Blank Check with Griffin & David

Who is 1998's Babe: Pig in the City for? Is it for kids? Stoners? Four grown adults attempting to navigate a national pandemic? This is the question Travis McElroy (My Brother, My Brother and Me, Adventure Zone, Run: A Doctor Who Fancast) poses to the BC crew this week. We defend and analyze another George Miller death city, robot chimp babies, and why Siskel went out on a high note. That'll do. J...

Hard to believe we're already halfway through our George Miller series! This week Bilge Ebiri (Vulture) returns to talk about one of his favorite films, 1992's Lorenzo's Oil. Starring Susan Sarandon and Nick Nolte...with an Italian accent that somehow works...Oil may have disappointed at the box office but still got a screenplay and best actress Oscar nomination. Turns out medical dramas really wo...

Film critic K. Austin Collins (Vanity Fair) returns to Blank Check for an episode covering 1987’s fantasy comedy, The Witches of Eastwick. Together with #thetwofriends they discuss author John Updike’s original novel, how producer Jon Peters tried shoehorning an alien into the film, assign themselves which witch they would be and Griffin defines what a ‘movie movie’ is. Join our Patreon for franch...

Together, #thetwofriends and returning guest David Ehrlich (IndieWire) talk about not just the Thunderdome, but go beyond to examine Tina Turner’s filmography, why the children of the wasteland are 10x better than the Lost Boys of Hook, the Toy Story 3 song “We Belong Together” and more! Join our Patreon for franchise commentaries and bonus episodes. Follow us @blankcheckpod on Instagram, Threads,...

Comedian, Jon Gabrus (High and Mighty) returns to discuss 1981’s  sequel effort Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior. Together with #thetwofriends they examine the similarities between the Evil Dead and Mad Max franchises, dystopian future fashion justification, the career of actor Bruce Spence and American Gladiators. Plus, Ben has a shocking revelation. Join our Patreon for franchise commentaries and bon...

Witness Blank Check because this week, Griffin and David ride towards Valhalla and into a new mini series on the films of George Miller! Together they examine Miller’s medical background, the early camera and stunt work of Mad Max that Miller would continue to develop and refine, and more. Join our Patreon for franchise commentaries and bonus episodes. Follow us @blankcheckpod on Instagram, Thread...

Griffin, David, Ben and Ang each from their own apartments celebrated Blank Check’s anniversary with a look back at some favorite moments and reflect upon these past five years. Plus, messages from past and future guests of the show! Join our Patreon for franchise commentaries and bonus episodes. Follow us @blankcheckpod on Instagram, Threads, Facebook and X! Buy some real nerdy merch. Connect wit...

B-b-b-bonus Jonas, David and Griffin do a Jonathan Demme wrap-up with his last full-length music documentary. What is David's extensive background with Timberlake concerts? How much does Griffin dislike Timberlake? Is he actually funny or is that all Andy Samberg? And how do musicians keep from exhausting themselves on stage? Join our Patreon for franchise commentaries and bonus episodes. Follow u...

Who? Weekly hosts Bobby Finger and Lindsey Weber talk about Demme's last film, written by Diablo Cody. But they really just want to talk about Tully. It's a film about dead beat [get it? BEAT??] Moms with Meryl's real daughter, and Griffin is so laid back he has his microphone in his lap. What works for Wild Rose that doesn't work for this film? Can we talk about her INSANE TATTOO FOR A SECOND? An...

David, Griffin, and self-made man of letters John Hodgman have to deal with Ragnar in this weird weird weird adaptation of a Henrik Ibsen play - and by adaptation, we mean they just took the play and filmed it in a house in Nyack. But instead of talking about the not so great film, get ready for more rants about Cars 2 (WHAT IS MONEY HOW DOES THIS WORK?) and the explanation of how Playmobil the Mo...

From Iconography, Ayo Edibiri and Olivia Craighead join Griffin and special guest the crypt keeper that is gravelly-voiced David. Get ready for a movie surprisingly starring Sebastian Stan, and a 20-minute long story about the saga of Marc Summers. How many sitcoms were about dads that are also another thing? How much family trauma comes out at a wedding? How muddy is this film? Join our Patreon f...

The Flop House joins Blank Check to talk about this remake that was like okay, but definitely better than the last Demme remake. Is Meryl good or weird? Why is a pack of cards so sexy? How many films and TV shows are there about last men? How do you get rid of ants? What mysteries are still left unanswered? And what does the Flop House think about Trolls the Experience? SFX: "Organ" by caquet; "mo...

No boys allowed, although gender is a construct. It's an all-women special! Ang Ferraguto is joined by Emma Stefansky, Ashleigh Heaton, and Preeti Chhibber. This PodSkwad is NOT here to complain about Star Wars, but to talk about this women-powered DC movie full of hammers and hair ties, fun guns and fun outfits, and women helping women by kicking ass. How can you tell this was made by a woman? An...

Director and filmmaker David Lowery joins the two friends to talk about a weird remake of an Audrey Hepburn movie, except bad, starring Mark Wahlberg in his self-described worst role. There are insane hat choices and a very long ballroom scene. What was the last video game that Lowery played? Why is Tom Cruise wearing Ugg boot? How does Ted Levine die?  And what film did Lowry review and later rea...

Griffin and David welcome back Joe Reid for the 5th annual Blankie Awards where together they present their own personal nominations and winners for the upcoming 92nd Academy Awards. This roundtable discussion looks at all the major categories, as well as, references deep cut cinema from 2019 you may have missed. Join our Patreon for franchise commentaries and bonus episodes. Follow us @blankcheck...

Co-host of the bad romance podcast , freelance writer for thrillist and bitch media Jourdain Searles joins the cast to talk about the team-up that no one saw coming, Oprah and Demme. The two friends and guest talk about the sexiness of the pepper beard and facial ombre, the Fifty Shades series, and thandie newton again (for the first time?) Plus, what might another Toni Morrison adaptation look li...

Writer Richard Lawson joins the boys to talk about this WEIRD but poignant film that is actually streaming on Netflix. Why didn't they just make Tom Hanks whole family hate him? And who better to sing about the streets of Philadelphia than Bruce Springsteen? Plus a >>special < < merch spotlight.  Join our Patreon for franchise commentaries and bonus episodes. Follow us @blankcheckpod on Instagram,...

The two friends are joined by prolific writer Emily St. James  to talk about the most influential movie that BC has covered  - except for Fletch of course. It's so influential there are TOO MANY BITS!  What's Emily's take on what all Demme movies are about? What could Hannibal lector have looked like if it was a different actor? And a special shoutout to all our cannibal psychologist listeners!  J...

She's MARRIED to the MOB. Now that we have that out of the way, get ready for 25 minutes of discussion about the Kids Choice Awards. Which Marvel movie would work directed by Scorsese? Why in the world is everyone fighting over Ed Begley, Jr. when Michelle Pfeiffer is so much better? What was everyone's shit job in New York? And find out why Ang is so perfect to guest on this episode.  Join our Pa...

On the week of its release in December of 2019, Griffin, David, and special guest Ang Ferraguto discussed Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker. 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 anything else, check out BlankCheckPo...

From Comedy Bang Bang and the new film Between Two Ferns: The Movie, Scott Auckerman joins the two friends to talk about people who talk funny and that's their job now. What films did Ray Liotta think were stupid? Where did Sue Tissue, the original Manic Pixie Dream Girl, disappear to? Does Blue Velvet make sense if you miss the first few minutes? And how much did Jeff Daniels get paid to be in Du...

Everyone wants to get to the pod with guest Demi Adejuyigbe, where The Blank Check Boys talk about Demme's Concert Film with the Talking Heads. What shows should get gritty reboots? Why did concert films stop existing?  What is the song Heaven about (what isn't it about?) Have you seen DJ Khaled's Slack channel? And what would David Byrne sound like ordering a Bacon, Egg, and Cheese? One of the gr...

What in the world is going on with this film that has two versions - of which the good one is not available anywhere? What is the titular "Shift" actually referring to? What happens when two stars  - gasp - fall in love? And why are Griff and Dave so off their game in a strange new studio? Find out all this and more in this episode of DEMME CONFESSIONALS. SFX: "SL50 Focus Lock" by sonoplastico; "A...

Finally, we get to the good Demme movies with film critic Jordan Hoffman. The partially true story of a guy who thinks Howard Hughes is gonna leave him money. What made Griffin almost cry (and not in frustration)? What is an animated movie actually and is it for children? What game shows attracted the weirdest contestants. Why isn't there a good movie where someone's telling someone to go get thei...

Guest Justin McElroy is gonna be mad he volunteered to do any film when Griff and David talk about Demme's first two tries at "real" movies after his Roger Korman saga. The trio talk about CB, or "Citizen's Band," and Last Embrace, a surprisingly Judaic Thriller. The films contain oddly touching birthday party scenes, IMDB spoilers,  children named Blood, and the introduction of heavy concepts tha...