Where were you when you realized Nicolas Cage was your favorite actor of all time?

I’ve always been a fan of his but it wasn’t until the last couple years I realized that he’s my absolute favorite.

Funny thing is, at first, I was surprised by this.

I mean, for as many great movies as he’s made, he’s probably got two stinkers.

Plus, have you seen the memes? The guy is crazy.

No self-respecting student of great films and fine cinema could possibly bow at the altar of an actor who—with a straight face and terrible Alabaman accent—said, “Put the bunny back in the box.”

But he’s not crazy. He’s just a great actor.

But the more I thought about it, and the more I pondered my favorite films—this was during the compilation of my favorite 100 movies of all time—I realized that he starred in several of the movies that most affected me.

And I don’t mean I was thinking about the film in the hours and days after I watched it. I mean Adaptation (2002) is a piece of art that has become a piece of me.

That, along with Stephen King’s On Writing, and a few other works of literature and cinema, are partially responsible for keeping me motivated to try to be a professional writer and go from cooking at a family restaurant to someone who gets paid to write words that people will actually read.

Kiss of Death (1995) made me scared for the protagonist, and angry when his wife is exploited. And vengeful toward all these scum who operate with near impunity.

Leaving Las Vegas (1995) both terrifies me and gives me hope.

Red Rock West (1993) kept me company on many a lonely night when I was an existentially troubled teenager.

Matchstick Men (2003) is very personal to me for a couple of reasons we don’t need to get into.

Trapped in Paradise (1994) is a sweet Christmas heist movie about an extremely dysfunctional family. Nuff said.

I could go on but let’s get to the list. There are a couple minor spoilers here and there but nothing too terrible.

My favorite Nicolas Cage movies … so far:

1. Con Air (1997) – I don’t care what anybody says: this is a great movie. I just re-watched it, for probably the fifth or sixth time, this summer. Still great!
2. Matchstick Men (2003) – Fun conman story with a touching father-daughter tale. Seen it maybe four times. So good.
3. National Treasure (2004) – Seen this three times. Another fun action adventure.
4. Trapped in Paradise (1994) – This was another movie that played over and over and I’ve seen it in pieces maybe ten times. Re-watched it this spring. Still good, though not as good as I remember. Mostly because in my screenwriting study and work I’ve become quite a dialogue snob. Bad dialogue can make or break a movie.
5. 8 MM (1999) – I remember being shocked by how dark this was. And how good NC was in it. What a powerful movie. And maybe the first time I ever saw Joaquin Phoenix?
6. Kiss of Death (1995) – I watched this movie over and over again. Still love it. It’s this massive sprawling story of betrayal and redemption and some really bad guys. Nic Cage genuinely scared me as the gangster with asthma. Great movie! “The time has come for everyone to clean up their own backyard. Clean up their own backyard.”
7. Bangkok Dangerous (2008) – I shouldn’t be surprised any more that Nicolas Cage continues to surprise me with his choice in scripts and acting choices … but this was another film I didn’t expect to enjoy but did.
8. Adaptation (2002) – I can’t say how many times I’ve seen this because you wouldn’t believe me. I watch it at least once per month. It’s on the background while I write. I put it on when I can’t sleep. It’s one of several pieces of art that inspired me to keep trying to become a writer way back in the early 2000s. In fact, I got my first paid writing job in 2003, not long after buying this on DVD. It remains one of my absolute favorite movies. What a masterpiece. Great acting. And great writing by Charlie Kaufman.
9. Leaving Las Vegas (1995) – I remember watching this by myself because none of my friends or family were interested in dark arthouse type films. I was so affected by it that I never did shake it. I re-watch it every few years and always come away with renewed awe for the writing and acting. It’s hopeful message also helps sustain me: no matter how bad things get, you can always sell all your shit and drink yourself to death in Vegas with a kind-hearted hooker. It’s the top line on my bucket list.
10. Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (2009) – Here’s another one I didn’t think I was going to like. But, shockingly, I thought this was much more fun than the (nearly) eponymous Harvey Keitel film. Sorry, Harvey.
11. The Family Man (2000) – Anyone who knows my cinematic tastes has already heard me say a hundred times that It’s A Wonderful Life is my favorite movie of all time. So, I was flat-out offended when Cage starred in this revival of what’s practically become its own genre—let’s call it Capra What If?—and I didn’t really like it at first. It felt like a cheap imitation but then on later viewings, I’ve seen it maybe three times, I realized that that’s what it was supposed to be. They weren’t trying to remake IAWL, they were just making a mild dramatic Xmas film.
12. Red Rock West (1993) – This was one of those movies that played late on Cinemax over and over and I always seemed to catch it while it was on. It’s like a Western Noir or Noir Western. I love it, even though I only remember vaguely one scene where someone breaks down on the highway in the desert. I’m still waiting for this to come to streaming. Come on, Hollywood, get on the stick!
13. Ghost Rider (2007) – I don’t love superhero movies but I liked this one.
14. Drive Angry (2011) – Another odd one I wasn’t suspecting. If nothing else, NC doesn’t bore the audience. Even when the writing isn’t so good.
15. Raising Arizona (1987) – if you haven’t seen it, go watch it. Another example of his amazing range.
16. Knowing (2009) – This and Melancholia (not a Nic Cage movie) are maybe my favorite end-of-the-world movies. Completely devoid of hope. I don’t see the ending as hopeful. Everyone on Earth still dies.
17. Lord of War (2005) – Re-watched this for the first time in nearly twenty years. Still good. The writing could be better. And the plot has a couple hiccups but I enjoy the story.
18. Honeymoon in Vegas (1992) – Fun, silly, different.
19. The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022) – I was so excited to see this before it came out and it did not disappoint. So much fun. Especially for super fans.
20. Renfield (2023) – Act 2B could’ve been better—it’s what stopped this from being great instead of good. Still lots of fun.
21. Dream Scenario (2023) – Masterpiece, masterpiece, masterpiece. Just fucking wow!
22. Snake Eyes (1998) – I’m not a big Brian De Palma fan, but I do enjoy this mystery thriller. [The other three of his I enjoy: Carlito’s Way, Scarface, Black Dahlia]
23. The Weather Man (2005) – Another quirky dark comedy that you’re not prepared for. We need more movies like this. Thank goodness for Yorgos Lanthimos and Charlie Kaufman and Lars Von Trier, et al.
24. The Rock (1996) – Doesn’t really need any comment. If you haven’t seen it, watch it. It’s a perfect movie.
25. Frozen Ground (2013) – The wife was actually watching this—she’s one of those true crime junkies—and I sat in and ended up staying for the whole thing. Solid hunt-for-the-serial-killer actioner.
26. Vampire’s Kiss (1988) – The summer I turned 15 or 16 I stayed with my uncle and boy did we have fun. One of the many cool movies he introduced me to was this weirdo. I watched it last year for the first time since the ‘80s. It wasn’t as good as I remember but purely because of the bad writing. The story idea is awesome!
27. Kill Chain (2019) – I know I keep saying it but this was yet another movie I didn’t think was going to be very good and ended up holding my attention until the end. A solid film.
28. Gone in 60 Seconds (2000) – I don’t usually like slick Hollywood action fare but this was a fun movie with cool cars and a great cast that included Robert Duvall and Will Patton.
29. Looking Glass (2018) – This is one I was sure was going to suck. Nicolas Cage and Robbin Tunney are a troubled couple who buy a roadside motel in the middle of nowhere in the desert. OK. But I started watching and the story just kept getting better. A fun and dark mystery. And I love movies set in the desert at night. See also Identity (2003) … not an NC movie.
30. Pay The Ghost (2015) – This was a weird one I nearly turned off early on but I kept watching and it ended up being pretty good.
31. It Could Happen to You (1994) – A sweet romantic comedy I haven’t seen in maybe thirty years?

Movies of his I still want to see:

1. Arcadian (2024) – Looking forward to this. Will have to watch alone because the wife hates post-apocalyptic films
2. Mom and Dad (2017) – I’ve been aware of this for a while, just haven’t gotten around to it
3. Wild at Heart (1990) – Still waiting on this David Lynch film to stream somewhere
4. Longlegs (2024) – This will be the first film screened in our new outdoor theater setup this fall. Can’t wait to see this. Looks good and scary—UPDATE: Longlegs is the best horror movie and one of the best movies I have seen in a very long time.  I’ve now watched it four times. The cinematography was refreshing, the acting great, casting well-done, and Nic Cage as the creepiest villain since Freddy Krueger was just genius. “There she is. The almost-birthday girl.”
5. Amos & Andrew (1993) – goofy social commentary/mistaken identity/fish out of water
6. Prisoners of the Ghostland (2021) –Strange post-apocalypse caper?
7. Army of One (2016) – I only today while getting this list together discovered this was a thing. Looks intriguing. It’s about an unhinged guy hunting Osama Bin Laden with a sword he bought from the Home Shopping Network. My kind of weird.
8. Color Out of Space (2019) – I started watching this and stopped after a couple minutes. I need to give it another chance.
9. Zandalee (1991) – An artist doing weird artist stuff—my kind of movie
10. The Surfer (2024) – A man returns to Australia and faces bratty surfers. I’m curious
11. Inconceivable (2017) – The description is so convoluted I just hafta watch!
12. Grand Isle (2019) – This looks like your usual “prove yourself innocent” movie but I’m curious to see where he takes it.

Nicolas Cage movies I didn’t care for:

1. Pig (2021) – I really wanted to like this. Great concept. Great acting. But the writing was just not good. Not Nic’s fault. But I just couldn’t get past the bad writing.
2. Birdy (1984) – I don’t know. Story just didn’t grab me.
3. The Wicker Man (2006) – I don’t know what was going on here—it could’ve been good but the writing and the acting, even Cage’s, was weird