Adaptation

Nicolas Cage: We don't know whether it's sad that Nicolas Cage's greatest performance of the year was seen in a fake trailer directed by Rob Zombie in the middle of "Grindhouse," but given that Cage's role as Fu Manchu was witnessed in mere seconds, he's not looking so good. ... moreWe'll list his next two movies in 2007: "Ghost Rider," a boring, somewhat embarrassing adaption of an interesting comic-book antihero, and "Next," a Phillip K. Dick adaptation that was, well, next? But here's the bad part -- Cage wasn't even funny or quirky or, well, Nicolas Cage enough to at least make both of these parts fun to watch. If he's going to do mindless action, he needs to channel his hilarious turn in "Con Air" ("Put down the bunny"), and if he's going to weird out in a comic-book movie, he needs to rewatch his brilliantly cartoonish character in "Raising Arizona." Something. Anything. Because when Cage is working on all cylinders, he's freakishly sublime (see "Moonstruck," "Wild at Heart" "Adaptation." and more). But when he's not even delightfully freakish (see the misunderstood "The Wicker Man"), he's not the Nicolas Cage we know and love. Come back to the light, Nic! (Sony Pictures)