‘Blow Out’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Wesley Morris
November 15, 2022 · Blow Out (1981) · Crime · Drama · Mystery · 2:01:21
Categories
Most Rewatchable Scene
Bill SimmonsThe car accident, the owl under the bridge, and the first five minutes (Coed Frenzy opening)▶ 56:45
Dion Waiters Award
Bill SimmonsMultiple scenes including Lithgow murdering the hooker on the train, Nancy Allen's extended murder scene, and the process of cutting photos/making video▶ 1:02:04
Sean FennesseyThe 30th Street Station sequence through Sally's death with fireworks and hard cut to theater▶ 1:07:24
Wesley MorrisThe perfect scream and ending sequence - the perversely moving rightness of using the dead woman's scream▶ 1:05:35
Den of Thieves Benihana Award
Chris Ryan30th Street Station - noted De Palma's love for train stations and referenced its use in other films▶ 1:16:16
Wesley Morris30th Street Station - praised it as like Grand Central but smaller and less confusing, with a great statue▶ 1:16:28
Butch's Girlfriend Award
Bill SimmonsJohn Lithgow's character being too crazy/sociopathic - goes beyond what the plot requires into serial killer territory▶ 1:17:55
Chris RyanAgreed with concerns about Lithgow being too extreme but noted the plan ultimately works; also mentioned smoking in the ER as aged poorly▶ 1:18:29
Sean FennesseyDefended Lithgow's performance as part of De Palma's pattern, didn't offer a clear weak link pick▶ 1:19:14
Wesley MorrisInitially suggested Nancy Allen, then criticized Travolta's 'I saved your life, least you could do is have a drink with me' line as problematic male behavior▶ 1:17:35
Is There a Better Title?
Bill SimmonsNo better title, but mentions original title was 'Personal Effects' which is bad▶ 1:24:19
Wesley MorrisLikes that 'Personal Effects' appears on the character's office door but doesn't propose better title▶ 1:24:29
Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award
Bill SimmonsThis movie contains Travolta's best performance - better than Saturday Night Fever because it combines energy with craftsmanship▶ 1:24:37
Sean FennesseyGrease might be Travolta's best performance because he's irreplaceable in it and it wouldn't be a phenomenon without him▶ 1:25:08
Casting What-Ifs
Bill SimmonsSusan Sarandon — Suggests recasting Nancy Allen with Susan Sarandon, Deborah Winger, Glenn Close, or Jessica Lange for 'more firepower'▶ 1:30:12
Chris RyanNancy Allen — Supports Nancy Allen, noting she fits geographically (Bronx/Philly) and that the character needs to be 'a ditz' who gets manipulated▶ 1:30:45
Sean FennesseyNancy Allen — Agrees Nancy Allen works because only Jessica Lange from the suggested alternatives 'could play a ditz' but supports Allen's casting▶ 1:30:33
Wesley MorrisNancy Allen — Defends Nancy Allen's casting, argues the other suggested actresses are 'too smart' and that Allen has the right lightness for the ditzy character▶ 1:31:55
Half-Assed Internet Research
Bill SimmonsTravolta had insomnia the entire shoot; Liberty Parade sequence was stolen and had to be reshot for $750,000; Missy Cleveland (Playmate April 1979) screamed in shower; car water scene required 60-foot dam; Liberty Day Parade used 11 cameras, 1,000 extras, 25 stunt drivers; Manny watches De Palma's first movie on TV▶ 1:34:09
Chris RyanAdded details about cinematographer shooting the ending because Vilma Sigmund moved to another movie, and observed that Liberty Day sequence feels out of place with rest of film▶ 1:34:49
Wesley MorrisCommented on how Travolta looked washed out which helped his performance, and noted the movie's subtle expensiveness despite not looking like it cost a lot▶ 1:34:17
Apex Mountain
Bill SimmonsBrian De Palma — Dressed to Kill for De Palma - he can basically do anything he wants after that, movie made a shitload of money▶ 1:36:22
Sean FennesseyDressed to Kill — Agrees people loved Dressed to Kill around town, discusses how Blowout wasn't as well-received and lacked De Palma's signatures from previous movies▶ 1:36:48
Is This Movie Better With
Bill SimmonsWayne Jenkins, Danny Trejo, Catherine Hahn, Steve Buscemi, Sam Jackson, J.T. Walsh, Philip Baker Hall▶ 1:44:52
Chris RyanInitially wanted to suggest Wayne, but struggled to find a role for him in the movie.▶ 1:45:02
Just One Oscar
Bill SimmonsBrian De Palma — Mentioned 'who gets it to Palma' but immediately moved to other topics▶ 1:47:23
Best Double Feature
Bill SimmonsDressed to Kill — De Palma triple feature: Dressed to Kill, Body Double, and Blow Out back to back for seven hours, finishing with Coed Frenzy▶ 1:50:24
Who Won the Movie
Sean FennesseyDiscussed Travolta's performance and compared it to other roles, suggesting Harrison Ford could have done the part, but didn't give a clear pick for who won the movie▶ 1:56:46
Wesley MorrisPraised Travolta's performance as one of the great movie star performances and discussed his underrated movie star quality, but didn't explicitly pick between De Palma and Travolta▶ 1:57:04
Movies Referenced (54)
| Title (year) | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scream (1996) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 14 | Wesley Morris, Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons | ▶ 1:05:00 |
| Carrie (1976) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 9 | Sean Fennessey, Wesley Morris, Bill Simmons | ▶ 7:38 |
| Dressed to Kill (1980) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 9 | Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris | ▶ 1:02:27 |
| Chariots of Fire (1981) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 8 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 50:45 |
| Grease (1978) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons | ▶ 31:14 |
| Trading Places (1983) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Wesley Morris, Chris Ryan | ▶ 1:49:03 |
| Field of Dreams (1989) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Wesley Morris, Bill Simmons | ▶ 42:11 |
| Halloween (1978) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Wesley Morris, Bill Simmons | ▶ 48:05 |
| Prince of the City (1981) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan, Wesley Morris | ▶ 1:23:12 |
| Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Wesley Morris | ▶ 9:45 |
| Saturday Night Fever (1977) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 31:14 |
| All the President's Men (1976) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan | ▶ 14:52 |
Directors Referenced (15)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brian De Palma | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan | Body Double, Dressed to Kill, The Bonfire of the Vanities | ▶ 2:35 |
| Clint Eastwood | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons | Million Dollar Baby, Gran Torino, Unforgiven | ▶ 29:17 |
| Mark Rydell | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons | ▶ 52:19 | |
| Oliver Stone | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Wesley Morris, Sean Fennessey | Born on the Fourth of July, Platoon, JFK | ▶ 24:04 |
| David Fincher | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Chris Ryan | Se7en, Gone Girl, Zodiac | ▶ 8:08 |
| Francis Ford Coppola | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | Apocalypse Now, The Godfather Part II | ▶ 9:39 |
| Hugh Hudson | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | Chariots of Fire | ▶ 52:16 |
| John Woo | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Sean Fennessey | ▶ 33:26 | |
| Michael Mann | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey | The Insider, Collateral, The Last of the Mohicans | ▶ 1:10:56 |
| Warren Beatty | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | Heaven Can Wait | ▶ 51:56 |
| Amy Hulse | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Wesley Morris | Only the Brave, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot | ▶ 35:30 |
| Dead or Alive | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | The A-Team | ▶ 31:27 |
Actors Referenced (67)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Travolta | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 65 | Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris, Chris Ryan | Pulp Fiction, Get Shorty, Saturday Night Fever | ▶ 3:05 |
| Nancy Allen | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 23 | Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris, Sean Fennessey | Dressed to Kill, RoboCop | ▶ 2:33 |
| Sally Field | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 15 | Wesley Morris, Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons | Lincoln, Forrest Gump | ▶ 22:34 |
| Henry Fonda | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 11 | Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons | 12 Angry Men | ▶ 52:55 |
| Carrie Fisher | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 9 | Wesley Morris, Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons | Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi | ▶ 7:38 |
| Dennis Franz | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 9 | Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | City of Angels, Die Hard 2 | ▶ 59:08 |
| John Lithgow | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 9 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | The World According to Garp, Cliffhanger | ▶ 1:01:59 |
| Richard Gere | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 9 | Wesley Morris, Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | Pretty Woman, An Officer and a Gentleman | ▶ 31:20 |
| Dave Roberts | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 7 | Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris, Sean Fennessey | Blow Out | ▶ 1:26:32 |
| Jon Bernthal | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 7 | Wesley Morris, Bill Simmons | The Wolf of Wall Street, King Richard | ▶ 1:45:44 |
| Samantha Mathis | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 5 | Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | Broken Arrow, American Psycho | ▶ 33:21 |
| Jessica Lange | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris, Chris Ryan | Tootsie, The Postman Always Rings Twice | ▶ 1:30:25 |
Writers Referenced (5)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andy Greenwald | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 1:42 | |
| Paul Schrader | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Wesley Morris | First Reformed | ▶ 10:38 |
| James Bridges | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Sean Fennessey | ▶ 38:55 | |
| Noah Baumbach | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Chris Ryan | The Squid and the Whale, Marriage Story | ▶ 5:22 |
| Roger Ebert | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 55:01 |