logo
episode-header-image
Sep 2016
1h 56m

Under Siege 2: Dark Territory

Blank Check Productions
About this episode

Griffin, David and guest host Producer Ben present a special episode this week: a discussion of 1995’s action thriller Under Siege 2: Dark Territory.

But is it true the co-founder of CAA and former Disney president, Michael Ovitz, bet he could make even a stocky Aikido teacher with zero acting experience a star? Does Hollywood make these b-list midsize action movies anymore? Is Steven Seagal our quietest action hero?

Together the trio examines New Zealand director and journeyman Geoff Murphy’s career, Eric Bogosian’s performance as the scientist gone bad, earthquake inducing satellites sponsored by the U.S. government and the original song written AND performed by Steven Seagal “After the Train Has Gone.” Plus, share a Hamilton themed Burger Report, review Star Trek Beyond and what occupations Nic Cage said he would like to portray.

Finally, remember dear listener that after this week’s palette cleanser Blank Check will return with our new mini series covering the films of James Cameron!


Join our Patreon for franchise commentaries and bonus episodes.

Follow us @blankcheckpod on Instagram, Threads, Facebook and X!

Buy some real nerdy merch.

Connect with other Blankies on our Reddit or Discord

For anything else, check out BlankCheckPod.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Up next
Oct 5
Burn After Reading with Fran Hoepfner
What did we learn, Palmer? That 2008’s Burn After Reading is pretty freakin’ hilarious, sir. Our Fran (Hoepfner, not McDormand) joins us this week to talk about Joel and Ethan Coen’s madcap dark comedy about a bunch of morons living in the DC area. The way John Malkovich says “me ... Show More
2h 11m
Sep 28
No Country for Old Men with Leslye Headland
The Two Friendos, plus “Masterpiece” Leslye Headland and “I would have had no problems handling that bag of money” Ben Hosley take on one of the most acclaimed films of the 21st century in this week’s episode. It’s No Country For Old Men week on Blank Check! We’re chatting about ... Show More
2h 56m
Sep 21
The Ladykillers with Connor Ratliff
We must have waffles forthwith! We must also have Connor Ratliff on the pod to talk about Tom Hanks for the first time since the completion of his Dead Eyes series! Join us for a spirited discussion about 2004’s The Ladykillers, a film that is universally regarded as the Coens’ w ... Show More
2h 47m
Recommended Episodes
Jan 2025
The 2025 Dumpuary Extravaganza. Plus: Steven Soderbergh Returns!
Sean and Amanda are joined by Yasi Salek to discuss ‘Better Man,’ the bizarro Robbie Williams biopic in which he is rendered as a CGI chimpanzee (1:00) and ‘One of Them Days,’ the Keke Palmer and SZA action comedy produced by Issa Rae and directed by Lawrence Lamont (29:00). Then ... Show More
2h 15m
May 2025
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning with Chris McQuarrie
Vanguardistas have more fun—so if you don’t already subscribe to the podcast, join the Vanguard today via Apple Podcasts or extratakes.com for non-fruit-related devices. In return you’ll get a whole extra Take 2 alongside Take 1 every week, with bonus reviews, more viewing recomm ... Show More
1h 12m
Aug 2022
Getting your movie greenlit by a studio with Yariv Lerner producer and Exec producer of Expendables, Rambo: Last Blood, Hellboy & The Dare !
Today, our host Giles Alderson welcomes a very special person to the podcast: The man who greenlit his debut feature film, Yariv Lerner. Now, not only does Yariv run Nu Boyana Film Studios, the biggest film studio in Eastern Europe, but he is also the executive producer or produc ... Show More
1h 1m
Oct 2024
Another Transformers Film? What Will Mark Think?
This week’s guest is everyone’s favourite foul-mouthed politico-cum-Time Lord. That’s right, Peter Capaldi is on the show to tell Simon all about Season 2 of his time-bending, psychological thriller show ‘The Devil’s Hour’. Mark reviews ‘Transformers One’, an animated sci-fi acti ... Show More
1h 8m
Dec 2024
SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK — Charlie Kaufman’s movie of a lifetime
When screenwriter Charlie Kaufman started making his epic, heartbreaking directorial debut SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK, he was the toast of Hollywood. Then it flopped, put a pause on his career, and arguably marked the end of the heady “indiewood” era of the oughties. Host Rico Gagliano ... Show More
35m 37s
Oct 2024
Mark Gets to Legitimately Rant About Donald Trump Because He’s Reviewing a Film About Him
This week, Mark is joined by Ben Bailey Smith to give you the lowdown on the week’s cinematic releases. Ben chats to Naomi Scott about her tour-de-force performance in ‘Smile 2’, the second outing for the smash-hit horror-thriller franchise. It’s a big week for Mark as two of his ... Show More
1h 6m
Mar 2025
‘The Electric State’ Is a Netflix Nightmare. Plus, 10 (Better) Movies We Missed.
Sean and Amanda are joined by Chris Ryan to discuss the latest Netflix mega-budget action movie, ‘The Electric State,’ one of the worst movies of the decade so far (1:00). They discuss the state of Netflix’s influence on the movie industry and the series of disastrous movies made ... Show More
2h 17m
Nov 2024
James Norton talks JOY and HAPPY VALLEY & Himesh Patel discusses THE FRANCHISE and YESTERDAY
This week's episode was is the second half of the MK3D show recorded live at the BFI Southbank on Monday 18th November 2024. In this 96th edition of the MK3D show, Mark Kermode talks to Himesh Patel about his new satirical comedy, The Franchise. Himesh talks about his cast mates ... Show More
53m 21s
Oct 2024
Emilia Pérez: Have We Found the Film of the Year?
This week, Simon and Mark interrupt Ben Wheatley’s breakfast (sadly not Wheaties) to about his new comedy horror miniseries ‘Generation Z’, which sees an army truck crash outside a care home, infecting the residents and leaving four teenage friends to deal with the deadly consequ ... Show More
1h 12m
Aug 2024
M NIGHT SHYAMALAN!! making his Take debut...
We have a VERY special guest this week. The legendary thrill-maker M Night Shyamalan comes on to talk all things Exorcist, family and his process behind his new release, Trap, starring Josh Hartnett. This was a great chat, so there’s even more in our premium episode. Plus, we rev ... Show More
1h 7m