Blank Check with Griffin & David

In this podcast, the hosts discuss various topics related to the movie 'The Fabelmans'. They analyze the significance of the film, including its portrayal of memories and complex family dynamics. They also delve into the personal experiences of the filmmaker, the use of old technology in the movie, and the protagonist's passion for filmmaking. Additionally, they discuss the dynamic between characters, the emotional impact of certain scenes, and the power of movies in exploring relationships. The podcast touches on themes such as love, sacrifice, understanding, and the complexities of communication.

Cruise. Kidman. Kubrick. Ehrlich. We’re concluding our Stanley Kubrick series with 1999’s EYES WIDE SHUT and a trip to cinema’s most famous masked orgy. Indiewire’s David Ehrlich joins us as we discuss liminal spaces, the late-90s ABC sitcom “Dharma & Greg,” Nick Nightingale’s skills as a piano player, and Sydney Pollack’s barrel chest. Are there “more Christmas lights in this movie than there are in an NYU student’s dormroom?” What is the platonic ideal of a Tom Cruise hairstyle? Did making this movie kill Kubrick, or was working to finish it what kept him alive? What can one expect to find where the rainbow ends? And more!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 DiscordFor anything else, check out BlankCheckPod.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alright, maggots, listen up! We’ve got the Action Boy himself - Jon Gabrus - back on the podcast to talk about Kubrick’s bifurcated Vietnam War classic FULL METAL JACKET. We’re retiring the “retired bit” in order to talk about Matthew Modine as Private Joker. We’re getting into the etymology of “poontang.” We’re attempting to articulate what makes a movie feel like an “80s movie” and why this film absolutely doesn’t.  And - we’re gonna end up on a very long tangent about the talking head comedy shows of the mid-aughts. Do we make ourselves clear? SIR, YES, SIR.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 DiscordFor anything else, check out BlankCheckPod.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Just in time for Halloween, we’re checking into the Overlook Hotel - a haunted place not unlike the Beachwood, Ohio, Homewood Suites that Griffin and guest Timothy Simons stayed in while they were filming DRAFT DAY! Is THE SHINING about Native American genocide, or is it about how Stanley Kubrick thought ghosts were kinda nice? Is Shelley Duvall the MVP of this movie? Would Ben absolutely thrive as the hotel’s caretaker - taking inspiration from the stocked kitchen pantry to whip up some delicious dishes? Why does the spectre of Tim Robinson continue to haunt our Kubrick series?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 DiscordFor anything else, check out BlankCheckPod.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

NASA-quality lenses, a himbo canon-worthy performance from notoriously “chill and normal guy” Ryan O’Neal, and some flirty ribbon games all combine to make what we consider to be Kubrick’s warmest and most sumptuous film - 1975’s “Barry Lyndon.” Karina Longworth of “You Must Remember This” makes a long-awaited first appearance on the pod to wonder - did Barry actually end up sleeping with his cousin? What are the rules of dueling? Should children be allowed to ride horses? And more!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 DiscordFor anything else, check out BlankCheckPod.com  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Attention all droogs: grab your Nadsat dictionaries and your bowler hats, it’s time to drink some drug-milk! We’ve got our very own Alex - Ross Perry, that is - on the pod to go long on Kubrick’s controversial X-rated dystopian nightmare, 1971’s A CLOCKWORK ORANGE. We’re reminiscing about our rebellious teenage years, which for Alex included a trip to New York to see The Prodigy in concert, and for David included a “Pinter phase.” Did you all know that David grew up in England? Plus - Ben learns that Malcolm McDowell was once married to CLIFFORD’s own Mary Steenburgen, Griffin learns about Kubrick’s preferred brand of storage boxes, and David learns that Alex and Griffin have given him a mysterious new nickname.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 DiscordFor anything else, check out BlankCheckPod.com  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Open the pod cast doors, HAL - it’s time for us to talk about one of the most important movies in cinema history. Jordan Hoffman - the friend of the pod who best represents both the “diamond-hard Sci Fi” and psychedelic head-trip factions of 2001 fandom - returns to Blank Check, and we’re doling out the knowledge *and* the giggles. When is the ideal moment to “partake” in order to get the trippiest experience from 2001? Is Griffin starting to change his mind about Kubrick not being funny? Do Arthur C. Clark and Dr. Evil buy their jackets from the same tailor? Is this movie actually all about dick jokes? Check out Jordan’s writing on ThrillistJoin 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 DiscordFor anything else, check out BlankCheckPod.com  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gentlemen, you can’t fight in here, Sean Fennessey is finally on our podcast! The Big Picture Pod host joins Griffin and David to talk about Kubrick’s razor-sharp satire, the Peter Sellers tour-de-force that is “Dr. Strangelove”. We’re asking all the questions - Could Sellers have played *every* character in this movie? Is the film paradoxically funnier because Kubrick isn’t really a comedy guy? Would George C. Scott hate this podcast? Would you give “Tom Jones” a middling three stars on Letterboxd? And more!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 DiscordFor anything else, check out BlankCheckPod.com  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It certainly feels great to cover a good movie again! Our mini-run of new releases ends with Gina Prince-Bythewood’s crowd-pleaser - the African female warrior epic “The Woman King”. We’ve got David’s exclusive report on the film’s world premiere at TIFF (humblebrag), a deep dive on the career of Viola Davis (did you know her early industry champions were Steven Soderbergh and George Clooney?), and some thoughts on how this film taps into Prince-Bythewood’s ongoing exploration of chosen families and personal identity.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 DiscordFor anything else, check out BlankCheckPod.com  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The King of the Uncanny Valley - our boy Bob Zemeckis - is back with his spin on perhaps the most iconic un-real boy in cinema…it’s Pinocchio, baby! Our friends from Podcast: The Ride - two Disney daddies and one small wooden boy - join us to chat about Disney’s latest live-action remake, and we’re mostly just confused. How many days did Tom Hanks spend on set? Why are so many people in Hollywood eager to make their own Pinocchio adaptations? Did Leslie Zemeckis do mo-cap work for the sexy goldfish? Why does Disney World’s Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster revolve around AEROSMITH of all bands?? We may never know!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 DiscordFor anything else, check out BlankCheckPod.com  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices