Ray Stevenson as the Irishman who just will not die! This mafia flick looks to be influenced more by seventies exploitation films than it is by the Godfather, Goodfellas, etc. Kill the Irishman gets bonus points in my books for the hilarious moustache that Stevenson is rocking in this film.
Rio
So after two films this year featured talking owls, Hollywood has moved on to macaws. Sadly pigeons continue to get the shaft. Keep the hope alive Goodfeathers, your day will come.
I had originally planned to focus on an actress who, as it so happens, worked with today’s selection at one point. I will save her for another week down the line. Seeing as I focussed on Val Kilmer’s dissent into straight-to-DVD hell; it makes since to focus on the person who has fallen even further. Show of hands, who else besides yours truly saw Lies & Illusions?...anyone...Bueller? If I were to rank the current straight-to-DVD victims in order, Kilmer would be at number three while Slater would take the number two spot. The fact that Christian Slater still gets high profile work on television, albeit in bad shows, proves there is still interest in Slater amongst the Hollywood execs. If only he would find an agent that actually knows how to pick good scripts.
Christian Slater
Career Highlights: Pump Up The Volume (1990), Heathers (1988), Murder in the First (1995), Interview With A Vampire (1994), Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991), True Romance (1993), The Contender (2001), Gleaming the Cube (1988) The Wizard (1988) [yes, you read right. The Wizard is by far the best feature length advertisement ever made! - CS]
Low Points: Alone in the Dark (2005), Mindhunters (2004), Young Guns II (1990), Hard Rain (1998), Bed of Roses (1996), Broken Arrow (1996), Kuffs (1992), Mobster (1991), 3000 Miles to Graceland (2001), Who is Cletus Tout (2001), Tales From The Darkside: The Movie.
Last Seen On The Big Screen: Bobby (2006), Igor (2008)
Where You Will See Him Again: Sacrifice with Cuba Gooding Jr.; Shadows of the White Nights with Cole Hauser. Odds are good they will both be at your local DVD store shortly.
Granted today’s selection has been working steadily, in straight-to-DVD releases, for a few years now. Yet when was the last time you saw Val Kilmer in a lead role on the big screen? I know he has a bad reputation for being a bit of a diva on set, but I think Kilmer has paid his dues in B-movie purgatory. It is time for him to jumpstart his career again like John Travolta did back in the 90’s.
Val Kilmer
Career Highlights: Top Gun (1986), Willow (1988), Heat (1995), Top Secret (1984), Tombstone (1993), The Doors (1991), Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2004), The Salton Sea (2002)
Low Points: Mindhunters (2004), The Ghost and the Darkness (1996), Red Planet (2000), Alexander (2004), At First Sight (1999), The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996), The Real McCoy (1993)
In my brief time on this earth, I have seen 43 films starring, featuring, or directed by Nicolas Cage. I am not bragging, in fact, I am ashamed to admit this. The majority of those 43 films have been infuriatingly bad, yet I always find myself going back for one more round of Cage. If this was a marriage, it would surely be an abusive one. After 43 films, and thanks in part to The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, I think I have finally figured him out.
Nicolas Cage, similar to Hollywood stars such as Halle Berry, needs an outstanding director to work with, one who knows how to navigate his rocky terrain in order to find gold. Left in the hands of anyone else, the results can be disastrous beyond belief. When I look back at all of Nicolas Cage’s finest performances, the thing which standouts most about those films is who was behind the lens. If you can overlook Michael Bay’s inclusion on the list, ten of Cage’s top eleven works were directed by the likes of: John Dahl, The Coen Brothers, David Lynch, Mike Figgis, Norman Jewison, Martin Scorsese, Spike Jonze, Ridley Scott, John Woo and Werner Herzog.
Although Werner Herzog has been working for years, I was first introduced to his films through Grizzly Man. I was not too fond of the film, but I absolutely loved Herzog’s film Encounters at the End of the World which he made a few years later. In many ways, the sly, and at times absurd, wit that Herzog displays in Encounters is good preparation for the craziness that he throws at the audience in Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans
Loosely based on the 1992 film, Bad Lieutenant, directed by Abel Ferrara and staring Harvey Keitel, Port of Call New Orleans looks at the year in the life of corrupt detective, Terrence McDounaugh (Nicolas Cage). Pill-popping Terrence is trying to solve a homicide case, but keeps getting distracted by his many vices. When he is not hanging out with his prostitute girlfriend, Frank (Eva Mendes), he spends his days stealing drugs from club goers and avoiding his bookie persistent whom he owes a lot of money. As Terrence spirals out of control, the line between good and evil become increasingly blurred. Soon Terrence finds himself partnering up with drug kingpin Baby Fate (Xzibit), who happens to be the lead suspect in the murder case McDounaugh is investigating.
Although similar in theme to the original Bad Lieutenant, Werner Herzog’s version is different in practically every way. I found that Herzog’s version was much lighter in tone, almost boarding on farce in several occasions. The off-kilter humour, coupled with Nicolas Cage’s wildly creative performance, makes for an oddly entertaining film. Herzog really does a great job of not only bring you into Terrence’s drug hazed world, but making it all seem natural.
While not quite as strong as Bad Lieutenant, Port of Call has its own unique charm that allows it to co-exist nicely with the 1992 film. The film tends to lag in a few parts, but really, it is not that noticeable. The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans is one wild ride that was far more entertaining than it really should be.
