Reads the dossier and loves Kubrick's behind-the-scenes fights and the Harris partnership. Loves noir, character actors like Timothy Carey and Elisha Cook, and a good gimmick structure. Can't stand puns on a movie's title and is hard on bloated studio epics.
Stances
The Killing is Kubrick's first film he respects
Kubrick's control hardens after the Harris years
Bed of Fear is a worse title than The Killing
Humor: Deadpan riffs and bits about invented writers' rooms and Fox execs, plus affection for the bit that goes one step too far.
In their words
“I love how much this movie comes out of Kubrick's chess life in multiple ways.” (0:09:39)
“Because people hate puns.” (1:06:50)
“I just like imagining whoever the Fox exec was who was like, hey, Frank” (0:15:04)
Admires Kubrick more than he loves the films, though he loves The Shining and counts Eyes Wide Shut as a favorite; has never seen Barry Lyndon or Spartacus. Loves rough, process-visible first films and tactile photography. Skeptical of war films and of overlong thin plots.
Stances
Fear and Desire is not a good movie and should be shorter
The Killing and Killer's Kiss show Kubrick's rapid growth
Mythology around Kubrick is inflated by his silence
Humor: Rapid, profane riffs and movie-trivia bits that spiral into digressions.
In their words
“I've always admired him a lot more than I love his movies.” (0:11:35)
“This movie is interesting because he doesn't, really.” (0:36:52)
Griffin loves Lego Batman as the definitive Batman movie, Lego bricks, and animation limits that are exploited rather than hidden. He admires clever craft decisions (the shoulder-dislocation trick, the flame pieces) and sincere sentiment. He is a sucker for toy lore and trivia. He thinks the IP-cameo mashup is the film's one valid flaw.
Stances
Lego Batman is the best Batman movie, with the most complete understanding of the character
Robin works best as a contrast point, not a dark mirror of Batman
Limits (Lego rules, stop-motion look) produce better art
The Lego Movie is still the pinnacle
Humor: Rapid, pop-literate riffing and trivia dumps, plus running jokes about David's daughter and his Lego desires.
In their words
“I think this is the best Batman movie period.” (0:01:10)
“Lego movie is still the pinnacle for me, though.” (1:38:30)
Griffin runs the screening and knows the film cold, down to Becker's DVD commentary. He loves a film of stunning chaos and star-driven studio excess, and gets a kick out of continuity breakdowns and impossible geography. He pauses constantly to underline plot logic.
Stances
Old Dogs is demented but made by experienced professionals
Becker is a studio-comedy auteur of illogic
Pauses the film to explain what just happened
Humor: Deadpan lawyerly narration of absurd plot points, with the audience reacting.
In their words
“This is the most demented movie ever made.” (0:09:39)
“Now, as I press play again, I want you to take note of, there being zero puppets on stage.” (1:18:04)
Loves the self-aware comedy of the Adam West show and the density of its gags, and recounts comics lore (Robin lineage, Damian Wayne) with relish. Can't stand lazy branding on villains like the Riddler's single question mark. A sucker for gadgets, vehicles and Conan-style shorthand humor.
Stances
The 1966 movie is better written comedy than its camp reputation
Robins and rogues galleries are the weak spots of the film franchise
Humor: Rapid bit-building on villain puns and impressions.
In their words
“By the way, this is a blank check special features. I'm Griffin.” (0:13:50)
“For 5 seconds, I think people thought Crisis on Infinite Earth was gonna tie in the tick universe.” (0:05:04)
Likes Roger Moore Bond and the Apes films as franchise building blocks, and enjoys the structure of the bracket. Not stated much beyond this in the audio. Enthusiastic about doing Psycho.
Stances
Defends Apes as the root of franchise storytelling
Humor: Plays straight man to the Chip Smith bit and riffs on Oscars production.
Newly converted to In the Cut from a 'morbid curiosity' first viewing with David; deeply knows New York geography and nightlife, since he lived on the Lower East Side. Likes Practical Magic and Mark Ruffalo's balanced career, and is skeptical of Unfaithful. (Speaker labels are inferred; the transcript has none.)
Stances
The film is uncomfortable even if most criticisms at the time were stupid
Humor: Riffs on the podcast's own name and contractual obligation, and chases movie-trivia tangents.
In their words
“with morbid curiosity more than anything else, you know?” (0:10:45)
“I lived on 2nd Avenue and 6th Street” (0:44:56)
“I don't understand why people were going David loves it.” (0:13:01)
Went in ready to reappreciate the franchise and loved the first two films (came out of midnight screenings thinking of them as giddy, teenage and emotionally charged). Hates movies where characters refuse to make decisions and the plot stalls for time, and dislikes the permanence/teen-marriage logic of the books. Suckers for a bold swing, such as the last film's big deviation, and for Slade's horror-genre scenes. Attribution is partly inferred from context (baby, steel book, signing off at 2:12) so confidence is moderate.
Stances
Eclipse is lifeless and rudderless after the first two
Slade only seems to like the bad-vampire scenes
Twilight fandom deserves respect against gatekeeping
Humor: Dry riffs and long shaggy-dog trivia, escalating bits like Burger King toys and hand stuff.
In their words
“Here's my take on this movie.” (1:57:03)
“I'm so pro-kissing.” (0:43:06)
“Target canceled my steel book order for the 5th time.” (0:10:57)
Loves Jane Campion, Martin Brest underdog crusades, and franchise chaos like Twilight. Mixed on Terrence Malick relative to peers. Wary of revisiting Her.
Stances
Brest is his favorite uphill cause
Wants to treat bracket decisions fairly
Revisiting Her feels risky
Humor: Self-aware grandstanding bits and absurd matchup-logic riffs.
In their words
“I think it has like an incel quality to it.” (0:29:36)
“I'm half kidding, but actually, I'm not kidding.” (0:25:50)
Loves the franchise's iconography and design and tracks toy merchandise; sucker for actors who commit to weirdness and for Alien-series trivia. Admires Ridley Scott's business sense and finds the CGI creature the least interesting stretch. Cannot stand being distracted by texters in a theater.
Stances
Covenant should have kept the Franco prologue
Scott is a company man who slips interesting things into blockbusters
Actor-swap effects are only impressive when objects pass between the doubles
Loved the first three Alien movies in 7th grade and felt a massive drop-off with Resurrection, but is won over by the practical effects, the wet sets and Sigourney Weaver. A collector who owns every Ripley action figure but one. Cannot stand the generic villain casting and is sentimental about French cinema through his mother.
Stances
Resurrection is fun for the first hour and bogs down when characters stop to talk
Sigourney Weaver rules; Winona Ryder is a bore here
The ending should have stayed with the alien nest instead of heading to Earth
Glad an Earth-set Alien never happened
Humor: Self-deprecating storyteller who spins long tangents and doubles down on bits.
In their words
“It was the thing I looked forward to in 7th grade that I got to watch another alien movie at the end of the week.” (0:04:54)
“I'm now feeling like I might have to go back on.” (0:30:27)
Loves the Alien series enough to have made a weeks-long VHS triple feature of it as a kid, and defends Alien 3. Hates it when studios replace classic logos. A sucker for toy lines, chains, and bits that run on wordplay.
Stances
Alien 3 earns its place in the franchise and is better than its reputation
Bringing Ripley back as a clone is worse than killing Hicks and Newt
Studios should not swap old logos for new ones
Humor: Escalating riffs and puns, with a big appetite for tangents about menu-board details like toys and trivia.
In their words
“I think it totally earns its place within the franchise.” (1:26:00)
“I think the tuba is the funniest of all instruments.” (0:08:31)
Loves Rogue Nation and McQuarrie's practical, analog Cruise films, and takes film history personally. Can't stand Pixels-type junk but is a sucker for odd actors, villain tracksuits and wardrobe jokes.
Stances
Rogue Nation is the best M:I film
Practical stunts and clarity of stakes make the best action
Humor: Stacks absurd bits and running gags such as Luther's hat and the thigh move.
In their words
“I auditioned like 5 times for screen four, including 4 Wes Craven” (2:22:37)
Loves digging through the Blu-ray extras and commentaries for a movie and reporting back. Fond of rom-com construction and the industry backstory of how a film got made. Grew up downtown, and his mother's anti-chain-store politics shaped how he saw this movie as a kid.
Stances
Ephron's films are quietly experimental rather than generic
Fighting chains and protecting small bookstores shaped his view of the film
Actors' craft stories (Kinnear's ending, the Lalo scene) are the heart of the movie
Humor: Self-deprecating, bit-driven; owns his fumbled bits on mic.
In their words
“I fucked up the bit that we were trying to do, which is I am confident in the fact that he lived in England and him being from the Upper West Side surprises me.” (0:25:05)
“my mom's entire life that she was bringing my brother and I into was all about, like, we have to fight like Banana Republic.” (0:22:33)
“Hanks was saying he was pulling his hair out and he couldn't make sense of the Lalo scene” (1:41:52)
Loves the box office game and can recall almost any weekend from release dates; has a childhood devotion to Snow Day, Chris Elliott and Vin Diesel. Researches the filmography (Keaton's directing career, IMDb trivia) and likes the idea of a movie being a family or sibling reference point. Hates cable-edited versions of films on streaming sites.
Stances
Hanging Up does not cohere; each actress seems to be in a different movie
The last 20 minutes with the sisters together is where the juice is
Mourns the loss of varied theatrical box office weekends
Cable-edited streaming versions are unacceptable
Humor: Mock-obsessive precision about trivia (taglines, grosses, release weekends) delivered with self-deprecation.
In their words
“It is the only thing that gives me grounding in my life.” (1:31:35)
“Well, now I'm telling you, you motherfuckers should be watching Snow Day.” (1:23:33)
“I still found it not as bad as watching Braveheart on Pluto.” (1:15:18)
“I wish this had been the entire movie.” (0:27:31)
He is ready to submit to a silly pop-up and treat the staff with respect, and he reads the movie's plot and cast aloud with relish. He plays along with the Quibi bit and loves a long gag.
Stances
Staff of the experience deserve credit
The film is less palatable than the experience
Humor: He builds long deadpan bits, such as the Downton Abbey cast working the Trolls pop-up.
In their words
“Let me go step by step, okay?” (0:12:32)
“Now, we, of course, did this in the correct order because” (0:08:43)
Loves puppetry and practical creature design (Jabba, Yoda, the rancor), the speeder chase, and Wicket the Ewok. Dislikes the special-edition CGI additions and the Max Rebo band number, and wants Han and Leia to have real jobs in the third act. A sucker for a gag that gets dragged across the whole commentary.
Stances
Jabba's palace is the favorite stretch of any Star Wars film
Han and Leia are sidelined after the Ewoks arrive
Lucas's special-edition changes are weak and goofy
He is hosting a final Star Wars farewell to the Big Nice room
Humor: Escalating callback bits and absurd impressions, undercutting his own sentimental turns.
In their words
“I just, I fucking love puppetry, David.” (0:46:55)
“This my least favorite thing that he did.” (0:15:45)
Loves chaos picks and big swings (Judi Dench in Cats, Rebecca Ferguson in Doctor Sleep), cats and Pain and Glory are tangled up in his head, and he champions Portrait/Parasite/Us. Skeptical of Toy Story 4 going in. A sucker for movie-star arrival performances and the Fast & Furious franchise.
Stances
Cats is a real favorite, 'A slash F'
Removed Farewell and Her Smell from his own consideration because of friendships
Best original/adapted screenplay should include genre swings like Glass
Humor: Self-deprecating, riffs on running bits (Forky, nicknames like Florence Candice LeBron Bergen Pugh) and escalating panic over the F9 trailer.
In their words
“Best comedic performance of 2019, Little Women.” (0:12:56)
“I'm genuinely having a panic attack waiting for this trailer, so I'm ending this episode right now.” (1:41:14)
Loves Endgame, can be talked around on Infinity War after a rewatch, adores comics history (Kirby, Fourth World), fan-casting games and Marvel trivia. Can't stand corporate killing-off-characters-as-meaning,, and actors' craft. A sucker for the Avengers theme and big crowd-pleasing hero moments.
Stances
Infinity War frustrated him in theaters but he came around after Endgame
Wants characters' deaths to carry real emotional follow-through
Joaquin Phoenix and Cumberbatch contrast shows how green screen needs trained actors
Doctor Strange has the worst jokes in Marvel
Humor: Rapid-fire riffing and bits, and self-aware pop-culture asides.
In their words
“I love Endgame.” (0:27:58)
“I was perfectly wrong.” (2:28:18)
Their shows' recurring bits
Running bits, not opinions; a critic read aloud is cited, not present.
The Big Picture
Drafts: Hosts and guests draft films in rounds; every pick is a recommendation with an argument.
Hall of Fame: A star's or director's best, ranked and argued.
Countdowns: Ranked lists, top five or top ten.
Blank Check with Griffin & David
The box office game: Guessing the film's opening weekend and what it was up against.
The sung theme: "Blank Check with Griffin and David", sung; the transcriber garbles it.
Their claims
Showing 301–400 of 1,162 claims.
people (frequent director):
Diablo Cody → Jason Reitman.
Reitman has directed half of Cody's movies.
“Half her movies have been directed by Jason Reitman, who, uh, I, you know, will happily do on this podcast in the year 3000.”
lineage (origin-story parallel):
Jason Reitman → Darren Aronofsky.
Reitman's image-first story for Afterlife recalls Aronofsky's story of typing the title mother and the exclamation mark.
“that reminds me of the Darren Aronovsky story about writing the title for mother”
unmapped (joke equivalence):
Pixels → Ricki and the Flash.
A joke that Pixels was Adam Sandler coming back to a recovering suicidal daughter, i.e. Ricki.
“Became Adam Sandler coming back to a suicidal daughter's like recovery period.”
lineage (adaptation):
Toxic Crusaders → The Toxic Avenger.
A kid-friendly cartoon was spun off a transgressive Troma film, and a revival died because the contracts could not be found.
“Toxic Crusaders, which was the weird Saturday morning version of Toxic Avenger, uh, a movie that is super transgressive and the least child friendly thing in the world.”
unmapped (legal anecdote):
Donkey Kong → King Kong.
Nintendo escaped a Universal suit because nobody had registered King Kong, and Nintendo got the Donkey Kong trademark first.
theme (premise comparison):
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind → Starship Troopers.
Early in the film it reads as Miyazaki's people-versus-bugs movie, but its ending flips the Starship Troopers propaganda by having the heroine empathize with the bugs.
unmapped (cause of policy):
Warriors of the Wind → Hayao Miyazaki.
The butchered US version led Miyazaki to refuse any change to later American releases.
“this was so stupid that, uh, that's sort of, I think, the beginning of Miyazaki being like, I approve any, uh, American version.”
industry (creator vs studio):
Princess Mononoke → Taxi Driver.
The no-cuts sword story is paired with Scorsese's story of nearly holding Columbia hostage over a recut of Taxi Driver.
“Scorsese has that story about the night that he almost had a mental breakdown when Columbia wanted to recut taxi driver”
contrast (ethical contrast):
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind → The Lion King.
Nausicaä values insects as alive, whereas the photoreal Lion King has Timon and Pumbaa eating bugs that visibly flee in fear.
“Whereas Nausaka is like the one person who's like, no, they're like alive.”
contrast (tone contrast):
John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum → Thor.
Gun fetishism in Thor's ending bothers Griffin, but John Wick's cartoonish violence does not.
“Gun fetishy stuff, I just get really uncomfortable, right?”
career (career comeback):
Keanu Reeves → John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum.
Griffin argues the film is a masterpiece of survival that mirrors Keanu's own loss and repeated comebacks.
“it's maybe the best work of Keanu's entire career.”
unmapped (expectations):
Planet of the Apes → Toy Story 2.
Griffin was as excited for Apes as for Toy Story 2, which exceeded his expectations while Apes crushed them.
“And the only other movie I was ever this excited for was Toy Story 2, which became my favorite movie of all time.”
unmapped (Burton romance):
Lisa Marie → Helena Bonham Carter.
Burton met Helena Bonham Carter on Apes, and Lisa Marie, who appears in the film and has her last Burton role, was the Burton partner Griffin was invested in; paparazzi caught him with Bonham Carter in Paris.
theme (personal trilogy):
Tim Burton → Ed Wood.
One commenter argued Ed Wood, Edward Scissorhands and Batman Returns say everything Burton has to say; after that he took what was offered.
“Ed Wood, Edward Scissorhands, and Batman Returns, or like this perfect triptych of everything that guy sort of has to say in his heart”
theme (ending parallel):
Planet of the Apes → Planet of the Apes.
Alex Ross Perry texted that the original book ends in a way very similar to the 2001 film.
“the original book ends in a way that's very similar to this.”
programming (programming):
As Good as It Gets → Tomorrow Never Dies.
It opened at number three on Dec. 26, 1997 behind Titanic and Tomorrow Never Dies.
craft (craft):
David Chase → The Sopranos.
Chase insisted on casting real guys with real mob history, which made production tell actors with arrest warrants not to show up.
“David Chase was like so into like getting these real guys who had the real history.”
industry (industry):
Flesh and Blood → The Lost World: Jurassic Park.
Flesh+Blood is a tweener or bridge between two phases of the director's career, as Lost World was for Spielberg.
lineage (lineage):
Paul Verhoeven → Hieronymus Bosch.
Verhoeven says a Bosch painting with a man defecating in the background formed his artistic ideal.
industry (industry):
Flesh and Blood → Orion Pictures.
Orion financed most of the film and demanded a female character, cutting the rape scene; it kept Verhoeven afterward for RoboCop.
industry (industry):
Flesh and Blood → Piranha II: The Spawning.
Verhoeven's 80s patchwork-financed film is seen as like a director testing before gaining control in Hollywood.
“I wasn't sure if this was going to feel like a piranha 2 where it's like a guy testing it out before he figures out how to gain control in Hollywood.”
people (people):
Rutger Hauer → Paul Verhoeven.
Hauer and Verhoeven fought on Flesh+Blood because Hauer wanted to play a hero after Blade Runner and they never worked together again.
“Howard was so pissed off that Verhoeven wouldn't let him be like a fucking matinee idol hero because he was afraid of being typecast after Blade Runner”
career (career):
Flesh and Blood → RoboCop.
Flesh+Blood is the failure that led Verhoeven to Hollywood and RoboCop, where he built entertainment around his interests.
“from this film on, he figures out how to take everything he's interested in and put it into the body of a conventionally entertaining Hollywood movie”
contrast (contrast):
Paul Verhoeven → Bill Hader.
Verhoeven is like Bill Hader, not Rich Little: he learned American blockbuster craft to smuggle in his own content.
“If I can learn their language, then I can smuggle all the things I actually want to say into these conventional looking movies.”
craft (structural echo):
Lady in the Water → The Village.
The cast-intro structure, where each character gets one cartoonish trait up front, works like The Village, except The Village is involving.
“sort of in the same way that the village works, except the village is involving.”
“We talked about there was a phenomenon that would occur in that movie in those movies where like a stretch of dialogue is so much fucking nonsense information.”
theme (plot comparison):
Lady in the Water → The Lorax.
A creature living in a tree stump who kicks herself in the behind and flies to the sky is likened to the Lorax.
contrast (worldbuilding contrast):
Lady in the Water → Harry Potter (the films).
Proposes the invented terms would be easier if the story were a known fable, since J.K. Rowling's invented vocabulary was learned by audiences.
“Like, he was just like, oh, J.K. Rowling did it.”
unmapped (answering critics):
M. Night Shyamalan → The Village.
A scene where a character is outraged that the critic presumed to know his motives is read as Shyamalan reacting to critics of The Village.
“this is M. Night Shyaman being like, don't tell me what my motivations were for making the village.”
verdict (verdict):
Christopher Doyle → Lady in the Water.
After calling the party scene illegible and boggling to follow, the speaker jokes that the cinematographer's own habits explain why the film is hard to follow.
“But in his defense, the reason's so hard to follow is because Christopher Doyle was having sex with a black woman and being arrested while they were.”
theme (ending comparison):
Lady in the Water → Signs.
Both end abruptly on one image after someone heals a body through prayer or love, with only a token time jump.
“Because signs does the same thing where it just ends.”
theme (recurring theme):
Lady in the Water → Signs.
Shyamalan films all center on men who neglect family for work and on crises of faith; here the man loses his family entirely.
“all in my trauma films are crisis of faith movies, right?”
people (falling out):
M. Night Shyamalan → Nina Jacobson.
Shyamalan left Disney reportedly because Jacobson did not read the script immediately and then did not like it.
“Disney's president of development, Nina Jacobson, took her son to a party instead of staying home to read the script for lady in the water.”
unmapped (film about filmmaking):
Lady in the Water → Inception.
Griffin reads Lady in the Water as Shyamalan's Inception, with the crew roles standing for the collaborative filmmaking process.
“I think he confirmed it, that Inception was Christopher Nolan's film about filmmaking.”
people (director-style):
Chaplin → Richard Attenborough.
Chaplin is called a bland, mediocre Attenborough-style biopic despite Downey's physical performance.
“Yeah, I mean, it's Richard Attenburg kind of, yeah. It's super bland.”
unmapped (backing):
Mel Gibson → Robert Downey Jr..
After Air America together, Gibson put up the insurance bond so Downey could be hired when no one else would insure him.
“Mel Gibson puts up the insurance bond because he believes this guy needs a chance, but the movie doesn't do very well.”
career (career-turning-point):
Gothika → Robert Downey Jr..
Gothika, though a bad film, was his first big-studio return on the straight and narrow, and led to Susan.
people (producer):
Joel Silver → Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.
Silver produced Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, written by his Lethal Weapon writer Shane Black, which became Downey's leading-man calling card.
“which was produced by Joel Silver, one of by Shane Black, who wrote some of Joel Silver's biggest hits.”
unmapped (salary-dispute):
Terrence Howard → Iron Man 2.
Howard earned triple Downey on the first film, and the raise-for-Downey dispute explains the recast.
“He gets paid less than any other actor in the film. Terrence Howard got 3 times as much as him.”
people (producer):
Sherlock Holmes → Susan Downey.
The Silver Company and Downey's wife built Sherlock Holmes as a franchise for him once he was a proven box-office star.
“The Silver Company and his wife, they said, now that you're a proven box office start, Let's make a franchise for you where we can benefit from it.”
people (director-experiment):
Due Date → Todd Phillips.
Phillips, fresh off The Hangover, wanted to test how far he could push Downey's prickliness and still be liked.
“I want to try to experiment with how far I can push Danny Jr. in a film and still have audiences like him.”
people (writer-link):
David Dobkin → Gran Torino.
Dobkin had the idea from his father's elder years and pitched it to the writer of Gran Torino, who wrote it.
“picture basically to the writer of Grand Torino.”
contrast (awards-contrast):
The Judge → The King's Speech.
King's Speech and A Beautiful Mind are the nearest recent mannered Oscar winners, but they are British or biopic.
“But that's the British Tony thing. You know? And Beautiful Mind is like biopic.”
people (great-performance):
Robert Duvall → The Godfather.
Duvall's restrained Tom Hagen is held up as proof Oscars do not simply nominate him for everything.
“Oh, Tom Hagen is one of my favorite characters ever.”
lineage (homage):
The Judge → Man of Steel.
The tornado father-son fight echoes the father-son tornado scene in Man of Steel, another Warner Bros. film.
“an homage to everyone's favorite father son scene from Man of Steel.”
people (suggested-collaboration):
Robert Downey Jr. → Paul Thomas Anderson.
To get an Oscar he needs a director who will push him out of his zone, such as PTA or Sam Raimi, not Dobkin.
“But someone like Paul Thomas Anderson. You know who's not going to let him close.”
“so much of He-Man and the 80s for toys is a response to every major company passing on Star Wars that Star Wars is the whiff that no one can live down.”
fun, about
Hanging Up:
Delia Ephron, overheard in a theater, said Keaton ruined the best thing she would write (told by Bobby on the You've Got Mail episode).
fun, about
Diane Keaton:
Keaton's directing career before Hanging Up: Belinda Carlisle videos, a documentary, and a CBS special with a very sensitive title.
“it has the very, very sensitive title of the girl with the crazy brother.”
fun, about
Terry Windell:
Terry Wendell (Windell) made Palpatine's lightning and the next year Ghostbusters' proton streams; the speaker's colleague on a show, who died days after wrapping.
“Terry Wendell is the visual effects artist who did Palpatine's lighting.”
fun, about
Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi:
May 1983 box office: Jedi opened number one, ahead of Blue Thunder, Flashdance, Breathless, Tootsie, in a quiz format.
fun, about
Blankies host:
No one wants to host the Blankies; the planned host was Shane Gillis until he 'pushed too many boundaries'; the 'metaphor doesn't track' because you don't miss a boundary when pushing.
fun, about
Judi Dench in Cats:
Judi Dench's Cats performance: pure presence and commitment to something ridiculous; looks the most ridiculous of anyone.
“It is pure presence and pure commitment to something that is ridiculous.”
fun, about
Pain and Glory and the Cats trailer:
Griffin walked out of Pain and Glory and watched the Cats trailer on his phone in the hallway, then found a sandwich.
“walked out of that screaming and the cats trailer had dropped.”
fun, about
Ludacris at the F9 livestream:
While recording, the hosts watch the F9 trailer livestream concert; Ludacris performs, wearing a 'fake moon landing' shirt.
“Ludacris is wearing a shirt that says fake moon landing, no stars in the sky.”
fun, about
Fast & Furious 9 livestream:
While recording, Griffin keeps checking the F9 trailer livestream; he is 'genuinely having a panic attack waiting for this trailer'.
“I'm genuinely having a panic attack waiting for this trailer, so I'm ending this episode right now.”
fun, about
Avengers: Infinity War:
Opening ritual: the hosts try to start the film in sync with a Thanos snap, botching the remote and resetting twice.
“David, I'm going to go three, two, one, and then I want you to do a Thanos snap.”
fun, about
Benedict Wong:
Wong once attended a Blank Check taping, then flew to New York on Robert Downey Jr.'s private jet while Downey went to see the Grateful Dead; he and Peter Serafinowitz met in West End Star Trek Live.
“They appeared in a West End production of Star Trek Live”
fun, about
Robert Downey Jr.:
Griffin recalls Downey's baffling Instagram video announcing a Rolling Stones and NASA collaboration, in front of a 1997 screensaver.
“Have you guys seen the video of Robert Downey Jr. announcing the collaboration between The Rolling Stones and NASA?”
fun, about
Avengers theme:
Griffin plays the Avengers theme to feel confident before shows and auditions and imagines himself part of an end-credit scene.
“I listen to the Avengers theme and I walk down the streets of New York City and I think that like I'm part of an end credit scene.”
fun, about
Stellan Skarsgard:
In the Greenwich scene, Selvig is naked again in the no-pants zone; the speakers joke he must have written a nude clause into his Marvel deal.
fun, about
Frigga:
Frigga's Viking funeral, defended as the movie taking itself seriously; Portman later wears Frigga's dress, which the speaker says makes zero size sense.
fun, about
Heimdall:
Heimdall guards the rainbow bridge alone; the speakers debate what podcasts he'd listen to: not Comedy Bang, more S-Town or documentary.
fun, about
Benicio del Toro:
The Collector mid-credits scene: Benicio del Toro as Space Nesia whispers 'don't tell anybody'; the speakers imagine his demands on the Guardians ride.
“It's weird also that in this scene he leans in and goes, don't tell anybody.”
fun, about
Joss Whedon:
Whedon's pitch meeting: said the Zak Penn script was garbage; also told Downey it's a team movie with Cap leading, no Iron Man movie.
fun, about
Mark Ruffalo:
Ruffalo's career: Lonergan breakout, dropped out of Signs with an ear tumor, rom-com rut ('the mailman'), then Zodiac, Oscar nomination, and the Avengers call.
fun, about
Mark Ruffalo:
His agent told him to look out the window at 5:30 AM; a black car meant Comic-Con and the announcement as the Hulk, hours later.
“if there's a black car parked outside, it's to take you to the airport to go to Comic-Con.”
fun, about
Hulk:
See the scene where Banner reveals he shot himself and the Hulk spat the bullet out; he stays calm by always being angry (1:12:30, then 1:54:08 payoff).
“He shot himself in the head and he turned into the Hulk and the Hulk spit the bullet out.”
fun, about
Phil Coulson:
Coulson dies at about 1:25 with his Captain America cards bloodied; Griffin notes Clark Gregg returns for Captain Marvel's 1990s setting.
“Phil Colson worshiped him so much with the blood on them.”
fun, about
Hawkeye:
Hawkeye can run out of arrows (2:00-2:03) and Griffin hates knowing it; see the 'Vulture' stopwatch article claiming only six minutes of Hawkeye screen time.
“poor Hawkeye only has like 6 minutes of screen time.”
fun, about
Griffin Newman:
Griffin was a 90-pound mono-recovering actor who ate four cheeseburgers and a milkshake at the Disney store lunch break to gain mass and wondered why he didn't get the part.
“I would buy 4 cheeseburgers in a milkshake, and I would down it in 20 minutes”
fun, about
Zola (the reasonable Nazi):
Griffin's complaint: Zola is the voice of reason while Red Skull is cartoonish; he wants the evil doctor to cackle, not question atomizers as inhumane.
fun, about
Merchandise:
Production started so late that toys and binders were made from concept art, so Cap merchandise shows the wrong costume with the helmet still on, and Red Skull has a black nose.
“A, all of the Captain American merchandise for this movie has the wrong costume.”
fun, about
Thor:
See the opening Thor-throws-his-coffee-mug-on-the-ground scene; Ben calls it the best part of the movie.
“He throws his coffee on the ground.”
Blank Check — Patreon ·
Thor ·
0:01:51 ·
Griffin Newman
(0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about
Anthony Hopkins:
Hopkins reportedly took Odin because he circled every scene with NAR, no acting required; the bit gets tied to Blank Check's lexicon of River of Ham.
“I read the script, and every scene, I just circled it and wrote NAR, and I went, I'm on board”
Blank Check — Patreon ·
Thor ·
0:09:03 ·
Griffin Newman
(0.45 sure it was them)
fun, about
Kenneth Branagh:
River of Ham: Ray Stevenson fears dipping his toe in the river of ham and Branagh tells him to take a swim; the hosts include it in the Blank Check lexicon.
“I bathed in that river many times.”
Blank Check — Patreon ·
Thor ·
0:15:16 ·
Griffin Newman
(0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about
Thor:
See the Hawkeye cameo: Jeremy Renner perched in a crow's nest deliberating whether to shoot Thor, never speaking to him, clearly shot on a day no one else worked.
“Isn't it just clear that Renner came in on a day when no one else was working?”
Blank Check — Patreon ·
Thor ·
1:00:04 ·
Griffin Newman
(0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about
Stellan Skarsgard:
A long running bit: the hosts hunt the internet for Skarsgard nudity, ending on a site they say tells you which minute to watch of each movie, and an unused plan to have listeners tweet at Ben.
“Hey, if you can find the pean, hashtag, uh, find the pean for Ben.”
Blank Check — Patreon ·
Thor ·
1:17:40 ·
Griffin Newman
(0.50 sure it was them)
fun, about
Thor:
Natalie Portman and Hemsworth kiss at an impossible height, with her seeming to stand on 17 ladders; the hosts wish for the wide shot or a canted angle with Hemsworth bending 90 degrees.
“Allie Portman is standing on 17 ladders.”
Blank Check — Patreon ·
Thor ·
1:33:51 ·
Griffin Newman
(0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about
Thor:
Rene Russo gets one moment with a big sword and almost no lines as Frigga; Dark World gives her more.
“She doesn't have much to do in this.”
Blank Check — Patreon ·
Thor ·
1:34:35 ·
Griffin Newman
(0.35 sure it was them)
fun, about
A.O. Scott:
The hosts read A.O. Scott's Thor review opening about fleeing the IMAX into the velvet shadows of an art house, then Samuel L. Jackson's tweet telling fans he needs a new job.
“Avengers fans, New York Times critic AO Scott needs a new job.”
Blank Check — Patreon ·
Thor ·
1:36:38 ·
Griffin Newman
(0.50 sure it was them)
fun, about
Rio:
Rio killed Pixar's Newt: the trailer showed the same last-of-the-species-must-mate premise, so Pixar cancelled the film it announced.
“the Rio trailer came out and they were like, fuck, that's the same premise and they're going to beat us by 3 years.”
Blank Check — Patreon ·
Thor ·
1:53:22 ·
Griffin Newman
(0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about
Mickey Rourke:
Rourke's Chihuahua died right before filming; he allegedly made PAs hold up pictures of the dog and its belongings for the crying and screaming scenes.
“And he apparently would make PAs hold up pictures of his dog and like his dog's belongings for all these scenes where he's like crying and screaming.”
fun, about
Mickey Rourke:
Rumor of Rourke and Rockwell as the two villains played well, then Rourke trashed Marvel on the red carpet; the trailer was built around the Monte Carlo reveal of him.
“Maybe if those skinflints at Marvel open up their wallets a little bit.”
fun, about
The Tick:
Griffin's background-actor tale from The Tick: an extra twirling like Sound of Music in a happy crowd scene, and a recurring extra he called extra extra.
“And we called her extra extra because she did so much.”
fun, about
Ben Hosley:
Griffin posted a photo of Ben vaping; the replies ran from Colin Gossel to a good lounge-singer jazz album cover; it became a running gag.
fun, about
National Treasure:
Someone at Bruckheimer's office dropped pages of the unmade third film and a friend photographed the first three in a closet.
“a couple of the pages fell off and this friend like ran into like a closet and took photos of the 1st 3 pages”
fun, about
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon:
Griffin and his dad disliked it at 11, but his memory of it kept improving: perfect recall played better and better.
“Sure. And my dad and I were both like, what's the fucking deal with that thing?”
fun, about
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon:
The first fight: the whole first 35 minutes are people talking about how good Li Mu Bai is, then he shows up and it takes three moves.
“The entire 1st 35 minutes of the movie are people talking about how good he is at fighting.”