Golden Cagey Awards
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the 3rd Annual Golden Cagey Awards, a night dedicated to celebrating the unique and unforgettable performances of one of Hollywood’s most enigmatic and beloved actors, Nicolas Cage!
As we gather here tonight, we’ll honor the diverse roles and iconic moments that have solidified Nic Cage as a true legend of the silver screen. So, without further ado, let’s dive into the excitement and kick off the evening with our first and only award!
The night begins with an electrifying performance by a live orchestra playing a medley of scores from Nic Cage’s most memorable films, from “Leaving Las Vegas” to “Face/Off” to “National Treasure.”
Award Categories:
Best Action Hero: Nominees:
Nicolas Cage
Best Dramatic Performance: Nominees:
Nicolas Cage
Best Comedic Role: Nominees:
Nicolas Cage
Best Villain: Nominees:
Nicolas Cage
And the winners are…. Nicolas Cage!
Nic Cage himself takes the stage to thank his fans, colleagues, and family for their support throughout his incredible career. With a humble and heartfelt speech, he reminds us all why we fell in love with his unique talent and dedication to his craft.
And there you have it, a night to remember and celebrate the one and only Nic Cage!
Okay, now that Nic Cage is gone, let’s get into the real ceremony.
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the real 3rd Annual Golden Cagey Awards, a night to celebrate the cinematic brilliance and storytelling mastery of the top 10 best films of 2024!
As we gather here tonight, we’ll honor the creativity, dedication, and passion that have brought these exceptional films to life. So, without further ado, let’s roll out the red carpet and dive into the excitement of the evening!
The nominees for the BEST OF 2024 are–
11. Longlegs: I am legally obligated to include at least one Nic Cage film, so my pick this year in Longlegs. The best way to describe this movie is, supernatural Silence of the Lambs. What I like about this movie, it’s one that doesn’t hold your hand. Even when some hand holding might be welcomed. It leaves things up to you to pay attention and piece together. Not a lot of films do that these days. Nic Cage is fantastic as always, giving one of his craziest performances to date. He plays an old washed-up rocker, now a servant of the devil, carrying out his sick bidding, seemingly only for the devil’s own amusement. It might not be a film you enjoy after a first watch, but more you sit with it, the more you start to appreciate it. Which exactly why it is on this list.
10. Knox Goes Away: I actually kind of hate the title of this movie, however this Michael Keaton directed and starring crime thriller is absolutely a must see. Michael Keaton plays a hitman losing his memory, screwing up badly on the job, killing his partner. After that, he plans out his retirement. However, his estranged son returns with a dilemma. He just killed the man who assaulted his daughter. Now Michael Keaton must use what he knows to cover up the crime, while also preparing to lose his memory. This is a tight thriller, maybe the best one I’ve seen in a really long time. Seek this one out, it is a must see.
9. KILL: I don’t like Indian films, I’ve tried watching a few like RRR, which was absolutely godawful, I have no idea why people like that movie so much. However, KILL is a different beast and beast it is. This isn’t your typical Bollywood garbage, this thing is brutal and gory, up there with any John Wick movie. Which I know this was heavily influenced by. Basically, it’s Die Hard on a train meets John Wick. The fight sequences are raw and violent. This is peak action, but also one with a story and heart. This is not a film that holds back, willing to kill off just about anyone, making no one safe. This is such a fun action film; you need to see it.
8. Kneecap: I didn’t know anything about this band going into it, or even how bad things are in Ireland, just being Irish and wanting to speak your own language in your own damn country. I was blown away by it, even inspiring me to take a break from writing for a year to focus on my own music. The film is funny, inspirational, well-acted from the members of the actual band. It’s a hell of a movie that really needs more people to see it. So, see it!
7. Sasquatch Sunset: A lot of people reading this might be shaking their heads right now. This is on your top ten list? Way?! I’ve heard this movie described as a troll movie. And maybe it is, however, I was personally blown away with how they managed to pull it off. Essentially, you’re following around a family of Sasquatches as they journey out to find more of their kind. There’s no talking of course, unless you count grunts. Somehow though they managed to not only make this film hilarious but also tension filled. As they go on this journey, members on the group start to die. First, it’s the grandpa or the eldest in the group who eats some bad berries and tries to have sex with a mountain lion. Resulting in him getting torn apart, to the dad… I won’t get into too many spoilers. But I will describe one of my favorite scenes in the film. The pregnant mother, her son and father make it to a river to rest. The mother seems to be having some pregnancy issues, while the son is off tossing rocks alone. The dad is enamored by a giant log floating by. So, we have our focus on three things, we don’t know what is going to happen, we just know that it will be something bad. It is one of the most tension filled moments I’ve ever seen. After this event, that tension never goes away. You’re constantly now worried what will happen next. Who is going to die?! Did I also mention the film is absolutely hilarious? There’s a scene where they find a paved road for the first time and freak out. Don’t rush to judgment, see this movie for yourself.
6. A Complete Unknown: The one film that was kind of holding up me from finishing my best list was this movie. I’m glad I waited, as this bumped off a few other films I couldn’t decide on. This I think might not be as low on the list as other’s best lists, mainly because I’m not the biggest Bob Dylan fan. However, the thing I liked most about the movie was the focus on the music. You might think someone who isn’t a fan of his music that would end up being a negative towards the movie. However, after watching Back to Black, the godawful Amy Winehouse biopic, that decided to focus less on her music career and deal instead with her drug addiction and her relationship with shitty boyfriend, a movie like A Complete Unknown that actually focuses on the music that artist made is a breath of fresh air.
5. Terrifier 3: Obviously this had to make the list. It deserves a place in the top 5 alone based on what it managed to accomplish. A splatter film with a budget of 2 million beat out Joker 2, a big studio movie with a bloated over 100-million-dollar budget. That is unheard of and should be respected regardless of how you feel about this movie. I loved it! It might have had a bigger budget and a studio behind it now, but it still kept what fans love about this franchise. Art the Clown being a lovable sick depraved lunatic. I can’t wait to see what else they have up their sleeves, whatever it might be, it’s going to be a disgusting amazing ride.
4. Anora: I didn’t hear about this one until it was mentioned this was by the director behind Red Rocket. I enjoyed this a lot more than that movie, even if it has about the same level of likable characters. Well-deserved best actress nomination from the Oscars and hopefully a win. The movie kind of starts a bit slow, you’re not really sure where it’s all going. Hell, you might not even know this is a comedy. I’m not fully convinced she even likes this rich Russian kid, or is using him for his money. Once the plot starts to reveal itself, it becomes a hilarious romp, of these bumbling kidnappers trying to contain this crazy stripper, searching for her idiot husband who just takes off, abandoning her. And possibly a new romance blossoming along the way. A real surprise hit for me that wasn’t even on my radar.
3. Deadpool & Wolverine: I went into this knowing exactly what I was getting, well, kind of. The movie was just a chance to see Deadpool and Wolverine, two people who can’t die, beat the shit out of each other. But what I wasn’t exacting was to see all the tossed away Marvel actors/characters over the years. So many hilarious cameos, the two stand outs for me were Blade and Gambit, however the bit with Johnny Storm still cracks me up. I was really hoping for an extended director’s cut like the second film included on its Blu-ray release. Sadly, no such luck. If this is the last Deadpool film, I think it went out with a bang.
2. Dune: Part Two: The best theater going experience of my life. Maybe it helped in me liking this more than I otherwise would have, which might be why I placed it at number 2, instead of first place. If I could complain a little bit about the films, they’re too clean, not having blood when everyone is cutting each other with knives makes the film seem too sanitized. Other than that, I love this movie, more than the first half as this was the part where everything happens.
1. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga: I went into the IMAX hoping to experience what I felt during Dune part 2, but the sound just wasn’t hitting me the same way. Which I think is why I’m putting it at number 1. It didn’t rely on bombastic sounds hitting you in the chest to enjoy it, even though I would have happily enjoyed that. The opening act of this movie is so intense and exciting, done in a way only George Miller can bring you. I also love that in any other movie, Dementus, played wonderfully by Chris Hemsworth, would have been the hero of the film, as this is basically the story of Alexander the Great, but in the wasteland. I’m sure others will be turned off by a Mad Max film without Mad Max, but how they told Furiosa’s story, and the crazy characters they introduced, this is just as good as Fury Road. Those turned off by the lack of story in Fury Road might also get more out of this movie, as it’s nothing but story and not just an extended car chase. I don’t know if this will be the last Mad Max film, I know Miller wanted to do another sequel bringing these characters back in Wasteland. But like all the Mad Max films, did didn’t do well in the theater. But if this is the last, at least it ended on a good film that didn’t destroy the franchise.
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