What Do The Critics Say?

"The premise is wildly preposterous, yet Nicolas Cage makes "Next" fun to watch. Based on Philip K Dick's short story 'The Golden Man', the set up is especially intriguing as we meet Cris Johnson (Cage) performing his two-bit magic act in Las Vegas. Director Lee Tamahori handles the action skilfully, and we watch in fascination as Cage dodges bullets, falling l ogs and flying cars - he can see them coming. I enjoyed the absurdness of it all, and Cage, always intense and enigmatic, is engaging." Louise Keller URBAN CINEFILE "Next boasts a fresh plot with a tricky twist ending that can be misconstrued if you don't pay close attention and then pause to think about it." Diana Saenger REVIEWEXPRESS.COM "Cage is at his worried and wild eyed best here as an artful dodger of fate, leaning on his 'advanced awareness' instincts." Prairie Miller LONG ISLAND PRESS "Next is a slickly produced supernatural thriller that uses solid camera work, by David Tattersall, and nifty special effects to have fun with Cris’s ability to see into the future. This is where the film is most clever and satisfying." Robin Clifford REELINGREVIEWS "Thoroughly ridiculous yet basically entertaining, Next casts Nicolas Cage as Cris Johnson - a second-rate Vegas magician whose ability to see into his own future. As an exercise in high camp, Next surely succeeds; it's an agreeable enough time-killer that completely falls apart in hindsight, yet, for a movie of this sort, one could certainly do a whole lot worse." David Nusair REEL FILM REVIEWS

"There's nothing about the film that screams "bone crushing adrenaline rush!" "Next" is far more intimate than that. It's almost a psychological thrill ride, putting the audience into Cris's head as he sorts through all the possible conclusions to his actions. I like the reserve Tamahori shows here. It's not a competent piece of directing, but it's a serviceable one that, for better or worse, always has its eye on a perky pace and the occasional bubble-gum snap of amusement." Brian Orndorf OHMYNEWS.COM "a popcorn movie, and it's a lot of fun if you just go along for the ride." Daniel M Kimmel WORCESTER TELGRAM & GAZETTE "Not overly ambitious, Next nonetheless keeps you thinking, guessing and entertained." Arthur Salm SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE "Primarily just a fun, mind-bending story, not too brainy but not too stupid, either." Eric D Snider ERICDSNIDER.COM "Cage is actually good in this role and he and Jessica Biel have the type of chemistry that make the romance worth rooting for." Laura Clifford REELINGREVIEWS "Nicolas Cage, the very definition of the "uneven" Hollywood career, makes his latest venture into popcorn pictures pay off with a droll, tongue-in-cheek turn as a guy who can see two minutes into the future. Cage, when he isn't just a special effect (as in the godawful hit Ghost Rider), has screen presence to burn. Who says preposterous junk can't be fun?" Roger Moore ORLANDO SENTINEL

The Inside Story In today’s sometimes justifiably paranoid world, where once sacrosanct edifices have been destroyed by terrorists, it’s not too much of a stretch to imagine that out there, others are plotting yet another similarly unspeakable act. To avert this frightening possibility, it would be most valuable if we could see into the future, and that’s exactly the premise that attracted screenwriter Gary Goldman to Philip K. Dick’s short story, The Golden Man, a sci-fi tale which he decided to update and reset in the present day. "What I liked most about the story was that the protagonist Cris Johnson is a 'pre-cog'. Yes, he can see two minutes into his own future, which gives him a vast amount of power, but that gift also has its limitations," says Goldman. The idea of turning "Next" into a motion picture stemmed from the release of the hit Steven Spielberg film "Minority Report in 2002, which was also adapted from a work by Dick and on which Goldman was both screenwriter and executive producer. "I was approached by Jason Koornick, who created and ran the official Philip K. Dick website, who said he wanted to interview me," Goldman explained. Koornick told Goldman that he had negotiated a compensation package with the Philip K Dick estate in return for running the website. It included an option on one of the author’s short stories of his choosing. The two men decided to form a partnership since Goldman already knew how expensive and difficult it is to secure an option a Dick story, and Koornick was well aware of the challenges of adapting and producing one. Together they set their sights on Dick’s story "The Golden Man". Goldman decided to set the story in the present. Koornick refers to this as genre speculative fiction because, he explains, "science fiction takes place in the future, with future technology and aliens. "Next" is set in the real world that we all recognize. It obeys all the laws of physics except in the case of the central character killed. The idea of being able to live life as if you were playing a video game, I think, is very appealing, and that’s basically what Cris is able to do. With his gift, he is able to live his life up to the point where he’s harmed or killed. And then he’s able to snap back and play it again and again, each time going a little further until he gets it right." The films central character is Cris Johnson, who, after years of mental torture because people considered him a 'freak' now goes by the name Frank Cadillac. "Instead of just being a clairvoyant who can glimpse something far into the future, Cris has a kind of future radar. He can see with absolute precision a short distance into his own (and only his own) future. I was very excited about the possibility of putting this on screen," Goldman said. Goldman and Koornick brought the idea to producer Norman Golightly ("The Life of David Gale" & "Lord of War"), head of production for Nicolas Cage's Saturn Films. "It was instantly something we wanted to do," says Golightly. "We asked Gary if he would write the script and then come back to us, which he did. And Nic reacted to it about as strongly as I’ve ever seen him react to any first draft." Cage says he was attracted to the story for several reasons. "I admire Philip K Dick; he’s edgy and uncompromising, and his unique voice in writing translates successfully to films." In fact "Next" seemed like a new frontier for Cage. "I was interested in a man who appears to be average and normal, but who was born with a gift of being able to see two minutes into his own future. I’d never played a character like that before. This also was a different genre for me because it’s not science fiction. It’s paranormal. So there are no electronic gizmos or futuristic backdrops. And Cris's 'precogging' and the unique way he thinks is a marvelous playing field for an actor." And what was his reaction to the script? "I read it and thought it was a very original and heartfelt adventure film. I had never seen anything like it. So I thought, let’s go get this made." Cage and Golightly brought the script to Revolution Studios’ production executive/producer Todd Garner, who took to the project for several reasons. "I liked the fact that at its heart, "Next" is a beautiful love story." Garner, who worked with Cage him on such films as "Con Air" (1997) and "Gone in 60 Seconds" (2000) notes, “Nic is not only a great action hero, he is an unbelievably sympathetic actor. His acting doesn’t require dialog, which is what makes him so exceptional. You can read a sentiment on his face. He can convey so much without saying a word." Four time Academy Award nominee Julianne Moore was cast as Agent Callie Ferris. "Here I’m finally playing the antagonist. It’s fun because I don’t have to worry about being sympathetic. Ferris is working at cross-purposes with Cris. She tries to make him realize that he should cooperate with the government to help quash the terrorist threat of a nuclear bomb going off somewhere in Los Angeles; that the needs of many are more important than the needs of the one, himself." "Julianne is someone I’ve always admired because she’s always doing something different," says Cage. Jessica Biel was chosen to play the love of Chris's life, teacher Liz Cooper. "Acting in a film with such exceptional talent and experience as director Lee Tamahori, and actors like Nic Cage and Julianne Moore was amazing to me," says Biel. "Lee brought a very relaxed tone to the set." Working with Moore and Cage had it's benefits for the 2005 ShoWest Female Star of Tomorrow Award winner. "Julianne has made such smart and diverse choices in her career. I was just so eager to watch her and figure out how she acts so brilliantly and effortlessly. And Nic is so thorough about his performances and who his characters are and how they behave that it spurred me on to kick up my performance. He made me go a little bit deeper, to try and find other layers in my character. He set a high bar that I wanted to meet," says Biel. "It was nice to be a regular girl," says Biel. "I didn’t have to work out or learn any special skills to play her. I play a dedicated school teacher leading a simple life, and then 'bam', I’m running from the Feds, and falling for this guy who is telling me that he can see the future, and being thrown into terrifying situations." Cages character was originally written as a magician. It was Cage's idea that Cris be a magician. "I thought it would make him more believable. Because if a man was born with these precognitive powers, he would stand the chance of being ostracized, considered a freak or an alien. And he would probably scare people. So he’d want to hide that fact and the best way to do it is to hide in plain sight; to mask it within the guise of being a magician." Cage it seems, has a real interest in magic. "I’ve always been interested in magic. So I got a great magic team on the set with me. Magician Sir James Brown taught me some magic and made sure it went smoothly. It was a child’s dream come true for me," he said. Cage also suggested casting his wife in the film. Alice Cage plays a woman whom Frank Cadillac calls up to the stage during his Las Vegas show. "It was Alice’s first time acting," says Cage. "She’s not interested in being an actress. But I thought it would be fun for us to have that moment together. And it was." The Morongo Casino in Cabazon, California, doubled for the generic Las Vegas casino where Cris gambles in the film. "Morongo was great to us," says producer Todd Garner ("The One" & "Suddenly 30"). "They gave us a lot more freedom and access there, than if we had shot in Las Vegas." After two weeks of shooting there, the company moved to Big Bear and Lake Arrowhead for the exterior of the film’s 'Cliffhanger Motel', as well as its outdoor mountain sequences. "we needed a cliffside motel with a steep slope behind it because an avalanche of sorts was going to take place there. We found a great place called 'The Cliffhanger Restaurant' that our production designer, Bill Sandell, transformed into a motel," says veteran producer Arne L Schmidt ("RoboCop" & "Big Fish"). After three weeks of filming in the California mountains, the production proceeded to Long Beach at the Port of Los Angeles for the film’s biggest sequence which contains terrorists, S.W.A.T teams, FBI agents, helicopters, gunfire and explosions aboard an enormous cargo ship. Schmidt assembled a top-notch technical team for this Herculean task. "In order to make a film like this, you must have people who are really capable and experienced," he notes. "Then it’s a question of organizing and breaking down scenes into what we can manage each day and making it look as realistic as possible." Renowned supervising stunt coordinator and third generation stunt man R A Rondell ("Die Hard", "Jurassic Park" & "Superman Returns") choreographed the scenes with director Tamahori, using more than thirty five stuntmen, background fighters, special effects people and helicopters for the attack of the cargo ship holding the explosives. Schmidt also brought in former Special Forces member Jared Chandler as the films military technical advisor. Synopsis

Cris Johnson, a Las Vegas magician with a secret gift that is both a blessing and a curse: He has the uncanny ability to tell you what will happen next. He can see a two minutes into the future, an extrasensory talent that comes in handy for his job as a magician and mentalist in a seedy Vegas club where he performs nightly. It also has its uses at the blackjack tables when Cris needs some extra cash. But his talent is no mere parlor trick, and his dexterity with the portals of time has not gone totally unnoticed. Vegas security guards are watching through their all-seeing casino floor cameras, eager to decipher his knack for consistently beating the odds. And FBI counter-terror agent Callie Ferris is eager to tap his brain to help thwart a terrorist group’s planned attack on the U.S of A with a weapon of mass destruction. Cris Johnson could be key in averting a nuclear holocaust.

The Verdict "One of those films where all you have to do is go along with the ride and enjoy it. It's a clever story filled with excellent SFX and CGI work. The audience I sat in with appeared to be having as good a time as I did, but I suspect that the film will have it's detractors. Critics in the U.S.A came down pretty hard on this film, and why wouldn't they? When M Night Shyamalan released his hit film "The Sixth Sense", critics heaped praise upon him. But when Shyamalan came up with sequels which continued taht theme of featuring clever, terribly well disguised twist, gob-smacked started taking a big stick to him. With the release of "Next", it appears as though many of them still have egg on their faces and haven't managed to move on yet. At just 86 minutes "Next" doesn't wear out it's welcome. The film is well paced and in the main exciting. If you keep your focus you may just pick the 'cheater' ending. Recommended. 3 1/2 STARS." Cast & Crew Bytes "NEXT" stars .......
Academy Award winner Nicolas Cage ["Leaving Las Vegas", "Captain Corelli's Mandolin", "Windtalkers", "National Treasure" and "Ghost Rider"]; 1998 Young Artist Award winner Jessica Biel ["Cellular", "Stealth", "The Illusionist" and "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry"]; 2003 Independent Spirit Award & Berlin International Film Festival Silver Bear winner Julianne Moore ["Far from Heaven", "The Hours", "Trust The Man" and "Children of Men"]; Jason Butler Harner ["The 3 Little Wolfs", "Garmento" and "The Good Shepherd"]; Thomas Kretschmann ["Karate Dog", "Head in the Clouds", "The Celestine Prophecy" and "Rohtenburg"] and 2004 David di Donatello Award winner & five time EMMY winner Peter Falk ["The Brink's Job", "The Princess Bride", "Made" and TV'S "Columbo"] as Irv.
"NEXT" was .......
directed by Lee Tamahori ["Once Were Warriors", "Along Came A Spider" and "Die Another Day"]; screen story by Gary Goldman ["Big Trouble in Little China", "Total Recall" and "Navy Seals"]; from a short story by Phillip K Dick ["Blade Runner", "Minority Report" and "Paycheck"]; costume design by Sanja Milkovic Hays ["Blade", "Along Came a Spider", "Cheaper by the Dozen" and "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift"]; production design by 2004 BAFTA Film Award winner William Sandell ["The Glimmer Man", "The Perfect Storm" and "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World"]; art direction by Kevin Ishioka ["Windtalkers", "The Chronicles Of Riddick", "Flightplan" and "Poseidon"]; edited by Christian Wagner ["The Fan", "Man on Fire", "The Amityville Horror" and "The Island"]; director of photography by David Tattersall ["Con Air", "The Green Mile", "Die Another Day" and "The Matador"]; original music by EMMY winner Mark Isham ["Life As A House", "The Cooler", "Crash" and "Bobby"]. Who's Who?

Nicolas Cage Julianne Moore Jessica Biel Thomas Kretschmann Tory Kittles Peter Falk José Zúñiga Jim Beaver Jason Butler Harner Michael Trucco Enzo Cilenti Laetitia Danielle Nicolas Pajon Sergej Trifunovic Charles Chun Patricia Prata Jon Hughes

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Cris Johnson Agent Callie Ferris Elizabeth 'Liz' Cooper Mr Smith Agent Cavanaugh Irv Security Chief Roybal JTTF Director Eric Wisdom Jeff Baines Kendal Mr Jones Miss Brown Mr Green Mr White Davis Showgirl Emcee

Run Time 96 minutes Rated M [AUST] Copyright ©2007 - Paramount Pictures - All Rights Reserved ©2007 All Rights Reserved - Protected by Australian & International Copyright. Trademark Laws Apply.