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T.I. was on vacation in Europe when found himself in a run-in with police officers. His interaction with the authorities was so tame, however, that he immediately took to social media to note the difference between American and European cops — even before getting in touch with his team to post bond.

T.I. was apparently enjoying himself on a bike ride in Amsterdam when he crashed into a police car. It’s not clear who was at fault for the accident, but the police’s mirror was a causality of the accident. After being detained on site and taken to the police station, T.I. whipped out his phone to share his experience with his Instagram followers. The rapper says he was never handcuffed or searched throughout the entire altercation:

“So, I’m locked up now. I’m obviously not supposed to have my phone as I’m biking, and because the policeman ran into me and broke his rear view[mirror], and because I didn’t have my passport on me. I don’t know, it’ll be fine. But he was extremely upset. I myself was having a great time, still. I’m still not upset. I’m having a phenomenal time. They arrested me and they didn’t even put me in handcuffs. They just opened the door and invited me to the backseat — I obliged. Let me see how I can make my bond right quick. They don’t take cash. I got cash in my pocket but they don’t seem to take this. I haven’t gotten handcuffs on me yet, they haven’t searched me, we working on the buddy system out here and I like it.”

This is far from the only legal matter T.I. is involved in as of late. The New York Times published an exposé back in February in which several women accused T.I. and his wife Tiny of sexual assault. The LAPD has now opened an investigation to into the reports, which span between 2005 and 2010. One accuser described being drugged and sexually assaulted in a hotel by the couple after repeatedly refusing their advances.

Back in early June, fans of Miami rap duo City Girls were delighted and bemused when Yung Miami — known affectionately as “Caresha” to her followers — was seen holding hands with 53-year-old rap mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs at Quality Control CEO Pierre “P” Thomas’ elegant birthday party. “Caresha” trended for nearly a full day as fans expressed their excitement and amusement at the potential pairing, pondering whether or not the two were really a couple.

Today, something similar is simmering as online sleuths work to get to the bottom of another post of the two rap stars hanging out — this one even more suggestive. Adding to the intrigue, Miami deleted the photo after just a few minutes, leading to increased speculation that the Miami-born rapper meant to share it exclusively with her “Close Friends” list on Instagram rather than her public Instagram Story.

Meanwhile, Diddy — who recently renamed himself to “Love” — has looked about as happy as a clam in recent months, including in a Vanity Fair cover story where he explained the meaning behind his newest moniker and revealed he’s working on starting an all-R&B label where he’ll split the profits with artists 50-50. As fans question whether there might be another hidden meaning behind the name, you can check out their responses below.

There can always be a bit of concern whenever a series boasts an ensemble cast that some characters won’t get their chance to shine. However, it would seem that in Marvel’s What It..?, the studio made it a priority to celebrate late actor Chadwick Boseman’s final performance as the Black Panther. In an interview with IGN, executive producer Brad Winderbaum shared Boseman will be reprising his role as King T’Challa four times throughout the upcoming series, as well as how excited he was for the opportunity to work on the project.

“Unfortunately, he never was able to see the finished product, but he was very excited about taking part in it. He actually appears in four episodes of the series, playing different versions of the character, and each time, he was just so enthusiastic about finding a new spin on the character.”

As of right now, we know the plot of only one of the episodes Boseman is confirmed to take part in. In that episode, Marvel explores what would have happened if Guardians of the Galaxy‘s Yondu had abducted T’Challa rather than Peter Quill. In a separate IGN interview with What If..? director Bryan Andrews, the director revealed Boseman “loved” this take and playing “a version of T’Challa that didn’t have the mantle of the king, where he could be a little bit lighter, a little bit funny, crack jokes, flirt a little bit with the on-again, off-again love interest.”

In another episode, we see the Iron Man himself, Tony Stark, rescued by Erik Killmonger prior to the events of Iron Man. It feels pretty safe to say that we’ll see T’Challa make an appearance in this episode as well, seeing as Erik is the King of Wakanda’s primary antagonist in Black Panther.

While it still feels far too many decades early to even think about a final performance from Boseman, it sounds like the one we have celebrates the actor’s versatility and allowed him to have a bit of fun with the role — and we can’t wait to see it. Marvel’s What If..? premieres August 11 exclusively on Disney+.

Atlanta indie-pop outfit Lunar Vacation are gearing up to release their debut album Inside Every Fig Is A Dead Wasp, opening a door to a unique sonic universe that is both welcoming and intriguing. The album announcement came alongside a new video for the track “Mold,” a vibrant and psychedelic visual that beautifully compliments the memorable tune.

To celebrate the forthcoming new album, vocalist Grace Repasky sat down to talk The Strokes, performing in a jumpsuit, and Alex Turner in the latest Indie Mixtape 20 Q&A.

What are four words you would use to describe your music?

You dance or leave.

It’s 2050 and the world hasn’t ended and people are still listening to your music. How would you like it to be remembered?

High frequency chillers who laugh a lot.

What’s your favorite city in the world to perform?

Probably Arizona or Atlanta. They always go pretty hard.

Who’s the person who has most inspired your work, and why?

Alex Turner. He was the first one to make me interested in songwriting.

Where did you eat the best meal of your life?

In Maggie’s home. Her dad makes the best ancient grain bowls.

What album do you know every word to?

Room on Fire – The Strokes.

What was the best concert you’ve ever attended?

Mac DeMarco at Variety Playhouse in 2015.

What is the best outfit for performing and why?

I like playing in a jumpsuit because I can jump and if it gets crazy, crowdsurf and not have to worry about flashing anyone. And it just looks so sick.

Who’s your favorite person to follow on Twitter and/or Instagram?

Isabella Cotier on Instagram.

What’s your most frequently played song in the van on tour?

Hmmm.. We haven’t been on the road in a minute but it was probably something by Her’s.

What’s the last thing you Googled?

“Whats a good humidity level”

What album makes for the perfect gift?

RAM by Paul McCartney DUH

Where’s the weirdest place you’ve ever crashed while on tour?

An adobe in New Mexico that was in the middle of nowhere with no cell service. It was weird in a good way. The “I-never-want-to-return-to-the-city” type vibe.

What’s the story behind your first or favorite tattoo?

My first tattoo was one I got when I just turned 18. My friend stick-and-poked “SLUFF” on my leg after the Naked Giants record.

What artists keep you from flipping the channel on the radio?

Wallows.. :p

What’s the nicest thing anyone has ever done for you?

When I got Covid in January, my whole family was out of town and I was alone in my childhood house for like a month. Maggie and her family dropped off some fun food, a card, and an embroidered sweatshirt (by Maggie) to make me feel better. I felt the love 6 feet apart.

What’s one piece of advice you’d go back in time to give to your 18-year-old self?

Stop stressing about choosing between school and music because the cards will play out the way they are supposed to and eventually you will be thankful you did both because now you are graduating early and still making music. Also you are NOT in love girl LOL!!

What’s the last show you went to?

Katy Kirby on a NYC rooftop last month.

What movie can you not resist watching when it’s on TV?

Any Harry Potter or Pirates Of The Caribbean.

What would you cook if Obama were coming to your house for dinner?

Spicy shrimp and veggie chickpea pasta with arugula. He would literally freak. Then next time I would be invited over to his place.

Inside Every Fig Is A Dead Wasp is out October 29 via Keeled Scales. Pre-order it here.

Matt Amodio is on quite a hot streak on Jeopardy! even if he’s irking some fans with his dominant play. The PhD student has crushed the most competitive trivia game show on TV in recent weeks, putting up James Holzhauer-like numbers with some risky and dominant play.

His run started with a $40,400 victory, and as of Tuesday’s show he’s on a 10-game winning streak worth more than $360,000. Amodio bets big, even if it costs him. Which it did during one Final Jeopardy where he lost $15,000 but still finished with a win and a fairly large payday.

But what’s caught the attention of fans is the way he answers questions on the show. Rather than say the more traditional “who is” when the answer is a person, or “what is” when the correct response is a thing, he simply says “what’s” for nearly every response. Twitter in recent days has been filled with fans slightly irked by the habit, which is faster but has made the grammar freaks upset, to say the least.

The show’s official Twitter account actually asked “what’s up” with this guy earlier in the week, clarifying on its website that while his answering style may be uncharacteristic, it’s actually not against the rules.

The rules state, “…all contestant responses to an answer must be phrased in the form of a question.” It’s that simple. Jeopardy! doesn’t require that the response is grammatically correct. Further, the three-letter name of a British Invasion rock band can be a correct response all by itself (“The Who?”), and even “Is it…?” has been accepted. So, Matt Amodio’s no-frills approach is unique but well with guidelines.

Amodio is far from the first very good Jeopardy! player to irk fans with his style. You may recall players like James Holzhauer getting flack for aggressively searching for Daily Doubles rather than play the more traditional top-down style of working through individual categories. And while the viewing experience may not be ideal for some, Amodio seems to be fairly engaging on social media as well.

More importantly: he’s getting some extremely impressive results.

The RX is Uproxx Music’s stamp of approval for the best albums, songs, and music stories throughout the year. Inclusion in this category is the highest distinction we can bestow, and signals the most important music being released throughout the year. The RX is the music you need, right now.

Phabo can’t fail at anything. That’s what the San Diego-born singer will tell you when you ask about his career, and it’s far from an egotistic or overly confident statement when you think about it. Failure is derived from expectations and in a world where anything can happen at any given moment, these hopes and beliefs can alter your progress, or the lack thereof at a given moment, to appear as if success lies further away than the horizons that stand in front of you. Luckily for the neo-soul-inspired singer, he learned to let go and let God when it came to his future.

“I’ve worked hard, God has allowed me to get to this point, so I know God wouldn’t allow me to get up there and fail for real, it’s not really a thing,” he says to me during a Zoom call. “I’m embracing the moment. Like I said, palms up. I’m embracing it for whatever it is, it’s fail-proof, I can’t fail.”

Our conversation comes shortly after Phabo released his debut album, Soulquarius. The new project is dipped in neo-soul gold — a genre that the singer holds near and dear to his heart — through 16 songs and features from Alex Vaughn, Destin Conrad, Mntra, and Rexx Life Raj. During a conversation with Uproxx, Phabo spoke about Soulquarius, his relationship with music and driving, and what he seeks the most for his career.

In your own words, because Soulquarius isn’t a new word (shoutout the Soulquarians), what does a Soulquarius mean to you?

Obviously, the end part is derived from Aquarius, with me being an Aquarius. I tie that in with my love for neo-soul music, the Soulquarians. I knew people would get that part, but deeper than that, it ties into everything that I stand for as well. It ties into astrology in terms of Polaris meaning my brand and stuff. It ties into following your North Star at all times. It’s a deeper meaning than “what’s your sign?” or whatnot, it’s not even like that or like me trying to do a carbon copy because I wasn’t trying to sound like it. I wasn’t trying to sound like that, I wanted to create my own sound but I still wanted that essence and that raw feeling to still be as if I recorded it at Electric Lady Studios in New York.

It’s clear that you’re very much affected and inspired by the neo-soul genre as a whole. From D’Angelo to Erykah Badu and everyone else that contributed to it, what pulled you into it the most?

So I was brought up around like a bunch of eclectic music. My dad wasn’t somebody who limited himself in terms of musicality because he was a songwriter too. My dad had a tape of affirmations and he had a tape of affirmative songs and it’d be the same five songs that would play every morning. Those five songs would be like Eric Benet’s “True To Myself,” Bobby McFerrin’s “Friends” was on there, and so on and so forth. Being able to read the lyrics, and I’m learning them at like six and seven, and just the different parts that go into that, it’s always been a feeling. I was able to understand spiritually what that meant and what that was and why I was tickling my gut right here when I listened to it, the chords when they do something. I can’t really explain it, I can’t put it in no other words other than you just know what it feels like when you hear it.

In a previous interview, you mentioned that you were ready to release Soulquarius years ago, but after an engineer took the masters with them on tour, you couldn’t drop it so we got your 2016 EP Free instead. Since then, how has Soulquarius and the story you aimed to tell grown, changed, or even stayed the same?

To be transparent, the only songs that remained from that project that was supposed to drop were “Beam,” “How’s My Driving?” [and] “Slippery.” Everything else was recorded after I thought that that project was done. It’s kind of crazy cause even in those moments where I was close to giving up, something would happen where God’s like, “Alright, he’s not getting it? We’re just here n****, chill.” The project changed a lot, but the integrity remained the same. Me and bro, that’s my brother, mind you, like I said, he did those three songs that I just named. We produced those, except for “Slippery,” but “How’s My Driving?” and “Beam” were with bro. He’s responsible for that noise that comes out right on “Beam,” he did all that. Nothing happens by chance and I’m grateful that we’re able to get to this point and I was grateful for all the changes that took place and the sound of it from then to now. If I listened to the original, what it was to be, as opposed to where we’re at now, it just sounds a little bit dated, so I’m grateful for it all.

I can assume this moment and all the frustrations that came with it were probably the hardest example of following your North Star right?

Yes, a million percent. Yeah, relinquishing all control to just the powers that be, like hands up, palms up. You’ll really take yourself through it, beating yourself up trying to force things to go a certain way at a certain time. I rushed that project to drop and then it’s like it’s just, yeah, no. I look back at how things could have been and I followed my North Star for sure, or the North Star led me. Like I said, I couldn’t even f*ck up if I wanted to, it wasn’t even happening. So I start getting to the point where I’m just talking to God every morning — moving with a different type of divine power. Even when I was f*cking it up, it wouldn’t [work]. Went to upload the joint, the joint bounced back, you know what I’m saying? Yeah, it’s divine bro.

There are a lot of songs and scenes that take place in a car on Soulquarius. There’s “LNF,” “S550,” and “How’s My Driving.” The sounds of an engine starting appear at the beginning of “Slippery.” What’s the relationship between music, cars, and driving for you?

Before it was Soulquarius, it was How’s My Driving?, that was the title of the project with “How’s My Driving” being the lead single on that project. I was born in San Diego, California, I moved to St. Petersburg, Florida when I was eight years old, then relocated to Long Beach when I was 16. I spent half of my junior year and senior year in Orange County completing high school, [then I] moved back to the heart of LA. I’m learning the culture out there, the backstreets to take, what not to say, all that stuff. All that is just like me maneuvering, working a full-time job, and I’m putting miles on my car just trying to make things happen. The way I made a name for myself on the writing side of things is me being available and dependable, and that comes with a lot of driving. All my ideas are coming to me on the road, I remember I used to write in between lights. I’d write at each stoplight on the way to the studio. I was on the road that much, I wasn’t at the crib, I would write like at a stoplight. LA, you could sit for a minute, so by the time I get to the studio, I got a song and it’s fresh because I just did it on the way here. The different routes that I took in life painted that picture for me.

You’ve done a lot of songwriting for artists like Kehlani, Kyle Doin & Jahkoy. What are some of the things you learned in this process that helped you grow as an artist as you were working on your own music?

Mars Today, he’s the homie, he’s a dope everything, I don’t even want to limit bro to anything he’s a creative, artist, producer, he got all that sh*t going. I remember early on, the first two artists I was writing for were Jahkoy and Kyle Dion. Before this, I kind of knew the structure of songs just based on what I was hearing on the radio and whatnot. When I went to write, that’s when I learned what each section was called. This the post, this the pre, we need this and we need that. Double that so it comes through [like this]. Everything has just happened to work hand-in-hand, there’s been nothing that’s been further along than anything. I feel like I was building on my artistry and my writing at the same time, always. I definitely learned more about the business from the writing side as well. How things work in terms of placing and whatnot. So in the future, when I do decide to work with other writers, I know how it works and how the business goes. I learned more of the business from the writer’s side than I did from the artist’s side for sure. On the artist side, there are still things that I’m learning.

Going off the point of you being a fairly new artist yourself, I wanted to ask: What are some artists that you’ve worked with, or that you’ve seen or interacted with, that you feel deserve more attention?

Destin Conrad, Ambré, let’s see, Jean Deaux [too]. It’s really like people that I rock with tough. I feel like Rexx Life Raj is another n**** that gets it. He understands life on a molecular level. It’s coming to him already, he’s already manifested it, but he’s one for sure. Really, AJ Saudin from Degrassi. He’s like — that’s scary because he can act and he’s in his R&B bag. We’re building that camaraderie to be able to get sh*t going. That’s a n**** I believe in 100% for sure. Lyfe Harris and Alex Vaughn [too].

We spoke earlier about just following your North Star. Wherever it leads you, you’re confident that it’s bringing you to a good place and somewhere that you can handle. However, if I could give you control for one moment, if there’s one thing that comes as a result of Soulquarius, what do you hope it is?

Longevity. I live by this principle that everybody gets like one earthquake in this game and everything after that is just maintaining the aftershocks. For me, I was kind of on the fence cause everybody wants to hold off this whole “album” word because it’s a game to [guess]. “Was it an album? Was that the one?” Nobody wants to bet on themselves and the labels don’t feel like these artists are ready to even say that yet. Following my North Star, I just went with whatever was coming naturally and what it felt like. It did not feel like an EP, it did not feel like a project. It felt like something that would set me up for the next 10-20 years. It felt like my Nostalgia, Ultra, it felt like my So Far Gone. I’ve seen some sh*t out here trying to finish this project, just trying to get this sh*t out. I know that shows and I know n****s feel that. I know the work that I put into this shows and I truly feel like this is the one, even with the next project’s success and the project after that’s success. This is gonna be the one that sets me up for the next 20 [years] to really run the game.

Soulquarius is out now via Soulection. Get it here.

Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson is realizing he might’ve jumped the gun by passing a law that banned mask mandates earlier this year.

Despite rising case numbers and vaccine hesitancy throughout the state, Hutchinson and the GOP-led state legislature voted yes on a bill in April of this year that prohibits state and local officials and entities from ordering a face mask mandate. According to Hutchinson, the bill made sense at the time as the state’s cases were “at a low point.” The problem now, however, is that Coronavirus cases among people under the age of 18 have seen a 517% increase between April and July, just as families prepare to send their kids back to school. The ban on mask mandates extends to public schools, and because children under the age of 12 aren’t eligible to receive the vaccine in Arkansas just yet, there’s a real concern that this new Delta variant could devastate the state’s youngest, most vulnerable population.

“Everything has changed now,” Hutchinson told reporters when questioned about the law. “In hindsight, I wish that it had not become law.”

Hindsight might be 20/20, but when you’re in the middle of a pandemic and an entire subgroup of people in your state doesn’t have access to a vaccine, you don’t have to be clairvoyant to know that banning mask mandates is a bad call. Unfortunately, the only way Hutchinson can now reverse his decision is by taking it back to the GOP-led legislature to amend it, or bringing it to the courts for them to judge whether it’s constitutional or not. Either road means a long, drawn-out process, especially as some parents are opposed to reversing the ban. Currently, Arkansas has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the country among its adult population, and with evidence suggesting new variants may impact teens and children more than the first COVID wave, Hutchinson’s decision could prove catastrophic for the state’s school system.

“Local school districts should make the call and they should have more options to make sure that their school is a safe environment during a very challenging time for education,” Hutchinson said.

His newly pro-science tune would have been much more helpful months ago.

(Via Chicago Tribune & The Recount)

During last night’s highly anticipated Verzuz between The LOX and The Diplomats at Madison Square Garden, fans watching online quickly crowned Jadakiss the runaway star of the event. From the jump, his relentless needling of his ostensible opponents — from their gear to their performance over vocal tracks — tickled fans’ funny bones, while his own performances recalled his longtime dominance of New York radio and his elite tier rhyme skills. Fans also noted how he’d similarly stolen the show at his prior Verzuz event where he made several meme-worthy moments alongside fellow 2000s New York rap star Fabolous.

Among the responses were those calling Jadakiss the MVP, while still others admonished their fellow fans to appreciate the rapper more.

Even Tyler the Creator was seen in the comments on the stream expressing his “crush” on Jadakiss for having “crazy” confidence and aging well.

Some were even quick to remind others that Jadakiss put out a new album last year, recommending that those impressed by his performance take a listen.

The overwhelming sentiment was one of appreciation for the 20+ year rap veteran, who lived up to his “top 5 dead or alive” reputation for at least one night. Check out more reactions from fans below.

After teasing the upcoming revenge flick with a series of cool as hell photos, Netflix has officially released the first trailer for Kate starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who is absolutely brutal in the title role as a relentless assassin. After finding out she was poisoned shortly before performing a hit, Kate goes on a one-woman killing spree against the entire Yakuza, against the better judgment of her handler, Woody Harrelson, who’s along for the ride.

While Kate‘s premise has been knocked (and praised) for sounding an awful lot like Crank, the stylized trailer bears very little resemblance to the Jason Statham flick. Think more along the lines of John Wick and Atomic Blonde. You’re more likely to see Kate shoot up a whole room, savagely snap a few ankles, and slam faces into hot grill tops than jolt herself with a defibrillator pad. Not to mention, Statham’s character was absolutely manic while Kate seems to be effortlessly calm, cool, and collected while mowing down her enemies with a cigarette dangling from her mouth.

Here’s the official synopsis:

After she’s poisoned, a ruthless criminal operative has less than 24 hours to exact revenge on her enemies and in the process forms an unexpected bond with the daughter of one of her past victims.

Kate starts streaming September 10 on Netflix.

(Via Netflix)

These days, kooky Nic Cage movies are a dime a dozen, and frankly, most of them aren’t very good. The Oscar winner turned family-friendly movie star turned bankrupted eccentric snake owner has become such a consistent novelty act in recent years that my “Nic Cage does something weird” receptors have been permanently fried. Craziness alone is no longer a draw.

The beauty of Pig, the new Michael Sarnoski movie starring Nic Cage as a bedraggled truffle forager, is that while it is utterly bonkers, it’s not bonkers in any of the traditional ways that we’ve come to expect. It’s quietly bonkers, meditative and subdued, rather than loud and frenetic. The trick with directing Nic Cage, after all, isn’t how to light his fuse. He’s more like a nuclear reactor, a source of infinite energy where the job is trying to focus and contain it. As with jazz, Nic Cage’s performance in Pig is more about the lines he’s not screaming*.

What the hell even is this movie? The difficulty in answering this question and the myriad of ways in which one could is largely its appeal. Cage plays, essentially, the food version of a retired action hero. He has climbed the proverbial mountain, experienced loss, become disillusioned by humanity, and gone off to live a hirsute, monastic existence in the wilds of Oregon. He has no indoor plumbing, never seems to take off his fingerless gloves, and a pleasantly snuffling orangish pig is his only companion. Think Luke in The Last Jedi, only with mushrooms from a pig instead of breast milk from a green hippo.

“Robin” and his pig hunt for truffles by day and eat lovingly-cooked mushroom tarts by night, their only contact with the outside world coming every Thursday, in the form of Amir (Alex Woff from Hereditary) a slickster truffle buyer who drives a yellow Camaro. Robin barely acknowledges Amir beyond grunts and gestures until one night, some intruders break into Robin’s campsite and steal his pig. Now, Robin needs Amir’s city connections, not to mention his ride, to help him get her back.

The easy way to fulfill expectations and have enough material for a trailer and a poster and sell the foreign rights would be to turn Pig into John Wick, with Nic Cage in the Keanu role and the dog recast as a pig. That would be a fun concept, though probably not a great story. Yet Pig isn’t really a revenge movie. It’s more like The Wrestler meets Ratatouille, with a strange (and mostly unnecessary?) diversion into Fight Club. Robin’s pig rescue mission doesn’t involve any bloody revenge, though Cage does spend 90% of the film with dried blood on his face. Instead, Robin merely uses food to make his enemies remember why they loved food in the first place. His revenge is to make them tragically aware of how far they’ve strayed from the mission, the metaphysical X-Man of the Portland food scene.

Where John Wick is trapped firmly in its own underworld universe, with nary a “civilian” to puncture the veil, Pig is that, but for food. Every character in the film is involved in the restaurant business in some facet, be it foraging, buying, or cooking, all treated with a grandiosity that’s both comical and admirable. Pig explores a subculture that doesn’t really exist, while asking: wouldn’t it be cool if it did? After a year (and potentially more) in which we lost the act of eating out (heh), there’s something oddly gratifying about a story that grants life-and-death stakes to restaurant food. It’s not that important… and yet… maybe it is?

Pig‘s pleasures are mostly hypnotic and atmospheric. It probably didn’t have to be quite so underexposed, but Sarnoski is definitely doing an art, and it is weirdly calming to watch an orange pig snuffle around a misty forest at dawn. It also would’ve been nice if Sarnoski had been able to convey the sensual, metaphysical power of food through composition and cinematography, the way movies like First Cow, Labor Day, Chef, and yes, Ratatouille did. Pig has some food porn (and is mostly better than the aforementioned movies, save Ratatouille, in other ways), but it mostly leaves Nic Cage’s eyes to do the heavy lifting.

I say Cage’s eyes in particular because most of the rest of his face is obscured by wig, beard, and fake scars and bruises. Which is weirdly effective. Nic Cage’s eyes can convey a lot when you’re not distracted by his giant smooth forehead.

In the end, Pig isn’t life-changing or wildly profound, but that’s part of its beauty. It never tries to artificially amplify the stakes or to be “bigger” than it needs to be. At 92 minutes, it’s more like an odd little fling that runs its course, but you look back on fondly.

‘Pig’ is available in theaters now and VOD platforms now. Vince Mancini is on Twitter. You can access his archive of reviews here.

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*Years ago, Werner Herzog attempted to describe what it was like directing Nic Cage in the marvelous Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans. “We would do scenes in the so-called normal version, and I had the feeling there was something wilder,” Herzog told an audience at the Toronto Film Festival. “And I would turn to Nicolas and I would say, ‘We’ll do it once more, but this time you should turn the pig loose.’ ”

Was Pig inadvertently inspired by this press conference?