When I first heard director Werner Herzog and Nicolas Cage were going to make a remake/re-imagining /reboot of Abel Ferrara’s insane 1992 film Bad Lieutenant, I’ll admit I wasn’t excited.  For some reason I thought they’d fuck it up or the movie would be another Nicolas Cage performance where he was just going through the motions

I couldn’t have been more wrong.   The fact is, Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans is a great movie featuring one of Nicolas Cage’s best performances.  He’s absolutely fearless; it’s like he stepped back in time to when he was an up-and-coming actor with nothing to lose.  If you want to see a great performance, you need not go any further Nicolas Cage’s latest role.

So when I sat down to talk with director Werner Herzog, we discussed how he got involved, working with Cage, how he shot a lot of the movie using just a few takes, what he has coming up, and with this being Werner Herzog, he said some quotes that must be heard.  It’s a great interview with a filmmaker I truly admire.  Watch it after the jump:

While brothers Gabe and Alan Polsky launched Polsky Films three years ago, they’ve been very busy.  In a very short amount of time they got their first movie made, Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, and they’re developing biopics of Albert Einstein and Sigmund Freud, as well as an adaptation of Flowers For Algernon.  They’ve also got Sam Mendes attached to direct an adaptation of Butcher’s Crossing for Focus Features.  So while they might be new to the industry, they’re clearly aiming to be around for awhile.

With Bad Lieutenant getting ready for release this weekend, I recently got to sit down with the brothers for an extended conversation on where they came from, how they got into the business, how Bad Lieutenant came together and what was it like on set, what other projects they’re working on, and could there be more Bad Lieutenant’s in other cities.  It’s a great conversation with these two rising producers.  Watch it after the jump:

Remember when you thought Nicolas Cage was one of the best actors in the business.  When he made films like Leaving Las Vegas, Raising Arizona, Vampire’s Kiss, and Face/Off (and I don’t want to hear he wasn’t great in Face/Off, cause he was).  Well, I’m happy to report the amazing Nicolas Cage is back and he can be seen in Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, which opens in limited release this weekend.  While I was one of the people that wondered if Cage and Werner Herzog could do justice to the Bad Lieutenant name, I really shouldn’t have been worried, as Bad Lieutenant is an awesome movie and something that you should go see in a crowded theater this weekend.  Also, Cage hasn’t been this good in years.

So to help promote the film, I recently attended a press conference with Cage.  He talked about his character, making the film, and a lot more.  You can either read what he had to say or listen to the audio after the jump:

In my perfect world, Nicolas Cage would long ago have worn out his welcome and would spend his days begging - nay, pleading - to appear in “Check Into Cash” commercials in a feeble attempt to save his house from foreclosure.  Alas, it appears the imperfect world I actually live in isn’t tired of Nicolas Cage, so he’s coming back to furl his brow and sport the fivehead in glorious 3D for the new action-thriller “Hungry Rabbit Jumps” (I don’t suppose we’ll be lucky enough to get a title change on that one, either). Find out more about this doozy after the jump.

Three new posters for “Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans”, “Sorority Row” and Spike Jonze “Where the Wild Things Are” have hit the internet and rather than post separate articles on each one, I’ve placed all of them in one place. Am I lazy? Yes. But it’s a lot easier to see them this way.

Of the three posters, the only one that could end up on my wall is “Where the Wild Things Are”. I cannot see this movie soon enough. Anyway, click the jump to check out the posters:

Premiering at this year’s Toronto Film Festival is director Werner Herzog’s “Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans”. While some may have wondered why they needed to make a new “Bad Lieutenant”, after watching this unofficial trailer, I’m sold. Also, while Nicolas Cage has made a few acting choices that I disagree with in the past few years, I’m still a big fan of his work. Here’s hoping a team up with Werner Herzog will be a good one. Anyway, in about a month we’ll know how it turned out. Until then, take a look at a number of new images from the film.

With the Toronto Film Festival taking place next month, I’ve landed a ton of new movie images from all the films that are premiering at the Festival. Since I have so much to post, I’m going to keep all the intros pretty brief. So if you’d like to see the first 5 images from Werner Herzog’s “My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done”, take a look after the jump. The film stars Michael Shannon, Willem Dafoe, Chloe Sevigny, Udo Kier, and Michael Pena:

Okay, well clearly this trailer for Werner Herzog’s remake/sequel of Abel Ferrara’s “Bad Lieutenant” wasn’t supposed to go online.

While I’m still not sure if it will be able to match the insanity of Ferrara’s original, it’s sure as shit going to try.  This time the “plot” (as much plot as their appears to be in this complete breakdown of a character’s psyche) doesn’t revolve around the rape of a nun but in trying to track down a homicide witness played by…Xzibit.  If this movie makes a “Yo Dawg, I herd you like…” reference, I will love it forever.

But it doesn’t look like it will need that kind of insanity because Nic Cage definitely has it covered.  It’s also a much better “Ghost Rider” reunion between Cage and Eva Mendes than the wholly unnecessary “Ghost Rider 2″ could ever provide.

Check out this unofficial trailer after the jump.