Blank Check with Griffin & David

Last updated

Blank Check with Griffin & David
Blank Check 2025 Logo.png
Presentation
Hosted by
Genre
  • Film
  • Comedy
LanguageEnglish
UpdatesWeekly
Production
Production
  • Ben Hosley (production)
  • Marie Bardi-Salinas (social media/production, 2020–present)
  • Alex Barron (editing)
  • AJ McKeon (editing)
  • Angela Ferraguto (co-production, 2018–2020)
  • JJ Bersch (research)
Theme music composed byLayne Montgomery and The Great American Novel
Audio formatPodcast (via streaming or downloadable MP3)
No. of episodes522 (as of March 22, 2025 (2025-03-22))
Publication
Original releaseMarch 23, 2015 (2015-3-23)
Provider
Related
Website Audioboom/BlankCheckPod

Blank Check with Griffin & David is a film podcast following the career output of notable directors who had significant success early in their careers and were then offered a figurative blank check to pursue their passion projects. Most episodes focus on a single movie from the director's filmography, and the show's episodes are grouped into miniseries, in which some or all of the director's films are reviewed. Founded in 2015, the show is hosted by actor Griffin Newman and The Atlantic film critic David Sims. [1]

Contents

Series overview

The Blank Check website describes the podcast as:

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. [2]

Notable guests who have appeared on the show include Rachel Zegler, Jamelle Bouie, Leslye Headland, Jamie Bell, Kevin Smith, David Lowery, Patton Oswalt, Tatiana Maslany, Richard Lawson, Lulu Wang, Ayo Edebiri, Karina Longworth, Alex Ross Perry, Roman Mars, Nia DaCosta, Bowen Yang, Amy Irving, David Krumholtz, Jane Schoenbrun, and Lin-Manuel Miranda.

Origins: Griffin and David Present

In 2015, the podcast began as Griffin and David Present, and assessed the Star Wars prequel films as if in a universe where the other Star Wars films did not exist. Originally planning to spend 50 episodes on each film, producer Ben Hosley convinced the hosts to only do ten. Having used a lengthy analysis of a filmography as a means of discussing the films' director, Newman and Sims decided to use a similar approach in reviewing the works of other directors, and retitled the show Blank Check with Griffin and David. [3] [4]

TitleTitle referenceDirectorInitial Release
EpisodesFirst episodeLast episode
1The Phantom Podcast Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace George Lucas 11March 23, 2015June 1, 2015
2Attack of the Podcast Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones 10June 22, 2015September 8, 2015
3Revenge of The Podcast Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith 10September 21, 2015November 30, 2015
4The Star Wars Sequels—6December 6, 2015January 11, 2016

Blank Check with Griffin & David

Each miniseries is given a loosely comedic title which combines the word "podcast" with either a title of a film or the director's name. If a director they've previously discussed releases a new film, they will work it into their schedule of upcoming shows.

DirectorTitleTitle referenceCoincides withInitial Release
EpisodesFirst episodeLast episode
1 M. Night Shyamalan Pod Night ShyamacastName of director(s)N/A11January 25, 2016April 12, 2016
2 The Wachowskis The Podchowski CastersN/A9April 18, 2016June 10, 2016
3 Cameron Crowe We Pod A Cast We Bought a Zoo N/A10June 23, 2016August 26, 2016
4 James Cameron Podinator: Judgment Cast Terminator 2: Judgment Day N/A11September 18, 2016December 3, 2016
5 Steven Spielberg (The DreamWorks Years) [note 1] Pod Me If You Cast Catch Me If You Can N/A15January 28, 2017May 20, 2017
6 Christopher Nolan The Pod Knight Casts The Dark Knight Rises Dunkirk 10June 25, 2017August 13, 2017
7 Kathryn Bigelow Pod-19: The Widowcaster K-19: The Widowmaker Detroit 10September 17, 2017November 19, 2017
8 Paul Verhoeven (English language films) [note 2] Podship Casters Starship Troopers N/A8January 7, 2018March 4, 2018
9 James L. Brooks Podcast News Broadcast News N/A7March 18, 2018April 29, 2018
10 Brad Bird The Podcastibles The Incredibles Incredibles 2 7May 13, 2018June 28, 2018
11 Ang Lee Podback Mountcast Brokeback Mountain N/A13July 1, 2018September 27, 2018
12 Nancy Meyers Something's Podda Cast Something's Gotta Give N/A7October 14, 2018November 25, 2018
13 Tim Burton Podward Scissorcast Edward Scissorhands Dumbo 17December 9, 2018April 28, 2019
14 Michael Mann Michael Mannsplaining/Cast of the Podhicans Mansplaining/ The Last of the Mohicans N/A12May 19, 2019August 4, 2019
15 Hayao Miyazaki Howl's Moving Podcastle Howl's Moving Castle N/A12August 11, 2019November 7, 2019
16 Jonathan Demme Stop Making Podcasts Stop Making Sense N/A16November 10, 2019March 19, 2020
17 George Miller Mad Pod: Fury Cast Mad Max: Fury Road N/A10March 29, 2020May 28, 2020
18 Nora Ephron You've Got Podcast You've Got Mail N/A9June 7, 2020August 2, 2020
19 Gina Prince-Bythewood Pod & Basketcast Love & Basketball The Old Guard 4August 9, 2020August 30, 2020
20 Robert Zemeckis Podcast Away Cast Away The Witches 20September 6, 2020January 31, 2021
21 Ron Clements/John Musker The Poddle Mercast The Little Mermaid N/A7February 7, 2021March 21, 2021
22 Elaine May The Podbreak Cast The Heartbreak Kid N/A4April 4, 2021April 25, 2021
23 John Singleton Podz n the Cast Boyz n the Hood N/A9May 9, 2021July 4, 2021
24 John Carpenter They Podcast They Live N/A18August 7, 2021December 5, 2021
25 Jane Campion The Podcastiano The Piano The Power of the Dog 9January 9, 2022March 6, 2022
26 Sam Raimi Podcast Me to Hell Drag Me to Hell Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness 15March 20, 2022June 26, 2022
27 Bob Fosse Pod That Jazzcast All That Jazz N/A5July 3, 2022July 31, 2022
28 Stanley Kubrick Pods Wide Cast Eyes Wide Shut N/A12August 7, 2022November 13, 2022
29 Henry Selick Ben Hosley's The Podmare Before Castmas Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas Wendell & Wild 5November 27, 2022January 15, 2023
30 Danny Boyle Trainspodcasting Trainspotting N/A13January 22, 2023April 30, 2023
31 Buster Keaton Podcast Jr. Sherlock Jr./Steamboat Bill, Jr. N/A6May 7, 2023June 11, 2023
32 Park Chan-wook I'm a Podcast, But That's OK I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK N/A10June 18, 2023September 3, 2023
33 David Fincher The Curious Pod of Benjamin Buttcast The Curious Case of Benjamin Button The Killer 12September 10, 2023November 26, 2023
34 Barbra Streisand Podcastl Yentl N/A5January 14, 2024February 4, 2024
35 John McTiernan Pod Hard with a Vengecast Die Hard with a Vengeance N/A11February 11, 2024April 28, 2024
36 Satoshi Kon Podprikast Paprika N/A4May 5, 2024May 26, 2024
37 Martin Brest Podverly Hills Cast Beverly Hills Cop N/A6June 9, 2024July 14, 2024
38 Kevin Costner Podcasts With Wolves Dances with Wolves Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 4July 21, 2024August 18, 2024
39 David Lynch Twin Pods: Fire Cast With Me Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me N/A15August 25, 2024December 22, 2024
40 Steven Spielberg (The Early Years) [note 3] Podrassic Cast Jurassic Park N/A15January 5, 2025April 20, 2025

Blank Check: Special Features

On January 1, 2019, Newman and Sims created a Patreon page, Blank Check: Special Features, where fans could pay a monthly amount in exchange for extra content. Blank Check Special Features focuses primarily on audio commentary about films that are part of franchises, including the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Toy Story, Mission: Impossible, The Santa Clause and Alien. [5] [6] The Patreon feed also offers monthly bonus episodes and other content related to the current miniseries or general interest.

As of November 2023, the Blank Check Patreon was ranked 15th in the podcast category and 39th overall based on the number of paying supporters, with 18,692 subscribers. [7] [8]

FranchiseInitial Release
EpisodesFirst episodeLast episode
1 Marvel Cinematic Universe 23January 1, 2019December 1, 2019
2 Star Wars [note 4] 8January 1, 2020April 21, 2020
3 Toy Story 5May 11, 2020June 21, 2020
4 Mission: Impossible 6June 30, 2020September 21, 2020
5 Alien 6October 1, 2020December 21, 2020
6 Crocodile Dundee 3January 1, 2021February 1, 2021
7 Star Trek [note 5] 6February 21, 2021May 1, 2021
8 The Twilight Saga 5May 21, 2021July 21, 2021
9 The Chronicles of Riddick 3August 1, 2021September 1, 2021
10 The Mummy 5September 22, 2021November 11, 2021
11 The Santa Clause 3November 21, 2021December 21, 2021
12 Ghostbusters 4January 1, 2022February 21, 2022
13 The Matrix 4March 1, 2022April 21, 2022
14 Batman [note 6] 7May 1, 2022August 1, 2022
15 Roger Moore Bond 7August 21, 2022November 21, 2022
16 National Treasure 2December 1, 2022December 21, 2022
17 Qatsi Trilogy 3January 1, 2023February 1, 2023
18 Men in Black 4February 21, 2023April 1, 2023
19 Planet of the Apes [note 7] 5April 21, 2023June 21, 2023
20 Ocean's 5July 1, 2023September 1, 2023
21Pierce Brosnan Bond4September 21, 2023November 1, 2023
22 Austin Powers [note 8] 4November 21, 2023January 1, 2024
23 Terminator 6January 21, 2024April 1, 2024
24 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 7April 21, 2024July 21, 2024
25Tabletop Games [note 9] 6August 1, 2024October 21, 2024
26 Andrew Lloyd Webber adaptations [note 10] 4November 1, 2024December 21, 2024
27The Jelly Trilogy [note 11] 3January 1, 2025February 1, 2025
28 Star Trek: The Next Generation [note 12] 5February 21, 2025April 21, 2025

Blank Check: March Madness

Every March since 2018, there has been a March Madness style bracket pitting thirty-two directors against each other, allowing listeners to vote and decide a director to be covered later in the year. [9] Until 2022, the votes were cast through Twitter polls, but were later moved to the Blank Check website following use of bots to influence match-ups. [10] Since 2020, there have been brackets exclusive to the Patreon to decide a franchise to cover.

YearThemeWinnerRunner-Up
2018N/A Nancy Meyers David Fincher
2019N/A Jonathan Demme George Miller
2020Oscars vs. Razzies Robert Zemeckis Barry Sonnenfeld
2021Hosts vs. Guests John Carpenter Gore Verbinski
202220th Century Filmmakers Stanley Kubrick Orson Welles
2023World Cup/International Park Chan-wook Bong Joon-ho
2024The New Blood David Lynch Spike Lee
2025Decade of Dreams Coen brothers Peter Weir

Reception

Blank Check has been positively reviewed by Paste , [11] Decider , [3] and The A.V. Club . [12] The show was included in Esquire's list of the best 21 podcasts of 2018, [13] as well as on Paste's list of the top 30 podcasts of the decade. [14] It has also been featured in Vulture and Entertainment Weekly as a selection of the week. [15] [16] In May 2023, Luis A. Gómez of The New Yorker wrote about the podcast, stating that "Newman and Sims reveal themselves as connoisseurs of context in engaging, discursive conversations" and are "a positive, authoritative voice in the film-podcasting landscape." [17]

Notes

  1. ↑ Only films directed by Spielberg after he co-founded DreamWorks Pictures in 1994 are reviewed.
  2. ↑ Only English-language films directed by Verhoeven are reviewed.
  3. ↑ Only films directed by Spielberg before he co-founded DreamWorks Pictures in 1994 are reviewed.
  4. ↑ Only films that take place chronologically after the Prequels.
  5. ↑ Only films based on the original Star Trek series are covered. Any subsequent Star Trek films would be covered in their own miniseries.
  6. ↑ Only wide release Batman movies not previously covered on the podcast are covered.
  7. ↑ Only the original five films from 1968-1973 are covered.
  8. ↑ Also included The Love Guru .
  9. ↑ Includes Clue, Dungeons & Dragons, Battleship, Ouija, Ouija: Origin of Evil, and Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
  10. ↑ Includes Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, The Phantom of the Opera, and Cats
  11. ↑ Includes Analyze This, Mickey Blue Eyes, and Analyze That
  12. ↑ Only films based on the Star Trek: The Next Generation series and Galaxy Quest are covered. Any subsequent Star Trek or Dean Parisot films would be covered in their own miniseries.

References

  1. ↑ "Blank Check with Griffin & David". Audioboom. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
  2. ↑ "Podcast". Blank Check with Griffin and David. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  3. 1 2 Reid, Joe (January 28, 2016). "'Blank Check' Is the Movie Podcast You Need to Be Listening To (Especially If You're Into M. Night Shyamalan)". Decider. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
  4. ↑ ""GRIFFIN AND DAVID PRESENT" IS DEAD!". Twitter. January 27, 2016. Archived from the original on May 5, 2023. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  5. ↑ "Toy Story". Patreon. May 1, 2020. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  6. ↑ "Spider-Man: Far From Home". Patreon. December 1, 2019. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Blank Check with Griffin & David". graphtreon.com/top-patreon-creators. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Blank Check with Griffin and David Patreon". patreon.com. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
  9. ↑ "March Madness". Blank Check with Griffin and David. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  10. ↑ "We're declaring John Carpenter the winner". Twitter. April 1, 2021. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  11. ↑ Techler, Graham (July 5, 2018). "Blank Check and the Intersection of Comedy and Criticism". Paste Magazine. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
  12. ↑ Vanderbilt, Mike; Bulnes, Rebecca; James, Becca; Colburn, Randall; Brooke, Zach (August 14, 2017). "Griffin and David tackle Inception this week on Blank Check's podcast-in-a-podcast". A.V. Club. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
  13. ↑ "The 21 Best Podcasts of 2018". Esquire. December 27, 2018. Retrieved August 29, 2019.
  14. ↑ Jackson, Josh; Paste Staff (October 28, 2019). "The 30 Best Podcasts of the 2010s". Paste Magazine. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  15. ↑ Wright, Megh (August 31, 2018). "This Week in Comedy Podcasts: A Blank Check–Las Culturistas Crossover". Vulture. Retrieved August 29, 2019.
  16. ↑ EW Staff (September 8, 2017). "This Week's Must List: Top of the Lake, The Deuce, and Le Carré's Latest". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 29, 2019.
  17. ↑ Gómez, Luis (May 15, 2023). "Blank Check". The New Yorker. Retrieved May 6, 2023.
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