Blank Check with Griffin & David - Podcast Rankings and reviews

I’ve subscribed to Blank Check for about five years now and have really grown to love the show. When Griffin and David announced that they were doing “David Lynch” I patiently waited for them to get to my favorite film of all time. And it was WELL worth the wait. Three hours and 45 minutes zipped by. The conversation was deep, knowledgeable, and fun. It wasn’t tied up in a tidy bow, but that would be inappropriate for this film. Great job, boys!! Glad you had the stamina to do this!!

I learn so much about culture and film from the two friends. It’s totally changed the way I watch movies! Plus the show has led me to discover filmmakers I hadn’t heard of before. (Elaine May!) Griffin and David are really generous with their approach. The tone of the show is never mocking. Even when they cover flops, they look for things to appreciate. It’s such a lovely and open way to look at art.

Besides making me always hoot and holler, the podcast is insightful and full of in-depth information for each movie that provides context in the directors’ filmography. It’s a great mix between casual conversation and sharing knowledge. Absolutely loved the Fincher series!

A quick google search will yield the twenty or so episodes that are worth listening to; you can safely skip the rest. Occasionally these people produce an episode that is brimming with passion (i.e. the Mad Max: Furiosa episode or the Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me episode), chock full of tantalizing details, and serves as an ersatz biography of its creator. A few episodes are genuinely funny (i.e. The War Horse episode). These episodes are extremely enjoyable and deliver the kind of analysis and insight I’m looking for. But, most episodes are rambling journeys into the hosts’ uninteresting lives and offer little insight into the films they cover. Cringe theater kid ad reads, ludicrous hot takes from guest and hosts alike, and dull anecdotes abound. Oblique insults aimed at funnier people (Nick Mullen etc.) or the invocation of their far superior antecedents (Scott Aukerman) highlight the hosts’ own comedic dearth. If you’re a Mad Max fan you have to listen to their Furiosa episode.

I truly don’t understand why I am 1.5 HOURS into trying to listen to this podcast and they haven’t even started talking about the movie Slumdog Millionaire. I’d love to listen to a in depth analysis or details about the movie and they have talked about everything else under the sun. Why do podcasters do this with movie summaries?