Cage Fighting: Cruise Control

Cage Fighting
  • 5.0 (2)
  • TV & Film
  • Updated Weekly

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. 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

  2. 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?!

  3. 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

  4. 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

  5. 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

  6. Jul 20

    Christopher Nolan's Brilliance, Willie Bingham Vanishes, and Tom Cruise into the Manosphere

    The Christopher Nolan celebration march rolls on through July as the lads gather to talk a little more temporal architecture, before the Short Short Film Film Review takes a turn for the pitch-black and deeply uncomfortable. This week, we’re dissecting The Disappearance of Willie Bingham, a gruesome Australian short that takes a chilling, bureaucratic look at capital punishment. Will Andy, Ash, and Stu find a brilliant piece of speculative fiction, or will this escalating surgical nightmare leave them entirely squeamish? Then, the Cruise cruise drops anchor in the hyper-connected, emotionally raw valley of Paul Thomas Anderson’s Magnolia. Tom steps into the leather vest of Frank T.J. Mackey—a toxic, leather-clad, respect-the-c**k motivational guru that stands as arguably the most explosive, dick-obsessed role of his entire career. Your boys are diving deep into structural overlapping, torrential frogs, and whether Tom’s devastating breakdown by his father's bedside earns him the ultimate praise. With the usual blend of silliness, seriousness, and a highly necessary 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.

    Christopher Nolan's Brilliance, Willie Bingham Vanishes, and Tom Cruise into the Manosphere

  7. Jul 13

    Can Kubrick Make Tom Cruise Sexy? '26 Halftime Review & Chris Nolan's Doodlebug

    Buckle up for our annual halftime review as Andy, Ash, and Stu take a scalpel to the first six months of 2026. From the catastrophic lets-downs that broke our hearts to the essential comedies actually worth your time—and the horror gems you desperately need on your radar—the lads are charting the highs, the lows, and everything in between from the year so far. To cleanse the palate, the Short Short Film Film Review kicks off a month-long celebration of Sir Christopher Nolan that will carry us all the way through July. We're dissecting Doodlebug, the gritty 1997 micro-short that launched us into the mind-bending filmography of cinema's favorite temporal architect to see where the magic truly began. Then, the Cruise cruise sails into arguably the most intense waters of Tom's career as we approach the end of the 90s with Stanley Kubrick's psychological labyrinth, Eyes Wide Shut. Masked rituals, marital paranoia, and meticulous direction. Will your boys find enlightenment in the shadows, or will this erotic thriller leave us completely cold? With the usual blend of silliness, seriousness, and a crucial Scientology Watch update, 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.

    Can Kubrick Make Tom Cruise Sexy? '26 Halftime Review & Chris Nolan's Doodlebug

  8. Jul 6

    MusiCast: Record Scratch & Vinyl Chat

    This week, the lads are stepping off the cinematic gas, cracking open the vinyl, and tuning into a completely different frequency. Matt is officially back in the hosting chair, sitting down with Andy for the very first MusiCast of 2026. Together, they’re digging into everything that’s been vibrating their eardrums so far this year, mapping out the highs and lows of the upcoming festival season, and dropping their latest music obsessions. Then, it’s time for a formal induction into the Cage Fighting Album Club. This week's honoree? BC Camplight’s 2005 indie-pop masterclass, Hide, Run Away. Will it get the unanimous thumbs up, or will the lads find themselves skipping tracks? Grab your headphones and find out. 📲 Socials: @CageFightingPod Use the special link (cagefighting) to save 30% off your first month of any Zencastr paid plan.

    MusiCast: Record Scratch & Vinyl Chat
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About

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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