Episode 39: Interview with Giorgio Serafini, director of THE TRACKER

On this episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Giorgio Serafini! Serafini is an accomplished writer and director, who’s worked with Dolph Lundgren five times, one of which being Lundgren’s next film, The Tracker!  In this discussion, Serafini was gracious enough to chat about his transition from Belgium to Hollywood, how he fell into the action genre of films, what fans can expect to see from Dolph in The Tracker, and what he has coming up here in the next year!

Major thanks to Giorgio Serafini for his time!  Also, please check out The Tracker, releasing in select theaters and on demand Friday, August 9th!  Check out the trailer here.

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

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Episode 38: Agent Red

On this month’s episode, All Outta Bubblegum’s Brenton Haysom is back once again to close out our discussion on the Dolph Lundgren-Phoenician Entertainment trifecta of films!  This time we’re taking a look at a particularly low point in Dolph’s filmography, 2000’s Agent Red!  In this strange collection of stock footage that’s masquerading as a real movie, Lundgren plays Matt Hendricks, a military tough guy who’s tasked with escorting a lethal chemical agent aboard a submarine.  Yet when Russian terrorists hijack the sub, Dolph punches and kicks his way to see that the virus is not unleashed on American soil! Just what exactly went on behind the scenes with this one?  Is everyone involved in this film playing a joke on the target demographic?  And just how “hot” is the titular chemical agent?  Join Brenton and I as we crack open a few cold ones and get through the mess that is Agent Red!

Major thanks to Brenton for joining me once again.  For kill counts, reviews, and video essays, please check out All Outta Bubblegum!

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

Episode 37: Interview with actor, writer, director, and stuntman Michael Worth

Michael Worth has to be one of the hardest working men in the business today.  Arriving in Hollywood over 30 years ago and living with his dog in a truck for six months, Worth is the epitome of hard work and perseverance.  A true fan at heart, Worth got his start working in the films of PM Entertainment before moving onto writing and directing.  On this special episode, renaissance man Michael Worth was gracious enough to speak with the show about working with PM Entertainment, his martial arts training, his fascination with “Bruceploitation” cinema, and his latest film for which he pulled acting, writing, and directing duties, Apple Seed, starring the late Rance Howard and Clint Howard.  We also discuss his script for Wanted Man, the action film that he’s been co-writing with Dolph Lundgren for almost ten years!

Major thanks to Michael Worth for his time.  Please check out his film, Apple Seed making its premiere at the Dances With Film Festival on June 13th.  Tickets can be purchased here.

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

Episode 36: Jill the Ripper / Jill Rips

On this month’s episode, All Outta Bubblegum’s Brenton Haysom is back to help discuss the second film in the Lundgren-Phoenician Entertainment package deal, Jill the Ripper!  In this moody atmospheric thriller, Dolph Lundgren plays Matt Sorenson, a burnt-out former detective who enters the seedy underworld of Boston as he searches for the female serial killer who offed his brother.  If this doesn’t sound your typical Lundgren flick, you’d be correct — it’s not…  Which leads to some of the film’s advantages and problems.  How does Lundgren do at tackling a mystery with such disturbing undertones?  Why does this film take place in the 70’s?  What’s going on with the casting, especially the villains?  And are the various plot twists and turns surprising at all?  Join Brenton and I as we take on arguably the wildest film in the Lundgren canon, Jill the Ripper!

For kill counts, review, and video essays, check out more of Brenton’s work at All Outta Bubblegum!  Major thanks to Brenton for joining me.  Please feel free to rate and review the show on iTunes, Stitcher, or wherever else you go to subscribe!

Episode 35: The Last Warrior / The Last Patrol

On this month’s episode, we’re taking a look back at 2000’s The Last Patrol (also known as The Last Warrior for its American release)!  In this post-apocalyptic-esque story, Dolph Lundgren plays Nick Preston, a military captain who leads a small group of survivors across a California wasteland in the aftermath of a cataclysmic earthquake!  Joining me to discuss this film is David Rosen, host of the Piecing It Together podcast!  How exactly does an earthquake turn the state of California into a desert (one that looks oddly like Israel)?  Could Lundgren’s band of survivors be one of the oddest teams ever assembled on film?  In what ways were Lundgren and director Sheldon Lettich hampered by the film’s meager budget?  And what exactly was the husband-wife writing/producing team going for when they conceptualized the screenplay?  Join David and I as we embark on The Last Patrol!

Major thanks to director, Sheldon Lettich for taking the time to answer my questions!  Also, thanks to David Rosen for joining me.  Please check out his movie review podcast, Piecing It Together, as well as his website and Youtube channel!

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

Episode 34: The Minion

On this month’s episode, it’s Dolph vs. the Antichrist!  …or more specifically, Dolph vs. the servant to the Antichrist — in 1998’s The Minion!  In this supernatural thriller, Lundgren stars as a warrior monk named Lukas who’s sent to New York to stop a wicked demon from unleashing the Antichrist upon humanity!  Joining the show to chat this one is Tom Jolliffe, screenwriter and content contributor to the website, Flickering Myth!  Just how cool is Lundgren’s demon-smashing weapon (and why would writers have it disappear so soon in the film)?  In what ways are the film’s budgetary constraints apparent?  Could this be the most Canadian of all of Lundgren’s films?  And why does the climax have Dolph battling a door?  Join Tom and I as we try to make sense of Lundgren’s foray into the realm of supernatural-religious action, The Minion!

Major thanks to Tom Jolliffe for joining me.  Check out his articles over at Flickering Myth, as well as his Instagram!  Please feel free to rate and review the show on iTunes, Stitcher, or your podcast app of choice!

Episode 33: Storm Catcher

On this month’s episode, we’re taking a look at 1999’s Storm Catcher!  In this film, Lundgren goes back to playing an Air Force pilot once again, only this time as a pilot with the expertise in flying the “Storm Catcher” — a top secret stealth fighter jet!  Yet when the stealth jet is stolen, Lundgren finds himself set up for the crime and in a fight against his very own government!  This was Lundgren’s first of three films with the Andrew Stevens/Jim Wynorski-production house, Phoenician Entertainment, yet this one stands out a little more, especially when compared to all of the other stealth fighter action movies that hit the direct-to-video market around the late-90’s.  Joining me once again to discuss this movie is Brenton Haysom from the website, All Outta Bubblegum!  How does everyone involved make use of the film’s abundance of stock footage?  In what ways does director, Anthony Hickox add a horror vibe to the action sequences?   And in a film about a stealth fighter, why is the airplane “stealthily” absent from the film?  Listen in as Brenton and I fly headfirst into Storm Catcher!

Major thanks to Brenton Haysom for joining me.  For kill counts, reviews, and amazing video essays, check out his website, All Outta Bubblegum!  Please feel free to rate and review the show on iTunes, Stitcher, or wherever else you go to subscribe!

Episode 32: Aquaman

On this month’s episode, we close out the “2018 — Lundgrenaissance” and take a look at the latest DC comic book adaptation, Aquaman, currently in theaters (and still crushing it at the box office)!  In this underwater adventure, Jason Momoa stars as Arthur Curry, a.k.a. Aquaman, a half-man / half-Atlantian who battles his half-brother Orm for the title as King of Atlantis.  Dolph Lundgren takes on a supporting role as King Nereus, an Atlantian king whose loyalties teeter between both both prospective heirs to the throne as a full-on oceanic war erupts!  Joining the show once again is my buddy Chris Prentice!  How is it that the one superhero who’s always been a punchline is now the one who’s leading the DCEU films?  How does Lundgren do at playing a king (surprisingly, a first in his career)?  Is too much CGI a good thing or a bad thing?  And just how amazing is Lundgren’s entrance in the film?  Join Chris and I as we take a deep dive into Aquaman!

Major thanks to Chris Prentice for joining me!  Please feel free to rate and review the show on iTunes, Stitcher, or wherever you go subscribe!

Episode 31: Interview with stunt double, Tony Messenger

Happy new year!  A new interview episode has arrived to help kick off 2019!  On this episode, I had the privilege of speaking with Dolph Lundgren’s very own go-to stunt double, Tony Messenger!  Tony Messenger has been doubling for Lundgren since 2010’s The Expendables.  Ever since, the two have become a well-oiled machine, collaborating in almost 20 projects!  In this fun discussion, Messenger and I chat his kickboxing background, the genesis of he and Lundgren’s working relationship, and what he has in store for 2019!    What are the struggles and benefits of doubling for an action star?  Listen in to find out!

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

Episode 30: Creed II

2018 — The Year of Dolph. Or the “Lundgrenaissance.” On this month’s episode, we’re discussing the next installment in the Rocky franchise, Creed II!  While this is a giant leap ahead in the filmography of Dolph, there’s no denying the momentous year that Lundgren has been having!  And now is the time to talk about it! In this sequel to 2015’s smash hit, Creed, Lundgren returns to the role that initially made him a star 33 years ago — Ivan Drago!  Joining me once again for this inevitable discussion is Craig Cohen of the SlyCast! What is it about this franchise and these characters who continue to enthrall so many for over 40 years?  How was director Stephen Caple and everyone involved able to take the cartoon that is Rocky IV and ground it into the real world of Creed?  Is Lundgren’s Ivan Drago truly a villain?  Where can this series go should it decide to continue?  And where would we like to see Lundgren’s and Stallone’s careers go at this point?

Listen in as the hosts of the Stallone podcast and the Lundgren podcast join forces once again and BREAK down Creed II currently in theaters!

Major thanks to Craig Cohen for joining.  Please check out his podcasts, the SlyCast and Big Screen Book Club, as well as his Ramones Blog: ramonespinhead.blogspot.com!

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