Die Hard On A Blank

It’s DIE HARD in D.C! It’s a big one this week as we’re finally discussing the fourth film in the DIE HARD franchise: LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD (aka DIE HARD 4.0)!

After a group of elite hackers led by former government cyber-security expert Thomas Gabriel (Timothy Olyphant) initiate a massive cyber-attack on critical US infrastructure, grizzled NYPD detective John McClane (Bruce Willis) is dragged into the fray when he is asked to facilitate the routine transfer of a skilled young hacker named Matt Farrell (Justin Long), whom the villains now want dead. The mismatched due of McClane and Matt are then forced to work together to escape the hired killers who are after them and resolve the wider crisis, but when Gabriel learns of McClane’s involvement, he seeks to turn tables by targeting McClane’s emotionally estranged daughter Lucy (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and using her as a pawn in his masterplan…thus forcing McClane to dig deep in order to save both the country and his daughter.

The guys discuss the film’s complicated legacy, its tortured development history, and the inherent challenges of making a fourth film in any series. They each give their thoughts about what works, what doesn’t and whether or not this robust political action-thriller still feels like a DIE HARD film or not. John McClane 4.0 is also put under the microscope, along with the film’s supporting cast, and the work of the director Len Wiseman. As always the show culminates with the Die Hard Oscars and the ever-popular Double Jeopardy Trivia Quiz…but stay tuned for a special announcement at the very end of this episode!

TRAILER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOwS1yzIU4k

At the time of release, LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD (aka DIE HARD 4.0) is streaming on Tubi and YouTube TV and is available to rent or buy on Apple TV/iTunes, Fandango and all the usual platforms! It is also available on physical media!

Click here to subscribe to our Patreon feed 48 HOURS OF BUDDY MOVIES!
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Pre-order NO ESCAPE on 4K (featuring our commentary track) here:
https://shop.umbrellaent.com.au/products/no-escape-1994-4k-blu-ray?srsltid=AfmBOoqnRCaCPMg02WCWvNPTkK_8_fwYeelYFr90HpRlEuQQZ0025adT

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It’s Die Hard in a multiverse! This week we’re discussing Tony Scott’s “science-fact” time-travel movie DÉJÀ VU with the help of special guest Scout Tafoya!

After a catastrophic terrorist attack on a ferry in New Orleans leaves hundreds of innocent people dead, local ATF agent Doug Carlin (Denzel Washington) becomes drawn into the massive, multi-jurisdictional investigation into the bombing. During this process, FBI agent Paul Pryzwarra (Val Kilmer) invites Doug to join a cutting-edge, secretive unit who are using state-of-the-art surveillance technology to create a flowing, temporary 360-degree “time window” in an attempt to find the culprit. However, Doug gradually discovers that this so-called “time window” is actually a form of time-travel, which therefore creates the meta-physical possibility that this terrible attack could - at least theoretically - be stopped. When Doug begins to develop feelings of love for Clare Kuchever (Paula Patton), one of the victims of the attack, he becomes yet further determined to test the boundaries of known physics in a concerted effort to stop the attack from happening, save the lives of those affected, and create a new timeline.

Appropriately enough (given the film’s subject matter), the guys discuss their deep love for this wildly underrated modern masterpiece from multiple perspectives: as a riff on other classic pictures from film history, as meta-textual self-examination, and as a profound study of the human condition. They get into it all: the themes, the performances, the visuals (wow) and why this film is so much more than the sum of its (spectacular) parts. As always they guys study the film’s ‘DIE HARD DNA’, hand out awards in the ‘DIE HARD OSCARS’ and wrap things up with a suitably convoluted edition of the ‘DOUBLE JEOPARDY’ trivia quiz. So grab the goggle rig and strap in for a journey of mind, body and soul that stretches the boundaries of known physics…and movie podcasts!

TRAILER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxdS8TP37I4

At the time of release, DÉJÀ VU is streaming on YouTube TV and is available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV/iTunes, YouTube, Fandango and all the usual platforms! It is also available on physical media!

Click here to subscribe to our Patreon feed 48 HOURS OF BUDDY MOVIES!
www.patreon.com/48hoursofbuddymovies
Pre-order NO ESCAPE on 4K (featuring our commentary track) here:
https://shop.umbrellaent.com.au/products/no-escape-1994-4k-blu-ray?srsltid=AfmBOoqnRCaCPMg02WCWvNPTkK_8_fwYeelYFr90HpRlEuQQZ0025adT

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It’s Die Hard in a bank! This week we’re discussing Spike Lee’s outstanding heist movie
INSIDE MAN with the help of our own “inside man” Randy Wilkins, a frequent Spike collaborator who actually worked on this movie!

When calculating master thief Dalton Russell (Clive Owen) puts in motion what he claims is the perfect robbery and takes multiple hostages inside a Wall Street bank, eccentric NYPD detective Keith Frazier (Denzel Washington) is assigned to lead the hostage negotiations. However, the fragile situation is complicated yet further when the enigmatic high-level fixer Madeleine White (Jodie Foster) is tasked by the bank’s owner Arthur Case (Christopher Plummer) to retrieve a mysterious artefact located inside a safe deposit box. In order to save the hostages and diffuse the crisis, Detective Frazier must navigate a complex spider’s web of hidden agendas, misdirection and politics both inside and outside the besieged bank, as well as locking horns with the calm, calculating robber who appears to be much smarter than anyone else involved…including himself.

The guys get into Randy’s long-standing professional relationship with Spike Lee and how he came to work on this particular picture, then move into the ‘DIE HARD DNA’ section where the many connections between the two films are discussed. They break down what makes this film unique in the over-saturated ‘heist movie’ genre, examine its political themes, and discuss the three central performances of Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Jodie Foster (as well as the wider cast). Awards are handed out in the ‘Die Hard Oscars’ and as always events culminate with the ‘Double Jeopardy Trivia Quiz’, where the scores can really change!

TRAILER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4G7n7O5pel0

At the time of release, INSIDE MAN is streaming on Starz and Philo in the US and is available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV/iTunes, YouTube, Fandango and all the usual platforms! It is also available on physical media!

Click here to subscribe to our Patreon feed 48 HOURS OF BUDDY MOVIES!
www.patreon.com/48hoursofbuddymovies
Pre-order NO ESCAPE on 4K (featuring our commentary track) here:
https://shop.umbrellaent.com.au/products/no-escape-1994-4k-blu-ray?srsltid=AfmBOoqnRCaCPMg02WCWvNPTkK_8_fwYeelYFr90HpRlEuQQZ0025adT

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It's DIE HARD on the Radio, Part 2: Radio Harder! We were invited back on OJ Borg's show on BBC Radio 2 where we gave OJ an 'Xmas Action Movie Quiz' for Midnight Mastermind! Check out the video (or just listen!) here and find out if the scores DID really change.
See you in the new year!

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It’s Die Hard on the streets! This week on DIE HARD ON A BLANK we’re discussing Richard Donner’s 2006 action-thriller/character study 16 BLOCKS, a film that some fans consider an alt-universe DIE HARD sequel! To get to the bottom of this we enlisted special guest Mitchell Beaupre, head of editorial at Letterboxd and an avowed 16 BLOCKS (and FREEJACK) fan!

Aging, alcoholic New York City detective (Jack Mosley) is a depressed deadbeat waiting for death when he’s given an unwanted but seemingly routine assignment: to transfer petty criminal Eddie Bunker (Mos Def) from a jail cell to court, where he is planning to testify to a grand jury. However, after he saves Eddie from an assassination attempt, Jack comes to discover that everyone – including his own NYPD colleagues - seem to want Eddie dead. In dire need of redemption, Jack becomes determined to get Eddie to court on time, no matter what the cost or the consequences…

The guys discuss the abundant DIE HARD DNA (and 48 HRS connections) and place this performance in the wider context of Bruce Willis’ career. They discuss the historic importance of LETHAL WEAPON-helmer Dick Donner making a DIE HARD-adjacent movie, and examine the film’s thematic interests, tonal inspirations, and ultimate ambitions. They discuss the film’s supporting cast, including Mos Def/Yasiin Bey as the interestingly named ‘Eddie Bunker’, podcast favorite David Morse as corrupt cop Frank Nugent, and David Zayas as the trigger-happy Bobby Torres. Awards are dispensed in the ‘Die Hard Oscars’ and as always events culminate with the ‘Double Jeopardy Trivia Quiz’, where the scores can really change!

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

At the time of release, 16 BLOCKS is streaming on Hoopla in the US and is available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV/iTunes, YouTube, Fandango and all the usual platforms! It is also available on physical media!

Click here to subscribe to our Patreon feed 48 HOURS OF BUDDY MOVIES!
www.patreon.com/48hoursofbuddymovies
Pre-order NO ESCAPE on 4K (featuring our commentary track) here:
https://shop.umbrellaent.com.au/products/no-escape-1994-4k-blu-ray?srsltid=AfmBOoqnRCaCPMg02WCWvNPTkK_8_fwYeelYFr90HpRlEuQQZ0025adT

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