By Sam Tucker
As I’m sure has been said before, not many actors have had as many bites at the apples, critical success, critical failure, and as many reinventions as the wonderful Nick Cage. From his “humble” beginnings as somewhat nameless hunks all the way to his straight to streamers, he has always been someone who seemingly latches on to a project and goes all in. Regardless of budget, prestige, or subject matter, he is not afraid to either scream at the top of his lungs or literally not say a word the entire time. It still boggles my mind that the man who turned in such nuanced performances as Wild at Heart and Raising Arizona can also have the output of insanity that is the Ghost Rider dualogy.
While his career has had its ebbs and flows, he did hit a certain renaissance period in the late 2010s, many who would cite Mandy as the induction point. It’s shocking to see that an experimental film would let him go from the rafters – including hiring a screaming coach (no joke) – to pensive wistfulness set against a pacific northwest backdrop. While he certainly has had his stumbles after, this definitely set him on the path to finding his 3rd, 4th, and 5th acts.
Coming to the IPH on Saturday, April 18, as part of the ongoing Blood, Myth, and Funk series, Mandy is a surrealist horror movie with some of the most inventive sound design and visual direction put to film in the last decade. The sophomore effort of writer/director Panos Cosmatos (son of Tombstone and Cobra director George P. Cosmatos), it follows a couple as their lives intersect with a fanatical cult (what other type is there?) in a wooded rural area straight out of David Lynch’s view of the pacific northwest. As you can tell by the image above, things don’t necessarily go according to plan for our hero Red (Cage) as he tracks down the source of his discontent across an alien landscape. Blending psychedelic visuals straight out of a 70’s acid trip with a hardcore/metal pathos ripped from the cover of an 80’s sci-fi paperback, it is a pleasurable assault on your senses that does not lag for one minute of its two-hour run time.
My first experience with Mandy was almost doomed to fail. After a long beer brewing session (and the requisite tastings that go with it), I settled in expecting a John Wick-style revenge thriller and left feeling like I should have hit the bong instead of the brews. Luckily, my friend had been wanting to see if for some time and we settled in after dinner, hitting play just as the sun set early during the Charlotte winter. I put my phone away, and was truly able to appreciate exactly what they were going for.
If you’re a cynic like me, the charm of the 80’s throwback started by Stranger Things quickly out-grew its welcome when they started wearing Proton Packs made out of spare vacuum parts. Mandy takes that identifiable theme and shows it from the view point of Heavy Metal rather than Steven Spielberg. It’s gritty, it’s dark, it’s violent, but also beautiful – the score and soft color palette lulling you into a false sense of security before something horrific appears on screen. I was lucky enough to get a new TV just before this viewing, but I for one can’t wait to see this in a dark theater with a kickass sound-system.
So this April 18th, head over to IPH, turn your phone off, and enjoy a glass of bathroom vodka while you drink in the performance that kicked off the Cage-assance amid some truly unique audio/visual storytelling!