Blank Check with Griffin & David
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.
Our Editor's Take
Blank Check with Griffin & David is a fun podcast for listeners with a thing for cinema. This means those who love a full-on, comprehensive review of a director's filmography. It's like a series of director-themed film festivals, only funnier.
Every week on Blank Check with Griffin & David, hosts Griffin Newman and David Sims bring up a different film industry giant. Then, the duo, and sometimes a guest, will analyze that director. Legends like Stanley Kubrick, Nora Ephron, and John Carpenter are among those discussed.
Blank Check with Griffin & David is serious about films. But it also has many light moments as well. There are many jokes about Forky, the Toy Story 4 character. Other inside jokes reward regular show listeners.
The podcast has many original ideas. For example, Newman and Sims put a different spin on George Lucas's Star Wars prequels. The Blank Check with Griffin & David hosts imagine what would have happened if these three films were all Lucas ever released. Could Lucas have been the same box office legend? Or would bringing up his name only make people think of Jar Jar Binks?
The Blank Check with Griffin & David hosts offer witty banter, plenty of criticism, and praise where it's earned. The hosts both have show business backgrounds. David is a film critic for The Atlantic, and Griffin is an actor. They also have guests on the show. Featured visitors have included directors Lin-Manuel Miranda and Kevin Smith. Comedians Patton Oswalt and Scott Aukerman also bring their opinions to the show.
Griffin and David produce most episodes of their show in a miniseries format. Each theme will span several episodes. The James Cameron series, called Podinator: Judgment Cast, has 11 installments. Robert Zemeckis gets a whopping 20 episodes with Podcast Away. Not every episode is a retrospective, though. Steven Spielberg released The Fabelmans in 2022. The director had gotten a retrospective on the podcast in 2017. So the podcast discussed the latest release in a separate episode. Fans can expect new episodes of Blank Check with Griffin & David to come out each week.
Episodes
