Okay, action freaks! Weâre kicking off our John McTiernan miniseries - POD HARD WITH A VENGECAST - with a film that is not at all indicative of the greatness to come. Nomads! A movie where Pierce Brosnan attempts a garbage French accent and is terrified by some punks in a van. Thatâs kind of the whole thing. Anyway - get ready for a spirited conversation about plenty of other topics, like: the filmography of Tom Shadyac! John McTiernanâs super cool dad! Gerard Depardieuâs face! The strict rules of Julliard! The 1976 Academy Awards! And more! Join our Patreon at patreon.com/blankcheck Follow us @blankcheckpod on Twitter and Instagram!
GET TO THE CHOPPA! Griffin attempts his best (actually, worst) Arnold voice this week as we head to the jungle with Jon Gabrus and some bic razors. For almost three hours, weâre dissecting every little bit of PREDATOR - the glow-stick goo alien blood, the Alan Silvestri score, Arnoldâs calves, Arnoldâs biceps, Arnoldâs long red polo shirt, Arnoldâs chiseled cheekbones, the way Arnold says KILL ME!!! - you can expect lots of Arnold talk. Join our Patreon at patreon.com/blankcheck Follow us @blankcheckpod on Twitter and Instagram!
Thirty-six floors. Thirteen (fake) terrorists. One perfect action movie. Kevin Smith - who was in a Die Hard movie AND directed Alan Rickman in DOGMA - joins us again for a supersized episode on McTiernanâs signature film. Weâre getting into Bruce's wine cooler commercials. We reveal the surprising Shakespeare play that influenced McTiernanâs direction of this story. Weâre nerding out about the spatial and organizational PERFECTION that makes it such a classic. And weâre paying loving homage to two screen presences whose careers ended tragically too soon. Join our Patreon at patreon.com/blankcheck Follow us @blankcheckpod on Twitter and Instagram!
We love da submarinesh! Host of âUnclear and Present Dangerâ Jamelle Bouie joins us this week to talk about middle aged white guys, airport novels, and naval recruitment propaganda. Thatâs right - weâre talking about John McTiernanâs adaptation of Tom Clancyâs THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER! Come for our thesis on why Alec Baldwin played the best version of Jack Ryan, stay for Ben and Jamelleâs impassioned pleas for a Highlander patreon series. And of course, there will be Connery impressions. Join our Patreon at patreon.com/blankcheck Follow us @blankcheckpod on Twitter and Instagram!
Oh baby, this oneâs a STINKER! Sean Connery finds the cure for cancer but then he loses it (??). Lorraine Bracco delivers all of her dialogue like someone making a comment and not asking a question at a Q&A. Theyâre both playing scientists - but whereâs the CHEMISTRY?? Comedian and writer Jamie Lee returns to Blank Check to talk about John McTiernanâs attempt at a serious adult drama, 1992âs MEDICINE MAN. We spend most of the episode trying to recast this movie to make it somewhat palatable. But the musical score is great! Join our Patreon at patreon.com/blankcheck Follow us @blankcheckpod on Twitter and Instagram! Buy some real nerdy merch at shopblankcheckpod.myshopify.com
You either love this movie or you hate it, and guess what - weâre landing all over the LOST ACTION HERO spectrum this episode! Paul Scheer & Jason Mantzoukas join us once again for a clock-busting, rip-roaring time, and weâre unpacking all of this movieâs meta madness. Is John McTiernan able to parody his own work? Should the kid have actually killed people in this movie (as in the original, edgier script)? Will David have an aneurysm if this episode recording doesnât end at a reasonable time? Pre-order Paulâs Book And if anyone has what Jason is looking for, email blankcheckpodcast@gmail.com and well get it to him. Join our Patreon at patreon.com/blankcheck Follow us @blankcheckpod on Twitter and Instagram!
John McTiernan back with the Die Hard franchise after the spectacular flop of Last Action Hero. Bruce Willis and Samuel L Jackson back together after Pulp Fiction. Die Hard with a Vengeance is definitely part of the âwe are so backâ canon. Shea Serrano (who owns every McTiernan movie on VHS) joins us to chat about this explosive action threequel that features a surprising amount of New York theater actors and a bunch of childhood games and riddles. Also, you donât need us to tell you this but - Jeremy Irons hot. Also cool. Listen to Six Trophies with Jason Concepcion and Shea Serrano Check out Halfway Books Join our Patreon at patreon.com/blankcheck Follow us @blankcheckpod on Twitter and Instagram! Buy some real nerdy merch at shopblankcheckpod.myshopify.com
A Fiji water bottle. âSinnermanâ by Nina Simone. That Magritte painting with the bowler hat. A SCINTILLATING, AGE-APPROPRIATE ROMANCE WITH TWO OF THE GREATEST HEIST SEQUENCES IN MOVIE HISTORY. Weâre talking Tommy C (1999), baby! The delightful Amanda Dobbins joins us for her long-awaited Blank Check debut, and this episode is about as fun as youâd expect. Do we think this movie is better than the Norman Jewison original? Yes. Do we go long on the filmography of Rene Russo? Yes. Do we explain how Pierce Brosnan fit the Monet canvas into his briefcase? Sort of. Does Amanda know the plot of âWickedâ? Surprisingly, no! Join our Patreon at patreon.com/blankcheck Follow us @blankcheckpod on Twitter and Instagram!
What if there was a 13th Warrior? What if there was a version of Beowulf so grounded in reality that the climactic battle with Grendel just kind of felt like a shrug? What if Antonio Banderas was the lead in Gladiator instead of Russell Crowe? Weâre just asking questions! Filmmaker David Lowery makes his long-awaited return to the podcast to talk about John McTiernanâs Michael Crichton adaptation, a movie that should have kept the title of the original book - Eaters of the Dead . Such a sick title! Anyway, prepare yourself for plenty of Banderas talk, a loving deep-dive into the famous âBanderas learns the Viking languageâ scene, and a reveal of some Blank Check-related easter eggs in Loweryâs filmography (!). Join our Patreon at patreon.com/blankcheck Follow us @blankcheckpod on Twitter ...
Finally, we arrive at the film that helped put John McTiernan in both âdirector jailâ and âjail jailâ - the incoherent nu-metal fart that is 2002âs ROLLERBALL. Zach Cherry continues his trend of appearing on episodes covering movies that led to actual court cases, and we do our best to try to explain what happened (both on-screen and off). Why is this film set in Boratâs Kazakhstan? What was up with the extended nightvision scene? Is Griffin insane for being a Chris Kline apologist? Plus - Ben learns about the World Nomad Games of Central Asia! Join our Patreon at patreon.com/blankcheck Follow us @blankcheckpod on Twitter and Instagram!
Our McTiernan series concludes with 2003âs BASIC - a film that Griffin thinks should instead be titled âCOMPLICATEDâ - get it? Because there are so many plot twists?? The great BenDavid Grabinski joins us to chat about John Travoltaâs run of big, skeezy characters post-FACE/OFF, McTiernanâs ultimate Achilles heel (getting too confident in his ability to fix impossible movies), the screenwriting career of studio wunderkind James Vanderbilt, and the truly terrible acting of Giovanni Ribisi. Plus, the return of Journalist Eddie Brock, our pitches for different versions of CHANGING LANES (which they should remake every five years), and our final McT filmography rankings. Join our Patreon at patreon.com/blankcheck Follow us @blankcheckpod on Twitter and Instagram!