An indelible synth theme by Harold Faltermeyer. A scene-stealing turn from Bronson Pinchot. A banana in a tailpipe. EDDIE FREAKING MURPHY. Its no wonder that Martin Brests Beverly Hills Cop is one of the most beloved action comedies (and still the highest-grossing R-rated film adjusted for inflation). We couldnt be more thrilled to have two of the hottest action directors in Hollywood - Bad Boys: Ride or Dies Adil & Bilall - join us to talk about Brests blockbuster second feature, bringing all t...
Jun 16, 2024•2 hr 49 min•Transcript available on Metacast After years of citing him as a potential series, were finally Brest men. In this inaugural episode of our Podverly Hills Cast series, were taking a look at Martin Brests debut feature, 1979s understated and deeply enjoyable old man heist film Going in Style. James Urbaniak joins us to chat through the beginning of Brests career, and the storied personas of George Burns, Art Carney, and Lee Strasberg. Cream cheese and jelly sandwiches on toasted rye for everyone! Join our Patreon for franchise co...
Jun 09, 2024•2 hr 51 min•Transcript available on Metacast We return to the Wasteland this week with Furiosa, and weve got quite the tour guide. Kyle Buchanan - author of Blood, Sweat & Chrome, THE book on the making of Mad Max: Fury Road - joins us as we do a definitive post-mortem on George Millers latest. Going up against the reputation of Fury Road was always going to be an uphill battle for the Anya Taylor-Joy starrer, and we go into all the ways in which this film matches, exceeds, or misses the highs of 2015s action classic. Kyle brings with him ...
Jun 02, 2024•3 hr 1 min•Transcript available on Metacast Come join the dream parade, folks - were talking about Paprika! Mother of the Blankies Emily Yoshida is with us to chat about Satoshi Kons final film - a film that FEELS like a swan song especially in hindsight. In this episode, we address the elephant in the room (those Inception comparisons), dive into the serialized story Paprika was based on, and Griffin makes the important connection between Paprikas DC mini device and this being a BC mini (series). Plus, we establish 2024 as The Year of Dr...
May 26, 2024•3 hr 51 min•Transcript available on Metacast They call them the Godfathers of Tokyoand we call him the KING of TIKTOK (in an old man newscaster voice) - Reece Feldman joins us to chat about Satoshi Kons beautiful Christmas fable about a trio of unforgettable characters on the fringes of society. We talk about how animation is truly a medium and NOT a genre, as evidenced by this film. We talk about Ice Age (another animated movie where outsiders care for a baby). We talk about whether or not David might get roped into watching Ice Age a mil...
May 19, 2024•2 hr 14 min•Transcript available on Metacast Our Satoshi Kon series continues with his 2003 film Millennium Actress, a moving exploration of memory, history, and the magic of da moviesh. Writer Hoai-Tran Bui returns to the pod as we discuss the strange history of Dreamworks arthouse animation arm (Go Fish pictures), the luminous screen presence of Setsuko Hara, and the added poignancy this film takes on in light of Kons untimely passing. Plus, Griffin publicly addresses the Penny Marshall debacle, and the gang contemplates a version of Mil...
May 12, 2024•2 hr 24 min•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to the filmography of Satoshi Kon - a thrilling series of funhouse mirrors and puzzlebox narratives that proved what is possible in the animation form. The icon, the legend, the culturista himself Bowen Yang joins us to talk about Kons feature debut, the shocking and influential pop-idol thriller PERFECT BLUE. Were talking about famous bad girl transitions in pop history. Were talking about Digimon villains. Were talking about obsessive fandoms. And, most crucially, we learn a new piece ...
May 05, 2024•2 hr 4 min•Transcript available on Metacast Our McTiernan series concludes with 2003s BASIC - a film that Griffin thinks should instead be titled COMPLICATED - get it? Because there are so many plot twists?? The great BenDavid Grabinski joins us to chat about John Travoltas run of big, skeezy characters post-FACE/OFF, McTiernans ultimate Achilles heel (getting too confident in his ability to fix impossible movies), the screenwriting career of studio wunderkind James Vanderbilt, and the truly terrible acting of Giovanni Ribisi. Plus, the r...
Apr 28, 2024•3 hr 40 min•Transcript available on Metacast Finally, we arrive at the film that helped put John McTiernan in both director jail and jail jail - the incoherent nu-metal fart that is 2002s ROLLERBALL. Zach Cherry continues his trend of appearing on episodes covering movies that led to actual court cases, and we do our best to try to explain what happened (both on-screen and off). Why is this film set in Borats Kazakhstan? What was up with the extended nightvision scene? Is Griffin insane for being a Chris Kline apologist? Plus - Ben learns ...
Apr 21, 2024•2 hr 29 min•Transcript available on Metacast What if there was a 13th Warrior? What if there was a version of Beowulf so grounded in reality that the climactic battle with Grendel just kind of felt like a shrug? What if Antonio Banderas was the lead in Gladiator instead of Russell Crowe? Were just asking questions! Filmmaker David Lowery makes his long-awaited return to the podcast to talk about John McTiernans Michael Crichton adaptation, a movie that should have kept the title of the original book - Eaters of the Dead. Such a sick title!...
Apr 14, 2024•2 hr 25 min•Transcript available on Metacast A Fiji water bottle. Sinnerman by Nina Simone. That Magritte painting with the bowler hat. A SCINTILLATING, AGE-APPROPRIATE ROMANCE WITH TWO OF THE GREATEST HEIST SEQUENCES IN MOVIE HISTORY. Were talking Tommy C (1999), baby! The delightful Amanda Dobbins joins us for her long-awaited Blank Check debut, and this episode is about as fun as youd expect. Do we think this movie is better than the Norman Jewison original? Yes. Do we go long on the filmography of Rene Russo? Yes. Do we explain how Pie...
Apr 07, 2024•2 hr 24 min•Transcript available on Metacast John McTiernan back with the Die Hard franchise after the spectacular flop of Last Action Hero. Bruce Willis and Samuel L Jackson back together after Pulp Fiction. Die Hard with a Vengeance is definitely part of the we are so back canon. Shea Serrano (who owns every McTiernan movie on VHS) joins us to chat about this explosive action threequel that features a surprising amount of New York theater actors and a bunch of childhood games and riddles. Also, you dont need us to tell you this but - Jer...
Mar 31, 2024•2 hr 22 min•Transcript available on Metacast You either love this movie or you hate it, and guess what - were landing all over the LOST ACTION HERO spectrum this episode! Paul Scheer & Jason Mantzoukas join us once again for a clock-busting, rip-roaring time, and were unpacking all of this movies meta madness. Is John McTiernan able to parody his own work? Should the kid have actually killed people in this movie (as in the original, edgier script)? Will David have an aneurysm if this episode recording doesnt end at a reasonable time? Pre-o...
Mar 24, 2024•4 hr 42 min•Transcript available on Metacast Oh baby, this ones a STINKER! Sean Connery finds the cure for cancer but then he loses it (??). Lorraine Bracco delivers all of her dialogue like someone making a comment and not asking a question at a Q&A. Theyre both playing scientists - but wheres the CHEMISTRY?? Comedian and writer Jamie Lee returns to Blank Check to talk about John McTiernans attempt at a serious adult drama, 1992s MEDICINE MAN. We spend most of the episode trying to recast this movie to make it somewhat palatable. But the ...
Mar 17, 2024•2 hr 16 min•Transcript available on Metacast We love da submarinesh! Host of Unclear and Present Danger Jamelle Bouie joins us this week to talk about middle aged white guys, airport novels, and naval recruitment propaganda. Thats right - were talking about John McTiernans adaptation of Tom Clancys THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER! Come for our thesis on why Alec Baldwin played the best version of Jack Ryan, stay for Ben and Jamelles impassioned pleas for a Highlander patreon series. And of course, there will be Connery impressions. Join our Patre...
Mar 10, 2024•2 hr 19 min•Transcript available on Metacast The pomp. The pageantry. The awkwardness of trying to shoehorn any of this years Oscar nominees into Moon River - thats right, folks. The Blankies (and host Griffy Crystal) are back! Joe Reid of This Had Oscar Buzz joins us once again to celebrate the momentous year in cinema that was 2023. Were handing out fake awards, making outrageous claims, and weve got a special musical performance that brings the house down. Enjoy! Join our Patreon for franchise commentaries and bonus episodes. Follow us ...
Mar 03, 2024•3 hr 49 min•Transcript available on Metacast Thirty-six floors. Thirteen (fake) terrorists. One perfect action movie. Kevin Smith - who was in a Die Hard movie AND directed Alan Rickman in DOGMA - joins us again for a supersized episode on McTiernans signature film. Were getting into Bruce's wine cooler commercials. We reveal the surprising Shakespeare play that influenced McTiernans direction of this story. Were nerding out about the spatial and organizational PERFECTION that makes it such a classic. And were paying loving homage to two s...
Feb 25, 2024•3 hr 9 min•Transcript available on Metacast GET TO THE CHOPPA! Griffin attempts his best (actually, worst) Arnold voice this week as we head to the jungle with Jon Gabrus and some bic razors. For almost three hours, were dissecting every little bit of PREDATOR - the glow-stick goo alien blood, the Alan Silvestri score, Arnolds calves, Arnolds biceps, Arnolds long red polo shirt, Arnolds chiseled cheekbones, the way Arnold says KILL ME!!! - you can expect lots of Arnold talk. Join our Patreon for franchise commentaries and bonus episodes. ...
Feb 18, 2024•3 hr 50 min•Transcript available on Metacast Okay, action freaks! Were kicking off our John McTiernan miniseries - POD HARD WITH A VENGECAST - with a film that is not at all indicative of the greatness to come. Nomads! A movie where Pierce Brosnan attempts a garbage French accent and is terrified by some punks in a van. Thats kind of the whole thing. Anyway - get ready for a spirited conversation about plenty of other topics, like: the filmography of Tom Shadyac! John McTiernans super cool dad! Gerard Depardieus face! The strict rules of J...
Feb 11, 2024•2 hr 52 min•Transcript available on Metacast If Yentl was about connecting with her absent father, and The Prince of Tides was about forgiving her difficult mother, The Mirror Has Two Faces is just about BARBRA! Who Weeklys Bobby Finger and Lindsay Weber join us as we close out our Streisand series with her final film, a strange Frankenstein of a Judd Apatow, Albert Brooks, and Nora Ephron romcom. Should Lauren (Betty) Bacall have won the Oscar that year? Should Pierce Brosnan and Jeff Bridges have swapped roles? Is the perfect bite the id...
Feb 04, 2024•3 hr 42 min•Transcript available on Metacast Can you hear the crawdads sing? Or is that just our Nick Nolte impression? Our favorite Carolinian Katey Rich joins us to chat about Streisands 1991 adaptation of Pat Conroys bugnuts novel, a story that includes some serious ethical breaches made by alluring therapist Susan Lowenstein. Listen along as Katey shares some tidbits from the book that did NOT make the screen adaptation (a tiger, for example), Griffin relates to Jason Goulds attempts to be sporty, and David offers his hot take that thi...
Jan 28, 2024•3 hr 32 min•Transcript available on Metacast Announcing our BIGGEST live show ever! On Friday, March 8th at The Town Hall in NYC, Blank Check will celebrate its nine year anniversary. Tickets go on sale on Friday, January 26th @ 12PM ET. Follow this link to get yours !
Jan 25, 2024•2 min•Transcript available on Metacast Surprise! In a first for Blank Check, we're dropping a bonus main-feed episode featuring a conversation with an Academy Award-nominated star of the film we just covered. The great Amy Irving joins us for a fun conversation about her career highs and lows, the behind-the-scenes YENTL gossip, and Ben's buried jeans. That's right, we have to explain Ben's denim thing to Amy Irving. Follow Amy on IG @amyirvingofficial AND checkout her album "Born In A Trunk" on Spotify, Apple Music, Bandcamp or wher...
Jan 24, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Transcript available on Metacast Podcast, can you hear me? We certainly can, Barbra! The very menschy Jordan Hoffman joins us to chat about Streisands official directorial debut, a marvel of a film that makes anyone describing it sound insane. Yes, Barbra wrote, directed, produced, and starred in a period piece about a shtetl girl who crossdresses in order to study the Talmud. Yes, the film is a musical with songs composed by Michel Legrand. Yes, Barbra is the only person who sings in it, despite the male lead being Broadway le...
Jan 21, 2024•2 hr 20 min•Transcript available on Metacast Hello Gorgeous! Were kicking off our Barbra Streisand series (titled Podcastl, naturally) with a look at her version of the classic Hollywood cautionary tale - 1976s A STAR IS BORN. And who better to join us than our own songbird superstar - the lovely Rachel Zegler! While Babs didnt technically direct this one, she and her partner Jon Peters (Bradley Cooper in LICORICE PIZZA, duh) exacted supreme creative control over the project - to mixed results. Join us as we trace the beginning of Streisan...
Jan 14, 2024•2 hr 13 min•Transcript available on Metacast Vroom vroom! Michael Mann is BACK. Bilge Ebiri is BACK. How do you say were so back in Italian? Join us as we talk about cars that go fast (Ferraris), hair that grows long (Adam Drivers, normally), faces that have seen smart phones (Shailene Woodleys) and character actors that could have been in this movie (Paul Giamatti, but specifically as Pig Vomit). Masculinity is a cage, machines that work the best are the most beautiful, and we all think that the Mille Miglia seems like a bad idea. No graz...
Jan 07, 2024•3 hr 34 min•Transcript available on Metacast Were closing out 2023 with two words - Wet. Chocolate. Join us as we bid farewell to the DCEU, say hello fennel to Timothe Chalamet, and bring our craziest unhinged, end of school year energy to two very different new releases. Orm. Check out Matt Singers Wonka Themed IHOP menu article. 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 ...
Dec 31, 2023•3 hr 11 min•Transcript available on Metacast The music! The makeup! The MAESTRO! Were diving into Bradley Coopers Leonard Bernstein biopic, the result of his post-A STAR IS BORN Blank Check, and were getting personal, emotional, and pretty ridiculous. Who does Griffins Bernstein impression sound like (because it certainly doesnt sound like Bernstein)? What is Bens familial connection to the Maestro? Will Marie ever forgive Griffin for inviting Bobby Wagner on a date to visit Bradley Coopers Philly cheesesteak truck instead of her? Will Dav...
Dec 17, 2023•3 hr 30 min•Transcript available on Metacast It took seven years for Hayao Miyazaki and the artists at Studio Ghibli to make THE BOY AND THE HERON. What better way to honor that lengthy process than to invite JD Amato back for another clockbusting, context-loaded episode?! For a rather bit-free THREE-AND-A-HALF HOURS, we are diving into Miyazakis personal history, his creative process, the differing animation styles between the Ghibli greats, and the thematic implications of this beautiful new film. Because this is Blank Check, weve also g...
Dec 10, 2023•3 hr 24 min•Transcript available on Metacast Mamma mia! Weve got-a some-a sleepy pasta for-a you to taste-a this-a week! In our latest, much-awaited installment of PORCH CLASSICS, were handing the reins to Producer Ben, who has chosen to spotlight a forgotten comedy about the worlds horniest pizza man who cannot die. Lawrence Kasdans I LOVE YOU TO DEATH is a feast of bizarre performances (Italian-face Kevin Kline, Serb-face Joan Plowright, Stoner-face William Hurt) and tonal miscalculations. All this to say - its a very FUN movie to talk a...
Dec 03, 2023•2 hr 11 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
