Welcome back, carnivores of taste, to another edition of Cage Match, the only weekly column in the universe completely dedicated to Nicolas Cage. In last week’s exciting episode, we were visited by Mr. Cage’s brother, Christopher Coppola. We were honored to have Mr. Coppola, aka the DigiVangelist, who visited our comments section and turned out to be even cooler than he looks in his pictures. That was definitely a watershed moment in my fandom.

But let’s stay grounded and get back to the task at hand: reporting awesome Nic Cage related shit. The biggest nugget dropped yesterday when a video hit the net of Cage exhibiting some real-life Cage Rage outside of a nightclub in Bucharest. I’ve heard people yell some pretty wild shit when they get furious, but Cage takes it to another level. He could have been a speech writer for the Ultimate Warrior. There’s some more Season of the Witch clips, the lowdown on a confirmed new role, and tax drama, Cage-style!

Real Life Cage Rage Outside of a Bucharest Nightclub

If you thought his on-screen insanity was impressive, you should see how Cage throws down in real life. He’s in Romania finishing up photography on Ghostrider 2 and a couple days ago he verbally bitch slapped a man outside of a Bucharest nightclub. By “bitch slap” I mean he went on a tirade and yelled things like:

“You know it! So do not try to escape! Otherwise, you kill me? F**k you! I die in honor! I could die right now! Want to hit me?”

“Look in my eyes! I’m not a liar! That man is a liar!”

“Get in the car! I’ll die in the name of honor!”

…and people say chivalry is dead. No reports yet on what set Cage off but the guy probably deserved it. Now, will some computer savvy individual please re-edit the classic Cage Rage video to include this song. (via FilmDrunk)

Mo’ Cage news after the break!

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Hope your sitting down AND buckled up because the first trailer for next year’s Fast & Furious is online. Yesterday, Caffeine Powered posted on my Facebook the homoerotic promo photo of Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel staring each other down. Just when I thought I recovered from that testosterone sandwich, they release the first trailer. Boom! Not only are Vin Diesel and Paul Walker back once again, but Tyrese and Ludacris are up in this bitch as well. I hope they make Tyrese eat everything in sight again, like in the second one.

The movie is officially title Fast Five, which kinda sucks. Let’s brainstorm other titles so I can avoid writing any actual insight on the trailer. Hmmm…5ast & 5urious. Too edgy? How about Fast & Furious V: Axe Body Spray. Nah, too commercial. I give up. This is still gearing up to be the best worst movie of 2011. With NoS.

Max Headroom is one of the most bizarre creations imported to American television in our lifetime. He poked his unholy prosthetic head onto Cinemax in 1986 by way of British TV and quickly began stuttering his way to stardom. Headroom (played by Matt Frewer – who portrayed Moloch in Watchmen) actually has a pretty sweet backstory. I barely remembered what he was all about, but after watching his awesome Christmas special I did some Wiki research. It’s like the best cyberpunk tale never written by William Gibson:

The film introduces Edison Carter (Matt Frewer), a television reporter trying to expose corruption and greed. In the movie, reporter Carter discovers that his employer, Network 23, has created a new form of subliminal advertising (termed “blip-verts”) that can be fatal to certain viewers.

While attempting to flee the network headquarters with proof, Edison suffers a serious head injury, caused by striking a low-clearance sign labeled “Max. Headroom”. Believing him killed, the network’s chief executive orders Bryce Lynch, an adolescent genius working as a scientist for Network 23, to digitally record Carter’s mind. The recording will then be used to create a computer-based replacement for Carter in order to hide his death.

It only gets b-b-better, folks, and I’ll tie this all into Christmas after the break!

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There have been a few unique monster movies in recent years. The Host, Cloverfield, and Gooby come to mind. Now Monsters, an “indie,” comes out of left field. Shot on a meager budget (less than $500,000) on location in Mexico, Costa Rica, and Guatemala, Monsters is a testament to what can be accomplished with limited resources by a determined and creative filmmaker. Dashing Brit Gareth Edwards not only wrote and directed Monsters, he also storyboarded and filmed the entire thing. And when he was done with that, he created all of the impressive special effects using Adobe. The result is a fresh approach to the genre — one light on exploitation and that focuses more on relationships and politics.

In the not too distant future, a NASA probe lands near the U.S.-Mexico border. This spreads alien life throughout the region, forcing a quarantine of half of Mexico, now known as the Infected Zone. The U.S. throws up an enormous wall on the border to keep the aliens inside Mexico and out of America. The U.S. military conducts expensive bombing of areas in hopes of destroying these aliens that may or may not be a threat. Sound familiar, nudge, nudge? A brash, young photojournalist named Andrew is assigned by his wealthy boss to bring his daughter, Samantha, back into the U.S. Their journey back to the States takes them through the Infected Zone by foot, boat, and, finally, by U.S. military transport. It’s a treacherous road the whole way but that does nothing to thwart the blossoming romance between our travelers. Miraculously, the romantic plot manages to avoid cliche in the hands of Edwards.

During their journey, we see glimpses of the monsters and hear them moaning woefully in the night. Yeah, they sound sad. You’d be bummed too if you just wanted to coexist but people where flinging missiles at you all the time. There is, in fact, a strong vibe of melancholy throughout the entire film. From the beautiful shots of the landscape to the dialogue between Andrew and Samantha. Even when they get to spend a night partying in Mexico it’s like being in the doldrums. No one is happy with their situation: not Andrew, not Samantha, and certainly not the monsters.

One thing to be happy about is the design of the monsters. They’re pulled right out of the pages of Lovecraft with squid-like attributes nodding towards Cthulhu. They disperse a toxic gas when killed, hence the popular use of gas masks. Godzilla, Mothra, and that Coverfield thingy may be bigger and more ferocious than the beasts in Monsters, but these guys have more personality. They’re like jaded hipster monsters.

It’s Edward’s low-key approach to the genre that holds your attention throughout the film. It’s not necessarily suspense that grips us — we know there are monsters in the jungle, but we never really feel threatened by them — it’s the film’s unconventional way at looking at the human condition and relationships. Did that sound corny and cliche? My bad. But if you’re looking for something different and seriously original, check out Monsters.

Kick it! The 2011 Sundance Film Festival kicks off on January 20th and one short film is already being called a “must-see.” Directed by Adam Yauch (MCA) of the Beastie Boys, Fight For Your Right Revisited is a look at the making of the classic video. That in itself would be awesome, but what’s really creating buzz for the short is the cast. Seth Rogen as Mike D, Elijah Wood as Ad-Rock, and Danny McBride as MCA. That’s them from left to right in the photo. John C. Reilly, Jack Black, and Will Ferrell also star, probably as party goers. Hell yes.

The short promises to look at what happens when “the party’s over.” That’s all the information Yauch has revealed so far, but the cast list alone is enough to get pumped about. I’m most excited about seeing Frodo in the mix. Seeing how he plays off of McBride and Reilly is going to be a treat. (via MovieFone)

David O’Russell’s Oscar contender The Fighter hits theaters tomorrow and Paramount Pictures is doing some pretty sweet promotions – for a good cause. The film tells the story of Micky Ward, a boxer from Lowell, Massachusetts, and his junkie half-brother/trainer, Dickie Ecklund. Early reviews are strongly positive and critics are saying the film focuses more on Ward’s conflicts outside of the ring. One critic said it was less “hokey” than Rocky but lacked the intensity of Raging Bull. Sounds good to me.

Paramount did an art show at Gallery 1988 with The Fighter as its inspiration. Now some of the pieces are for sale. There are three different art prints going for the affordable price of $10. For our high-net-worth readers, there are some hand painted boxing gloves that will set you back $400-$1,000. The ones pictured above are by Californian Graham Curran. I love pissed off looking bears, so I love those gloves.

All proceeds from the sale will go to Team Micky Ward Charities. So, buy me those gloves and feel good about it.

Welcome back to the Cage Match, Omega Level’s weekly column on the actor who owes $6 million in taxes and is somehow not in prison: Nicolas Cage. Anticipation for the grossly delayed Season of the Witch is building and as we draw closer to its January release date a slew of new stills and BTS pics have been released. There’s even a new clip featuring lots of CGI wolves! Speaking of those taxes, our man is getting in even more legal trouble in L.A. We’ll take a look at those court documents as well as ALL of Cage’s homes – all 15 of them! James Franco – who Cage directed in Sonny – appeared on Inside the Actor’s Studio and had some (homo) juice on Cage. Oh, and, Cage’s brother Christopher has been taken on a terrible “alias.” More on that later. Now, what about those wolves?

Mo’ Swords, Mo’ Wolves

It looks like Season of the Witch (January 7, 2011) will be light on Cage insanity we all love but will be entertaining overall. IMDB has an exclusive clip (which is un-embeddable) that has some cheesy looking CGI wolves attacking the carriage escorting the witch. I think. The brains at IMDB have entitled the clip “Wolves.” Nice one, guys.

On the hunt for more Witch? The folks at FearNet have a gallery of over 40 stills and behind the scenes photos. It looks like Dominic Sena and his crew got the Medieval vibe down!

Poor, Poor Nic Cage

Yesterday, Cage pleaded before the court in L.A., asking that his “high powered” business managers be banned from speaking with Nevada State Bank. NSB is suing Cage over a house he once owned in Nevada that went into foreclosure. He owes them around $2.5 million. His business managers are being asked by NSB to appear before a deposition early next month. Cage addressed the L.A. court, stating his “private financial and business records, confidential tax returns, confidential communications with tax authorities and documents” should be protected by attorney-client privilege. (via Radar)

I’m just a simple boy from small-town New Jersey, so the world of high powered L.A. lawyers is like Narnia to me. Not to play obsessed super-fan, but I imagine they make Cage miserable. He’s more concerned with family, comic books, and being the man (see picture above) than with legal BS. Keep your head up, tiger!

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Is there a 2011 movie I’m more excited about than Rian Johnson’s Looper? No, dummy. Johnson’s one of the most original and exciting new directors to come along in years. His 2006 debut Brick is infinitely rewatchable and quickly became one of my favorite movies. 2008’s Brothers Bloom was a hit or miss with critics, but I loved it. Johnson’s a master of toying with genre and as a HUGE noir/crime/con movie fan I can appreciate anyone who comes at it fresh and original. With his first two films he covered the hardboiled detective film and the con film. With Looper, my man’s going sci-fi.

Looper is a “dark, violent sci-fi thriller revolving around time travel.” Paul Dano joins Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a Looper, a “low-level hitmen paid to murder people sent back from the future by organized crime bosses.” (via Playlist) Also signed on for the film is Bruce Willis and Emily Blunt. The addition of Dano pleases me. Anyon who can go toe-to-toe with Daniel Day Lewis needs to be in more awesome movies.

Shooting begins early next year in Louisiana so don’t expect to see Looper in theaters until late next year. Can’t f’ing wait.

While everyone is busy sweating Batman rumors, I’ll watch Baby Inception on repeat. You can’t script the amazing pay-off at the end.

Hey guys. You look terrific. Welcome to another week of Cage news and junk. The past week we’ve seen the release of a new Cage movie on DVD and more info on Ghost Rider 2. There’s also a new interview and some more random Cageness for your enjoyment. Damn, you really do look terrific.

Like I mentioned last week, Trapped in Paradise is available on Netflix Watch Instantly. I did go back and revisit it after about 15 years. I liked it way more than I thought I would. The story itself is a by-the-numbers love/holiday/crime movie, but Cage’s performance as the moralistic, criminally romantic Bill Firpo is terrific. It teeters on the edge of bored Nic Cage and the insane genius we all love. His moments of rage in the film are hilarious and I’ve thrown in a few funny screenshots I took while watching it. So check that movie out if you haven’t already. Also, it made me warm and fuzzy for the holidays. Okay on with the show!

Sorcerer’s Apprentice Out!!! Nic Cage Is Bored

Yesterday the Sorcerer’s Apprentice came out on Blu-Ray and DVD (if you’re poor). I picked it up from a Redbox last night and was pretty excited to watch it. I don’t know why. From the trailers and clips I had seen I knew it wasn’t going to be the insane genius Nic Cage but the bored, reading his lines to get a paycheck Nic Cage.

After about 15 minutes I thought the movie was at its conclusion. Seriously there are so many magic battles in the first act that everything has the vibe of a final battle. That’s not a good thing because when the smoke cleared, I didn’t give a shit anymore.

One good thing did come out of the Sorcerer’s Apprentice: Cage fucking with people during interviews for the film. Ahem:

How did it feel to play a sorcerer?

Cage: This is the role I’ve been waiting to do my whole life. When I was a kid, I used to love pretending to be a superhero. I was always playing around and shooting energy out of my hands. In that respect, I’ve been rehearsing for this role for years because Balthazar certainly shoots plasma out of his hands in “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.”

…ok with me.

A Slew of New Set Pics From Ghostrider 2

Romanian website Libertatea has a bunch of new pics from the set of Ghostrider 2: Spirit of Vengeance, which I believe has finished shooting. I’m really excited about this one not only because Cage gets to resurrect a role that he had to tone down in the first film but also because of the directors Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor. This duo has created some of the most original, insane, and visually bananas movies to come out in a long time (Crank 1 and 2, Gamer).

But what does Cage think of working with Neveldine and Taylor? And what do you suppose his reaction is to the Nic Cage Losing His Shit viral video? Well…

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