Nicholas Cage is a strange film entity. He has developed a manic energy that can be harnessed into compelling work by the right filmmakers. Of course in the hands of the wrong filmmakers he is just all over the place in a crazy mess.

Usually a good sign of what type of Cage performance you are going to get can be found in the supporting cast around him. Deadline has scored the first look at some stills from his newest movie complete with a few of his fellow cast-mates:

The movie written and directed by Scott Walker revolves around Alaska’s most notorious serial predator Robert Hansen (Cusack), who in the span of 12 years abducted more than 24 women, flew them into the Alaskan wilderness, and hunted and murdered them. Hudgens plays the one teenage victim who escaped, and Cage plays the Alaskan State Trooper who finds her on the street — together they work to bring Hansen to justice.

Sounds a little like Kiss the Girls, but given the true story angle and Alaska setting this should stand well enough on its own. What is most interesting about this film is the almost against type roles for both Cage and Cusack. This could be a nice change of pace for both actors.

It’s always nice to see someone like Edgar Allan Poe get some love in a cinematic era when caped crusaders and the living dead are the hot items. That’s why we like it when someone like John Cusack and James McTeigue is getting his whack at the classic poet/writer in what is being marketed as a true crime thriller.

That’s what we’re hearing about Relativity’s The Raven, which is set to hit March 9th of next year. Here’s an in-depth synopsis of what you can expect to see in the film.

When a mother and daughter are found brutally murdered in 19th century Baltimore, Detective Emmett Fields (Luke Evans) makes a startling discovery: the crime resembles a fictional murder described in gory detail in the local newspaper–part of a collection of stories penned by struggling writer and social pariah Edgar Allan Poe. But even as Poe is questioned by police, another grisly murder occurs, also inspired by a popular Poe story. Realizing a serial killer is on the loose using Poe’s writings as the backdrop for his bloody rampage, Fields enlists the author’s help in stopping the attacks. But when it appears someone close to Poe may become the murderer’s next victim, the stakes become even higher and the inventor of the detective story calls on his own powers of deduction to try to solve the case before it’s too late.

Take a look at the brand new trailer after the jump.

The Thin Red Line (1998) marks the triumphant return of American film maker Terrence Malick’s return after a twenty year hiatus from the studio system. Anyone who was anyone in Hollywood circles jumped on the production of the film, even if it was just a brief walk on role. In fact, many A -list talents like Robert De Niro, Robert Duvall, Bill Pullman, Leonardo Dicaprio, Brad Pitt, Peter Berg, Dermot Mulroney, Edward Burns, William Baldwin, Edward Norton, Matthew McConaughey, Nicolas Cage, and Johnny Depp were very interested in joining the cast or were either cut from the film due to editing and budget constraints.

Malick was best known for two films in the 1970s which were Badlands (1973) and Days of Heaven (1978) which were renowned for their breathtaking cinematography and for Malick’s ability to capture magnificent exterior shots much like John Ford’s sweeping westerns Stagecoach (1939), and The Searchers (1956). The beautiful cinematography of the film is credited to John Toll who is an absolute genius.

Malick wrote the screenplay based on author James Jones 1962 novel which chronicles his experiences during the campaign. Pvt. Fife (Brody) is actually Jones who serves as the main character in the book, yet in the film is reduced to a minor character.

The film stars some of Hollywood’s most celebrated actors such as Sean Penn (1st Sgt. Edward Welsh), Adrien Brody (Pvt. Geoffrey Fife), Jim Caviezel (Pvt. Robert Witt), Ben Chaplin (Pvt. John Bell), George Clooney (Capt. Charles Bosche), John Cusack (Capt. John Graff), John Savage (Sgt. McCron), John Travolta (Brig. Gen. Quintard), Arie Vereen (Pfc. Charlie Dale), Kirk Acevedo (Pvt. Tella), Mark Boone Junior (Pvt. Peale), Woody Harrelson (Sgt. Keck), Elias Koteas (Capt. James Staros), Tim Blake Nelson (Pvt. Tills), John C. Reilly (Sgt. Storm), and Nick Nolte (Lt. Col. Gordon Tall).

Fortunately, each week brings a new chance to see a great movie or TV show that you’ve never seen before. Or, you can go back and watch something you’ve seen a hundred times and still enjoy it. Both of these things are possible because new moves and TV programs come out on Blu-ray and DVD each and every week.

This week brings some titles, new and old, that we’re excited about including The Warlords, Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, season one of Warehouse 13 and the Blu-ray releases of The Crazies remake and Hot Tub Time Machine (pictured above with Craig Robinson, Clark Duke, Rob Corddry and John Cusack).

Movies

Brotherhood VI: Initiation (2009) ~ Tyson Breech, Burke Carter (Blu-ray and DVD)

Creation ~ Paul Bettany, Jennifer Connelly (Blu-ray and DVD)

Don McKay ~ Thomas Haden Church, Elisabeth Shue (Blu-ray and DVD)

Hot Tub Time Machine ~ John Cusack, Clark Duke (Blu-ray and DVD)

New York Confidential ~ Broderick Crawford, Anne Bancroft (DVD)

Night Train to Munich (Criterion Collection) ~ Margaret Lockwood, Rex Harrison (DVD)

Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief ~ Logan Lerman (Blu-ray and DVD)

It’s like Christmas Eve here at The Flickcast offices today. Why? Because we’re only hours away from the midnight release of MGM’s Hot Tub Time Machine. If you haven’t caught it, we’ve been doing extensive coverage of the upcoming flick with our review, clips, and even an interview with star Rob Corddry.

Well, the goodies don’t stop there, as we’re bringing you four brand new clips from the movie, hot off the presses and ready for you to check out. For those still not in “the know”, Hot Tub Time Machine stars Rob Corddry, John Cusack, Craig Robinson (The Office), and Clark Duke (Kick-Ass, Sex Drive) in a comedy about 4 friends that get transported back to 1986 in a mystical–wait for it–hot tub.

Check out the clips after the jump, and be sure to catch Hot Tub Time Machine when it hits select theaters nationally at midnight tonight, and every theater nationally tomorrow.

Very rarely does a film come along that incites interest and excitement from the title alone. Not since Snakes on a Plane has a film done this to a mass audience, and unfortunately, the excitement of that title led to an underwhelming payoff in the film itself. Luckily, we fans of comedy and cult cinema get a second chance at happiness with the upcoming release of Hot Tub Time Machine.

I’ll admit, after hearing about the title, seeing who was in the cast, and getting a peek at the first trailer, I was ready to get excited about the film, which is never a good sign. Thankfully, in checking out a screening of the flick, not only does it hold up to its ironic title, but kills with its spot-on writing and nonstop visual humor.

I’d explain the premise to you, but if you’re going into a movie called Hot Tub Time Machine and you’re looking for some kind of Notebook style story that you can sell to your wife or girlfriend, you’re out of luck. This movie is roughly 90 minutes of hilarity, done in a setting of science fiction. If Bill and Ted graduated from San Dimas High School, grew up,  went through a few failed marriages, and had a drinking problem, they would be the characters in Hot Tub.

This Friday marks a big weekend for fans of both science fiction and comedy as Hot Tub Time Machine opens across the country. We’re going to be bringing you coverage and goodies from the film all week, starting today. We recently got the chance to sit down with one of the film’s stars, Rob Corddry, and he was able to talk to us about not only the film, but his interest in an upcoming comic book project.

The Flickcast: The world of science fiction can be a tricky, and certainly a contrived world. How was it for you, getting your head around a concept like Hot Tub Time Machine?

Rob Corddry: Well, we had a roundtable meeting when we first got brought on to the film. We were all sitting in a room at MGM. The writers, and the cast, and we were talking about time travel. We had to have spent 4 or 5 hours talking about the logic of time travel as it was in the movie.

We couldn’t really figure it out, and we realized that every time somebody makes a time travel movie, this discussion takes place, and nobody ever figures it out. [laughs] If anybody figures it out, they would essentially figure out time travel.

So we decided that we had to set some rules and stick to them. What we inevitably did was just pick the simplest ones so that we could get to the comedy.

TF: Do you think that the success of The Hangover laid a lot of ground for potential success of another buddy comedy like this one?

Today begins the official one week countdown for the release of potentially one of the funniest movies of this year, Hot Tub Time Machine. We’ve been gearing up our coverage of the film, with some great clips and a review of the official iPhone App, now we’ve got an even better goodie for you.

Straight from our pals at MGM, we got our hands on a restricted (or “red band”) clip from the film, starring the four main characters played by John Cusack, Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, and Clark Duke. The clip is restricted for some shouting and violent dialogue, but nothing that you should be timid about if you plan on seeing the movie next week.

We don’t want to spoil it for you, so check out the hilarious clip after the jump, and be sure to catch our coverage of Hot Tub Time Machine all next week, leading up to the film’s national theatrical release on March 26th. By clicking through, you certify you are 18 years of age or older.

This week sees more new film and TV releases on Blu-ray and DVD. Among the ones we’re more interested in this week are The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, Ponyo, The Neverending Story, the Syfy miniseries Alice , Kurt Russell in Elvis, and the original Clash of the Titans (with Sir Laurence Olivier, pictured above).

Check out all the new releases below.

Film

Bitch Slap (Unrated) ~ Debbie Lee Carrington, Michael Hurst, Kevin Sorbo (DVD)

Clash of the Titans ~ Laurence Olivier, Harry Hamlin, Maggie Smith (Blu-ray and DVD)

Cold Souls ~ Paul Giamatti, Boris Leskin (Blu-ray and DVD)

Curious George 2: Follow That Monkey ~ Curious George (DVD)

Gentlemen Broncos ~ Jermaine Clement, Sam Rockwell (Blu-ray and DVD)

Though the holiday may have come and gone, we still managed to get our hands on a special Valentine’s Day PSA from Rob Corddry and Craig Robinson, two stars of the upcoming comedy Hot Tub Time Machine.

In the clip, the two comedians explain that Hot Tub Time Machine is rated R, and exactly why it was given that rating. It should be stated that this clip has some super NSFW language in it, which only makes it that much better.

Hot Tub Time Machine hits theaters on March 26th and it stars John Cusack, Sex Drive’s Clark Duke, The Daily Show’s Rob Corddry, and The Office’s Craig Robinson.

Check out the clip after the jump, and be sure to keep it here for more goodies as the release date for Hot Tub Time Machine approaches.