Arcadian

5/2/2024

Its nice to see Nicolas Cage in a film deserving of his talents. Arcadian is not an exceptional horror thriller but what it does do, is done competently enough to be deserving of praise. It has a serviceable story, that reminds me a little of "A Quiet Place" from 2018. The core premise is not quite the same but the monster effects are similar, as is the rural setting. The tension is ratcheted up nicely as the story progresses. As is always the case with what is essentially a survivalist horror, we know the creatures are going to get in but what happens next is, of course, the interesting part. Along the way we get to know the key characters, including Cages father figure. His effective absence part way through film and his return near the end, is a little disappointing but given th

6/20/2024

OK, so I know I shouldn't have, but I did quite enjoy this. There are some seriously menacing beasties about and so every night dad (Nicolas Cage) has to lock his two sons "Joseph" (Jaeden Martell) and "Thomas" (Maxwell Jenkins) and himself into their home and hope their fortifications hold until morning. No, I didn't say it was original, but it's quite well paced as the loved-up "Thomas" manages to get a bit too close to these nocturnal monsters which causes his father to get injured and requires "Joseph" - the brains of the family (who reminded me the entire time of Dan Radcliffe) to come up with some clever ruses to keep the whole lot of them alive. Cage barely features which is no bad thing here as the two boys and girlfriend "Charlotte" (Sadle Soverall) make a perfectly good job of ke

7/9/2024

As a long-time fan of Nic Cage, I went into Arcadian with high expectations. The trailer was intriguing, hinting at a familiar story with potential for new and exciting directions. However, the film felt like two different movies in one. While I enjoyed both aspects separately, they didn't blend well together. The film starts with a grounded, realistic tone that sets up an engaging story. Nic Cage delivers a solid performance, immersing himself in a character that is both relatable and compelling. However, the narrative takes a sharp turn into absurdist territory, introducing elements that feel out of place in the established world. For example, the grounded scenes where Cage's character navigates personal challenges are suddenly juxtaposed with bizarre, otherworldly events that disrupt

7/14/2024

Classic Cold War end credits. Wow. What a great movie. "It's not safe for you." Cute scene. Little whimper at the end. What a good boy! Breaks some standard bullshit. The above and the lack of a triangle. 10 second apocalypse game was a great idea. Neither needs be true. Both based in reality? Something fucked happened. Disney'd franchise this.