Die Hard On A Blank

It’s DIE HARD in a prep school!This time Liam and Phil play with TOY SOLDIERS (1991), the fondly remembered teen action-adventure movie starring Sean Astin and Wil Wheaton as unruly prep school students who fight back against marauding Colombian terrorists. This is a hugely important movie historically, especially in the context of this podcast, as it was the very first ‘Die Hard on a Blank’ film outside of the direct Die Hard sequels. The boys illuminate the monumental amount of ‘Die Hard DNA’ contained in the film, from the very obvious to the very subtle, and Liam posits a fascinating theory about the movie’s underlying themes, while Phil rhapsodizes about the great Louis Gossett, Jr. As always there’s some tricky trivia questions to contend with for eager students of the action genre, as well as the always entertaining ‘Die Hard Oscars’. So pack some yoghurt in your lunchbox and give it a listen – or you’ll end up on pots and pans!TOY SOLDIERS trailer:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAIG5SRxPVAAt the time of release, TOY SOLDIERS is streaming on Fubo and Crackle, and is available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV/iTunes, YouTube, Vudu, RedBox, DirectTV and AMC Theatres On Demand.DIE HARD ON A BLANK is created, written, and hosted by Philip Gawthorne. Liam Billingham produces and co-hosts the show. Mike Mayer and Michael Sugar are the executive producers. Olivia Aylmer is our marketing consultant. Tyson Hubley makes our artwork and videos. Special thanks to Sukee Chew and everyone at Sugar23.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 or comments at [email protected]. Get in touch! We want to hear from you!

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It’s DIE HARD on a train!This time Phil and Liam discuss NARROW MARGIN (1990), Peter Hyams’ highly underrated action-thriller remake starring Gene Hackman and Anne Archer. They talk about the differences and similarities to the original 1952 film noir, the Hitchcockian echoes, and the myriad of subtle Die Hard influences upon this highly suspenseful picture, that earns its place among a grand tradition of train movies. The lads also talk about their affection for the stellar supporting cast, including the two Walshes (M. Emmet and J.T. respectively), Harris Yulin, and James B. Sikking, as well as the ways that this film influenced subsequent action movies such as SPEED, UNDER SIEGE 2: DARK TERRITORY (Eric Bogosian forever) and UNSTOPPABLE. The trivia section goes off the rails (get it?), but the ‘Die Hard Oscars’ soon bring things back on track (but do you get it?). So take your assigned seat, grab a 7&7 from the café car, and enjoy the ride!NARROW MARGIN trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzIjCZfa1EcAt the time of release, NARROW MARGIN is available for purchase on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, iTunes, YouTube and VuDu Fandango. An excellent Blu-ray is also available, featuring two commentaries, one by writer/director/cinematographer Peter Hyams, and one by film critic Peter Tonguette.DIE HARD ON A BLANK is created, written, and hosted by Philip Gawthorne. Liam Billingham produces and co-hosts the show. Mike Mayer and Michael Sugar are the executive producers. Olivia Aylmer is our marketing consultant. Tyson Hubley makes our artwork and videos. Special thanks to Sukee Chew and everyone at Sugar23.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 or comments at [email protected]. Get in touch! We want to hear from you!

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It’s DIE HARD in an airport!Phil and Liam break down the first official DIE HARD sequel, the smash-hit blockbuster DIE HARD 2: DIE HARDER (1990). They discuss the evolution of John McClane’s character, the plethora of scary neo-con villains, the film’s complex geo-political influences, the iconic action sequences, the literary source material, the discarded subplots, and the film’s meta qualities (and meta marketing). They also indulge in a spirited “Who’s Your Favorite Terrorist?” discussion and slug it out in the trivia section. As the boys’ excitement starts to overflow, the ‘Die Hard Oscars’ spiral out of control!DIE HARD 2 trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyxfXQ4MGLQAt the time of release, DIE HARD 2: DIE HARDER is available to rent or buy on AppleTV.DIE HARD ON A BLANK is created, written, and hosted by Philip Gawthorne. Liam Billingham produces and co-hosts the show. Mike Mayer and Michael Sugar are the executive producers. Olivia Aylmer is our marketing consultant. Tyson Hubley makes our artwork and videos. Special thanks to Sukee Chew and everyone at Sugar23.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 or comments at [email protected]. Get in touch! We want to hear from you!

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It’s DIE HARD on a submarine!This week, underwater enthusiasts Liam and Phil analyze THE HUNT OF RED OCTOBER (1990), the film that (original DIE HARD director) John McTiernan made at the expense of directing DIE HARD 2. They discuss the movie’s political context, its huge cultural significance in kicking off the popular Jack Ryan franchise, and how as one of the first ‘techno-thrillers’, it elevated the action/espionage genre with its intelligent approach and microcosmic attention to detail. A massively influential film that delivered on the excitement promised in its electrifying original trailer, the lads are huge fans of this Cold War classic.THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSiAsQMBSRAAt the time of release, THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER is streaming on Netflix, AMC+, and available for purchase on various streaming services.DIE HARD ON A BLANK is created, written, and hosted by Philip Gawthorne. Liam Billingham produces and co-hosts the show. Mike Mayer and Michael Sugar are the executive producers. Olivia Aylmer is our marketing consultant. Tyson Hubley makes our artwork and videos. Special thanks to Sukee Chew and everyone at Sugar23.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 or comments at [email protected]. Get in touch! We want to hear from you!

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It’s DIE HARD in a Bond movie!In this third episode, Phil and Liam don their tuxedos (but keep their mullets from the ROAD HOUSE episode) to discuss LICENCE TO KILL (1989), the controversial and divisive James Bond movie that marked Timothy Dalton’s final appearance as the legendary secret agent. While placing the film in a wider context as part of the Bond canon, Phil and Liam discuss their personal connections tothis iconic character from their differing cultural perspectives (as a Brit and an American respectively), and examine how the cinematic trends of the time turned this 007 adventure into something wildly different from the Bond films that preceded it. This dark and violent picture is particularly notable in terms of ‘DIE HARD DNA’ - as amongst other things, it features the return of DIE HARD actors Robert Davi and Grand L. Bush…aka FBI Special Agents Big Johnson and Little Johnson (no relation).LICENCE TO KILL trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARLFh3J0Iw8At time of release, LICENCE TO KILL is streaming for free on Paramount +, and is available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV.DIE HARD ON A BLANK is created, written, and hosted by Philip Gawthorne. Liam Billingham produces and co-hosts the show. Mike Mayer and Michael Sugar are the executive producers. Olivia Aylmer is our marketing consultant. Tyson Hubley makes our artwork and videos. Special thanks to Sukee Chew and everyone at Sugar23.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 or comments at [email protected]. Get in touch! We want to hear from you!

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It’s DIE HARD in a bar! (sort of).In this second episode, Phil and Liam analyze DIE HARD’s influence on ROAD HOUSE (1989), the bar-brawling cult classic starring Patrick Swayze as a philosophical uberbouncer hired to clean up the world’s most depraved drinking establishment. It’s a movie filled with a surprising amount of ‘DIE HARD DNA’, giving Phil and Liam plenty to discuss. Amongst other things, the boys also examine the film’s Kurosawa connections, rhapsodize over Sam Elliott (whom they suspect to be an immortal) and discuss the cinematic significance of casting the legendary Ben Gazzara as the movie’s charismatic villain Brad Wesley. This week’s trivia quiz also unearths some fascinating tidbits about 1980s popular culture.ROAD HOUSE trailer:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oByMeAfwARsAt the time of release, ROAD HOUSE is streaming for free on Netflix.DIE HARD ON A BLANK is created, written, and hosted by Philip Gawthorne. Liam Billingham produces and co-hosts the show. Mike Mayer and Michael Sugar are the executive producers. Olivia Aylmer is our marketing guru. Tyson Hubley makes our artwork and videos. Special thanks to Sukee Chew and everyone at Sugar23.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 or comments at [email protected]. Get in touch! We want to hear from you!

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In part two of this inaugural episode, Phil and Liam discuss ‘The Anatomy of an Action Movie’, using DIE HARD as an example to analyze the essential components that make an action movie successful (or not). They also discuss DIE HARD’s diffuse origins and influences throughout cinema and literature, with a particular focus on Roderick Thorp’s book ‘Nothing Lasts Forever’ - the 1978 novel upon which DIE HARD was based. This episode also marks the first edition of the ‘DIE HARD OSCARS’, where Phil and Liam assign special awards in a variety of bespoke action-movie categories. There’s just enough time for a DIE HARD-themed trivia quiz, before the boys offer their respective opinions on the most burning question of all: is DIE HARD a Christmas movie?!DIE HARD ON A BLANK is created, written, and hosted by Phillip Gawthorne. Liam Billingham produces and co-hosts the show. Mike Mayer and Michael Sugar are the executive producers. Olivia Aylmer is our marketing consultant. Tyson Hubley makes our artwork and videos. Special thanks to Sukee Chew and everyone at Sugar23.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 or comments at [email protected]. Get in touch! We want to hear from you!

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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 part one of this special inaugural episode, we meet our two hosts – screenwriter Philip Gawthorne and podcast impresario Liam Billingham. The guys introduce themselves and explain their personal connections to, and mutual fascination with, DIE HARD (1988) - arguably the most influential action movie of all time. They analyze the film scene-by-scene, moment by moment, comprehensively examining every nook and cranny of this beloved masterpiece.DIE HARD trailer:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crrv24x-SI8At the time of release, DIE HARD is available to rent or buy on AppleTVDIE HARD ON A BLANK is created, written, and hosted by Philip Gawthorne. Liam Billingham produces and co-hosts the show. Mike Mayer and Michael Sugar are the executive producers. Olivia Aylmer is our marketing consultant. Tyson Hubley makes our artwork and videos. Special thanks to Sukee Chew and everyone at Sugar23.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 or comments at [email protected]. Get in touch! We want to hear from you!

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Welcome to the party pals! This is DIE HARD ON A BLANK, a new podcast from Sugar23 that explores the influence of Die Hard on action cinema. In each episode, screenwriter Philip Gawthorne and film podcaster Liam Billingham will talk about one major action movie that was released after DIE HARD - the official sequels, the various imitators, all the way up to recent releases like VIOLENT NIGHT. They'll discuss action icons like Jason Bourne, James Bond, Jack Ryan and Ethan Hunt, and stars like Harrison Ford, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Denzel Washington, Tom Cruise, Nicolas Cage, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Wesley Snipes, Keanu Reeves, Charlize Theron and of course, Bruce Willis. If you're a casual fan or action movie die hard (get it?), Die Hard On A Blank is for you. First episodes drop December 21st. Be there or be square, melon farmers.

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