recursal/Fanatic-Fandom huggingface dataset:
Monkeybone

**Monkeybone** is a episode 405 focusing on the 2001 film of the same name as part of The Podmare Before Castmas miniseries on the films of Henry Selick. Posted December 11, 2022.

## Summary

>
> Just in time for Brendan Fraser’s big comeback, we’re taking a look back at his misguided collaboration with Henry Selick - 2001’s bizarro flop MONKEYBONE. Justin McElroy (no relation to Bridget Fonda’s Dr. Julie McElroy) returns to the podcast after having watched this film a whopping seven times (!!) to unpack all the madness. Why are there no rules or logic to the film’s “Dark Town” underworld? What was the appeal of Chris Kattan’s “Mango” character on SNL? Was this film the nail in the coffin for the kitschy retro-revival genre of projects that dominated the 1990s? Can we write the money we spent to rent this movie off on our taxes?
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### Milestones and Ephemera

* Justin, an insane person, watched *Monkeybone* 7 times.
* Box office game: Weekend of February 23, 2001

## References

1. ↑ Blank Check Podcast. Monkeybone. Audioboom. Retrieved on December 11, 2022.
Oops! All Burger Reports

**Oops! All Burger Reports** is episode 136 of Blank Check: Special Features catching up on many years of Burger Reports. Posted May 11, 2022.

## Summary

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> From 2016-2018 The Burger Report was a recurring segment about spotting a fame-o eat a hamburger. What first started with the hosts and guests sharing their stories on the podcast soon evolved into a hotline (1-802-8-BURGER) where listeners could leave voicemails with their own burger tales. [Wikia]
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> Eventually the difficult decision was made to phase TBR out.
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> But checkmates that line never went cold! Yes, over the years the hotline has remained open and continued to receive calls.
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> Returning by popular demand, BC:SF looks back at TBR archives to uncover 🍔 history that had been lost to time – until now!
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> Produced by AJ McKeon
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> Music by Alex Barron
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### Milestones and Ephemera

* Griffin gets the Fast X director news on mic.
* Reports about: David Spade, Mark Rylance, John C. Reilly, Matthew Lillard, Jane Kaczmarek, Alfred Molina, Kevin Nealon, Sean Penn, Darius Rucker, 30% of The Wu-Tang Clan, Tracy Letts, Brian Posehn, Denzel Washington, Robin Lopez
* Not reports about: Scarlet Johansson, Keira Knightley, Bo Burnham, Dennis Quaid
* **NOT** the Beef Burger report, but it *must* be called a burger. However the protein must be ground.
* Denzel on Desus & Mero
* Robin Lopez on wizards: Hotseat: Robin Lopez
* Lunch report: weirdly this put the in the mood for burgers?! Astonishing. But we have to wait until the Batman Forever Commentary for the resolution.

## Quotes

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## References

1. ↑ Blank Check Podcast. Oops! All Burger Reports. Patreon. Retrieved on May 11, 2022.
2. ↑ Matthew Singer. Hotseat: Robin Lopez. Willamette Week. Retrieved on May 11, 2022.
It's Complicated

It's Podcastlicated

**It's Complicated** (also known by the sweaty title **It's Podcastlicated**) is episode 191 focusing on the 2009 film of the same name as part of the Something's Podda Cast miniseries. Posted Nov 11, 2018.

## Summary

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> Writer/director Sarah-Violet Bliss (Search Party) joins Griffin and David to discuss 2009’s masterpiece, *It's Complicated*. But what are the two things everyone knows about Alec Baldwin? Who has the name Agnes anymore? Is it really complicated tho? Together they examine Meryl Streep’s singing voice, web cam flim flams and what this new kitchen fortress is going to look like.
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### Milestones and Ephemera

* Box office game: Weekend of December 25, 2009
Happy Feet

**Happy Feet** is episode 270 focusing on the animated film of the same name as part of the Mad Pod: Fury Cast miniseries. Posted May 10, 2020.

## Summary

> Caitlin Durante (The Bechdel Cast) joins #thetwofriends to discuss Miller's first foray into animation with 2006's Happy Feet.
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### Milestones and Ephemera

* They consider the coconut
* Box office game: Weekend of November 17, 2006
	+ Featuring extensive talk about the premise and taglines for The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause

## References

1. ↑ Blank Check Podcast. Happy Feet with Caitlin Durante. Audioboom. Retrieved on July 5, 2022.
The Intern

**The Intern** is episode 192 focusing on the film of the same name as part of Something's Podda Cast. Posted November 18, 2018.

## Summary

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> Comedian, writer and actor Jamie Lee (HBO's Crashing) joins Griffin and David to discuss Meyers’ most recent offering, 2015’s The Intern. But what was Griffin and Jamie’s experience auditioning for this movie? Why is the husband so lame and unlikable? Is there a bombshell in this edition of Romilly’s Kitchen Corner? Together they examine why Anne Hathaway rules, avoiding posterboard bits and what Nancy thinks of millennial men.
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> Crashing Season 3 returns to HBO in January. Official Trailer: And check out Jamie’s book *Weddiculous* and her stand-up comedy album “I mean…”
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### Milestones and Ephemera

* Box Office Game: Weekend of September 25, 2015
	+ Same game as Hotel Transylvania 2
Marvel Cinematic Universe

**Marvel Cinematic Universe** is a series of episodes, primarily as part of the Blank Check: Special Features, covering the films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

## Summary

The MCU commentary series was started on the Blank Check: Special Features Patreon. During the course of the podcast, #TheTwoFriends covered several additional movies on the main feed that are *loosely* contained in the MCU but did not provide additional commentary on the Patreon.

### Milestones and Ephemera

* The inaugural Blank Check: Special Features commentary series!
* Five MCU adjacent movies were covered on the main feed: The Fantastic Four, Hulk, and the Sam Raimi Spider-Man movies. One actual MCU film, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, was covered on the main feed. There are no commentaries for those movies.

## Episodes

The speaker symbol (🔊) provides a link to the audio. Special features episodes with the check symbol (✔️) have been released from behind the paywall.

Back to top

## Ranking the Franchise

Griffin and David's rankings as provided at the end of the Spider-Man: Far From Home episode. David keeps his rankings up-to-date on Letterboxd.

## References

1. ↑ David Sims. Marvel. Letterboxd. Retrieved on February 2, 2022.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2  DON'T @ HIM!!
Layne Montgomery

**Layne Montgomery** (@laynemontgomery on Twitter) is a musician and frontman for Layne Montgomery Paper Company (LMPCband on Facebook) and The Great American Novel.

## Biography

Layne created both of the theme songs for the podcast. The original theme for "Griffin and David Present" was inspired in equal parts by scores of the Star Wars movies and the theme to the podcast "Serial." When the podcast pivoted to the name "Blank Check with Griffin and David" in 2016, he composed a different theme more appropriate for the new branding which has been used ever since. At the end of 2020 Layne re-recorded the theme with his band.

He is justifiably pleased to be recognized as the auteur behind the Blank Check theme songs.

Listen to the different versions on the Blank Check Theme page.

Due to Layne's musical expertise he was invited to be a featured guest on Blank Check episode #073 Roadies.

As of 2020, Layne is the roommate of Joey Sims, as revealed in episode #300 The Polar Express.

## References

1. ↑ https://twitter.com/laynemontgomery/status/986815368915247105
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Commentary

**Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2** is episode 25 of Blank Check: Special Features and a commentary episode on the Marvel Cinematic Universe film of the same name. Posted July 31, 2019.

## Summary

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> Blank Check regular David Ehrlich stopped by Big Nice studios in Brooklyn, NY to discuss *Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2*!
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### Milestones and Ephemera

* **Movie starts at 7:56.**
* David E. imported a bit! Unendorsed checks! It's basically corrections.
* Ehrlich hates Rocky Cocoon but likes this movie in spite of that. Will he come around?? We shall see.
* Griff's said it before and he'll say it again, Dave Bautista is the best actor to come out of wrestling.
* The campaign to cast Ben as a ravager in Guardians 3 begins. Either that or they buy him a nice red jacket. If he *does* get cast, he has to buy all three of them red jackets BUT he can bury them.
* Griffin's hypothesis: everything tastes better from his baby Groot mug.
* Box-office game: Weekend of May 5, 2017.

## Quotes

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> | Sims: |  You know how we got our moon, right?
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## References

1. ↑ Blank Check Podcast. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Patreon. Retrieved on March 11, 2022.
Near Dark

**Near Dark** is episode 128 focusing on the movie of the same name, as part of the Pod-19: The Widowcaster miniseries covering the filmography of Kathryn Bigelow. Posted September 24, 2017.

## Summary

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> Mani Lazic (Little White Lies) joins Griffin and David to discuss 1987’s western meets vampire thriller, *Near Dark*. But why is this film out of print? Can a normal blood transfusion heal a person of vampire? Is this movie very sexy? Together they examine Bigelow’s stylistic choices, James Le Gros’ career and honor Bill Paxton. Plus, United Kingdom shop talk and pitching Transylvania General Hospital.
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### Milestones and Ephemera

* Box office game: Weekend of October 2, 1987

## References

1. ↑ Blank Check Podcast. Near Dark. Audioboom. Retrieved on July 26, 2021.
Joe Bowen

The artist is now able to wear his own work!

**Joe Bowen** is an illustrator, graphic designer, and comic book artist. He also likes his pug Winston quite a lot. Check out some of his work on his very active Instagram @joebow3n, on Twitter @joebowen, and on his website joebowenart.com.

## Biography

Joe created the original logo for Blank Check based on a piece of fanart he made that Producer Ben and #TheTwoFriends noticed and liked. After a few requested modifications and additions to the comic caricatures of Griffin and David, it became the logo for the show. Since then the logo has been modified and updated a couple times as the Blank Check Universe expands.

Joe has also created some fun original artwork for Blank Check merchandise like apparel and mugs, currently available via TeePublic's Blank Check store.

## Gallery

Self-portrait of the artistNo bits... except these are Blank Check bits, visualizedOriginal artwork for Blank Check logoWatercolor portrait sketchFanart of interest to Griff-Heads and Burger Reporters
Spider-Man

**This article is a disambiguation page for Spider-Man**

The following is a list of links to pages that might share the same title.

Please follow one of the disambiguation links below or search to find the page you were looking for if it is not listed. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

**Spider-Man** may refer to:

### Main Feed

* Spider-Man, episode 376 with Matt Singer as part of Podcast Me to Hell on the films of Sam Raimi.
* Spider-Man 2, episode 377 with Chris Gethard as part of Podcast Me to Hell.
* Spider-Man 3, episode 378 with Jamelle Bouie as part of Podcast Me to Hell.

### Patreon

* Spider-Man: Homecoming Commentary, episode 27 with Alex Ross Perry as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe commentaries.
* Spider-Man: Far From Home Commentary, episode 37 as part of the Marvel commentaries.
Incredibles 2

**Incredibles 2** is episode 169(heh heh heh) focusing on the animated 2018 film of the same name as part of The Podcastibles miniseries. Posted June 24, 2018.

## Summary

>
> On the week of it’s release in June of 2018, Griffin and David discussed *Incredibles 2*. In the final episode of our mini series on the films of director Brad Bird we examine the record breaking box office hit sequel, a new card system, the fourth new new joker movie and more.
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> Sound effects from freesfx.uk.co. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
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### Milestones and Ephemera

* Burger Reports! Pharrell in LA, Mike Starr in Chicago, Jason Lee in LA.

## References

1. ↑ Blank Check Podcast. Incredibles 2. Audioboom. Retrieved on May 12, 2022.
Men in Black

**Men in Black** (also known as **MIB**) is a commentary miniseries as part of the Blank Check: Special Features covering the *Men in Black* films.

## Summary

*Men in Black* appeared only once in the Special Features March Madness tournaments in 2021. In that year it lost in the semi-finals to eventual winner The Twilight Saga.

### Milestones and Ephemera

* This miniseries makes it extremely unlikely a Barry Sonnenfeld series would be done in the future. His other films could still be spun off as other franchise series, i.e. *Addams Family* or Elmore Leonard.

## Ranking The Franchise

At the conclusion of the miniseries, the Blankies rankings will compiled from a voting thread found on the r/Blankies sub-reddit.
Holy Smoke!

**Holy Smoke!** is episode 362 focusing on the 1999 film of the same name as part of The Podcastiano miniseries on the films of Jane Campion. Posted February 13, 2022.

## Summary

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> Is it nobler to try to pee on camera and fail than it is to not try at all? Does Harvey Keitel’s performance in this film only work when he puts on a dress? What the hell is going on in this movie?! David’s Fest Friend Forever Kyle Buchanan (author of the forthcoming “Blood, Sweat & Chrome: The Wild and True Story of Mad Max: Fury Road”) joins us to answer those questions and more as we discuss Jane Campion’s bugnuts exploration of power dynamics - 1999’s “Holy Smoke!” Come for the Winslet career breakdown, stay for Kyle’s “amazeballs” anecdotes about Campion on the international festival circuit.
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## References

1. ↑ Blank Check Podcast. Holy Smoke!. Audioboom. Retrieved on February 13, 2022.
Jupiter Ascending

**Jupiter Ascending** is episode 59 focusing on the movie of the same name, as part of the The Podchowski Casters miniseries covering the filmography of the Wachowskis. Posted May 27, 2016.

## Summary

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> This week Griffin and David discuss the Wachowski’s most recent theatrical release, 2015’s intergalactic sci-fi, *Jupiter Ascending*. What is the Wachowski’s latest innovation in this film? Why make the very attractive Channing Tatum look like a dog? Is the original universe in this story at all logical? Listen along as they discuss space rollerblades, the parallel with Alice in Wonderland, Terry Gilliam’s costuming and Eddie Redmayne’s outstanding performance as the whispering villain Balem Abrasax. Plus, Griffin talks the Tick, box office stats and a reading from a listener submitted book report covering M. Night Shyamalan’s novel on the American education system.
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## References

1. ↑ Jupiter Ascending on Audioboom. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
Millions

**Millions** is episode 416 focusing on the 2004 film of the same name as part of Trainspodcasting miniseries on the films of Danny Boyle. Posted March 12, 2023.

## Summary

>
> How did Danny Boyle choose to follow up the ultraviolence of 28 Days Later? With a winsome kid’s movie about morality and currency conversion, of course! Filmspotting’s Adam Kempenaar joins us to revisit 2004’s Millions, which he originally covered in the second episode of Filmspotting back in 2005 (!) Why did Danny Boyle want to make a family-friendly film? Should this have been a musical? Was there ever a point in time where it seemed like Britain would adopt the Euro? Plus, the most important question of all - what would Ben have done with that bag of money?
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## References

1. ↑ Blank Check Podcast. Millions. Audioboom. Retrieved on March 12, 2023.
Oldboy

**Oldboy** is episode 433 focusing on the 2003 film of the same name as part of the I'm a Podcast, But That's OK miniseries on the films of Park Chan-wook. Posted July 9, 2023.

## Summary

> What is an Oldboy? How do you feel about Greek Tragedies? How did Choi Min-Sik achieve that iconic (and insane) hairstyle? Was giving the 2004 Palme d’Or to FAHRENHEIT 9/11 over this film one of the greatest mistakes in the history of arts and culture? All those questions answered and more as critic Alison Willmore joins us to talk about OLDBOY, the first major Korean breakthrough in the American filmbro canon.
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> Guest Links:
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> Read Alison's writing at New York Magazine
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> Especially “Theory: Top Gun: Maverick Is (Mostly) a Death Dream” if you haven’t already
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> Follow Alison’s dog on Instagram
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### Milestones and Ephemera

* Arthur vs. Arthur vs. Arthur
* Alison's Interview with Director Park
* Alison's *Fast X* review
* Box Office Game: Weekend of March 25, 2005

### Sponsors

* Dr. Geoffrey Rush returns! This time stumping for Indeed.
* Everyone is able to say MUBI properly! It remains the only place to stream Decision to Leave!

## References

1. ↑ Blank Check Podcast. Oldboy. Audioboom. Retrieved on July 10, 2023.
2. ↑ Alison Wilmore. Park Chan-wook Leaves You Hanging. Vulture. Retrieved on July 10, 2023.
3. ↑ Alison Wilmore. *Fast X* Feels Like a Head Injury. Vulture. Retrieved on July 10, 2023.
Oppenheimer

* Opbenheimer
* The Pod Knight Casts

**Oppenheimer** is episode 436 focusing on the 2023 film of the same name and is the second revisit of The Pod Knight Casts miniseries on the films of Christopher Nolan. Posted July 30, 2023.

## Summary

> DA MOVIESH ARE BACK, BABY! Film Director Barbie joins the gang to chat about Christopher Nolan’s latest and an historic weekend at the multiplex. What’s the best format for seeing OPPENHEIMER? Which of the many character actors in this film makes the biggest impression? Will David make his sexy Christopher Nolan voice a new recurring bit? Plus - we address the SAG strike (solidarity!), the social media discourse around this film (so dumb!), and Ben admits that science used to seem cool.
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## References

1. ↑ Blank Check Podcast. Oppenheimer. Audioboom. Retrieved on July 31, 2023.
Stargate

**Stargate** is episode 274 and a Ben's Choice episode focusing on the 1994 film of the same name. The episode was the palate cleanser between Mad Pod: Fury Cast and You've Got Podcast. Posted May 31, 2020.

## Summary

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> It's a Ben's Choice bay-bee! Dry, dusty tombs ✓ Crazy convoluted tech ✓ Vast intergalactic conspiracies? ✓✓✓ 1994's *Stargate* really does have it all. This week Ben gets to makes his case for this Egyptian/Sci-Fi Roland Emmerich cult favorite, and why it's best viewed from a porch.
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### Milestones and Ephemera

* When are they gonna do a Carpenter series?!?!?
* Kudos to the blankie SB who snuck in producer Ben's nicknames into the new Mortal Kombat!
* Ben is transitioning to a dry guy!
* Griffin's Emmerich take: Spielberg for morons (not necessarily a bad thing)
* Emmerich is on the Blank Check Black List. Google him? Or don’t! He’s bad.
* Yes, Emmerich's films are trash but they're Griffin’s flavor of trash.
* Porch movie logistics: they ran an extension cord outside. Sometimes it was cold, sometimes it was sunny. Porches are the only place they had to go.
* Box-Office Game: Weekend of October 28, 1994. Griffin's battery was at 4%... can he make it without getting out of his chair to get a charger???
* Possible future Ben's Choice eps: The Simpson's Movie, Tank Girl, Joe Dirt, Airplane!, and Bob Dylan: Don't Look Back.

## References

1. ↑ Blank Check Podcast. Stargate. Audioboom. Retrieved on May 21, 2021.
2. ↑ u/jcoffmanky. Video game designer included reference to Ben's nicknames in new Mortal Kombat. Reddit. Retrieved on July 18, 2022.
My Neighbor Totoro

**My Neighbor Totoro** is episode 233 focusing on the film of the same name as part of the Howl's Moving Podcastle miniseries. Posted September 1, 2019.

## Summary

> J.D. Amato returns to discuss the 1988's acclaimed childhood tale, *My Neighbor Totoro*. Together they examine subs vs dubs, collecting limited edition merchandise and J.D. calls David and Producer Ben to apologize!
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### Milestones and Ephemera

* David's analogy from the Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind episode:
This episode : Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk :: Be Here Now : (What's the Story) Morning Glory?

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## References

1. ↑ My Neighbor Totoro on Audioboom. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
2. ↑ @ 0:15:00
Fletch

Ben Hosley loves FLETCH

**Fletch** is episode 62 focusing on the movie of the same name, part of the Standalones grouping of episodes and more specifically a Ben's Choice. Posted 17 Jun 2016.

## Summary

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> In this week’s special episode, guest host Producer Ben has been given his own “Blank Check” for selecting a one-off film to review and he’s cashing it in with 1985’s cult comedy *Fletch*. Is this one of Chevy Chase’s strongest performances? What happened to actress Dana Wheeler-Nicholson? Out of all the movies ever made Ben picked Fletch? But why? Together, the trio discuss Chevy Chase’s tumultuous reputation and career, nostalgia for these types of comedies and character actors, Geena Davis’ impressive run of films in the late eighties to mid-nineties, and hating phonies. Plus, an in-depth hollywood history of the mythic Fletch reboot. And after this week’s palette cleanser episode Griffin and David will begin their next mini series with the films of Cameron Crowe!
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It's the very first Ben's Choice!

In this special episode, guest host Producer Ben has been given his own “Blank Check” for selecting a one-off film to review... and he’s cashing it in with 1985’s cult comedy *Fletch*.

Is this one of Chevy Chase’s strongest performances? What happened to actress Dana Wheeler-Nicholson? Out of all the movies ever made Ben picked *Fletch* - but why?

Together, Ben and #TheTwoFriends discuss Chevy Chase’s tumultuous reputation and career, nostalgia for these types of comedies and character actors, Geena Davis’ impressive run of films in the late eighties to mid-nineties, and hating phonies. Plus, an extraordinarily in-depth Hollywood History of the mythical and elusive *Fletch* reboot.

And, as always... I gotta take off work today, I got the bone cancer.

### Milestones and Ephemera

* Ben on *Fletch Lives*: "Oh, it's... awful." On *Cops and Robbersons*: "Love that one!"
* Best-suited to star in a *Fletch* reboot: Dave Chappelle, Ellen DeGeneres, Jason Sudeikis, Ben Hosley
* David's Choice: could be *Clear and Present Danger*, a VHS special
* Griffin's Choice: could be Harlan Williams' *Rocket Man* (aww, a bonding thing with his mom and family)
* Being in a bad place: Drinking 48 cans of Tecate alone, 5 days without leaving the apartment, watching *Fletch* for the first time on the TV. Grim.
* Ben's Dad's comedy recommendations: *Where's Poppa,* and *Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore*
* *The Untouchables* billing order and credits: insane. INSANE.
* Griffin and David on prospective future miniseries: "Someday we'll do Peter Weir." "We should do Danny DeVito sometime." "I really wanna do Martin Brest."
* Ben's Obsolete Technology corner: card catalogs, MS-DOS computer terminals, microfiche

## References

1. ↑ Fletch on Audioboom. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
2. ↑ Editor note, August 2021: I'm a librarian and micro*film* is very much still in use. Microfiche less so, but they're pretty reliable technologies!
Merchandise

**Merchandise** is episode 8 and the eighth part of the The Phantom Podcast miniseries. Posted 11 May 2015.

### Summary

Toys. Kids love them. And so do Griffin and David.

This movie’s entire production was funded by the sale of exclusive rights to the merchandising. And manufacturer Hasbro pulled out all the stops, including introducing technology that allowed the products to “talk like never before,” capturing some of the most exciting moments in toy form! Like a seated Jabba the Hutt watching the pod race along with color commentators Fode and Beed, and a product (made for children) that allows someone to suck on Jar Jar Bink’s candy tongue.

So join your hosts to find out: whats in Watto’s box? Does Griffin buy something on eBay he will regret, with exciting play-by-play of online auction bidding? And a look back at their younger selves to REMEMBER THE TOYS.

Also, what about Super Bombad Racer on N64? And how George Lucas managed to finagle a fast-food tie-in with tacos? Just how sick of this movie are #TheTwoFriends and Producer Ben?

### Milestones and Ephemera

* Hero Jar-Jar: Hungry
* Complaints about UCB's wi-fi speed: numerous
* Merchandise Spotlight: the entire episode
March Madness 2019 Recap - Round 3

**March Madness 2019 Recap - Round 3** is episode 12 of Blank Check: Special Features about the third round of the year's March Madness tournament. Posted March 29, 2019.

## Summary

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> Director/writer, Alex Ross Perry "just happened" to be in studio to discuss Blank Check’s March Madness bracket! Together they make predictions for the final outcome, examine other potential franchises to cover in the future and Producer Ben presents a series of new start-up businesses he is launching this year.
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### Milestones and Ephemera

* David sealed Chip Smith into a Keep for one hundred years or whatever.
* ARP has a lot of opinions, but hasn't voted because he's not on twitter!
* The em*pha*sis on the wrong syl*la*ble.
* ARP's not really into Demme.
* ARP liked those tiny basketballs from Pizza Hut. Griffin likes chocolate basketballs.
* Current tease: Griffin's teasing that he's teasing a new bit, as a bit.
* Suggestions for future franchises: Look Who’s Talking, Analyze This/That, Whole Nine/Ten Yards, the Saw Franchise, Leprechaun, the Expendables, Police Academy, Major League, Hot Shots, Naked Gun
* This tournament is a little disappointing because nothing crazy happened. Careful what you wish for.
* Ben's business ideas:
	+ **Chains to go!** Highest quality chains, direct from his factory.
	+ **oldtires.com!** Tired of going to the dump for old tires? Now Ben will do that for you for money.
	+ **You are a dog signs!** If a dog in your life needs to be reminded they're a dog, or if you're not sure if you're a dog, get one of these signs. The sign includes a picture of a dog.
	+ **23 and not for me!** He doesn't want to join. He doesn't want to know!! He sends you a box, you open it, and it's just like "pfft, don't worry about it man" or "you're from Europe." One-time service.
* Why hasn't Ben been cast as someone's bad date in a movie? Make it happen ARP!
* They won't be covering *Shazam* as part of The PodDCEU Cast.

## References

1. ↑ March Madness 2019 Recap - Round 3 with Alex Ross Perry, Patreon. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
Ishtar

**Ishtar** is episode 321 focusing on the 1987 film of the same name, and the final film of The Podbreak Cast miniseries on the films of Elaine May. Posted April 25, 2021.

## Summary

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> Telling the truth is a dangerous business - but movies and podcasts can go hand-in-hand! We conclude our Elaine May series with one of the biggest bounces in Hollywood history - the unfairly maligned Ishtar. Clint McElroy (The Adventure Zone) joins us as we discuss blind camels and the “liberal feminist” Warren Beatty.
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### Milestones and Ephemera

* ... ... ... ... ... ... ... And I'm David. The most upvoted post on the Blankies reddit!
* A few of Richard Brody's New Yorker *Ishtar* pieces:
	+ To Wish Upon Ishtar (August 9, 2010)
	+ "Ishtar" and the Theory of Art (May 18, 2011)
	+ "Istar" and the Film Maudit (December 7, 2012)
	+ Movie of the Week: "Ishtar" (August 6, 2015)
	+ Elaine May Talks about "Ishtar" (April 1, 2016)
	+ I mean, honestly the *Ishtar* tag on the New Yorker website is basically just him.
* Madness in Morocco: The Road to Ishtar, Vanity Fair, February 2010.
* IshtarTheMovie.com

## References

1. ↑ Blank Check Podcast. Ishtar with Clint McElroy. Audioboom. Retrieved on April 25, 2021.
2. ↑ u/dtbrown101, Is this something?, reddit. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
March Madness 2020 Recap - Round 4

**March Madness 2020 Recap - Round 4** is episode 54 of Blank Check: Special Features about the final round of the year's March Madness tournament. Posted April 2, 2020.

## Summary

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> To commemorate the end of another season of March Madness, once again the mysterious Chip Smith joins Griffin, Ben and Ang to discuss the final matchups that lead to this year’s winners: director, Robert “Bobby Z” Zemeckis and franchise Mission: Impossible.
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## References

1. ↑ March Madness 2020 Recap - Round 4 on Patreon. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
Insomnia

**Insomnia** is episode 116 focusing on the movie of the same name, as part of the The Pod Knight Casts miniseries covering the filmography of Christopher Nolan. Posted 9 Jul 2017.

## Summary

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> Writer and director, Alex Ross Perry (*Golden Exits*), joins Griffin and David to discuss 2002’s psychological thriller remake, Insomnia. But does this movie fit into the tradition of the auteur’s bizarre third feature? What has changed about Al Pacino’s acting post-Oscar win? How is this film another example of Nolan playing with noir conventions? Together, they discuss Robin Williams’ 2002, Hilary Swank’s career trajectory, how Darren Aronofsky came the closet to taking on Batman before Nolan did and why it’s implausible the Alaskan police chief played by Paul Dooley would also conveniently be a former LAPD detective.
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Filmmaker and one-time Videology Trivia rival of #TheTwoFriends Alex Ross Perry comes into the AudioBoom Studios. He's also a blankie, so he knows what he's in for and fits comfortably into the Blank Check dynamic.

Alex wanted specifically to talk about Christopher Nolan's third movie, *Insomnia.* It is a bit overlooked in his filmography and he wanted to rewatch it with a critical eye in context of what he knows Nolan went on to do. Interestingly, Alex has a bit of a personal connection to Nolan too - this is a big get!

*Insomnia* is a mid-budget procedural with a bunch of award winners on the cast. There are a lot of hacky examples of this type of cop movie, and these days this type of script just goes to TV instead, but boy this is good and it holds up today.

This was Al Pacino's first movie after a few years' break - was it his last film performance as a Serious Actor? Robin Williams often either goes Full Robin Williams for comedy, or completely zeroes it out for dramas - but here, how does he subtly leverage his own persona in a nervy way to serve his character? As this was the first project where Nolan was working with a studio budget, how was he able to use the funds towards an aesthetic that we can now recognize as his personal style? How does this directing job set up Nolan for a positive career progression, as compared with, say, Darren Aronofsky's project choices?

Oh, and this is a remake of a Swedish movie. Just thought it should be mentioned, since Griffin went the extra mile and watched the original too.

### Milestones and Ephemera

* Alex's contribution to the Blank Check Lexicon: "blender"
* Paramount VHS Home Video: used an audio fanfare
* Hillary Swank: great actor, weird career
* Maura Tierney's personal preferred cinematographer: Wally Pfister
* Pacino's Detective Will Dormer: future Blank Check pitchman
* "You guys are so smart." -- Ben Hosley
* David teases a The Devil Wears Prada episode, which has two of the most “hurtful discarded meals”
Men in Black 3 Commentary

**Men in Black 3** is episode 169(lol nice) of Blank Check: Special Features and a commentary for the 2012 feature film of the same name. Posted March 21, 2023.

## Summary

>
> Released 10 years after the last entry in the franchise, our MiB commentary series picks up on one of the quietly most disastrous productions of all time: Men in Black 3. Topics include: Will Smith’s huge three story trailer, stalling for time in Act 1, Brolin nailing his performance as a young TLJ , the lazy twist ending and more!
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> **Movie starts at…23:11**
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### Milestones and Ephemera

* Will's planet sized trailer
* Box Office Game: Weekend of May 25, 2012

## References

1. ↑ Blank Check Podcast. Men in Black 3. Patreon. Retrieved on March 21, 2023.
Frankenweenie

**Frankenweenie** is episode 14 of Blank Check: Special Features focusing on the movie of the same name, as part of the Podward Scissorcast miniseries covering the films of Tim Burton. Posted April 11, 2019.

## Summary

> Editor and filmmaker, Jordan Fish, joins Griffin and David to discuss 2012's *Frankenweenie*!
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In addition to talk about the movie, the episode provides some insight into Robert and Ellen Hosley. When Ben informed his father that he had buried jeans in the yard of his childhood home, he suggested "Tea Tees" -- aka shirts soaked in tea.

### Milestones and Ephemera

* The episode was released from behind the paywall on April 11, 2022.
* 2019: David's gonna get hot. Hashtag Hot David 2019.
* Includes camp talk, including something called “laundry carnival”
* 3 Comedy Points for Franken-jeanie
* Griffin, Jordan, and Ray Tintori are the three people keeping 3D home releases in business. They're the "Three 3D Brothers of NYC."
* Box Office Game: Weekend of October 5, 2012

## Quotes

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> | David: |  Look, Frankenweenie. Which is the only one directed by Tim Burton *only*--
> | Griffin: |  --*Solely*. This is the one...
> | David: |  So he didn't have a patsy for this one who's actually doing all the work?
> | Griffin: |  No! This is the one he seems to have been really hands-on with.
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Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome

**Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome** is episode 266 focusing on the film of the same name as part of the Mad Pod: Fury Cast miniseries. Posted April 12, 2020.

## Summary

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> Together, #thetwofriends and returning guest David Ehrlich (IndieWire) talk about not just the Thunderdome, but go beyond to examine Tina Turner’s filmography, why the children of the wasteland are 10x better than the Lost Boys of Hook, the Toy Story 3 song “We Belong Together” and more!
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### Milestones and Ephemera

* Welcome to the Five-Timers Club, David!
* The jeans have been unearthed! Three jeans entered (the ground), two jeans left.
* Box office game: Weekend of July 12, 1985

## References

1. ↑ Blank Check Podcast. Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome with David Ehrlich. Audioboom. Retrieved on July 5, 2022.
Mission: Impossible - Fallout Commentary

**Mission: Impossible - Fallout** is a Mission: Impossible commentary episode, and episode 71 of the Blank Check: Special Features. Posted September 21, 2020 and released from behind the paywall on September 21, 2023.

## Summary

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> And so ends our first March Madness Patreon run! Griffin, David, and Ben watch Fallout and make our official rankings of the Mission Impossible franchise because that’s...the job! (Sorry, we had to). Listen or watch along as we talk the performance of Henry Cavill's mustache, retiring from public life and sleeping better knowing that Ethan Hunt is out there trying to stop a nuclear bomb from going off. Plus find out which spooky franchise which we’re watching this fall!
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### Milestones and Ephemera

* **Movie starts at 0:09:05.**
* Congratulations to David and Forky on their wedding!
* Griffin has finally come to terms with his inability to correctly pronounce McQuarrie and started calling him McQ.
* In conversation: Laurence Fishburne by E. Alex Jung
* Griff is bummed about the Tenet reviews. The boys are excited to see it... eventually.
* This movie was a nominee at The Fourth Annual Blank Check Awards including:
	+ Griffin: #6 in his top 10 for the year
		- Best Actor - Tom Cruise
		- Best Director - Christopher McQuarrie
	+ David: #8 in his top 10 for the year

## References

1. ↑ "Mission: Impossible - Fallout" on Patreon.
Lin-Manuel Miranda

**Lin-Manuel Miranda** is an actor, writer, singer, director, composer, fame-o and Blankie.

## Biography

Lin is the creator of a little show you may have heard of, *Hamilton*? He is uniquely qualified to discuss *All That Jazz* after having his own Fosse-like year with *Hamilton* and also playing Roy Scheider in *Fosse/Verdon*.

Lin is apparently a Blankie and would often DM the boys with his thoughts after episodes leading to his appearance on the show. He is the first Burger Reportee to appear as a guest and his work has also been discussed on the show during The Poddle Mercast’s Moana episode. He has also written music for The Force Awakens and The Rise of Skywalker.

Lin was nominated for Best Director at The Seventh Annual Blank Check Awards for *tick, tick...BOOM!*

He is one of the few guests to have appeared in, or worked on, a film covered by the podcast. He is also the first guest to have been the subject of a Burger Report (excluding the live show, real time report).
Jack Reacher: Never Go Back

Always no bits. Always pro Smits. File is orange twist.

**Jack Reacher: Never Go Back** (also known as **Pod Reacher: Never Go Cast**) is episode 80 and a standalone. Posted October 23, 2016.

## Summary

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> Days before its official release, Griffin and David discussed 2016's action thriller sequel *Jack Reacher: Never Go Back*.
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## References

1. ↑ Jack Reacher: Never Go Back on Audioboom. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
Merchandise Spotlight

Griffin is a toy boy, and loves talking about (and spending too much money on) all the movie tie-in merchandise that he can get his hands on. In the Blank Check episodes featuring movies that spawned toys or collectibles or other merchandise items, Griffin will discuss them in a segment called Merchandise Spotlight.

Early on this recurring segment was of course dominated by all manner of Star Wars merchandise but later included many, many other movies including The Matrix, Aliens, RoboCop, The Iron Giant, and more - even the extremely unlikely Say Anything... with its Lloyd Dobler action figure.

## Podcast Merchandise

### T-Shirt Gallery

The logo for the show circa 2018Give him a hearty Hello Fennel!Some of Ben's many nicknames"Da Moviesh"Talking the Walk 2018Walking the Talk 2019The Walk 2020
Old

"I went to the beach that makes you old and all I got was this lousy t-shirt"

**Old** is episode 335 focusing on the 2021 film of the same name as part of the Pod Night Shyamacast miniseries on the films of M. Night Shyamalan. Posted August 1, 2021.

## Summary

>
> What if there was a beach that made you old? Only the mischievous mind of M. Night Shyamalan could conjure such a place! The gang (including Shyamalan Superfan and Blank Check social media manager Marie Bardi) dives into M. Night’s latest offering. Is it a “Glassterpiece”? Does Griffin even know what age he is anymore? Did Ben always have those wrinkles on his face?
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### Milestones and Ephemera

* Box office: Weekend of July 23-25, 2021.
* This is the 666th page on the wiki! *Spoooooky!*
* Griffin nominated Thomasin McKenzie for Best Supporting Actress at The Seventh Annual Blank Check Awards.

## Old Image Gallery

The Blank Check twitter shared images after they "went to the beach that makes you old."

Old BenOld GriffinOld David
## References

1. ↑ Blank Check Podcast. Old with Marie Bardi. Audioboom. Retrieved on August 1, 2021.
2. ↑ @blankcheckpod. "We went to the beach that makes you old.". Twitter. Retrieved on August 1, 2021.
Happy Feet Two

**Happy Feet Two** is episode 271 focusing on the animated film of the same name in the Mad Pod: Fury Cast miniseries. Posted May 17, 2020.

## Summary

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> Visual artist Sara Rubin joins BC this week to discuss Miller’s second dancing penguin movie! Together with #thetwofriends they breakdown the billing order, question if krill are sea monkeys and try to guess the tagline to movie *Surf’s Up*.
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### Milestones and Ephemera

* Box Office Game: Weekend of November 18, 2011

## References

1. ↑ Blank Check Podcast. Happy Feet Two with Sara Rubin. Audioboom. Retrieved on July 5, 2022.
Higher Learning

**Higher Learning** is episode 325 focusing on the 1995 film of the same name as part of the Podz n the Cast miniseries on the films of John Singleton. Posted May 23, 2021.

## Summary

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> We’re going back to school with John Singleton, Omar Epps, and...Zangief?! Micah Peters (The Ringer) joins the Two Friends as they discuss “Higher Learning” - an ambitious movie that wrestles with the Big Issues of the American experience: race, gender, sexuality, and the career of Tyra Banks.
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### Milestones and Ephemera

* Box office game: Weekend of January 13, 1995

## References

1. ↑ Blank Check Podcast. Higher Learning with Micah Peters. Audioboom. Retrieved on May 23, 2021.
Ghostbusters: Answer the Call Commentary

**Ghostbusters: Answer the Call** (also known as **Ghostbusters (2016)**) is episode 123 of Blank Check: Special Features and about 2016 film of the same name as part of the Ghostbusters commentary miniseries. Posted February 1, 2022.

## Summary

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> Griffin, David, and Ben continue the Ghostbusters commentary with 2016's Answer the Call (Extended Edition)! Topics include: dunking on Edward Begley Jr, Bill Murray's death, the lack of NYC authenticity, this entry's legacy in the franchise and more!
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> **Movie starts at...28:40**
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### Milestones and Ephemera

* The debut of Joe Bowen's new BC:SF art!
* Box-Office Game: Weekend of July 15, 2016.
* Griffin gave Kate McKinnon Best Supporting Actress for this movie at The Second Annual Blank Check Awards.

## References

1. ↑ Blank Check Podcast. Ghostbusters: Answer the Call. Patreon. Retrieved on February 1, 2022.
Jamie Lee

**Jamie Lee** (@TheJamieLee on Twitter, @reallyjamielee on Instagram) is a standup comedian, actor, and author. She wrote the book *Weddiculous: The Unfiltered Guide to Being a Bride*, and currently she is a writer and lead actress on the HBO series "Crashing."

## Biography

Griffin Newman has been a fan of Jamie's ever since he saw her do a brilliant standup set under difficult circumstances at Just For Laughs in Montreal -- which incidentally was also the place where Griffin's reach first exceeded his grasp, so to speak, in his own early standup pursuits.

Jamie loves Nancy Meyers' movies -- says she's always front and center in opening weekend lines for them -- so she was excited to be a Blank Check guest for the miniseries Something's Podda Cast discussing The Intern. In addition to trying to puzzle out why studios seemed to cool on Nancy projects after It's Complicated (despite it being a hit and making money!), Jamie also came up with a pitch for a new Nancy Meyers-directed movie that she would love to star in. Look for *The Long Filing* in the future, under the banner of Blank Check Pictures.
March Madness 2021 Recap - Round 3

**March Madness 2021 Recap - Round 3** is episode 92 of Blank Check: Special Features. Posted March 29, 2021.

## Summary

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> In the final recap of the 2021 March Madness season, Griffin, David, Ben, and Marie check in on the brackets as we near the final contenders.
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### Milestones and Ephemera

* Oh is this March Madness a little weird?? They address the bots!
	+ Twitter *appears* to have a few downsides.
* Next year they'll probably host the match-ups on some other platform/website.
* Griffin Region Talk!
	+ They thought Brest or Dante would be the People's Champions, but they underestimated the appeal of Elliott Gould and the unexpected passing of George Segal.
	+ Perhaps Dante suffered for March Madness overlapping with Musker & Clements because he made a lot of family-friendly films.
	+ Altman is one of Griffin & David's shared guys! Big guy massive hands!
* Ben Region Talk!
	+ Some fools in David's mentions thought Devito would take Carpenter. Ha! Carpenter "threw Danny from the train," as Griffin so beautifully put it.
	+ People brought receipts!
	+ If any region would have chaos, it would be Ben's!
* Guest Region Talk!
	+ Cuarón was the first filmmaker who showed David semen in a theater!
	+ Some info on the Cuarón/Autism controversy: 'I Am Autism': An Advocacy Video Sparks Protest
	*(Ed. note: As an autistic person it is impossible for me to be objective here. Autism Speaks is absolute trash  and this PSA, old or not, is the fucking worst. Nothing about us without us is for us.)*
* Griffin & Ben saw a double feature of *RoboCop* and *Escape from New York* at the Queens Drive-in — a *very* Griffy/Ben evening.
* Sometimes it helps the boys pull the trigger on a long miniseries to have the backing of March Madness.
* Chip Bot claimed responsibility for all the March Madness chaos.
* Chip gifted David some weapon's grade plutonium as a baby gift!
* Announced that should the Rocky franchise win Special Features March Madness 2021, it would not include the Creed films.
	+ They will eventually cover Coogler! Once he makes more movies.

## Quotes

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> | Griffin: |  Robo-Chip, do you want to take us out?
> | ChipBot: |  Uh, yes. Um. Signing off. Look upon ye works, Chip, and despair. Smell you later fart-heads 2.0. Boop.
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## References

1. ↑ March Madness 2021 Recap - Round 3 on Patreon. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
2. ↑ u/throwaway7777777793, March Madness just got botted again, reddit. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
3. ↑ Autistic Self Advocacy Network, Disability Community Condemns Autism Speaks. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
4. ↑ Barrington, Lucy. A Reporter's Guide to the Autism Speaks Debacle, *Psychology Today*. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
Mad Pod: Fury Cast

**Mad Pod: Fury Cast** is a miniseries focusing on the films of George Miller.

This miniseries is preceded by the Stop Making Podcasts miniseries on the films of Jonathan Demme. It is followed by the You've Got Podcast miniseries on the films of Nora Ephron.

## Summary

Prior to the start of this miniseries, George Miller made it to the semifinal round of March Madness 2018 and the championship round of March Madness 2019, but was defeated by David Fincher and Jonathan Demme respectively. Miller also made an appearance as a Best Director nominee during the The First Annual Blank Check Awards. Miller was nominated by Griffin, David, and Joe Reid, however he only won for Griffin.

Between the Demme series and the Miller Series was the standalone 5th Anniversary Special episode.

### Milestones and Ephemera

* Producer Ben nickname: **Hoz: Pig in the City** which was supplanted by **Ben: Pig is His Kitty** in the Sympathy for Lady Vengeance episode.

## Ranking His Filmography

At the conclusion of the miniseries, the Blankies rankings will compiled from a voting thread found on the r/Blankies sub-reddit.

## References

1. ↑ What is your George Miller Ranking on Reddit
2. ↑ https://boxd.it/4Axea
3. ↑ Aggregated George Miller and Toy Story Rankings on Reddit
Justin Timberlake + The Tennessee Kids

**Justin Timberlake + The Tennessee Kids** is episode 262 focusing on the film of the same name directed by Jonathan Demme as part of the Stop Making Podcasts miniseries. Posted March 19, 2020.

## Summary

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> B-b-b-bonus Jonas, David and Griffin do a Jonathan Demme wrap-up with his last full-length music documentary. What is David's extensive background with Timberlake concerts? How much does Griffin dislike Timberlake? Is he actually funny or is that all Andy Samberg? And how do musicians keep from exhausting themselves on stage?
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## References

1. ↑ Blank Check Podcast. Justin Timberlake + The Tennessee Kids. Audioboom. Retrieved on February 18, 2022.
The General

**This article is a disambiguation page for The General**

The following is a list of links to pages that might share the same title.

Please follow one of the disambiguation links below or search to find the page you were looking for if it is not listed. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

This is a disambiguation page for **The General**.

* For the Buster Keaton episode about the film *The General*, see Battling Butler/The General
* For Rosario Dawson's pubic zone, which she has publicly said she calls "The General," see the episode on Trance.