RTB Celebrates...Nicolas Cage

Find us a more fascinating Hollywood star. Here are just a few fun facts: Born Nicolas Coppola (nephew to Francis Ford Coppola). Changed his name to Cage (in honor of superhero Luke Cage) to avoid nepotism. Proposed to Patricia Arquette on the first day he met her. Buys castles (real castles) any chance he gets. Named his son Kal-el (Superman's real name). Trains in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Accrued massive tax debt. Currently has a handful of million dollar suits in the LA court system (some where he's the plaintiff, others the defendant). Oh, and he's got a couple Oscar nominations (one win). RTB loves this guy. We got his top 5 performances after the jump:

5. Lord of War: Somewhat inspired by actual events, Cage plays a big time arms trafficker while looking after his hard-partying bro (and business partner) and occasionally seeing his hot wife. Great Cage moments abound in this flick, but none better than when he's enjoying the company of a prostitute somewhere in Africa. Mid-sex scene, Cage, coked out of his mind, asks his lady friend if she's sick (AIDS). I'm not sure she even answered, but at least he asked.

4. Adaptation: A little artsy, but an unbelievable acting job by Cage (Oscar nomination). Cage plays 2 parts in this one--one role is a neurotic, struggling screenwriter while the other is the twin brother who writes scripts with ease. I'm not going into all the details--check the imdb rating and watch the trailer, then see this bad boy.

3. Matchstick Men: Cage plays a con-man who just happens to have some pretty awesome OCD. The casting in this movie was grade-A as Sam Rockwell plays his partner in crime. Things get a little dicey for Cage when a daughter he never knew he had comes into the picture. Great twists, great flick.

2. Leaving Las Vegas: Before Adaptation, Cage perfected the struggling screenwriter role in this Oscar winning performance. Cage's character is having a tough go of it in this one, and after his latest failure, he decides to bolt from LA for greener pastures in Las Vegas. He's not going to Vegas for $5 blackjack at O'Sheas though. He's going to Sin City in an attempt to drink himself to death. If anyone can save him from liver failure, it's Elisabeth Shue.

1. Con Air: Numero Uno, and it's not even close. Alright, we know Cage can act with the best of them (see above). In this movie, he delivers what some might consider the worst 2 hours of acting ever. However, we are of the opinion that to be able to act like you have no acting experience at all is more of an accomplishment than any of his Oscar nominated performances. Cage plays a monotone ex-Army Ranger sent to prison for killing a drunk who was hitting on/attacking his wife. After doing his time, Cage is on a flight with other cons on his way back to his wife and baby girl when the plane is hijacked by other prisoners. With a star-studded cast, this is one hell of a ride!

Damn---we couldn't even put "Gone in 60 Seconds" up there. That's a must-watch as well. If you had any doubts about Nic Cage's acting abilities, hopefully those are put to rest. If any doubt remains, watch this montage...