"I Must Break" This Podcast

On this month's interview episode, director, writer, and editor, Alex Merkin stopped by the show to chat his time in Hollywood, as well as directing the film, Altitude starring Dolph Lundgren and Denise Richards!  In Altitude, Richards stars as a no-nonsense FBI agent who finds herself up against a plane hijacking headed by Lundgren!  In this discussion, Merkin and I chat working in the world of independent cinema, the troubles and successes in filming Altitude, and how he continues to add his own artistic flourishes to these independent films.  We also discuss his next film with Dolph Lundgren, which is a vast departure from a film like Altitude -- a family-friendly Christmas comedy set to hopefully be released this year!  It was fun discussion with a true talent!

Major thanks to Alex Merkin for his time!  Please be sure to check out Altitude, as well as his other films, which are all available on Amazon and iTunes! Also, be on the lookout for the Christmas comedy co-starring Dolph, Eric Roberts, and more!

Please feel free to rate and review the show on iTunes, Stitcher, or wherever you go to subscribe!

If you've ever wondered what a biblical adventure starring Dolph Lundgren, Max Von Sydow, and F. Murray Abraham would look like, then look no further than 2006's The Final Inquiry!  In this odd biblical period piece, Dolph stepped out of the action genre and took on a supporting role as Brixos, a warrior turned bodyguard who assists a Roman tribune in the investigation of the resurrection of Jesus Christ!  It's a bizarre film, and even wilder to see Dolph in such a role.  Luckily, I had someone who's quite familiar with the world of independent, direct-to-video cinema join me to help make sense of this one... Matt Poirier of the Direct to Video Connoisseur Blog and Podcast guests on the show and lends his insight on this evangelical Italian production! What does Dolph bring to essentially the role of a servant? Could this have been Dolph's opportunity to star in something on the level of Gladiator? And is this a story that really even needs to be retold anyway? Listen in as Matt and I go to church and chat The Final Inquiry!

Major thanks to Matt Poirier for joining me. Please check out his blog and podcast, The Direct To Video Connoisseuer! http://dtvconnoisseur.blogspot.com/ Also, check out his book Chad in Accounting on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Chad-Accounting-Matthew-Poirier-ebook/dp/B085GG96QR/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=chad+in+accounting+book&qid=1596256732&sr=8-2. And while you're at it, buy a DTV Connoisseur t-shirt on Threadless! https://dtvconnoisseur.threadless.com/

Feel free to rate and review the show on iTunes, Stitcher, or wherever else you go to subscribe! Lastly, check out and follow the Facebook page for the show! https://www.facebook.com/imustbreakthispodcast/

Check out The Final Inquiry available on imdbTV and Hoopla!

On this month's interview episode, Jean-Marc Piche was gracious enough to join the show and discuss his directorial debut -- the supernatural action thriller, The Minion!  In The Minion, Dolph Lundgren played Lukas, a badass warrior priest who travels to New York to stop the arrival of the Antichrist!  Piche reflects on his experiences making the film over 20 years ago, as well as his career in general!

We also chat the current state of independent cinema and how it's drastically changed in the last 20 years. Piche also gives us hints on what he has in the works for 2021 and beyond!

Major thanks to Jean-Marc Piche for his time!  Check out his website!: https://www.jmpfilmdirector.com/ 

Please feel free to rate and review the show on iTunes, Stitcher, or wherever else you go to subscribe!  Also, check out and follow the show's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/imustbreakthispodcast/ and the official webpage for the show: www.imustbreakthispodcast.wordpress.com

What if Dolph Lundgren played an Indiana Jones-esque adventurer who was tasked with finding mystical artifacts, went to exotic locales, and battled rival treasure hunting crews?  Enter Ronson in his first (and only) adventure, Diamond Dogs!  In this overly ambitious production, Dolph plays Xander Ronson -- a mercenary languishing in Mongolia who's hired as protection by a team of American explorers who are on the hunt for an ancient (and cursed!) Buddhist artitfact!  It was a promising project and character for Dolph to be a part of with the possibility of a potential franchise (a sequel was already in the works...).  But...  when the resources aren't exactly there, and the entire production is stripped and simplified to suit the film's dwindling budget, you get what is seen in Diamond Dogs...  All Outta Bubblegum's Brenton Haysom joins the show once again to help discuss the film and what could have been. Could this be one of the best characters Dolph has ever had the opportunity to play?  In what ways is the production hampered by the miniscule budget?  How does the film's use of shaky cam work to its benefit (and detriment)?  And is this film the best example of what Indiana Jones would look like if he existed in the real world?  Join us as Brenton and I accompany Ronson on the adventure that is Diamond Dogs!

Stay tuned at the end of the episode for friend of the show, Tom Jolliffe's opinions and insight on the film!  Special thanks to Brenton Haysom for once again coming back!  As always, check out his Youtube channel, All Outta Bubblegum featuring video essays, kill counts, and yearly retrospectives: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSFiprJ15rGr4KyE4kzGHbA

Please feel free to rate and review the show on iTunes, Stitcher, or wherever else you go to subscribe!

On this month's interview episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with producer Benjamin Sacks!  Ben is the head of production company, Hollywood Media Bridge, and he's had a hand in producing many of the independent action movies that we all love and enjoy!  In addition to working alongside Dolph Lundgren, Sacks has also produced films for the likes of Val Kilmer, Jason Patric, and Steven Seagal!  With almost 50 producing credits to his name, Sacks sure had plenty to say regarding the industry!  In this discussion, Ben and I chat his moving from the US Marine Corps into producing, the trials, tribulations, and ultimate successes in producing these movies, as well as the state of independent action cinema in the midst of Covid-19.  He also manages to give quite a few Steven Seagal stories! What drives the decisions of many in the independent action film genre? Listen in to find out!

Major thanks to Benjamin Sacks for his time!  Please feel free to rate and review the show on iTunes, Stitcher, or wherever else you go to subscribe!

Are you ready to rock?  Because Dolph Lundgren certainly is!  On this month's outing, we're taking a look at Dolph's FOURTH round as actor-director (not to mention co-writer as well!) in 2009's Command Performance!  In this variation on the classic Die Hard formula, Dolph plays Joe, a rock and roll drummer who springs into action when terrorists invade a rock concert in Moscow!  And who better to discuss a rock and roll action movie than with an actual rocker himself?!  Jeremiah Ludemann, guitarrist for the band, No Bueno! joins the show (in his first ever podcast appearance!) to discuss the film and offer insight into the music and concert-going business! Just how invested is Dolph in the movie, and how is it evident?  How does the film do at balancing the line between slapstick and seriousness?  How does Dolph manage to dispatch of the terrorists using his instruments?  And where does the rest of Dolph's band go?  Listen in as Jeremiah and I rock out and chat the craziness that is Command Performance!

Major thanks to Jeremiah Ludemann for joining me!  Please be sure to check out his band, No Bueno! https://www.facebook.com/nobuenoband/  Also, be sure to stay tuned at the end of the episode for the premiere of No Bueno's new song, "Dangerous Weapon"!

And if you have yet to see Command Performance, check it out for free on Tubi and IMDbTV! Please feel free to rate and review the show on iTunes, Stitcher, or wherever else you go to subscribe!

On this month's special interview episode, we're discussing the 2016 martial arts fighting flick, Female Fight Squad!  Female Fight Squad tells the story of Rebecca, a former fighter who's lured back into the world of underground fighting in order to help her sister pay off some debts.  Dolph Lundgren shows up as the girls' wrongly imprisoned father who assists his daughters on the inside!  It's a fun action-packed film, and the podcast is featuring not just one discussion, but TWO!  Amy Johnston, the lead in Female Fight Squad and Miguel Ferrer, the film's director, were both gracious enough to sit down and chat!  Amy Johnston is an accomplished martial artist, stuntwoman, and actress who's been training in the film industry for well over ten years!  Outside of Female Fight Squad, you see her some of her other work in the Bloodsport reboot, Lady Bloodfight (available on Netflix), Accident Man (where she trades punches and kicks with Scott Adkins!), and Captain America: The Winter Soldier (where she doubled for Scarlett Johansson).  Miguel Ferrer is a rising director with experience lending his electric visual style to films, commercials, and music videos!  And when these two join forces, the results are extremely badass!  An amazing double-bill with two talents in the action genre!

Major thanks to both Amy Johnston and Miguel Ferrer for their time.  Please be sure to follow Amy Johnston on Twitter and Instagram @amyejohnston.  Also, please check out her Youtube channel, especially her Youtube series, Hero Training featuring insight and secrets on the action and stunt business! https://www.youtube.com/user/amy2590

Check out Miguel Ferrer's offical webpage, www.directormiguelferrer.com!

Lastly, please see Female Fight Squad, which is available on Amazon, iTunes, Youtube, Vudu, and Google Play!

Please feel free to rate and review the show on iTunes, Stitcher, or wherever you go to subscribe!

On this month's episode, it's Dolph coming to the rescue of a small town by bringing in the necessary firepower and... the word of God!  Mike Fury, author of the Life of Action and its recent follow-up, Life of Action Volume II, comes back to the show to discuss 2008's Missionary Man!  In this film, Dolph took on the starring, writing, and directing duties once again where he plays Ryder, a mysterious drifter on a Harley who dispenses justice to small towns in need!  Just how comfortable is Dolph in the director's chair for his third outing?  What's going on with the coloring of the film, and does it work to the movie's benefit?  Is Dolph channeling Clint Eastwood, Buford Pusser, Billy Jack, or a combination of all three?  And is Dolph's Ryder character an actual spiritual divinity, i.e. an angel?!  Join us as Mike and I chat Dolph's next cultured outing, Missionary Man!

Major thanks to Mike Fury for coming back on the show!  Please check out his new book, Life of Action Volume II featuring interviews with Tony Jaa, Michael Jai White, Zoe Bell, and many, many more!  You can buy the book here: www.mikefury.net

Please feel free to rate and review the show on iTunes, Stitcher, or wherever else you go to subscribe!

On the 50th episode of the show (yes, 50!), legend of cinema and character actor Robert Miano joins the show to chat his storied career. Robert Miano has been acting in films for almost 50 years, and he had quite a few interesting tales to tell regarding his time in the business! In this discussion we chat his knack for playing villains (especially of the mobster variety), working in Donnie Brasco alongside his longtime friend, Al Pacino, and how he manages to stay so busy! We also chat the film he did with Dolph Lundgren -- Storm Catcher, where he played an imposing general holding the United States for ransom!

Major thanks to Robert Miano for his time! Please be on the lookout for his many upcoming films, one of which being the horror-sci-fi thriller, The Deep Ones, to be released later on this year.

Please feel free to rate and review the show on iTunes, Stitcher, or wherever else you go to subscribe!!!

On this month's episode we're taking a look at Dolph's second turn as a director -- 2006's, The Mechanik (also known as The Russian Specialist)! In this gritty throwback to '70's grindhouse cinema, Lundgren plays Nikolai Cheranko, former Spetnaz, turned mechanic, who's on the trail of the Russian mobsters who killed his wife and son! Joining me for a FIFTH round to chat this slice revenge cinema is All Outta Bubblegum's Brenton Haysom! How does writer-director-star, Dolph Lundgren add his artistic flourishes to what is essentially a generic conceit? Could this be an unofficial sequel to Red Scorpion? In what ways was this the progenitor for the Taken series, and to an extent -- John Wick? And what is it that easily puts this film in the top five of Dolph's career? Join Brenton and I as we crack open a couple cold ones (RUSSIAN stouts to be exact!) and chat the brilliance that is The Mechanik!

Thanks to Brenton Haysom for coming back once again!  For kill counts, yearly retrospectives, and video essays, please check out Brenton's Youtube channel, All Outta Bubblegum: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSFiprJ15rGr4KyE4kzGHbA

Also, be sure to check out The Russian Specialist / The Mechanik currently available for streaming on Amazon Prime, imdbTV, and Tubi!

Feel free to rate and review the show on iTunes, Stitcher, or wherever else you go to subscribe!!!