It’s Die Hard underwater…with sharks!

This week on DIE HARD ON A BLANK, we’re diving headfirst into one of the wettest, wildest, and wackiest Die Hard riffs of the late '90s: DEEP BLUE SEA (1999), directed by none other than Renny Harlin! We’re joined by special guest Justin LaLiberty - director of operations for Vinegar Syndrome and a key figure in the ongoing physical media renaissance - to talk shark attacks, elevator shafts, and Samuel L. Jackson’s iconic “interrupted monologue” moment!

From the unmistakable DIE HARD FRANCHISE DNA, to the undersea siege structure and classic containment premise, we trace just how much Deep Blue Sea swims in McClane-infested waters! We also discuss the unusual, uneven career of Thomas Jane, the effervescent magic of LL Cool J, and that bizarre Ronny Cox “cameo”! It’s DIE HARD in an underwater lab full of brain-enhanced sharks, and it might just be the most fun you can have in a Renny Harlin flick that isn’t Die Hard 2!

DEEP BLUE SEA trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSz9MDN-iac

At the time of release, DEEP BLUE SEA is available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, Apple TV, Fandango and all the usual platforms!

Click here to subscribe to our Patreon feed 48 HOURS OF BUDDY MOVIES! Sign up on the website (instead of the app) to save $$$!

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It's Die Hard in a simulation!

This week, hosts Phil and Liam are following the white rabbit into one of the most prophetic and influential movie of the 90s - The Matrix (1999) - with special guest Matt Zoller Seitz, the renowned Editor at Large of rogerebert.com. He is a Features Writer at New York Magazine, and is the author of many books, 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.

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.

We talk about the film's unexpected connections to Die Hard (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 the culture-chaning action, the amazing performances by Reeves, Moss, Fishburne, and Weaving, and how the movie's style hasn't aged a day.

So call your operator and strap in for one of our most mind-blowing episodes yet!

Listen now, wherever you get your podcasts!

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It’s Die Hard under martial law!

This week, hosts Phil and Liam are taking on one of the most provocative and eerily prescient action-thrillers of the ‘90s - The Siege (1998) - with special guest Jason Bailey, the esteemed film critic, author, and podcaster whose work has appeared in The Playlist, The New York Times, Vulture, Vice, Rolling Stone, Slate, and more. Not only is Jason a brilliant film thinker, but he might know our show even better than we do!

Released three years before 9/11, The Siege follows Denzel Washington’s no-nonsense FBI agent as he tries to stop a wave of terrorist attacks in New York, while navigating political interference from Annette Bening’s enigmatic CIA operative and the creeping authoritarian overreach of Bruce Willis’ hardline general. Meanwhile, Tony Shalhoub delivers one of the film’s most deeply human performances, grounding the story’s complex, often unsettling politics.

We dig into the film’s depiction of New York City, what it gets right, wrong, and unexpectedly prophetic, and how it reckons with issues of surveillance, civil liberties, and national security in ways that still feel shockingly relevant today. We also break down the performances of the four leads, the film’s tense, procedural thriller mechanics, and where it sits in the broader landscape of '90s action films that flirted with real-world geopolitics.

So strap in for one of our most in-depth, thought-provoking episodes yet!

Listen now, wherever you get your podcasts!

THE SIEGE trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dDVppzDwJA

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!

Click here to subscribe to our Patreon feed 48 HOURS OF BUDDY MOVIES! Sign up on the website (instead of the app) to save $$$!

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It’s Die Hard in a casino!

This week, hosts Phil and Liam are stepping into the swirling, neon-drenched chaos of Brian De Palma’s SNAKE EYES (1998) - joined by none other than Travis Woods, the highly acclaimed film writer who is literally writing the book on De Palma.

During a high-profile boxing match in Atlantic City, corrupt local detective Rick Santoro (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.

What follows is a pressure-cooker thriller set almost entirely inside this one building, packed with impossibly complex tracking shots, split diopters galore, and some of the most ostentatious filmmaking flexes of De Palma’s career. We break down how Snake Eyes really is both “Die Hard in a casino” and “Die Hard 2 in a casino”, why it’s a perfect showcase for Cage’s full-throttle charisma, and how De Palma - the king of cinematic maximalism - injects pure operatic style into a film that’s basically one long unraveling conspiracy. Plus, Travis takes us deep into De Palma’s career, his recurring themes of surveillance, voyeurism, and deception, and where Snake Eyes fits amidst the great man’s remarkable legacy. So throw on your loudest suit, place your bets, and join us as we go all-in on this gloriously demented, spectacularly sleazy thriller! Here comes the pain, baby!

SNAKE EYES trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VucLIxy23TA

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!

Click here to subscribe to our Patreon feed 48 HOURS OF BUDDY MOVIES! Sign up on the website (instead of the app) to save $$$!

www.patreon.com/48hoursofbuddymovies

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It’s Die Hard in a police station!

This week, hosts Phil and Liam are locked into a high-stakes discussion on The Negotiator - the 1998 action-thriller starring Samuel L. Jackson and Kevin Spacey in a battle of wits, words, and tactical mind games!

When he becomes inveigled in a corruption scandal involving suspected embezzlement of the Chicago P.D. pension’s fund, expert hostage negotiator Danny Roman (Samuel L. Jackson) decides to turn the tables and takes hostages at the Internal Affairs bureau, in an effort to find the truth and clear his name. Sensing that he has enemies in his own midst, Roman demands that the only negotiator he will speak to be Chris Sabian (Kevin Spacey), a mysterious stranger from an entirely different district. But can Sabian be trusted? And how do you negotiate your way out when everyone assumes you are the real villain?

In this tightly wound pressure-cooker thriller, we break down how The Negotiator cleverly inverts the Die Hard formula - putting the good guy in control of the siege, with a besieged skyscraper, hostages, FBI interference, and a whole lot of air shaft action! We explore the film’s copious Die Hard DNA, from over-the-radio showdowns and ill-fated SWAT assaults to computer hacking, power shutdowns, and even a debate about old Western movies between the two adversaries! We also highlight the killer supporting cast, the film’s “Glengarry with Guns” energy, and why F. Gary Gray deserves more love! Plus, we dig into the importance of the Chicago setting and discuss how the film channels The Fugitive with its “wrongly accused” narrative - shoutout to Andrew Davis! Chicago forever! As usual we hand out our Die Hard Oscars to worthy candidates and wrap things up with some ‘Double Jeopardy’ brain teasers!

THE NEGOTIATOR trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnSk9xrOf2M

At the time of release, THE NEGOTIATOR is streaming on Amazon Prime Video in the UK. In the US it is streaming on Plex and is available to rent or buy on YouTube, Apple TV, Fandango and all the usual platforms.

Click here to subscribe to our Patreon feed 48 HOURS OF BUDDY MOVIES! Sign up on the website (instead of the app) to save $$$!

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It’s Die Hard on an asteroid!

This week, hosts Phil and Liam are going ballistic with a very special guest: Brad Peyton, director of blockbuster smashes such as San Andreas and Rampage!

When NASA discover that a massive ‘global killer’ asteroid is heading inexorably towards Earth, the boffins hatch an audacious plan to save humanity by landing a team on the asteroid and blowing it up from the inside. However, the only person capable of performing this Herculean task is expert oil driller Harry Stamper (Bruce Willis) and his rowdy team of roughnecks, who must somehow learn to become astronauts in 12 days in order to complete this seemingly impossible mission!

In this suitably epic episode, we dive deep into the history of the disaster movie genre with none other than Brad Peyton, the director behind San Andreas and Rampage. From the towering spectacle of The Towering Inferno to the genre-defining Die Hard, we explore how disaster films evolved into high-stakes, character-driven blockbusters offering enormous spectacle. Brad, a passionate cinephile, makes a compelling case for Michael Bay as an American auteur, breaking down the director’s signature visual style and bombastic approach to storytelling. We also discuss how Armageddon took the concept of “Bruce Willis saves the day” the day to the maximum extreme, pushing the limits of what a disaster movie could be.

This was a wide-ranging, emotional, and inspiring conversation, as Brad shared his insights on crafting large-scale destruction while keeping the human stakes front and center. He walks us through his approach to making a great disaster movie, the delicate balance of tension and spectacle, and why audiences are drawn to stories of survival against impossible odds. Things also got personal, as the guys discussed the power of cinema to uplift and entertain, and how, at their core, disaster movies remind us of resilience, courage, and the human spirit. This is an episode you won’t want to miss – it’s our biggest, most bombastic episode yet!

ARMAGEDDON trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-8eEniEfgU

At the time of release, ARMAGEDDON is streaming on Fubo and is available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, Apple TV, Fandango and all the usual platforms. Click here to subscribe to our Patreon feed 48 HOURS OF BUDDY MOVIES! Sign up on the website (instead of the app) to save $$$!

www.patreon.com/48hoursofbuddymovies

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It’s Die Hard in a hospital!

This week, hosts Phil and Liam are taking DESPERATE MEASURES with a very special guest: Peter Gawthorne, aka Phil’s dad!!!

When his young son Matthew is in need of a bone-marrow transplant, his father, San Francisco cop Frank Conner (Andy Garcia) searches desperately for a compatible donor. However, the only candidate he can find is incarcerated murderer Peter McCabe (Michael Keaton), a notorious criminal mastermind. After McCabe agrees to partake in the procedure, he uses the process as an opportunity to launch an audacious, violent escape attempt, but as Frank and the authorities attempt to contain the situation, Frank comes to realize that he and McCabe are in a symbiotic relationship – and that he must somehow capture his new nemesis while ensuring McCabe is not killed in the process!

In this thrilling episode of DIE HARD ON A BLANK, we tackle this high-stakes action thriller directed by French New Wave titan Barbet Schroeder. With its tense hospital setting and cat-and-mouse dynamics, this film gives the 'Die Hard formula' a fresh, medical twist - complete with explosive action and an unrelentingly evil (yet hugely charismatic) villain. We dive into Keaton’s chilling performance as Peter McCabe, a dangerous sociopath whose bone marrow might be the key to saving a dying boy’s life, and explore Andy Garcia’s portrayal of a desperate father willing to break every rule to save his son. How does this underrated gem measure up against other films in the Die Hard-on-a-[blank] subgenre? We’ve got all the answers!

But that’s not all! Joining us this week is a very special guest, Phil’s dad Peter Gawthorne, a devoted listener of the show and a former hospital manager himself! Fan favorite ‘Petey’ brings a fresh perspective on the ‘Die Hard on a Blank’ subgenre, making this a uniquely personal episode you won’t want to miss. Whether you’re a lover of 90s thrillers, a Michael Keaton devotee, a Barbet Schroeder aficionado or you’re just here for the father-son banter, this episode has something for everyone!

DESPERATE MEASURES trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i63VGK1ElN0

At the time of release, DESPERATE MEASURES is streaming on Fubo and Roku and is available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, Apple TV, Fandango and all the usual platforms. Click here to subscribe to our Patreon feed 48 HOURS OF BUDDY MOVIES! Sign up on the website (instead of the app) to save $$$!

www.patreon.com/48hoursofbuddymovies

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It’s Die Hard in a creature feature!

This week, hosts Phil and Liam dive into the murky depths of DEEP RISING with special guest Rob Hackett, an executive at James Wan’s company Atomic Monster!

During a rough storm, Captain John Finnegan (Treat Williams) and his crew are hired by a group of mercenaries to take them to an undisclosed location in the South China sea. Unbeknownst to Finnegan, the mercenaries plan to hijack and rob a recently built luxury cruise liner, but when they arrive, they find the massive ship eerily deserted. As the group attempt to uncover this mystery and complete their mission, they realize that the entire ship is infested with deadly tentacular beasties who have slaughtered everyone on board. Can Finnegan and the group find a way to escape this floating death house before the damaged ship sinks into the dark ocean?

The episode explores the unique challenges of pulling off a horror-comedy like DEEP RISING, where the tone constantly shifts between gruesome terror and over-the-top action. Rob Hackett lends his expertise from the world of genre filmmaking, shedding light on why blending horror and humor can be so tricky, and why it’s so rewarding when it is executed this skillfully. From the visual effects to the memorable performances, this film serves as a perfect example of how genre-blending can work when the right balance is struck.

As always, the discussion wouldn’t be complete without dissecting the ‘Die Hard DNA’ that runs through DEEP RISING - an ensemble of quirky characters trapped in a confined space with a deadly threat, all while a tough-as-nails, monologuing protagonist, played by Treat Williams, steps up to lead the charge. Stay tuned for a look at the film's influences, its lasting cult appeal, and why it’s such an underrated gem in the action-horror world. Plus, don’t miss the always entertaining ‘Die Hard Oscars’ and a thrilling round of ‘Double Jeopardy’ trivia!

DEEP RISING trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVFEVXIyu00

At the time of release, DEEP RISING is streaming on Hoopla and is available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, Apple TV, Fandango and all the usual platforms.

Click here to subscribe to our Patreon feed 48 HOURS OF BUDDY MOVIES!

www.patreon.com/48hoursofbuddymovies

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It's Die Hard in a bonus episode about our other podcast 48 Hours Of Buddy Movies!

Happy New Year! This week we’re jumping on the feed to tell you about the first 10 movies we’re covering on 48 Hours Of Buddy Movies! For the price of a cup of coffee, you can hear us talk about two more movies every month! Come on! What else are you doing with your bearer bonds or krugerrands or hard-earned American dollars?

Visit patreon.com/48hoursofbuddymovies to join the fun for $5 a month!

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It’s Die Hard in a flood!

This week, hosts Phil and Liam dive headfirst into the watery chaos of HARD RAIN with special guest Kris Tapley of the 50MPH Podcast!

As the small midwestern town of Huntingberg, Indiana is overwhelmed by an epic flood, armored car security guard Tom (Christian Slater) finds himself in the middle of heist plot orchestrated by determined thief Jim (Morgan Freeman). Tom attempts to thwart the thieves by hiding the money, but as the water level rises, he soon discovers that the opportunity presented by this natural disaster brings out both the best and the worst in his fellow citizens. Can Tom stop the thieves, avenge his partner’s death, and save the remaining townsfolk, before the dam breaks and the entire area goes completely underwater?

In this action-packed episode, the guys explore the film’s unique take on the ‘Die Hard’ paradigm, comparing it to other water-based action thrillers and dissecting the themes of survival, greed, and heroism in a flooded world. What does the film say about human nature in the face of catastrophe? How does HARD RAIN stack up as an action film when compared to others in the genre? And just what the hell is Betty White doing in this movie?!

With Kris Tapley’s insights from his years in the world of film criticism, the discussion dives deep into the film’s approach to disaster cinema, its star-studded cast, its Western echoes, and the ambitious technical challenges of bringing a flooded town to life on screen. They also address the oft-repeated urban legend that this film was once considered as a sequel to SPEED! So join the boys for a suitably wet and wild episode!

HARD RAIN trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vsmt4B35hsM

At the time of release, HARD RAIN is available to stream on Hoopla and Pluto TV and is available to rent or buy on YouTube, Apple TV and Fandango.

Click here to subscribe to our Patreon-only podcast, 48 Hours Of Buddy Movies!

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