What year is it? Well, it’s 2024 - but not for long. It’s our last episode of the year! Director... more

Dougie gets it on (or, more accurately, Naomi Watts gets HER Dougie on), guest Fran Hoepfner pitches her artisanal slime... more

This is the podcast. These are the (two) friends. Drink full, and descend. The famous “Atomic Bomb” episode of The... more

It is happening again - we’re covering TV! Or is it an 18-part movie? Much to ponder. We’re heading back... more

Only on Blank Check would an episode about David Lynch’s deeply destabilizing INLAND EMPIRE turn into a heartfelt celebration of... more

Is it a dream? Is it about a dream? Is it a TV pilot? Is it the greatest film of... more

We apologize in advance if you had a profound emotional experience with the new Robert Zemeckis joint - HERE felt... more

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... more

1997’s Lost Highway - is it (as David Sims wrote on Letterboxd), “a movie about headache”? Is it David Lynch’s... more

What if they made a sequel to the Joker movie that was pretty much the finale of Seinfeld but it’s... more

One of the more harrowing films we’ve covered on the podcast (and the second film we’ve covered in 2024 with... more

If we told you this was the first time we’d covered a Nicolas Cage movie on the podcast - would... more

For a brief shining moment, Middle America went crazy for the surreal soap opera stylings of David Lynch and Mark... more

Lend us your (severed) ears! This week, we’re jumping back into our Lynch series with a trip to Lumberton, USA,... more

We’re taking a break from David Lynch to answer one of the year’s biggest questions - Is Burton Back, Baby?... more

The sleeper must awaken. The filmography must contain a flop. We’ve arrived at the Planet Arrakis aka the Desert Planet... more

We’re getting in touch with our emotions this week, as Alex Ross Perry joins us to talk about Lynch’s deeply-felt,... more

In heaven (and in podcasting), everything is fine. Welcome to TWIN PODS: FIRE CAST WITH ME, a series on the... more

Welp, our Kevin Costner series ends not with a bang, but a whimper. With the pulling of Horizon: An American... more

You know the Butcher? That freakin' nutjob that goes around just chopping people up? Well, we’re about to spend nearly... more

Free-grazers and CR-heads - this is your week. The icon, the legend, the Ringer’s own Chris Ryan joins us to... more

This week’s movie has everything - fake teeth on Giovanni Ribisi, a mule performing Shakespeare, Tom Petty, Kevin Costner’s irresistible... more

In a first for Blank Check, we’re covering a filmmaker who has acted alongside our own Griffin Newman! In our... more

The first "G" in "Gigli" is pronounced like the "J" in “Jacques,” the second “G” is silent. Rhymes with "really."... more

He’s hot. He’s got frosted tips. He loves peanut butter. His lil swimmers may or may not look like skulls.... more

Warning - this episode contains an ungodly amount of Pacino impressions. Listener discretion is advised. “Actor’s actor” and local boy from... more

In a first for Blank Check, Ben Hosley produces an entire episode while handcuffed and under threat of legal action.... more

An indelible synth theme by Harold Faltermeyer. A scene-stealing turn from Bronson Pinchot. A banana in a tailpipe. EDDIE FREAKING... more

After years of citing him as a potential series, we’re finally Brest men. In this inaugural episode of our “Podverly... more

We return to the Wasteland this week with Furiosa, and we’ve got quite the tour guide. Kyle Buchanan - author... more

Come join the dream parade, folks - we’re talking about Paprika! Mother of the Blankies Emily Yoshida is with us... more

They call them the Godfathers of Tokyo…and we call him the KING of TIKTOK (in an old man newscaster voice)... more

Our Satoshi Kon series continues with his 2003 film Millennium Actress, a moving exploration of memory, history, and the magic... more

Welcome to the filmography of Satoshi Kon - a thrilling series of funhouse mirrors and puzzlebox narratives that proved what... more

Our McTiernan series concludes with 2003’s BASIC - a film that Griffin thinks should instead be titled “COMPLICATED” - get... more

Finally, we arrive at the film that helped put John McTiernan in both “director jail” and “jail jail” - the... more

What if there was a 13th Warrior? What if there was a version of Beowulf so grounded in reality that... more

A Fiji water bottle. “Sinnerman” by Nina Simone. That Magritte painting with the bowler hat. A SCINTILLATING, AGE-APPROPRIATE ROMANCE WITH... more

John McTiernan back with the Die Hard franchise after the spectacular flop of Last Action Hero. Bruce Willis and Samuel... more

You either love this movie or you hate it, and guess what - we’re landing all over the LOST ACTION... more

Oh baby, this one’s a STINKER! Sean Connery finds the cure for cancer but then he loses it (??). Lorraine... more

We love da submarinesh! Host of “Unclear and Present Danger” Jamelle Bouie joins us this week to talk about middle... more

The pomp. The pageantry. The awkwardness of trying to shoehorn any of this year’s Oscar nominees into “Moon River” -... more

Thirty-six floors. Thirteen (fake) terrorists. One perfect action movie. Kevin Smith - who was in a Die Hard movie AND... more

GET TO THE CHOPPA! Griffin attempts his best (actually, worst) Arnold voice this week as we head to the jungle... more

Okay, action freaks! We’re kicking off our John McTiernan miniseries - POD HARD WITH A VENGECAST - with a film... more

If Yentl was about connecting with her absent father, and The Prince of Tides was about forgiving her difficult mother,... more

Can you hear the crawdads sing? Or is that just our Nick Nolte impression? Our favorite Carolinian Katey Rich joins... more

Surprise! In a first for Blank Check, we're dropping a bonus main-feed episode featuring a conversation with an Academy Award-nominated... more

Podcast, can you hear me?” We certainly can, Barbra! The very menschy Jordan Hoffman joins us to chat about Streisand’s... more

Hello Gorgeous! We’re kicking off our Barbra Streisand series (titled “Podcastl,” naturally) with a look at her version of the... more

Vroom vroom! Michael Mann is BACK. Bilge Ebiri is BACK. How do you say “we’re so back” in Italian? Join... more

We’re closing out 2023 with two words - Wet. Chocolate. Join us as we bid farewell to the DCEU, say... more

The music! The makeup! The MAESTRO! We’re diving into Bradley Cooper’s Leonard Bernstein biopic, the result of his post-A STAR... more

It took seven years for Hayao Miyazaki and the artists at Studio Ghibli to make THE BOY AND THE HERON.... more

Mamma mia! We’ve got-a some-a sleepy pasta for-a you to taste-a this-a week! In our latest, much-awaited installment of PORCH... more

We’re wrapping up our Fincher series with his latest release - a stripped-down, gig-economy hitman thriller - THE KILLER. Is... more

Nerts! Are you folks ready to get MANK-PILLED? We advise that you start by “mankro-dosing” David Fincher’s 2020 exploration of... more

“Amazing Amy” meets “Awkwardly-Smiling Affleck” in Fincher’s darkly comic masterpiece - an instant classic from that first shot of Rosamund... more

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo? More like The Girl Who Go On Computer! The Girl with the Fruit Tattoo... more

Let us take a walk down memory lane to when the Metaverse was but a twinkle in Zuck’s eye, to... more

2007’s THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON is a film that dares to ask the question, “What if he baby... more

This is the Zodiac speaking. I have recorded this podcast episode with Griffin, David, and the genius Leslye Headland because... more

We’re scootin’ through some wild Manhattan real estate this week and locking ourselves into David Fincher’s PANIC ROOM with the... more

The first rule of Fight Club? Don’t talk about Fight Club. The second rule of Fight Club? DON’T TALK ABOUT... more

Congratulations! If you are listening to this episode, it means you’ve discovered the key in the mouth of the wooden... more

Who loves Da Finchman? These guys do! MTV Movie Award-losing duo Mitch and Nick of the Doughboys join us to... more

The time has come for us to talk about one of the most successful, most influential, most respected American filmmakers... more

Decision to Leave? More like, decision to watch a good movie! EMMY AWARD WINNER (but more importantly, David Sims Best... more

We couldn’t be more excited to talk about the film we consider to be Park’s masterpiece - the gorgeous, twisty,... more

Remember when the star of TV’s Prison Break (Wentworth Miller, “human map”) wrote a screenplay that landed on the Black... more

Move over, Dracula. Eat your heart out Edward Cullen. A new sexy vampire is in town, and he just happens... more

From the twisted mind of Park Chan-Wook, it’s…a surprisingly sensitive romance set in a mental hospital? Writer and Comedian Karen... more

DA MOVIESH ARE BACK, BABY! Film Director Barbie joins the gang to chat about Christopher Nolan’s latest and an historic... more

It’s 2023. An all-powerful AI program named “the Entity” is sewing chaos and threatening the fragile equilibrium of the world... more

Park Chan-Wook’s loosely-linked “Vengeance Trilogy” comes to a starkly satisfying end with 2005’s LADY VENGEANCE - a normal flick…that’s all... more

What is an Oldboy? How do you feel about Greek Tragedies? How did Choi Min-Sik achieve that iconic (and insane)... more

Park Chan-Wook kicks off his famous “Vengeance” trilogy and we kick off another episode where we talk about Ted Danson’s... more

Park Chan-Wook’s 2000 breakthrough and Korean box office juggernaut - JSA (Joint Security Area) - is the rare international murder-mystery... more

It’s a brand new era for Blank Check - Griffin is in his “arriving early to work” era. Ben is... more

Our Buster Keaton series comes to a conclusion as his period of creative independence does, with his first two features... more

After his “blank check” for THE GENERAL bounced,  Buster Keaton found himself creatively and financially shackled. Thus, 1927’s COLLEGE lands... more

One of narrative cinema’s earliest training sequences, and one of cinema’s most famous trains - that’s right, we’re covering Buster... more

This week’s Keaton double feature sees our unflappable hero chased by two types of terrifying crowds: angry would-be brides, and... more

Buster Keaton released two features in 1924 - “Sherlock Jr.”, a film that was considered a commercial disappointment at the... more

The Great Stone Face…The Little Boy Who Couldn’t Be Damaged…whatever you call him, Buster Keaton is one of the most... more

Our Danny Boyle series comes to an end with a mind-bending movie that dares to ask the question, “What if... more

First they were addicted to heroin, now they’re addicted to *nostalgia* (but also still heroin)! Danny Boyle returns to the... more

Calling all Sorkinistas - we’re walking, talking, and putting 1,000 songs in your pocket! Based on Walter Isaccson’s best-selling biography... more

Probably the only film in history to hinge on the shaving of pubic hair as crucial plot point, Danny Boyle’s... more

Welcome to another installment in the “If This Happened to Ben Hosley, It Wouldn’t Have Gone Down Like That” series... more

Danny Boyle is about to win the Oscar. How did he do it? A) He Cheated, B) He’s Lucky, C)... more

The time has come for us to board the Icarus II (awful name for a spaceship) and stare directly into... more

How did Danny Boyle choose to follow up the ultraviolence of 28 Days Later? With a winsome kid’s movie about... more

Once again we gather together to celebrate excellence in the motion picture industry - but rest assured, we have our... more

Fast zombies, a deserted London, and potato-quality digital cinematography - 28 DAYS LATER proved to be a genre-defining hit for... more

Mother is back, and she’s taking us all to THE BEACH! Emily Yoshida makes her long-awaited return to the pod... more

Knock knock! Who’s there? M. Night Shyamalan, of course! We’re answering the door and ushering in the apocalypse with a... more

After the smashing success of TRAINSPOTTING, Danny Boyle reteamed with star Ewan McGregor and writer John Hodge to…make a movie... more

The UK’s answer to PULP FICTION, Danny Boyle’s TRAINSPOTTING exploded into theaters and became a global phenomenon, thanks to an... more

UK house music, a *very* active camera, and Ewan McGregor looking like a SNACK…that’s right, folks - we’re covering Danny... more

Henry Selick waited thirteen years to make his follow-up to CORALINE, and it feels like we’ve been waiting even longer... more

The ultimate connoisseur of context, the guru of camera gear - our friend JD Amato makes his triumphant return to... more

The gang went to see AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER and we all got soaking wet. Fully submerged. Drenched! We’re... more

Just in time for Brendan Fraser’s big comeback, we’re taking a look back at his misguided collaboration with Henry Selick... more

Bugs! So many bugs! And…Richard Dreyfuss?? The Bug Queen Emma Stefansky returns to the podcast to celebrate all the creepy... more

We’re wearing our Hot Topic sweatshirts and enunciating every dramatic syllable to pay tribute to one of the greatest animated... more

For the first time in years, both Griffin and David are in agreement on a new Steven Spielberg film -... more

Cruise. Kidman. Kubrick. Ehrlich. We’re concluding our Stanley Kubrick series with 1999’s EYES WIDE SHUT and a trip to cinema’s... more

Alright, maggots, listen up! We’ve got the Action Boy himself - Jon Gabrus - back on the podcast to talk... more

Just in time for Halloween, we’re checking into the Overlook Hotel - a haunted place not unlike the Beachwood, Ohio,... more

NASA-quality lenses, a himbo canon-worthy performance from notoriously “chill and normal guy” Ryan O’Neal, and some flirty ribbon games all... more

Attention all droogs: grab your Nadsat dictionaries and your bowler hats, it’s time to drink some drug-milk! We’ve got our... more

Open the pod cast doors, HAL - it’s time for us to talk about one of the most important movies... more

Gentlemen, you can’t fight in here, Sean Fennessey is finally on our podcast! The Big Picture Pod host joins Griffin... more

It certainly feels great to cover a good movie again! Our mini-run of new releases ends with Gina Prince-Bythewood’s crowd-pleaser... more

The King of the Uncanny Valley - our boy Bob Zemeckis - is back with his spin on perhaps the... more

George Miller returns with a sweeping romantic fantasy and if we had a djinn, we’d wish that more people went... more

How did they ever make a podcast of LOLITA? Let’s just say that it wasn’t easy, but thankfully our guest... more

I am Spartacus! I am Spartacus! Heck, we’re *all* Spartacus today as we talk about the “sword-and-sandals” epic that solidified... more