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Blank Check with Griffin & David
United States
Приєднався 7 лют 2018
Not just another bad movie podcast, Blank Check reviews directors' complete filmographies episode to episode. Specifically, the auteurs whose early successes afforded them the rare ‘blank check’ from Hollywood to produce passion projects. Each new miniseries, hosts Griffin Newman and David Sims delve into the works of film’s most outsized personalities in painstakingly hilarious detail.
The Straight Story with Dana Stevens
Walt Disney Pictures Presents A Film By David Lynch. And what a beautiful, expectation-defying, G-rated, cold-glass-of-beer film it is. Dana Stevens joins us to talk about 1999’s The Straight Story, a film that showcases Lynch’s fascination with Americana and his deep empathy for characters on the margins. Join us on a journey through the Midwest (Griffin can’t drive, but he’s a great passenger), where we talk about braunschweiger, cheese castles, bundles of sticks, Chicago theater actors without photos on their IMDB pages, and the fascinating career of actor Richard Farnsworth. Dude was in Gone With the Wind!
Read Dana’s writing at Slate: slate.com/author/dana-stevens
Listen to the Slate Culture Gabfest: slate.com/podcasts/culture-gabfest
Go back and listen Flashback: slate.com/podcasts/flashback
Sign up for Check Book, the Blank Check newsletter featuring even more “real nerdy shit” to feed your pop culture obsession. Dossier excerpts, film biz AND burger reports, and even more exclusive content you won’t want to miss out on. blankcheckpod.substack.com/welcome
Join our Patreon for franchise commentaries and bonus episodes. www.patreon.com/blankcheck
Follow us @blankcheckpod on
Twitter - x.com/blankcheckpod
Instagram - blankcheckpod
Threads - www.threads.net/@blankcheckpod
Facebook - blankcheckpodcast
Buy some real nerdy merch kinshipgoods.com/blankcheck
Connect with other Blankies on our Reddit www.reddit.com/r/blankies Discord discord.gg/Q6YGSR3JrA
For anything else, check out www.BlankCheckPod.com
Read Dana’s writing at Slate: slate.com/author/dana-stevens
Listen to the Slate Culture Gabfest: slate.com/podcasts/culture-gabfest
Go back and listen Flashback: slate.com/podcasts/flashback
Sign up for Check Book, the Blank Check newsletter featuring even more “real nerdy shit” to feed your pop culture obsession. Dossier excerpts, film biz AND burger reports, and even more exclusive content you won’t want to miss out on. blankcheckpod.substack.com/welcome
Join our Patreon for franchise commentaries and bonus episodes. www.patreon.com/blankcheck
Follow us @blankcheckpod on
Twitter - x.com/blankcheckpod
Instagram - blankcheckpod
Threads - www.threads.net/@blankcheckpod
Facebook - blankcheckpodcast
Buy some real nerdy merch kinshipgoods.com/blankcheck
Connect with other Blankies on our Reddit www.reddit.com/r/blankies Discord discord.gg/Q6YGSR3JrA
For anything else, check out www.BlankCheckPod.com
Переглядів: 555
Відео
Lost Highway with David Lowery
Переглядів 1,9 тис.16 годин тому
1997’s Lost Highway - is it (as David Sims wrote on Letterboxd), “a movie about headache”? Is it David Lynch’s most visually beautiful film? Is it a dry run for Mulholland Dr? A radical reimagining of Bill Pullman’s screen presence? A psychogenic fugue? Lynch’s commentary on the OJ Simpson trial? An excuse for David Sims to go off on the concept of “free jazz”?? Folks - we are pleased to tell y...
Joker: Hallie À Goodrich
Переглядів 1,8 тис.14 днів тому
What if they made a sequel to the Joker movie that was pretty much the finale of Seinfeld but it’s also a half-assed jukebox musical, and EVERYONE hated it? What if Michael Keaton had a 35-year-old pregnant daughter, but he also had precocious 9-year-old twins and a Los Angeles art gallery on the verge of financial collapse? Both scenarios lay the groundwork for two of the most “they don’t make...
Twin Peaks Fire Walk with Me with Arkasha Stevenson
Переглядів 2,1 тис.21 день тому
One of the more harrowing films we’ve covered on the podcast (and the second film we’ve covered in 2024 with a memorable “gobble gobble” line), 1992’s TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME was not the quirky, enjoyable plotline wrap-up fans of Twin Peaks wanted. David Lynch instead challenged the audience to identify with Laura Palmer’s humanity and pain, making her a real person - not just a girl wrap...
Wild At Heart with Tatiana Maslany
Переглядів 1,8 тис.28 днів тому
If we told you this was the first time we’d covered a Nicolas Cage movie on the podcast - would you believe us? Well, baby - it’s true. And what a movie it is! The luminous Tatiana Maslany returns to talk about David Lynch’s smokin’ hot outlaw romance WILD AT HEART - a film that won the Palme d’Or and took Lynch away from the set of Twin Peaks. Get ready for lots of Cage career discussion (a fa...
Twin Peaks (Season 1) with Eva Anderson
Переглядів 3,1 тис.Місяць тому
For a brief shining moment, Middle America went crazy for the surreal soap opera stylings of David Lynch and Mark Frost. We’re talking ABC, primetime, airing against “Cheers”-level mainstream. And then it all came crashing down. Listen as we take our first step into the intoxicating world of Twin Peaks - one of the most influential television series of all time and the project that would come t...
Blue Velvet with Jamie Loftus
Переглядів 2,7 тис.Місяць тому
Lend us your (severed) ears! This week, we’re jumping back into our Lynch series with a trip to Lumberton, USA, as our beloved Jamie Loftus joins us to chat about 1986’s BLUE VELVET. We’re going deep on the star persona of Kyle MacLachlan, David Sims’ obsession with Dean Stockwell, and David Lynch’s unironic obsession with Americana. How does a movie that deals with such deeply disturbing theme...
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Переглядів 2,6 тис.Місяць тому
We’re taking a break from David Lynch to answer one of the year’s biggest questions - Is Burton Back, Baby? Ummmm…kind of! Grab your “Handbook for the Recently Deceased” commemorative popcorn tin and join us as we attempt to untangle the very messy BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE. Which sequences wowed us with their sparkling ingenuity? Which plotlines would we excise from the script? What song would y...
Dune with John Hodgman
Переглядів 4,6 тис.Місяць тому
The sleeper must awaken. The filmography must contain a flop. We’ve arrived at the Planet Arrakis aka the Desert Planet aka DUNE (1984) - David Lynch’s attempt at wrangling Frank Herbert’s space epic into a single studio blockbuster. Did it work? Not really. Do we have fun talking about it? Hell yeah, we do! John Hodgman joins us to talk about all things “spice” - including the infamous glossar...
The Elephant Man with Alex Ross Perry
Переглядів 2,3 тис.2 місяці тому
We’re getting in touch with our emotions this week, as Alex Ross Perry joins us to talk about Lynch’s deeply-felt, sensitively-rendered 1980 classic THE ELEPHANT MAN. Is this the most “normal” movie in Lynch’s filmography? What does “normal” mean, anyway? As with all Alex episodes, questions are posed and hotly debated, such as: What filmmakers, aside from David Lynch, made their most important...
Eraserhead
Переглядів 2,6 тис.2 місяці тому
In heaven (and in podcasting), everything is fine. Welcome to TWIN PODS: FIRE CAST WITH ME, a series on the films of David Lynch - former Eagle Scout and totally normal human man. With his 1977 debut feature ERASERHEAD, Lynch burst on to the scene somewhat fully formed as an artist, confused by normal social interactions and motivated by a seething hatred of Philadelphia. The last part of that ...
Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1
Переглядів 1,9 тис.2 місяці тому
Welp, our Kevin Costner series ends not with a bang, but a whimper. With the pulling of Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 2 from theaters, we are left to only speculate what the future holds for Costner’s self-funded crazy passion project. What we can tell you is that Chapter 1 doesn’t really feel like its own self-contained movie. Plotlines are established, characters are introduced, and the...
Trap
Переглядів 2,7 тис.2 місяці тому
You know the Butcher? That freakin' nutjob that goes around just chopping people up? Well, we’re about to spend nearly three hours talking about him! Join us as we unpack TRAP - the devilishly entertaining new thriller from M. Night Shyamalan, with special insights from our own David Sims, who spent much of this year interviewing Night at his compound in Philadelphia. We’re talking about a bunc...
Open Range with Chris Ryan
Переглядів 1,5 тис.2 місяці тому
Free-grazers and CR-heads - this is your week. The icon, the legend, the Ringer’s own Chris Ryan joins us to talk about Kevin Costner’s understated 2003 western OPEN RANGE. We’re finally doing a deep-dive on the Taylor Sheridan empire (aka Chris tells us what Mayor of Kingstown is actually about) as we set up the later part of Costner’s career in the run-up to Horizon. We spend a good amount of...
The Postman with Emily St. James
Переглядів 2,1 тис.3 місяці тому
This week’s movie has everything - fake teeth on Giovanni Ribisi, a mule performing Shakespeare, Tom Petty, Kevin Costner’s irresistible sperm…you read that correctly. This film has a major plot line that revolves around Kevin Costner’s sperm. Our beloved Emily St. James joins us to talk about Kevin Costner’s colossal 1997 flop, the post-apocalyptic ode to the US Postal Service - THE POSTMAN. T...
Meet Joe Black with Richard Lawson
Переглядів 2,1 тис.3 місяці тому
Meet Joe Black with Richard Lawson
Scent of a Woman with David Krumholtz
Переглядів 2,3 тис.4 місяці тому
Scent of a Woman with David Krumholtz
Beverly Hills Cop with Adil & Bilall
Переглядів 1,9 тис.4 місяці тому
Beverly Hills Cop with Adil & Bilall
Going In Style with James Urbaniak
Переглядів 1,4 тис.4 місяці тому
Going In Style with James Urbaniak
Tokyo Godfathers with Reece Feldman
Переглядів 1 тис.5 місяців тому
Tokyo Godfathers with Reece Feldman
Millennium Actress with Hoai-Tran Bui
Переглядів 1,1 тис.5 місяців тому
Millennium Actress with Hoai-Tran Bui
The 13th Warrior with David Lowery
Переглядів 2,9 тис.6 місяців тому
The 13th Warrior with David Lowery
David Lynch & Disney… now that’s an interesting combination
Absolutely love Lost Highway! For me it's endlessly rewatchable strange kind of meditation. And I'm a huge fan of Bill Pullman. I loved your take on character actor in a leading man's body - that's so true! It feels like most of the time nobody knows what to do with him or just sees him as a not-so-compelling straight man. He is terrific in both farce comedies and noir thrillers. By the way, check out Mike Figgis' "Liebestraum", it kinda resembles Lost Highway in some themes and slow dark-dreamy nature.
Alden would be a great young Indy. I think Steven was reminded of River Phoenix in Last Crusade when he discovered Alden in that Bar mitzvah sketch
This movie needed to be more queer
It is a very straight story
I don't even know what THE STRAIGHT STORY is
If I remember correctly, at the beginning of "Coming to America" Eddie Murphy asks his arranged-bride to bark like a dog, and she responds with "Arf! Arf!" That's the only example I can think of.
Two of my most despised movies of all time (Jerry Maguire and The English Patient) were out in the same week? Hmm, maybe I was just really grumpy.
80% on RT. 66% on metacritic. $7,500,000 budget... took in $41,300,000. WHAT???
"Mike Meyers is kinda cut" at any time is beyond unreasonable
dont forget Ricky Jay as Gupta the heroin addict in Tomorrow Never Dies
Suddenly I See has been stuck in my head since 2006. and every time I make a grilled cheese with Kraft singles I pretend it's $8 worth of Jarlsberg.
You guys need to watch how you speak about the Squirrel Nut Zippers.
One of my favorite Lynch movies, this should be fun
Wasn’t that the plot of hangover 3, not hangover 2 that griffin was talking about?
Just a minor comment: nope, it's not a Trent Reznor remix of I'm Deranged in the opening and closing credits. Those are just minor edits of the album version to meet the film's timing/needs.
I had never considered this in the context of the OJ trial and, I mean, duh. I'll have to keep that in mind next time I watch. Thanks, Blank Check!
Is it just me , having never seen A Straight Story, but are Twin Peaks and Wild At Heart the only times Lynch has tackled any sort of true joy?
I don’t know, I’d say that all his work has a certain amount of joy, with the possible one exception of Lost Highway; which is bleak as hell.
@@anisioc.3426 Maybe it's just hard for me to discern. He tackles darkness so aggressively and doesn't really telegraph the joy. I could also just be a dumb dumb and not picking up on it.
Inland Empire as well
My favorite film. Thanks in advance.
Bill Pope deserves soooo much praise for this movie and for lensing Blank Check
1:02:20 it's more realistic that different ppl pronounce the name differently
I saw October Sky in a sneak peak preview before they showed Patch Adams. Everyone hated Patch Adams. Everyone loved October Sky.
After nearly 4 years of listening to the backlog of the pod, I have officially caught up to the present with this pod. How appropriate that it would be episode 500.
1:25:00 the dirt clouds coming off the tires are similar to smoke/vapour clouds coming out of a rocket
Mrs. doubfire at 7:51?
Penn, Murray and Depp are all horrible people
The wild part about the corn stuff is that Nolan sold the corn and made a profit
the thing that stays with me and I think about often is how he lived in a wind turbine. dunno why. but it's so evocative.
The name Midsize Sedan is good but the child actors in this film make me want to 1) shit and 2) rub it in my own fucking face.
It's Plo Koon not Plo Kloon...you guys always say it incorrectly.
46:25 I’ll guess we’ll never never know what Ben was going to say
46:25 They’ve been cutting Ben off for years now 😂😂😂😂😂 Smfh l don’t think they do it on purpose but man it comes off rude sometimes
Hot garbage but glad they sorta liked it
I HAD to chime in to say Joaquin also awkwardly thrusted in 'Beau is Afraid'. with Parker posey. so that's FOUR movies in a row
Joker 2= Beau is afraid taking place in Gotham
Roma nd Disclaimer are blank checks too
Not a hot take, but Marie should be in Every episodes. <3
Marie is awesome BUT GOD NO.
Thank you for law hammer
1:18:00
I loved it. Most of the negatives i hear is from people who feel like Joker’s death was personal to them. They are acting like the Joker fanatics from the movie. Saying “what a waste of time, he’s not real joker” I think he is the Joker even if he says he is not. It was an 8/10 for me. I think his followers killed him because he said he was Arthur Fleck. I don’t think he was dropping being joker forever, he just wanted to be known as Arthur Fleck, the joker fanatics killed him because he didn’t wanna be Joker 24/7. I loved tht he died in the end because the movement ended up outliving the original Joker. It’s awesome, it never needed him to fight Batman and become the “ clown prince”
I had little to no reaction to this movie, but I dig that it just confirmed my disdain for the first movie being a whole lotta nothing
Todd Phillips is just a bad director and writer is my conclusion ( shocker I know ), How do you take the " Killing joke/One Bad Day" concept and ruin it by saying this guy isn't the Joker its the name of two of your very own movies!? Who the fuck is he then just some guy?
the title wasn’t THE JOKER, THE it was just JOKER A JOKER, A
@@mcnooj82 That's a pathetic excuse from Phillips. Every incarnation is just "a" Joker, it's a malleable character you adapt to the story you want to tell. The terribleness of the sequel precisely comes from walking back on every statement the first movie was confident about.
@@R0CKDRIG0 hahaha I don't even know or care if it's Phillips' rationalization I just know that nothing about the first movie got me excited for more adventures of Arthur Fleck as A joker or THE joker so as someone who found the first movie nothing much to fuss about, the ending of the new movie felt about as natural a conclusion I could expect from this team
Mann made an entire movie about hailing a cab just as a fuck you to Goldman 1:40:20
In The Insider Crowe tells Pacino about Tylenol pulling every bottle and replacing them with safety caps after people were poisoned. The Insider ends with Pacino tracking down the Unabomber story. The Unabomber is suspected in the pill poisonings, but this wasn't a theory at the time this movie was made. Also in Heat production was delayed because of a Unamabomer threat at LAX
every year blank check gets more prestige-y/reaches the heights of a ringer podcast and gets further away from bits and being a piece of the chris gethard show extended universe. and that's fine i guess.
Chipping cocaine is a cocaine user who isn't addicted
Bobby shooting someone is a plot point in the TV show. In one of the first episodes (I think the pilot) James tells Donna that Laura told him that Bobby killed someone, which serves as a possible motive for Bobby as a suspect in the murder mystery, if we believe James. In the Missing Pieces we get a scene taking place befor they enter the Pink Room bar (Power and the Glory) in which Laura screams „What downer you are!“ at Donna for not taking Coke. Also according to Twin Peaks writer Robert Engels Fire Walk with me being booed is a legend and not true. The reception was supposidely not super positive but not as negative as people say.
The possibility of Bobby murdering someone is definitely mentioned in the pilot! I had completely forgotten, but I just restarted the show thanks to the podcast, and James mentions it to Donna before being arrested. As a side note, that whole scene when he recalls the events of the night is so fascinating to watch after having watched Fire Walk With Me because he describes things exactly as they play out in the film.
I watched this for the first time as an adult and fell in love almost immediately. When I saw the effects, I turned to the person next to me and mentioned that they look so much like Ghostbusters. The people who made this knew what they were doing, it's so well put together, Kurt Russel was so willing to be a goofy sidekick instead of insisting on being a leading man (despite how the studio wanted to sell it). It all combined for such an amazing movie.
I have a twin sister, we learned to tie our shoes at the same time as kids but she does bunny ears to this day and I don't recall ever learning that method.
What the hell did she smoke to think the "he put his disease in me" line is wish fulfillment. Maybe in an inverted world where being publicly humiliated is fulfilling.
Greatest line in cinema history is said by Sizemore in Heat "Well you know... for me... the action IS the juice."