Die Hard On A Blank

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It’s Die Hard on the President’s plane!

This week, your co-pilots Phil Gawthorne and Liam Billingham take you on a thrilling ride on AIR FORCE ONE, with special guest Adam Volerich from the Eye of the Duck podcast!

Shortly after delivering a controversial speech where he vows to never to negotiate with terrorists, US President James Marshall (Harrison Ford) finds himself on the horns of a dilemma when the Presidential plane known as Air Force One is taken over by a group of ruthless Russian terrorists led by Egor Korshunov (Gary Oldman). With his staff and his family now among the hostages, Marshall must work to resolve the situation and save the day, while his squabbling political colleagues attempt to manage the crisis from the ground. Can Marshall and co defeat the terrorists before his own family are executed, and/or the plane crashes?

The guys dissect this film’s bountiful ‘Die Hard DNA’ and dive deep into Hollywood's complex relationship with the Presidency over the years, exploring how the portrayal of the Commander-in-Chief has evolved over time, and what this reveals about American culture and values throughout different eras. In the process, they grapple with a number of thought-provoking questions, such as what's the difference between good jingoism and bad jingoism? Is patriotism really a virtue of the vicious? And are we overthinking all this?

The lads also closely examine Harrison Ford's iconic performance – and the pros and cons of what his persona brings aboard - in a detailed section about the film’s hero, President James Marshall. The final discussion is as riveting as the film itself, covering themes of leadership, crisis management, and the politics of fear. Events culminate with the Die Hard Oscars and the ‘Double Jeopardy’ Trivia Quiz where the scores can really change…if that score isn’t spoiled by an annoying blabbermouth aide!

AIR FORCE ONE trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FItgZOuaPVY

At the time of release, AIR FORCE ONE is available to rent or buy on YouTube, Apple/iTunes, Amazon Prime Video, Fandango, and all the usual platforms! 

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It’s Die Hard in a face swap movie!l

(you can watch this week's episode on YouTube!)

This week, bros Phil Gawthorne and Liam Billingham dive out of an airplane sporting two gold-plated pistols with returning guest Isaac Butler, author of The Method, one of the formative texts of the podcast.

International terrorist Castor Troy (Nicolas Cage) accidentally kills the young son of FBI agent Sean Archer (John Travolta) sparking a long-running feud between the two adversaries. Years later, Troy plants a bomb in LA, but is intercepted by Archer and his team during his getaway. After a chaotic gunfight, Troy ends up in a coma with the exact location of the bomb a mystery. Archer agrees to have Troy's face transplanted onto his own so that he can impersonate him and get the vital information from his imprisoned brother Pollux (Alessandro Nivola) before the bomb detonates. But when Troy awakes from his coma, he steals Archer's face and assumes his identity. With both men now having swapped identities, the stage is set for a final battle between good and evil (But you're still not having any fun!).

FACE/OFF is a pinnacle of action cinema and features two of the most iconic performances of the 90s from Cage and Travolta. So it's fitting that the guys begin the episode by discussing the visceral excitement of this film when it came out before segueing way into a conversation about why this is a movie about acting. Isaac, our acting correspondent, weighs in on why Cage is one of the few innovators left in acting, and how Travola really comes alive as Castor (wooo wee you good lookin'!). They go deep on the idea of doubling in cinema and theater, the psychosexual drama at the core of this action masterpiece, and Isaac tells stories from the set straight from the mouth of Alessandro Nivola!

Events culminate with a runway chase of a ‘Die Hard Oscars’, and red and white boat chase edition of the ‘Double Jeopardy’ trivia quiz! This is one peach you could eat for hours!

FACE/OFF trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-nDX0BeFoQ

At the time of recording, FACE/OFF is available to stream on Paramount Plus and Pluto, and for purchase at all the usual places.

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It’s Die Hard on a cruise ship!

Leeches! Copper poisoning! Vehicles moving very slowly! Or sometimes not at all! That’s right folks, it’s the sequel nobody asked for! This week, Phil and Liam are cruising for a bruising as they attempt to make sense of the hideously misguided cinematic atrocity that is SPEED 2: CRUISE CONTROL! Joining them on this voyage into watery oblivion is none other than Kris Tapley, host of the SPEED oral history podcast 50MPH! 

While on a vacation cruise in the Caribbean with her new boyfriend Alex Shaw (Jason Patric), Annie (Sandra Bullock) and Alex find themselves caught up in a nefarious terror plot orchestrated by John Geiger (Willem Dafoe), a disgruntled computer programmer seeking revenge on the shipping company who screwed him over. Geiger seizes control of the cruise ship’s computer systems and threatens to destroy the vessel and everyone on it…so can Alex and Annie foil fiendish Geiger’s plan, before the cruise ship crashes? If you’re still awake, maybe you’ll find out! 

The guys start by discussing the memories of the movie’s release, and their feelings about the prospect of a sequel to Jan De Bont’s peerless original classic, 1994’s SPEED (aka “DIE HARD on a bus”). They also ponder what might have happened to the DIE HARD franchise, had the same choice been made to replace the leading man action hero with another actor. 

After talking through the various connections between DIE HARD and SPEED 2 in the ‘DIE HARD DNA’ section (including an abandoned DIE HARD sequel with an almost identical premise), the boys break down the film piece by piece, from its ill-conceived premise, to the total betrayal of Annie’s character, to the doomed attempt to replace Jack Traven with another gung-ho LAPD SWAT cop and hope nobody minded, to the pitiful villain with a very confused agenda (and a predilection for leeches, lest we forget). This is arguably the worst film that’s been covered on the podcast so far…but it might also be the funniest episode yet! 

SPEED 2: CRUISE CONTROL trailer: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8f7HlX6iW-M

At the time of release, SPEED 2: CRUISE CONTROL is streaming on Starz and is available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, Apple/iTunes, Fandango, AMC On Demand and all the usual platforms! 

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It’s Die Hard on a prison plane!

(you can watch this week's episode on YouTube!)

This week, Phil ‘Philly Bedlam’ Gawthorne and Liam ‘The Coliseum’ Billingham take a high-security flight on CON AIR with special guest Scout Tafoya, aka ‘The Massachusetts Mangler’!

After serving a long and harsh sentence for a self-defense killing, parolee and ex-Army Ranger Cameron Poe (Nicolas Cage) travels on a prisoner transport plane nicknamed ‘Con Air’, to meet with his wife and daughter. But when said plane is taken over by vicious criminal mastermind Cyrus ‘The Virus’ Grissom (John Malkovich) and his bloodthirsty cohorts, Poe finds himself unable to abandon his friend Baby-O (Mykelti Williamson) and vulnerable female Prison Guard Sally Bishop (Rachel Ticotin), and decides to fight back against the vicious convicts, with the help of unconventional US Marshal Vince Larkin (John Cusack), who assists his efforts from the ground.

As CON AIR is one of the best and most iconic ‘DIE HARD ON A [BLANK]’ films ever made, this is one of our biggest, and most substantive, episodes yet. The guys start out by discussing the origins of these kind of cinematic stories, going all the way back to movies such as STAGECOACH, before digging in on the film’s plentiful ‘Die Hard DNA’. They go deep on the film’s themes, meanings, and aspirations, and discuss how its politics and portrayals have aged, for better or worse, in the intervening decades since its summer 1997 release. They talk in detail about the three principle stars – Nicolas Cage, John Cusack and John Malkovich – as well as the rest of the stellar supporting cast, along with producer Jerry Bruckheimer, director Simon West, and writer Scott Rosenberg. Events culminate with a highly contested edition of the ‘Die Hard Oscars’, and a criminally tough ‘Double Jeopardy’ trivia quiz! Trust us, this is one flight you don’t want to miss! 

CON AIR trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Olvpk5BXWCI

At the time of release, CON AIR is streaming on Hulu, TNT, TBS and TruTV in the US and is available to rent or buy on YouTube, Apple/iTunes, Fandango, and all the usual platforms! 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s Die Hard in the middle of nowhere!

This week, Phil and Liam take a road trip…and have a serious BREAKDOWN! They are joined on their journey by Justin and Laura Khoo, the joint hosts of the excellent film/philosophy podcast COWS IN THE FIELD!

While taking a cross-country road-trip to relocate, married couple Jeff and Amy Taylor (Kurt Russell and Kathleen Quinlan) experience car trouble, and end up stranded in the middle of the desert. In an effort to reach a payphone, Amy accepts a ride from a seemingly friendly trucker named Red (JT Walsh)...but when Jeff runs into the same trucker again later, he claims to have never have seen her. Jeff then begins to suspect that Amy has been kidnapped, and that he may be in the middle of a sinister criminal plot…

Our quartet ‘break down’ this bad boy, including its deceptive and surprising ‘Die Hard DNA’, and the reasons why it’s simple, ingenious premise is such a grabber. They discuss how this film intersects with the ‘yuppie in peril’ genre, what it may be exploring about the socio-economics (and class tensions) of the era, and how it taps into our collective primal fears. Phil then requests that the road be cleared for a passionate diatribe on the life and work of the late, great JT Walsh, an iconic character actor with whom he feels a “cosmic connection”. The group’s serpentine trip takes a number of stimulating scenic detours before they arrive at the Die Hard Oscars, and cap things off with the Double Jeopardy trivia quiz!

BREAKDOWN trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wm4YfqVbABk

At the time of release, BREAKDOWN is streaming on Paramount Plus, Fubu, Amazon Prime Video and MGM+ in the US and is available to rent or buy on YouTube, Apple/iTunes, Fandango, and all the usual platforms! 

Watch Die Hard On A Blank on YouTube!

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It’s Die Hard in a museum…with a monster!

Hyams Hive rise up! This week, Phil and Liam take a field trip to visit THE RELIC, Peter Hyams’ expertly directed 1997 horror flick. They are accompanied on their scientific expedition by special guest Brandon Streussnig, one of the most influential and entertaining film writers around!

After experimenting with psychotropic drugs while on a trip to South America, anthropologist John Whitney makes an alarming discovery, and attempts to prevent the return of several crates of research material to the US. Weeks later, the crates arrive and are sent to their intended destination at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago - an area that is suddenly beset with a series of grisly murders. As detective Vincent D’Agosta (Tom Sizemore) investigates, he and evolutionary biologist Dr. Margot Green (Penelope Ann Miller) come to the horrifying realization that a literal monster is now on the loose…and that they, and dozens of other citizens, are now trapped inside the museum along with the marauding beast!

The guys start by discussing the career and filmography of director/shooter Peter Hyams, before moving into a detailed conversation about the origins and evolution of the action-horror subgenre. They delve deep into the film’s myriad connections to the original 1988 classic in the ‘Die Hard DNA’ section – but there’s a big surprise in store for Phil later in the episode! The lads then get more specific about the film’s two stars and the quality of the Stan Winston-designed monster, before wrapping things up with the Die Hard Oscars and the Double Jeopardy Trivia Quiz!

THE RELIC trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vps9rpCHJFM 

At the time of release, THE RELIC is streaming on PlutoTV in the US and is available to rent or buy on Prime Video, YouTube, Apple/iTunes, Fandango, and all the usual platforms! 

Brandon’s article on Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning can be found here. Happy reading!

https://filmcombatsyndicate.com/universal-soldier-a-revisit-of-the-luc-devereaux-saga-and-learning-to-move-forward/

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It’s Die Hard in a plane (with very few passengers)!

 This week, Phil and Liam are experiencing TURBULENCE, the 1997 action-thriller starring Ray Liotta, Lauren Holly, Hector Elizondo, Ben Cross, Brendan Gleeson, Rachel Ticotin…and a mystery Die Hard cast member!

On Christmas Eve, convicted serial killer Ryan Weaver (Ray Liotta) is being transported across the country on an almost empty 747, with another prisoner and a group of federal marshals. Once airborne, Weaver escapes and wreaks havoc on board with the cops, passengers and the flight crew. When his actions result in the death of both pilots, it becomes up to lone Flight Attendant Teri Halloran (Lauren Holly) to somehow defeat Weaver and land the plane safely before it crashes!

There’s Die Hard (and Die Hard 2) DNA everywhere in this Xmas-set skybound thrill-ride, giving the boys plenty to examine in the comparison section. They also discuss the life and career of the film’s late star Ray Liotta, listing their favorite performances among his stellar filmography. They talk in detail about the film’s female cast - notably its leading lady Lauren Holly, and supporting performers Rachel Ticotin and Catherine Hicks – amid the wider context of the movie’s provocative sexual politics. The boys then fly through the ‘Die Hard Oscars’ and stick the landing with a dastardly edition of the ‘Double Jeopardy’ trivia quiz!

TURBULENCE trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29nriO8ux0Q

At the time of release, TURBULENCE is available to rent or buy on Prime Video, YouTube, Apple/iTunes, Fandango, and all the usual platforms! 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s Die Hard in a tunnel!

 This week, Phil and Liam dig in, around, and underneath DAYLIGHT, Rob Cohen’s 1996 disaster movie starring Sylvester Stallone, Amy Brenneman, Jay O. Sanders, Dan Hedaya, Stan Shaw and Viggo Mortensen!

When a freak accident causes both ends of an underground tunnel in New York to collapse, a group of random strangers find themselves trapped below the Hudson River. The only person seemingly capable of helping them is Kit Latura (Sylvester Stallone), a disgraced former EMS Chief seeking redemption for his role in a past tragedy. 

The guys start by discussing the disaster movie genre in general, placing this throwback film in a wider context, as part of a grand tradition of similar motion pictures that date back to their 1970s heyday. The original DIE HARD has its roots in the disaster movie genre, having been directly inspired by THE TOWERING INFERNO, one of several such films discussed (unflinchingly) in the ‘Die Hard DNA’ section, along with the AIRPORT franchise that influenced DIE HARD 2: DIE HARDER.

After analyzing the film’s premise, hero, and quirky cast of supporting characters (that includes a billionaire rock-climber, an Al Powell-esque uniform cop and a playwright with terrible taste in musicals), Liam presents his Earth-shattering theory that this entire film is in fact a Jesus allegory! The boys bust into ‘Die Hard Oscars’ to hand out some action movie awards and cap things off with a mind-boggling edition of the ‘Double Jeopardy’ trivia quiz!

DAYLIGHT trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRWIfCpxNK4 

At the time of release, DAYLIGHT is streaming on Starz in the US, and is available to rent or buy on Prime Video, YouTube, Apple/iTunes, Fandango, and all the usual platforms! 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s Die Hard on the USS Enterprise!

This time of the show, Phil and Liam analyze STAR TREK FIRST CONTACT with the help of special guest Andy Maiorano, host of The AndyPlex podcast and an avowed Star Trek superfan! Set phasers to fun!

When he is informed that a hostile race of cybernetic beings known as The Borg have launched an attack on Earth, Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) disobeys orders to directly engage with the Borg threat. However, upon arrival to the battle zone, he discovers that the planet Earth has been completely subsumed by the Borg, who have used time travel to assimilate the entire planet. Picard follows a Borg craft through a temporal vortex and ends up in the past, sending his trusted first officer Commander William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) down to Earth to make sure that history is not changed. However, in the chaos, the Borg board the Enterprise and begin rapidly assimilating the crew, placing the ship, the planet Earth, and the entire course of history, in grave jeopardy!

First off, the guys start by discussing their respective relationships with this movie and the Star Trek franchise in general, with each of them landing on very different places on the Trekkie spectrum (or Trek-trum?!). The boys analyze this curious specimen in the ‘Die Hard DNA’ section, where they clarify the number of surprising connections between this futuristic siege movie and John McClane’s exploits at Nakatomi Plaza. As they break down this Paramount picture yet further in the ‘Anatomy of an Action Movie’, the conversation expands into a deeper discussion of Star Trek’s utopian philosophies, and this movie’s unusually thoughtful exploration of the idea of revenge - which makes it something of an outlier in the traditionally bloodthirsty action movie genre.

The boys beam in to the ‘Die Hard Oscars’ to hand out some action movie awards (where the Borg Queen commands considerable attention!) before this particular trek is wrapped up with the Double Jeopardy trivia quiz! 

STAR TREK FIRST CONTACT trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3NJ49VyjDs

At the time of release, STAR TREK FIRST CONTACT is streaming on Paramount +, Prime Video, Max, Fubo and MGM+ in the US and is available to rent or buy on YouTube, Apple/iTunes, Fandango, Spectrum, AMC On Demand and all the usual platforms! 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.