Yet Another Childhood Memory Destroyed

This weekend one of my all-time favorite comic book characters finally came to the big screen.  I always loved the dark story of Johnny Blaze, stunt motorcyclist, whose soul was bonded to the demon Zarathos in a deal with Mephisto to save the life of his mentor.  The character had depth and pain, and rode a fine line between being a hero and being consumed by the fire-sheathed demon within.  It was original, compelling, and freakin' awesome.

Which is why I will not go within a thousand feet of a theater playing Ghost Rider.

I've seen some bad, bad casting decisions in my time (the majority of which involve Jim Carrey or Woody Harrelson) but...Nicolas Cage?  Kal-el's father?  The guy who has made two good movies (if that) since 1990?  The man who married Lisa Marie Presley after Michael Jackson? 

Yeah, him.

Which brings me to this excellent guide to Nicolas Cage movies, which I think should be published and handed out to movie-goers nation-wide.  Think of the countless lives that would have been saved had parents, teachers, and public officials been armed with this critical information.  For my money, the quote of the year (to-date) may well be this:

If you’re watching the trailer for the new Nicolas Cage superhero movie and find yourself thinking “Nicolas Cage, really? Was Ben Affleck not available?” and don’t immediately freak out that you’ve chosen Ben Affleck over Nicolas Cage, then don’t bother with Ghost Rider

Consider this a public service message from your friendly neighborhood CroutonBoy.  I've got your back.

Comments

[Sarah, Goon Squad Sarah]

"The Rock" was pretty bad.

I don't know why he gets cast as the leading man/hero type. He is only good at quirky.

[andrea]

I think he does quirky pretty well. Raising Arizona? Moonstruck? And come on, how can you leave out "Valley Girl"?

[mo-wo]

OH.

I thought you we're going to mourn the passing of Robert Adler.

http://www.rtohq.org/news.aspx?id=393

[mo-wo]

OH.

I thought you we're going to mourn the passing of Robert Adler.

http://www.rtohq.org/news.aspx?id=393

[Phil]

For me, Nicholas Cage and Keanu Reeves are the two actors who embody the non-acting actor. No matter what the character, they look and sound the same in almost every film I've seen. And when they act, it looks like they're acting. We even watched "The Lake House" awhile ago and I commented to my wife, "Keanu Reeves looks like he's acting his walking." Absolutely no natural abilities in either one of them.

Tom Cruise is a whole other subject. He acts, but it's always as "TOM CRUISE, BIG STAR!" That gets old real quick too.

[misfithausfrau]

The only Nicholas Cage character I like is one with pantyhose on his head, robbing the Quickee-Mart and asking the employee to throw in some diapers.

[iflyg]

Raising Arizona? Good. Wild at Heart? Good. Everything else he's ever done? Baaad...

[jake]

Well, you know, it's not that Nicholas COPPOLA (his, ahem, true last name) doesn't get his chances at good movies. He just plain sucks.

Maybe he should try directing, like the rest of his clan. When his cousin, Sophia, tried acting - welllll, you remember the results, right? And she's a helluva director, albeit more about style rather than substance right now. But I digress.

And, thank goodness Hollywood did not let him have the role of Superman, like he always wanted to. Ghost Rider, I guess, was his consolation prize (as Ben Affleck got Daredevil).

[whit]

Remember when they said he was going to play Superman and then it didn't happen? Is it too late for Ghost Rider not to happen?

[Mrs. Chicky]

What happened to the days when superhero films were cast with relative unknowns? Am I really supposed to forget that Nicholas Cage was in Peggy Sue got Married so that I can believe him as Ghost Rider? I don't think so.

[Denver Dad]

You know, it's getting to the point where being a nerd is kind of difficult. I mean, I don't get pushed into my locker or anything, but I do get to watch my childhood heroes become horrible, HORRIBLE movies. The "Dark Phoenix Saga" in X-Men 3? Ruined. Not even very interesting. Daredevil? The "darker" Director's Cut was just a slightly less stinky pile of poo on an already larger pile of poo. Superman Returns? So, Lex Luthor's big, master plan was that he was going to shiv Superman?

Sigh.