{"id":5264,"date":"2019-01-15T12:31:22","date_gmt":"2019-01-15T17:31:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/?p=5264"},"modified":"2022-10-25T16:26:40","modified_gmt":"2022-10-25T20:26:40","slug":"nicolas-cage-panos-cosmatos-mandy-movie-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/nicolas-cage-panos-cosmatos-mandy-movie-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Nicolas Cage descends into hell in Panos Cosmatos’s Mandy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Panos Cosmatos’s Mandy<\/em> is what you would get if you crossed Straw Dogs <\/em>with Hellraiser<\/em>, co-directed by Tarkovsky & Jodorowsky. Do you think Clive Barker saw this and said “hey, that’s my<\/em> thing”?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s also the rare movie where Nicolas Cage’s customarily crazed mania is juuuuuust right for the material. Whereas his… performative<\/em> performance (shall we say) was hilariously incongruous for Neil LaBute’s 2006 Wicker Man<\/em> remake, here he is uniquely suited for the part of a haunted recluse who loses his hard-won love and descends deeper and deeper into a phantasmagoric hell to enact his vengeance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thought experiment: at which point in the plot was calling 911 no longer a viable option? Don’t do drugs, kids.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Panos Cosmatos’s Mandy is what you would get if you crossed Straw Dogs with Hellraiser, co-directed by Tarkovsky & Jodorowsky. Do you think Clive Barker saw this and said “hey, that’s my thing”? It’s also the rare movie where Nicolas Cage’s customarily crazed mania is juuuuuust right for the material. Whereas his… performative performance (shall […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5496,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,2],"tags":[1700,1866,1336,1867],"class_list":["post-5264","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-3-stars","category-movies","tag-1700","tag-andrea-riseborough","tag-nicolas-cage","tag-panos-cosmatos"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/mandy.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pa9lhB-1mU","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":130,"url":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/lord-of-war\/","url_meta":{"origin":5264,"position":0},"title":"Lord of War is a Nicolas Cage treasure hidden in plain sight","author":"Chad Ossman","date":"January 27, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"I initially dismissed Lord of War when the trailers and posters first appeared. In other words, it got caught in the crude mental filters that routinely handle my first-pass \"ignore\" of all the crap that flows through my eyes and ears all day every day. But when my regular email\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "4 Stars"","block_context":{"text":"4 Stars","link":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/category\/ratings\/4-stars\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Lord of War","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/01\/lord-of-war-feature.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/01\/lord-of-war-feature.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/01\/lord-of-war-feature.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/01\/lord-of-war-feature.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/01\/lord-of-war-feature.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":877,"url":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/sweet-hereafter\/","url_meta":{"origin":5264,"position":1},"title":"The Pied Piper takes a generation away in Atom Egoyan’s The Sweet Hereafter","author":"Chad Ossman","date":"June 8, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Lest the brevity of this post indicate otherwise, The Sweet Hereafter is one of my favorite films. Although I've read the original novel by Russell Banks and seen Atom Egoyan's film several times, I feel ill-equipped to \"review\" it. It is quietly heartbreaking and devastating, and difficult to capture in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "4 Stars"","block_context":{"text":"4 Stars","link":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/category\/ratings\/4-stars\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Sweet Hereafter","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/06\/sweet-hereafter-family.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/06\/sweet-hereafter-family.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/06\/sweet-hereafter-family.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/06\/sweet-hereafter-family.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/06\/sweet-hereafter-family.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1264,"url":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/synecdoche-new-york\/","url_meta":{"origin":5264,"position":2},"title":"All life’s a play in Charlie Kaufman’s Synecdoche, New York","author":"Chad Ossman","date":"October 26, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Whether it actually is or not, Synecdoche, New York has the feel of a very, very personal work of art. I know next to nothing about writer\/director Charlie Kaufman's personal life, and don't even necessarily feel like I do now. Then again, few people do know Kaufman, as he has\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "5 Stars"","block_context":{"text":"5 Stars","link":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/category\/ratings\/5-stars\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Synecdoche, New York","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/10\/synecdoche-new-york-feature.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/10\/synecdoche-new-york-feature.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/10\/synecdoche-new-york-feature.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/10\/synecdoche-new-york-feature.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/10\/synecdoche-new-york-feature.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":709,"url":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/southland-tales\/","url_meta":{"origin":5264,"position":3},"title":"Sold out but not a soldier: Richard Kelly’s bizarre Southland Tales","author":"Chad Ossman","date":"March 19, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"I don't know if the roughly 140 minute version of Southland Tales that made it to DVD is a butchered or merely abbreviated version of a masterpiece, but what I just saw is an unholy mess. I'm one of director Richard Kelly's apologists for his divisive film Donnie Darko, which\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "1 Star"","block_context":{"text":"1 Star","link":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/category\/ratings\/1-star\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Southland Tales","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/03\/southland-tales-feature.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/03\/southland-tales-feature.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/03\/southland-tales-feature.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/03\/southland-tales-feature.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/03\/southland-tales-feature.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1949,"url":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/homicide\/","url_meta":{"origin":5264,"position":4},"title":"What Did I Ever Do to You? David Mamet’s Homicide","author":"Chad Ossman","date":"November 10, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Detective Bobby Gold (Joe Mantegna) comes to see himself as torn between two discrete worlds in David Mamet's Homicide (1991). Only when maneuvered into a position in which he must choose, the duality unravels and he finds he is no one special and belongs nowhere in particular. Gold's partner Sullivan\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "4 Stars"","block_context":{"text":"4 Stars","link":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/category\/ratings\/4-stars\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Joe Mantegna in Homicide","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/11\/homicide-joe-mantegna.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/11\/homicide-joe-mantegna.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/11\/homicide-joe-mantegna.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/11\/homicide-joe-mantegna.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/11\/homicide-joe-mantegna.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1655,"url":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/mindscape-of-alan-moore\/","url_meta":{"origin":5264,"position":5},"title":"Ideaspace Boils to Steam in DeZ Vylenz’s The Mindscape of Alan Moore","author":"Chad Ossman","date":"March 6, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"DeZ Vylenz's feature-length documentary about the life and work of writer Alan Moore was made in 2003 but not released until 2008. The delay might be easily explained as that of an independent production's typical struggle for funding, but it's hard not to guess the timing of this particular film's\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "3 Stars"","block_context":{"text":"3 Stars","link":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/category\/ratings\/3-stars\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Mindscape of Alan Moore","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/03\/mindscape-of-alan-moore-feature.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/03\/mindscape-of-alan-moore-feature.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/03\/mindscape-of-alan-moore-feature.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/03\/mindscape-of-alan-moore-feature.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/03\/mindscape-of-alan-moore-feature.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5264","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5264"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5264\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7525,"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5264\/revisions\/7525"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5496"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5264"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5264"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5264"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}