blankcheck

Maestro with Marie Bardi-Salinas

The music! The makeup! The MAESTRO! We’re diving into Bradley Cooper’s Leonard Bernstein biopic, the result of his post-A STAR IS BORN Blank Check, and we’re getting personal, emotional, and pretty ridiculous. Who does Griffin’s Bernstein impression sound like (because it certainly doesn’t sound like Bernstein)? What is Ben’s familial connection to the Maestro? Will Marie ever forgive Griffin for inviting Bobby Wagner on a date to visit Bradley Cooper’s Philly cheesesteak truck ...

Austin Powers in Goldmember

HE LOVES GOLD!!!!! BC:SF aka the leading Austin Powers Collectible Card Game podcast wraps up the Powers portion of the Mike Meyers quartet of films as they discuss Austin Powers in Goldmember. Topics include: The cost of 20th century oxygen, David's Austin Powers name and early Wonka reports (and confirmation??) of Wonkquaman!

Movie Starts at 21:14

The Boy and the Heron with J.D. Amato

It took seven years for Hayao Miyazaki and the artists at Studio Ghibli to make THE BOY AND THE HERON. What better way to honor that lengthy process than to invite JD Amato back for another clockbusting, context-loaded episode?! For a rather bit-free THREE-AND-A-HALF HOURS, we are diving into Miyazaki’s personal history, his creative process, the differing animation styles between the Ghibli greats, and the thematic implications of this beautiful new film. Because this is Blank Check, we’...

I Love You to Death

Mamma mia! We’ve got-a some-a sleepy pasta for-a you to taste-a this-a week! In our latest, much-awaited installment of PORCH CLASSICS, we’re handing the reins to Producer Ben, who has chosen to spotlight a forgotten comedy about “the world’s horniest pizza man who cannot die.” Lawrence Kasdan’s I LOVE YOU TO DEATH is a feast of bizarre performances (Italian-face Kevin Kline, Serb-face Joan Plowright, Stoner-face William Hurt) and tonal miscalculations. All this to say - it’s a ...

Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me

YEAH BABY! BC:SF's commentary series on the Austin Powers franchise continues with 1999’s Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me. Topics include: The original title for the film, tales-of-old about Friend of the Show / Family of the show Peter Newman, and what the 2023 version of Mojo is.

Movie starts at 1:21

The Killer with Marie Bardi

We’re wrapping up our Fincher series with his latest release - a stripped-down, gig-economy hitman thriller - THE KILLER. Is Michael Fassbender’s unnamed hitman actually good at his job, or a total goober? How do your friends at Blank Check feel about The Smiths? Where do the Two Friends put MANK in their final Fincher rankings? And - is Griffin okay, or has he fallen too deep inside the Gaylor Swift rabbit hole?

2023-11-26 05:00:00 +0000 UTC View Post

Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery

BC:SF's Most Shagadelic commentary series yet kicks off with 1997’s Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery! 

Topics include: Griffin’s conversations with teachers at a young age, the British cut, and how can Bill Clinton, George Clinton and George S. Clinton not be related.

Movie starts at 20:22

Mank with Sean Fennessey

Nerts! Are you folks ready to get MANK-PILLED? We advise that you start by “mankro-dosing” David Fincher’s 2020 exploration of the life and times of cantankerous screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz. The Big Picture’s Sean Fennessey joins us to chat about Fincher’s first Netflix feature, and we’re asking all the important questions. Would this film have a better reputation if it had been titled “manK!” ? Will there be a film made 40 years from now entitled “SORK” about Aaron ...

Gone Girl with Esther Zuckerman

“Amazing Amy” meets “Awkwardly-Smiling Affleck” in Fincher’s darkly comic masterpiece - an instant classic from that first shot of Rosamund Pike’s pretty head. The delightful Esther Zuckerman (who will definitely NOT “gone girl” her boyfriend) joins us to discuss this impressive work of adaptation. We’re asking all the big questions - is “Amazing Amy” actually a good children’s book? Did Tyler Perry take any directing tips from David Fincher when he made BOO! A MADEA H...

The Empty Man

In this Fincher-Adjacent bonus ep Griffin, David and Ben discuss long-time Fincher documentarian and director David Prior's 2020 film “The Empty Man”. Topics include: How much does it cost to visit Bhutan, "When's He/She Bad Actors" and of course The Empty Man.

Be warned, there are mouth sounds in the episode:

20:22

23:12

31:47

1:02:27

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo with Fran Hoepfner

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo? More like The Girl Who Go On Computer! The Girl with the Fruit Tattoo - Fran Hoepfner - joins us as we dive into Fincher’s 2011 Nordic noir. How does Fincher’s take on Stieg Larsson’s international best-seller compare with the original Swedish version? What does Rooney Mara as Lisbeth Salander have in common with ET? Does Christopher Plummer have the greatest octogenarian acting decade of all time? WHEN WILL BEN HOSLEY MAKE HIS WITCH HACKER MOVIE?

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Die Another Day

BC:SF's Brosnan-focused Bond series concludes with 2002's Die Another Day! Topics include: Rosamund Pike's career, relitigation of duck piss and of course Disney Emoji Blitz. 

Movie starts at 12:17

BC:SF's Annual Bond series will return...... Or will it!? 

The Social Network

Let us take a walk down memory lane to when the Metaverse was but a twinkle in Zuck’s eye, to when Aaron Sorkin was just a much-respected writer and not yet a (groan) director…to when the idea of a prestige film about millennial tech bros seemed like a ludicrous proposition. My, how times have changed! THE SOCIAL NETWORK is one of the most influential and consequential films of the 21st Century - prescient, quotable, and eminently rewatchable. You know what’s cooler than a two hour podc...

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson

2007’s THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON is a film that dares to ask the question, “What if he baby but old?” Despite the meme-ification of David Fincher’s trip to the uncanny valley, we are pleased to make our belated case for why this movie is GOOD, actually, and in step with the themes of Da Finch Man’s body of work - not a sappy outlier. Vanity Fair’s Richard Lawson returns to the podcast as we all grapple with mortality, wistfully opine about tugboats, and develop an absurd...

The World Is Not Enough

BC:SF's Brosnan-focused Bond series continues! Topics include: the Kevin Costner and Cal Ripken Jr. conspiracy, the parahawk a fictional hybrid paraglider/snowmobile vehicle, the unfair treatment of Denise Richards as nuclear physicist Dr. Christmas Jones, Ricky Jay throwing cards and more!

Movie starts at 14:41

Zodiac with Leslye Headland

This is the Zodiac speaking. I have recorded this podcast episode with Griffin, David, and the genius Leslye Headland because I am tired of the tangents on every other episode so far this Fincher series. With this episode, we’re getting into the CRAFT, the OBSESSION, the MADNESS, the MINUTIAE of David Fincher’s Gordian knot of a true crime mystery. What is the scariest scene in ZODIAC? Which of the three main actors gives the best performance? Are Aqua Velvas good? Like my identity, there...

David Fincher Music Videos

Heh heh. We’re like watching music videos directed by some buttmunch named David Fincher? YES thats right, Beavis and Buttheads, for October’s bonus ep the gang presents commentary of 30 different video selections spanning the entirety of da Finchman’s career as a music video director. Topics include: Christopher Cross' 1981 Grammy sweep, why Bamboléo hits different, too much Billy Idol, the tiniest desk concerts, pondering if its funnier when Glick says it and so much more!

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Panic Room with Eva Anderson

We’re scootin’ through some wild Manhattan real estate this week and locking ourselves into David Fincher’s PANIC ROOM with the wonderful Eva Anderson! Can you believe that Jodie Foster wasn’t even supposed to be in this movie? And that David Fincher was the one who braided Jared Leto’s cornrows? Just kidding about that last one. Come for Griffin’s formative crush on young Kristen Stewart, stay for the inexplicable amount of talk about “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip” - a show ...

Tomorrow Never Dies with Jason Mantzoukas

Jason Mantzoukas (How Did This Get Made?)  joins this week for another installment in BC:SF's Brosnan-focused Bond series. Topics include: Ricky Jay card strength, The price being RIGHT, decorative chains, and more!

Movie starts at…13:07

Fight Club with Alex Ross Perry (The First Rule Cut)

The first rule of Fight Club? Don’t talk about Fight Club. The second rule of Fight Club? DON’T TALK ABOUT FIGHT CLUB. For those of you who like following the rules, this is an edited version of our main feed episode wherein we do NOT talk about the seminal 1999 film FIGHT CLUB. 

Fight Club with Alex Ross Perry

The first rule of Fight Club? Don’t talk about Fight Club. The second rule of Fight Club? DON’T TALK ABOUT FIGHT CLUB. For those of you who like following the rules, we have an edited version of this episode available on Patreon wherein we do NOT talk about the seminal 1999 film FIGHT CLUB. But for the rest of you sickos, we’ve got a supersized episode with Project Mayhem’s own Alex Ross Perry. In this episode, we discuss our picks for the iconic DVDs of the “DVD era”, dive into t...

The Game with Brendan Hines

Congratulations! If you are listening to this episode, it means you’ve discovered the key in the mouth of the wooden clown we placed in your driveway. Actor, musician, and handsome man Brendan Hines joins us this week as we lead you on an immersive, life-changing experience through David Fincher’s The Game. We understand you may have some questions. How much did this whole thing cost? Is cocaine a requirement for every Michael Douglas movie? What’s Deborah Kara Unger up to thes...

GoldenEye

Bond…the James Bond franchise will, moving forward, be an annual topic of discussion! Specifically, framed around each lead actor. BC:SF picks up this year with Pierce Brosnan in 1995’s GoldenEye. Topics include: the cusp of ‘dame’ status for Judi Dench, spy craft, personal history riding on various forms of transportation, childhood injuries, and more!

Movie starts at…19:56

Se7en with Mike Mitchell & Nick Wiger

Who loves Da Finchman? These guys do! MTV Movie Award-losing duo Mitch and Nick of the Doughboys join us to talk about David Fincher’s breakthrough hit - the nasty noir SE7EN. What can you expect from this episode? Lots of talk about “playground rumors” related to what this movie does and doesn’t actually show, a full taxonomy of Kevin Spacey’s on-screen persona, the true identity of the Zodiac killer, and a VERY Doughboys description of the film’s “gluttony” murder.

2023-09-17 04:00:00 +0000 UTC View Post

Alien vs. Predator / Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem

For September's bonus ep is a semi-Fincher related and oft-mentioned / promised selection! The BC crew discusses 2004’s Alien vs. Predator and 2007’s Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem. Topics discussed in addition to AvP and AvP:R include the SAW franchise, the canon of “Vs” movies, and a huge joke pays off at 1:20:00.

Alien³ with Matt Singer

The time has come for us to talk about one of the most successful, most influential, most respected American filmmakers of the past 30 years. That’s right, we’re talking about the director of ALIEN3, David “Da Finchman” Fincher! We’re kicking off “The Curious Pod of Benjamin Buttcast” in style, pressing play on our Alien Quadrilogy Blu-Ray with guest Matt Singer - and you better believe we’re watching the “extended cut” in “Mu-th-ur Mode”! Join us as we give some light...

Decision to Leave with Tatiana Maslany

Decision to Leave? More like, decision to watch a good movie! EMMY AWARD WINNER (but more importantly, David Sims Best Supporting Actress Nominee of 2017) joins us to discuss Park’s most recent film, a romantic noir that gets text messaging absolutely right. We’re getting into everything, from the complexities of Tang Wei’s performance, to the concept of “sand beaching,” to S. Craig Zahler’s tight ponytail. Plus, we give our final Park rankings, and announce our next series, the w...

Ocean's 8

Viva Las Vegas?! No, on the contrary, this fifth entry into the BC:SF Ocean’s commentary series is set in (checks notes) NEW YORK CITY! Join Griffin, David, and Ben and watch the female drive spin-off Ocean’s 8. Topics include: favorite Sandra Bullock performances, spotting Griffin’s arm, NYC landmarks, a certain “entertainer” that shows up towards the end of the movie, and more.

Movie starts at…2:57

The Handmaiden with Emily Yoshida

We couldn’t be more excited to talk about the film we consider to be Park’s masterpiece - the gorgeous, twisty, and ultimately moving THE HANDMAIDEN. “Mother of the Blankies” Emily Yoshida joins us to unpack this puzzlebox of an erotic thriller, a brilliant adaptation of Sarah Waters’ Fingersmith. Come for the coining of a new Blank Check phrase (thanks, researcher JJ!), stay for a very crucial “touch of the Tucc” tangent. By the way - what does that octopus actually do...

Ocean’s Thirteen

BC:SF has reached the final film in the Soderbergh directed trilogy, Ocean’s Thirteen (2007). This time it’s back to basics for ol’ Sodie and the gang after the loathed previous release. Topics include: the addition of Al Pacino to the cast, reasons why the nose plays, discovering Dave & Buster’s, the lost Hans and Franz movie, and more.

Movie starts at…1:11