"I Must Break" This Podcast

This month we're going back to where it all started and chatting the 1985 sports classic, Rocky IV! Only this time, we're actually taking a look at the Director's Cut assembled by Sylvester Stallone himself and released in 2021 -- Rocky IV: Rocky vs. Drago! In the final episode of the podcast (for the time being at least), the show comes full circle and we discuss the ultimate director's cut in which Stallone recut the iconic film in the Rocky franchise! But with all the added and altered scenes, is this new cut any good? Katie Geilinkirchen from the Retromade and One More Round podcasts returns to the show to help me answer that question! We chat the pros, cons, and minute changes that Stallone added and tweaked for this reimagining 36 years in the making! Listen in as we take a deep dive into Rocky IV: Rocky vs. Drago!

Major thanks to Katie Geilengirchen for joining me! Please be sure to check out her podcasts, Retromade and One More Round! Special thanks to all the guests who've joined me throughout the show's run, and have helped me complete the journey! See you all again when Mr. Lundgren has another film on the horizon! Please rate and review the show on iTunes or wherever you go to subscribe! Intro. music is "Sports Action" by Audionautix; closing outro. music the "Eye of the Tiger" heavy metal remix by Ancestral!

On this month's episode we're tackling two films in which Dolph took on supporting roles where he played shady figures with dual motives! In the 2015 ensemble "thriller", 4GOT10, Lundgren plays a DEA agent on the trail of some stolen cash from a drug deal gone wrong! Starring alongside Dolph are Johnny Messner, Danny Trejo, Michael Pare, and Vivica A. Fox! In Altitude, "wild thing," Denise Richards stars as an FBI hostage negotiator who finds herself caught in the middle of a hijacking onboard her flight to Washington DC! Lundgren shows up as a high-class thief who threatens to crash the plane unless one of the fellow passengers returns the loot that is rightfully his! Sure, both these premises couldn't be more different, though that didn't stop us from having fun chatting these two slices of direct-to-video independent action cinema! Joining me to chat this duo of flicks are two friends of the show -- Steve Done and Matt Poirier! First up Steve Done returns to the show to help make sense of the Tarantino wannabe 4GOT10 (we try to get to the bottom of that awful title, and we manage to briefly discuss the 2004 British “comedy”(?), Fat Slags)! After, Matt Poirier from The Direct-to-Video Connoisseur returns to lend some insight on the pretty unremarkable airplane hijacking film, Altitude! So strap in… It’s a combo episode with tons action… albeit on low, low budgets!

Major thanks to Steve Done and Matt Poirier for joining me! Please be sure to check out Matt's blog and podcast, The DTV Connoisseur! https://dtvconnoisseur.blogspot.com/. Please be sure to check out the show's official website and Facebook page: www.imustbreakthispodcast.wordpress.com; www.facebook.com/imustbreakthispodcast. Feel free to rate and review the show on iTunes or wherever you go to subscribe! Show's intro. and outro. music is "Sports Action" by Audionautix.

On this month's episode, we're talking Dolph, the post-apocalypse, and zombies! No, we're not taking another look at 2013's Battle of the Damned, but instead Dolph's SECOND foray into zombie territory with 2019's Dead Trigger! Yes, five years after Battle of the Damned, Dolph went back to a similar well and once again took on hordes of zombies! In this adaptation of a popular mobile video game, Lundgren plays Kyle Walker, a hard-nosed mercenary in a near future with a penchant for wasting zombies! Yet even the best of the best can't slay zombies alone, so joining him on this mission is a team of teenage video gamers with just the right skills to ensure that the human race might live to see another day! Joining me to discuss this one is Scott Murphy, host of All 90’s Action, All the Time! What exactly went on behind the scenes with this one? In what ways does this play with the standard zombie tropes, and does it manage to do anything new? And just what is up with the ending? Listen in as Scott and I get to the bottom of Dead Trigger!

Major thanks to Scott Murphy for joining me! Be sure to check out his podcast, All 90's Action, All the Time!, which can be found on its own feed as well as on the Last of the Action Heroes Podcast Network feed! Please check out both the official webpage for the show as well as the Facebook page: www.imustbreakthispodcast.wordpress.com; www.facebook.com/imustbreakthispodcast. Feel free to rate and review the show on iTunes or wherever you go to subscribe! Show's intro. and outro. music is "Sports Action" by Audionautix.

On this month's episode, we're headed back to World War II once again, this time chatting TWO films from 2021, both written and directed by Steven Luke and both seeing Lundgren return to the European battlefields for some epic adventures (albeit on low, low budgets)! In Operation Seawolf, Lundgren plays a German U-Boat commander who launches a final desperate attach on New York; and in Come Out Fighting, Lundgren plays an American major in charge of a tank battalion that goes behind enemy lines to rescue their lieutenant! Filmed back to back, with many of the same props and sets, both films have positive intents... But are they any good? Major Dolph-fan and fellow action junkie, Steve Done joins the show to help me get to the bottom of these films and discuss both their merits... and their shortcomings. How does Operation Seawolf manage to make the most of its confined set to its benefit? How does Come Out Fighting do in balancing its large cast? And can a WW2-set film manage to even be watchable on a budget? Listen in as Steve and I chat Dolph's second and third forays in WW2 with Operation Seawolf and Come Out Fighting!

Major thanks to Steve Done for joining me! Please be sure to rate and review the show on iTunes or wherever you go to subscribe! Be sure to check out both the official webpage for show and the show's Facebook page: www.imustbreakthispodcast.wordpress.com; www.facebook.com/imustbreakthispodcast. Show's opening and closing music is "Sports Action" by Audionautix.

On this month's episode we're chatting Lundgren's most recent effort, the long-awaited, Wanted Man! In this tribute to Clint Eastwood's The Gauntlet (and perhaps a little Gran Torino), Dolph once again takes on acting, directing, and writing duties in which he plays Travis Johansen, a police officer who is tasked with begrudgingly escorting an eye witness across the border after she witnesses the deaths of two DEA agents. Yet when it's made clear that there are certain American parties who don't want to see them cross the border, Johansen must sort out his own alliances and troubled morals if he wants to see tomorrow! Returning to the show to help chat this one is Vern, author of the books, Seagalogy and Worm on a Hook, as well as his signature website, Outlaw Vern! How does Dolph do in directing his now 8th film? What social statements is this film trying to make amongst the bloody action sequences? Does Dolph manage to offer any surprises in terms of the villains? And is this film worth its (almost) 15 year wait? Listen in as Vern and I discuss Wanted Man!

Be sure to check out Wanted Man, currently available on VOD and free on Hoopla! Major thanks to Vern for once again joining me! Please be sure to check out his website: www.outlawvern.com. Please check out the official webpage for the show, as well as the Facebook page: www.imustbreakthispodcast.wordpress.com; www.facebook.com/imustbreakthispodcast. Feel free to rate and review the show on iTunes or wherever you go to subscribe! Show's intro. and outro. music is "Sports Action" by Audionautix.

On this month's episode, we're looking at the TWO films that Lundgren closed out 2023 with -- Showdown at the Grand and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom! Each of these films couldn’t be more different from one another, but considering Dolph took on supporting roles in each (not to mention wearing a wild wig for each performance!), I figured it was fitting to tackle both movies in this one episode! In Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, Dolph returns to the troubled DC Extended Universe for its final outing as King Nereus, a proud Atlantean King who assists the titular superhero in retaining his throne against comic book nemesis, Black Manta! In Showdown at the Grand, Lundgren stars as an aged action star who teams up with a movie theater proprietor to fight and keep the sanctity of cinema intact! Joining me to discuss these two efforts are TWO regulars -- Chris Prentice and David Rosen! First up is our Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom discussion in which David Rosen from Piecing it Together invited me back on his show to chat the Christmas 2023 blockbuster release! After Chris Prentice joins me to chat the Quentin Tarantino-inspired tribute to grindhouse cinema, Showdown at the Grand! This month we’re chatting a huge budget release and a small indie release… Dolph himself is no stranger to both arenas!

Major thanks to Chris Prentice and David Rosen! Be sure to check out David's podcast, Piecing it Together: www.piecingpod.com. Please be sure to rate and review the show on iTunes or wherever you go to subscribe! Be sure to check out both the official webpage for the show and the show's Facebook page: www.imustbreakthispodcast.wordpress.com; www.facebook.com/imustbreakthispodcast. Show's opening and closing music is "Sports Action" by Audionautix.

On this month's episode, actor/writer/director, Michael Worth returns to the show to discuss the upcoming action thriller, Wanted Man! In this long-awaited film, Lundgren pulls triple duties once again as star, director, and co-writer! In Wanted Man, Dolph plays Travis Johansen, a police officer who must escort a witness across the border in order to testify. Yet awaiting this duo are a team of shady American forces who will do anything to ensure that they remain in Mexico! Wanted Man has had quite a long road in production... Back when Worth was last on the show in 2019, the film was still in the script rewrite phase; now in the coming weeks, this pet project from both Lundgren and Michael Worth will finally be seeing a release thanks to Quiver Entertainment! Michael Worth has been collaborating with Lundgren on this film for almost 15 years, and it's gone through quite a few revisions and developments throughout this time! In this discussion, Worth and I chat Wanted Man as well as what else he has in development for 2024 and beyond!

Major thanks to Michael Worth for agreeing to come back! Please be sure to check out Wanted Man starring Dolph Lundgren and Kelsey Grammar, which will be released on January 19th courtesy of Quiver Entertainment: https://www.quiverdistribution.com/films/upcoming/wanted-man/. Please feel free to rate and review the show on iTunes or wherever else you go to subscribe! Check out the official webpage for the show, as well as Facebook page: www.imustbreakthispodcast.wordpress.com; www.facebook.com/imustbreakthispodcast. Show's intro. and outro. music is "Sports Action" by Audionautix; transition music by Rovador.

On this month's episode, we're once again taking a look at another Lundgren trio -- Acceleration, Hard Night Falling, and The Tracker! Filmed over the course of 2018 and released shortly after, this triumvirate of films has similar DNA running through them -- The Tracker and Hard Night Falling had Dolph jetting off to Italy and reteaming with director, Giorgio Serafini; whereas Hard Night Falling and Acceleration had him co-starring alongside rising action star and producer, Natalie Burn! In Acceleration, Lundgren plays a mob boss who puts a hard-nosed driver through a series of deadly tasks over the course of a single night; in Hard Night Falling, Lundgren attempts to channel John McClane once again as an Interpol agent vacationing in Italy who takes on a band of thieves; and in The Tracker, Dolph is an expert hunter (?) who travels to Italy to find the men who kidnapped and killed his family! While these films may all have wildly different conceits, are they any good...? Well, we have screenwriter, Tom Jolliffe returning to the show to help me answer that question! With such tight and limited shooting schedules, what was it about these films that intrigued Dolph in the first place? And how do these films stand up, both individually and in the wake of Lundgren's comeback with Creed II? Listen in as Tom and I get to the bottom of Acceleration, Hard Night Falling, and The Tracker!

Major thanks to Tom Jolliffe for joining me once again! Please check out his numerous screenwriting credits listed here: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6789910/! Also, please be sure to check out his contributions at Flickering Myth: https://www.flickeringmyth.com/author/tom-jolliffe/! Please be sure to rate and review the show on iTunes or wherever else you go to subscribe! Please check out the official webpage for the show: www.imustbreakthispodcast.wordpress.com, as well as the Facebook page: www.facebook.com/imustbreakthispodcast.

We're back for the 100th episode of the show, and what better film to discuss for #100 than the latest entry in The Expendables franchise -- Expend4bles! In the fourth installment, the team is scaled down with not as many members, but still some new additions! Returning for another battle, Jason Statham, Sylvester Stallone, Dolph Lundgren, and Randy Couture are now joined by Megan Fox, Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, and Tony Jaa! In their latest adventure, the Expendables must board a cargo ship and stop a sadistic arms dealer (played by Iko Uwais) from starting World War 3! This episode will be slightly different than previous episodes... Instead of having one guest, we’ll be pulling our own Expendables gimmick and bringing on multiple guests to share their thoughts! Included in this conversation is my guest spot on the Piecing It Together podcast with friend of the show, David Rosen! After, I'll be playing opinions on the movie from Richard Hawes of The DTV Digest, Sicco Hersink from Hugging the Cactus: The Mel Gibson Podcast, Matt Poirer from the DTV Connoisseur, as well as the thoughts from listeners of the show!

Major thanks to everyone who contributed. Please be sure to check out the following podcasts from friends of the show: David Rosen's Piecing It Together (https://www.piecingpod.com/); Richard Hawes' The DTV Digest (https://thedtvdigest.podbean.com/); Sicco Hersink's Hugging the Cactus, and Matt Poirer's The DTV Connoisseur (http://dtvconnoisseur.blogspot.com/)! Please feel free to rate and review the show on iTunes or wherever you go to subscribe! Show's opening and closing music is "Sports Action" by Audionautix!

On this month's episode, we're looking at one of Lundgren's most recent indie efforts, The Best Man! In this wedding-themed action thriller, Dolph teams up with Brendan Fehr as members of an unspecified special ops rescue unit who are attending the wedding of their teammate, Luke Wilson! Yet when an army of masked commandos storm the wedding, Dolph, Fehr, and Wilson must suit up again to save not just the bride-to-be, but the rest of the wedding party in this low-budget Die Hard-wannabe! Returning to the show once again is Brenton Haysom from his website, All Outta Bubblegum! How many corners does this film cut to make the most of its 10-day shoot? How is it that a small wedding party is able to rent out an entire hotel AND casino? And could Luke Wilson, Dolph Lundgren, and Brendan Fehr be one of the oddest action pairings ever seen on film? Join Brenton and I as get into the wedding spirit and chat The Best Man!

Major thanks to Brenton Haysom for joining me! For reviews, kill counts, and video essays, please check out his awesome website, All Outta Bubblegum: www.allouttabubblegum.com. Please check out the official website the show: www.imustbreakthispodcast.wordpress.com, as well as the show's Facebook page: www.facebook.com/imustbreakthispodcast. Show's intro. and outro. music is "Sports Action" by Audionautix.