Alas, our Nora Ephron series has come to an end! For our last ep, we’re happy we get to end on a high note and a touch of the Tucc… with 2009’s Julie & Julia. Returning to not only offer her chef expertise but share but how this movie molded her life is noted sister, Romilly Newman! We talk Meryl Streep’s Oscar nomination, why Amy Adams’ half works just as well, and why this film encapsulates Nora’s career so perfectly. Stay tuned ‘til the end for our rankings and announceme...
2020-08-02 04:00:00 +0000 UTC
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It’s hard enough constantly saving the world at the last possible minute. But is the ultimate impossible mission actually marriage?! It’s 2006 and the third entry in the franchise finds Ethan Hunt facing off one gruff villain played Philip Seymour-Hoffman, IMF office drama, all while attempting a happy normal life with Julia, played by Michelle Monaghan. Mission: Impossible - 3, JJ Abrams’ directorial debut, begs the question… can men really juggle it all?
The m...
2020-08-01 04:01:03 +0000 UTC
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Years were spent trying to figure out the perfect way to bring back the 60s sitcom, Bewitched. The result was a confusing, critical bomb. How do you go wrong with a hot Oscar winner, SNL star, a handful of Daily Show correspondents, and the Ephron sisters? Blank Check attempts to find out. Dana Schwartz joins #thetwofriends to discuss 2005's Bewitched! Plus, a special bonus interview with Alex Ross Perry and Jason Schwartzman on his experience working with Nora Ephron.
2020-07-26 04:00:00 +0000 UTC
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Tommy’s back for M:i-2! John Woo's bird and mask reveal-filled sequel is notoriously always ranked at the bottom of the Mission franchise. But can it be redeemed by Limp Bizkit, motorcycle jousting, glowing virus tubes, and Thandie Newton’s screen presence alone? Maybe not, but we had fun figuring it out. For context, we also recorded this commentary before that Vulture Thandie interview dropped (keep an eye out for that zit!) because you know Blank Check... we gotta keep on rollin, baby....
2020-07-21 04:01:00 +0000 UTC
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It’s an extra-sized episode featuring director Alex Ross Perry for this strange film about lotteries or something. Which Seinfeld characters are the Two Friends, Ben, and Ang? What awesome tidbits did Alex pick up from the Lucky Numbers commentary? What are the merits of the films of all the other Friends (from Friends)?
The Seinfeld theme is composed by Jonathan Wolff.
2020-07-19 04:00:00 +0000 UTC
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AOL may have aged out but has this classic rom-com? We invited Who? Weekly's very own Lindsey Weber and Bobby Finger to discuss another Nora Ephron box office hit–You've Got Mail (1998). We get into the all-star cast with Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Dave Chapelle, Greg Kinnear, Parker Posey, meet cutes, and Nora's New York City.
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2020-07-12 04:00:00 +0000 UTC
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Written by Nora and Delia Ephron. Directed by Diane Keaton. Starring Keaton, Meg Ryan, and Lisa Kudrow as sisters. It's the Avengers for 30+ year old white women! Before we get to M:I 2, we're taking it back to another time capsule from 2000—Hanging Up. Our old pal Sonia Saraiya (Vanity Fair) joins!
2020-07-11 04:00:01 +0000 UTC
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This week, Blank Check tackles one of film’s greatest mysteries, John Travolta’s career in the 90s. In Michael (1996), he plays an angel who visits earth to bring people together, but get this…he’ a bad boy! With the cast rounded out with Andie MacDowell, William Hurt, Bob Hoskins and of course, Sparky the dog, it did well at the box office but where does it land in the scope of Nora’s career? Kevin Porter (Good C...
2020-07-05 04:00:00 +0000 UTC
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Your mission should you choose to accept it… is an extremely silly hang with the Blank Check crew. From movie 1, it’s clear you guys made the right call with our first Patreon March Madness champion - The Mission: Impossible franchise. Join us as we watch Ethan Hunt get progressively more insane, Luther become his instant bestie, tense action hinge on one man’s indigestion, and bask in the glow of that sweet sweet 1996 computer tech.
The movie starts at...
2020-07-01 04:01:01 +0000 UTC
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The friends are joined by Search Party director Charles Rogers to discuss this mixed bag of mixed messages of a Christmas movie that shows maybe Norah Ephron can't do black comedies. Don't worry if you haven't seen it, because this is mostly an extensive discussion about Steve Martin's career, Liev Schreiber being great in drag, and the Sondheim musical Assassins.
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Before we dive into those impossible missions, we gotta go on one last adventure with Griffin's favorite pals! It's time for Toy Story 4 (2019), released after a decade of development (and weirdly exactly a year ago today). We make our official rankings, dig into the meaning of life, and most important of all… Ben is finally introduced to David's fiance… Forky.
2020-06-21 04:00:01 +0000 UTC
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Only Nora Ephron could make a rom-com where the leads interact for 2 minutes an instant classic. The BC crew makes a Tom and Meg inspired long distance call to Katey Rich (Vanity Fair) for Ephron's sophomore hit, Sleepless in Seattle (1993). We get into how rom-coms have risen and fallen, the lure of cool boat houses, and the enigma that is Chet Hanks.
For the month of June we will be spotlighting groups dedicated to and run by Black trans and non-binary people who nee...
2020-06-21 04:00:00 +0000 UTC
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"Everything is copy." is the code Ephron lived by and no film fit that better than her directorial debut, This is My Life (1992). After the success of When Harry Met Sally, Nora and Delia Ephron teamed up for a comedy about two sisters and their mother's rise on the comedy scene in NYC. Comedian and host of Sirius' The Michelle Collins Show, Michelle Collins, joins to talk Julie Kavner's career, realistic movie standup, and weird child actors.
For the month of June we will b...
2020-06-14 04:00:00 +0000 UTC
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This bonus BC:SF takes a deep dive into the extended Toy Story franchise. Griffin, David and Ben discuss the 2 television specials (the Halloween-themed Toy Story of Terror! and the Christmas-themed Toy Story That Time Forgot), as well as, selected short films (Hawaiian Vacation, Small Fry, and Partysaurus Rex) and of course Forky Asks a Question. Plus, David ranks his top 10 toys...AS TOYS!
2020-06-11 04:00:01 +0000 UTC
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It laid the groundwork for her entire film career. It set the mold for every rom-com that followed. Though it wasn’t her directorial debut, you just don’t do Nora Ephron without covering When Harry Met Sally. We invited Slate critic and podcast host Dana Stevens (Culture Gabfest, Flashback) to discuss the 1989 classic and ask the big questions. How is Billy Crystal so damn charming? Which Meg Ryan hairstyle is best? And most importantly...can men and women be friends???
...
2020-06-07 04:21:00 +0000 UTC
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There was a decade between this and 2, but was it worth the wait? Toy Story 3 (2010) gives you a serious animation upgrade, an unfortunate Lasseter parallel, and one hell of a prison break sequence. Blank Check debates the strengths and weaknesses of the third entry in the Toy Story franchise.
2020-06-01 04:01:01 +0000 UTC
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It's a Ben's Choice bay-bee! Dry, dusty tombs ✓ Crazy convoluted tech ✓ Vast intergalactic conspiracies? ✓✓✓ 1994's Stargate really does have it all. This week Ben gets to makes his case for this Egyptian/Sci-Fi Roland Emmerich cult favorite, and why it's best viewed from a porch.
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Follow us @blankcheckpod on 2020-05-31 03:30:00 +0000 UTC
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You're entering a world of a b-b-b-bonus ep! We couldn't wrap up George Miller series without covering the totally bizarre Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983). We specifically dive into Miller's remake of the Serling/Shatner classic, his talent for chaotic action, and Lithgow's oddball career. Stay tuned as we announce the director for our next series!
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2020-05-28 08:00:00 +0000 UTC
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Emily Yoshida (Night Call podcast) joins #thetwofriends to discuss George Miller's magnum opus Mad Max: Fury Road. Together they examine the masterful world building, the flawed leadership of Immortan Joe, lumps, the performances of Charlize Theron, Tom Hardy, Nicholas Hoult and so much more!
SFX: "2020-05-24 04:48:00 +0000 UTC
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Well, Checkmates that day has finally come. Griffin’s top favorite film of all time: Toy Story 2. David, Ben and Ang did their best to rein him in remotely, but there is only so much they could really do. So please enjoy this commentary episode packed with facts, insight and passion from an obsessed toy boy.
2020-05-21 04:00:03 +0000 UTC
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Visual artist Sara Rubin joins BC this week to discuss Miller’s second dancing penguin movie! Together with #thetwofriends they breakdown the billing order, question if krill are sea monkeys and try to guess the tagline to movie Surf’s Up.
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2020-05-17 16:38:00 +0000 UTC
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To Infinity and Beyond! BC:SF begins a new commentary series on the Toy Story franchise. Griffin, David, Ben and Ang recently connected over Virtual Nice to discuss the landmark first feature film from Pixar.
2020-05-11 04:01:00 +0000 UTC
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Caitlin Durante (The Bechdel Cast) joins #thetwofriends to discuss Miller's first foray into animation with 2006's Happy Feet.
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Follow us @blankcheckpod on Instagram, 2020-05-10 04:00:00 +0000 UTC
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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.
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2020-05-03 14:29:00 +0000 UTC
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BAA RAM EWE!!! George Miller didn't direct Babe (an infamous point of contention we dive into) but we couldn't not cover this 1995 classic. Griffin, David, Ang, and Emily Yoshida called each other up on Zoom to revisit James Cromwell's Oscar nominated performance, life and death drama in kids movies, and a certain little pig who goes a long way.
2020-05-01 04:16:00 +0000 UTC
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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 work when they're made by actual doctors...who happen to be as talented as George Miller.
2020-04-26 04:00:00 +0000 UTC
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And so BC:SF wraps up it’s series on the Star Wars franchise with our first remote commentary episode! Griffin, David, Ben and Ang separately together watched Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker.
[Warning: At the beginning of this episode there are multiple false starts of syncing the film. While normally being a “no bits” podcast the hosts requested that the errors stay in and be doubled. Please be patient.]
2020-04-21 04:00:01 +0000 UTC
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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.
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2020-04-19 16:00:00 +0000 UTC
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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!
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2020-04-12 04:00:00 +0000 UTC
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In honor of reaching our 5K goal #thetwofriends, joined by Trolls mastermind and provocateur Richard Lawson, attended Trolls: The Experience in midtown Manhattan back in late December of 2019. Fast forward roughly four months later, they recently recorded an episode in their own homes and discussed their Trolls experience while quarantined. They also examine 2016’s feature film Trolls. Plus, David reveals he founded a new exciting short form video platform.
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2020-04-11 04:00:02 +0000 UTC
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