

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.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Mar 26, 2017 • 1h 58min
The Terminal with Jerah Milligan
This week’s guest, Jerah Milligan (Comedy Central), finally completes our trifecta of co-hosts from the excellent podcast Blank Men Can’t Jump In Hollywood joining Blank Check. The topic of discussion: 2004’s stranded at the airport dramedy The Terminal. But exactly how much Stanley Tucci does a movie need? What was behind the absurd Michael Douglas cancer story? Is it clear where exactly is Krakozhia? Together, Griffin, David and Jerah examine Catherine Zeta-Jones’ career trajectory, jazz photos, Shrek 3, saltine cracker sandwiches and more. Plus, Jerah shares a personal account of being trapped in the airport and Producer Ben is hungover AF.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

Mar 18, 2017 • 1h 36min
Blank Check
For their 100th episode Griffin and David decided to celebrate the occasion and finally deliver on the their listeners pleas to get meta and review their namesake movie, 1994's kid flick: Blank Check.Music selection:"東京 HAZE (extended tape version)" from SANDRAWAVE by 猫 シ Corp. (https://catsystemcorp.bandcamp.com/track/haze-extended-tape-version)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/3.0/)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

Mar 11, 2017 • 1h 58min
Catch Me If You Can
This week, Griffin and David discuss 2002's coming of age scammer drama based on a true story: Catch Me If You Can.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

Mar 6, 2017 • 2h 8min
Minority Report with Joanna Robinson
Joanna Robinson (Vanity Fair) joins Griffin and David to discuss 2002’s dystopian thriller: Minority Report.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

Feb 26, 2017 • 2h 2min
A.I. Artificial Intelligence with David Rees
David Rees, host of 'Going Deep with David Rees,' joins to explore the thought-provoking film 'A.I. Artificial Intelligence.' They discuss the film’s emotional depth and the cinematic influences of Spielberg and Kubrick. Delving into themes of love, loss, and childhood innocence, the conversation touches on how AI reflects human feelings and existential fears. With whimsical anecdotes and personal connections, the speakers critique the narrative's complexities and the societal implications of sentient beings, revealing how art evolves through diverse perceptions.

Feb 17, 2017 • 2h 17min
The Second Annual Blank Check Awards with Joe Reid
On this week's special episode, Griffin and David are once again joined by Joe Reid (The Decider) to present their personal nominations for the upcoming 89th Academy Awards. This roundtable discussion looks to all the major categories and offers engaging criticism, as well as, references deep cut cinema from 2016 you may have missed. With the “Blankies”, some winners are picked, Oscar snubs deservingly defended, but AGAIN as always most of the personal grudges continue.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

Feb 12, 2017 • 1h 47min
Saving Private Ryan with Richard Lawson
In our third episode of Spielberg: The DreamWorks Years mini series, Griffin and David are joined by Richard Lawson (Vanity Fair) to discuss 1998's war drama Saving Private Ryan.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

Feb 5, 2017 • 1h 11min
Amistad
Griffin and David look to Spielberg’s next film (also released in 1997) Amistad. But what are the glaringly problematic issues with this movie? Could a more suited director and screen writer have been brought onto the production? How long has Sir Anthony Hopkins been phoning it in exactly? Together they examine the career trajectory of Matthew McConaughey, Peter Firth receives comedy points and assess the cast in a performance review.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

Jan 29, 2017 • 1h 44min
The Lost World: Jurassic Park
The debut of our new mini series on the filmography of Steven Spielberg begins with 1997’s Lost World: Jurassic Park. Post-Oscar wins for Best Director and Best Picture, Steven took four years off before directing this sequel. In that time he founded his own studio DreamWorks. Griffin and David would argue this level of creative control is the biggest blank check that any filmmaker has ever had. Presenting Pod Me If You Cast.But seriously what IS chaos math? Why does this film unfold similarly to a video game? What does Isla Nublar roughly translate to?Together #thetwofriends discuss the careers of Laura Dern, Vince Vaughn, Jeff Goldblum, convenient islands, life finding a way and a epic Pete Postlethwaite monologue.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

4 snips
Jan 22, 2017 • 2h 22min
Split
This week, the hosts dive into M. Night Shyamalan's film, exploring the incredible performance of James McAvoy and the film's chilling themes. They discuss the intricacies of portraying dissociative identity disorder, balancing horror with stunning cinematography. The conversation touches on the excitement of plot twists in Shyamalan's works and the evolution of storytelling in cinema. With playful banter, they also reflect on the ethical considerations of filmmaking and the complex journey of characters in both horror and drama.