The Playlist

The Films Of Nicolas Cage: A Retrospective

By The Playlist Staff
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March 23, 2013 12:07 PM
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23 Comments

Features

Yes, the career of Nicolas Cage has taken what one can argue is a serious nosedive in recent years. His frightening hairline has become the butt of endless jokes, his personal life is always a mess (he named his son Kal-El after Superman and he's on his third wife), and his take-a-paycheck career choices of late (seemingly endless riffs on "Taken" that barely get theatrical releases, things like "Seeking Justice," "Stolen," "Trespass," and on the way, a reboot of bonkers Biblical apocalypse flick "Left Behind" ) have made him an even bigger laughing stock (maybe the tax problems and reported ridiculous spending habits explain these terrible tendencies).

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Berlin Review: Animated 'The Croods' Sacrifices Story & Character On Altar Of Impressive 3D Visuals

By Jessica Kiang
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February 15, 2013 2:00 PM
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11 Comments

Festivals

We suspect our reaction may be out of step with the general consensus of press at our Berlin Film Festival screening of the "The Croods" today, if the guffaws and applause were anything to go by, but really that had us kind of baffled. The DreamWorks film, from writer/directors Chris Sanders ("How to Train Your Dragon," "Lilo & Stitch") and Kirk Di Micco ("Space Chimps"), features a starry voice cast in Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds, Catherine Keener, Cloris Leachman and Clark Duke, and an appropriately high concept: the Croods are a family of cavemen who have to evolve suddenly when faced with cataclysmic natural disasters and the arrival of a young Homo Sapiens with the ability to make fire.

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Dolph Lundgren Says 'The Expendables 3' Aiming To Shoot This Fall With Wesley Snipes Eyed To Join Cast

By Gabe Toro
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January 24, 2013 1:42 PM
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0 Comments

News

While the buzz on "The Expendables 2" was fairly muted and the domestic gross lagged behind that of the first film, the blockbuster action sequel still netted a cool $300 million worldwide. Given that making these movies doesn't break the bank, it's not a surprise to learn that a third iteration is in the works. While no director is attached, and the script has yet to be written, Dolph Lundgren confirms he'll return for the musclebound action franchise's third outing, which could even begin shooting this year.

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Nicolas Cage, Juno Temple & Johnny Knoxville Take A Walk On The 'Wild Side'

By Kevin Jagernauth
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May 8, 2012 2:41 PM
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2 Comments

News

Man, it's been way too long since word of a new Nic Cage movie. But rest assured, he's bringing his trunk full of crazy wigs to a brand new film, and it sounds as improbable as everything else he's done recently.

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Antonio Banderas Says He Was Asked To Join 'The Expendables 2' But Didn't Have Time To Fit It In

By Kevin Jagernauth
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October 21, 2011 6:02 AM
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5 Comments

Nicolas Cage Won't Be In It & Probably Not John Travolta EitherEven though the meat-head heavy "The Expendables 2" is already in front of cameras, with the Ben Gay-sponsored cast ripping it up for next summer's blockbuster, rumors have still been floating about possible appearances in the film. One rumor picking up heat in recent weeks was the possibility of Nicolas Cage and John Travolta joining the cast. Well, we heard from Cage's reps who told us he was not going to be in the film, and reportedly the folks at Think McFly Think have learned that Travolta is out too. Bummer. But they're not the only ones who have been on Sly Stallone's lengthy wishlist.

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Nicolas Cage Makes Another Dent In Tax Bill, Signs To Headline Thriller 'Black Butterfly'

By Oliver Lyttelton
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October 18, 2011 1:24 AM
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1 Comment

You'd be absolutely correct if you were to say that Nicolas Cage seems to be working more than usual these days. The actor has had three films in theaters this year, and could have as many as six next year. And there's a reason for this -- the eccentric star ran into major financial problems a few years ago, with several of his many homes being foreclosed on, following the discovery of a substantial tax bill owing to the I.R.S.

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NYCC: Mark Neveldine & Brian Taylor Diss First Film, Say 'Ghost Rider' "Re-quel" Has Huge Body Count

By Gabe Toro
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October 16, 2011 2:58 AM
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2 Comments

Directors Say They've Thought About Direct-To-DVD Character Spinoffs For The 'Crank' SeriesSony had a superhero franchise on their hands in “Ghost Rider.” Curiously, though first film that turned a solid profit, but no one particularly fell in love with it, leaving them in a position to experiment with a second film about Johnny Blaze. So it only makes sense that they would turn to Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, the architects of the gonzo, hard R-rated “Crank” series to recapture the magic of a beloved Marvel Comics’ “superhero.” We sat down and talked with Mark and Brian at the New York Comic Con to talk about the approach to “Ghost Rider: Spirit Of Vengeance,” their thoughts on their first movie, and how a PG-13 rating wasn't a hurdle to their usually risky brand of filmmaking.

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Review: 'Trespass' Is a Hopelessly Uninspired Home Invasion Thriller

By Drew Taylor
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October 10, 2011 5:47 AM
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1 Comment

With a speaking voice that often (and unexpectedly) devolves into histrionic yelps and an assortment of goofy, ever-changing hair pieces, Nicolas Cage has become such a creative loose cannon you often want to check in on his latest effort in the off chance that he’s delivered some creative crazy good (“Bad Lieutenant: Port of New Orleans”) instead of the crazy mediocre that seems to be the norm (almost everything else he does).

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Joel Schumacher Says He Wanted Nicolas Cage To Play Scarecrow In The Aborted 'Batman Triumphant'

By Gabe Toro
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October 5, 2011 2:16 AM
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7 Comments

The career of Joel Schumacher is a colorful one, filled with unpredictable twists and turns, hits and misses, star vehicles and no-name indies. He’s been everywhere and done everything, and his latest, “Trespass,” which hits theaters next Friday, is his second collaboration with Nicolas Cage after “8MM.” However, it was almost his third.

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Where Did This Come From? Trailer & Pics For 'Justice' Starring Nicolas Cage & January Jones

By Kevin Jagernauth
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September 22, 2011 1:39 AM
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6 Comments

Well, this is a weird surprise. We have to admit, we had pretty much entirely forgotten about "The Hungry Rabbit Jumps." First announced way back in September 2009, the film stars the pretty promising trio of Nicolas Cage, January Jones and Guy Pearce in the Tobey Maguire-produced film about a man (Cage) who becomes involved with an underground vigilante organization after a brutal attack on his wife (Jones). And with Roger Donaldson ("The Bank Job," "Thirteen Days," "No Way Out") -- who is no stranger to making genre fare classier than it should be -- directing, and with comparisons to "The Game" and "Strangers on a Train" being tossed around, it seemed like it could be something potentially interesting. But somewhere along the journey, the movie seems to have lost its way. Though a first look at the film popped up last summer, it has since been mysteriously scrubbed from the EW page where it originated perhaps pointing to distributor woes stateside. However, the movie is unspooling overseas, hitting the U.K. this fall and The Sun has the first trailer. It won't take you too long to realize why this one has been collecting dust.

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