Look for any podcast host, guest or anyone
Showing episodes and shows of

Liam Billingham

Shows

Die Hard On A Blank
Die Hard On A BlankTHE JACKAL, and a very special announcement!It’s Die Hard in a hitman movie! This week it’s the DIE HARD ON A BLANK 50th episode bonanza, and Phil and Liam are tracking down THE JACKAL, the 1997 action-thriller starring Bruce Willis, Richard Gere, Sidney Poitier, Diane Venora and J.K. Simmons! After an FBI raid results in the death of a vicious Russian gangster, the mobster’s aggrieved brother hires an elusive international assassin known as ‘the Jackal’ (Bruce Willis) for a retaliatory killing against a high-profile American target. But because so few people have ever seen this wily hi...
2024-11-201h 42Die Hard On A Blank
Die Hard On A BlankAIR FORCE ONE with Adam Volerich (Eye Of The Duck)Hey folks. We had a small export issue with the episode that resulted in some strange sounds. Please re-download before you listen!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 d...
2024-11-061h 13Die Hard On A Blank
Die Hard On A BlankFACE/OFF with Isaac Butler!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 te...
2024-10-231h 46Die Hard On A Blank
Die Hard On A BlankCON AIR with Scout Tafoya!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 hi...
2024-09-252h 13Die Hard On A Blank
Die Hard On A BlankDAYLIGHT!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 gu...
2024-07-3147 minDie Hard On A Blank
Die Hard On A BlankLAST MAN STANDING!It’s Die Hard in a ghost town!This time week, Phil and Liam throw a bottle in the air and follow it into the desert, as they try to make sense of the dark and brooding action/thriller/western/gangster picture LAST MAN STANDING.During the prohibition era, mysterious gunslinger John Smith (Bruce Willis) rolls into the small, remote border town of Jericho, Texas, where two rival bootlegging gangs have an uneasy and fragile truce. As Smith gets the lay of the land, he works both sides against the other in search of quick pr...
2024-07-031h 02Die Hard On A Blank
Die Hard On A BlankCows, Hits, Force Fives, and letters! (A bonus episode)Phil and Liam jump on the mic to talk about some guest appearances they have coming up, read a lovely (and crazy!) e-mail from a guest, and wrap about the future of the show.Cows In The Field (Liam and Phil talk Public Enemies on June 28)Force Five Podcast (Phil's episode arrives July 1)Hit Factory Podcast (Liam's episode on Breaking The Waves available now)Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2024-06-2618 minDie Hard On A Blank
Die Hard On A BlankTHE ROCK with Bilge Ebiri!It’s Die Hard on Alcatraz!This time on the show, Phil and Liam attempt not to explode with excitement as they discuss Michael Bay’s 1996 all-star action classic THE ROCK, with special guest Bilge Ebiri!When a group of highly trained Marines led by decorated general Francis X. Hummel (Ed Harris) take over Alcatraz and threaten to launch VX poison gas missiles at mainland San Francisco, the government are forced to turn to two unlikely heroes: eccentric FBI chemical weapons specialist Stanley Goodspeed (Nicolas Cage) and enigmatic prisoner John Patrick Mason (Sean Connery), the only...
2024-06-191h 48Die Hard On A Blank
Die Hard On A BlankMISSION: IMPOSSIBLE!It’s Die Hard in a spy series reboot!This week on the show, Phil and Liam discuss Brian De Palma’s franchise-launching box office behemoth MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE! It’s DIE HARD in a spy series reboot!When a mission in Prague goes horribly wrong, IMF agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) ends up as the only survivor, and is therefore wrongly assumed to be a mole that IMF director Kittrich (Henry Czenry) is looking to expose. Hunt goes on the run and plans to steal a valuable NOC list with the help of some disavowed agents...
2024-06-051h 15Die Hard On A Blank
Die Hard On A BlankBROKEN ARROWNote: At the top of this episode, we tease our appearance on 50mph, the podcast about SPEED. When we recorded, we thought that episode be out, but it'll be out on May 13, 2024! Find it at the link above.It’s Die Hard in a desert!This week on the show, Phil and Liam discuss John Woo’s 1996 action bonanza BROKEN ARROW starring John Travolta and Christian Slater! This is a film that Phil deeply loves and is fiercely protective of, which makes for an interesting conversation when Liam poses the thesis question: can a film be b...
2024-05-081h 11Die Hard On A Blank
Die Hard On A BlankSUDDEN DEATH with Brendan McDonald!(4/11/2024) Please re-download this episode as uploaded a we uploaded a new version correcting a mistake from the original!It’s Die Hard in a hockey arena!This time on the show, Phil and Liam pile on the cringeworthy hockey puns with special guest Brendan McDonald, producer of the WTF podcast with Marc Maron and an avowed action movie aficionado. Together they analyze the 1995 action movie SUDDEN DEATH – a fondly-remembered film with a classic ‘Die Hard on a Blank’ premise.After failing to save a young girl during an inferno, troubled former firefighter Darren McCord...
2024-04-1059 minDie Hard On A Blank
Die Hard On A BlankHEAT with Katie Walsh!It’s Die Hard in an epic crime saga!For this suitably epic episode, Phil and Liam are joined by special guest Katie Walsh - top Los Angeles film critic and co-host of the Michael Mann-themed podcast Miami Nice - to discuss the sprawling 1995 masterpiece Heat!When a team of elite professional thieves led by Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro) pull off an audacious armored car robbery that leaves three guards dead, hard-charging Robbery-Homicide detective Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino) is assigned to the case. In the process of investigating and surveilling the culprits, Hanna comes to...
2024-03-271h 28Die Hard On A Blank
Die Hard On A BlankUNDER SIEGE 2: DARK TERRITORYIt’s Die Hard on a train! Casey Ryback is back and this time he’s…well…um…I…um…hey look, forget about all that, because the good news is that Eric Bogosian is in this movie! This week Phil and Liam hitch a ride on a hijacked death train as they scrutinize Under Siege 2: Dark Territory, director Geoff Murphy’s 1995 sequel to the original Seagal action classic!While travelling from Denver to LA via train with his estranged niece Sarah (Katherine Heigl), ex-Navy SEAL Casey Ryback (Seagal) finds himself in the middle of a terrorist takeo...
2024-02-1458 minDie Hard On A Blank
Die Hard On A BlankDROP ZONE!It’s Die Hard in the skydiving world!Phil and Liam continue to chronicle DIE HARD’s influence on action cinema with a spirited discussion of the 1994 action-thriller DROP ZONE!After a daring mid-air prison-break results in his brother’s death, US Marshal Pete Nessip (Wesley Snipes) infiltrates the skydiving community in order to track down those responsible. He eventually uncovers the sinister agenda of skydiving master thief Ty Moncrief (Gary Busey), a former DEA Agent who is now attempting steal the identities of uncover narcotics agents in order to sell them to drug traffickers!  Phi...
2024-01-031h 23Die Hard On A Blank
Die Hard On A BlankTHE RIVER WILD with Blake Howard!For this episode, Phil and Liam are joined by special guest Blake Howard, film podcaster extraordinaire and the disruptive innovator behind One Heat Minute productions, to discuss the 1994 action-thriller THE RIVER WILD.Married couple Gail and Tom Hartman (Meryl Streep and David Strathairn) are in the middle of a relationship crisis and on the verge of separation, when they take their young son Roarke (Joseph Mazello) on a whitewater rafting trip. However, their vacation turns into a nightmare when they encounter Wade and Terry (Kevin Bacon and John C. Reilly), two criminals on the lam, who take...
2023-12-061h 22Die Hard On A Blank
Die Hard On A BlankTERMINAL VELOCITY with Rob Hackett!It’s Die Hard in a skydiving spy caper!Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s a flying penis!For this episode, Phil and Liam are joined by special guest Rob Hackett, a producer for James Wan’s company Atomic Monster and a HUGE fan of this wacky1994 skydiving flick. Rob has actually worked with TERMINAL VELOCITY’s director Deran Sarafian, giving him a unique insight into Sarafian’s personality, history and creative process. The film’s premise is as follows. After a mysterious woman named Chris Morrow (Nastassja Kinski) seemi...
2023-11-221h 13Die Hard On A Blank
Die Hard On A BlankCLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER with Paul Scheer!It’s Die Hard in the war on drugs!For this very special episode, Phil and Liam are joined by a VERY special guest: actor, writer, director, comic book author, renaissance man and podcasting superstar PAUL SCHEER! That’s right, the effervescent host of top film podcasts Unspooled and How Do This Get Made? chartered a helicopter and flew in to join Phil and Liam for an intensive analysis of this mid--90s classic! The film’s complex plot is thus: after a close friend is murdered by international drug traffickers, the vengeful US President (Donald...
2023-11-081h 21Die Hard On A Blank
Die Hard On A BlankDIE HARD ON A BLANK, a podcast from Sugar23!Welcome to the party pals! This is DIE HARD ON A BLANK, a 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, Ke...
2023-11-0100 minDie Hard On A Blank
Die Hard On A BlankTRUE LIES with Bilge Ebiri!It’s Die Hard in an action comedy spy romp!This week on the show, spymasters Phil and Liam have recruited special guest Bilge Ebiri - film critic for Vulture and New York magazine – to analyze TRUE LIES, aka “the American blockbuster riff on the French sex farce” (to quote Liam).     In this bombastic action comedy, seemingly unassuming computer salesman Harry Tasker (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is actually living a double life as an international superspy for the US government’s mysterious ‘Omega Sector’. Harry has managed to keep this secret from his wife Helen (Jamie Lee Curtis) and daughte...
2023-10-251h 18Die Hard On A Blank
Die Hard On A BlankBLOWN AWAYIt’s Die Hard in Boston! This week on the show, Phil and Liam break out their ropiest accents to discuss the 1994 action-thriller BLOWN AWAY, starring Jeff Bridges and Tommy Lee Jones. “It’s Die Haaad in Boston! What - you think you better than me or somethin’?”Jimmy Dove (Jeff Bridges), a veteran member of the Boston bomb squad, is planning to retire and settle down with his partner Kate (Suzy Amis) and her daughter Lizzie, when escaped prisoner Ryan Gaerity (Tommy Lee Jones) targets him and his fellow team members in a relentless urban bombing campaign. We come to learn th...
2023-10-1157 minDie Hard On A Blank
Die Hard On A BlankSPEED with Kris Tapley (of 50 MPH)!It’s Die Hard on a bus!For the show’s 20th episode, Phil and Liam are joined by special guest Kris Tapley - film journalist for Variety, host of the 50 MPH podcast and the world’s foremost expert on this week’s film: SPEED!When hotshot LA SWAT cop Jack Traven (Keanu Reeves) incurs the wrath of mad bomber Howard Payne (Dennis Hopper), Payne responds by rigging a city bus with a unique explosive device, that will arm when the vehicle hits 50mph…and detonate if it drops below it. The first question to ask here is: is this the greate...
2023-09-271h 44Die Hard On A Blank
Die Hard On A BlankDEMOLITION MAN with Nick de Semlyen!It’s Die Hard in a future shock satire!For this week’s episode, Phil and Liam are joined by special guest Nick De Semlyen, editor of Empire magazine and author of the excellent book THE LAST ACTION HEROES. Together they unfreeze DEMOLITION MAN – a deceptively sophisticated sci-fi movie that explores, deconstructs and satirizes action movie archetypes.In a dystopian LA, renegade cop John Spartan (Sylvester Stallone) apprehends his psychotic arch nemesis Simon Phoenix (Wesley Snipes) during a chaotic assault, but Spartan is wrongly blamed for a large number of civilian deaths, and both men are placed in a new cryoge...
2023-09-131h 08Die Hard On A Blank
Die Hard On A BlankDIE HARD ORIGINS!Liam and Phil went out to the coast to to have a few laughs this week, so they decided to share an underheard early gem from the podcast: the ORIGINS OF DIE HARD episode.Thanks to everyone who has listened, shared, or told us they like the show. Special thanks to our amazing guests so far. We'll be back in two weeks with DEMOLITION MAN.It's Rambo in a Towering Inferno! 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...
2023-08-3047 minDie Hard On A Blank
Die Hard On A BlankSTRIKING DISTANCE with Sean Fennessey!It’s Die Hard in a serial killer thriller!Or is it Die Hard in a murder mystery? Or Die Hard in a family drama? Or Die Hard in the great American play?! To make sense of all this, Phil and Liam are joined by special guest Sean Fennessey, the host of The Big Picture and a regular guest on The Rewatchables.  The plot of Striking Distance speaks to its surprising level of complexity. After he testifies against his own partner for use of excessive force, Pittsburgh homicide detective Thomas Hardy (Bruce Willis) is exiled from the tight-knit police department and...
2023-08-161h 21Die Hard On A Blank
Die Hard On A BlankLAST ACTION HEROIt’s Die Hard in a meta fantasy satire!Phil and Liam enter the weird and not-so-wonderful world of LAST ACTION HERO, the deconstructionist meta fantasy satire (and infamous box office flop) that has gained a growing cult following in the 30 years since its original release. Last Action Hero wasn’t just a movie, it was a pop-culture juggernaut, but ultimately it failed to deliver on the promise of its admittedly ingenious premise (at least according to Phil): thanks to a “magic ticket”, film-obsessed kid Danny (Austin O’Brien) gets sucked into the world of an action movie and has to team up...
2023-07-051h 27Die Hard On A Blank
Die Hard On A BlankCLIFFHANGER with Jamelle Bouie!It’s Die Hard on a mountain! Hang on tight as Phil and Liam grapple with CLIFFHANGER (1993), aided by a very special guest: Jamelle Bouie, columnist for the New York Times Opinion section and the host of the Unclear and Present Danger podcast.After the botched mid-air heist of a US treasury plane results in a violent plane crash, mountain rescue worker Gabe Walker is coerced into helping the ruthless thieves (led by a maniacal John Lithgow) find the missing loot, amidst the forbidding landscape of the Colorado Rockies. Michael Rooker, Janine Turner, Rex Linn, Leon and Craig Fairbrass round out...
2023-06-211h 27Die Hard On A Blank
Die Hard On A BlankPASSENGER 57 with Ronald Young Jr.!It’s Die Hard on a plane (and a carnival)!Take your seats and buckle up as this week Phil and Liam are tackling PASSENGER 57 (1992) with the help of special guest Ronald Young, Jr, a regular contributor to NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour and the host of his own movie podcast Leaving The Theater, as well as the forthcoming Weight For It. Wesley Snipes stars as John Cutter, a former Secret Service agent turned security specialist caught up in the ruthless hijacking of a passenger plane perpetrated by Charles Rane (Bruce Payne). The guys discuss the cultural significance of this...
2023-06-071h 24Die Hard On A Blank
Die Hard On A BlankUNDER SIEGEIt's DIE HARD on a battleship!Phil and Liam take a deep dive into choppy waters as they analyze UNDER SIEGE (1992), one of the earliest (and best) action films to directly replicate the classic DIE HARD formula. In this instance, Steven Seagal stars as Casey Ryback, a former Navy SEAL turned ship’s cook, who springs into action when the USS Missouri is seized by traitorous terrorists looking to hijack its nuclear arsenal…and mayhem swiftly ensues! First off, the boys place this movie in its wider cultural context, noting how this big budget picture marked a departure from the grim...
2023-05-241h 19Die Hard On A Blank
Die Hard On A BlankPATRIOT GAMESIt’s Die Hard in a political thriller!This time Phil and Liam dig into the IRA-themed action movie PATRIOT GAMES (1992), the Jack Ryan sequel that Die Hard director John McTiernan was originally supposed to make with Alec Baldwin in the lead role. But fate – and Harrison Ford – had other ideas!While this expansive, globe-trotting political thriller may not bare much resemblance to Die Hard on face value, there’s still a surprisingly high amount of ‘Die Hard DNA’ for the boys to examine with their movie microscopes. This pulsating Paramount picture is also notable for being one of the first mainst...
2023-05-101h 30Die Hard On A Blank
Die Hard On A BlankHARD BOILEDIt’s DIE HARD in a hospital!This time, Phil and Liam team up to investigate HARD BOILED (1992), John Woo’s operatic action extravaganza starring legendary actors Chow Yun-fat and Tony Leung, as two very different Hong Kong cops who join forces to take down a ruthless arms dealer.It’s a film that’s often compared to DIE HARD…but does it actually surpass it? Is this actually the greatest action film of all time? The boys debate these controversial questions, while breaking down the various astonishing action sequences that Woo somehow captured in this utterly spectacular 'bullet ballet.' They als...
2023-04-261h 20Die Hard On A Blank
Die Hard On A BlankTHE LAST BOY SCOUTIt’s DIE HARD in an L.A. Noir!The mismatched duo of Phil and Liam begin a serpentine investigation into THE LAST BOY SCOUT (1991), the ultraviolent private eye picture that combined the talents of multiple action movie icons: star Bruce Willis, director Tony Scott, producer Joel Silver and screenwriter Shane Black. As well as being a buddy movie, this brutal, bruising film also fits into the grand tradition of film noir, and specifically L.A. noir, a subgenre within a subgenre that Phil and Liam are both big fans of. The boys debate whether Joe Hallenbeck is the greatest ch...
2023-04-121h 36Die Hard On A Blank
Die Hard On A BlankRICOCHETIt's the DIE HARD ECU!This time Phil and Liam wrestle with RICOCHET (1991), Russell Mulcahy’s wild revenge thriller starring Denzel Washington as Nick Styles, a cop turned lawyer who incurs the wrath of John Lithgow’s monstrous criminal Earl Talbot Blake. Not only is this Joel Silver production positively overflowing with ‘Die Hard DNA’, it also takes place in the same extended cinematic universe (ECU) as Die Hard itself! This leads to a fascinating deep dive into the ‘Val Verde Mega Movie Verse’, an expansive ECU that theoretically incorporates multiple films and franchises, including the Alien movies, the Predator movies, both...
2023-03-291h 15Die Hard On A Blank
Die Hard On A BlankTOY SOLDIERSIt’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 fascinatin...
2023-03-151h 13Die Hard On A Blank
Die Hard On A BlankNARROW MARGINIt’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...
2023-03-011h 12Die Hard On A Blank
Die Hard On A BlankDIE HARD 2: DIE HARDERIt’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 t...
2023-02-151h 34Die Hard On A Blank
Die Hard On A BlankTHE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBERIt’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 Col...
2023-02-011h 20Die Hard On A Blank
Die Hard On A BlankLICENCE TO KILLIt’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 some...
2023-01-181h 24Die Hard On A Blank
Die Hard On A BlankROAD HOUSEIt’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...
2023-01-041h 16Die Hard On A Blank
Die Hard On A BlankTHE ORIGINS OF DIE HARDIn 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...
2022-12-2143 minDie Hard On A Blank
Die Hard On A BlankDIE HARDWelcome 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.youtub...
2022-12-211h 02Die Hard On A Blank
Die Hard On A BlankDie Hard on a Blank: Coming December 21st (Because Die Hard IS a Christmas Movie).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 Sni...
2022-12-0801 minOeuvre Busters presents...
Oeuvre Busters presents...Season 1 Finale: What is Rohmerian? (or, The Rohmerian Cinematic Universe!)Welcome to RohmerCast, the podcast about Rohmer: his films, his working methods, and anything else we want to talk about related to Éric Rohmer. In finale of season one, we ask ourselves, “What is Rohmerian?” and explore the “Rohmer Cinematic Universe” through The Aviator’s Wife (1981), Four Adventures of Reinette and Mirabelle (1987), and Boyfriends and Girlfriends (1987) -- the three films programmed by Metrograph in their Summer of Rohmer series. This leads to the following tangents: what makes someone an auteur, the qualities of a Rohmerian performance, “reasonable” characters, testing one’s own philosophies and principles, the use of dramatic ir...
2022-09-0959 minOeuvre Busters presents...
Oeuvre Busters presents...RohmerCast: Boyfriends and GirlfriendsWelcome to RohmerCast, the podcast about Rohmer: his films, his working methods, and anything else we want to talk about related to Éric Rohmer. In our third episode, hosts Liam Billingham and Shaun Seneviratne discuss Boyfriends & Girlfriends (1987), the final film in his Comedies & Proverbs cycle. This leads to the following tangents: Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, the Screwball Comedy, streamlined production methods, location sound as sound aesthetic, the suburbs as a location, setting up webs of relationships, sympathy for the youth, Blanche as a character, jobs decentered, color blocking, and assessing the most accurate title trans...
2022-09-021h 06Oeuvre Busters presents...
Oeuvre Busters presents...RohmerCast: The Four Adventures of Reinette and MirabelleWelcome to RohmerCast, the podcast about Rohmer: his films, his working methods, and anything else we want to talk about related to Éric Rohmer.In our second episode, hosts Liam Billingham and Shaun Seneviratne discuss Four Adventures of Reinette and Mirabelle (1987), a semi-improvised film made during a production break on The Green Ray (1986). This leads to following tangents: production crews, the difference between improvisation and scripted moments, episodic construction, naïveté vs popular common sense, how we watch things, compression vs expansion, and what we can learn about our own personal philosophies. Listen wher...
2022-08-261h 07Oeuvre Busters presents...
Oeuvre Busters presents...RohmerCast: The Aviator's Wife Welcome to RohmerCast, a new podcast from one of the guys who brought you Oeuvre Busters and his much smarter friend! In this inaugural episode, hosts Liam Billingham and Shaun Seneviratne discuss The Aviator’s Wife, which marked the beginning of Rohmer’s Comedies and Proverbs cycle. This leads to some of the following tangents: growing into Rohmer as an adult; the superficial qualities one associates with Rohmer; the film as Verite Romantic Comedy, an Action Movie, and an Existential Detective Story; desire and reason; seeing someone listen; patterns, plotting, and twists; performance, and more. Thoug...
2022-08-121h 10Oeuvre Busters presents...
Oeuvre Busters presents...Talking about I Live In Fear (1954)!On this fearful episode of Oeuvre Busters, Liam and George discuss I Live in Fear (1954), directed by Akira Kurosawa and starring Toshiro Mifune. Topics discussed: Vigo the Carpathian; the anxiety of modern life; the late, great James Gandolfini does Shakespeare; radioactive rainstorms; erotic Liam. Also, so many good people are dead!Topics not discussed: The Tarnac 9.Make sure to listen and subscribe to Michael Carroll's excellent podcast, Judgement Day: T2 Vs Cinema! It can be found here: https://shows.acast.com/judgement-day/Hey, you all know we love you out...
2020-11-1153 minOeuvre Busters presents...
Oeuvre Busters presents...The Seven Samurai (1954) with Blake Howard!On this seventh-heaven of an episode, Liam and George welcome Blake Howard, the hardest-working man in podcasting, to discuss The Seven Samurai (1954), directed by Akira Kurosawa and starring Toshiro Mifune, Takashi Shimura and Keio Tsushima.Topics discussed: Michael Mann Google alerts; Pauline Kael; high school Liam, film nerd; living French philosophers. Also, Radioactive Man, the Movie!Topic not discussed? The invention of the number zero.More about Blake Howard and his amazing stable of podcasts can be found here: https://oneheatminute.com/aboutHey, you all know we...
2020-10-2855 minOeuvre Busters presents...
Oeuvre Busters presents...October Patreon - The Ben Affleck Oeuvre!This month we welcome Ben Affleck lover, Bostonian, and Liam's sister-in-law Rebecca Weiss to talk about all things Ben Affleck! It's a fun, chatty episode. Witness Liam and Rebecca's amazing Boston accents! Roll your eyes as George keeps trying to make Tarkovsky jokes. Be mildly annoyed that no one has ever seen the movies we're talking about! Subscribe to the patreon at patreon.com/oeuvrebusters!Please, if you can, rate, review, and subscribe to Oeuvre Busters on Stitcher and iTunes and wherever else you might download your favorite podcasts. Your ratings and...
2020-10-2102 minOeuvre Busters presents...
Oeuvre Busters presents...Now on Patreon: The Dirty Dozen (1967!)A sneak peek look into our episode on the Dirty Dozen. Greek-American action cinema! The lie of Sleepless in Seattle! War sucks, Bronson rules.To listen to the entire episode, become a patron at https://www.patreon.com/oeuvrebusters!Join us. We love you. Well, George does. Liam likes you.Hey, you all know we love you out there, right? But do you love us? If so, please consider subscribing to our new Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/oeuvrebusters For only $3 dollars a month, you’ll get a bo...
2020-09-0900 minOeuvre Busters presents...
Oeuvre Busters presents...Talking about Stray Dog (1949) with special guest Joyce WuOn this doggish episode of Oeuvre Busters, Liam and George invite Joyce Wu to discuss Stray Dog (1949), directed by Akira Kurosawa and starring, of course, Toshiro Mifune. Topics discuss? Horniness; isolation, alienation, AND ennui; the shadow-self; people are bad; ACAB, have a beer; sucking popsicles. Also, Kurosawa can direct the shit out of anything.Topics not discussed? The origins of the bicameral mind.Joyce Wu is a writer and director based in Los Angeles. She was an inaugural member of the Made in NY Writers Room, a fellowship developed by the WGA East...
2020-09-0200 minOeuvre Busters presents...
Oeuvre Busters presents...Bonus: Talking about No Regrets for Our Youth (1946) with Nancy Schwartzman!On this not-at-all regrettable episode Oeuvre Busters, Liam and George welcome Nancy Schwartzman to discuss Akira Kurosawa’s No Regrets for Our Youth (1946), starring Setsuko Hara.Topics discussed? Swingers; heroic university professors; bending the knee; fast-asleep cops; ignorant villagers. Also, proper farmer etiquette!Topics not discussed? Nothing. This episode is incredibly ambitious, and we pretty much cover everything there is to cover in a tight 1:02:31. You’re welcome!Nancy Schwartzman is a Peabody Award nominated documentary film director, producer, and media strategist who uses storytelling and technology to create safe...
2020-08-2600 minOeuvre Busters presents...
Oeuvre Busters presents...Talking about The Quiet Duel (1949)On this dueling-banjos episode of Oeuvre Busters, Liam and George discuss The Quiet Duel (1949), directed by Akira Kurosawa and starring Toshiro Mifune. Topics discussed: syphilis; fuck around and find out; Avengers: Endgame; Liam’s wicked sophistry. Also, can’t fuck, wanna fuck.Topics not discussed: The Situationists and the beach beneath the streets.Hey, you all know we love you out there, right? But do you love us? If so, please consider subscribing to our new Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/oeuvrebusters For only $3 dollars a month, you’ll get a bonus...
2020-08-1900 minOeuvre Busters presents...
Oeuvre Busters presents...Talking about Drunken Angel with Stuart Galbraith IV!On this angelic episode of Oeuvre Busters, Liam and George welcome Stuart Galbraith IV, the man who literally wrote the book on the Kurosawa/Mifune relationship, The Emperor and the Wolf. Topics discussed: cynicism and hopefulness; curmudgeonly doctors; Yakuza feudalism; spiritual sickness. Also, Clint Eastwood is just a watered down version of Mifune, really.Topics not discussed: How Vladimir Nabokov’s translation of Pushkin’s Eugene Onegin lead to the ending of his friendship with Edmund Wilson.Stuart Galbraith IV is a Kyoto-based film historian, writer, and publisher-editor of World Cinema Paradise. He is t...
2020-08-0500 minOeuvre Busters presents...
Oeuvre Busters presents...Talking about early Kurosawa and Mifune!On this dialectically-enhanced episode of Oeuvre Busters, Liam and George discuss two films for the price of one: Sanshiro Sugata (1943), directed by Akira Kurosawa, and Snow Trail (1947), starring Toshiro Mifune. Topics discussed on this episode: alpha and beta males; Babar, the colonialist; the shit and the mire; middle-brow literature. Plus, my god, that sandal! So quintessentially Kurosawa.Topics not discussed: anemones.Hey, you all know we love you out there, right? But do you love us? If so, please consider subscribing to our new Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/oeuvrebusters For...
2020-07-3100 minOeuvre Busters presents...
Oeuvre Busters presents...Season Four Premier!On this, the season-four premier of Oeuvre Busters, Liam and George return to their art-house roots to discuss the collaborative relationship between Akira Kurosawa and Toshiro Mifune! Topics discussed: double-decker VHS tapes; small republican towns; libraries, oases of culture; world cinema; men in crisis. Also, what the fuck is up with Grimace? Seriously?!Hey, you all know we love you out there, right? But do you love us? If so, please consider subscribing to our new Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/oeuvrebusters For only $3 dollars a month, you’ll get a bonus episode and a essay fr...
2020-07-2700 minOeuvre Busters presents...
Oeuvre Busters presents...RE-RELEASE: Cassavetes and Company on the Dick Cavett Show*Note:To celebrate HUSBANDS being available on the Criterion Channel, we’re re-releasing all of our HUSBANDS content. Believe it or not, this show started because of HUSBANDS. The Dick Cavett episode is available below, as well as on the Criterion Channel. Watch, listen, and cringe!*Welcome to this bonus episode (you're welcome, America!) of Oeuvre Busters! On September 18, 1970, Cassavetes, Ben Gazzara, and Peter Falk appeared on the Dick Cavett Show to promote Husbands. The recording was, to say the least, rather eventful, what with Cassavetes, Gazzara and Falk more interested in ragin' on...
2020-07-1500 minOeuvre Busters presents...
Oeuvre Busters presents...Bye Batman! Bye!On this, the final episode of season three of Oeuvre Busters, Liam and George recap and rank ALL the Batman movies and Batmen. Topics discussed: stink lines; silence as the apotheosis of art; the Reagan administration; the funkiest man you've ever seen; RIP Joel Schumacher. Also, lots of Colin Farrell talk.Katie Stebbin's piece on 'Product as Synergy' can be found here: https://cinenthusiast.wordpress.com/2020/06/24/the-product-as-synergy-era-begins-hollywood-in-1990/Topics not discussed? The role of the lightning-scene and its significance in classical Arabic poetry.You can find more OB content at ...
2020-07-0800 minOeuvre Busters presents...
Oeuvre Busters presents...Talking about Joker (2019) with Mark Pagan and Randy Wilkins!On this jokers-are-wild episode of Oeuvre Busters, Liam and George welcome Mark Pagan and Randy Wilkins to discuss Joker (2019), directed by Todd Phillips and starring Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz and Frances Conroy. Topics discussed: Sopranos avatars; cathartic dancing; Thomas Wayne: major asshole; anticomedy. Also, Logan!Topics not discussed: Edward Said’s controversial lecture, Freud and the non-European, a talk actually banned by the Freud institute in Vienna. Those Freudians sure are sensitive.     For more info on our amazing guests, please follow the links below: ...
2020-07-0100 minOeuvre Busters presents...
Oeuvre Busters presents...Talking about Lego Batman (2017) with Matthew Krol!On this legotastic episode of Oeuvre Busters, Liam and George invite good friend Matthew Krol, from The Only Podcast About Movies, to discuss Lego Batman, starring Will Arnett, Zach Galifianakis, Michael Cera, Rosario Dawson and Ralph Fiennes, and is directed by Chris McKay.Topics discussed: kissing cousins; Batman: angry dude and tax dodger; Platonic friends; the politics of vigilantism; and fuck Clayface. Also, Dunkirk! Where are the fascists?!?Topics not discussed: Allen Ginsberg’s attempt in 1967 to levitate the Pentagon into space using Tibetan prayer. Matt and Shahir's excellent po...
2020-06-1700 minOeuvre Busters presents...
Oeuvre Busters presents...Talking about Justice League (2017)On this justifiably awesome episode of Oeuvre Busters, Liam and George discuss 2017’s Justice League, directed by Zack Snyder and starring Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, Ezra Miller, and Jason Momoa. Topics discussed: mother boxes; Armond White: to troll or not to troll?; brown cinematic sludge; manly men. And the worse people in the world got what they wanted! Topics not discussed? C.L.R James’s revolutionary reappraisal of the Haitian Revolution, The Black Jacobins. A must read, especially now! Read him!Please consider donating to one of the following funds or signing petitions to h...
2020-06-1000 minOeuvre Busters presents...
Oeuvre Busters presents...Talking about Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) with Michael Carroll!On this very antagonistic episode of Oeuvre Busters, Liam and George welcome Michael Carroll to discuss Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), directed by Zach Snyder and starring Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg, and Gal Gadot. Topics discussed: corporate art vs. non-corporate art; Ben Affleck’s body vs. Henry Cavill’s body vs. Gal Gadot's body; visionary style vs. style style; studio product vs. Cassavetes product; Schumacher vs. Snyder. Also, crisis mismanagement!Topics not discussed: The canzoni of Arnaut Daniel, 12th century troubadour.Michael Carroll is the host of the fort...
2020-05-2000 minOeuvre Busters presents...
Oeuvre Busters presents...BONUS! White Elephant Art Vs. Termite Art! (with updated link to essay!)This week, based on a question from a listener, we sat down with filmmaker pal Shaun Seneviratne to talk about Manny Farber's influential theory of White Elephant Art and Termite Art. We talk about what the theory means, whether one type is good or bad, and whether Batman films are an elephant or termite. Finally, we discuss Liam's solo record, Neon Elephant.Shaun Seneviratne is a Sri Lankan-American filmmaker and educator in Brooklyn, NY. His past work has screened at festivals such as Nantucket, Montclair, CAAM, and San Diego Asian Film Festival. Currently, Shaun is...
2020-05-1300 minOeuvre Busters presents...
Oeuvre Busters presents...Talking about "The Dark Knight Rises" (2012)! with special guests Nicole Solomon and Shawn SetaroOn this raisable episode of Oeuvre Busters, Liam and George welcome friends Nicole and Shawn to discuss the final instalment of the Nolan trilogy, "The Dark Knight Rises," starring Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway, and Gary Oldman. Topics discussed: Marcel Proust, secret fascist; blood transfusions; Bruce Wayne in rehab; the political imaginary. Also, by the grace of god, more show trials and executions! And so many Bane impressions!Topics not discussed? Engels's contributions to theories of evolution in his monumental "The Dialectics of Nature."Nicole Solomon is a filmmaker, educator and Co-Founder...
2020-05-0600 minOeuvre Busters presents...
Oeuvre Busters presents...Message to a Buster Episode 1: Batman, the Adventure Continues!WHAT? ANOTHER EPISODE! YOU GUYS ARE SO PROLIFIC - you, talking to us.Liam and George grace your feeds with a new podcast within a podcast called Message to a Buster! The premise is simple. One of us records a message. The other responds.This week, we've decided to talk about the inaugural issue of the new series, Batman The Adventure Continues. This new series, written by Paul Dini and Alan Burnett, dropped in early April. You can learn more here: https://www.dccomics.com/comics/batman-the-adventures-continue-2020/batman-the-adventures-continue-1If you'd...
2020-04-2900 minOeuvre Busters presents...
Oeuvre Busters presents...Talking about 'The Dark Knight (2008!)'On this knightish episode of Oeuvre Busters, George and Liam invite Blake Howard from the One Heat Minute podcast to discuss 2008’s The Dark Knight, directed by Christopher Nolan and starring Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart, and Maggie Gyllenhaal.Topics discussed: David Fincher’s movies for children; the three Batmen; 24-hour Zodiac; Jim Gordon is Brutus; Bane tattoos.Plus, who is the better villain: the Joker or Bruce, the shark from Jaws?Topics not discussed: Ezra Pound’s stay at St. Elizabeths hospital directly after World War II and...
2020-04-2200 minOeuvre Busters presents...
Oeuvre Busters presents...Talking about Batman Begins (2005)!On this beginning-ish (oof, that's terrible, we know) episode of Oeuvre Busters, Liam and George discuss 2005’s Batman Begins, directed by Christopher Nolan and starring Christian Bale, Katie Holmes, Cillian Murphy, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, and Gary Oldman. (What a cast!)Topics discussed: Tax exemptions; orientalism; flirting with fascism; psychological depth, Batman's slightly-pudgy face. Also, military hardware is bad! Topics not discussed? John Keats’ notion of negative capability and how essential the concept is in understanding Keats’ late odes. Today we have a voicemail from Nicole Solomon and Shawn Setaro.Nicole...
2020-04-0800 minOeuvre Busters presents...
Oeuvre Busters presents...Talking about Batman: Mask of The Phantasm (1993)On this phantasmic episode of Oeuvre Busters, Liam and George delve into animated territory with Mask of the Phantasm (1993), directed by Eric Radomski and Bruce Timm, and starring Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill and Dana Delany. Topics discussed: dead-parent trauma; Bruce Brain; Fuck, Marry, Kill: Kilmer, Clooney, Keaton. Plus, who has a better jawline: animated Batman or Robert Pattinson?Topics not discussed? The importance of the Aeolian Harp to Romantic poets such as Samuel Taylor Coleridge, notorious opium fiend and all around sick poet. You can find more OB content at www.oeuvrebusters...
2020-03-2500 minOeuvre Busters presents...
Oeuvre Busters presents...Sick (Pandemic?) Day MoviesWith social isolation in place, Liam and George discuss movies they love, like, and plan to revisit during this period of social isolation.The name of Eliza Hittman's new film is "Never Rarely Sometimes Always.' Liam blew the title and is sorry.Goodfellas, Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade, Groundhog Day, A Most Violent Year, and Burning are available on Netflix.Eight Hours Don't Make a Day, Black Narcissus, and A Brighter Summer Day are available on The Criterion Channel.Beach Rats and River of Grass...
2020-03-1800 minOeuvre Busters presents...
Oeuvre Busters presents...Talking about Batman (1966) with special guest host Kel Karpinski!On this Batusi inspired episode, George Fragopoulos and Kel Karpinski (what, no Liam?!?) discuss Batman 1966, directed by Leslie Martinson, and starring Adam West, Burt Ward, Lee Meriwether, Cesar Romero, Burgess Meredith and Frank Gorshin (what a list!). Topics discussed in this episode? Phalluses, just so many phalluses; camp and pop art; Dick Grayson, voyeur-in-chief. Also, Cold War politics!Topics not discussed? The Elgin Marbles, which, if we are all being honest, should be returned to Greece because they were stolen and fuck the British Museum and British government for not giving them back. For real. 
2020-03-1100 minOeuvre Busters presents...
Oeuvre Busters presents...Talking about Batman & Robin (1997)On this episode of Oeuvre Busters, recorded on location in lovely Burbank, Liam and George discuss Batman and Robin (1997), starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, George Clooney, Uma Thurman, and Chris O’ Donnell, directed by Joel Schumacher. Topics discussed: Poison Ivy’s love juice; terrible puns; eco-terrorism as a good thing; checked-out Clooney. Plus, some Bong love! Topics not discussed? That as far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster.You can find more OB content at www.oeuvrebusters.com. Also, please feel free to drop us a line...
2020-02-2600 minOeuvre Busters presents...
Oeuvre Busters presents...THE BATMAN: THE UPDATEOn this bonus-ful(?) episode of Oeuvre Busters, Liam and George talk briefly about what we know about THE BATMAN, the new Batman movie coming out in 13 months! GET EXCITED! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
2020-02-1400 minOeuvre Busters presents...
Oeuvre Busters presents...Talking about Batman Forever (1995)On this enigmatic episode of Oeuvre Busters, Liam and George tackle Batman Forever (1995), directed by Joel Schumacher and starring Val Kilmer, Nicole Kidman, Jim Carrey and Tommy Lee Jones. Topics discussed: what it’s like to be kissed by a rose; Jim Carrey, insufferable fool; the masks make it better. Also, who would you rather date, Batman or Bruce Wayne? And why not both? Topics not covered: Marx’s theories of the circulation of capital as theorized in the Grundrisse, and how such theories prefigure the more “mature” Marx of Capital.    If you have any...
2020-02-1200 minOeuvre Busters presents...
Oeuvre Busters presents...Talking about Batman Returns (1992)Or, This Penguin Wants to Fuck!On this kittenish episode of Oeuvre Busters, Liam and George discuss Batman Returns (1992), directed by Tim Burton and starring Michael Keaton, Michelle Pfeiffer, Danny DeVito and Christopher Walken. Topics discussed: the dislocation of time and space; the erotics of being a superhero; class rage; Jesus songs. Also, sweet, sweet boning. Topics not discussed: Theodor Dreyer’s cinema of devotion and how it greatly influenced filmmakers as diverse as Paul Schrader, Terrence Malick, and Theo Angelopoulos. You can, of course, find more OB co...
2020-01-2900 minOeuvre Busters presents...
Oeuvre Busters presents...Talking about Batman! (1989)On this bat-tacular episode of Oeuvre Busters, Liam and George discuss Tim Burton's Batman (1989), starring Jack Nicholson, Michael Keaton and Kim Basinger. Topics discussed: Tim Burton: overrated or not? Joker, working class hero; the weirdness of Michael Keaton; German expressionist cinema (have we discussed this one before?). Also, the pig lady of Detroit!Topics not discussed: Giotto di Bondone's Padua frescos and how they reflect a radical change in the course of Western art.You can find more OB content at www.oeuvrebusters.com. Also, please feel free to drop us...
2020-01-1500 minOeuvre Busters presents...
Oeuvre Busters presents...Talking about Season 3 - Batman!On this Bat-tacular episode of Oeuvre Busters, Liam and George kick off season three by discussing Batman: the man, the myth, the movies. Topics discussed: vigilantism; the great comic book wars; Moldova; Hamlet and murdered parents; Rey and Yoda boning. Also, let’s shall do that! Topics not discussed: Picasso’s “The Fall of Icarus” and its relationship to his earlier foundational work, “Guernica.”  You can find more about the wonderful work of Sean Mannion at his website, http://www.sean-mannion.com/.You can, of course, find more OB content at www...
2020-01-0100 minOeuvre Busters presents...
Oeuvre Busters presents...Liam is on Girls, Guts, and Giallo!Hi Busters,Can I call you busters? No? Got it.This week Liam is on Girls, Guts, and Giallo talking about Antichrist (2009), directed by Lars Von Trier.Girls, Guts, and Giallo is a podcast about subversive and controversial cinema hosted by Lesbian Vampire, Annie Rose and featuring various guests. A celebration of trash and feminine perversion.Come listen to us talk about this really great, really troubling movie. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
2019-12-2000 minOeuvre Busters presents...
Oeuvre Busters presents...PSH Wrap Up!On this, the final episode of our Philip Seymour Hoffman deep dive, Liam and George discuss their favourite Philip Seymour Hoffman performances, in part by looking once again at "Alpha" Phil and "Beta" Phil roles. Topics discussed: Beguiling Phil; Republican mediocrities; regrets and tragedies and lack of space in the world. Topics not discussed? How Gustave Caillebotte's Les Raboteurs de Parquet was one of the first representations of the Parisian working classes.You can find more OB content at www.oeuvrebusters.com. Also, please feel free to drop us a line, either via email...
2019-12-1800 minOeuvre Busters presents...
Oeuvre Busters presents...Talking about 'A Most Wanted Man' (2014)On this most-wanted episode of Oeuvre Busters, Liam and George discuss Philip Seymour Hoffman's final film (sniffle), A Most Wanted Man (2014), starring Willem Defoe, Rachel McAdams, Robin Wright, and Nina Hoss. (What a cast!) Topics dicussed: Goats; the ghoulish Henry Kissinger; whiskey; post-9/11 cinema. And, of course, David Hasselhoff. Topics not discussed? Baby Yoda, thankfullyYou can find more OB content at www.oeuvrebusters.com. Also, please feel free to drop us a line, either via email or voicemail recording, at Oeuvrebusters@gmail.com. We are looking to incorporate feedback...
2019-12-0700 minOeuvre Busters presents...
Oeuvre Busters presents...Talkin' about The Master (2012), directed by Paul Thomas Anderson and Starring PSHOn this masterful episode of Oeuvre Busters, George and Liam discuss The Master (2012), directed by Paul Thomas Anderson and starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Joaquin Phoenix and Amy Adams. Topics discussed? Our first R-rated movies. Sex with sand sculptures. Capitalism and theology. And, of course, scientology. Topics not discussed? Rilke's Letters to a Young Poet. You can find more OB content at www.oeuvrebusters.com. Also, please feel free to drop us a line, either via email or voicemail recording, at Oeuvrebusters@gmail.com. We are looking to incorporate feedback from our listeners during the...
2019-11-2000 minOeuvre Busters presents...
Oeuvre Busters presents...Bridge! The Episode.In this bridging episode of Oeuvre Busters, George and Liam take a break from talking films to discuss a recent voice mail from Shahir Daud, as well as the article 'The Epic Uncool of Phillip Seymour Hoffman.' We'll back in two weeks with our take on 'The Master.'See you soon!You can find more OB content at www.oeuvrebusters.com. Also, please feel free to drop us a line, either via email or voicemail recording, at Oeuvrebusters@gmail.com. We are looking to incorporate feedback from our listeners...
2019-11-0600 minOeuvre Busters presents...
Oeuvre Busters presents...Talking about Jack Goes Boating (2010), with Special Guest Adam SchartoffOn this out-to-sea episode of Oeuvre Busters, Liam and George welcome Adam Schartoff of Filmwax Radio fame to discuss Jack Goes Boating (2010), starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, John Ortiz, Amy Ryan, and Daphne Rubin-Vega. Topics discussed: dramaturgy; porno parodies; directorial debuts; reggae-loving dudes. Also, who goes boating in Central Park?! Topics not discussed: How the Panama Canal radically changed shipping routes in the twentieth-century.Episodes of Adam’s great podcast can be found here: http://www.filmwaxradio.comYou can find more OB content at www.oeuvrebusters.com. Al...
2019-10-2300 minOeuvre Busters presents...
Oeuvre Busters presents...Talking about Doubt (2008) with Caitlin Mae BurkeOn this no doubt about it excellent episode of Oeuvre Busters, Liam and George welcome Caitlin Mae Burke to discuss Doubt (2008), starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, and Viola Davis. Topics discussed: devotional candles; Vatican II: The Revenge; Creaster Christians; the boogie down Bronx. Also, oof, dads!Topics not covered? The great Christian Schism of 1054 that gave us the Catholic and Orthodox churches as we know them today. Friend of the podcast, Mark Pagan of the Other Men Need Help podcast, will be having an event on October 8: https://www...
2019-10-0700 minOeuvre Busters presents...
Oeuvre Busters presents...Talking about Synecdoche, New York (2008) with guest co-host Shahir Daud!On this synecdochal episode of Oeuvre Busters, Liam and George invite Shahir Daud on to discuss 2008’s Synecdoche, New York, starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Samantha Morton, Michelle Williams, and Catherine Keener. The film is written and directed by Charlie Kaufman. Topics discussed: Cotard syndrome; existentialist filmmaking; houses on fire; anonymous actor T. Cruise; also, what happens when you combine Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Her? Well, listen and find out! Topics not discussed: Bertolt Brecht’s journals and what they can teach us about the rise of fascism.Shahir Daud is a filmmaker and...
2019-09-2500 minOeuvre Busters presents...
Oeuvre Busters presents...Talking about Charlie WIlson's War (2007), featuring Phillip Seymour Hoffman!This week, join dialectical materialist and frequent-swearer George Fragopoulos as he discusses 2007's Charlie Wilson's War, featuring Phillip Seymour Hoffman. Topics include: Where the f*ck is Liam?; Big Phil, Little Phil; Recent contemporary Greek History; Julia Roberts not respecting Papa F's 8 hours of recreation.Topics not covered: Is anyone worried about Liam? This isn't like him.You can find more OB content at www.oeuvrebusters.com. Also, please feel free to drop us a line, either via email or voicemail recording, at Oeuvrebusters@gmail.com. We are looking to incorporate...
2019-09-1100 minOeuvre Busters presents...
Oeuvre Busters presents...Talking about 25th Hour, starring Phillip Seymour Hoffman and featuring Michael Ranghelli!On this not-the-25th episode of Oeuvre Busters, Liam and George welcome onboard Michael Ranghelli to discuss Spike Lee’s 25th Hour, starring Ed Norton, Rosario Dawson and, yes, of course, the one and only Philip Seymour Hoffman. Topics discussed on this episode: Liam crying at work; the oddity that is Oldboy; the differences between dragons and dogs; tone poems. Also, rent in New York City is truly obscene.Topics not covered: John Ashbery’s radical verse experimentation in 1962's The Tennis Court Oath. You can find more OB content at www...
2019-08-2800 minOeuvre Busters presents...
Oeuvre Busters presents...BONUS: Phillip Seymour Hoffman's queer roles with Annie Rose MalametGeorge is on vacation, so Liam hijacked the podcast to speak with Annie Malamet about the queer roles of Philip Seymour Hoffman. Films covered: Flawless, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Capote, Boogie Nights, and The Master. Also, Annie legit teaches us like 3 new words.Annie Rose Malamet is an Educator, Artist, and Podcast Host. Her podcast, @girlsgutsgiallo, can be found wherever you get podcasts. Help support her work at https://www.patreon.com/girlsgutsgialloYou can find more OB content at www.oeuvrebusters.com. Also, please feel free to drop us a...
2019-08-2200 minOeuvre Busters presents...
Oeuvre Busters presents...Talking about Mission Impossible 3 (2006), featuring Phillip Seymour Hoffman and co-hosted by Jose Rodriguez!On this impossible episode of Oeuvre Busters, George and Liam welcome guest host Jose Rodriguez to discuss 2006's Mission Impossible Three, starring Tom Cruise, Ving Rhames, Michelle Monaghan, and, of course, Philip Seymour Hoffman. Topics covered: fulcrums vs. pendulums; Tom Cruise's thetan count; Liam's recent religious conversion; spy franchises, ranked! Plus: Ethan Hunt fucks the flag. Topics not covered: The biographical masterpieces of the one and only Hermione Lee. As the Guardian recently said in regards to her recent biography of Penelope Fitzgerald: "Lee is a master of that most neglected of literary...
2019-08-1400 minOeuvre Busters presents...
Oeuvre Busters presents...Talking about Capote (2005), starring Philip Seymour HoffmanOn this week’s capotesque episode of Oeuvre Busters, Liam and George discuss 2005’s Capote, starring (no, really) Philip Seymour Hoffman, Catherine Keener and Clifton Collins Jr., and directed by Bennett Miller. Topics covered: our favorite communist novels; Gore Vidal’s Wildean wit; the origin of Tennessee Williams’s The Glass Menagerie; trips to Spain. And Weekend at Bernie’s relationship to the American avant-garde.  Topics not covered? How Stendhal’s experiences during the Napoleonic Wars were foundational to his novels, in particular The Charterhouse of Parma, his last work.    You...
2019-07-3100 minOeuvre Busters presents...
Oeuvre Busters presents...BONUS: Philip Seymour Hoffman on Arthur, with special guest Michael CarollOn this A is for aardvark episode of Oeuvre Busters, Liam and special guest Michael Carroll chat about Philip Seymour Hoffman’s appearance on the animated series, Arthur! Topics discuss: What kind of animal, exactly, is Fern; cringeworthy cartoons; the embrace of lukewarm showers; real people existing, making art. Finally, Liam watches PSH eat a hot dog!Topics not covered: Voltaire’s very famous claim that the Holy Roman Empire was neither Holy, nor Roman, nor an empire. Discuss, please.   You can find more OB content at www.oeuvrebusters.com. Also...
2019-07-2400 minOeuvre Busters presents...
Oeuvre Busters presents...Talking about Along Came Polly (2004), with guest host Mark Pagan!On this pollyannaish episode of Oeuvre Busters, George and Liam welcome guest host Mark Pagán to discuss 2004’s Along Came Polly, starring Ben Stiller, Jennifer Aniston and, yes, Philip Seymour Hoffman. Topics discussed? Hunk Azaria; manic pixie dream girls; student-film versions of Fight Club; the philological history of sharting. Also, Jennifer Aniston: indie-film muse.Topics not discussed: How Franz Kafka’s parables are allegorical reflections about the decline of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Mark's amazing podcast, Other Men Need Help, can be found here: https://othermenneedhelp.com/Please also consi...
2019-07-1700 minOeuvre Busters presents...
Oeuvre Busters presents...Talking about Twister with Kat Rodriguez!On this twisted episode of Oeuvre Busters, Liam and George (but mostly Liam) welcome special guest Kat Rodriguez to discuss 1996’s Twister, starring Bill Paxton, Helen Hunt, and featuring, of course, Philip Seymour Hoffman as Dusty. Topics covered: what everyone had for breakfast; the hotness of Bill Paxton; Philip Seymour Hoffman’s testicles; and is PSH a human golden retriever? Ya know, like Mr. Peanutbutter? Also, divorce! It’s painful. Topics not covered: Gertrude Stein’s a rose is a rose is a rose is a rose. Is it, Stein? Is it? Please don't forget to subsc...
2019-05-2900 minOeuvre Busters presents...
Oeuvre Busters presents...NO-STAGRAM! Episode 1Here's the deal. George doesn't have Instagram. Liam does. So Liam sat George down and caught him up on all things OBIG. Hilarity (?) ensued!Plus, Schartoff Rises.We're @OeuvreBusters on Instagram and Twitter. Get at us.Shahir Daud's amazing short film La Loteria."Robobozo" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
2019-05-1500 minOeuvre Busters presents...
Oeuvre Busters presents...Talking about The Big Lebowski (1998), featuring Phillip Seymour HoffmanOn this Lebowskiesque episode of Oeuvre Busters, Liam and George discuss the Coen brothers' The Big Lebowski, from the Clinton-era year of 1998, and starring Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Julianne Moore, and, of course, Philip Seymour Hoffman. Topics discussed: the failures of the New Left; Manifest Destiny; the first, and surprisingly not the worst, Gulf War; and, of course, bowling. Topics not discussed? The feminist ethos of Elena Ferrante's Neapolitan novels. They are great! Read them! But we ain't discussing them here, sorry. You can find more OB content at www.oeuvrebusters.com! Also, please feel free to drop us...
2019-05-0800 minOeuvre Busters presents...
Oeuvre Busters presents...Talking and Drafting Phillip Seymour Hoffman!On this drafty episode, the very first of Season Two, Liam and George talk (and select) Philip Seymour Hoffman movies for the upcoming season of Oeuvre Busters! Listen to Liam groan and groan and groan as George selects movies he can't stand! Listen to George try, and fail, to do a Keith Richards impersonation! Also, please stay tuned to the very end for a very important message from friend of the podcast, Adam Schartoff of Filmwax Radio. Topics not covered in this episode of Oeuvre Busters? The myths and legends surrounding New York City's very own Pizza Rat! Please...
2019-04-2400 minOeuvre Busters presents...
Oeuvre Busters presents...Talking About All the Cassavetes!In the season one finale of Oeuvre Busters, Liam and George take a drip down (very recent) memory lane and spend some time reconsidering the entire John Cassavetes oeuvre. Topics discussed: Keith Richards's cockney (?) accent; the glorious taste of pistachios; the discography of Sarah McLachlan; and the proper order in which one should watch these films. Also, our first fan mail! Topics not discussed? Hegelian dialectics. No, wait, actually, that's discussed, but only in a superficial manner. Clearly Liam and George have not spent much time reading the primary texts, but rather crude summaries. They truly are philistines of...
2019-04-1700 minOeuvre Busters presents...
Oeuvre Busters presents...Talking about John Cassavetes' Opening Night (1977)On this theatrical episode of Oeuvre Busters, George and Liam discuss John Cassavetes’s Opening Night, starring Gena Rowlands, John Cassavetes, and Ben Gazzara, from the blockbuster-studded year 1977. Listen to the guys break out some terrible impersonations! Bono for Liam, Arnold for George. Other topics covered? Eugene O’Neill’s KFC addiction. (Ironically, this episode is brought to you by Popeyes! Looking to punish your colon?! Eat Popeyes!) Is this a film about alcoholism or the grim specter of death? Why not both? And surrealism! Topics not covered: how British enclosure laws in the 17th and 18th centuries and the cr...
2019-02-2700 minOeuvre Busters presents...
Oeuvre Busters presents...Talking about John Cassavetes's Faces (1968)We are back on the Cassavetes train! (But did we ever really get off it in the first place? Hmmm?) On this episode of Oeuvre Busters, and after taking a look at his two studio films, George and Liam discuss Cassavetes's Faces, from the turbulent year 1968. The film stars the magnetic Gena Rowlands, the senescent John Marley, the incandescent Lynn Carlin, and the Herculean Seymour Cassel. Things to consider: first and foremost, who knew that this film was a secret Mad Men prequel? My god, does Liam love Honey I Shrunk the Kids! Can George STFU about Johnny Staccato...
2018-12-1900 minOeuvre Busters presents...
Oeuvre Busters presents...Talking about John Cassavetes's A Child is Waiting (1963)In this episode of Ouevre Busters, George and Liam discuss John Cassavetes's last studio film, 1963's A Child is Waiting, starring the rugged Burt Lancaster and the immortal Judy Garland. Listen to George and Liam constantly mispronouncing Gena Rowlands's name! Gasp in horror as your hosts describe the most terrifying opening-credits sequence ever committed to celluloid! Shake your head in disgust as these two jackanapes discuss the theological implications of which artists might be in hell! Also, does Michael Bay really have all that firepower at his disposal? All this and more in this episode of Ouevre Busters, the...
2018-12-0500 minOeuvre Busters presents...
Oeuvre Busters presents...Talking about Johnny Staccato (1959) and Too Late Blues (1961)Welcome to episode 2 of Oeuvre Busters! In the first part of the episode, George and Liam discuss the ridiculously awesome (at least according to George; Liam is a bit more agnostic) Johnny Staccato, a TV show Cassavetes starred in and occasionally directed from 1959-1960 in order to pay the bills. Listen to Liam ruin George’s Blade Runner “joke.” Listen to George clearly having a road-to-Damascus moment as he discusses his love for this terrible show. Liam and George then discuss 1961’s Too Late Blues, Cassavetes’s first studio film starring the immortal Bobby Darin. Topics covered: Greek-American stereotypes, baseball-playing musicians...
2018-11-2100 minOeuvre Busters presents...
Oeuvre Busters presents...Talking about John Cassavetes's Shadows (1959)Welcome to the inaugural episode of Oeuvre Busters! George and Liam talk about what the hell they think they're doing (they have no idea), and discuss John Cassavetes’s first film, Shadows. Listen to George mispronounce the title Goodfellas! Listen to Liam curse the corpse of Rudy Giuliani! Also, why is Marty Scorsese so damn quiet? And the guys are clearly in love with Rupert, and can you blame them? All this and more in what is the first, and most likely the last, episode of this all new podcast!  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and op...
2018-11-0500 min