Nicolas Cage

Drive Angry 3D (2011)

~ Nikki Baughan

Motor mayhem

The fact that every seat at the press screening was adorned with a can of lager and a packet of crisps should be an instant clue as to what to expect from Drive Angry 3D – as if the insane trailer hasn’t been enough of a heads up. It’s a loud, brash, Saturday night kind of a movie, one that should be accompanied by a couple of beers and a large group of mates. If that’s what you’re after, then you’ll be in for a fine time; expect anything deeper – really, how could you with a title like that? – and prepare to be disappointed.

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The Bad Lieutenant – Port of Call: New Orleans (2009)

~ Nikki Baughan

Down by law

Not so much a remake of the 1992 Abel Ferrara cop classic, which starred Harvey Keitel in the lead role, as a total reimagining, Werner Herzog’s Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call – New Orleans is an acquired taste. It is an overwhelming and, at times, difficult ode to unchecked power and excess but, if you surrender yourself to Herzog’s vision, it’s an unforgettable and exhilarating experience.

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Knowing (DVD)

~ Nikki Baughan

Although Nicolas Cage is becoming increasingly in danger of following John Travolta down the path of over-bloated pantomime acting, he’s certainly still watchable enough to carry a film. And it’s thanks largely to him, and to some strong support from Rose Byrne, that Knowing has some backbone to go with its (admittedly, impressive) CGI overload and apocalyptic outlook. Unfortunately, however, he’s not sturdy enough to shoulder the film’s jaw-droppingly bad ending.

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