Growing up outside of Beverly Hills with his professor father, he lived modestly. Lund handcuffs the Janitor and leaves him to die as Evan takes Liv away. While the end result was a mixed success the movie met with mixed reviews, with many commenting that Nic Cage not talking was a disappointment. This is why I found the choice to make his character mute to be very surprising. Pam Grier reflects on her most iconic roles, from, Book an appointment to watch the first clip from horror-thriller, Kevin Bacon recommends the perfect Halloween horror movie, 'Our pitch was, it's going to be scary': The making of lockdown horror movie. He was the one who was like, "Hey, make this thing an alligator, make this thing a chameleon. Verified reviews are considered more trustworthy by fellow moviegoers. I'm very excited. With the way-out horror-comedy "Willy's Wonderland," Nicolas Cage continues his recent trend of lending his name and his gonzo acting to genre filmmakers willing to get a little weird. For most of this bizarre exploitation flick he is, despite appearing in virtually every scene, not doing anything at all. We wrapped right before the pandemic hit. It centers on the backstories of the animatronic characters. 1d ago . The custom pinball machine in the film was based on the 1982 Gottlieb table Devil's Dare. There's nothing here but the novelty, but here's why it works. Like, how do you tell the same joke twice? Mystery & thriller. It was just all happening at once., Nicolas Cage (Nick Cage, left), Lily Sheen (Addy, center) and Sharon Horgan (Olivia, right) lay together in the living room as they watch a movie in THE UNBEARABLE WEIGHT OF MASSIVE TALENT. The mundane tasks suddenly become an all-out fight for survival against wave after wave of demonic animatronics. "I was very close to not making it," said the director. As the sun rises, the Janitor and Liv drive out of the town, running into and killing a wandering Tito along the way. How an unknown actor and a luckless director teamed with Nicolas Cage to create 2021's first cult movie. Parsons: That is a giant boulder that falls upon me to figure out. Instead, it was released through video on demand, with a simultaneous limited theatrical release in the United States, on February 12, 2021 by Screen Media Films. Photo Credit: Katalin Vermes/Lionsgate. Foresight Unlimited has announced key international territory sales for the Nicolas Cage-led thriller Willy's Wonderland (working title), including U.K., Canada, Australia, Italy, Germany and . The wanderer travels from town to town getting into trouble and solving the local's problems before riding off into the sunset again. Other roles included "Willy's Wonderland," a film where Cage hunts down animatronic monsters without saying a single word in the film. Meanwhile, a group of teenagers led by Liv (Emily Tosta) tries to end the animatronic reign of terror once and for all. ", Despite his financial ruin, Cage doesn't regret all of his purchases. The most emotive Cage gets in the entire picture is during his great triumph at the cabinet. In 1995, Cage won the Academy Award for Best Actor in the film Leaving Las Vegas. It opens with a very drab look and Nicolas Cage is revealed as the stoic cool guy (which is done incredibly over the top). 4 min read. Tap "Sign me up" below to receive our weekly newsletter We wont be able to verify your ticket today, but its great to know for the future. By continuing, you agree to the Privacy Policy and It's no surprise that Nicolas Cage has fully leant into the Cage Rage meme over recent years, whether it's tackling demon bikers in . Nicolas Cage stars in "Willy's Wonderland," a horror movie that takes place in an abandoned amusement fun house. Willy's Wonderland is a straight-up B-Movie and uses a heavy grindhouse feel to tell its story. Take that statement however you like, but if you know, you know. Kevin and I come from similar backgrounds where we both felt like we hadn't been given our due yet. MODOK Is Great! Willy's Wonderland was scheduled for worldwide theatrical release on October 30, 2020, but was removed from the calendar due to the COVID-19 pandemic causing the closure of theaters across the globe. Sign up forEntertainment Weekly's free newsletterto get the latest trailers, celebrity interviews, film reviews, and more. Parsons: The reaction is over the moon. Alongside the rights to use a bit of Freebird in the closing scene, his fee was, surely, the only significant expense in the budget. But this wonderland has a dark secret that the "The Janitor" is about to discover. Cage plays the Janitor, a protagonist who doesn't utter a word at all duringits entire run time which is actually perfect for the slasher film. We have an 81 percent audience review on Rotten Tomatoes. Figures will therefore fluctuate each week, and totals for individual titles can go up or down as we update our estimates. this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. The release of the film follows a traumatic period for Lewis who was recently diagnosed with COVID. Cleaning it up would entail telling my soon-to-be 16-year-old son that he is now the man of the house, saying to . Photo Credit: Katalin Vermes/Lionsgate, RELATED: Nicolas Cage To Play Dracula In Comedic Adaptation Renfield From Universal Pictures. The LaLaurie House is claimed to be one of the most haunted houses in America because the original owner of the home was a serial killer in the 1800s. All Rights Reserved. Neither is it an accident when he's towed to a garage run by a yokel (Chris Warner) who tells him the bill is going to be $1,000, and that he only takes cash, and that none of the ATMs in. There are a sew of highly annoying teenagers that stumble in so there are more victims to be terrorized. Willy's Wonderland isn't quite as much fun as its premise would suggest -- but it's still got Nicolas Cage beating the hell out of bloodthirsty animatronics, which is nice. We only had one puppet and that was Ozzy Ozzy the ostrich. Donald Clarke, a contributor to The Irish Times, is Chief Film Correspondent and a regular columnist, Sign up to the Irish Times books newsletter for features, podcasts and more, Nicolas Cage, Emily Tosta, Ric Reitz, Chris Warner, Kai Kadlec, Christian Delgrosso. Once they go in a certain direction, youve got to get a million tugboats to try to swivel it back around.. People watching it three, four, five times. Outside the restaurant, Liv's friends climb to the roof, which collapses, causing them to fall into the building. After the town hires a crew of builders to demolish the restaurant, Willy and the others leave the restaurant and proceed to kill the foreman and the rest of the builders before slaughtering several townspeople and massacring a basketball game. Thats why in 2009, Cage ran into problems with the IRS who said he owed $6.3 million in back taxes. In Willy's Wonderland it would appear that Nicolas Cage is even more dangerous than the creatures that are stalking him, and that he might be the real concern. Anyway, we let the cameras roll and he did all that himself, man. There are a lot of different scenarios in which a quiet loner is seen to be someone that . At one point, Cage owned 15 residences across the world, including homes in California and Las Vegas and a deserted island in the Bahamas. Audiences speak, and they've spoken, and they dig it, and it's awesome.". Louder, quieter, quietest: That's the volume range on Nicolas Cage's 2021, though he doesn't turn the dial in that order. Throughout the expedition, Cage loaded up on real estate, including two European castles, which he purchased for $10 million and $2.3 million, respectively, and a $15.7 million countryside estate in Newport, Rhode Island. Since 2006, Nicolas Cage has appeared in an average of four movies per year. By opting to have your ticket verified for this movie, you are allowing us to check the email address associated with your Rotten Tomatoes account against an email address associated with a Fandango ticket purchase for the same movie. When his vehicle breaks down outside of Hayesville, Nevada, a quiet drifter is picked up by the town's mechanic Jed Love, who takes him to Willy's Wonderland, a once-successful abandoned family entertainment center. Cage went through a period where all I he was "doing was meditating three times a day and reading books on philosophy" and found himself seeking out the places he had studied and read about. Jerry Robert Willis is an American serial killer who preys on families who hire him as a professional photographer out of some sadistic pleasure. He also bought a lot of cars. The site's critical consensus reads: "Willy's Wonderland isn't quite as much fun as its premise would suggest -- but it's still got Nicolas Cage beating the hell out of bloodthirsty animatronics, which is nice. A quiet drifter is tricked into a janitorial job at the now condemned Willy's Wonderland. There's probably just going to be me doing this, so I'll keep it in one location, and then, if I'm running the camera and doing all this other stuff, I probably shouldn't give myself a lot of lines. He soon finds himself trapped inside Willy's and locked in an epic battle with the possessed animatronic mascots that roam the halls. A new bad guy? Full financial estimates for this film, including domestic and international box office, video sales, video rentals, TV and ancillary revenue As his resurgence continues, the Nicolas Cage cult classic Willy's Wonderland has gotten a promising sequel update from writer G.O. What's going on?'". Cage's ideals are admirable. If somebody is nice enough to say nice words, or talk about the movie, then I put them officially on staff, because you want to be the Janitor and you want to be part of the experience. The mundane tasks suddenly become an all-out fight for survival against wave after wave of demonic animatronics. Coming Soon. I'm old school, so I'm about Siskel and Ebert. Cage insists that despite the roles he took, he never phoned in a performance on screen. This is unbelievable, this would never happen. Genre: Horror Starring: Nicolas Cage, Emily Tosta, Ric Reitz, Chris Warner, Kai Kadlec, Christian Delgrosso Running Time: 1 hr 22 mins Nic Cage's journey through the Universe of Atrocious. "The good investments came from personal interest and my honest enjoyment of the history.". Still, it was a bold creative choice nonetheless. I enjoy making movies like Pig and Leaving Las Vegas more than I enjoy making movies like National Treasure, he said. "Those nurses and doctors are the real heroes. Our DVD and Blu-ray sales estimates are based on weekly retail surveys, which we use to build a weekly market share estimate for each title we are tracking. Thus, Cage started selling off all of his properties to pay off his debts. It follows a quiet drifter who is tricked into cleaning up an abandoned family entertainment center as he is stalked by eight murderous animatronic characters possessed by the souls of a cannibalistic killer and his seven psychotic acolytes. The mundane tasks suddenly become an all-out fight for survival against wave after wave of demonic a A quiet drifter is tricked into a janitorial job at the now condemned Willy's Wonderland. I'm doing a lot better. That's what I wanted, man, especially with what's going on in the world and the pandemic. What is an octopus, $80? Part of Polygon's Best of 2021. As I said, if you go into this film looking for anything else other than Nicolas Cage fighting robots, you're going to be let down. During the party, Willy and the rest of the mascots attack and kill the attending guests and staff forcing an evacuation. However, Willy's Wonderland could have used more drafts and variety to really tap into the sheer gonzo potential of its ridiculous pitch. Entertainment Weekly is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation All Rights Reserved. Nic was a great partner. causing the closure of theaters across the globe, "Movie Review Willy's Wonderland (2021)", "Watch Nicolas Cage battle giant animatronic animals in 'Willy's Wonderland' teaser", "Nicolas Cage To Star In Genre Thriller 'Wally's Wonderland', "WILLY'S WONDERLAND Interview: Director Kevin Lewis On Casting Nicolas Cage, Possible Sequel, & More", "Everything We Know So Far About Willy's Wonderland", "Nicolas Cage to Star in Twisted Theme Park Thriller 'Wally's', "The Making of Willy's Wonderland Pinball", "New Shot of Nicolas Cage in 'Wally's Wonderland', "Where Was Willy's Wonderland Filmed? Soon after, Willis is convicted of the killings and Sara is also detained. Some of those properties ended up in foreclosure though, including the famous New Orleans LaLaurie House that he had bought in 2007. Nicolas Cage's Willy's Wonderland character the Janitor doesn't say anything throughout the movie, but his actions speak louder than words. You could do a Mad Max vibe where he's in the car driving, maybe he's got some homemade weapons. It was a life-changing experience for sure. We would go back and forth with G.O. The houses and cars werent the only things Nicolas Cage bought, there was some weird stuff too. My disappointment is that what you get with any ten-minute segment of the movie is generally the same thing you'll get with any other portion. What else do you need? He starred in 2018's Mandy and 2020's Color Out of Space. I think his wacky ideas could lead to something great one day. It's the kind of film that's trying to do one thing and one thing alone; Entertain people. It caught Cage's attention, who agreed to participate as both an actor and a producer. That was one of the draws for sure. Compare this performance with other movies. While the Janitor cleans the kitchen, Liv explains that Willy's Wonderland was originally owned by Jerry Robert Willis, a notorious serial killer. Sprayberry Crossing - 2692 Sandy Plains Road, Marietta, Georgia, USA. The third comic was released on March 30, 2022, showing the origins of Tito Turtle, Ozzie Ostrich and Knighty Knight. We want to hear what you have to say but need to verify your account. Some of them were terrific, like Mandy, but some of them didnt work. [6] Kevin Lewis was hired as director while the cast, including Emily Tosta, Beth Grant and Ric Reitz, joined in February 2020.[10]. The sheriff and then Deputy Lund force the restaurant to be closed and torn down, but Jed states that it will only aggravate Willy and the others. But this wonderland has a dark secret that this "Janitor" is about to discover. and on VOD. [29] In February 2021, it was announced that a sequel was being actively discussed.[30]. Parsons: Kevin is one of the hardest-working people I've ever met in my life. It's an interesting choice for Cage tobe mute inWilly's Wonderland, and writerG.O. Ive got all these creditors and the IRS and Im spending $20,000 a month trying to keep my mother out of a mental institution, and I cant, Cage said about his debts. He was only starring in about two films a year from 1996 to 2006, but almost all of those movies were smash hits at the box office. The story also shows the re-opening of Willy's Wonderland after the deaths of Jerry and his colleagues by Tex and Jed despite protests from the public and the Sheriff. "[22] IGN's Matt Fowler rated the film six out of ten, writing that "There's not enough here to score high marks, but there's cartoonish carnage aplenty and that warrants a passing grade. Somewhat inspired by the video game Five Nights at Freddy's, Willy's Wonderland sees Cage's character tasked with cleaning the abandoned, titular . He soon finds himself trapped inside Willy's and locked in an epic battle with the possessed animatronic mascots that roam the halls. It was crazy. Parsons: Nic added that dance at the end. Cage may not talk, but his blas behavior is so bizarre audiences can't help but be sucked in. In 2014, Cage owed the IRS $6.3 million in property taxes and upwards of $14 million overall to his creditors. It was all hands on deck, everybody go-go-go during the holidays find the sets, find the crew, build the animatronics, storyboard the entire movie, and get everything ready to go before February 1. That was driving me.". It was funny because I said, "I only have time to do probably two-to-three takes, Nic." Everything was on the shot list. Sure, the film could have been better, but it didn't exactly need to be: this was thoroughly entertaining" and gave to it a rating of 3.5 on 5. Enraged, Lund tries to lure Willy to kill the Janitor, only for Willy to tear her in half. The town of Hayesville, Nevada is small, isolated, and run-down. On top of the housing, his ex-financial manager, Samuel Levin, said that Cage owned 22 cars. Nicolas Cage doesn't speakinWilly's Wonderland. See the Box Office tab (Domestic) and International tab (International and Worldwide) for more Cumulative Box Office Records. Youre not going to get bonded. Compare this performance with other movies. Can we really blame Cage for lending his efforts to the project? When I was doing four movies a year, back to back to back, I still had to find something in them to be able to give it my all, Cage said. So if there was a misconception, it was that. The image is an example of a ticket confirmation email that AMC sent you when you purchased your ticket. Don't miss: The Ben & Jerry's founders knew nothing about making ice creamso they took a $5 class. She was the person who stuck her neck out for me, for all of us, and knocked on Nicolas Cage's door, and was able to pitch his manager, Mike Nilon. Judging by the online reaction to the new action-horror movie Willy's Wonderland since the film was released on VOD over the weekend, the answer is a definite "Yes! We wrapped, and then I came home, and within two weeks we were in lockdown. Nate's Grade: C+. Early on when Nic Cage first enters the kitchen and starts cleaning, he has a piece of tape on his cheek. It's not one of those films where you show up and it's like, "What are we feeling today guys?" After his abusive mother strangled him so hard his vocal cords stopped working, he became a serial killer who preyed on women attending university. [6] Prior to its release, the film received a small cult following due to sharing its premise with the Five Nights at Freddy's franchise.[6]. Its scenarios feel a little rote, but are enlivened by the craziness that Cage brings to everything". He used to be a very solid dramatic actor, but the craziness of his performances has been there since the beginning as well. Cage talked about just how bad of a hole he was in financially and what it took for him to come out. A quiet loner finds himself stranded in a remote town when his car breaks down. 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