by Philip Gawthorne and Liam Billingham
Welcome to the party, pals! This is DIE HARD ON A BLANK, the podcast that explores the influence of DIE HARD on action cinema -- one action movie at a time. In each episode of DIE HARD ON A BLANK, hosts Philip Gawthorne and Liam Billingham discuss one major mainstream action movie that was released after DIE HARD. Phil and Liam break down the story, heroes, villains, action, humor and the 'DIE HARD DNA' that infuse each film, including common cast and crew members. They rate each film and hand out DIE HARD-themed awards. For casual fans and action movie die hards, DIE HARD ON A BLANK is a fun movie discussion podcast that treats the action genre with real respect and love. DIE HARD ON A BLANK is produced by Liam Billingham and Philip Gawthorne. Mike Mayer and Michael Sugar are the executive producers. Tyson Hubley makes our artwork and videos. You can follow Die Hard On A Blank on Twitter and Instagram here. Follow @liamgbillingham and @philipgawthorne on twitter. You can e-mail us with questions at [email protected] <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
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🇺🇲
Publishing Since
12/8/2022
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April 9, 2025
<p>It's Die Hard in a simulation!</p><br><p>This week, hosts <strong>Phil and Liam</strong> are following the white rabbit into <strong>one of the most prophetic and influential movie of the 90s </strong>- The Matrix (1999) - with <strong>special guest Matt Zoller Seitz</strong>, the renowned <a href="https://www.rogerebert.com/contributors/matt-zoller-seitz" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Editor at Large</a> of rogerebert.com. He is a <a href="https://www.vulture.com/author/matt-zoller-seitz/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Features Writer</a> at New York Magazine, and is the author of <a href="https://mzs.press/Matt-Zoller-Seitz-Collection-c174138756" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">many books</a>, including books on Wes Anderson, Mad Men, The Sopranos, and many more. Matt not only loves this movie, but talks eloquently about how it changed his life. </p><p>Released in the banner year of 1999, The Matrix follows Thomas Anderson, a mild-mannered software engineer who moonlights as a notorious hacker known as Neo, discovers to his horror that the world he lives in is actually an elaborate simulated reality created by intelligent machines who have subjugated humanity. Guided by the enigmatic resistance leader Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) and the skilled warrior Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss), Neo learns the truth about the Matrix and his potential role as "The One," a prophesied savior who can bend, and perhaps break, its rules. As he battles powerful Agents led by the ruthless Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving), Neo must embrace his destiny and free his mind to prevent the machines' enslavement of humanity.</p><br><p>We talk about the film's<strong> unexpected connections to Die Hard </strong>(Kinda blowing Matt's mind), the movie's philosophical complexity (Plato! Descartes! Baurdrillard!), it's appropriation by both the right and left-wing, and if it can be seen, 26 years on, as being somewhat optimistic. We also talk about <strong>the culture-chaning action,</strong> <strong>the amazing performances by Reeves, Moss, Fishburne, </strong>and <strong>Weaving, </strong>and how the movie's style hasn't aged a day. </p><p>So call your operator and strap in for one of our most mind-blowing episodes yet!</p><br><p><strong>Listen now, wherever you get your podcasts!</strong></p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
March 26, 2025
<p><strong>It’s Die Hard under martial law!</strong></p><p>This week, hosts <strong>Phil and Liam</strong> are taking on <strong>one of the most provocative and eerily prescient action-thrillers of the ‘90s</strong> - The Siege (1998) - with <strong>special guest Jason Bailey</strong>, the esteemed film critic, author, and podcaster whose work has appeared in <strong>The Playlist, The New York Times, Vulture, Vice, Rolling Stone, Slate</strong>, and more. Not only is Jason a brilliant film thinker, but he might know our show <strong>even better than we do!</strong></p><p>Released three years before 9/11, The Siege follows <strong>Denzel Washington’s</strong> no-nonsense FBI agent as he tries to stop a wave of terrorist attacks in New York, while navigating political interference from <strong>Annette Bening’s</strong> enigmatic CIA operative and the creeping authoritarian overreach of <strong>Bruce Willis’</strong> hardline general. Meanwhile, <strong>Tony Shalhoub</strong> delivers one of the film’s most deeply human performances, grounding the story’s complex, often unsettling politics.</p><p>We dig into <strong>the film’s depiction of New York City</strong>, what it gets <strong>right, wrong, and unexpectedly prophetic</strong>, and how it <strong>reckons with issues of surveillance, civil liberties, and national security</strong> in ways that still feel <strong>shockingly relevant today</strong>. We also break down <strong>the performances of the four leads</strong>, the film’s <strong>tense, procedural thriller mechanics</strong>, and where it sits in the broader landscape of <strong>'90s action films that flirted with real-world geopolitics</strong>.</p><p>So strap in for <strong>one of our most in-depth, thought-provoking episodes yet</strong>!</p><p><strong>Listen now, wherever you get your podcasts!</strong></p><p>THE SIEGE trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dDVppzDwJA</p><p>At the time of release, THE SIEGE is streaming on the Starz app and is available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, Apple TV, Fandango and all the usual platforms!</p><p>Click here to subscribe to our Patreon feed 48 HOURS OF BUDDY MOVIES! Sign up on the website (instead of the app) to save $$$!</p><p><a href="http://www.patreon.com/48hoursofbuddymovies" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.patreon.com/48hoursofbuddymovies</a></p><p><br></p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
March 12, 2025
<p><strong>It’s Die Hard in a casino!</strong></p><p>This week, hosts <strong>Phil and Liam</strong> are stepping into the swirling, neon-drenched chaos of <strong>Brian De Palma’s SNAKE EYES (1998)</strong> - joined by none other than <strong>Travis Woods</strong>, the highly acclaimed film writer who is literally writing the book on De Palma.</p><p>During a high-profile boxing match in Atlantic City, corrupt local detective <strong>Rick Santoro</strong> (Nicolas Cage) witnesses the assassination of the U.S. Secretary of Defense, who was being guarded by his best friend, US Navy Commander Kevin Dunne (Gary Sinise). With thousands of people trapped inside the casino, and a hurricane on the way, the building becomes a deadly pressure cooker, and as Santoro unearths a dark conspiracy, he must decide whether to take a pay off and look the other way…or risk everything to expose the truth.</p><p>What follows is <strong>a pressure-cooker thriller set almost entirely inside this one building</strong>, packed with <strong>impossibly complex tracking shots, split diopters galore, and some of the most ostentatious filmmaking flexes of De Palma’s career.</strong> We break down how Snake Eyes really is both <strong>“Die Hard in a casino”</strong> and “Die Hard 2 in a casino”, why it’s <strong>a perfect showcase for Cage’s full-throttle charisma</strong>, and how De Palma - <strong>the king of cinematic maximalism</strong> - injects <strong>pure operatic style into a film that’s basically one long unraveling conspiracy.</strong> Plus, Travis takes us deep into <strong>De Palma’s career, his recurring themes of surveillance, voyeurism, and deception, and where Snake Eyes fits amidst the great man’s remarkable legacy</strong>. So throw on your loudest suit, place your bets, and join us as we go all-in on this <strong>gloriously demented, spectacularly sleazy thriller</strong>! Here comes the pain, baby!</p><p>SNAKE EYES trailer: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VucLIxy23TA" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VucLIxy23TA</a></p><p>At the time of release, SNAKE EYES is streaming on Fubo and is available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, Apple TV, Fandango, Plex and all the usual platforms!</p><p>Click here to subscribe to our Patreon feed 48 HOURS OF BUDDY MOVIES! Sign up on the website (instead of the app) to save $$$!</p><p><a href="http://www.patreon.com/48hoursofbuddymovies" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.patreon.com/48hoursofbuddymovies</a></p><p><br></p><br /><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
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