Advertise on podcast: #CageClub: The Nicolas Cage Podcast

It's time to visit the apocryphal gospels with The Carpenter's Son, which marks our return to "fully caught up on Cage" status! After exploring why Nicolas Cage wanted to do this movie (including the "insult" he suffered before this and how this whole thing seems to have backfired), we talk about some new Nicolas Cage news, including a release date for Madden (Nov. 18 on Amazon Prime!) and a movie from the director of Stolen that was... stolen... from Netflix?! Then, we shift our focus to The Carpenter's Son. Joey offers Mike some context for other actors in this movie, while Mike wonders whether this movie was mismarketed. We discuss the film's strong start as well as its struggle to match that height again. Why does it seem like there's such little story here? We try to figure that out. We also highlight the elements we like from the movie, as we want to bring some positivity to it. We then turn our eyes to the future and look at Nicolas Cage's IMDb to see his eight (!) upcoming projects.

We're continuing our journey through Nicolas Cage's recent filmography by talking about The Surfer, which premiered at Cannes! After talking about how critics loved it (but fans didn't), we share our favorite details and moments, like: it's an Australian Christmas movie... it's the summer! We heap praise on both Nicolas Cage and Julian McMahon's performances, and talk about how it feels like this is a return to a Vampire's Kiss-esque character for Cage. So much feels like a dream... but isn't... and we talk about what that does for the movie. Joey praises it for being a really tight film with such clear wants and needs, Mike compares this surf crew to the one in Point Break, and we both talk about the rat being an item in old point-and-click PC adventure games. We look ahead to The Carpenter's Son and talk about showing off Cage's lesser-known films. Joey shares the level of artistic impact he has achieved on behalf of #CageClub.

We’ve made it to the end of Spider-Noir — at least its first season — and it’s time to talk about its finale: “The Man in the Mask.” We talk about how, it turns out, there was never (really) a big bad. With 11 Emmy Award nominations under its belt (rightly recognizing the craft of this show!), we wonder: are people talking about this show? Watching this show? Or did all of that happen 8 weeks ago? We discuss how the finale balances the noir and comic book elements with almost an exact 50/50 split, heap praise on Lamorne Morris as Robbie doing a multi-layered impression of Cage doing Jimmy Stewart as Ben, and explore the idea that this episode really needs us to care about Cat and to fear Megawatt. We get a return to Spider-Man’s New York transportation roots (for action!) and receive a surprising happy ending. (Importantly, Ben gets that hot dog.) Will this show continue? Do we want it to? It’s behaving how every new show must behave: leaving the door open for more while also offering a conclusion.

We've entered the home stretch of Spider-Noir! Today's episode is about "Nobody's Hero," the seventh in the season and the first of Greg Yaitanes's two episodes. We talk about how quickly the episode sets up its stakes (good!), has a bunch of fun stuff in the middle (great!), but ends in a strange place (not great!). We lament the lack of cumulative buildup and discuss some different ways this could have been fixed and try to connect the style of this show's creation to the way comics are written. Drunk Spider! Fighting Tombstone! There's so much to love, and we give "Nobody's Hero" its praises. Joey shares some details from the New York Times hour-long video interview, including what television means to Nicolas Cage and what, exactly, he was going for in The Gunslingers. We get a bit existential with the future of properties and the tenuous nature of 2026 media.

The first season (?) of Spider-Noir is wrapping up, but not before the show goes full horror in its sixth episode: "Nightmare on a Gurney." After Joey explains why the episode was a bit of a lowlight for him (but why this criticism is sort of a compliment to the series overall), we discuss the fact that we have cleaned up the thread set up in the last episode... so now what? Do we have unanswered questions left to answer? Is Silvermane the villain of this show? If he is... what's his plan? We discuss the episode's horror elements and nightmare sequence, what Ben will do with the antidote, and what his real name may be. We heap praise on the comic book split screens and rain, wonder whether or not this show was storyboarded out, and try to make sense of when this show takes place based on its references to new movies.

The fifth episode of Spider-Noir is "Betrayal," directed by Alethea Jones, which may be our favorite episode of the series so far! After praising the direction of the episode (and noting a naming coincidence between the director and a doctor), we talk about the backstory this episode provides, along with answers to some of our biggest questions. Plus: body horror! (A man-spider!) We talk about the serendipity of literally "dodging a bullet," whether removing Ben's powers would fundamentally change how he acts in the world (a la Superman II), and the dynamic duos of Robbie + Janet and Sandman + Tombstone. Cage makes some questionable acting choices with regards to a patient. Mike imagines a version of Casablanca with foul language. We discuss Cat's inevitable betrayal, Cage being so blinded by love that he'd order a scoop of cottage cheese instead of a hot dog deluxe, and whether Silvermane is still the show's "big bad."

We're back with another episode of Spider-Noir -- "A Mistake I'll Never Make Again" -- and we're wondering: which is the titular mistake? There are many to choose from! Spider and Cat are together, but is the timing of their relationship right? We talk about how this episode slows things down a bit to offer some character backstory, and how it offers a different kind of cliffhanger resumption. Is "hungover Cage" a new Cage for us? Also, to borrow a moment from another one of Joey's podcasts, we discuss the "most Cage moment" in the episode. Joey admires more great stuff from the kid, Mike talks about how surprised he was to see cigarettes being smoked, and we both talk about how Cat pulls a "Superman II" in making the ultimate comic book gambit. Also, Megawatt is here now... will get even more members of Spider-Man's rogues' gallery? Also, we get another (or our first?) dose of "Cage Fu." What an episode!

It's time to talk about "Double Cross," the third episode of Spider-Noir, which is perhaps our most plot-heavy installment yet! In discussing the "intricate web" that this show weaves, we discuss the violence and language employed on this show (in a way that works), how Spider-Noir weaves race into its narrative in an intentional way, and how it smartly (and sparingly) returns to the things the show does well. Does "Double Cross" introduce Tombstone? We discuss the newest super-powered human. Joey talks about how he was emotionally affected by Sandman's storyline before making a big discovery about his favorite character on the show. We break down the big showdown and the series' second cliffhanger, and how that makes sense given the directorial duties on the show. This episode (and the next) were helmed by Nzingha Stewart, who is only Cage's second (!) female director; this discovery leads us down a Cage VOD rabbit hole and into the blur of his 2010s movies. Lastly: who got shot?!

We're back with another episode of Spider-Noir, "Tread Lightly," which also marks the return of the Spider after five years away from crime-fighting! After talking about our watching cadence (are you, listener, also watching weekly?) and how we generally dislike binge watching shows, we talk about the nice touches and twists on the formula, including a contemplative superhero at this show's core. We come to terms with the fact that this is an R-rated Spider-Man, praise both Nicolas Cage's comedy chops and the work Lamorne Morris is doing in the show, and discuss what powers Ben actually has. We dive into what the timing, setting, and level of technology does for this episode's action sequence. Joey digs a bit deeper into the director of these first two episodes, Harry Bradbeer, while Mike talks about an interview he watched about Black & White vs. Color versions. We discuss what we would like to see for this show, going forward, and we grapple with the reality that this is a Spider-Man who threatens to kill his enemies. What are the implications of that?

#CageClub is back, and it's a brand new era and a brand new area: TV! After addressing our plans to cover the rest of Spider-Noir on a weekly basis (as well as the two movies we missed), we step into the office with, well, "Step Into My Office." We talk about how this series feels bigger (in terms of critical reception and coverage) than a Cage property has in years, the impact of watching it in black and white (versus choosing the color option), and the extensive New York Times interview just published this week. Then, we dive into the details of the first episode. We have questions, like: Ben Reilly? Is he connected at all to the much-maligned comic series with that character? We talk about the film skipping a traditional origin story for, essentially, a second-origin story for Cage's character. We explore the rogues' gallery starting to take shape - including Silvermane, Sandman, and Black Cat - and how the show exceeding our expectations in spite of some recent superhero burnout. We also discuss how the show nails its noir trappings, and we wonder what's next for this character.

#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.