Current:Home > MyWhat to watch: Let's rage with Nic Cage -AssetTrainer
What to watch: Let's rage with Nic Cage
View
Date:2025-04-18 15:22:46
Love movies? Live for TV? USA TODAY's Watch Party newsletter has all the best recommendations, delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now and be one of the cool kids.
With apologies to Smashing Pumpkins: Despite all his rage, I'm still just a fan of the Cage.
Oscar-winning acting machine Nicolas Cage has a new movie out, which is always good news – the dude is busy and back to being unhinged, which is just how we like him. This week's viewing recs also include a throwback to the space race of the 1960s with Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum, plus it's time to talk cartoons! Not like the old "Mister T" show, "Voltron" or "Snorks," but things that today's kids dig – and maybe you will, too.
Now on to the good stuff:
Watch C-Tates and ScarJo plan a faux lunar landing in 'Fly Me to the Moon'
Ever since Neil Armstrong walked on the moon in 1969, there have been conspiracies and legends surrounding the iconic Apollo 11 mission. There's even a theory that Stanley Kubrick "directed" the moon landing. The new retro rom-com "Fly Me to the Moon" plays with all those ideas, with an alt-history narrative starring Tatum as the NASA guy in charge of the launch and Johansson as a marketing specialist hired to stage a sexier fake moon landing.
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
Tatum told my colleague Patrick Ryan that it's "just a fun way" to revisit the milestone, and Johansson says people are still fascinated by "the greatest achievement of mankind" because "it just seems absolutely impossible" in an interview discussing the movie's box-office potential and what it means to both actors.
Add 'Longlegs' to your Nicolas Cage greatest-hits list
You're going to need to take a good long shower this weekend – not just because of the excessive heat but after seeing the deliciously freaky horror flick "Longlegs." Directed by Osgood Perkins (son of "Psycho" legend Anthony Perkins), it's a throwback to "The Silence of the Lambs" and "Zodiac," with a smidge of the supernatural, where Cage plays a satanic serial killer haunting a young FBI agent (Maika Monroe). It's one of his most unhinged roles ever, which is saying something – Cage is a master of those! And I've ranked the best of the crazy, with choice cuts like "Face/Off," "Mandy" and "Wild at Heart."
If you dig a more restrained Cage, however, I'd suggest streaming his Oscar-winning turn in "Leaving Las Vegas," or a triple-feature binge of the A-lister's '90s action peak with "The Rock," "Con Air" and "Snake Eyes," or his brilliantly gentle performance in "Pig."
Stream 'Bluey,' 'Puffin Rock' and more with the young ones
While my daughter is very much immersed in her tween phase, I can still remember the shows we watched together when she was a toddler: "The Furchester Hotel," "Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood," "Yo Gabba Gabba!" Never "Caillou," though. That was the worst. For those with their own little ones now, TV critic Kelly Lawler has put together a list of the best shows that kids of all ages will enjoy, including Disney+'s "Bluey" (obviously) and Netflix's "Puffin Rock." (She also has a bunch to avoid, and "Caillou" makes an appearance there. Nice to see not everything's changed.)
And if you missed these last week, also check out Kelly's guide to screen time for families and her essay about how stressful it can be.
Even more goodness to check out!
- This week, we're remembering Shelley Duvall, who died at 75. I loved her as a kid opposite Robin Williams in "Popeye" – there'll never be an Olive Oyl like hers – but you really saw her talent and heart in "The Shining," hiding from a frightening Jack Nicholson in one of cinema's all-time scenes.
- The new face of Disney's "Descendants" franchise: 19-year-old Kylie Cantrall, an actress, singer and TikTok star who's "ready for my Marvel movie."
- Trailers for the upcoming "Captain America: Brave New World" film and Disney+ series "Agatha All Along" premiered this week. Before Comic-Con brings a flurry of superhero news next weekend, here's a rundown of every Marvel movie and show in the works.
- Love game shows? The big prizes haven't kept up with inflation over the years.
Got thoughts, questions, ideas, concerns, compliments or maybe even some recs for me? Email btruitt@usatoday.com and follow me on the socials: I'm @briantruitt on Twitter (not calling it X!), Instagram and Threads.
veryGood! (97)
Related
- Working Well: When holidays present rude customers, taking breaks and the high road preserve peace
- Fearing for Its Future, a Big Utility Pushes ‘Renewable Gas,’ Urges Cities to Reject Electrification
- How many Americans still haven't caught COVID-19? CDC publishes final 2022 estimates
- The history of Ferris wheels: What goes around comes around
- US appeals court rejects Nasdaq’s diversity rules for company boards
- Biden Takes Aim at Reducing Emissions of Super-Polluting Methane Gas, With or Without the Republicans
- Utilities Are Promising Net Zero Carbon Emissions, But Don’t Expect Big Changes Soon
- Rex Tillerson Testifies, Denying Exxon Misled Investors About Climate Risk
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
- BelVita Breakfast Sandwich biscuits recalled after reports of allergic reactions
Ranking
- Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
- At least 2 dead, 28 wounded in mass shooting at Baltimore block party, police say
- Wendy Williams Receiving Treatment at Wellness Facility
- Shop the Best 2023 Father's Day Sales: Get the Best Deals on Gifts From Wayfair, Omaha Steaks & More
- Where will Elmo go? HBO moves away from 'Sesame Street'
- Big Meat and Dairy Companies Have Spent Millions Lobbying Against Climate Action, a New Study Finds
- Leandro De Niro-Rodriguez, Robert De Niro's grandson, dies at age 19
- Video shows people running during Baltimore mass shooting that left 2 dead and 28 wounded
Recommendation
Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
Anna Marie Tendler Reflects on Her Mental Health “Breakdown” Amid Divorce From John Mulaney
Jon Gosselin Addresses 9-Year Estrangement From Kids Mady and Cara
These Cities Want to Ban Natural Gas. But Would It Be Legal?
Person accused of accosting Rep. Nancy Mace at Capitol pleads not guilty to assault charge
High-Stakes Fight Over Rooftop Solar Spreads to Michigan
Get $95 Worth of Peter Thomas Roth Skincare Masks for 50% Off
Plan to Burn Hurricane Debris Sparks Health Fears in U.S. Virgin Islands