DHOAB is on summer hiatus! However, to continue to hear our beautiful voices, sign up for 48 HOURS OF BUDDY MOVIES at patreon.com/48hoursofbuddymovies. Use code DHOABBREAK40 to get your first month for $3! To wet your whistle, we're giving you our episode on LETHAL WEAPON 2 today, for free.

This week on 48 HOURS OF BUDDY MOVIES, we tackle one of the defining entries in the genre — LETHAL WEAPON 2! For Liam, this one’s personal: a formative film that helped shape his love of buddy movies and action cinema. We unpack the evolution of Riggs and Murtaugh’s partnership, from antagonistic sparks in the first film to full-blown brotherhood here, and how that emotional core elevates the surrounding mayhem. We dig into Richard Donner’s slick direction, Joel Silver’s architectural in-jokes, the reverberating echoes of Shane Black’s voice in the heavily re-written script, and the film’s perfect cocktail of gunfights, jokes, and toilet-based suspense. Plus: the politics of apartheid-era villains, the joys of Joe Pesci’s scene-stealing turn, and how this sequel helped codify the rhythms and tropes of the modern buddy action movie. A foundational text — and a very special episode! You won’t be “immune” to the vibes of this one!

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbFE2P3tASI

At the time of release, LETHAL WEAPON 2 is available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV/iTunes, YouTube and Fandango and on physical media through selected outlets.

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CREDITS

"Miami Nights - Extended Theme" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

police2.wav by guitarguy1985 – https://freesound.org/s/70938/ – License: Creative Commons 0

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It’s Die Hard in a brownstone!

This week on DIE HARD ON A BLANK we’re breaking into PANIC ROOM with the help of a specialist: Shahir Daud - filmmaker, Fincher fanatic and host of the long-running show THE ONLY PODCAST ABOUT MOVIES!

On their first night after moving in to a luxurious New York ‘townstone’, recently divorced single mother Meg Altman (Jodie Foster) and her 11 year-old daughter Sarah (Kristen Stewart) are terrorized by a trio of mysterious burglars. When Meg and Sarah become aware of the intruders, they seek refuge in the house’s high-tech ‘panic room’, only to discover that the thing the thieves want most is inside that very room.

Despite being more of a Hitchcockian thriller than a traditional action movie, PANIC ROOM is nonetheless filled with DIE HARD DNA – right down to the bearer bonds (the economics of which we’re still trying to understand). The guys place this film in context among the wider careers of both director David Fincher and writer David Koepp, and analyze if it explores any of the thematic obsession of both of these storied creators. They discuss the performances of the movie’s eclectic cast and go deep on Fincher’s groundbreaking filmmaking techniques. As always events culminate with the DIE HARD OSCARS and the delightfully devilish DOUBLE JEOPARDY TRIVIA QUIZ. Fincher-philes rise up! 

TRAILER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sp2kKzrCm44

At the time of release, PANIC ROOM is streaming on Fubo, and is available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV/iTunes, YouTube, Fandango and all the usual platforms!

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It’s Die Hard in a war zone!

This week on DIE HARD ON A BLANK…it’s war! Not just on screen, but also between Phil and Liam, have very different opinions about this divisive film!

During a disastrous mission in Somalia, a group of U.S. soldiers find themselves besieged by scores of enemy militia in the city of Mogadishu, a situation that is compounded when not one but two Black Hawk helicopters crash in the middle of the war zone. With the situation worsening by the minute, inexperienced Staff Sgt Matt Eversman (Josh Hartnett) must use all his skills and determination to bring his men home, save the pilots, and honor the Army Ranger credo: ‘No Man Left Behind’.

As our hosts debate the relative merits and demerits of this undeniably powerful picture, the conversation also widens into a larger discussion of whether any film can legitimately be an anti-war movie or whether all war films are inherently propagandistic on some level. The boys also discuss some of their own brushes with military personnel and how that informed their views about this film…and Phil even recounts his own experience of flying in a Black Hawk! As always, events culminate with the Die Hard Oscars and the Double Jeopardy trivia quiz. Helo heads rise up!  

TRAILER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GfBkC3qs78

At the time of release, BLACK HAWK DOWN is available to stream on Netflix, Hoopla and Kanopy and is available rent or buy on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV/iTunes, YouTube, Fandango and all the usual platforms, as well as on physical media!

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It’s Die Hard in a military prison!

This week on DIE HARD ON A BLANK, we are storming THE LAST CASTLE with returning special guest Jason Bailey, author of GANDOLFINI: Jim, Tony and the Life of a Legend.

When decorated three-star U.S. Army General Eugene Irwin (Robert Redford) is sentenced to a term in a military prison overseen by Colonel Winter (James Gandolfini), both men gradually slide into a destructive power struggle…and when Irwin witnesses Winter’s brutal tactics firsthand, he eventually leads the prisoners in a full on uprising against his opposite number. 

As we examine Rod Lurie’s highly underrated 2001 siege drama, we dig into the film’s resonant themes of anti-authoritarianism, courage under fire, and personal honor, and debate whether this might be that rare bird: a pro-military movie with liberal politics.

But mostly, we dive deep on James Gandolfini’s extraordinary performance as one of the most human and sympathetic “villains” in modern action movie history — a turn that may just be his best ever big-screen role. Plus: the Die Hard Oscars, Double Jeopardy trivia, and some inside baseball on the off-screen relationship between Gandolfini and Robert Redford during the film’s difficult shoot. Lurie Lads rise up!!

ORIGINAL TRAILER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsxA8Euaiw0

At the time of release, THE LAST CASTLE is available to stream on Paramount Plus and is available rent or buy on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV/iTunes, YouTube, Fandango and all the usual platforms, as well as on physical media!

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It’s Die Hard in a bank!

This week on DIE HARD ON A BLANK, we plug into SWORDFISH — the slick, post-Matrix cyber-thriller produced by Joel Silver and directed by Dominic Sena. With Hugh Jackman hacking mainframes under extreme duress, John Travolta dropping pseudo-Brechtian monologues, Halle Berry delivering the most famous topless scene of the early 2000s, and Don Cheadle constantly violating people’s civil rights, it’s a film that dares to ask: does it matter if a movie makes no sense, as long as it’s entertaining? We also dig into Swordfish's dense meta-layering and debate the broader question: when is too much meta actually bad for the form? As always we break the film down in detail in our ‘Anatomy of an Action Movie section’, hand out some ‘Die Hard Oscars’ and wrestle with some ‘Double Jeopardy’ brain teasers…heck, there’s even a Vinnie Jones impression thrown into the mix for good measure! What more could you possibly want?! 

SWORDFISH trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFwtY1bxlNc

At the time of release, SWORDFISH is available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV/iTunes, YouTube, Fandango and all the usual platforms, as well as on physical media!

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 Las Vegas!

This week on DIE HARD ON A BLANK, we strap on our snakeskin boots and bullet belts for a dive into 3000 MILES TO GRACELAND - the loud, chaotic, Elvis-themed heist movie that somehow manages to sneak in a surprising amount of DIE HARD DNA!

Two career criminals, Michael Zane (Kurt Russell), and Thomas Murphy (Kevin Costner) team up to pull a casino robbery in Las Vegas during an Elvis convention. However, the botched heist results in a high body count and in the aftermath, the psychotic, self-serving Murphy betrays Michael and the rest of the crew, sparking an expansive feud between the two men, who each try to reclaim their ill-gotten gains from the other, leaving an escalating trail of carnage in their wake.

We explore how this underrated oddity isn’t merely a post-Tarantino shoot-’em-up, but a film obsessed with American archetypes - outlaws, lawmen, lone wolves, and false idols. We also dig into the maximalist performances from Kurt Russell and Kevin Costner, the mythic cowboy framing, and how the film situates itself in the lineage of Western icons reimagined for the modern age. Is it Die Hard in a jumpsuit? Tune in and find out!

3000 MILES TO GRACELAND trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdEFmGB--kQ

At the time of release, 3000 MILES TO GRACELAND is streaming on Philo and is available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV/iTunes, YouTube, Fandango and all the usual platforms, as well as on physical media.

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 ice cream truck!

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream! This week on DIE HARD ON A BLANK, we’re trying to keep our collective cool as we discuss the 1999 buddy-comedy/action-misfire CHILL FACTOR! Joining us on our adventure is none other than special guest Matthew Strohl, a professor at the University of Montana and author of the books Hard to Watch and Why It’s Ok To Love Bad Movies!  

When an experimental military chemical weapon nicknamed "Elvis" accidentally falls into civilian hands, a hapless ice cream truck driver (Cuba Gooding Jr.) and down-on-his-luck diner cook (Skeet Ulrich) team up to keep it away from the ruthless mercenaries who are trying to steal it. The catch is that if "Elvis" heats above 50 degrees, it will detonate with catastrophic consequences – forcing the unlikely duo to outrun the bad guys and keep the temperature under that threshold, all while attempting to safely deliver the precarious device to a military facility!

We start by analyzing the film’s DNA, which includes genetic links to a myriad of movies including DIE HARD, SPEED, THE ROCK, THELMA & LOUISE, and most surprisingly, A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT.  Backed by Matt’s spirited defense case, we try to give this much maligned (and largely forgotten) motion picture its day in court, applying the thesis espoused in his excellent books to the film. Against the odds, this approach leads to a passionate (and unexpectedly deep) discussion about how we choose to engage with art…as CHILL FACTOR becomes a living example of “why it’s okay to love to bad movies”! But the fun doesn’t stop there...because as always we wrap things up with the DIE HARD OSCARS and the DOUBLE JEOPARDY trivia quiz!

CHILL FACTOR trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYNiikB4wvI

At the time of release, CHILL FACTOR is available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV/iTunes, YouTube, Fandango and all the usual platforms, as well as on physical media. It is also available in its entirety on YouTube at the following link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7ede9OJ6pw

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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Join us for a very special bonus episode as we announce the next season of 48 HOURS OF BUDDY MOVIES, then subscribe at patreon.com/48hoursofbuddymovies!

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It’s Die Hard on a suburban street!

This week on DIE HARD ON A BLANK, we’re looking into the most sinister street in America…ARLINGTON ROAD! And to investigate this mysterious neighborhood we enlisted special guest and returning DHOAB all-star Bilge Ebiri!

After saving their son’s life, widowed college professor and terrorism expert Michael Faraday (Jeff Bridges) gradually begins to suspect that his seemingly perfect new neighbors - Oliver and Cheryl Lang (Tim Robbins and Joan Cusack) - are involved in a domestic terror plot. As he mounts a rogue investigation into their lives, Faraday’s obsession with uncovering the truth spirals into paranoia, isolation, and a deadly battle of wills, one that threatens not only his life, but that of his young son Grant (Spencer Treat Clark).

During this wide-ranging discussion about this eerily prescient film, the guys go into detail on the career of boomer icon Jeff Bridges (with Bridges scholar Bilge) and discuss the genius of casting Tim Robbins against type as a terrifying villain. 

ARLINGTON ROAD trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfbBavo86qs

At the time of release, ARLINGTON ROAD 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 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 $$$!

www.patreon.com/48hoursofbuddymovies

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