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PODCAST

Blank Check with Griffin & David

Blank Check Productions

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. Produced by Ben Hosley.

tv & film film reviews

All Episodes

135:37

Intolerable Cruelty with Katey Rich

Blank Check with Griffin & David ·

2025/09/14

We’ve been exposed. You’ve nailed our asses. Of course we’re going to defend this movie! 2004’s Intolerable Cruelty features George Clooney and Catherine Zeta-Jones at the height of their powers, yet failed to connect with contemporary audiences. Guest Katey Rich joins us as we attempt to understand why. Too mean? Too talky? A lack of period trappings? Maybe they were just blinded by George Clooney’s incredible teeth. We’re talking Clooney’s directorial efforts (bad), Richard Jenkins’ 2008

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155:01

The Man Who Wasn't There with Jordan Hoffman

Blank Check with Griffin & David ·

2025/09/07

This one’s a real enigma - is The Man Who Wasn’t There a film about the alienation of a man who is deeply closeted and searching for connection in a tightly wound post-war world? Is it about a wife guy who doesn’t know how to express his feelings? Is it somehow about how Beethoven was not only deaf but suffered from horrific diarrhea at the end of his life? No? Well, that’s Jordan Hoffman’s theory! Join us for a very silly episode where we go long on Billy Bob, coin a new term for a Shalhoub

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136:54

O Brother, Where Art Thou? with Emily St. James

Blank Check with Griffin & David ·

2025/08/31

Those Soggy Bottom Boys really know how to carry a tune! Emily St. James joins us to talk about O Brother, Where Art Thou?, a wonderful film whose reputation was ultimately eclipsed by its octuple-Platinum soundtrack of “old timey” bops. When we’re on track, we’re talking peak Clooney, digital color correction, T. Bone Burnett, and the history of Southern politics. When we’re off track in this episode? Expect some discussion around Linkin Park’s Hybrid Theory and the Emmy-winning run of The

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169:43

The Big Lebowski with Seth Rogen

Blank Check with Griffin & David ·

2025/08/24

It’s the episode you’ve all been waiting for - Seth Rogen joins us to talk about the Coens’ 1998 stoner classic The Big Lebowski. It should come as no surprise that Lebowski has loomed large over Seth’s work as a writer and director, and we’re going in depth on the influence and lasting impact of The Dude. Make yourself a White Russian (but maybe take a Lactaid first), turn off The Eagles, and settle in for a hilarious three hours of film analysis and Hollywood anecdotes. Oh, and if you were

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172:22

Fargo with Zach Cregger

Blank Check with Griffin & David ·

2025/08/17

Did we get the director of Weapons, another “true story,” on our Fargo episode? You betcha. Zach Cregger joins the Blank Check crew to discuss the Coens’ 1996 masterpiece and we’re going SCENE BY SCENE dissecting this perfect movie. “Minnesota nice,” “Dark Marge,” the Mike Yanagita scene, the origins of Jerry’s overwhelming debt, the inner life of Gaear Grimsrud, and the operatic score are just a few of the topics discussed. Did you know that Ben Hosley’s first car was an Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera

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221:00

The Hudsucker Proxy with Mike Mitchell & Nick Wiger

Blank Check with Griffin & David ·

2025/08/10

(Gestures at a circle) You know, for kids! Mike Mitchell and Nick Wiger of the Doughboys join us for a freewheeling, gut-busting episode about the time Joel Silver gave the Coens a bunch of money to make a “commercial film” and then it ended up being 1994’s The Hudsucker Proxy. A sampling of topics discussed: Paul Newman being hot up until the day he died (and possibly after), whether or not this movie has a Sturges protagonist in a Capra film or vice versa, whether or not the previous question even

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207:26

Barton Fink with Chris Weitz

Blank Check with Griffin & David ·

2025/08/03

Is John Goodman the devil? Is the studio system good, actually? Is it better to be the director of a bomb than it is to be the director of a film that doesn’t exist? Filmmaker (and part of a DGA-sanctioned directing duo) Chris Weitz joins us to talk about Barton Fink, possibly the greatest film ever made about the “art vs. commerce” divide inherent to the movie business. It’s not easy to make a picture, folks.Sign up for Check Book, the Blank Check newsletter featuring even more “real nerdy shit”

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130:18

Miller's Crossing with Ari Aster

Blank Check with Griffin & David ·

2025/07/27

It’s a movie about hats, and a movie about giving folks the high hat. It’s also a movie about how Jon Polito is the greatest actor in the world. It’s Miller’s Crossing! Filmmaker Ari Aster (go see Eddington!) joins Griffin and David to discuss the Coen Brothers’ knotty homage to the gangster genre, a film overloaded with memorable characters and witty lines of dialogue. We’re doing a deep-dive on Gabriel Byrne, litigating Marcia Gay Harden’s surprise Oscar win for Pollock, and once again examining

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162:57

Raising Arizona with John Hodgman

Blank Check with Griffin & David ·

2025/07/20

Jesus Cock, that’s a hot new episode! John Hodgman returns to Blank Check to chat about Raising Arizona, the Coen’s swerve of a follow-up to Blood Simple that trades in the hallmarks of noir for the hallmarks of Looney Tunes. We’re talking about Nic Cage’s sad eyes, Holly Hunter’s year of iconic crying performances, rest stop public pomade, and people we are glad are dead. It’s a fun time. And yes, there’s yodelling.Sign up for Check Book, the Blank Check newsletter featuring even more “real

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165:07

Blood Simple with Ray Tintori & Jordan Fish

Blank Check with Griffin & David ·

2025/07/13

Gather round, folks - it’s time to embark upon a journey through one of the most sterling filmographies in American cinema. Our Coen Brothers series - Pod Country for Old Cast - kicks off with Joel and Ethan’s remarkably assured 1984 debut Blood Simple. Coen experts and hosts of the To The White Sea podcast Ray Tintori and Jordan Fish join us to do some serious tablesetting for the odyssey ahead, offering some context that JJ didn’t even manage to dig up. Speaking of digging - Ben Hosley has some

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167:55

Vamps with Caroline Framke

Blank Check with Griffin & David ·

2025/07/06

Our Amy Heckerling series comes to an end with 2012’s Vamps, a film produced too late to have an appropriate budget, and too early to be a streaming series. However - we find it charming! Caroline Framke returns to the podcast after 6 years (an eternity for us, but probably a blink for a vampire), and we talk about the pitfalls and pleasures of eternal youth, the B in Apartment 23, and how if Heckerling never makes another film, this one would serve as an appropriate career coda. Sign up for

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143:06

I Could Never Be Your Woman with Karen Chee

Blank Check with Griffin & David ·

2025/06/29

Michelle Pfeiffer stars as Amy Heckerling and Paul Rudd stars as ????? in a totally normal movie that might actually be a voodoo curse made against Amy’s enemies. Oh, also Saorise Ronan makes her FILM DEBUT. What a picture! The incomparable Karen Chee joins us to talk about 2007’s I Could Never Be Your Woman, a movie that was financed by a French scoundrel, released directly to Blockbuster, and features some of the most dated cultural references we’ve ever come across. Is the film good? No. Is it

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173:59

28 Years Later

Blank Check with Griffin & David ·

2025/06/22

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. Join our Patreon for franchise commentaries and bonus episodes. Follow us @blankcheckpod on Twitter, Instagram, Threads and Facebook! Buy some real nerdy merch Connect with other Blankies on our Reddit or Discord For anything else, check out

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154:18

Loser with Chandler Levack

Blank Check with Griffin & David ·

2025/06/15

The song. The hat. The…casual date rape?!!? In what should have been Amy Heckerling’s “blank check” after the success of Clueless, 2000’s Loser is a real LOSER. Filmmaker Chandler Levack joins us to chat about this technically-not-a-remake-of-The-Apartment “comedy” that gets college surprisingly wrong. Come for the Wheatus talk, stay for the in-depth power ranking of every American Pie cast member’s post-Pie career. Sign up for Check Book, the Blank Check newsletter featuring even more “real nerdy

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158:42

Clueless with Heidi Gardner

Blank Check with Griffin & David ·

2025/06/08

Okay, so you’re probably going, “Is this like a Noxzema commercial or what?” But seriously, this is actually a way normal podcast about one of David Sims’ favorite movies! SNL’s Heidi Gardner (a total betty) joins us to talk about Amy Heckerling’s beloved Jane Austen adaptation, and we’re rolling with the homies. Join us for Alicia Silverstone and Paul Rudd career discussion, a lot of local Kansas City lore, and Ben’s takes on Cher’s iconic fits. Sign up for Check Book, the Blank Check

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178:39

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning

Blank Check with Griffin & David ·

2025/06/01

Griffin, David, Ben, and Marie accepted the mission. They live and pod in the shadows, for those they hold close, and for those they never meet. They also have a few notes for Tom Cruise and Chris McQuarrie with regards to Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning. Join the crew as they break down all the problems of this latest (and final???) installment of the beloved franchise. Join them as they rave over some of the most incredible sequences ever to grace the silver screen - ALSO in this movie

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155:02

Look Who's Talking Too with Max Minghella

Blank Check with Griffin & David ·

2025/05/25

The Ubriacco family are back and - can you believe it? - they’re still talking! Actor and filmmaker Max Minghella joins us to talk about Look Who’s Talking Too, the contractually-obligated, quickly produced sequel to Amy Heckerling’s surprise hit. We’re talking about Mr. Toilet Man (he eats your pee pee and poo poo), Elias Koteas’ Mr. Scary Uncle Man (he has a gun), and Mr. English Man (David Sims, who grew up in London). Plus, Ben continues to flesh out his “Look Who Hath Talked” prequel, and

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144:34

Look Who's Talking with Hillary Busis

Blank Check with Griffin & David ·

2025/05/18

In perhaps the spermiest film we’ve ever covered, John Travolta and Kirstie Alley hang out with a baby voiced by Bruce Willis and Amy Heckerling gets revenge on Harold Ramis. As David Sims says early in this episode - Look Who’s Talking is a VERY RICH text. Vanity Fair’s Hillary Busis joins us to talk about this 1989 “forgotbuster,” a film that made a bozo amount of money and dared to ask the question, “What if baby talked??” We’re going deep on Travolta lore, grappling with Kirstie Alley’s later

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164:30

National Lampoon's European Vacation with Jon Gabrus

Blank Check with Griffin & David ·

2025/05/11

Congratulations! You’ve won an all-expenses-paid vacation with Griffin, David, Ben, and Jon Gabrus to Europe! Only downside is…well, you have to watch this movie. From the strange cultural stereotypes to the unfortunate lack of jokes, Amy Heckerling’s sequel to National Lampoon’s Vacation isn’t the smoothest trip. But, it certainly gives us an excuse to talk about one of the most beloved franchises of the 1980s! Join us for Stonehenge stories, a deep dive into Beverly D’Angelo’s incredible

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147:32

Johnny Dangerously with Josh Gondelman

Blank Check with Griffin & David ·

2025/05/04

He’s the nicest bad guy in town. His last name is an adverb. And he’s got some pretty wacky bits! Sweetie pie comedian Josh Gondelman joins us to talk about 1984’s Johnny Dangerously, Amy Heckerling’s loving homage to 1930’s gangster pictures. Things we attempt to understand in this episode: the cultural legacy of Joe Piscopo; the actual joke that’s being told in the “Your Testicles and You” animated reel / is there one?; Marilu Henner’s insane memory thing; if the Danny DeVito bull scene is a

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