Nicolas Cage

At first glance, Arsenal looks like your average bonkers Nicolas Cage movie, if not slightly more emphatic than usual. But don’t let yourself be distracted by John Cusack’s do-rag and the sudden realization that Jonathon Schaech still exists — those things have been placed in the trailer to intentionally mislead you, for any true Cage fan will certainly recognize that Arsenal is not some basic VOD Cage Gone Wild experience; it is almost definitely a not-so-unofficial sequel to Cage’s forgotten 1993 film, Deadfall.

After over 40 years of working in film, Paul Schrader remains as challenging as he was when he first caught Martin Scorsese’s attention with his screenplay for Taxi Driver. They made three more films together, but Schrader established himself as the more unconventional of the two when he took control of the camera. Decades later, Schrader’s filmography is just as prolific with singular titles like Hardcore, Cat People, and Dog Eat Dog — the latter is his most recent effort, a delirious crime thriller starring Nicolas Cage and Willem Dafoe that is every bit as wild as that simple description implies, and the reason for our conversation with the veteran filmmaker.

Nicolas Cage is, when he wants to be, one of the best and most inventive actors of his generation. But Nicolas Cage is, always, a man of questionable taste. While out doing press for his new movie ‘Outcast,’ Cage showcased that remarkably detachment from reality by having plenty of nice things to say about the work his co-star, Hayden Christensen, contributed to George Lucas’ ‘Star Wars’ prequels.

Nicolas Cage has made a habit of selecting atrocious film roles for the better part of a decade, so it’s always a pleasant surprise when he finds himself attached to something that actually sounds promising. Fresh off a Razzie nomination for the quick and dirty paycheck gig that was ‘Left Behind,’ Cage is set to lead ‘Army of One,’ a film adaptation of a truly bizarre story about man’s hunt for Osama Bin Laden.

Nic Cage is in a new movie that opened today called ‘Left Behind.’ There’s already a movie called ‘Left Behind’ that starred Kirk Cameron and this movie is probably a lot like that one, only Nic Cage is in it now. ‘Left Behind’ details the biblical rapture and what it would be like if the rapture happened while Nic Cage was piloting a commercial airliner. If ‘Left Behind’ was screened for critics, I wasn’t invited. So, on Friday morning I paid to see ‘Left Behind’ in the Kip’s Bay area of Manhattan. While watching ‘Left Behind,’ I kept a running diary. Here’s how that all went…

Usually when a studio is looking to promote their movie, they'll include a quote from a film critic lavishing superlatives on the movie in question. Nicolas Cage's upcoming movie 'Left Behind' is trying a different approach. Instead of quoting film critics, they're quoting Satan, The Prince of Darkness.