June 26, 2023
Journalist Schonfeld (24-Carat Black’s Ghetto) digs into Nicolas Cage’s early roles, rise to fame, and attempts to “test the limits... of that stardom” in this entertaining deep dive into the actor’s career from 1981 to 1995. Drawing on more than 125 interviews with those involved in Cage’s early movies, Schonfeld examines the actors roles in The Best of Times (1981), Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982), and Valley Girl (1983), an early period during which Cage both benefited from and resisted the recognition that came from being Francis Ford Coppola’s nephew. Schonfeld covers stories of Cage’s “method acting,” including the infamous cockroach eating stunt in the 1989 cult classic Vampire’s Kiss and the rumor he had two teeth pulled for his role in the 1984 drama Birdy (he did, but they were baby teeth that needed to be removed). Later, Cage sought out roles in such indie movies as Red Rock West (1993) to “pursue his wildest ideas,” though his freewheeling spending tendencies meant that artistic and business decisions were often pitted against one another. While the account suffers from its lack of recent input from Cage, it’s a lively, anecdote-filled look into the actor’s shape-shifting, storied career. Even the most ardent Cage fans will learn something new.
August 18, 2023
Schonfeld (24-Carat Black's Ghetto: Misfortune's Wealth) methodically proffers the origin story of Oscar winner Nicolas Cage. The book focuses on his career, intense acting style, and unprecedented ability of full immersion into his wide-ranging and sometimes controversial roles. More than 120 of Cage's collaborators are interviewed to separate fact from the often-fantastical mythology surrounding the actor. The book shows how he developed from the 18-year-old breakout star of Valley Girl to the wild, eccentric who had his teeth pulled for Birdy, ingested a live cockroach for Vampire's Kiss, and trashed his trailer as he embodied a homicidal villain in The Cotton Club. Schonfeld dissects Cage's expansive influences, from German expressionist cinema and silent film to his favorite childhood cartoons and the method actors who came before him. The book mentions some of the women in his life: his mother, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia, and some of his costars, who apparently either hated him or fell in love with him. VERDICT The book artfully avoids any superfan swooning despite the author's obvious admiration for Cage's sometimes misunderstood talent. Fascinating details and entertaining provocative backstories make this an important, captivating read for Cage fans and cinephiles alike.--Lisa Henry
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