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Trainspotting with Charles Rogers

The UK’s answer to PULP FICTION, Danny Boyle’s TRAINSPOTTING exploded into theaters and became a global phenomenon, thanks to an iconic marketing campaign. Who *didn’t* have this poster up in their dorm room? “Search Party” creator Charles Rogers returns to the pod to talk about how his own dorm TRAINSPOTTING poster contributed to his coming out at college, and how Danny Boyle’s radical empathy and fearlessness makes this film so much more than a movie-of-the-week cautionary tale....

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Shallow Grave

UK house music, a *very* active camera, and Ewan McGregor looking like a SNACK…that’s right, folks - we’re covering Danny Boyle! With the England bit retired, we’re finally giving dual citizen David Sims the time and space to actually reminisce about his very British upbringing. A sensation in the UK upon release, SHALLOW GRAVE introduced Boyle as the cinematic voice of “Cool Britannia” - yet the film remains an under-seen gem in the States. In this episode, the boys discuss what ...

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Powaqqatsi

Our Qatsi commentary continues with the second installment, 1988's Powaqqatsi. Topics include: carrying, Barge Marge, the Sim franchise, Free Guy, and more!

Movie starts at...5:06

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Wendell & Wild

Henry Selick waited thirteen years to make his follow-up to CORALINE, and it feels like we’ve been waiting even longer to hear David’s TIFF Airbnb story - a yarn that finally gets unspooled with the help of friend Shirley Li. After that business is taken care of, we try our best to describe Selick’s WENDELL & WILD - a film that ranks among the more convoluted of the movies we’ve covered on the pod. Yet - we still find a lot to love about this tale of demons, hair creme, and privat...

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The Seventh Blank Check Mailbag

It's that time to once again open up the Blank Check mailbag for our 7th edition! As always, the gang answers listener submitted questions, as well as, voicemails! Topics include: the Spreadmaster method, blu-ray holy grails, the next Christopher Lloyd, smelling like bleach and so much more!

Special thanks to Katey Rich, Emily St. James, and Nick Wiger!

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Coraline with J.D. Amato

The ultimate connoisseur of context, the guru of camera gear - our friend JD Amato makes his triumphant return to the main feed to walk us through the magic and genius of Henry Selick’s masterpiece CORALINE. For listeners who never had the chance to catch this film in its original 3D release, we attempt to describe Selick’s absolute mastery of the form. We go long on the history of Laika studios, from Will Vinton’s California raisins, to the ultimate “nepo baby” Travis Knight’s (a...

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MAILBAG 2023 - Ask Us Anything!

Happy New Year to all you dang ass freaks!


To kick off another spectacular year of podcasting, we're doing another MAILBAG SHOW!

From NOW until 10:00 PM EASTERN TIME TOMORROW (1/3), please submit your burning questions in the comments below. 


Our *seventh annual* mailbag show will drop on Patreon on 1/11 - stay tuned!

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Koyaanisqatsi

BC:SF starts off 2023 with a "franchise" thats a drastic departure from the MCU origins of this feed. Its ofcourse the first entry in the Qatsi film trilogy: 1982's Koyaanisqatsi! Join Griffin, David, and Ben for this freewheeling commentary on Godfrey Reggio's experimental non-narrative tone poem film...and for the vibes. Topics include: the lasting influence of this work, the Philip Glass soundtrack, plane wipers, spaghetti junctions and more!

Movie starts at...10:03<...

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National Treasure: Book of Secrets

BC:SF opens up the book of secrets in the final installment of the National Treasure commentary series. Topics include: Justin Bartha’s looks throughout the movie, the end of the UK bit, hating the Eiffel Tower, favorite national monuments and more!

Movie starts at...3:40

Movie restarts at...1:28:00

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Avatar: The Way of Water with Marie Bardi

The gang went to see AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER and we all got soaking wet. Fully submerged. Drenched! We’re communing with space whales, chugging coffees with Edie Falco, and learning how to hold our breath for long stretches of time to commemorate the release of James Cameron’s long-awaited sequel to the biggest movie of all time. Are we one with Eywa now? How does Kate Winslet’s Na’vi accent stack up against her previous linguistic efforts? Is the Regal Cinemas Agave Aquarita the per...

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Talking the Walk 2022: Talking the Moonwalk with J.D. Amato

One small step for man, one giant leap for PODCAST! J.D. Amato returns for the fifth annual Talking the Walk and Checkmates you are in store for a VERY SPECIAL EPISODE. Indeed, the gang discusses the 1969 Moonwalk and the absurd conspiracy that actually Stanley Kubrick directed it. But thats not all…we also talked Talking the Moonwalk. Topics include: alternative ideas for future TtW episodes, other director’s secret confessions, coffee diapers, if the pause was good, and more!

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Monkeybone with Justin McElroy

Just in time for Brendan Fraser’s big comeback, we’re taking a look back at his misguided collaboration with Henry Selick - 2001’s bizarro flop MONKEYBONE. Justin McElroy (no relation to Bridget Fonda’s Dr. Julie McElroy) returns to the podcast after having watched this film a whopping seven times (!!) to unpack all the madness. Why are there no rules or logic to the film’s “Dark Town” underworld? What was the appeal of Chris Kattan’s “Mango” character on SNL? Was this fil...

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James and the Giant Peach with Emma Stefansky

Bugs! So many bugs! And…Richard Dreyfuss?? The Bug Queen Emma Stefansky returns to the podcast to celebrate all the creepy crawlies in 1996’s JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH. We’re talking about stone fruit, Randy Newman, and cinema’s sexiest spider in this episode. Plus, we rank our favorite bugs AND our favorite Roald Dahl adaptations, and we learn about how Ben got his scar.


Join our Patreon for franch...

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National Treasure

BC:SF begins December with a gift: a very special National Treasure commentary series! Marie Bardi joins! Topics include: wood teeth, Cage's different toupees, Liberty Bell reviews, early aughts fashion and more!

Movie starts at...00:59

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The Nightmare Before Christmas with Michael Rianda

We’re wearing our Hot Topic sweatshirts and enunciating every dramatic syllable to pay tribute to one of the greatest animated films of all time - Tim Burton’s (but really Henry Selick’s) THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS. Academy Award-nominated animator and Blankie Michael Rianda (THE MITCHELLS VS. THE MACHINES) joins us to talk about this multi-holiday classic, which is basically just a movie about a creative weirdo trying to fit in at Disney. Is this the boniest movie we’ve covered o...

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A View to a Kill

Closing out our Moore James Bond commentary series is 1985's A View to a Kill! Topics include: Christopher Walken baby, casting calls for the oldest stuntman ever, David's recent 4DX experience, a look into the recent end of the year poll and more.

Movie starts at...9:55

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The Fabelmans

For the first time in years, both Griffin and David are in agreement on a new Steven Spielberg film - what a picture! We’re playing both film critics and armchair psychologists in this episode as we unpack THE FABELMANS, a movie that is less sentimental and more complex than one would assume based on the poster. What sets this film apart from the ever-growing stack of filmmaker origin stories? Is this the de-facto Best Picture frontrunner? Why the hell was Griffin shooting on super 8 in the...

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Eyes Wide Shut with David Ehrlich

Cruise. Kidman. Kubrick. Ehrlich. We’re concluding our Stanley Kubrick series with 1999’s EYES WIDE SHUT and a trip to cinema’s most famous masked orgy. Indiewire’s David Ehrlich joins us as we discuss liminal spaces, the late-90s ABC sitcom “Dharma & Greg,” Nick Nightingale’s skills as a piano player, and Sydney Pollack’s barrel chest. Are there “more Christmas lights in this movie than there are in an NYU student’s dormroom?” What is the platonic ideal of a Tom Cru...

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Doctor Sleep

For the Kubrick bonus ep, Griffin, David, and Ben discussed the director’s cut of the Shining sequel, Doctor Sleep. Topics include: how director Mike Flanagan incorporated elements from both the novels and film adaptation, Ewan McGregor’s career, spinoff tv series ideas, how Rose got her hat and more!

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Full Metal Jacket with Jon Gabrus

Alright, maggots, listen up! We’ve got the Action Boy himself - Jon Gabrus - back on the podcast to talk about Kubrick’s bifurcated Vietnam War classic FULL METAL JACKET. We’re retiring the “retired bit” in order to talk about Matthew Modine as Private Joker. We’re getting into the etymology of “poontang.” We’re attempting to articulate what makes a movie feel like an “80s movie” and why this film absolutely doesn’t.  And - we’re gonna end up on a very long tang...

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Octopussy

We’re into the home stretch of our Moore Bond commentary series! In this installment Griffin, David, and Ben discussed 1983’s Octopussy. Topics include: the evolution of Moneypenny and Bond’s relationship, spider bites, the Doughboys use of the term ‘hammer’ and more!

Movie starts at…8:42

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The Shining with Timothy Simons

Just in time for Halloween, we’re checking into the Overlook Hotel - a haunted place not unlike the Beachwood, Ohio, Homewood Suites that Griffin and guest Timothy Simons stayed in while they were filming DRAFT DAY! Is THE SHINING about Native American genocide, or is it about how Stanley Kubrick thought ghosts were kinda nice? Is Shelley Duvall the MVP of this movie? Would Ben absolutely thrive as the hotel’s caretaker - taking inspiration from the stocked kitchen pantry to whip up some ...

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Barry Lyndon with Karina Longworth

NASA-quality lenses, a himbo canon-worthy performance from notoriously “chill and normal guy” Ryan O’Neal, and some flirty ribbon games all combine to make what we consider to be Kubrick’s warmest and most sumptuous film - 1975’s “Barry Lyndon.” Karina Longworth of “You Must Remember This” makes a long-awaited first appearance on the pod to wonder - did Barry actually end up sleeping with his cousin? What are the rules of dueling? Should children be allowed to ride horses? A...

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2010: The Year We Make Contact

For October's b-b-b-bonus episode, BC:SF explores the sequel to Stanley Kubrick's landmark film! Topics include: Europa (duh), the return of H.A.L. 9000, The Animal 2 starring and directed by Rob Schneider news, actor Elya Baskin's career, and more!

Plus, SPOILER ALERT for Don't Worry Darling (9:43 - 10:43)

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A Clockwork Orange with Alex Ross Perry

Attention all droogs: grab your Nadsat dictionaries and your bowler hats, it’s time to drink some drug-milk! We’ve got our very own Alex - Ross Perry, that is - on the pod to go long on Kubrick’s controversial X-rated dystopian nightmare, 1971’s A CLOCKWORK ORANGE. We’re reminiscing about our rebellious teenage years, which for Alex included a trip to New York to see The Prodigy in concert, and for David included a “Pinter phase.” Did you all know that David grew up in England? ...

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For Your Eyes Only

It's back to basics Bond with this next entry in the Moore commentary series, 1981’s For Your Eyes Only. Topics include: train sounds, the IRREPLACEABLE character Luigi Ferrara, a shirtless Charles Dance, Topol running the table on the character Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof and more!

Mov...

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2001: A Space Odyssey with Jordan Hoffman

Open the pod cast doors, HAL - it’s time for us to talk about one of the most important movies in cinema history. Jordan Hoffman - the friend of the pod who best represents both the “diamond-hard Sci Fi” and psychedelic head-trip factions of 2001 fandom - returns to Blank Check, and we’re doling out the knowledge *and* the giggles. When is the ideal moment to “partake” in order to get the trippiest experience from 2001? Is Griffin starting to change his mind about Kubrick not bein...

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PICK OUR NEXT COMMENTARY SERIES: YOU HAVE TWO HOURS

All the information is in the title! VOTE NOW!!!

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Dr. Strangelove... with Sean Fennessey

Gentlemen, you can’t fight in here, Sean Fennessey is finally on our podcast! The Big Picture Pod host joins Griffin and David to talk about Kubrick’s razor-sharp satire, the Peter Sellers tour-de-force that is “Dr. Strangelove”. We’re asking all the questions - Could Sellers have played *every* character in this movie? Is the film paradoxically funnier because Kubrick isn’t really a comedy guy? Would George C. Scott hate this podcast? Would you give “Tom Jones” a middling thr...

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Moonraker

🎵Nobody does commentaries better!🎵 BC:SF begins October with the Moore Bond series taking James to one of the most exotic locations...the moon! Topics include: the Broccoli family rumors, the pigeon double take, nobody doing it better, Jaws' evolution and more!

Movie starts at…2:26

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