LAST ACTION HERO

It’s Die Hard in a meta fantasy satire!Phil and Liam enter the weird and not-so-wonderful world of LAST ACTION HERO, the deconstructionist meta fantasy satire (and infamous box office flop) that has gained a growing cult following in the 30 years since its original release. Last Action Hero wasn’t just a movie, it was a pop-culture juggernaut, but ultimately it failed to deliver on the promise of its admittedly ingenious premise (at least according to Phil): thanks to a “magic ticket”, film-obsessed kid Danny (Austin O’Brien) gets sucked into the world of an action movie and has to team up with his favorite action hero Jack Slater (Arnold Schwarzenegger), using his encyclopedic knowledge of the genre to help solve the case, defeat omnipotent bad guy Benedict (Charles Dance) and save the day.The guys start by discussing their feelings and fandom for Schwarzenegger, whose legacy is currently being reappraised in light of the Netflix documentary Arnold. They recall their memories of the summer of the 1993, where Last Action Hero was crushed at the box office by the might of Jurassic Park, before finding a second, sustained life on home video.Last Action Hero famously had a revolving door of top-tier writers (some credited, some not) during its brief yet tortured production history, including some of the most prominent ‘script doctors’ in Hollywood, notably William Goldman and Carrie Fisher. This leads to a discussion of the exact role of script doctors, as Phil offers his two cents on how the film might have been saved at the story stage. Alternative directors and actors are also discussed, and Liam offers a spirited defense of this much-maligned film, praising its inventiveness, imagination and influence on subsequent meta movies.The ‘Die Hard Oscars’ continue to stoke controversy, and this week’s ‘Double Jeopardy’ trivia quiz is almost as complicated and convoluted as the film itself! LAST ACTION HERO trailerhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShBw43KJoLk At the time of release, LAST ACTION HERO is streaming on Netflix and Hulu and is available to rent or buy through Amazon Prime Video, Apple/iTunes, YouTube, RedBox, Vudu, DirectTV and all the usual platforms. If you're in LA, LAST ACTION HERO screens at the American Cinematheque on July 16, 2023.

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