrassing. And sad.
Likewise, nowadays, it’s a little embarrassing to admit to liking a Nicolas Cage movie. I know I don’t have to expound on this, any discerning cinema lover has been dismayed, chagrined or amused–sometimes all three at the same time–by Cage’s performances and the movies he has chosen to perform in over the last decade. Here’s a bit of a rundown just to belabor the point: (Refer to the rather lengthy aside in the introductory paragraph here.) Ghost Rider. The Wicker Man. National Treasure. Left Behind.
And yes, I’ve seen it. Hasn’t Everybody? (I’m referring the YouTube film clip mashup entitled Nicolas Cage Losing his Shit.) “NOT THE BEES!!! THEY’RE IN MY EYES!! MY EYES!! AAAHHH!!!” (Ha ha ha!…Whew!…Hilarious…And sad.)
There’s just one problem with my whole analogy though: I’m not embarrassed about liking 8mm. Nope. Not in the least. In fact, I think 8mm is a good–albeit it significantly flawed–film that has gotten a bad rap. But even more than that, I think it is a culturally significant film, especially in our current environment.
Yep. You read that right.
And Nicolas Cage? Well, he’s always been weird. Even back in the day when he was a hot commodity in Moonstruck, Raising Arizona, Leaving Las Vegas and Adaption–all of which he was great in, by the way–he was weird. Back then people called him quirky and adorable.
He even won an Oscar being weird. Remember that? And then he was nominated for another one being even weirder.
That said, there’s a difference between being weird, i.e., quirky and adorable and going off the rails, i.e., The Wicker Man. Of late the Nicolas Cage train has derailed and is in perpetual crash and burn. No doubt.
Still, that shouldn’t diminish his prior quality contributions to acting and cinema. I think not. Like so many of us, personally and professionally, Nicolas Cage is a mixed bag.
Plus his most recent film, the yet to be released Panos Cosmatos directed Mandy, is supposed to be superb. There is talk that this is the film to resurrect Nicolas Cage’s career. I, for one, am rooting for him.
Now here’s my case for 8mm:
Tom Wells (Nicolas Cage) is a family man. His wife, Amy, (Catherine Keener) is smart, lovely and loyal. His six months’ old daughter, Cindy, is adorable. Tom works in the yard and helps Amy with the baby when he’s not traveling around the country as a surveillance expert/private investigator. He’s good at what he does, dutiful and discreet. His clientele is high profile.
One day Tom is summoned to a sprawling steel magnate’s estate in Cleveland. The magnate is recently deceased and his widow, Mrs. Christian, has made a disturbing discovery in her late husband’s safe–an 8mm film that depicts the brutal murder of a teenage girl. But is it real?
Tom watches the film privately. It’s a grainy low budget affair set in a squalid room encased with plastic sheeting. Sure enough there is a teenage girl–not an actress pretending to be a teenage girl–and if she’s pretending to be terrified, she’s doing a damn good job. She is not screaming. No. Her face is composed in abject resignation to her fate. A burly man dressed in S&M bondage gear whose face is sheathed in one of those terrifying leather masks menaces her with a knife.
Here we become the apex voyeur–we simultaneously watch the film and Tom, while he watches the film. We see no thrusting knife, no spurting, splattering blood but we see Tom as he see’s those things. We watch him cringe impotently in his seat, grimacing, recoiling; a big man shrinking in every sense of the word. Similarly there are no ear shattering screams but we do hear the girl’s anguished cries—and whir of the film running through the projector. It is a powerful, gut wrenching cinematic sequence. Not just the visual, visceral aspect of it but what it says about us and our place in an increasingly voyeuristic, surveillance, camera crazy society.
Keep in mind that Joel Schumacher directed 8mm in 1999. When Tom is asked why he chose surveillance instead of law like his brothers did, he answers that he chose it because he believes it’s the future. How eerily prophetic that proves to be eighteen years later.
In our current society, it is appallingly easy to witness murder. All you have to do is hop on YouTube or Live Leaks where you can watch hours of actual murder caught on camera if you so desire. We are constantly surveilling; constantly filming; constantly watching. But at what cost?
Tom plunges himself into a horrific, wretched underworld in order to defend the teenage girl in the film. He senses the film is most likely real. It is. That the girl is dead. She is. But still his outrage, his humanity demands that he risk everything–even his own family–to find out who she is–was, to resurrect her existence, defend her identity and protect her personhood. He does. But the cost is almost more than he bear.
The cost is what he sees. And what he will never be able to forget.
Great post 🙂 Personally speaking, I find 8MM to be mediocre, but by no means a bad film. Then again, I have never been a fan of the film’s director Joel Schumacher, who has only churned out one very good film to date and that is Phone Booth from 2003 (originally slated for 2002, but postponed cause of the D.C. sniper shootings at the time). That film benefited from a enjoyable script by the always reliable B-filmmaker Larry Cohen (It’s Alive and God Told Me To). Nevertheless, taking into account everything that pops up on youtube and others as you mention, that has proven to be prophetic. Anyway, keep up the great work as always and keep those comments coming 🙂
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P.S. Nicolas Cage actually starred in one great film (at least for me) a year before 2010 (2009 in this case) and that was Bad Lieutenant: Port Call of New Orleans. If you have not seen it, check it out because their is something electrifying about it 🙂
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Thank you John. You’re absolutely right about 8MM. When I first saw it years ago, I liked it but I thought it was merely mediocre at best, but our present day situation, and it’s prophetic vision elevates it to the good quality, for me anyway. I will check out …Port of Call New Orleans. I’m a fan of the original Harvey Keitel film. (Another very controversial, hit or miss film.) And I’ll check out Shutter Island. Haven’t seen it.
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No debate from me today, Pam. I have long lauded ‘8 MM’ as a modern classic, and I think it is not only an important film regarding subject matter, but also because it is just superbly made, and riveting to watch. Rarely have I seen a cast used so well, with even the tiniest roles spot on, and wonderfully acted. As for the leads, this is definitely one of the erratic Cage’s finest hours, Phoenix is just right as his would-be sidekick, and James Gandolfini has never been better as the repulsive pornographer with no conscience.
I have been trying to get everyone to watch this film ever since I saw it back then, but the dark story puts off so many potential viewers. At times I was reminded of Schrader’s film ‘Hardcore’ (1979), with the superb performance from George C. Scott, and a similar plot. The theme of 8 MM is also powerfully explored in the unflinchingly violent Australian film, ‘The Horseman’ (2008), which I also recommend.
As for ‘Bad Lieutenant’, I am sticking with Harvey, and the original. Same goes for ‘The Wicker Man’. In my (no so) humble opinion, both remakes were a waste of time and money. 🙂
(I am a notorious hater of modern remakes, as you will discover.)
Best wishes, Pete.
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Yay! I’m glad you agree. (You see, I really don’t like to argue that much, as long as everybody agrees with me. Ha!)
I thought Cage was very restrained and appropriately outraged. There were some implausable plot elements and some of the characters were a bit cartoonish, but overall I think it’s a good thriller with something important to say. The ending is riveting. All of this IMHO. Ha!
By the way, I think Hardcore is the better film, but not as relevant in theme in current times.
Thanks Pete, for supporting my blog.
–Pam
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Happy to follow your blog. It is stylish, and intelligent. 🙂
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You’re sweet. Thank you.
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I have always found Cage problematic. He’s a good actor, but for whatever reason he has appeared in so many terrible films with a decent one stuck in between here and there. I have not seen 8MM, so I cannot speak to it. I always thought him best in Wild at Heart and Raising Arizona. You do present a good case though for seeing 8MM.
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I don’t know if you’ll like it John. So many people don’t. There’s a lot of holes in the plot that they just throw a tarp over, but it’s beginning and end are very good I think, compelling even. And Cage is excellent. All in all, Hardcore with George C. Scott is a better film but not as relevant. Cage is a problematic actor, no doubt. Love Raising Arizona. Wild at Heart… I walked out of the theater on it. I love Blue Velvet, but that film offended me. But there are lot’s of folks–some of them I respect very much (including you, of course) who like it. That’s one of the reasons we love film–it’s personal. Nice “talking” with you, as always.
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8MM is my favorite Cage film,its easily the film that he should have won his Oscar for instead of the wretched “Leaving La Vegas”. It’s an extremely powerful thriller and criminally underrated.
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I agree that he was very good in 8mm. The film Mandy is supposed to be great. On the surface it doesn’t look like “my” kind of film, but I’m going to see it immediately when it comes out because I’m curious about all the buzz and because I’m rooting for Nicolas Cage. I just went over to your site. So sorry about your dad. I’m rooting for you.
God Bless,
Pam
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Cage is very uneven….when he is bad as in “Out Cast”.he is REALLY bad…..but when he forced to stay sane…he is still a A-List talent. I have watched him in “Pay the Ghost” and “Inconceivable” and he turned in two solid jobs. It makes it easier to take a chance on a blind buy/view when his performances have been more steady.
Thank you for the words about my dad,it was a rough week to be sure of….
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Yes I know. I lost my mom over a year ago. We were very close. It’s hard. No getting around it.
About Cage…Uneven is a great way to describe his performances. His distinction–style, if you will–is a blessing and a curse. A little bit of it goes a long, long way. That said (you’ll find that I’m very opinionated about cinema, literature–not as much) I really like Leaving Las Vegas. I think he deserved that Oscar. Elisabeth Shue was very good also. And I love him in Raising Arizona. I’ll check out Inconceivable and let you know what I think. Ha! Nice “talking” with you.
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Nicolas Cage is a guilty pleasure, more edible than your gas station nachos–man, I’d really have to be starving, but that’s okay, you go right ahead and eat them.
I have not seen 8MM but know I should. Then I forget to rent it. Then someone like you who has taste says I ought to watch it. Let’s see if I can remember to rent it now.
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Well…I liked it Cindy. 8mm is kind of like those gas station nachos–some folks have an unexplainable (occasional) hankering for them, most people don’t. That said, the movie has a following.
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I wanted to rent something. Maybe I’ll go for 8mm. 😉
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