#CageClub: The Nicolas Cage Podcast

#CageClub returns with the first of two new episodes releasing in short order! First up is Gunslingers, which hit VOD (and some theaters) two weeks ago. (Coming up soon: The Surfer!) Gunslingers is yet another Western film in his recent filmography, prompting us to reflect on Nicolas Cage's VOD filmography. Is the juice worth the frequent squeeze? We try to break down the amount of bullets, shootouts, CGI blood, and dudes in all places; whether it was an "actual" Rockefeller who was killed in the film's inciting incident; and what ever happened to that poor horse. We admire Cage's look -- including his cross-shaped glasses and his raspy voice -- and talk about how this sort of feels like a Twilight Zone episode. Mike reveals who the bartender is. We talk about the reality behind the paternity twist at the end and share our confusion and disbelief at the film's credits scene.

The biggest Nicolas Cage film in years is finally here, and we're here to talk all about the summer's biggest horror film: Longlegs! First, though, we talk about Nicolas Cage discourse on Twitter, his fears surrounding AI, and how many movies he (might, possibly, could?) have left. We discuss the marketing of Longlegs and what it means that both Cage and director Osgood Perkins dedicated this movie to their moms. We talk about the movie not exactly aligning with what we expected it to be (and the importance of going into films without a preconceived notion), Cage once again "going full Cage," and whether or not Brad Pitt would have worked in the role of Longlegs. We also talk about Osgood Perkins' other films (as well as his type of filmmaking), Maika Monroe's strong performance as Lee Harker, and the inevitability of the ending. We wonder: is the titular character of Longlegs simply a sad old man? What does his name mean?

#CageClub is back already to talk about Arcadian, a movie that hit movie theaters for a weekend or two a bit earlier this year! We talk about the strange inspiration behind the creatures in this movie (which we find to be both creative and interesting), the intentional lack of understanding about why society seems to have crumbled, and Cage's newfound cinematic affinity for... running? Joey talks about how this (narratively) reminds him of The Last of Us Part II. We talk about what's "missing" (or "lacking") in Arcadian, as well as the sort of strange way that the movie wraps up the stories for our main characters (both the living and the dead). We preview upcoming Nicolas Cage movies -- including one maybe releasing tomorrow?? -- as well as news about other upcoming projects.

After a long winter slumber, #CageClub is back with a vengeance to talk about last year's Nicolas Cage masterpiece, Dream Scenario! We praise Kristoffer Borgli and explore the real family affair both on screen and behind the scenes of this movie. We talk about how Dream Scenario shares similarities to other Cage movies, the reality and the terror of the film's dream scenes, and an all-time great monologue from Nicolas Cage. We talk about Dylan Gelula (and all of Michael Cera's ad agency), antelligence, and how we'd handle the reality of the entire world dreaming about us. (We have no good answers.) Mike teases a dreamcast (not the Sega console). Joey shares his one real issue with the movie. We talk about whether the ending works, how to pivot to make it even deeper/more profound, and how perfect the perfect final scene is. (We'll be back very soon for Arcadian!)

This has been a banner year for Nicolas Cage fans, as Butcher’s Crossing marks his sixth (!) new film of the year… so far! This is a moderately spoiler-heavy episode, so if you want to wait until you’ve seen the movie (releasing in theaters on Friday, Oct. 20 and on VOD after that) to listen, just know: it’s Cage’s best movie of the year so far. We talk about feeling re-energized for this podcast based on the success of this movie, we admire the cinematography (and the landscape of the American West in general), and we discuss cinematic name coincidences. We talk about the tragedy of the American bison (and how it correlates to modern waste), Cage’s bold (read: incredible) look in this movie, and how Butcher’s Crossing adds elements of horror without ever going full-tilt. We find a new wrinkle on a Cage movie staple, talk about Cage’s character’s slow descent into madness, and whether or not Cage’s star meter is higher right now than it’s been since 2008.

This is turning out to be quite the prolific year for Cage -- with still more to come -- as #CageClub returns for the fifth time in 2023 to talk about The Retirement Plan! This one made its way to theaters, but did historically poorly -- and we try to explore why. This movie is Nicolas Cage's version of Nobody or John Wick -- which is exciting -- but if this is the only time he'll ever play this type of character... we wish we got more. Even though our podcast's "brand" is positivity, The Retirement Plan puts that ethos to the test. We talk about it failing to be the type of movie it desperately aspires to be, its internal confusion over technology, and its unclear villainous hierarchy. We also talk about the movie drawing influence from Quentin Tarantino and the cool ideas it showcases, featuring some new stuff we've never seen.

#CageClub returns with yet another new Nicolas Cage movie this year -- with even more to come -- in the form of Sympathy for the Devil! This movie marks the return of "Crazy Cage," which (while fun to watch) does not a good movie make. We talk about how Sympathy for the Devil is reminiscent of other (better) movies, like Collateral and A History of Violence, and its determination to add twists and turns to draw out suspense without layering in new narrative. We talk about the things we liked (and the things we didn't), whether the movie wanted to look like a COVID movie, and the strange visual effects on display throughout. We re-assess the types of movies Cage makes (and look ahead to the rest of the year) and talk about Rotten Tomatoes' ratings twisting our perceptions of this film.

It's been long enough since The Flash released for us to spoil the good news: Nicolas Cage finally played Superman in a live action film! We're back with a brief episode (before two more [!] episodes later this summer) to talk about Cage's non-animated debut as the Man of Steel. (Let's never forget Teen Titans Go! To the Movies.) We talk about the frustration of having this reveal spoiled for us (and how incredible it would have been if we didn't know it was coming). We wonder who this cameo was for, other than, like, us and Nicolas Cage. We also try to parse the hate toward The Flash in general, both understanding it and not (at all). We also break down Nicolas Cage's explanation of using City of Angels as a training ground (???) for his work as Kal-El.

Nicolas Cage is back in theaters with Renfield, and #CageClub is back with a spoiler-filled review of the movie! We're talking about Nicolas Cage's portrayal of Dracula, his return to vampire living, and whether or not this was the type of film he always saw himself playing one of his dream roles. Joey shares his worries about the film (and whether or not they manifested), Mike offers some Universal monster history, and we discuss whether or not the movie "feels" like New Orleans. We pitch alternate versions of Renfield, ways to tighten up the movie, and Cage embracing a role in a way that isn't "Cage-y." We look ahead to upcoming Nicolas Cage movies, try to link Universal's recent monster releases, and discuss the (other) Dracula trailer that played before we saw Renfield.

Nicolas Cage has a new movie in theaters (well, by now it's on VOD), so #CageClub is finally back to talk about The Old Way! Since the very start of this podcast, Mike has wanted Cage to star in a western. His dream finally came true... but did it live up to expectations? We talk about how Cage held up in his first "true" western, the killer mustache he's rocking, and the authentic look of the scenery and locations. We pick out our favorite moments -- and the issues we had with the movie -- as we discuss how The Old Way exists in a space somewhere between VOD and theaters (for whatever this means in 2023). We also talk about the return of "Joey" from A Score to Settle and the #CageClub debut of podcast network royalty Ryan Kiera Armstrong.

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is finally here, and we got a chance to see it a little early! We’re keeping this episode almost entirely spoiler-free, so feel free to listen before you see it… and you SHOULD see it as soon as you can, because it’s great! After literally years of worrying, our fears were put to rest as The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent turned out to be much more than a movie where Cage (and the creative team) lean into the meme-ification of his personality. It’s a celebration of his career, his persona, and the people who love him (hey! it’s us!). We share some of our favorite moments, reactions to the different actors cast in the film, and some of the most interesting things we learned from the in-person Q&A from writer and director Tom Gormican.

This year has treated Nicolas Cage fans very well so far, and the hits keep on coming with Sion Sono's Prisoners of the Ghostland! It's not clear if we'll get another Cage movie this year, but if this is our final one in 2021, we sure went out with a weird, neon-soaked bang. In this episode, we talk about the work of Sion Sono, the rules of this world (and the relatively grounded nature of all this insanity), and why Prisoners of the Ghostland may have been more interesting if its narrative focus was placed elsewhere. We also look ahead to the four new Nicolas Cage movies that he's got coming out in the next few months, and reflect on the crazy amount of news that has hit the wire since we recorded Pig a month or so ago!

Many people are calling Pig "the return of Nicolas Cage," but ask any fan, any real fan, and they know he's been here for years. That said, Pig is easily his best performance since (at least) Mandy, and likely one of the finest in his career. We headed to the theater to watch Cage's latest, and we're here to talk about the quest for truffles and his search for a stolen pig. Plus, as has become custom on these episodes, we look forward to what's coming after Pig to see where Cage may be headed, and to see what types of roles and types of movies he could find himself in in the coming years. This may be our last #CageClub episode of the year -- there's nothing left on his IMDb this year, so hope for Prisoners of the Ghostland! -- but we'll be back whenever we're able to see another one of his films.

Nicolas Cage is off to a rapid-fire start with 2021, quickly following up a Netflix series with Willy's Wonderland! Available now on VOD, Willy's Wonderland sees Nicolas Cage in the unnamed role of "The Janitor," tackling a challenge he has not yet faced in his career: an entirely wordless performance! In this episode, we talk about how the movie compared to our expectations, what we hope to see Nicolas Cage take on in the future, and how Willy's Wonderland could have been even more fun. We also run down the checklist of #CageClub Movie Bingo (and get a result that is kind of surprising, given the nature of the movie) and look ahead to wonder what the next Nicolas Cage movie will be... and what other movies we may wind up talking about in 2021.

We closed out 2020 in a strong way with a few new Nicolas Cage movies, and we're opening 2021 equally strong with the Netflix original series History of Swear Words! The series marks Cage's return to TV after nearly a decade away (he hadn't graced the small screen since his return to SNL in 2012) and his first official TV series ever (or, at least since his bygone TV pilot for The Best of Times). After all that time... was the wait worth it? Is History of Swear Words worth your time? Join us as we chat about the six episodes that Netflix dropped in the first week of the year, the Cagenections we found in the series, and whether or not we think that we'll get more episodes in the future. Also: mathematical swear breakdowns!

'Tis the season for gifts and joy, and what more could we ask for than The Croods: A New Age, our second new Nicolas Cage movie of 2020?! Even better: it's Nicolas Cage's 100th acting credit! In this episode, we return to the Stone Age (right?) after more than 7 years away to re-visit the Croods and to meet the Bettermans for the very first time. We talk about the visual wonder of the movie, the real-world Cagenections, and (of course) the Banana Bros. (Plus, Wigasus, but that's so weird that it's probably best if we just move on.) We sing the praises of Kelly Marie Tran and dream up ways to re-team Nicolas Cage with Peter Dinklage. We also wonder if The Croods: A New Age is the end of the road for the franchise -- or if there's another story in this world to tell -- and figure out just how "Cagey" this movie is by running through our #CageClub Movie Bingo categories!

The streak continues! After nearly 11 months of worrying (and 8 months of a global pandemic), a new Nicolas Cage has seen the light of day in 2020: Jiu Jitsu. The internet has created a massive backlash against this movie, but we've gotta say: it's pretty okay! Featuring one of Cage's most grounded performances in a while (pay no mind to our episode art), it's a nice return to form for Supporting Character Cage and a new foray into the world of martial arts. In this episode, we talk about Cage's performance, some of the narrative/plot inconsistencies, and how we would have made this movie better. We also talk about a semi-major (albeit brief) crossover with 2 Fast 2 Forever, the physicality (and acting styles) of Frank Grillo and Tony Jaa, and determine just how Cage-y this movie is with our #CageClub Bingo checklist.

Finally. At long last, after more than a year of waiting, and just about six months of friends telling us we *had* to see Color Out of Space, the time has come. Joining us to talk about all things Nicolas Cage, Richard Stanley, and H.P. Lovecraft is past guest (and Lovecraft superfan) Chris Podcasts. In this episode, we talk about the unseeable color, the many alpacas, and Wiccan rituals. We also discuss whether or not this is a good adaptation of the Lovecraft story, whether or not that question even matters, and where Color Out of Space falls in the lineage of Lovecraft adaptations. Also: there's a revelation and a confession that could shock you to the core and rattle the future of #CageClub as we know it.

Grand Isle marks the fifth new Nicolas Cage movie in five months, and (maybe?!) the final one in 2019. What a year it's been! In this episode, we're preparing for the looming hurricane (and marital strife) by talking about all of the craziness in Grand Isle, where it ranks among Cage's 2019 releases, and how this feels like an amalgamation of a handful of his other movies. We also talk about KaDee Strickland as a brunette Nicky Whelan, Luke Benward as a buff Slow Joey, and (of course) Nicolas Cage in mutton chops with a cigar in his mouth. We also look ahead to the early releases of 2020, throw out a few suggestions on how we can keep the Cage Chain going, and wonder if any other actor in history has ever had such a prolific streak of releases.

The Cage Chain continues with Primal, our fourth Nicolas Cage movie of 2019, and the fourth consecutive month with a new release! Before we dig our proverbial ghost cat teeth into this movie, we revel in the wonder of this streak of Cage movies, and look ahead to the next two months, each with a new release: Grand Isle and Color Out of Space. Then, we grab our spotted white jaguar and board a boat to Puerto Rico to hunt the most dangerous game of all: Nicolas Cage. In this episode, we talk about Cage's best friend (a parrot), lament the fact that Famke Janssen was given nothing to do, and wonder why there's a little kid on this boat. We also talk about how Primal could be even better, and wonder what's getting into all of these actors that find themselves squaring off with Nicolas Cage.

Who will survive the kill chain? That's what we're finding out on this episode as we break down Nicolas Cage's latest straight-to-VOD movie, Kill Chain. In this episode, we further discuss the four tiers of Nicolas Cage straight-to-VOD movies, stick The Runner with some unnecessarily (though possibly justified) savage burns, and then try to make sense of the jumbled plot of this movie.

Nicolas Cage may not have hit the 100 movie plateau yet, but this is episode #100 of #CageClub Prime... and what a way to celebrate! While there are far more legitimate/credible actors in Running with the Devil than you'd expect, there's far less David Lee Roth than there should be, which is quite disappointing. In this episode, we continue to celebrate The Autumn of Cage (carefully worded so as to avoid snarky double entendres about The Fall of Cage) with our second new movie in as many months. Featuring a Laurence Fishburne performance ripped straight out of Cage's playbook, grand ambitions to imitate Indiana Jones and Traffic, and ZERO CHARACTER NAMES, Running with the Devil is a movie that you'll either never forget... or forget instantly. Your choice.

It's taken more than seven full months, but we've finally gotten to our first Nicolas Cage movie of 2019: A Score to Settle! The bad news first: this is not a very good movie. The good news: not only is it a new Nicolas Cage movie (which in and of itself is a wonderful thing), but it's fun as heck to watch and to talk about. We're going guestless this episode so that we can dive deep into all of the wild and wacky nonsense that this movie serves up. We talk about this film's ties to Fight Club, Cage's character's (apparently real) death-inducing insomnia, and whether or not prisoners are able to make baseball bats while incarcerated. We also talk about the fact that Cage yells "Joey!" about 150 times in this movie, which is kind of the greatest thing of all-time.

Here it is: the final (for now) episode of #CageClub Revisited! Sure, we have some huge movies left to cover, but we're going out rowing with The Boy in Blue. In this episode, we pour one out for the missed opportunity that was the national pastime of sculling, admire Nicolas Cage's chiseled physique, and take a trip down memory lane to the origination of the euphemism "compromise" for having sex. Thank you all for joining us on this ride. Print out that final (again, for now!) #CageClub bingo card, fire up the DVD, and join us on this wildly unhelpful commentary track! Note: Our #CageClub Revisited episodes are meant to be listened to while watching the movie we're discussing, a la a director's commentary. If you want our more "insightful" episode about this movie, head into our archives!

It won’t take us a full 72 hours to re-watch Gone in 60 Seconds, but we appreciate the generous amount of time you’ve given us for this episode! In this episode, we join Nicolas Cage on his hunt for Eleanor, albeit with a much smaller crew than the one he assembled, and marvel at all of the many, many similarities between this movie and the original Fast and the Furious. If you’re a fan of #CageClub Revisited, you’re not going to want to miss this episode, as it includes a very important update about the future of the podcast! Note: Our #CageClub Revisited episodes are meant to be listened to while watching the movie we're discussing, a la a director's commentary. If you want our more "insightful" episode about this movie, head into our archives!

In August 2015, we released our very first podcast and proceeded to tear through Nicolas Cage’s filmography at a breakneck pace. We had no idea that we'd continue after we finished Cage’s filmography, but we asked, “What’s next?” and went from there. After nearly four years, we are releasing our 1,000th episode. In this episode, Joey Lewandowski talked many of your favorite CageClub Podcast Network hosts: Mike Manzi of Third Time’s A Charm, Joe Two of 2 Fast 2 Forever, Chris Podcasts of Now and Again, Brian Rodriguez of High School Slumber Party, Kyle Reinfried of Foodie Films, Jordan Polan-Clarke and Cara Gael O’Regan of Wistful Thinking, Aislinn Addington of The Contenders, Lindsay Gibb of Winona Forever, Jonah Rubino of X is for Podcast, and Nico Vasilo and Kevo Risse of .html. Thank you for listening. Share your favorite episode or memory with us by emailing [email protected]!

Wedding bells are in the air — not at CageClub HQ, just in the world in general — and we’re continuing the journey we began last episode with something new! We’re just trying to get a sword through customs as we hunt for OBL alongside Nicolas “The G” Cage in Army of One! In this episode, we look back at the career of Russell Brand, wonder why Nicolas Cage doesn’t do more comedies, and find a startling number of similarities between this movie and Birdy. Mike also tries to guess more of Joey’s favorite movies of the 2000s, and Joey vamps for a while as Mike refills his coffee. Note: Our #CageClub Revisited episodes are meant to be listened to while watching the movie we're discussing, a la a director's commentary. If you want our more "insightful" episode about this movie, head into our archives!

It's the time of the year where wedding bells are in the air, and we're kicking off a four episode arc of #CageClub Revisited around something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue. First up: something old! We're headed way back in time to Nicolas Cage's seventh acting credit, Birdy, on this very special episode of our show. In this episode, we look back at the career of Matthew Modine, discuss the relationship between his and Nicolas Cage's characters, and wind up confusing this movie with Racing with the Moon. Then, as the episode winds down, Mike tries to guess Joey's favorite movies of the 2000s! Note: Our #CageClub Revisited episodes are meant to be listened to while watching the movie we're discussing, a la a director's commentary. If you want our more "insightful" episode about this movie, head into our archives!

We’re continuing our month of 4Kage (Nicolas Cage in 4K) as we travel around the globe with Cage and Jared Leto (who looks an awful lot like Zac Efron) in Lord of War! In this episode, we realize that this movie is very difficult to follow when you’re not hearing the dialogue, so we take an audio detour and help out past #CageClub guest, Walt Hickey, with his @NicCagePlotBot! We also fantasize about what a luxurious life it would be like to be a gunrunner, admire Jared Leto’s cocaine Ukraine, and plan our next two months of #CageClub Revisited! Note: Our #CageClub Revisited episodes are meant to be listened to while watching the movie we're discussing, a la a director's commentary. If you want our more "insightful" episode about this movie, head into our archives!

April’s the fourth month of the year, so we’re celebrating Cage in 4K this month (aka 4Kage). As we revisit Knowing, we realize: the numbers are the key to everything. In this episode, we’re inspired by the dedication of P.S. I (Still) Love Hoffman, and we try to stay focused and only talk about the movie. Will that work? Watch and listen along and find out! We discuss whether or not the ending is a copout, wonder why no one believes Cage, and debate whether or not Cage steals something (for Bingo-related reasons). Grab your black stone and head to your nearest abandoned field, because we’re resetting the population and revisiting Knowing! Note: Our #CageClub Revisited episodes are meant to be listened to while watching the movie we're discussing, a la a director's commentary. If you want our more "insightful" episode about this movie, head into our archives!

It’s been a while since Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse hit theaters, but now that it’s available on Blu-ray and VOD, we’re finally able to chat about it! We knew that for such an important #CageClub movie, we’d need to bring in the heavy hitters… the guys who dedicate their entire podcasts to Marvel movies and comic book movies. Joining us as we thwip, swing, and flip our way through the multiverse are (most of) the hosts of HTML and X is for Podcast, Nico Vasilo, Kevo Risse, and Jonah Rubino! We dive deep into the lore of Spider-Man, discuss our favorite Spidey iterations, and come to the realization that the only correct choice is Spider-Man Noir. Sometimes, we’ll let a match burn down to our fingertips just to feel something. Anything.

Considering how not-good The Humanity Bureau is, it may seem a little surprising that we're revisiting it less than a year after covering it for #CageClub Prime. Lest ye forget that we are never above lumping things in with a really shoddy theme -- like our "Month of Weather-ish Movies!" -- nor are we above blowing through the movies we're less excited to re-watch so that we're (eventually) left with exclusively good and/or fun movies. With both of those explanations in mind, join us as we slap the life back into kids, tape bread over our empty eye sockets, and get gunned down in our prime as we try to make sense of this movie! Note: Our #CageClub Revisited episodes are meant to be listened to while watching the movie we're discussing, a la a director's commentary. If you want our more "insightful" episode about this movie, head into our archives!

The Frozen Ground marks Nicolas Cage's second team-up with John Cusack, and it's in the running for their worst collaboration (though that honor, if you will, likely still goes to Arsenal). For a movie with such a stacked cast of "that guy!" guys, it's a real shame that this movie isn't better than it is. But if you've been looking for a podcast where we watch a movie that features ASAC Schrader, 50 Cent with a ridiculous wig, and Vanessa Hudgens getting taken more times than you can count -- and then barely talk about the movie -- boy, do we have a podcast for you! Note: Our #CageClub Revisited episodes are meant to be listened to while watching the movie we're discussing, a la a director's commentary. If you want our more "insightful" episode about this movie, head into our archives!

Following his epic three-part action trilogy, Nicolas Cage took a hard left turn toward City of Angels so that he could sit on stuff with Andre Braugher and stand way too close to Meg Ryan. We’re headed back to Los Angeles to listen to the sunshine, awkwardly hover near bubble baths, and get taunted by Nick Offerman. One thing that we totally forgot to touch on, which is perfectly understandishable when you consider that we watch movies for Revisited basically on mute, is that this movie’s soundtrack is pretty massive, even if it’s not particularly good. Considering that we like to pretend we’re the authorities on all things Nicolas Cage, just pretend that we talked about that. Please and thank you! Note: Our #CageClub Revisited episodes are meant to be listened to while watching the movie we're discussing, a la a director's commentary. If you want our more "insightful" episode about this movie, head into our archives!

Zandalee is the kind of movie that you remember parts of (but forget the rest) and wonder, upon rewatch, why isn’t everyone talking about this movie all the time? In honor of Valentine’s Day, we opted to watch the movie that most closely resembles a Skinemax film in Nicolas Cage’s filmography. Featuring Erika Anderson (who cannot keep her clothes on), a re-pairing with Judge Reinhold, Marisa Tomei (in a part so small you’ll wonder how she won an Oscar within a year or two of this movie’s release) and Steve Buscemi (as maybe the devil but probably not?), Zandalee is one movie you won’t want to miss. In order to see it, though, you’ll just have to import that region-free DVD from China. Easy peasy and totally worth it! Note: Our #CageClub Revisited episodes are meant to be listened to while watching the movie we're discussing, a la a director's commentary. If you want our more "insightful" episode about this movie, head into our archives!

We recorded the #CageClub Revisited episodes for both The Runner and Raising Arizona on the same day, and it's hard to find two Cage movies more different in quality. Do yourself a favor and don't watch this movie. Please. While it plays (very slightly) better without us talking over it, The Runner is a boring (but decently well shot!) movie that struggles to get going or find a point. It's perfunctory and an oddity. That said, we spend almost the entire runtime of this episode talking about other things, including New Year's Resolutions, movies to watch in 2019, and what it'd take to host a movie marathon at the Alamo Drafthouse. Again: we're so sorry. Note: Our #CageClub Revisited episodes are meant to be listened to while watching the movie we're discussing, a la a director's commentary. If you want our more "insightful" episode about this movie, head into our archives!

Saturday Night Live kicked off its eighteenth season with an episode hosted by Nicolas Cage and a performance by Bobby Brown. Cage isn't in a ton of the sketches, but Tiny Elvis and Baby Names are all-time greats! This is a strange episode of #CageClub Revisited to listen to -- if you can even find the original episode to watch along with us -- but try to enjoy our trip down memory lane to revisit Tiny Elvis, Asswipe Johnson, and Jan Hooks as Hillary Clinton. Note: Our #CageClub Revisited episodes are meant to be listened to while watching the movie we're discussing, a la a director's commentary. If you want our more "insightful" episode about this movie, head into our archives!

We kind of goofed when we did Raising Arizona for the initial run of #CageClub. It was early in our run and we both loved the movie so much that we didn't really take notes on it. This is our chance to atone. This movie is just about perfect, and we hope you enjoy it as much as we do. I'd chalk it up as a win if you watch this movie, even if you don't listen to this episode. Watch it, enjoy it, and love it. Note: Our #CageClub Revisited episodes are meant to be listened to while watching the movie we're discussing, a la a director's commentary. If you want our more "insightful" episode about this movie, head into our archives!

We're closing out 2018 with Between Worlds, the EIGHTH Nicolas Cage movie to be released this year. To celebrate this momentous occasion, we've welcomed in Sean Welsh and Megan Mitchell, the masterminds behind Glasgow's Cage-a-rama 2: Cage Uncaged! (#BringCage2Glasgow) In this episode, we try to make sense of the logic of the Between Worlds universe, figure out how many moments were made just to become Nicolas Cage GIFs on the internet, and wonder whether Joey's hair blindness helps him or hurts him in this particular story. We also reflect back on the full year of Cage, and look ahead to the movies we're likely to see next year. What were our favorites? What are we most looking forward to? Can we get more than 8 movies next year? We'll have to wait and see!

We're continuing our trek through the holiday season with another Nicolas Cage Christmas film: 1994's Trapped in Paradise! While the movie isn't as good as our last holiday episode, we were joined by Cara Gael O'Regan of the Wistful Thinking podcast to journey to the small town of Paradise and admire this movie's bright lighting, amazing wardrobe, and seemingly infinite hats. We also take time to appreciate the wonderful Madchen Amick (also known as "Madchick," perhaps), while wondering if she was maybe miscast. Gather the town, interlock your arms, and wade deep into the water, because it's time to talk about Trapped in Paradise! Note: Our #CageClub Revisited episodes are meant to be listened to while watching the movie we're discussing, a la a director's commentary. If you want our more "insightful" episode about this movie, head into our archives!

Recorded live from a parking lot outside of a movie theater, welcome to a mini-bonus episode of #CageClub about Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse! We'll be back to cover this movie in its entirety when it hits VOD or Blu-ray in 2019, but as has become tradition when Mike and Joey see a Cage movie in theaters together, here's a mini-review of the movie. Spoiler alert: it's really great and you should see it as soon as you can.

Happy December! 'Tis the season to celebrate by watching Nicolas Cage Christmas movies. Today, we're watching The Family Man and veering from the darkest timeline to opt for one where we chose love and family instead of work. In this episode, we do our best to focus on the movie as we figure out why Don Cheadle is the weirdest and worst angel of all-time, why Nicolas Cage didn't spend more time figuring out his life by talking to his daughter, and longing for a movie where we see family man Cage try to make sense of his alternate reality where he's a high-powered businessman. Where's THAT movie?! Note: Our #CageClub Revisited episodes are meant to be listened to while watching the movie we're discussing, a la a director's commentary. If you want our more "insightful" episode about this movie, head into our archives!

Happy Thanksgiving! We racked our brains to figure out the most holiday-appropriate Nicolas Cage movie to watch for today. There's a Thanksgiving Day parade at the end of The Weather Man, but we've revisited that one already. Instead, we watched Left Behind: a movie where a family is separated, sinners from saints, forever! That felt appropriate. In this episode, we look back at one of the worst movie that Nicolas Cage has ever made and wonder why these types of movies feel like self-parody when they are trying so hard to reach for self-righteousness. We also welcome in the beginning of the Nicky Whelan era in Cage's filmography, grumble about the plane's many empty stereotypes, and wonder why a pilot as (supposedly) good as Cage can't see a pick-up truck "flashing its brights" while he's flying above Los Angeles. Note: Our #CageClub Revisited episodes are meant to be listened to while watching the movie we're discussing, a la a director's commentary. If you want our more "insightful" episode about this movie, head into our archives!

Visit our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cageclub In 2015, we had an idea: we were going to watch every Nicolas Cage movie and record a podcast about each. After finishing in 6 months (at an irrational pace of 3 movies per week), we moved on to cover the movies of actors like Keanu Reeves, Charlize Theron, and Shia LaBeouf. Here's the thing: we have so many more ideas for podcasts! We're launching shows for Tom Hanks and Tom Cruise in early 2019, and dropping seasons of Cinemakers from time to time, but we have a spreadsheet with dozens of show ideas, many of which feature terrible punny titles. We'd love to keep sharing our love of movies with you, the sweet weirdos who love these actors as much as we do. This Patreon can help give us the ability to begin even more shows and talk about even more movies. Here's the best part: you can even help pick what we watch!

Snake Eyes opens with the greatest sequence in any Nicolas Cage movie. (Is this true? Maybe.) Cage is on fire and the suspense is hard to beat. It's a shame, then, that the rest of the movie never quite captures that energy. In this episode, we re-watch the movie that inspired our love of film conspiracies (you've got to have at least five people... it's a requirement!) while we also admire Brian De Palma's filmmaking style, Carla Gugino's affinity for genre pictures, and the weirdest (and slowest) shot to ever be placed under closing credits. Stay tuned for a brand new game: Can Mike Manzi complete the Beastie Boys lyric?! Note: Our #CageClub Revisited episodes are meant to be listened to while watching the movie we're discussing, a la a director's commentary. If you want our more "insightful" episode about this movie, head into our archives!

Mike has been itching to watch Season of the Witch again since first watched it, and since we're out of spooky Nicolas Cage movies for October, here we are! Cage's character in this film, Behmen, is considered by some to be his worst character of all-time, but are things really that bad? Honestly, it's tough to say, because we started playing a new game on this episode that distracted us almost entirely from the movie. If you've ever wanted to half-watch Season of the Witch while listening to us try to have the other guess a Nicolas Cage movie with the film's most obscure details... boy, do we have a podcast for you! Note: Our #CageClub Revisited episodes are meant to be listened to while watching the movie we're discussing, a la a director's commentary. If you want our more "insightful" episode about this movie, head into our archives!

It’s been more than 20 years since the death of Superman Lives, but Nicolas Cage finally got his chance to play Superman in Teen Titans Go! To the Movies! While he’s far from the center of attention here (that honor belongs to the Boy Wonder), it’s clear that the writers and directors of this film cared that he got a chance to play the part, as his character (and the rest of the film, really) is littered with in-jokes and references and homages to the universe that means so much to him.

We were so excited to watch Mandy (and then watch it again, and again, and again...) that we couldn't wait to do a Revisited episode. Recorded the night after the movie hit VOD, our Revisited episode of Mandy (which was actually recorded before we recorded our original episode!) comes immediately after we had finished watching the movie for the first time. Joined by Brian Rodriguez of High School Slumber Party, we dive headfirst into the world of weird and wonder that is this movie to talk about Cage rage, Cage memes, and why Nicolas Cage never actually "went away," contrary to what much online writing suggests. Also, because the movie is two hours long and we have time to kill, we also figure out what Nicolas Cage Monopoly would look like. Enjoy! Note: Our #CageClub Revisited episodes are meant to be listened to while watching the movie we're discussing, a la a director's commentary. If you want our more "insightful" episode about this movie, head into our archives!

Mandy is widely considered by many to be Nicolas Cage's best movie in years. While we know he's made a handful of great movies since his last critical darling... we probably agree with the sentiment. Mandy rules. It's a gorgeously intense (and intensely gorgeous), drug-fueled journey through a land of madness. To join us on this adventure, we welcomed back into the fold a co-host of Monkey Club (RIP Monkey Club), Christian Larson, who last joined us for Seeking Justice. This is the point in the write-up where I normally ask, "Will our guest like it more than the last movie he watched with us?", but here's a spoiler: all three of us loved Mandy. We hope you did, too.

You know that expanding brain meme, where each level of consciousness relates to an even greater level of awareness? Some people think Top Gun is great, but Fire Birds is the equivalent of someone pulling a full Lucy and using 100 percent of their brain. Like Nicolas Cage in the film, Fire Birds is the greatest! Sure, it may be nothing more than shameless propaganda to encourage young boys and girls to join the military, but who cares? There are helicopters! Video games! Semi-blind periscope driving on populated roads! What more could you ask for? Note: Our #CageClub Revisited episodes are meant to be listened to while watching the movie we're discussing, a la a director's commentary. If you want our more "insightful" episode about this movie, head into our archives!