The Ecstatic Cult Of Nicolas Cage

Dan Piepenbring on what to make of Nicolas Cage in Harper's: "There’s something stalwart, commendable, even comforting about Cage’s presence, something that reaches past entertainment toward tangled questions of talent and excess. His acting is too much, not just in tenor but in sheer volume. Since 1986, he has appeared in at least one film a year and sometimes up to six, bringing his total to well over one hundred. This ubiquity, combined with his trademark intensity, can make him seem like a permanently erupting volcano. At this point, it would be more disturbing if he went dormant. His increased output has brought what’s often called a cult audience, a euphemism suggesting that his fans are mere ironists, feigning love for the objectively unlovable."