Tag: Nicolas Cage

Columbus critics make their choices for 2021

The Columbus Film Critics Association (COFCA), consisting of critics from the Central Ohio area, recently released its picks for the best of 2021. The list is below:

Best Film

  1. The Power of the Dog
  2. Licorice Pizza
  3. West Side Story
  4. Belfast
  5. Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
  6. Pig
  7. C’mon C’mon
  8. The Tragedy of Macbeth
  9. tick, tick…BOOM!
  10. Dune

Best Director

  • Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog
  • Runner-up: Steven Spielberg, West Side Story
Benedict Cumberbatch in The Power of the Dog

Best Actor

  • Benedict Cumberbatch, The Power of the Dog
  • Runner-up: Nicolas Cage, Pig

Best Actress

  • Alana Haim, Licorice Pizza
  • Runner-up: Olivia Colman, The Lost Daughter

Best Supporting Actor

  • Kodi Smit-McPhee, The Power of the Dog
  • Runner-up: Troy Kotsur, CODA

Best Supporting Actress

  • Ruth Negga, Passing
  • Runner-up: Kirsten Dunst, The Power of the Dog

Best Ensemble

  • The Power of the Dog
  • Runner-up: The Harder They Fall

Actor of the Year (for an exemplary body of work)

  • Benedict Cumberbatch (The Electrical Life of Louis Wain, The Mauritanian, The Power of the Dog, and Spider-Man: No Way Home)
  • Runner-up: Andrew Garfield (The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and tick,
    tick…BOOM!)

Breakthrough Film Artist

  • Alana Haim, Licorice Pizza – (for acting)
  • Runner-up: Jude Hill, Belfast – (for acting)

Best Cinematography

  • Bruno Delbonnel, The Tragedy of Macbeth
  • Runner-up: Ari Wegner, The Power of the Dog

Best Film Editing

  • Sarah Broshar and Michael Kahn, West Side Story
  • Runner-up: Peter Sciberras, The Power of the Dog

Best Adapted Screenplay

  • Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog
  • Runner-up: Tony Kushner, West Side Story

Best Original Screenplay

  • Paul Thomas Anderson, Licorice Pizza
  • Runner-up: Kenneth Branagh, Belfast

Best Score

  • Jonny Greenwood, The Power of the Dog
  • Runner-up: Jonny Greenwood, Spencer

Best Documentary

  • Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
  • Runner-up: Flee

Best Foreign Language Film

  • Drive My Car (Doraibu mai kâ)
  • Runner-up: Flee

Best Animated Film

  • The Mitchells vs. the Machines
  • Runner-up: Flee

Best Overlooked Film

  • Riders of Justice (Retfærdighedens ryttere)
  • Runner-up: Nine Days

Nicolas Cage wants his pig back

The reclusive Rob (Nicolas Cage) is forced to return to society after his truffle-hunting pig is kidnapped.

By Richard Ades

Rob leads a quiet life in rural Oregon sharing a cabin and hunting for truffles with his foraging pig. Then, one night, someone breaks in and steals the pig. What will happen next is anybody’s guess.

That’s partly because Pig, the debut feature by Michael Sarnoski, stars Nicolas Cage as grizzled recluse Rob. Repeatedly spoofed by SNL for appearing in over-the-top flicks in which everything’s on fire and “all the dialogue is either whispered or screamed,” Cage has the reputation of being an explosion waiting to happen.

Sarnoski uses that image, along with the setup of a typical revenge film, to keep viewers in a state of anticipation. What will the hulking Rob do when faced with someone who stands between him and his beloved sow?

As it turns out, he never does quite what we expect him to do. Neither does the film as a whole, which may disappoint fans of the star’s more outrageous outings but should please those with subtler tastes.   

The beginning scenes set up Rob’s key relationships. Settling down for the night after a day of truffle hunting, he starts to play a birthday greeting tape-recorded by his deceased lover, Laurie, but finds it too painful to hear. “I’m OK,” he insists when his concerned pig tries to comfort him.

But the most important relationship, as well as the most problematic, is between Rob and Amir (Alex Wolff), the Camaro-driving entrepreneur who drops by every Thursday to deliver those valuable truffles to high-class eateries in nearby Portland. Rob spurns Amir’s attempts to show concern for his well-being, but he brusquely demands the younger man’s help after his beloved pet is kidnapped. Together, they set off for the city, where Rob reveals unexpected knowledge of the restaurant scene and Amir reveals his prickly relationship with the industry’s ruthless kingpin, Darius (Adam Arkin).

Not everything in the script (co-written by Sarnoski and Vanessa Block) is logical or even believable. Particularly jarring—like a holdover from one of Cage’s tackier flicks—is a fight club of sorts that caters to disgruntled restaurant employees. More satisfying are the satirical barbs aimed at pretentious elements of West Coast culture. An enjoyable example is Rob’s interrogation of a chef (David Knell) who concocts trendy “deconstructed” fare but would rather be running his own English-style pub.

Through it all, Cage effectively plays against what’s become his type as the quietly resolute Rob, while Wolff keeps us equally off-balance with his portrayal of the hot-tempered but stubbornly loyal Amir. Their chemistry helps to sell a psychological study that builds slowly and imparts crucial life lessons along the way.

Rating: 4 stars (out of 5)

Pig (rated R) can be viewed at select theaters and will be available from VOD outlets beginning Aug. 3.