GET READY FOR…FACE OFF! Nic Cage Vs. John Travolta A NEW EMH FEATURE!

Ranted: June 25, 09 * Comments(11) - By EMH

I love debating stuff. If you haven’t picked up on that already, please check out Mount Rushmore or Overrated, Underrated, or Neither. So my new feature is going to be called FACE OFF! This is where I give you two things and analyze which one is better. Your job is to read and respond. Tell me what factors I have ignored. Let me know whether or not you agree with my assessment. Just be warned, just because someone wins the little battles does not mean they will win the war. These items just give me a good starting point. Bear with me. This is lengthy. If it’s too lengthy, just tell me. I will try to keep future Face Offs shorter.

I thought it would be fitting for the first ever FACE OFF to use the two actors who starred in the 1997 movie Face/Off, John Travolta and Nicolas Cage.

In this corner, John Travolta – Age 55

travolta-1

In the other corner, Nicolas Cage – Age 45


nic-cage-1


Let’s get it on…

Best early work:

Travolta: Grease, Welcome Back Kotter

Cage: Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Valley Girl, Peggy Sue Got Married

Advantage: Travolta

Most powerful character portrayed:

Travolta: The Archangel Michael (Michael)
Cage: FBI chemical weapons expert, Dr. Stanley Goodspeed (The Rock)

Advantage: Travolta

2 Best Performances as a villain:

Travolta: Major Vic Deakins (Broken Arrow); Castor Troy, Face/Off – I know he was a bad guy in Pulp Fiction, but I don’t think he was a true villain.

Cage: H.I. McDunnough, Raising Arizona (I know, you don’t think him a villain. But hey, he kidnapped a baby); Castor Troy, Face/Off

Advantage: Travolta

Best voiceover work in an animated movie:

Travolta: Bolt (Bolt)

Cage: Jacob Marley (Christmas Carol: The Movie)

Advantage: Travolta

Best film work with Samuel L. Jackson:

Travolta: Pulp Fiction, Basic

Cage: Amos & Andrew

Advantage: Travolta

3 biggest movie sins (advantage goes to least sinful):
Travolta: Battlefield Earth, Look Who’s Talking Too, Look Who’s Talking Now

Cage: 8MM, Bringing Out the Dead

Advantage: Cage

Most prestigious awards/nominations:

Travolta: 2 Academy Award nominations; 6 Golden Globe nominations (1 win)

Cage: 2 Academy Award nominations (1 win); 4 Golden Globe nominations (1 win)

Advantage: Cage

Unforgivably bad movie:

Travolta: Battlefield Earth

Cage: 8MM

Advantage: Believe it or not, I am going with Travolta. 8MM was disturbing and horrific.

Most risky role that paid off:

Travolta: Edna Turnblad (Hairspray), a woman for cryin’ out loud.

Cage: None! I don’t think he’s ever taken a truly risky role, and certainly not one that paid off.

edna-turnblad-travolta


Advantage: Travolta

3 Incredible performances (or the closest thing to incredible):

Travolta: Sean Archer/Castor Troy (Face/Off); Chili Palmer (Get Shorty); Vincent Vega (Pulp Fiction)

Cage: Sean Archer/Castor Troy (Face/Off); Charlie Kaufman/Donald Kaufman (Adaptation), H.I. McDunnough (Raising Arizona)

Advantage: Travolta

3 Funniest Performances:

Travolta: Chili Palmer, Vincent Vega (darn right I said it was funny), Bolt

Cage: Jack Singer (Honeymoon in Vegas), Bill Firpo (Trapped in Paradise); H.I. McDunnough (Raising Arizona)

Advantage: Cage (he’s just funnier)

cage-2-raising-az


3 Best totally cool guy characters:

Travolta: Vincent Vega, Chili Palmer, Danny Zuko

Cage: Memphis Raines (Gone in 60 Seconds), Cameron Poe (Con-Air), Castor Troy (Face/Off)

danny-zuko

Advantage Travolta


vincent-vega


3 most underappreciated movies that deserve better:

Travolta: Basic, The General’s Daughter, Be Cool

Cage: Gone in 60 Seconds, Honeymoon in Vegas, Trapped in Paradise

Advantage: Travolta

Hotter Wife: Travolta: Kelly Preston

kelly-preston

Cage: Alice Kim Cage


73277939BB039_ghost


Advantage: Travolta

What I love about writing these features is that I do not have an answer to whatever question I ask until I write the story. I think it’s one of the reasons for the topics I choose. I thought this would be closer than it was. I love Nic Cage, but the first ever winner of our new game is…

winner-travolta

JOHN TRAVOLTA

Okay, you know what comes next. Am I right? Am I wrong? Perhaps you agree with my final assessment but not some of the smaller ones. Maybe you think there are some battles I could have created that I didn’t. Tell me your thoughts. Who do you think should win this showdown?
Later,
EMH

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11 Rant-Backs so far

  1. Vulcan2422 on June 25th, 09

    Now are you going to include new movies they are in? Cause Cage is doing Kick Ass AND Astro Boy.

  2. Mr. Black on June 25th, 09

    I have to disagree on one certain point…Alice Kim Cage is hotter than Kelly Preston

  3. nobby on June 25th, 09

    Just because I like butting heads with you – I'll respond, LOL.

    Best early work:
    Travolta: Grease, Welcome Back Kotter – I’m surprised you didn’t include Saturday Night Fever.
    Cage: Rumble Fish, Birdy, Raising Arizona
    Advantage: Cage

    Most powerful character portrayed:
    Travolta: The Archangel Michael (Michael)
    Cage: Johnny Blaze (Ghost Rider)
    Advantage: Travolta

    2 Best Performances as a villain:
    Travolta: Major Vic Deakins (Broken Arrow); Castor Troy, Face/Off – I know he was a bad guy in Pulp Fiction, but I don’t think he was a true villain.
    Cage: Fu Manchu (in the Grindhouse trailer)); Castor Troy, Face/Off
    Advantage: Cage (he overacted Travolta off the screen in FaceOff)

    Best voiceover work in an animated movie:
    Travolta: Bolt (Bolt)
    Cage: Jacob Marley (Christmas Carol: The Movie)
    Advantage: Travolta – can’t argue with this, unless you count Astroboy, in which case Cage wins by default.

  4. nobby on June 25th, 09

    Best film work with Samuel L. Jackson:
    Travolta: Pulp Fiction, Basic
    Cage: Amos & Andrew
    Advantage: Travolta Can’t argue with this either.

    3 biggest movie sins (advantage goes to least sinful):
    Travolta: Battlefield Earth, Look Who’s Talking Too, Look Who’s Talking Now (can we include about a dozen more?)
    Cage: The Wicker Man, Bangkok Dangerous
    Advantage: Cage

    Most prestigious awards/nominations:
    Travolta: 2 Academy Award nominations; 6 Golden Globe nominations (1 win)
    Cage: 2 Academy Award nominations (1 win); 4 Golden Globe nominations (1 win)
    Advantage: Cage – Yep.

  5. nobby on June 25th, 09

    Unforgivably bad movie:
    Travolta: Battlefield Earth
    Cage: Captain Corelli’s Mandolin
    Advantage: Seeing as 8MM was meant to be disturbing and horrific, I’m sticking with Cage, as Battlefield Earth is just one of the stickier turds in Travolta’s cesspit of work.

    Most risky role that paid off:
    Travolta: Edna Turnblad (Hairspray), a woman for cryin’ out loud.
    Cage: The bizarre voice in Peggy Sue Got Married, the cockroach munching in Vampire’s Kiss, the overt sexuality and violence of Wild at Heart? Cage takes far riskier roles, and comes up with the goods every time – Travolta’s drag turn was a gimmick, and one that continuously pulled viewers out of the film.
    Advantage: Cage

    3 Incredible performances (or the closest thing to incredible):
    Travolta: Sean Archer/Castor Troy (Face/Off); Chili Palmer (Get Shorty); Vincent Vega (Pulp Fiction)
    Cage: Michael Williams (Red Rock West); Charlie Kaufman/Donald Kaufman (Adaptation), Ben Sanderson (Leaving Las Vegas) (the academy thought it was incredible…)
    Advantage: Cage

  6. nobby on June 25th, 09

    3 Funniest Performances:
    Travolta: Chili Palmer, Vincent Vega (darn right I said it was funny), Bolt
    Cage: Jack Singer (Honeymoon in Vegas), Bill Firpo (Trapped in Paradise); H.I. McDunnough (Raising Arizona)
    Advantage: Cage (he’s just funnier) Can’t argue here.

    3 Best totally cool guy characters:
    Travolta: Vincent Vega, Chili Palmer, Danny Zuko
    Cage: Memphis Raines (Gone in 60 Seconds), Cameron Poe (Con-Air), Castor Troy (Face/Off)
    Advantage Travolta Can’t argue here either.

    3 most underappreciated movies that deserve better:
    Travolta: Basic, The General’s Daughter, Be Cool (seriously?)
    Cage: Red Rock West, Wild at Heart, Matchstick Men
    Advantage: Cage

  7. nobby on June 25th, 09

    Hotter Wife:
    Travolta: Kelly Preston
    Cage: Alice Kim Cage
    Advantage: Cage – ha! This just comes down to personal preference :)

    The winner – NIC CAGE

    Sure, Travolta deserves his place in the spotlight due to his impact on popular culture in the 70’s (and again during his Pulp Fiction rebirth), but to me he’s a one-note pony. He’s done nothing else that excites me when I watch it. He’s vanilla.
    Whereas Nic, who has made some crappy choices of his own, has never bored me (except in Captain Corelli’s Mandolin). He’s exciting, unpredictable and pokes more fun at himself. And his wife is hotter.

    There you go – does this satisfy your bloodlust, EMH?

  8. Nick on June 25th, 09

    Next shoulod be Brad Pitt VS. Edward Nortin

  9. mediamenace on June 25th, 09

    Wow, that is a long list of categories. I have to say that 2 of the 3 times I caught a lot of grief for picking the movie to see were for Broken Arrow and Battlefield Earth (The third was Cabin Boy – what was I thinking?). However, I have always said that Nicolas Cage only ever plays one character…Nicolas Cage. He falls in the Jeff Goldblum group for is acting range. You did leave out one crucial category….Best Dancer! C'mon, Travolta hands-down!

    I have enjoyed several of Cage's movies, but overall, you guessed it, Travolta.

  10. Ron on July 6th, 09

    I agree,I don't think Kelly Preston is very good looking at all.
    ADV.-N.Cage

  11. Josh on October 7th, 09

    Face/Off – both are equally as good, but Nic Cages series of random and pointless flips throughout the film give him the edge for me