David Sims

95 sketches, 1,091 claims, and 378 fun items attributed to them. What was said about them.

Personality, episode by episode

Showing 21–40 of 95 sketches.

Blank Check with Griffin & David: Miami Vice - Pilot Episode (host)

Critic-host (former TV critic) who values writing, pilot craft, and Mann's visual style. Ranks Heat first. Skeptical of most pilots.

Stances

  • Most pilots are bad
  • Visual beauty is not a flaw
  • Heat is the top Mann film

Humor: Physical bits and wry commentary; teased for dribbling, arm pumping, and being sick of hearing himself.

In their words

  • “When I was a TV critic, I would often be like, yeah, you kind of have to get past the pilot.” (0:22:21)
  • “Freaks and geeks is usually my answer.” (0:22:43)

Blank Check with Griffin & David: Planet of the Apes with Matt Singer (host)

Likes the Apes franchise but has only seen the first two; cares about filmography and box-office context. Hard on bloated, calculated star vehicles. Attributions to David are low confidence because the transcript is unlabeled.

Stances

  • The 2001 film is indefensible
  • Hype and release dates drove production
  • Studios chase sequels nobody wants

Humor: Dry, sarcastic tangents about box office and franchises.

In their words

  • “I like, but I have not seen all five.” (0:07:53)

Blank Check with Griffin & David: As Good as It Gets with Chris Gethard (host)

Fact-checks on a laptop, pulling dates and biographical trivia (Kinnear's Indiana roots, box office facts); lines individually attributed to him are low-confidence.

Stances

  • Keeps the episode on movie facts via the computer
  • Doesn't wear glasses

Humor: Wry deadpan and pointed film-business commentary.

In their words

  • “I should just note for anyone listening, David has a computer and you're getting the dates with that.” (1:02:09)
  • “See, I'm not glasses wear.” (0:31:09)

Blank Check with Griffin & David: Flesh+Blood (host)

Likes this movie more in the first half and gets bored by the plague second half. Defends John Hughes, Planes Trains and Automobiles, Breakfast Club. Fond of box office trivia and the 1985 weekend. Cannot stand rambling.

Stances

  • Second half becomes boring chaos
  • Hughes's first film is gross
  • Verhoeven becomes an impressionist of blockbusters

Humor: Dry quips, wordplay and deadpan reactions.

In their words

  • “I do see, I like this movie more in the 1st half where I think it's more achieving what it wants to do.” (1:12:10)
  • “Uh, Plan Strans and automobiles is a masterpiece.” (1:34:21)

Blank Check with Griffin & David: The Lost World: Jurassic Park (host)

Loves box office history and the box office game, character acting, and a well-made Spielberg set piece. Cannot stand underwritten leads, miscast villains and nostalgia as a defense. Is a sucker for Austin Powers and a wrong-footed sequel pitch.

Stances

  • The sequel is dramatically inert
  • Jurassic Park is a one-movie concept
  • Nostalgia should not canonize bad films

Humor: Dry, sarcastic one-liners and exaggerated nitpicking, plus comedic fury about the Crichton island names.

In their words

  • “I just think it's a horrible screenplay full of bad ideas that are totally disjointed.” (0:31:15)
  • “I don't think there is a great Jurassic Park sequel that could possibly be made.” (0:33:30)
  • “We have to stop canonizing things just because we saw them when we were young.” (1:39:46)

Blank Check with Griffin & David: Lady in the Water with Richard Lawson (host)

A working film critic who respects the filmmaking craft but is unforgiving of incoherence; likes actors like Bob Balaban and Jeffrey Wright and notices careful details like casting and release data. Cannot stand a film he finds unwatchable or toxic, as with My Old Lady. A sucker for box office numbers and critic-baiting trivia.

Stances

  • Lady in the Water is awful and unwatchable
  • The scrunt looks terrible
  • Critic characters in movies are usually unfair

Humor: Dry, quick riffs and deadpan dismissals, plus pop-culture cross-references.

In their words

  • “Where you lose me is the idea that this is a watchable film.” (1:49:10)
  • “I find it very unwatchable.” (1:49:14)
  • “I think the scrunt looks terrible.” (1:32:56)

Blank Check with Griffin & David: Judging The Judge (host)

The Atlantic film and television critic who adores RDJ's charm and will watch anything out of Oscar completism. Hates showy awards bait and the Dobkin comedy style. Fond of The Godfather, The Apostle, Sam Raimi, and spaceship movies, and says he'd take a dumb spaceship movie over a dumb adult drama.

Stances

  • Downey was hurt by Marvel; indies are risky for him
  • Duvall's nomination was a veteran's default, not a sign of quality
  • The Judge is worse than The Phantom Menace

Humor: Dry deadpan, quick pile-ons, and overdramatic dismissals of bad movies.

In their words

  • “I am a film and television critic for the Atlantic.” (0:04:50)
  • “I just want to say this movie is a lot worse than Star Wars episode one of the Phantom Menace.” (1:09:46)
  • “I'd rather take a dumb spaceship movie than a dumb adult drama.” (1:10:26)

The Big Picture: The Great ‘Avatar’ Debate with Blank Check’s Griffin Newman and David Sims (guest)

David is an Atlantic critic and box-office nerd who has written about what Hollywood failed to learn from Avatar. He loves the movie as a sincere crowd-pleaser and compares it to Top Gun: Maverick. He is exasperated by writers' rooms and 'director bullshit' he loves.

Stances

  • Hollywood learned the wrong lesson from Avatar
  • Avatar and Way of Water should be bet on
  • Cameron is always right

Humor: Jokey and wry, trading gags about plagiarizing Griffin's takes.

In their words

  • “I lifted this right from Griffin.” (0:45:17)
  • “If James Cameron thinks I need 4 Avatar sequels, then I need 4 Avatars.” (1:42:09)
  • “I also write movie reviews of the Atlantic.” (1:49:02)

Blank Check — Patreon: RoboCop (2014) (host)

Film critic who writes for the Atlantic; likes Joel Kinnaman, For All Mankind and Michael Keaton's rhythms. He is hard on the film but follows the industry context closely. A sucker for box-office trivia and the Mets.

Stances

  • The film is humorless and a waste of its cast
  • The grounded Nolan-style reboot wave ended with this film
  • The suit and the lack of a physical villain are the failures

Humor: Dry asides and tangents, like his Lord of the Rings Gollum-hunt pitch.

In their words

  • “I wrote their obituaries.” (0:01:32)
  • “What if you made it about them looking for Golem when he's not around?” (1:36:15)

Blank Check — Patreon: Edge of Tomorrow (host)

Fond of the Tom Cruise character-actor mode over movie-star mode; reads the film through its production history and cutting. Dislikes Mr. & Mrs. Smith and Road House. Admires the 2014 slate but ranks Edge near the top.

Stances

  • Edge is Cruise's unheralded fulcrum performance
  • The Liman-McQuarrie-Cruise triangle is why it works
  • Does not want a sequel

Humor: Dry, argumentative asides and cinephile one-liners.

In their words

  • “it's better than all of them.” (0:17:52)
  • “Roadhouse, which I really despised.” (0:55:34)

Blank Check — Patreon: 2025 March Madness Update 1 (host)

A big Cronenberg fan and a video game kid (Game Boy Camera, Perfect Dark). Likes Villeneuve and Dune but is skeptical of Linklater and Soderbergh episodes that run thin.

Stances

  • Cronenberg is his Lynch
  • Dune and Villeneuve deserve an extended look
  • Skeptical of directors who just try stuff

Humor: Dry deflation and piling on Griffin's bits.

In their words

  • “Pronenberg is kind of my lynch.” (0:42:28)
  • “One of my favorite games, this is David Sims speaking” (0:23:16)

Blank Check — Patreon: Eraserhead (Ad-Free) (host)

Reads the dossier and runs the box office game, with a film-historian's interest in distribution and Oscar history. Skeptical of calling things masterpieces. Has less Lynch background than Griffin and Ben, and is mostly seeing the filmography fresh.

Stances

  • Parent Trap is not a masterpiece
  • Lynch's career deserves the miniseries
  • The box office game gives context to a release

Humor: Dry corrections and pointing out others' mistakes, plus tangents like Grimace.

In their words

  • “I think a couple of the things you have as masterpiece are a stretch.” (0:09:19)
  • “Easiest film to dub a masterpiece.” (0:11:48)
  • “Number 3 at the box office.” (1:48:07)

Blank Check — Patreon: The 13th Warrior with David Lowery (Ad-Free) (host)

A Banderas devotee who logs everything on Letterboxd and is drawn to flops and Hollywood context. Finds this film dull and the lead miscast, but likes the idea. Sucker for 1999 box-office detail.

Stances

  • Banderas is miscast in a realism-minded part
  • The film is a middling watch

Humor: Dry sarcasm and mock outrage.

In their words

  • “I have never seen a performance that I feel he is phoning in because he has so much energy as a performer.” (0:47:56)

Blank Check — Patreon: The Killer with Marie Bardi (Ad-Free) (host)

A working critic who saw the film at a guild screening with Fincher and Walker and relays the Q&A; ranks Zodiac first and Alien 3 high. He likes pulpy genre craft, Soderbergh and Hit Man comparisons, and box-office detail.

Stances

  • The Killer is Fincher doing a stripped-down genre exercise
  • Netflix business strategy hurts both Fincher films
  • Alien 3 is bleak and underrated

Humor: Dry, deadpan ranking-banter and tangents on the weekend box office.

In their words

  • “I think he said it was 5 days of shooting, but it was 5 weeks of rehearsal.” (1:18:08)
  • “He said it was Prometheus and Haywire, which makes sense.” (1:17:06)

Blank Check — Patreon: Mank with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) (host)

Likes Mank and Fincher, calls it an airy delight, and interviewed everyone on the crew for his Atlantic story. Loves the Hearst-party scenes and the machinery of Hollywood development. Dislikes the Mank writing frame and The Offer's spirit.

Stances

  • Mank is more fun than its reputation
  • The writing frame is the least interesting part of the movie
  • He likes Mank but not Promising Young Woman

Humor: Sarcastic and deflating, with sudden bits like showing character posters during The Offer.

In their words

  • “This movie is fun.” (0:20:02)
  • “I interviewed everyone involved with this movie.” (0:02:09)
  • “I watched them both in the same night, so they're mushing together in my brain.” (2:01:06)

Blank Check — Patreon: Gone Girl with Esther Zuckerman (Ad-Free) (host)

A working critic who loves Gone Girl as a stylish pulp thriller and keeps a running grudge about the Oscars snubbing it. Fond of craft detail (lighting, gaffers) and old-fashioned stardom talk, and a self-described soft touch on Netflix when they make something good. Wary of bad Netflix-Fincher imitations.

Stances

  • Gone Girl deserved cinematography, editing and score nominations
  • Netflix prestige now looks like a diluted Fincher
  • He is nice to Netflix when it makes something good

Humor: Dry, with groaners and name-mangling bits that the others pounce on.

In their words

  • “Look, if they make something good,” (0:30:56)
  • “And when I interviewed Michael Mann, which I just did.” (2:43:38)
  • “I also was deep in watching 8000000 lawyer movies for a big picture draft episode and I did not want to take on also trying to get through 2 seasons of Mindhunter.” (3:04:06)

Blank Check — Patreon: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo with Fran Hoepfner (Ad-Free) (host)

Treats Dragon Tattoo as a comfort movie he likes more every rewatch; loves Christopher Plummer's 80s, cold murder, Fincher's craft. Dislikes hot murder and feel-bad-is-good-for-you talk. A sucker for Plummer, Muppets-era nostalgia and a rewatch-conversion story.

Stances

  • Best 80s of any actor
  • I want cold murder
  • Aloha now rules.

Humor: Dry, deadpan; lands the hot take then undercuts it.

In their words

  • “I like it more every time I rewatch it, which I think is true for a lot of people.” (2:24:32)
  • “I do hate hot murder.” (2:24:18)
  • “Best 80s of any actor.” (1:27:45)

Blank Check — Patreon: The Social Network (Ad-Free) (host)

A critic who ranks The Social Network number one of 2010 and calls it one of the most rewatchable films of modern history. Likes tight genre craft and thinks the movie became a genre. Cool on The Big Short and the lesser Facebook-adjacent films.

Stances

  • The Social Network is the best film of its decade
  • The Big Short rips it off
  • The film is a harbinger of how culture works

Humor: Dry, with deadpan asides and long riffs on Hollywood business.

In their words

  • “I have the social network at number one of 2010.” (0:09:14)
  • “I mean, I think the big short, which is not a movie I love, is the most obvious movie that's ripping off the social network” (0:11:44)

Blank Check — Patreon: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) (host)

Strong Oscar-year recall and box-office knowledge; treats Button as a misunderstood Fincher entry that is still in the bottom half of his filmography.

Stances

  • Button is good but not one of Fincher's five best
  • Fincher is a humanist

Humor: Dry riffs on Oscar and box-office minutiae and the running Eric Roth soup-restaurant bit.

In their words

  • “Hello, I'm David Sims.” (1:26:46)
  • “I think this movie is wildly misunderstood” (0:07:57)

Blank Check — Patreon: Zodiac with Leslye Headland (Ad-Free) (host)

Frames Zodiac against its 2007 competition and talks about its craft precisely. Coined the phrase 'a movie where the look of it makes your teeth hurt'. Treats Zodiac as a comfort-food movie despite the subject.

Stances

  • Zodiac is Fincher's masterpiece
  • Digital cinematography can be stunning
  • The 2007 slate was loaded

Humor: Gleeful, self-aware, quick to riff on bits (the squirrels).

In their words

  • “Those knives, Griffin, that I have, in my chair back there, they're covered in blood.” (0:01:03)
  • “This is a movie where the look of it makes your teeth hurt.” (1:10:47)

Their shows' recurring bits

Running bits, not opinions; a critic read aloud is cited, not present.

The Big Picture

Blank Check with Griffin & David

Their claims

Showing 701–800 of 1,091 claims.

  1. theme (theme): Batman Returns → The Batman. Villains scheming together in Batman Returns and Schumacher films echoes the 1966 team-up, but those feel forced.
    “The team up does always feel a little forced”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 0:42:12 · David Sims (0.45 sure it was them)
  2. theme (theme): The Long Halloween (comic) → Silence of the Lambs (implied: Hannibal Lecter). Loeb turned Calendar Man into a Hannibal Lecter figure Batman consults in The Long Halloween.
    “he turned Calendar Man into like a Hannibal Lecter villain in the long Halloween”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 0:42:58 · David Sims (0.45 sure it was them)
  3. lineage (lineage): The Long Halloween (comic) → The Batman. Every adaptation pulls from The Long Halloween but has not used Calendar Man.
    “Everyone has pulled from the long Halloween, but not used calendar man.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 0:43:06 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  4. lineage (lineage): Frank Gorshin → Jim Carrey. Jim Carrey has said he worshiped Gorshin's Riddler and wanted to pay homage.
    “I worshiped the Gorshon performance.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 0:47:15 · David Sims (0.45 sure it was them)
  5. industry (industry): Batman (TV series, 1966-68) → The Simpsons. The Radioactive Man parody mirrors the fate of old Batman actors doing car-dealership appearances in costume.
    “that's the kind of thing that the Simpsons parodies, right?”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 0:50:45 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  6. contrast (contrast): Alan Napier → Michael Caine. 1966 Alfred is a natty gentleman, while Nolan's Caine is quietly ex-service and later Alfreds are brawlers.
    “Again, I think the Nolan movies handle it perfectly”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 0:52:53 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  7. theme (theme): Frasier (butler episode) → The Batman. A Frasier episode with Victor Garber as a butler is recommended as the same butler-fantasy.
    “there's one episode of Frasier.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 0:54:17 · David Sims (0.45 sure it was them)
  8. contrast (contrast): The Batman → The Batman. Burton made the Penguin literally half-penguin with flipper arms, versus the original gangster in a suit.
    “That's what Burton's like, no, this guy has like flipper arms, right?”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 1:02:13 · David Sims (0.45 sure it was them)
  9. contrast (contrast): The Batman → Zodiac Killer. Reeves took the Riddler as a Zodiac-style killer, which is smart, vs the 1966 puzzle-lover.
    “Obviously, Reeves goes for the zodiac angle.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 1:02:35 · David Sims (0.45 sure it was them)
  10. programming (programming): Batman (franchise) → The Batman. Reeves' film was well reviewed enough that DC may do more of it, the hosts hoping for fun elsewhere.
    “I think we're now in Reevesville.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 1:03:19 · David Sims (0.45 sure it was them)
  11. what-if (what-if): Batman (franchise) → The Batman. The hope is that the Keaton Batman side universe will allow a little more fun.
    “I'm hoping that, if not silly, the Keaton Batman side universe will allow a little more fun.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 1:03:27 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  12. contrast (contrast): The Batman → Harley Quinn / Margot Robbie DC films. The Harley Quinn stuff has the stylized tone but an edge-lordy element that leaves a bad taste.
    “But it's that kind of, you know, you know, edge lordy element”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 1:03:44 · David Sims (0.35 sure it was them)
  13. people (people): Sylvester Stallone → Burgess Meredith. Stallone reportedly called Meredith one of the all-time great stick men, a story relayed via Rapaport.
    “One of the all time great stick men.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 1:12:58 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  14. career (career): Burgess Meredith → Rocky (series). Meredith was already in his late 50s here and ten years from the first Rocky.
    “This is 10 years away from the 1st Rocky, yes.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 1:14:09 · David Sims (0.45 sure it was them)
  15. lineage (lineage): The Batman → The Dark Knight Rises. The giant bomb, the film's most iconic image, is what Dark Knight Rises lifts.
    “This is the thing that Dark Knight Rises kind of lifts.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 1:14:38 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  16. what-if (what-if): Burgess Meredith → Batman Returns. Burton wanted Meredith to play the Penguin's father but he was too frail by then.
    “Burton wanted him to play, the father of Penguin.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 1:15:32 · David Sims (0.45 sure it was them)
  17. craft (craft): The Batman → Airplane! / Naked Gun (Zucker Brothers). A brass band as the obstruction in the bomb sequence is the same shorthand humor Naked Gun uses.
    “Obviously, naked gun always does that, right?”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 1:16:02 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  18. career (career): Burgess Meredith → The Day of the Locust. Meredith got an Oscar nomination for Day of the Locust the year before Rocky.
    “he was nominated the year before for a different movie.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 1:22:42 · David Sims (0.45 sure it was them)
  19. contrast (contrast): The Batman → Batman v Superman / Snyder's DC films. The Snyder vehicles are CGI chaos, unlike the real drivable Nolan Batmobile.
    “the thing with the Snyder version is, it's just a CGI thing that smashes around.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 1:26:01 · David Sims (0.45 sure it was them)
  20. career (career): Leslie H. Martinson → PT 109. The Batman director's best-known other movie is PT 109, with Cliff Robertson as JFK.
    “Leslie Martinson made a movie called PT109.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 1:30:38 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  21. career (career): Cliff Robertson → PT 109. Robertson plays JFK in PT 109, and was also the TV show's parody of Shane.
    “Cliff Robertson plays him.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 1:30:47 · David Sims (0.45 sure it was them)
  22. career (career): Leslie H. Martinson → Hot Rod Rumble. His other credits include hot-rod pictures and a Lassie ripoff.
    “Made a movie called Hot Rod Rumble.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 1:31:19 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  23. career (career): Leslie H. Martinson → The Atomic Kid. Martinson also directed Mickey Rooney in The Atomic Kid.
    “He did a Mickey Rooney movie, but in the 50s called the Atomic Kid.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 1:31:41 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  24. theme (theme): FernGully: The Last Rainforest → Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue. Smoke the drug-cloud villain prompts a comparison to FernGully's poisonous-cloud villain.
    “Fern Gali is around the same time that has a sort of poisonous cloud.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 1:40:54 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  25. what-if (what-if): Robert Morse → Batman (TV series, 1966-68). Morse is a guy you are surprised never played a Batman villain on this show.
    “He's a guy you're surprised never played a Batman villain on this show, right?”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 1:42:49 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  26. career (career): Robert Morse → Teen Titans Go! vs. Teen Titans. Morse voices Santa Claus on Teen Titans Go! and in the Teen Titans Go! vs. Teen Titans film.
    “He played Santa Claus in 10 episodes of Teen Titans Go.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 1:44:06 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  27. craft (craft): The Batman → The Truman Show. The submerged water-tank photography against a painted backdrop looks like The Truman Show.
    “I was about to reference the Truman show.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 1:45:42 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  28. theme (theme): Lee Meriwether → The Avengers (1960s British TV). The skin-tight-bodysuit actress everyone had a crush on is a 60s TV trope shared with The Avengers.
    “obviously that's the sort of 60s trope, the Avengers, right?”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 1:48:11 · David Sims (0.45 sure it was them)
  29. lineage (lineage): Batman: The Brave and the Bold (animated) → Batman (TV series, 1966-68). The cartoon closest in tone to the West show: a Batman not haunted by anything.
    “this is a Batman who is not haunted by anything.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 1:55:35 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  30. industry (industry): The Batman → Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. Number one at the box office the week the film opened was Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
    “Who's afraid of Virginia Wolf?”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 1:59:18 · David Sims (0.45 sure it was them)
  31. people (people): Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? → Mike Nichols. It was Mike Nichols' directorial debut, a big hit despite expecting scandal.
    “Of course, the directorial debut of Mike Nichols.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 1:59:20 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  32. people (people): Dr. Zhivago → David Lean. Number two was David Lean's Dr. Zhivago, a huge hit from Christmas 1965.
    “David Leans, Dr. Javago, which was released Christmas of 1965.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 2:00:08 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  33. people (people): Dr. Zhivago → Omar Sharif. Omar Sharif stars as Zhivago.
    “Omar Sharif.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 2:00:31 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  34. people (people): The Sound of Music → Julie Andrews. Number three was The Sound of Music with Julie Andrews, in its 73rd week.
    “Julie Andrews. Sound of Music.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 2:02:16 · David Sims (0.45 sure it was them)
  35. people (people): The Sound of Music → Robert Wise. Wise directed The Sound of Music; a speaker thinks it may suit a musicals skeptic.
    “Robert Wise.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 2:03:14 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  36. contrast (contrast): The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming → Dr. Strangelove. Hosts place it near but not as acidic as Dr. Strangelove.
    “Not Doctor Strangelove, but you know, like that kind of thing.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 2:04:56 · David Sims (0.45 sure it was them)
  37. people (people): The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming → Norman Jewison. Number four is a Norman Jewison comedy with Carl Reiner, Eva Marie Saint and Alan Arkin.
    “It's a Norman Jewish and film in 1966.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 2:05:16 · David Sims (0.45 sure it was them)
  38. lineage (lineage): Khartoum → Dr. Zhivago. Number five is a David Lean-esque epic that is not remembered and not as good.
    “It's a David Lean-esque epic.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 2:07:36 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  39. contrast (contrast): Khartoum → Zulu. Zulu is the wrong guess for the siege epic; Michael Caine is incredible in Zulu.
    “Michael King's incredible in it.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 2:08:07 · David Sims (0.35 sure it was them)
  40. people (people): Khartoum → Basil Dearden. The director is Basil Dearden.
    “It's directed by Basil Deirden.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 2:08:22 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  41. craft (craft): Laurence Olivier → Khartoum. Olivier plays Muhammad Ahmed in brown makeup; Heston plays Gordon.
    “Lawrence Livia plays Muhammad Ahmed, and let us never speak of this again.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 2:09:21 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  42. career (career): Cary Grant → Walk, Don't Run. Grant's last film is a charming comedy set at the Tokyo Olympics.
    “Carrie Grant's last film.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 2:09:53 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  43. people (people): Modesty Blaise → Joseph Losey. Joseph Losey adapted the Modesty Blaise comic in 1966.
    “there's also the 1966 Joseph Losey adaptation of Modesty Blaze, the famous comic”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 2:10:15 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  44. programming (programming): Batman: Mask of the Phantasm → The Batman. The 'Not All Batman' series continues with Mask of the Phantasm in 20 days.
    “Tune in for Batman Maska Phantasm for the thrilling conclusion”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 2:11:56 · David Sims (0.45 sure it was them)
  45. verdict (verdict): Orson Welles → David Lean. The speaker knew Welles would likely beat either Lean or Hitchcock, but wanted Lean to advance.
    “I knew Wells would probably beat either of those guys, but I was kind of like, would be pretty cool.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · 2022 MARCH MADNESS UPDATE 2 PRESENTED BY THE CHIP REPORT · 0:11:14 · David Sims (0.60 sure it was them)
  46. theme (theme): Mel Brooks → Adolf Hitler. Brooks's war service informs his pointed but not strident comedy about Hitler, deflating the myth.
    “he fought in that war and did so much comedy about Hitler in a way that felt very pointed, but also wasn't strident”
    Blank Check — Patreon · 2022 MARCH MADNESS UPDATE 2 PRESENTED BY THE CHIP REPORT · 0:20:11 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  47. career (career): David Slade → Hard Candy. Slade was hired for Eclipse because of his stylized horror/action work on Hard Candy and 30 Days of Night.
    “had done hard candy and 500 days of night.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Eclipse · 0:07:34 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  48. career (career): David Slade → Hannibal. Slade's TV work after Eclipse, called his best contribution to the culture, includes the Hannibal pilot.
    “his best contribution to the culture was uh, uh, the, the Hannibal episodes.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Eclipse · 0:07:55 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  49. contrast (contrast): Howard Shore → Carter Burwell. Eclipse is scored by Howard Shore, which surprises a speaker who thought Carter Burwell scored all the Twilight films.
    “Oh, Howard Short did the score for this one. You know, I thought Burwell did the score for all of, but no, he comes back later, I guess.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Eclipse · 1:47:48 · David Sims (0.30 sure it was them)
  50. career (career): Carter Burwell → The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn. Burwell returns to score the last two Twilight films after Shore's Eclipse.
    “Yeah, Burwell comes back for the last two.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Eclipse · 1:48:11 · David Sims (0.30 sure it was them)
  51. verdict (verdict): Martin Brest → Terrence Malick. Sweet 16 matchup; speakers hope Brest takes it though Malick is easier to talk about.
    “I think breast takes that.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · March Madness 2021 Recap - Round 2 · 0:06:46 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  52. programming (programming): Martin Brest → Joe Dante. Griffin expects Brest vs Dante, his two favorites, in the regional final.
    “I do feel like this is going to end up with Brest versus Dante”
    Blank Check — Patreon · March Madness 2021 Recap - Round 2 · 0:08:09 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  53. programming (programming): Karyn Kusama → Jane Campion. Sweet 16 matchup; Campion may have won round 1 because voters thought she had the best shot at Kusama.
    “a lot of people voted for Campion over the archers because they thought she had the best chance to beat Kusama.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · March Madness 2021 Recap - Round 2 · 0:11:42 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  54. programming (programming): Steve McQueen → Lynne Ramsay. Both were met with worry that the bleak films would be too heavy for the show.
    “there was a similar thing thrown against Lynn Ramsey”
    Blank Check — Patreon · March Madness 2021 Recap - Round 2 · 0:15:38 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  55. contrast (contrast): Danny Boyle → Mike Leigh. Boyle beat Mike Leigh despite a Leigh groundswell.
    “there was a real Mike Lee ground swell.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · March Madness 2021 Recap - Round 2 · 0:16:55 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  56. people (people): Danny Boyle → Martin Brest. Griffin calls Boyle his version of Brest: the one he has yelled about forever.
    “He's my Martin Brest, right?”
    Blank Check — Patreon · March Madness 2021 Recap - Round 2 · 0:18:56 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  57. programming (programming): Danny Boyle → Sunshine. Boyle's win is attributed to desire for the Sunshine and cheap-jobs episodes.
    “We always talk up sunshine.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · March Madness 2021 Recap - Round 2 · 0:19:43 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  58. career (career): Ernest Dickerson → Surviving the Game. Dickerson had a run in the 90s including Surviving the Game.
    “He kind of had a little run there.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · March Madness 2021 Recap - Round 2 · 0:21:31 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  59. programming (programming): Richard Linklater → Ernest Dickerson. Ben dropped Linklater from his eight for being less Ben than DeVito, Spheeris, Dickerson.
    “DeVito and Sphereus, Dickerson, like all these people have to be represented by you.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · March Madness 2021 Recap - Round 2 · 0:23:20 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  60. people (people): Harmony Korine → Kids. Whether Kids gets a bonus episode; Korine's screenplay got him on the map.
    “that screenplay was what got him on the map”
    Blank Check — Patreon · March Madness 2021 Recap - Round 2 · 0:24:21 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  61. theme (theme): Danny DeVito → Nancy Meyers. DeVito is said to have Nancy Meyers energy with voters.
    “Danny DeVito has Nancy Myers energy.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · March Madness 2021 Recap - Round 2 · 0:25:54 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  62. verdict (verdict): Spike Jonze → Her. Her was the critics' top film of its year; Griffin now fears it has an incel quality.
    “I think it has like an incel quality to it.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · March Madness 2021 Recap - Round 2 · 0:29:36 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  63. programming (programming): Gore Verbinski → A Cure for Wellness. Han's own pick of episode would have been A Cure for Wellness.
    “Karen's pick was cure for wellness”
    Blank Check — Patreon · March Madness 2021 Recap - Round 2 · 0:34:18 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  64. contrast (contrast): Oliver Stone → Jackie Chan. Both have thorny personal politics that would enter episode discussion.
    “Both Jackie Chan and Oliver Stone have thorny personal politics.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · March Madness 2021 Recap - Round 2 · 0:39:16 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  65. verdict (verdict): Final Destination (franchise) → A Nightmare on Elm Street (Freddy franchise). Final Destination beat the Freddy franchise in the Patreon bracket.
    “But they beat Freddy.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · March Madness 2021 Recap - Round 2 · 0:43:13 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  66. theme (theme): The Mummy (Fraser films) → Men in Black (franchise). Both carry 90s kid energy.
    “The mummy and men in black both have that 90s kid energy”
    Blank Check — Patreon · March Madness 2021 Recap - Round 2 · 0:46:41 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  67. verdict (verdict): The Mighty Ducks (franchise) → The Karate Kid. Mighty Ducks beat Karate Kid because the audience skews 90s kids.
    “Our demographic of our listeners, I think, is more of a mighty ducks generation than a karate generation.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · March Madness 2021 Recap - Round 2 · 0:49:37 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  68. contrast (contrast): Rocky (franchise) → Saw. Rocky is at home in meat lockers, a Saw staple, but not a puzzle solver.
    “he does spend a lot of time in meat lockers”
    Blank Check — Patreon · March Madness 2021 Recap - Round 2 · 0:50:48 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  69. what-if (what-if): Damon Lindelof → Alien: Covenant. Lindelof was first going to write it, then went back to TV after audiences were angry at his screenplays.
    “Lindeloff was going to write it and then I think would just sort of was like, you know what?”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien: Covenant · 0:09:03 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  70. people (people): Ridley Scott → Gladiator. Screenwriter John Logan, brought on to Covenant, had worked with Scott on Gladiator.
    “And so they bring in John Logan, who worked with Ridley Scott on Gladiator.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien: Covenant · 0:09:18 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  71. contrast (contrast): Alien Resurrection → Alien 3. Alien 3 is grim; Resurrection is whimsical and odd.
    “Well, the last one's just so grim, whereas this one is kind of whimsical.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien: Resurrection · 0:04:06 · David Sims (0.60 sure it was them)
  72. theme (theme): Alien Resurrection → Alien. Ridley Scott's Alien is sexual in a Freudian way; Resurrection is the overtly sexual one.
    “This is also the most overtly sexual of the alien movies.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien: Resurrection · 0:04:14 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  73. career (career): Jean-Pierre Jeunet → Delicatessen. Jeunet's own early films are inventive, dystopian comedy.
    “You know, he makes delicatessen, which is a really good movie and really invented little, you know, sort of dystopian comedy movie.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien: Resurrection · 0:05:38 · David Sims (0.60 sure it was them)
  74. craft (craft): The City of Lost Children → Terry Gilliam. City of Lost Children has a Terry Gilliam feel in its designs and monsters.
    “very sort of Terry Gilliam, right?”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien: Resurrection · 0:05:53 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  75. career (career): Jean-Pierre Jeunet → Amélie. After Resurrection flopped, Jeunet went back to Paris and made Amélie, which took over culture.
    “I'm going to just go off back to fucking Paris and make a movie about a nice fucking lady who lives in Paris and makes bread and shit.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien: Resurrection · 0:06:06 · David Sims (0.60 sure it was them)
  76. what-if (what-if): Danny Boyle → Alien Resurrection. Danny Boyle, fresh off Trainspotting, was the first choice and said no.
    “He just made train spotting.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien: Resurrection · 0:10:03 · David Sims (0.60 sure it was them)
  77. what-if (what-if): Peter Jackson → Alien Resurrection. Peter Jackson was also asked and was not pumped; Alien 3's failure made the job a poison chalice.
    “So now it's kind of like a poison chalice.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien: Resurrection · 0:10:23 · David Sims (0.60 sure it was them)
  78. what-if (what-if): Bryan Singer → Alien Resurrection. Brian Singer, director of The Usual Suspects, turned the job down, so Jeunet was not the top choice.
    “So then they approach Brian Singer, director of the usual suspects.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien: Resurrection · 0:10:46 · David Sims (0.60 sure it was them)
  79. career (career): Joss Whedon → Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Resurrection came as Whedon's Buffy TV series was about to debut.
    “who is a hot shit screenwriter, like Buffy's going to debut this year, right?”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien: Resurrection · 0:11:15 · David Sims (0.60 sure it was them)
  80. industry (industry): Joss Whedon → Alien Resurrection. Whedon wrote a big epic ending on Earth and the studio planned to split it into two movies with an Alien 5 on Earth.
    “There'll be an alien 5 that's set on earth.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien: Resurrection · 0:11:29 · David Sims (0.60 sure it was them)
  81. people (people): Joss Whedon → Jean-Pierre Jeunet. A Whedon script was handed to a distinctive French auteur, a bad pairing.
    “It's a terrible match.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien: Resurrection · 0:11:43 · David Sims (0.60 sure it was them)
  82. industry (industry): Wolfgang Petersen → Mimic. Earlier crossover directors got smaller films first, like Del Toro's Mimic.
    “It was like, you get to make a mimic, you know?”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien: Resurrection · 0:12:45 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  83. industry (industry): Alien → Kon-Tiki. Franchises now hand big movies to foreign directors; you make Kon-Tiki and get Pirates of the Caribbean.
    “Yeah, now it's you make kantiki and you get to make pirates of the Caribbean.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien: Resurrection · 0:12:52 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  84. industry (industry): Alien → Jean-Pierre Jeunet. The Alien series was already a franchise for early-career filmmakers.
    “Alien was one of the few franchises that already kind of functioned like that, where it was a franchise for early filmmakers.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien: Resurrection · 0:12:56 · David Sims (0.60 sure it was them)
  85. contrast (contrast): Jean-Pierre Jeunet → Amélie. Jeunet went from bleak and misanthropic work to the most whimsical film imaginable.
    “And then after this, he makes the most whimsical manic pixie dream girl.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien: Resurrection · 0:13:27 · David Sims (0.60 sure it was them)
  86. people (people): Dominique Pinon → Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Pinon is part of Jeunet's regular company of actors.
    “He's a Jhené company player.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien: Resurrection · 0:18:43 · David Sims (0.60 sure it was them)
  87. people (people): Dominique Pinon → Delicatessen. Pinon starred in Delicatessen and is in all of Jeunet's films.
    “He was the star of delicatessen, but he's an all of Ghent's.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien: Resurrection · 0:18:57 · David Sims (0.60 sure it was them)
  88. people (people): Pitof → Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Pitof, the Resurrection VFX supervisor and later Catwoman director, is Jeunet's French VFX guy.
    “He's Jhene's guy.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien: Resurrection · 0:19:38 · David Sims (0.60 sure it was them)
  89. craft (craft): Darius Khondji → Alien Resurrection. Khondji shot it and it is good-looking, with cool sets.
    “Darius Kanji shot this movie.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien: Resurrection · 0:19:40 · David Sims (0.70 sure it was them)
  90. career (career): Brad Dourif → The Lord of the Rings. Dourif pops into big franchises like Alien and Lord of the Rings yet stays anonymous.
    “The fact that he's in Lord of the Rings.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien: Resurrection · 0:21:14 · David Sims (0.60 sure it was them)
  91. theme (theme): Alien Resurrection → Aliens. Seeing Ripley cloned and cut open feels as cruel as Hicks and Newt dying off-screen at the start of the previous sequel.
    “this is the moment where I feel the way people describe the anger of Hicks and Newt getting killed at the beginning of alien cube.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien: Resurrection · 0:22:17 · David Sims (0.60 sure it was them)
  92. contrast (contrast): Alien Resurrection → Alien 3. Ripley died on her own terms taking the chestburster; Resurrection cuts the alien out of her clone.
    “Ripley dies on her own terms and she takes the alien chest burster with her, and she settles the score”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien: Resurrection · 0:22:30 · David Sims (0.70 sure it was them)
  93. craft (craft): Sigourney Weaver → Super Mario Bros.. Weaver's reptilian Ripley 8 is like Dennis Hopper's Bowser.
    “it's a pretty similar take to Dennis Hopper's Bowser.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien: Resurrection · 0:24:30 · David Sims (0.60 sure it was them)
  94. craft (craft): Joss Whedon → Alien Resurrection. Whedon turned the which-one-is-the-android guessing game into plot because audiences expect it.
    “Well, it's that and that's that kind of Weedon thing where he's like the audience at this point is going to be waiting for that.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien: Resurrection · 0:24:57 · David Sims (0.60 sure it was them)
  95. career (career): Joss Whedon → Toy Story. Whedon is often uncredited or one of many names; he ends up one of six on Toy Story.
    “So like he ends up as one of 6 names on Toy Story”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien: Resurrection · 0:25:54 · David Sims (0.60 sure it was them)
  96. career (career): Joss Whedon → Speed. Whedon did a substantial rewrite on Speed, which explains its fizzy dialogue.
    “By all accounts, he did a pretty substantial rewrite.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien: Resurrection · 0:25:54 · David Sims (0.60 sure it was them)
  97. career (career): Joss Whedon → Alien Resurrection. Resurrection is a rare sole Whedon screenplay credit from that period.
    “This is just a rare Wheedon soul screenplay credit in that period.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien: Resurrection · 0:26:22 · David Sims (0.60 sure it was them)
  98. people (people): Dan Hedaya → Alien Resurrection. Dan Hedaya, leader of the military folks on the ship, steals the early section.
    “Dan Hideea should be in every film by law.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien: Resurrection · 0:26:41 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  99. lineage (lineage): Alien Resurrection → Firefly (TV). The Betty's space-pirate crew reads as proto-Firefly, Whedon's later show.
    “I mean, some proto firefly stuff.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien: Resurrection · 0:31:00 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  100. craft (craft): Alien Resurrection → Taxi Driver. One crew member has a Travis Bickle gun-sling rig.
    “So this guy has the, like, Travis Bickle... It's got the gun, the gun slings, right?”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien: Resurrection · 0:31:07 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)

Their fun items

Showing 301–378 of 378 fun items.

  1. fun, about Meg Ryan: The film has Meg Ryan hit by cars repeatedly; her family notes it is the third time this year.
    “And then later, her husband and kid are like, what's that, like, the 3rd time this year?”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Hanging Up with Sonia Sarayia · 0:29:54 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  2. fun, about Hanging Up: Lisa Kudrow's subplot features a dog the size of a mountain.
    “she has this dog, the size of a mountain.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Hanging Up with Sonia Sarayia · 0:31:12 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  3. fun, about Walter Matthau: Matthau's scene crashes a child's birthday party and calls the guests names and screams.
    “I have a scene where I break into a child's birthday party, call them all midgets and scream and cause violets.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Hanging Up with Sonia Sarayia · 0:45:16 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  4. fun, about Hanging Up: The film is like a trailer recut that turns a movie into another genre.
    “The movie almost feels like one of those like trailer re-edits that used to be so popular”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Hanging Up with Sonia Sarayia · 0:57:55 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  5. fun, about Hanging Up: Georgia's cynical speech swells with "Georgia on My Mind" as the crowd stands.
    “Georgia on my mind swells and people rise to their feet.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Hanging Up with Sonia Sarayia · 1:06:25 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  6. fun, about Trolls: David's text review: the experience was far better, and the movie is like eating mayonnaise straight from the jar.
    “This movie is like eating mayonnaise straight from the jar.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Trolls: The Experience with Richard Lawson · 0:46:21 · David Sims (0.70 sure it was them)
  7. fun, about Trolls: The Experience: David's Olive Garden analogy: the experience gets a hearty-and-healthy small-town review, while Trolls is a toxin.
    “remember that nice lady from South Dakota who like worked at a local newspaper and reviewed the Olive Garden when it opened”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Trolls: The Experience with Richard Lawson · 0:46:25 · David Sims (0.60 sure it was them)
  8. fun, about Force Awakens press screening: David missed the Force Awakens critics' screening while at the Atlantic Wire, after a year of weekly Star Wars podcasting.
    “I didn't get in to that screening, I was still working at the Atlantic Wire.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Return of the Jedi · 1:07:58 · David Sims (0.70 sure it was them)
  9. fun, about Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi: A 1997 Entertainment Weekly re-release recap headline joked about Ewoks.
    “Their headline was Ewok, don't run to see Return of the Jedi.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Return of the Jedi · 2:15:03 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  10. fun, about Armageddon: On the Armageddon Criterion commentary Ben Affleck does a Sling Blade voice whenever Billy Bob Thornton appears.
    “He's like, around here, NASA, these part.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Return of the Jedi · 2:21:27 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  11. fun, about Rebecca Ferguson in Doctor Sleep: Plays the most evil force in the world like a middle-aged woman at the Litchfield Jazz Fest, Tanglewooding out of control.
    “Her decision to play the most evil force in the world, like a middle-aged woman at the Litchfield Jazz Fest.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Fifth Annual Blank Check Awards with Joe Reid (Ad-Free) · 0:13:59 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  12. fun, about Jennifer Lopez vs. Florence Pugh: Pugh is Jude Law in Talented Mr. Ripley arriving; Lopez is Tom Cruise in Magnolia channeling a legacy.
    “Lopez, if Pugh is Jude Law and talented Mr. Ripley to come with a 1999 analog, then Lopez is Tom Cruise in Magnolia.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Fifth Annual Blank Check Awards with Joe Reid (Ad-Free) · 0:24:41 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  13. fun, about Best Supporting Actor: Tough year because of two-handers: Defoe in The Lighthouse, Pitt, Hopkins, Burke all got dealt supporting.
    “this was a tough year for supporting actor because there were so many 2 handers”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Fifth Annual Blank Check Awards with Joe Reid (Ad-Free) · 0:34:19 · David Sims (0.45 sure it was them)
  14. fun, about Under the Silver Lake: Jeremy Bobb's scene is perhaps the scene of the year; the film feels like a dream.
    “I sometimes feel like it was an experience that I may have like dreamed.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Fifth Annual Blank Check Awards with Joe Reid (Ad-Free) · 0:35:58 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  15. fun, about Richard Schiff and Joe Pantoliano: 'The 2 benchmarks I'm setting for the next 30 years of my career': Schiff in Clemency and Pantoliano in Bad Boys for Life; Pantoliano has a 'guess the horse' scene.
    “Those are the 2 benchmarks I'm setting for the next 30 years of my career.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Fifth Annual Blank Check Awards with Joe Reid (Ad-Free) · 0:38:48 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  16. fun, about Alfre Woodard in Clemency: The drunk-scene acting: drunkenness as the only thing that opens her up to process emotions.
    “She's the only time I've seen someone play drunkenness as this is the only thing that opens me up to being able to actually process my emotions.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Fifth Annual Blank Check Awards with Joe Reid (Ad-Free) · 1:03:20 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  17. fun, about Avengers: Infinity War: Look at the chip shop in the Edinburgh scene: a sign says they will deep fry your kebab, which leads to Scottish deep-frying and a prank-call album bit.
    “there's just a sign in the chip shop that just says, we will deep fry your kebab”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Avengers: Infinity War with John Hodgman · 0:59:16 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  18. fun, about Avengers: Infinity War: Kevin Smith screamed 'no' at the press screening the second Tony was stabbed, and posted a tearful selfie; later he cried again at Cap shaving his beard in Endgame.
    “And that person was Kevin Smith, who was in our audience”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Avengers: Infinity War with John Hodgman · 2:22:46 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  19. fun, about Patty Jenkins: The speakers say Jenkins's firing is why Portman left; the film became Alan Taylor's TV helmsman take.
    “Right. replaced her with Alan Taylor, who was sort of like a TV helmsman.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 0:11:30 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  20. fun, about Alan Taylor: Taylor, asked about this movie, says don't ask him to talk about it.
    “Taylor, when you ask him about this movie, is just like, don't ask me to talk.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 0:11:41 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  21. fun, about Thor: See the scene where Thor and Hogun are in the Asgard bar: a pug, roasts, laughter, Thor in a little cap.
    “They got a little pug.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 0:27:43 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  22. fun, about Anthony Hopkins: Hopkins's Twitter: weekend videos at his window and a jazz-dancing clip; they play it live.
    “is actually like one of the great tweeters.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 1:10:41 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  23. fun, about Loki: Loki's reveal in the prison: no mask, a mess after his mother's death, which launched a thousand Tumblr Lokis.
    “this inspired a 1000 tolers.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 1:14:44 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  24. fun, about Thor: The Dark World: The brothers-in-a-boat scene: a speaker admits being choked up, the movie hit the brother spot.
    “this movie hit me right in this brother spot.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 1:25:07 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  25. fun, about Thor: The Dark World: The climactic portal fight, set up as a gimmick for forty-five minutes: characters zap between Greenwich, Vanaheim and Frostland; a Frost Beast turns up; Thor throws a car at Malekith.
    “He throws the car on him.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Thor: The Dark World · 1:48:56 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  26. fun, about Max Landis: The sun-sets-multiple-times 'one day' fight: host argues Christmas is a season.
    “This was the movie I got in the fight with Max Landis.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Iron Man 3 · 2:13:18 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  27. fun, about The Avengers: Paramount still has its logo on a film Disney bought; they joke Paramount staked its territory and Disney got the last laugh by earning more.
    “Paramount made so much money for selling these movies, but Disney got the last laugh because they made even more money buying these movies.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 0:01:09 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  28. fun, about The Avengers: Whedon's addition that was not in the Penn draft: the heroes must fight each other first; see the Thor/Iron Man/Cap forest fight at 0:47-0:50 and Cap's shield versus Mjolnir.
    “They have to fight each other.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 0:46:38 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  29. fun, about Mark Ruffalo: Hulk finally looks like the actor; the transformation scene and purple shirt get praise at 1:15.
    “And for the 1st time, he looks like the actor.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 1:15:33 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  30. fun, about Samuel L. Jackson: Jackson told Whedon he was 63 and cannot look cool running in an ankle-length duster, so he just stands and poses.
    “I cannot look cool running in that thing.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 1:20:41 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  31. fun, about Jeremy Renner: Renner's defense of Hawkeye: he's there to tranquilize the Hulk; they find that depressing. Also Renner complained about being brainwashed for ~1:50.
    “he's got the arrow so they can tranquilize Hulk.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 1:23:04 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  32. fun, about Harry Dean Stanton: See the scene (1:32) where Harry Dean Stanton talks Banner round: shot as a nine-page conversation, trimmed hard; the full version is on the DVD.
    “So there's like a very long version of this on the DVD”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 1:32:51 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  33. fun, about Robert Downey Jr.: Downey asked to pick the magnetic bracelets in the final suit-up and ad-libbed the Gallagher-at-the-computer riff that became a real shot.
    “he was like, can I pick the bracelets?”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 1:41:27 · David Sims (0.30 sure it was them)
  34. fun, about Grand Central / New York: They scanned every building from 34th to 45th Street for the battle and 'make sure it doesn't get bigger than this' keeps the geography clear; the worm goes through Grand Central at 1:58.
    “they scanned every fucking building in this area and just rebuilt like a perfect, like, grid of like 34th to like 45th.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 1:47:43 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  35. fun, about Ashley Johnson: Cap's original introduction was a cafe scene with a waitress (Johnson) flirting; the cut payoff is her looking up at the Avengers.
    “So it's supposed to be payoff for that, but it still works”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 1:59:47 · David Sims (0.30 sure it was them)
  36. fun, about The Avengers: The end-credits 'battle wounds' sequence; one host watches it to get pumped.
    “If I'm trying to get jacked for something, I watch this end credit sequence.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 2:14:01 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  37. fun, about Marvel studio: The Chitauri were minor aliens invented for this movie; Thanos reveal in the credits left a Paris friend asking who the purple guy was.
    “who was the purple guy?”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 2:16:24 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  38. fun, about The Avengers: Opening weekend box office: $207 million (May 4), then Think Like a Man, The Hunger Games, The Pirates! Band of Misfits, The Lucky One in the top five.
    “Avengers breaks the box office record makes 207.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 2:16:39 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  39. fun, about The Avengers: The post-credits shawarma scene: Chris Evans had a beard from another shoot, so his arm hides it.
    “I think Chris Evans had a beard, uh, because he was shooting a different movie when they shot this”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Avengers · 2:23:09 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  40. fun, about Bucky death: The classic comic Bucky death is on a rocket Cap can't disarm; the film instead has Bucky fall from the train. David calls the movie's version lamer.
    “The classic Bucky death is so good, which they're on the rocket.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Captain America: The First Avenger · 0:30:53 · David Sims (0.45 sure it was them)
  41. fun, about Dum Dum Dugan: See the scene where Neal McDonough walks on in a bowler hat and mutton chops; the hosts cheered because the film embraced the silly comic look rather than toning it down.
    “And then this movie just embraces it.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Captain America: The First Avenger · 1:08:05 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  42. fun, about Bucky (comics maxim): Old comics maxim: Uncle Ben, Gwen Stacy, Jesus and Bucky are the characters who would never be brought back; Bucky stayed dead about 64 years.
    “Spider-Man's Uncle Ben. Spider-Man's girlfriend, Gwen Stacy. And Jesus. And Bucky.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Captain America: The First Avenger · 1:17:04 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  43. fun, about Peggy Carter red dress: At the Times Square opening night, when Peggy walks in wearing the red dress amid drab fatigues, the whole audience yelled holy shit in unison.
    “she comes in with this burst of color and the whole audience went, holy shit.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Captain America: The First Avenger · 1:23:41 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  44. fun, about Captain America (title): Marvel feared the name Captain America would hurt overseas in 2011 and retitled the film The First Avenger; almost every territory passed on that and only about one country released it under the alternate title.
    “Captain America won't be in the title, and almost every territory passed on that.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Captain America: The First Avenger · 2:08:27 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  45. fun, about Thor: The hosts open on how every cut in the lab scene swings the camera 45 degrees the opposite way, a literal seesaw; Branagh's one idea is the tilted world, and they keep returning to the Dutch angles throughout.
    “Isn't this crazy, though, that every time they cut, the camera is 45 degrees in the opposite angle of the previous...”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Thor · 0:03:17 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  46. fun, about Chris Hemsworth: Casting lore: Hemsworth beat Hiddleston, who thought he was ripped but looked narrower beside him, because he absorbed muscle better and looked broader on camera.
    “Hemsworth is just broader shoulder.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Thor · 0:11:50 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  47. fun, about Thor: Hemsworth's dyed eyebrows in Thor are Kevin Feige's biggest regret in the whole MCU; watch Thor in Asgard where he almost looks to have none.
    “Do you know that Kevin Feige said his, what his number one biggest regret in the entire Marvel cinematic universe is?”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Thor · 0:14:42 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  48. fun, about Thor: Loki's hand turns blue on touching the Frost Giant king's forearm in the Jotunheim fight; the hosts note the film forgets it and later reveals he is a Frost Giant.
    “one of the blue guys, the king, touched Loki's forearm, and then Loki's hand turned blue, and they don't know why.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Thor · 0:24:56 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  49. fun, about Thor: Thor's development hell: Raimi, a UPN TV show, Sony and Goyer, Paramount, Vaughn, del Toro, DJ Caruso, Daniel Craig offered it before Hemsworth took it.
    “Then, as we all know, DJ Caruso is hired.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Thor · 0:26:36 · David Sims (0.45 sure it was them)
  50. fun, about Thor: Mjolnir is cast as Excalibur: the lifting-the-sword-from-the-stone scene is the hammer in the New Mexico crater that nobody is worthy to move.
    “So, you know, the hammer becomes like Excalibur.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Thor · 0:37:54 · David Sims (0.35 sure it was them)
  51. fun, about Thor: The Dark World: After the nudity-search tangent, they recall Skarsgard is naked in Dark World but the film blurs it out.
    “I forgot he's naked in Dark World, but they blur it out.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Thor · 1:06:47 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  52. fun, about Thor: See the scene where Thor finally gets Mjolnir back: the hosts shout over the Patrick Doyle score and say the transformation is the film's biggest success.
    “I will say, I think that is the biggest success of this movie is they do sell you on the importance of the hammer.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Thor · 1:29:29 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  53. fun, about Thor: See the scene where Thor flies by holding on to the thrown hammer; the speaker loves that the hammer does the flying and Thor grabs on.
    “I like how Thor flies with his... The hammer is what's flying.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Thor · 1:34:42 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  54. fun, about Thor: Loki's illusion trick works in the Frost Giants fight; the hosts see the fake Loki, praise it, and grumble it plays worse in green screen CGI goopland.
    “I think that type of effect doesn't play as well when they're in just like green screen CGI Goopland.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Thor · 1:39:38 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  55. fun, about Thor: Thor smashes the Bifrost to cut off the Frost Giants; the hosts say the comics have a literal rainbow while the film makes a prismatic Tron light-cycle runway.
    “they just try to make it like a weird, like, sort of glassy Tron light cycle runway that's a little prismatic”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Thor · 1:41:33 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  56. fun, about Thor: Watch the end-credits stinger: Selvig with Fury and the Tesseract, a scene Whedon wrote and directed; Branagh reportedly claimed not to have seen it.
    “Right, because Bran was like, I haven't seen this scene.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Thor · 1:55:57 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  57. fun, about Ang Lee: Grosses compared: this grossed 128 domestic vs Hulk 132 and Life of Pi 124; worldwide Life of Pi 609, this 213, Hulk 245.
    “It made 609.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon with David Ehrlich (Ad-Free) · 0:02:45 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  58. fun, about Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: The four leads speak different accents on camera; Yeoh learned her Mandarin lines phonetically and took a year of no other work.
    “Right. One of them is one of them is essentially speaking lines phonetically.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon with David Ehrlich (Ad-Free) · 0:21:44 · David Sims (0.35 sure it was them)
  59. fun, about Michelle Yeoh: Debilitating knee surgery at the start of filming; she flew back and forth for surgery, action pushed to the end.
    “Right. And she had to keep on flying back to the States for surgery and then she'd fly back to set, do dialogue scenes while she was recovering, fly back to the States for further surgery.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon with David Ehrlich (Ad-Free) · 0:41:27 · David Sims (0.35 sure it was them)
  60. fun, about Zhang Ziyi: Spoke no English on Rush Hour 2; Jackie Chan translated everything, so she never had to talk to Brett Ratner.
    “Zijing didn't speak a word of English when she did rush hour too.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon with David Ehrlich (Ad-Free) · 0:50:11 · David Sims (0.35 sure it was them)
  61. fun, about Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Bar fight trivia: the stuntman who falls off the banister is the same man later holding an abacus because he broke his arm.
    “how the guy who does that immortal fall off the banister is the same guy who has the abacus”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon with David Ehrlich (Ad-Free) · 1:33:14 · David Sims (0.30 sure it was them)
  62. fun, about Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: The dying monologue the speakers call classic Schamus: 'I would rather be a ghost drifting by your side'.
    “I would rather be a ghost drifting by your side.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon with David Ehrlich (Ad-Free) · 1:43:41 · David Sims (0.30 sure it was them)
  63. fun, about Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Nominations: Gladiator got 12, CTHD 10; CTHD won score, art direction, cinematography, foreign language film.
    “Best art direction, best cinematography, and foreign language film.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon with David Ehrlich (Ad-Free) · 1:49:07 · David Sims (0.35 sure it was them)
  64. fun, about Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sony Pictures Classics co-president Michael Barker realized they'd crossed $100M when two kids at a mall raved about the cool subtitles.
    “they were like, man, the fucking subtitles were so cool.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon with David Ehrlich (Ad-Free) · 1:52:33 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  65. fun, about Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Opened at number 15 on 16 screens with a strong per-screen; widest release took four months.
    “It opens at number 15.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon with David Ehrlich (Ad-Free) · 1:53:09 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  66. fun, about How the Grinch Stole Christmas: The number one movie the weekend CTHD opened; top five: Grinch, Vertical Limit, Proof of Life, Unbreakable, Dungeons & Dragons.
    “It's the number one movie of 2000, and it is called Dr. Seuss is How the Grinch Stole Christmas.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon with David Ehrlich (Ad-Free) · 1:53:30 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  67. fun, about The Getaway: Courtney Solomon's Getaway has an illegal-looking final shot; Sims interviewed him.
    “Oh, wait, I interviewed him.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon with David Ehrlich (Ad-Free) · 2:00:06 · David Sims (0.35 sure it was them)
  68. fun, about Christina Ricci: Lee reshaped the written femme-fatale role around Ricci's awkward stage.
    “she felt like she was very much in her awkward stage and he molded the character around her current person”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Ice Storm with Emily Yoshida (Ad-Free) · 0:17:53 · David Sims (0.45 sure it was them)
  69. fun, about Kevin Kline: Kline's story: he saw Joan Allen intensely preparing on location and went to the craft service table.
    “Kevin Klein tells this story on like one of the retrospective criterion documentaries where he walked by Joan Allen and she was sitting somewhere around location”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Ice Storm with Emily Yoshida (Ad-Free) · 0:19:32 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  70. fun, about Joan Allen: She was disappointed by the response and still calls it her best film.
    “She still thinks it's the best film she's ever been in.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Ice Storm with Emily Yoshida (Ad-Free) · 0:20:38 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  71. fun, about Tobey Maguire: On set the day Sense and Sensibility got its Oscar nominations, Maguire's congratulations got a blank what?
    “Tob McGuire said he went up to him on set that day, and said, congratulations, and he said, what?”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Ice Storm with Emily Yoshida (Ad-Free) · 0:21:42 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  72. fun, about The Ice Storm: Weaver won the BAFTA for a small role.
    “She won the BAFTA, which is bizarre.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Ice Storm with Emily Yoshida (Ad-Free) · 0:24:29 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  73. fun, about Sigourney Weaver: Lee told her to skip looking in on the kids: too ashamed.
    “no, no, no, too ashamed.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Ice Storm with Emily Yoshida (Ad-Free) · 1:00:51 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  74. fun, about Allison Janney: A portrait of Allison Janney hangs over the fireplace.
    “I noticed that there is a painting, a portrait of Alison Janney hanging over the fireplace”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Ice Storm with Emily Yoshida (Ad-Free) · 1:05:56 · David Sims (0.45 sure it was them)
  75. fun, about David Krumholtz: His character is named Francis Davenport.
    “Crumholtz's character is called Francis Davenport, which is like the worst match for a Crumholtz ever.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Ice Storm with Emily Yoshida (Ad-Free) · 1:20:47 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  76. fun, about Ready Player One: Griffin's capsule verdict on Spielberg: it's not going to be incompetent.
    “It's a Spielberg movie.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Ice Storm with Emily Yoshida (Ad-Free) · 1:43:05 · David Sims (0.45 sure it was them)
  77. fun, about Roger Ebert: Ebert reviewed Blue Steel as the best Halloween sequel ever made, the grown-up version of Halloween.
    “this is actually the best Halloween sequel that's ever been made.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Blue Steel with Jordan Hoffman (Ad-Free) · 0:05:23 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  78. fun, about Blue Steel: Opened number five with 2.8 million dollars and made 8.2 on a roughly 16 million budget; debuted at Sundance and came out through MGM after Vestron went bankrupt.
    “It opens number five at the box office with 2.8 million dollars.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Blue Steel with Jordan Hoffman (Ad-Free) · 1:26:15 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)