“As you might’ve guessed, I don’t really use it as a criteria to choose my movies,” Cage said. “My interests are a pretty acquired taste that I have. The movies that I enjoy watching personally are movies that really frustrate my wife and that you can’t really get on Amazon. So it’s an interest in Roger Corman movies and the midnight movies. I like Ray Harryhausen.”

He picks the movies that won’t hold him back, not the most “respectable” movies, on purpose. “I like fantasy. I like horror, science fiction because I can get avant-garde with those performances in those movies. Inherently, I’m able to be abstract and “modern art” if you will because the movies are inherently out there and I can still connect with audiences. I can’t do that in down and dirty dramas. I can’t do that unless I go outsid the box. Or, if I’m playing a character who’s on drugs like Bad Lieutenant, then I can get pretty out there. Otherwise I have to look at supernatural movies or science fiction movies to get more avant-garde.”

Some have called Cage’s style Mega-acting. Some describe it with a string of obscenities. Taking what we could glean from the history of De Niro and Olivier, Cage came up with his own method. “I’d developed my own style and process and school of acting which is called Nouveau Shamanic. That’s the new style of acting and at some point I’ll have to write a book.”

If the idea of Nic Cage as a Shaman scares you, maybe you should face your fear like he did making Drive Angry. “I was also uncomfortable with the script and I was just going through this phase in my life where I learned that if something makes you uncomfortable or fearful in any way, within reason that’s exactly what you should confront. So it was an experiment on that level that I should confront the violence in the movie because it had been a long time since I’d made a violent movie.”

There are simpler criteria too. This one explains both Drive Angry and Season of the Witch. “Initially what I was attracted to was the idea that I was going to get my eye shot out. The movie Season of the Witch, I wanted to get my eye shot out with a bow and arrow, and the producers didn’t go for it. We never really got there. Even though they said they would, it never really happened. So when Patrick Lussier said to me and just handed to me on a silver platter you’re going to get your eye shot out in a movie, I don’t know why but I just immediately said yes, I’m in because it was something that I wanted to do. It’s as simple as that.”

He also wanted to drink beer out of a human skull, and he does in Drive Angry. “I wanted to see if there could be any way in my presentation of the skull to make the beer slosh out of the eye in such a way that my cup runneth over and have it look really inviting and appetizing and make people in the audience go, ‘Wow, I know it sounds crazy, but I’d really kind of like to drink beer from someone’s skull right now.’ That was the challenge.”

Still, Cage didn’t just phone it in after the eye and the skull bits. He thought a lot about who Milton, a man escaped from hell, would be. “When he was alive, he was probably listening to Lynyrd Skynyrd and Buddy Holly, but after he broke out of hell, it’s all just wind chimes and Ravi Shankhar. No lyrics. Absolutely no lyrics.”

Next up for Cage is a return to comic books in Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance. The Neveldine/Taylor sequel/reboot gave him an angle to try Johnny Blaze again. “We got up to some stuff as Ghost Rider that the two of us designed together that I think is really going to mess with people’s minds. It’s not going to be like any other comic book movie you’ve seen. We keep stressing that Ghost Rider is the most supernatural superhero of all and that’s really going to come out in this movie.”

Nic Cage has been the subject of countless Internet memes, and it’s easy to see why. Although he’s a very talented actor, he often ends up in roles that are what the French call “le Shitty.” Part of this is due to his nature. As Roger Ebert says of Cage, “He’s daring and fearless in his choice of roles, and unafraid to crawl out on a limb, saw it off and remain suspended in air.” However, at the present time, Cage’s anything goes approach might have more to do with the fact that he pissed away a fortune, and is in a desperate pinch for cash. Fearlessness explains Adaptation and Raising Arizona. As for Season of the Witch, which currently boasts a 4% favorable rating on Rotten Tomatoes.com; not so much.

When an actor does that many shitty movies, it lends itself to Internet mockery. After all, who could watch this clip from The Wicker Man remake without laughing…

I have never seen the film, so I can’t be sure. But I’d like to imagine that a scene where a man is tortured by bees might not be so comical within the overall context of the film. Regardless of the particular scene’s merit, it’s just one of countless examples. For example, who can forget “My hair is a bird”….

Or the entire site dedicated to depicting Nic Cage as everyone…

But on Monday, I was subjected to two Nic Cage montage videos: The Evolution of Nic Cage’s Hair and The Nic Cage Song.

Neither video was that bad, but they were both a far cry from Nicholas Cage Losing His Shit. In fact, it almost seems as if the Cage memes are starting to jump the shark. Seeing two on the same day caused me to stop and wonder what the hell is going on? What is the Internet’s sick obsession with Nic Cage? Why him? Why now? Why not someone else? Surely there are other actors who are more deserving of our collective scorn. I know that not all of these videos and memes are necessarily negative, but even so, it’s beginning to feel like a pile on. Why the obsession?

Why not Gary Busey? He’s clearly more insane than Nic. Sure, Gary gets ripped on all the time, but not with the same intensity and dedication. What about Randy Quiad? That crazy bastard is in Canada hiding from the “Hollywood Star Whackers.” That’s 100% crazier than anything that Nic Cage has ever done, and Cage once at a live cockroach! What about Charlie Sheen? When he’s not spouting off September 11th conspiracy theories, he’s locking hookers in hotel bathrooms and having coke orgies with porn stars in Vegas. Surely that warrants a montage or two.

The only explanation I can come up with is that despite all the mockery, deep down, we all love Nic Cage. While many actors come and go, Nic Cage is there year after year churning out movie after movie. Sure, a lot of his films are shit, but deep down we take comfort in knowing he’s out there. He’s a constant in our ever changing lives. He’s a friend, a brother, and perhaps to some, a secret lover. Plus, he used to do shoorms with his cat.

Who would have thought something so great could come from the Brett Ratner-directed film The Family Man? I want this song as my ringtone. Verizon, make it happen! (FilmDrunk)

I want these links!

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Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, the two directors behind the tweeked-out Crank films, are negotiating to stab their hypodermic needle of creativity into the heart of the Ghost Rider sequel, entitled Ghost Rider The Spirit of Vengeance. Nic Cage will return as Johnny Blaze, the stuntman with a serious dry scalp problem.

The film needs to go into production before November or Columbia loses the rights, so who better to take a chokehold on the project than the guys who directed two movies where speed is a major component. I can’t imagine the sequel to Ghost Rider could turn out any worse than the original. Neveldine and Taylor are basically getting permission to play with fire, and I fear not even the craft services table would be safe from their wrath. When Neveldine spots crafty serving up bananas foster across the stage, you know he’s gonna want to bathe in those flames. (THR)

^{"Doggarnit. People like me."}

It appears that Nicolas Cage’s crappy sequel plate is full. It looks like the cash-strapped actor may be forced to choose between roles.  From Vulture:

Insiders confirm to Vulture that Columbia is facing a ticking clock on the rights to the BBQ-skulled Marvel Comics character: Legally, if the studio isn’t in production on a sequel by November 14, 2010, the franchise automatically reverts to Marvel — which means the comic company’s new owner, Disney.
Insiders tell us that Columbia is asking Marvel for an extension. (Asking, pleading, it’s a fine line.) But time is running out. Cage has spoken about his desire to make a second Ghost Rider; the issue is whether his schedule will be free before the deadline. Disney is also hoping to get him for a third National Treasure with Jerry Bruckheimer, which could be shooting as early as this fall and would presumably earn the star a hefty paycheck. And considering Cage’s well-documented money troubles, that cash may trump his deep love of comic books.

A Ghost Rider without Nicolas Cage wouldn’t feel like a Ghost Rider film at all. That would be like The Punisher without Thomas Jane, or The Hulk without Eric Bana, or Iron Man without Terrence Howard. I can’t even imagine a world where such travesties would be allowed.

It looks like Jerry Bruckheimer has found a kinship with writers Carlo Bernard and Doug Miro. The pair wrote his next two blockbusters, Prince of Persia and The Sorcerer‘s Apprentice, and now he has them on the hook to write a third National Treasure film for director Jon Turteltaub.

When reached for fictional comment, not-real Jerry Bruckheimer had this to say:

"The National Treasure films have always displayed a reckless abandon for all semblance of reality. After seeing how Carlo and Doug laughed in the face of physics and history with their other works, Jon and I knew they were the d-bags for the job. It also helps that they can’t capture the way people actually talk."

No plot specifics have been released yet but we’ll keep you posted on Nicolas Cage‘s hunt for William Henry Harrison’s gold or whatever it turns out to be.

In the interest of full disclosure, I made that earlier quote up. (Coming Soon)

Jerry Bruckheimer would like you to know that Nicolas Cage is not some gay-bay sorcerer like you’re used to seeing. No way. This sorcerer drives a sports car (and is probably going through a sorcerer’s mid-life crisis). A new international trailer for The Sorcerer’s Apprentice was conjured up today. (*submits resume to Variety*) In this version, we see the same framework of the first with Nicolas Cage in a dopey hat abducting Jay Baruchel from his life as a physics nerd to induct him into the life of a magic nerd. The largest difference is more footage of the excellent Alfred Molina as the villian "Maxim," a nefarious sorcerer who hangs out in dudes’ bathrooms but then gets hidden hastily when girls are over.

Sadly you’ll have to wait until July 16th to see Cage go full-wizard.

Witness the magic of computer effects after the jump…

Scorcerers Apprentice International Trailer – Watch more Funny Videos

Those tissues aren’t for the tears. The new red band trailer for Kick-Ass tackles a subject very near and dear to all teenagers. The protagonist’s dedication to making regular spank bank donations leads him to a higher calling: kicking ass without the help of super powers.

I thought I’d be sick of more Kick-Ass footage, but the new trailer succeeds in its attempt to get me even more amped up. I’m thinking of stretching a pair of my neighbor’s pantyhose over my head and putting an end to crime. I’ll then be arrested for breaking into my neighbor’s house and stealing her pantyhose, a charge I’ll vehemently defend as a necessary evil. 

Check out the trailer below.

That’s Lyndsy Fonseca, and she’s in the new international red-band trailer for Kick-Ass. The trailer also features some new footage, a good story summary, and Chloe Moretz spouting out a particularly filthy word, but the quick glimpses of Lyndsy alone are worth the key strokes for the age-gate. If you don’t watch Desperate Housewives or How I Met Your Mother than you probably are not aware of Lyndsy’s winning smile, but you will be soon. I’m even considering seeing Hot Tub Time Machine so I can get a side of Fonseca with my overly broad concept comedy fix.

By the way, the word Chloe (Hit Girl) says is "cock." A brain-tingling word like that and they gave it to the jail bait. Laaaaaamesville.

Check out the international red-band trailer here.

April 16th cannot get here fast enough. A new trailer for Kick-Ass was released today and it proves that you don’t need a super power to be a superhero. All you really need is a gun and a penchant for violence.

Mark Strong also appears as the villian who addresses the elephant in the room by comparing Nic Cage‘s Big Daddy to Batman. Now allow me to address another elephant. Mark Strong, did you steal Andy Garcia’s face?

Feast your eyes on the awesome new trailer after the jump…

Kick-Ass Trailer 2 – Watch more Funny Videos

(via THR)

Nic Cage turned 46 today and hosted the creepiest party ever!

Make a wish and click on these links.

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_{6 Ways the Internet F’s Up Your Life (RegretfulMorning)}

_{Buy Your First Motorcycle (MadeMan)}

_{The Next Decade of NASCAR (AllLeftTurns)}

 The red band trailer for Kick-Ass certainly lives up to its name by showcasing Chloe Moretz‘s foul-mouthed Hit Girl as she kicks every ass in sight. More specifically, she shoots a dude through his cheek, cuts off a Malcom Jamal Warner lookalike’s leg, and drops the "C" bomb on a room full of thugs. Now I’m all kinds of homesick. Seeing such a young girl growl the "C" word really makes me miss my nieces.

Kick-Ass Red Band Hit Girl Trailer – Watch more Funny Videos

(via Empire)

A new character poster and clip from Kick-Ass has been released with Nic Cage as Big Daddy. No, I swear to you he’s Big Daddy and not an earless Batman. I don’t want to ruin the clip, but Cage engages in a questionable parental practice. However, I’m a firm believer in what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger, so bring on the violent life lessons!

Then bring on thes kick-ass links!

_{The Hottest Babes in Christmas Movies (HolyTaco)}

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_{Don’t Rush in to Marriage (RegretfulMorning)}

_{The New Leaked Google Phone (MadeMan)}

_{Denny Hamlin’s Girlfriend (AllLeftTurns)}

_{Man Tasered at Crime Scene (NothingToxic)}

_{Find Out the Dirty Secret Behin Avatar (Atom)}

Nicolas Cage loooooooves fake hair. We recently posted The Season of the Witch trailer, in which Cage dons flowing locks of stringy fibers, and it appears he continues the trend in the new trailer for The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. There’s CG magic abound in the Disney film, and Jay Barachul in disbelief of most of it. I have to say though, the dragon stuff is pretty cool. I mean, it’s no Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, because that "film" was clearly Rob Cohen jerkin’ it in front of a mirror, so maybe Apprentice can give CG dragons the recognition they deserve.

The trailer below is proof of what happens when a sorcerer leaves his workshop in the hands of an inept apprentice, who naturally puts a spell on a broomstick to do chores for him (because he’s lazy) and the brookstick goes apesh*t. Jay Barachul plays Mickey Mouse. 

The film is directed by Jon Turteltaub, who directed Instinct, the movie where Anthony Hopkins plays a monkey, and the National Treasure movies. 

The Sorcerers Apprentice Trailer – Watch more Funny Videos

Even the director, Werner Herzog, wanted to change the title. After all, when you’re making a movie about a crooked cop, you probably don’t need a marketing ploy. Many films depicting good cops gone bad have gone on to become classics. Here are 10 of the greatest "dirty cop" films of all time.

Dirty Harry – The Dirty Harry Series

Nobody likes a dirty cop, unless of course that cop is abusing his power for the greater good. If a cop is shaking down drug dealers to line his own pockets, he’s considered a scum bag.  But if a cop shoves a plunger handle up some perp’s anus to force a rape confession, he’s just a loose cannon who doesn’t have time for bureaucratic formalities like "paper work" and "the Fifth Amendment." For example, Dirty Harry doesn’t play by "the rules," but he’s one of the most beloved on-screen cops of all time.

Alonzo – Training Day

This movie really hit home for me.  My partner once forced me to smoke PCP and then left me for dead with a group of Mexican gang bangers. Of course this was back in high school when I was working at a water park, so things ended up a lot better for me than they did for Alonzo, the crooked cop in Training Day. "King Kong ain’t got nothing on me." An accurate statement, considering Kong and Alonzo both end up getting shot to death. (Retroactive Spoiler Alert)

Captain Hank Quinlan – Touch of Evil

If there’s one thing that films have taught me, it’s that fat cops and corruption go together like Amy Winehouse and Valtrex. And they don’t get much fatter or more corrupt than Orsen Wells in Touch of Evil. But hey, you can’t make an omelet without strangling a few suspects, am I right?

The Lieutenant – Bad Lieutenant

As you’ve probably gathered from the title, this guy is one bad Lieutenant. Harvey Keitel plays a drug-addled cop who is up to his ears in gambling debt.  When he’s not getting stoned out of his mind and shaking down criminals for cash, he’s running a ponzi scheme on his fellow officers and sexually assaulting teenage girls. (Spoiler Alert) I hope you like Harvey Keitel’s junk as much as I do, because you get an eyeful of it.

Click here to see scene from Bad Lieutenant involving a gun, a bullet, and the "N-word."

The Sheriff of Nottingham – Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves

If there’s one thing this crappy movie taught me, it’s that crooked cops have been around for a long, long time. I’m not an expert on British law, but I’m pretty sure you can’t just go around arbitrarily cutting people’s hearts out with spoons. You have to consult a priest and look at a sheep’s entrails first! Read your Magna Carta, Sheriff.

The Sheriff of Malibu – The Big Lebowski

Malibu is a nice quiet beach community,and this sheriff intends to keep it that way. He’s a real reactionary.  He’s probably the same guy who busted Mel Gibson for a DUI. F**king fascist!

Sheriff Will Teasle – First Blood

The sheriff in the first Rambo movie is a real dick.  He wants to run John Rambo out of town just because he’s a crazy drifter with a hunting knife as big as your head. I can’t understand why he doesn’t want Rambo around.  What a mean jerk.

Click here to watch a Rambo get hasseled by the law at the 2 minute mark.

Chief Wiggum The Simpsons Movie

Yeah, most of Wiggum’s corruption happens on the TV show, and not the movie. But he’s still a great example of a cop on the take.  If you don’t like it, make your own damn list.

Staff Sergeant Colin Sullivan – The Departed

Matt Damon plays a rat in the Massachusetts State Police Department in this Oscar winning Martin Scorsese film. All corrupt cop references aside, there is something genuinely satisfying about watching Matt Damon get repeatedly jacked in the face.

Norman "Stan" Stansfield – The Professional

Gary Oldman is at his creepiest as a crooked DEA agent who has now qualms about killing those who stand in his way.  On a list of 10 scum bags (Wiggum and Dirty Harry excluded), this is the only character who has no problems with killing children, and that is saying a lot.

Today’s Marquee Links

Alizee Paradis is One Hot Athlete

Fans to Cheer For

Tauntaun Costume

Rabecca Lee

Sophia Vergara Pics

Director: Matthew Vaughn

Cast: Nicolas Cage, Aaron Johnson, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Mark Strong, Chloe Moretz

Synopsis: Dave Lizewski is an unnotice high school student and comic book fan who one day decides to become a super-hero, even though he has no powers, training or meaningful reason to do so.

Director: Werner Herzog

Cast: Nicolas Cage, Eva Mendes, Val Kilmer

Synopsis: “Port of Call” stars Cage as the not-good Lieutenant and Eva Mendes, Val Kilmer, Jennifer Coolidge, Xhibit and Fairuza Balk as the people who helps him be not so good.

Genre: Drama

Release Date: December 2, 2009