Cage Fighting: Cruise Control

Cage Fighting
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Here at the Cage Fighting podcast we're here to answer all the questions you may have wondered about the World of Film. Who is the best Hemsworth? Why is Director Zach Braff the voice of our generation? Nic Cage; Good or Bad? Is Tom Cruise the Saviour of Cinema? If you've ever pondered anything about film, then this is the podcast for you. Send your questions to cagefightingpod@gmail.com Join us on twitter @cagefightingpod

  1. 6d ago

    Cruise with another Impossible Mission, South Park vs Scientology, and Winter is Coming

    The Summer of 2026 may be over, but Winter is Coming. This week Andy, Ash, Stu and Ed look ahead to the biggest films and TV shows arriving between October 2026 and January 2027. From Tom Cruise's mysterious next project Digger!, to Clayface, Crystal Lake, Godzilla Minus Zero, Blade Runner 2099, Dune: Part Three, Harry Potter, The Beekeeper 2 and much more, the lads ask what should be on your watchlist, what's destined to disappoint, and what could become the next big surprise hit. The Short Short Film Film Review returns with Laura Living Backwards, the award-winning Midlands-made sci-fi short from Kate Horlor. With an ingenious time-travel concept, a fantastic lead performance from Sarah Feltham, and enough ideas to embarrass most modern Doctor Who episodes, the team discuss why this tiny production has left such a big impression. Finally, the Cruise Cruise reaches Mission: Impossible III (2006). Tom Cruise recruits TV wunderkind J.J. Abrams, Philip Seymour Hoffman delivers one of the most chilling villains of the 2000s, and Ethan Hunt attempts the most impossible mission of all: settling down and living a normal life. Of course, no discussion of 2006 Tom Cruise would be complete without another trip into Scientology Watch. This week it's South Park vs Scientology. Xenu goes mainstream, Tom Cruise becomes a cartoon punchline, Suri is born, Paramount loses patience, and the Church discovers something more dangerous than government investigators, journalists, or rival religions: A joke. With the usual blend of blockbusters, nonsense, cults, time travel, impossible missions, and animated character assassinations, it's time once again to take Cruise Control. 📲 Socials: @CageFightingPod Use the special link (cagefighting) to save 30% off your first month of any Zencastr paid plan.

    Cruise with another Impossible Mission, South Park vs Scientology, and Winter is Coming

  2. Sep 21

    Spider-Man on an Odyssey into Summer 2026, Double Spielberg, and a Little Tom Cruise

    The Return of the Summer Smash. Part two of our Summer Review sees Andy, Ash, Stu, and Ed wrap up their look back at the record-breaking Summer of 2026. With July and Augustdelivering the season's heaviest of heavy-hitters; The Odyssey, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, surprise successes, disappointments, horror hits, and the films that helped turn a strong summer into one of the biggest box-office stories in modern cinema. The question remains: did Summer 2026 prove audiences still want the big-screen experience?   The Short Short Film Film Review heads back to where it all began with Amblin', the low-budget short film that launched the career of a young filmmaker named Steven Spielberg. Long before the sharks, dinosaurs, aliens and archaeologists, there was a desert road trip, a guitar case, and a glimpse of one of cinema's future giants finding his voice.   Finally, the Cruise Cruise rolls straight into our Spielberg double-bill, as Tom reunites with Steve in an alien invasion epic, as we talk all things War of the Worlds (2005). Giant tripods. Panicked crowds. Dakota Fanning screaming at frequencies normally reserved for military sonar. Between Spielberg's relentless direction, one of Cruise's most intense performances, and a post-9/11 blockbuster packed with anxiety, fear, and spectacle, the lads ask whether this is one of the most underrated science-fiction films of the 2000s.   Of course, no discussion of 2005 Tom Cruise would be complete without a trip through Scientology Watch, and this is a PRIME CRUISE MADNESS tale! With the usual blend of silliness, seriousness, alien invasions, and existential panic, it's time once again to take Cruise Control.   📲 Socials: @CageFightingPod Use the special link (cagefighting) to save 30% off your first month of any Zencastr paid plan.

    Spider-Man on an Odyssey into Summer 2026, Double Spielberg, and a Little Tom Cruise

  3. Sep 14

    The Summer Cinema Strikes Back, The Nail, and Tom Cruise's Greatest Villain

    Summer 2026: The Cinema Strikes Back (Part 1) This week Andy, Ash, Stu, and Ed begin their look back at the record-breaking Summer of 2026, breaking down the biggest hits, surprise successes, spectacular failures, and the films that kept audiences piling into cinemas all season long. In Part 1, the lads tackle May and June, from billion-dollar blockbusters and breakout horror hits to forgotten curios and expensive disappointments, asking whether this was the summer Hollywood finally remembered how to make people leave the house. The Short Short Film Film Review takes aim at the viral relationship comedy It's Not About The Nail, a deceptively simple short that asks one of life's most important questions: are people looking for solutions, or do they just want somebody to listen? Finally, the Cruise Cruise rolls into the gorgeously neon-soaked streets of Los Angeles as Tom Cruise swaps heroics for homicide in Collateral. Grey hair. Sharp suits. Deadly precision. Cruise delivers one of the most surprising performances of his career as Vincent, a contract killer who turns an ordinary taxi ride into a nightmare. Between Jamie Foxx's breakout dramatic performance, Michael Mann's hypnotic vision of LA, and one of the coolest movie villains of the 21st century, the lads ask whether this might actually be Cruise at his very best. With the usual blend of silliness, seriousness, and another alarming instalment of Scientology Watch, it's time once again to take Cruise Control. 📲 Socials: @CageFightingPod Use the special link (cagefighting) to save 30% off your first month of any Zencastr paid plan.

    The Summer Cinema Strikes Back, The Nail, and Tom Cruise's Greatest Villain

  4. Aug 24

    Summer 2016: Marvel’s Civil War Explodes, DC’s Suicide Squad Implodes, Steven Ogg’s OCD & Tom Cruise Enters his Samurai Era

    We started the month in 2001, before moving on 1 year later, and now we're doing 15 years later as ya boys delve into Summer 2016. Andy, Ash, and Stu unpack a season where Hollywood went all‑in on IP. With Civil War dominating the box office, Suicide Squad imploding in real time, Finding Dory and The Jungle Book battling for family supremacy, and Ghostbusters, Bourne, X‑Men, Star Trek, and Independence Day all fighting to stay relevant, the lads explore a summer defined by franchise fatigue, universe‑building desperation, and the moment everything became a brand. This week’s Short Short Film Film Review tackles OCD, Steven Ogg’s jagged, claustrophobic descent into compulsion and ritual, powered by one of the most feral performances of the decade. Finally, the Cruise cruise rides into The Last Samurai, a sweeping, blood‑and‑honour epic that finds Tom Cruise at his most earnest and transformative. Between Meiji‑era upheaval, prestige‑era ambition, and the ever‑important Scientology Watch check‑in, the lads ask whether this is Cruise’s most soulful turn — or simply the moment Hollywood decided he could carry an entire civilisation on his back. With the usual blend of silliness, seriousness, and three‑man chaos, it’s time once again to take Cruise Control. 📲 Socials: @CageFightingPodUse the special link (cagefighting) to save 30% off your first month of any Zencastr paid plan.

    Summer 2016: Marvel’s Civil War Explodes, DC’s Suicide Squad Implodes, Steven Ogg’s OCD & Tom Cruise Enters his Samurai Era

  5. Aug 17

    #NeverForget Summer 2002: Post‑9/11 Hollywood. A Barking Good Murder Short? Tom Cruise is Austin Powers?!

    The Millennial Moment rolls forward as Andy, Ash, and Stu regroup to examine the first post‑9/11 summer slate — Summer 2002, a season where Hollywood found itself blinking into a new world and trying to figure out what blockbuster filmmaking even looked like anymore. From tonal pivots to unexpected genre swings, the lads dig into how studios adapted, how themes evolved, and what took hold as the industry recalibrated in real time. This week’s Short Short Film Film Review rewinds all the way to the 1930s with Who Killed Rover?, a bizarre, proto‑noir curiosity that blends stiff‑upper‑lip melodrama with accidental absurdity. It’s creaky, strange, and unintentionally hilarious — the kind of archival oddity that leaves the boys wondering whether early cinema was secretly funnier than it ever meant to be. Finally, the Cruise cruise swerves into full pop‑culture parody territory as the lads revisit Austin Powers in Goldmember. Dutch villains, disco‑era nonsense, celebrity cameos, and Mike Myers firing jokes at a rate no human could reasonably absorb collide with Tom Cruise’s unforgettable cameo. Between the early‑2000s comedy boom, the meta‑celebrity chaos, and the ever‑important Scientology Watch check‑in, the lads ask the big question: is this Cruise’s strangest detour, or simply the moment Hollywood realised he could be funny on purpose? With the usual blend of silliness, seriousness, and three‑man chaos, it’s time once again to take Cruise Control. 📲 Socials: @CageFightingPodUse the special link (cagefighting) to save 30% off your first month of any Zencastr paid plan.

    #NeverForget Summer 2002: Post‑9/11 Hollywood. A Barking Good Murder Short? Tom Cruise is Austin Powers?!

  6. Aug 10

    Summer 2001 turns 25, Charlie Kaufman’s Ghosts, and Cruise & Speilberg’s Minority Report

    Summer 2001’s Silver Anniversary celebration kicks into full swing as the Fab Four — Andy, Ash, Ed, and Stu — reunite for a sun‑soaked, nostalgia‑drunk march through one of the strangest, most transitional seasons in blockbuster history. From the dying glow of pre‑franchise Hollywood to the first rumblings of the IP‑driven future, the lads dig into what made Summer ’01 such a peculiar cultural crossroads and why its films still echo through the multiplexes today. This week’s Short Short Film Film Review spotlights Charlie Kaufman’s How to Shoot a Ghost, a surreal, melancholic, and quietly deranged miniature about grief, hauntings, and the impossible etiquette of dealing with the dead. It’s slippery, funny, and unmistakably Kaufman — a spectral how‑to guide that leaves the boys wondering whether the ghost is the problem, or whether the living are far worse. Finally, the Cruise cruise barrels forward into the neon‑blue, pre‑cog‑powered paranoia of Minority Report. Futurist tech, spider‑bots, milk‑bath visions, and Spielbergian momentum collide as Tom Cruise sprints through a world determined to arrest him for a crime he hasn’t committed yet. Between the philosophical tangles of free will, the early‑2000s tech prophecy, and the ever‑important Scientology Watch check‑in, the lads ask the big question: is this Cruise’s most finely tuned blockbuster performance, or simply the moment Spielberg weaponised Tom’s run for maximum cinematic impact? With the usual blend of silliness, seriousness, and four‑man chaos, it’s time once again to take Cruise Control. 📲 Socials: @CageFightingPodUse the special link (cagefighting) to save 30% off your first month of any Zencastr paid plan.

    Summer 2001 turns 25, Charlie Kaufman’s Ghosts, and Cruise & Speilberg’s Minority Report

  7. Aug 3

    Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Christopher Nolan: Film-by-Film, Tom Cruise: Vanilla Sky

    The Nolan celebration reaches fever pitch this week as Andy, Ash, and Stu assemble for a monumental, film-by-film march through Christopher Nolan’s entire filmography. From the micro-budget ingenuity of Following to the existential quantum puzzles of Interstellar and the historical weight of Oppenheimer, the boys untangle non-linear timelines, spatial architecture, and Nolan’s relentless obsession with men trapped inside their own minds. Plus, the trio swing into the web-slinging world to deliver their full review of Spider-Man: Brand New Day. This week’s Short Short Film Film Review spotlights A Teachable Lesson (2016), a darkly absurd and razor-sharp short following a gunshot victim bleeding out by the side of the road, only for a passing mother to hijack his final moments as an unhinged life lesson for her six-year-old son. It’s pitch-black, uncomfortable, and brilliantly executed, turning a gruesome roadside emergency into a masterclass in parenting gone completely off the rails. Finally, the Cruise cruise sails straight into a waking nightmare as the lads wake up inside Cameron Crowe’s Vanilla Sky (2001). Masked pop-star vanity, fractured realities, and A-list existential dread collide as Tom faces off against his own movie-star image. Between evaluating the Cruise-Cruz chemistry and peeling back the real-world 2001 Church handlers hovering over the set, the boys ask the ultimate question: is this Cruise’s boldest risk, or just high-budget Hollywood self-indulgence? With the usual blend of silliness, seriousness, and a crucial Scientology Watch check-in, it’s time once again to take Cruise Control. 📲 Socials: @CageFightingPod Use the special link (cagefighting) to save 30% off your first month of any Zencastr paid plan.

    Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Christopher Nolan: Film-by-Film, Tom Cruise: Vanilla Sky

  8. Jul 27

    Into Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey, Tom Cruise Through the 90's, Finding Daddy, and a Mission Impossible II Meltdown

    The Christopher Nolan celebration march barrels forward as Andy and Ash dive headfirst into the director’s colossal new behemoth, The Odyssey — a film so dense, so operatic, and so cosmically wound that even the lads need a breather before tackling its temporal labyrinths. Thankfully, the Cagey Awards return to bring some ’90s Cruise clarity, as the boys start charting Tom’s evolution from Hollywood’s golden boy to full‑tilt blockbuster deity. This week’s Short Short Film Film Review spotlights Finding Daddy, a darkly funny, sharply observed short about two sisters confronting their estranged father after discovering his sleazy sugar‑daddy persona online. It’s messy, lived‑in, and balances bleak realism with a strangely triumphant edge, as the girls wrestle with the gap between the dad they imagined and the one they actually get. Finally, the Cruise cruise hits choppy waters — and then fully runs aground — as the lads confront Mission: Impossible II. Doves, leather jackets, slow‑motion gunplay, and an entire ocean of Woo‑isms collide with Tom’s most chaotic franchise detour. Will Andy and Ash find hidden brilliance beneath the operatic nonsense, or does this mission simply self‑destruct? With the usual blend of silliness, seriousness, and a crucial Scientology Watch check‑in, it’s time once again to take Cruise Control. 📲 Socials: @CageFightingPodUse the special link (cagefighting) to save 30% off your first month of any Zencastr paid plan.

    Into Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey, Tom Cruise Through the 90's, Finding Daddy, and a Mission Impossible II Meltdown
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Here at the Cage Fighting podcast we're here to answer all the questions you may have wondered about the World of Film. Who is the best Hemsworth? Why is Director Zach Braff the voice of our generation? Nic Cage; Good or Bad? Is Tom Cruise the Saviour of Cinema? If you've ever pondered anything about film, then this is the podcast for you. Send your questions to cagefightingpod@gmail.com Join us on twitter @cagefightingpod

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