5. Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage has become one of the internet's finest jokes. Making acting into his own personal form of primal scream therapy, Cage's agonising expressions on screen are so meme-worthy, it exemplifies what the format was invented for. Insaning his way through both blockbusters and weirdo arthouse projects, Cage is, for all intents and purposes, a ridiculous actor. He may also be a deep-fried genius. There's simply no other actor quite like Cage and, outrageous as he often is, he can make even the most atrocious film watchable, merely for possessing the skill of being Nicolas Cage. Would the Wicker Man remake be a cult Bad Film were it not for the sight of Cage rampaging around an island like some escaped lunatic, beating up women and dressing up as a bear like it's completely acceptable? To put it in basic terms, the crazier Cage is, the more entertaining he is; if he's derided, it's because his acting style is all of his own mad creation (he calls this style '
Nouveau Shamanic'. I'm not even making that up). And if you're not a fan of madman Cage, there have also been a few performances from the man that have seen praise from 'serious' film lovers. His Best Actor Oscar for Leaving Las Vegas, for one, is entirely justified; rarely has alcoholism looked so raw, real and downright upsetting. It's also easy to forget Cage put in some great turns in Adaptation, Matchstick Men and Bad Lieutenant, buried as they have been under a career-load of mania and ludicrous wigs.