BLOWN AWAY

It’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 that Jimmy and Ryan have a dark history together that traces back to the troubles in Northern Ireland, where they were both complicit in bombing attacks that had tragic consequences for all involved.  Propelled into theatres in the summer of 1994 by its bombastic trailer, BLOWN AWAY was ultimately something of a box-office disappointment, and received heavy criticism for some of the accent work, as well as what was perceived as insensitive Irish stereotyping. However, as Phil and Liam unearth through their incisive analysis, there’s much more going on in this flawed but fascinating film than meets the eye. Boston-native Liam can speak to this film’s evocative cultural milieu from his personal experience growing up as an Irish-American in Massachusetts. He gives his two cents on what the film gets right, what it gets wrong, and what it might be saying about the Irish immigrant experience in America. The guys then take a scenic tour through the nine circles of hell, exploring the film’s striking Catholic imagery, its literary allusions, and its powerful themes of guilt, shame, and suffering. The boys consider dying the LA River green en route to the ‘Die Hard Oscars’, a special guest makes an appearance in the ‘Double Jeopardy’ trivia quiz to represent the embattled AI community, and due to popular demand, Marco returns…with a vengeance! BLOWN AWAY trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3N-e9BLZFo At the time of release, BLOWN AWAY is streaming on Max, DirectTV, Cinemax, and AppleTV/Paramount +, and is available to rent or buy through Amazon Prime Video, Apple/iTunes, YouTube, Vudu, RedBox, AMC and all the usual platforms. Phil on Eye Of The Duck! Liam on Cows In The Field! Blake Howard/Ethan Warren's Jim Henson documentary!

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