‘Renfield’ review: Nicolas Cage’s vampire movie belongs in a coffin

Look, there’s no denying Nicolas Cage is an odd dude. That’s not meant to be an insult either.

Nicolas Cage has recalled the first concert he ever attended to see The Who.In a newly aired segment from the April 13 episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Nicolas Cage partook in the “Colbert Questionert” and was asked about the first concert he ever attended.Cage revealed that his first concert was seeing The Who perform at the Fillmore Stadium in San Fransisco, before going on to explain how “blown away” he was by the performance. “Roger [Daltrey] did this incredible thing where he was spinning the microphone with the cable and he just hit the cymbal.

“The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” on Monday night. “Let me think. Listen, I know this sounds really far out and I don’t know if it’s real or not, but sometimes I think I can go all the way back to in utero and feeling like I could see faces in the dark or something,” Cage told the late-night host of his earliest memory.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Nicolas Cage took a questionnaire for Stephen Colbert during a recent visit to “The Tonight Show” and revealed in typical Cage fashion that his earliest childhood memory is actually being in his mother’s womb. “Let me think. Listen, I know this sounds really far out and I don’t know if it’s real or not, but sometimes I think I can go all the way back to in-utero and feeling like I could see faces in the dark or something,” Cage said. “I know that sounds powerfully abstract, but that somehow seems like maybe it happened.” “Now that I am no longer in utero, I would have to imagine it was perhaps vocal vibrations resonating through to me at that stage,” Cage added. “That’s going way back. I don’t know. That comes to mind… I don’t even know if I remember being in utero, but that thought has crossed my mind.”

$6 million in debt.Appearing on CBS’s “60 Minutes” Sunday, the Oscar winner recalled his financial struggles after the real estate market crashed, saying he signed up for any role he could just to be able to pay the money back.“I was over-invested in real estate,” he confessed. “The real estate market crashed, and I couldn’t get out in time.”“I paid them all back, but it was about $6 million.

Nicolas Cage went the extra mile for his role in "Vampire’s Kiss" by eating bugs. The iconic Hollywood actor reflected on when he ate several cockroaches for the 1988 cult movie during an interview for his latest role as Count Dracula in "Renfield." "Oh yeah, I ate it twice, because the director did it just to prank me," Cage, 59, told Yahoo! Entertainment. "I'm not one to give advice, but [Nicholas Hoult] ate a potato bug, so he took it to another level." His "Renfield" co-star Nicholas Hoult, 33, responded, "The cockroach is worse than a potato bug I think … the cockroaches I got to eat in this were caramel." While discussing their new vampire horror-comedy, both actors continued to debate which insects were worst to eat on set.  "Oh, but he ate a real potato bug, which is terrifying to me and so are cockroaches.

Vampire’s Kiss, telling Yahoo Entertainment that he’ll “never do that again”.Vampire’s Kiss stars Cage as publishing executive Peter Loew, who thinks he’s turning into a vampire. In the scene in question, Loew picks up a cockroach that is scuttling across the cooker in his apartment and then eats it whole for breakfast. The film’s script originally called for Cage to swallow a raw egg instead, but Cage insisted it be a cockroach.“I saw it as a business decision because when people see the cockroach go in my mouth… [they] really react,” he said during the film’s DVD commentary track.In another recent interview with Mediacorp, Cage reflected further on his bug-eating days.

“Renfield” star told Yahoo Entertainment of his regrets. “I’m sorry I did it at all.”Cage claimed on the film’s DVD commentary track that he was the one that begged for the live insects, as the original script allegedly called for Cage to simply swallow a raw egg. “I saw it as a business decision because when people see the cockroach go in my mouth … [they] really react,” he reportedly said.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Nicolas Cage will not be eating cockroaches on camera ever again. The Oscar winner recently told Yahoo Entertainment that eating two cockroaches on camera during the making of his 1988 comedy “Vampire’s Kiss” remains a career regret. “I’ll never do that again,” Cage said. “I’m sorry I did it at all.” “Vampire’s Kiss” stars Cage as a literary critic who becomes convinced he is a vampire. The film’s script originally called for the actor to swallow a raw egg, but Cage insisted it be a cockroach instead. As he said on the film’s DVD commentary track: “I saw it as a business decision because when people see the cockroach go in my mouth…[they] really react.”

Dracula, where he’s been memorably portrayed by greats like Alexander Granach (in 1922’s silent Nosferatu), Dwight Frye (as a wide-eyed madman in 1931’s Dracula), and Tom Waits (chewing the scenery, and bugs, in 1992’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula), Renfield is perpetually overshadowed by the blood-sucking count.Universal’s new Renfield (★★☆☆☆), a big-budget spinoff of the Dracula story, set in present-day New Orleans, promises to give the character his overdue shine. Unfortunately, the film is an overcooked clash of genre and tepid grasps at modernization, whose greatest asset is — you guessed it — Dracula himself, played by a glammed-up, fang-gnashing Nicolas Cage.

The acting life isn’t always glamorous. Sometimes, you have to sacrifice for the part. Submitted for your approval is one Nicolas Cage, who has revealed a major regret captured on film while out promoting his current horror comedy, Renfield, which features Cage as Dracula and Nicholas Hoult as the title servant, R.M. Renfield.

The Late Show to promote new vampire movie Renfield.Responding almost immediately, Cage said: “I’m gonna start with Pig — that’s my favourite movie I’ve ever made.”He went on: “I love Mandy, that Panos Cosmatos directed. I love Bringing Out the Dead, that Martin Scorsese directed.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor When director Chris McKay was making “Renfield” he turned to production designer Alec Hammond (“Donnie Darko”) to help deliver a fresh and updated take on the Dracula story, by taking “a big monster movie, rooting it in the classic movies, but subverting any expectations.” The film starring Nicolas Cage as Dracula and Nicholas Hoult as his faithful sidekick Renfield, begins in 1931, in black-and-white. It was important, Hammond says, to set up Cage’s world in the historic context of harkening back to classic Dracula movies before jumping to the present day. The Charity Hospital in New Orleans, which had been abandoned since Hurricane Katrina, was the perfect location for Hammond to set Dracula and Renfield’s modern-day lair.

“The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” Thursday, the Academy Award winner took a trip down memory lane with the host while promoting his new film, “Renfield.”While Cage, whose real name is Nicolas Coppola, has some impressive blockbusters under his belt — including “National Treasure,” “Moonstruck,” and “The Rock” — the 59-year-old’s top five is comprised of his lesser-known work.“I’m going to start with ‘Pig’ that is my favorite movie I have ever made,” Cage told Colbert. “I love ‘Mandy,’ the movie that Panos [Cosmatos] directed. I love ‘Bringing Out The Dead’ that Martin Scorsese directed.

Jenelle Riley Deputy Awards and Features Editor Brandon Scott Jones loves horror films — but despite starring in the CBS series “Ghosts” as forgotten Revolutionary War soldier Captain Isaac Higgintoot, the actor and writer has yet to appear in the horror genre. That all changes with the April 14 release of “Renfield,” starring Nicolas Cage as the legendary Dracula and Nicholas Hoult as his put-upon underling. Jones plays Mark, the leader of a co-dependency support group who advises Renfield — with no idea just how toxic his relationship with Dracula truly is. Jones will also be seen in the third season of “The Other Two,” hitting HBO Max on May 4, reprising his role as Curtis, the confidante to aspiring actor Cary.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Expect “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” to capture the high score at the box office… again. Despite the release of two new movies — Universal’s wacky Dracula horror-comedy “Renfield” and Sony’s R-rated demonic thriller “The Pope’s Exorcist” — Universal and Illumination’s animated adaptation of the popular Nintendo video game looks to loom large in its second weekend of release. After its towering $146 million debut, “Mario” is estimated to bring in $58 million to $66 million, a 55-60% decline from its opening. The PG blockbuster, which cost $100 million and brought back the all-important demographic of family audiences, has generated $204.6 million in North America and $375 million globally since opening last Wednesday. It’s already the fourth-highest grossing animated movie in pandemic times, following “Minions: The Rise of Gru” ($939 million), “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” ($480 million) and “Sing 2” ($408 million).

Owen Gleiberman Chief Film Critic In one of the many jacked-up, bodies-leaping-and-flying, vampire-meets-action-film sequences that punctuate “Renfield,” Dracula (Nicolas Cage), jutting into the movie well before we expect him to, does all the throat-ripping damage he can in a montage that culminates in drapes being thrown open, the sunlight flooding in, and the vampire, in his red bathrobe, bursting into flame. It looks like the climax of many a vampire film, and it leaves Dracula a charred husk. But has he been killed? No way! As Renfield (Nicholas Hoult), Dracula’s self-described slave and disciple, explains to us in voice-over, when something like this happens it takes a lot of work to return Dracula to his previous state; it takes many victims for him to feed upon. But with enough blood and enough time, he can claw his way back to his old robust undead form.

In 2017 Universal debuted their ambitious plans for a series of reboots of their popular 1930s and 1940s horror films. Dubbed the Universal “Dark Universe,” it yielded only two features — 2017’s “The Mummy” with Tom Cruise and 2020’s “The Invisible Man” starring Elisabeth Moss — before being scrapped.

Variety Thursday.“Nic wanted to emote and annunciate properly, so it was important the veneers were thin,” he said, explaining that the technology allowed him to make quick adjustments to the sharp dentures when needed.In order to put the 3-D printing to good use, Tinsley had to scan Cage’s teeth and then digitally sculpt them so they could fit in his mouth perfectly.The “National Treasure” actor also spent over three hours daily in the hair and makeup chair.“It was a full head of prosthetics, dentures, full body, torso, arms, hands and nails,” Tinsley noted. “Those take time.”Cage also stayed in character for the whole time they were shooting the flick, even when the camera wasn’t on him.