recursal/Fanatic-Fandom huggingface dataset:
Romancing the Stone

**Romancing the Stone** is episode 290 focusing on the 1984 film of the same name as part of the Podcast Away miniseries on the films of Robert Zemeckis. Posted September 20, 2020.

## Summary

>
> How did Robert Zemeckis go from commercial flops to a career-defining time-travelling trilogy of blank checks? It’s all thanks to his “guarantor” from 1984 - *Romancing The Stone*, starring Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner. We invited Filmspotting’s Adam Kempenaar and Josh Larsen to dive into Zemeckis’ first commercial success and how it set the tone for a decade of hits.
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### Milestones and Ephemera

* Merchandise Spotlight: A novelization of the film with Joan Wilder listed as the author.

## References

1. ↑ Blank Check Podcast. Romancing the Stone with Adam Kempenaar & Josh Larsen. Audioboom. Retrieved on July 5, 2022.
2. ↑ @blankcheckpod. Would like to thank whoever was in charge of the novelization of Romancing The Stone for this cover. Twitter. Retrieved on July 5, 2022.
March Madness 2023

**March Madness 2023** was a March Madness single-elimination tournament. The event provides the yearly opportunity for Blankies to vote on a director to be covered. The winning director was Park Chan-wook, who defeated Bong Joon-ho by 1 vote in the final. The resulting miniseries I'm a Podcast, But That's OK began in June 2023.

## Summary

On February 22 it was announced via a video on the Blank Check Twitter that the theme would be Blank Check World Cup '23, centering on 32 international filmmakers.

### March Madness FAQ

* Polls go live at 11am ET.
* Voting takes place on the Blank Check website and results are posted to Twitter the following day.
* All choices are valid! Play nice!

### Milestones and Ephemera

* Alfonso Cuarón, Guillermo del Toro, and Peter Jackson are all returning for a 4th time.
* Peter Weir and David Lean return for a 3rd time.
* Second appearances by: Baz Luhrmann, Bong Joon-ho, David Cronenberg, Edward Yang, François Truffaut, Lynne Ramsay, Mike Leigh, Miloš Forman, Steve McQueen, Fritz Lang, Paul Verhoeven, and Wong Kar-wai.
* François Truffaut will likely be retired after this year.

### Pre-Tournament Poll

Before the official start of March Madness, a poll was up on the BC website.

 Lin Manuel Miranda

2,840 total votes

## Tournament

### First Round Matchups

Several Blankies provided statistics commentary on Reddit:

* Statistical predictions for March Madness 2023 by u/antlersantlers
* Blank Check March Madness '23 World Cup Edition - Round 1 Stats by u/missiinformation

### Semifinals

Final Four

results -- 13,312 total votes -- reddit

results -- 12,583 total votes -- reddit

## Stats

 Round 2
 Round 3
 Round 4
 Round 5

## Featured Episodes

The March Madness 2023 preview and recap episodes appeared on Blank Check: Special Features.

## References

1. ↑ Blank Check Podcast. It's that time of year again.... @blankcheckpod on Twitter. Retrieved on February 22, 2023.
2. ↑ @blankcheckpod. Our first poll goes up at 11am, Steve. Twitter. Retrieved on March 1, 2023.
3. ↑ u/mi-16evil. FAQs: Blank Check March Madness 2023. reddit. Retrieved on March 1, 2023.
The Empire Strikes Back

**This article is a disambiguation page for The Empire Strikes Back**

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.

**The Empire Strikes Back** may refer to:

* The Podcast Strikes Back, episode 35 of the main feed focusing on *Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back* as part of the continuing coverage of the Star Wars Sequels.
* The Empire Strikes Back Commentary, episode 48 of Blank Check: Special Features.
The Handmaiden

**The Handmaiden** is episode 440 focusing on the 2016 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 August 27, 2023.

## Summary

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

* Emily has the wiki bookmarked! Hi mom!!
* New glossary term: the Attachies. After a director experiences success, they attach themselves to *everything*. Very little of it sticks.
* Box Office Game: Weekend of October 28, 2016 (wider release).
	+ Original release was same game as Jack Reacher: Never Go Back
* This movie received multiple nominations at The Second Annual Blank Check Awards including:
	+ Griffin: 5th on his top 10
		- Best Director
		- Best Adapted Screenplay
	+ David: 10th on his top 10
		- Best Adapted Screenplay
		- Best Original Score

### Tucc Tangent

As a result of the tangent in the episode, a poll went up on the BC twitter.

twitter -- 2,258 total votes

## References

1. ↑ Blank Check Podcast. The Handmaiden. Audioboom. Retrieved on August 27, 2023.
Steve Jobs

**Steve Jobs** is episode 421 focusing on the 2015 film of the same name as part of Trainspodcasting miniseries on the films of Danny Boyle. Posted April 16, 2023.

## Summary

> Calling all Sorkinistas - we’re walking, talking, and putting 1,000 songs in your pocket! Based on Walter Isaccson’s best-selling biography of the original Apple Genius, STEVE JOBS puts Danny Boyle in David Fincher’s shoes. What did we learn about this movie from the notorious Sony hacks? Is Michael Fassbender too hot to play Steve Jobs? Would it surprise you to learn that Ben Hosley is a life-long Mac user? Olivia Craighead returns to the pod and joins the Five Timers Club in spectacular fashion with a special throwback burger report. Plus - we do NOT thank the Apple II team, and David has strep.
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### Milestones and Ephemera

* The film was nominated in multiple categories in the Best of the Decade Blankies Awards. Joe nominated Aaron Sorkin for Best Adapted Screenplay and David nominated it for Best Score.
* Olivia revealed that she was the source for the original Danny Boyle Burger Report before she even knew #TheTwoFriends, which aired in The Third Annual Blank Check Awards .
* David's article on Aaron Sorkin & Ed Harris: *A New Way of Looking at To Kill a Mockingbird*
* A.O. Scott's Steve Jobs review
* Confirmation that Justin Kurzel has listened to the Assassin's Creed episode.
* Woz's ill-fated Shark Tank venture.
* Someone did the math: 1,222 hours and 13 minutes
* Box office game: Weekend of October 9, 2015 (limited).

## References

1. ↑ Blank Check Podcast. Steve Jobs. Audioboom. Retrieved on April 16, 2023.
2. ↑ A.O. Scott. Review: ‘Steve Jobs,’ Apple’s Visionary C.E.O. Dissected. New York Times. Retrieved on April 18, 2023.
3. ↑ u/TalkingElvish. Justin Kurzel a confirmed fan of Blank Check. reddit. Retrieved on April 18, 2023.
4. ↑ u/realhind. Total runtime after 421 episodes. reddit. Retrieved on April 18, 2023.
The Man Who Knew Too Little

The Pod Who Cast Too Little

**The Man Who Knew Too Little** (aka **The Pod Who Cast Too Little**) is episode 87 and the third Ben's Choice episode.

## Summary

>
> Our special episode this week: a discussion of 1997’s spy comedy *The Man Who Knew Too Little*. But how would you picture a Boris the Butcher to look? What are Producer Ben’s favorite bits? And why does Griffin know so much about box office stats? Together they examine the different phases of Bill Murray’s career, Peter Gallagher’s eyebrows, and Griffin’s access to the fabled Murray 1-800 number.
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### Milestones and Ephemera

* Box office game: Weekend of November 14, 1997

## References

1. ↑ The Man Who Knew Too Little on Audioboom.
The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness

**The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness** is episode 243 focusing on the documentary film of the same name, and the final main feed episode of the Howl's Moving Podcastle miniseries. Posted November 6, 2019

## Summary

> On a special b-b-b-b-bonus episode, Griffin and David review the 2013 documentary that offers a rare look into the behind-the-scenes of Studio Ghibli. They also discuss Dilbert, HBO Max acquiring the exclusive streaming rights of the Studio Ghibli library and offer up their rankings of Miyazaki's filmography.
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### Milestones and Ephemera

* Griffin recommends: Tell Them Anything You Want: A Portrait of Maurice Sendak
* Recorded mid-Demme, so Griffin isn't having as much of a depressive breakdown.
* Includes rankings!

## References

1. ↑ The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness on Audioboom. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
Rebecca Drysdale

**Rebecca Drysdale** (@beckdrys on Twitter) is a writer and improviser with roots in New York City.

## Biography

Becky has been a member of the Second City Chicago National Touring Company in addition to performing at UCB East and West, the Improv Olympic, and Boom Chicago in Amsterdam; she also taught at her own volunteer improv theater The Club in Los Angeles. In television, she wrote and co-produced for the full run of "Key & Peele" as well as writing for "The Big Gay Sketch Show" and "Baskets." Comedy writing seems to run in the family; her brother is comedy writer Eric Drysdale ("The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report").

As a veteran of stages and classrooms at UCB - and a former summer camp counselor of one Griffin Newman - Becky has known Griffin for many years and they've talked about *The Incredibles* many a time; it is one of her favorite movies ever. Her other pupils at the Buck’s Rock Performing Arts Summer Camp included Lola Kirke, Sara Rubin, Ezra Miller, and Ezra Koenig. So when it came time for Blank Check to do a Brad Bird miniseries Rebecca's name immediately came to mind as a guest possibility. With so much to say about it, and three huge Pixar fans on the mics with so many tangents to follow, The Incredibles episode of Blank Check was at the time of its recording the longest episode of the show to feature a guest. It clocks in at a hefty 2 hours 33 minutes, only topped by the guestless The Last Jedi episode by a mere seven minutes.
Starship Troopers

**Starship Troopers** is episode 148 focusing on the movie of the same name, as part of the Podship Casters miniseries covering the Hollywood years of Paul Verhoeven. Posted February 18, 2018.

## Summary

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> J.D. Amato (The Chris Gethard Show) joins Griffin and David to discuss 1997’s bug war sci-fi, *Starship Troopers*.
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Past present and future guest J.D. Amato meets #TheTwoFriends to discuss Paul Verhoeven's 1997 sci-fi martial blow-em-up, *Starship Troopers*. Once again J.D. moves into a tie with Richard Lawson and Emily Yoshida for most Blank Check appearances... and he gamed it out to get a movie he's passionate about.

Has any movie in recent history undergone more of a critical U-turn than this one? This was also pretty much Verhoeven's first experience with large-scale CGI effects, even as he blended them with a little bit of practical visual stuff he was familiar with. It's nuts that the effects came out as well as they did considering how much they were figuring stuff out on the fly. But what about the story being told, and why does Verhoeven keep throwing all these scripts in the garbage before fishing them out and making them into movies?

The elephant in the room is the Nazi allusions and imagery. Did Verhoeven miscalculate his audience? What were his preferences in terms of casting, and how does Neil Patrick Harris fit in or stand out? How did this crazy Dutchman get a hundred million dollar budget after the Showgirls catastrophe?

Also Ben has a "theme song" for Futureball, Griffin has to take a break to go throw up some food that disagreed with him, and J.D. breaks in mid-show for his signature 'podcast-within-a-podcast' to apologize for his own Kuato impression. He does not apologize for the Watto, the Wario, the Kuatario, or the Nikki Glaser impressions.

### Milestones and Ephemera

* I LOVE MOVIES. Blank it? Thank it! (slap five)
* Suddenly physically ill in the middle of the recording session: Griffin, blaming poutine from a bar
* Normally unflappable J.D. Amato: flapped
* A Denise Richards filmography entry: *Looking Italian* (see Lost In Space)
* *Twenty Years but More Italians* (see The Book of Henry)
* Why the army needs animators: "Private Snafu"
* *The Hero of Color City*: starring crayons
* Merchandise Spotlight!
* Box office game: Weekend of November 7, 1997

### Sponsors

* This episode was sponsored by **Serial Box**. The Trix Rabbit stops in because he heard "cereal box," but David pitches him on the actual service - it's like the HBO of reading! The app delivers a new 'episode' of fiction in a serialized story every week. Readable on the screen or in audio form. It sounds interesting enough that the Lucky Charms leprechaun, the Cookie Crisp crook, Count Chocula, Boo-Berry, and even the Quaker Oats guy all run in to check it out too. serialbox.com/blankcheck for 20% off a subscription to the latest series, *False Idols*.

1. ↑ Blank Check Podcast. Starship Troopers. audioboom. Retrieved on May 21, 2022.
The Matrix Reloaded Commentary

**The Matrix Reloaded** is episode 130 of Blank Check: Special Features and about 2003 film of the same name as part of the The Matrix commentary miniseries and a supplement to The Podchowski Casters. Posted March 21, 2022.

## Summary

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> Our Matrix commentary series continues with 2003's *The Matrix Reloaded*! Topics include: Merovingian origin theories, the squib arts, Night Court, SERAPH BEING A LOGIN SCREEN.
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> **Movie starts at...12:22**
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## References

1. ↑ Blank Check Podcast. The Matrix. Patreon. Retrieved on March 1, 2022.
Se7en

**Se7en** is episode 443 focusing on the 1995 film of the same name as part of the The Curious Pod of Benjamin Buttcast miniseries on the films of David Fincher. Posted September 17, 2023.

## Summary

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

* It's teased that a future (already recorded) upcoming guest breaks the Blank Check Studios toilet!
* Maynk (and Junek) from the Doughboys
* The corpse stars of 'Seven'
* Box Office Game: Weekend of September 22, 1995

## Quotes

Intro:

> "*You're no messiah. You're a movie of the week. You're a fucking podcast, at best.*"
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Nick's alt:

> "*Ernest Hemingway once wrote, "The world is a fine podcast and worth fighting for." I agree with the second part.*"
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## References

1. ↑ Blank Check Podcast. Se7en. Audioboom. Retrieved on September 17, 2023.
2. ↑ Rebecca Ascher-Walsh. The corpse stars of 'Seven'. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on September 26, 2023.
Peter Newman

**Peter Newman** is a film producer, NYU professor, and the father of Griffin,  Romilly, and James Newman.

## Biography

Before becoming a producer, as reported on in the Life of Pi and Ali episodes, Peter Newman ran a phone line for sports gamblers, which he gave up upon marrying Antonia Dauphin, Griffin’s mother and famed Holly Hunter-lookalike. He was the executive producer of the Jonathan Demme film Swimming to Cambodia covered as a bonus for Stop Making Podcasts. As such, he is one of the few guests to have appeared in, or worked on, a film covered by the podcast.

Peter's birthday is November 26th, a fact only remembered by Griffin because that is the release date of Disney's Haunted Mansion.

He likes sports, and once had a disastrous on-camera interview with Muhammad Ali. In the early 2000's he became involved in the competitive eating scene through fellow Village weirdo Crazy Legs Conti which was discussed at length in the Seven Chances/Go West episode.

## Appearances

Mr. Newman is one of only a few guests to have only appeared on Patreon.
Pod That Jazzcast

**Pod That Jazzcast** is a miniseries covering the films of Bob Fosse beginning in July 2022.

## Summary

Jazz hands in July! The miniseries was announced on twitter and during the Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness episode.

Fosse has twice appeared in March Madness. In 2018 he was the 32nd seed and got eliminated in the first match of round 1 by David Fincher. In 2020 he was in the Oscars bracket and was eliminated in round 1 by Francis Ford Coppola.

The titular inspiration is the film *All That Jazz*. The art for this series features Griffin as Liza's role in Cabaret, Ben as the titular Sweet Charity, and David as Fosse himself in All That Jazz.

The series was preceded by Podcast Me to Hell on the films of Sam Raimi. It is followed by Pods Wide Cast on the films of Stanley Kubrick.

### Milestones and Ephemera

* JJ renamed the research dossier "The Fossier"
* Rejected miniseries name: Pod That Cazzt
* Ben Nickname: **All That Hozz**.

## Ranking His Filmography

At the conclusion of the miniseries, the Blankies' rankings will be compiled from a voting thread found on the r/Blankies sub-reddit. The host and guest rankings were given on the Star 80 episode.

## References

1. ↑ @blankcheckpod. Tweet Jun 12, 2022. Twitter. Retrieved on June 26, 2022. “POD THAT JAZZCAST:
Blank Check Presents the Films of Bob Fosse
We're unbelievably excited about this one, folks!”
2. ↑ u/Bubbatino. Fosse Rankings. reddit. Retrieved on August 9, 2022.
3. ↑ u/fysigunkus. Belated Fosse Aggregated (Ann) Rankings. reddit. Retrieved on November 21, 2022.
Podcastl

**Podcastl** is a miniseries on the films of Barbra Streisand beginning in January 2024.

## Summary

The miniseries was announced on social media on November 24, 2023. Barbra Streisand's sole March Madness appearance was in March Madness 2022 where she was defeated in the first round by Albert Brooks.

The titular inspiration is the film *Yentl*. The miniseries art by the great Pat Reynolds, features the BC boys in *Yentl* with David as Avigdor and Griffin as Yentl.

The series was preceded by The Curious Pod of Benjamin Buttcast on the films of David Fincher.

## Episodes

The timeline is based on the schedule in the announcement tweet, but is, of course, subject to change!

## Ranking Her Filmography

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

## References

1. ↑ @blankcheckpod. Post Nov 24, 2023. Instagram. Retrieved on November 24, 2023. “Some year-end announcements as we wrap up 2023!”
Ricki and the Flash

**Ricki and the Flash** is episode 261 focusing on the film of the same name directed by Jonathan Demme as part of the Stop Making Podcasts miniseries. Posted March 15, 2020.

## Summary

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> Who? Weekly hosts Bobby Finger and Lindsey Weber talk about Demme's last film, written by Diablo Cody. But they really just want to talk about *Tully*. It's a film about dead beat [get it? BEAT??] Moms with Meryl's real daughter, and Griffin is so laid back he has his microphone in his lap. What works for Wild Rose that doesn't work for this film? Can we talk about her INSANE TATTOO FOR A SECOND? And what's the best place to watch this movie?
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## References

1. ↑ Blank Check Podcast. Ricki and the Flash. Audioboom. Retrieved on February 18, 2022.
Solo: A Star Wars Story

*This article covers the main feed episode. For the Patreon commentary episode, see Solo Commentary.*

### Sponsors

RXBAR
We Transfer
Audioboom

**Solo: A Star Wars Story** (also known as **Podo: A Star Wars Cast**) is episode 165 focusing on the 2018 film of the same name as is part of the podcast's continuing coverage of the Star Wars Sequels. Posted May 27, 2018.

## Summary

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> On the week of it’s release in May of 2018, Griffin and David discussed *Solo: A Star Wars Story*.
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This will be revisited later after the episode is listened to and digested. But as usual when a new episode comes out with its own Pat Reynolds artwork, just gotta get this beauty out there and on display.

As is becoming clear, when #TheTwoFriends revisit a past miniseries to discuss a new installment in the franchise or a new movie by that director, there is a goodly amount of time spent on the mics. 2 hours 22 minutes is not anywhere near a record, though. Strap in for a 12-parsec Kessel Run!

### Milestones and Ephemera

* First new episode recorded by #TheTwoFriends in about four months. Wow, they sure banked up a ton of material.
* Box office game: Weekend of May 25, 2018

### Sponsors

* Oh my goodness. It's the Admiral R. X. Bar (cousin of the famous rebel general Ackbar) at the door to tell Griffin and David about RXBAR. A good whole food source of protein, and they're introducing 3 new flavors in addition to a new line of nut butters.
* We Transfer.
* Do you look up to Blank Check just like Han Solo looks up to Tobias Beckett in this movie, and now you want to start your own podcast too? Audioboom can help! A low monthly subscription gets you your own branded homepage, unlimited storage, up to 220 minutes per show (you can surpass Blank Check!) and your podcast can be eligible for distribution via all of Audioboom's built-in partnerships with iTunes, Stitcher, and the other big players of podcast networking. Get started today at audioboom.com.

## References

1. ↑ Blank Check Podcast. Solo: A Star Wars Story. Audioboom. Retrieved on May 12, 2022.
Paul F. Tompkins

**Paul F. Tompkins** (a must-follow on Twitter as @PFTompkins) is an American comedian, actor, and writer. He is known for his standup comedy, prolific podcasting, and work in television writing & performing on *Mr. Show with Bob and David*, as correspondent and guest panelist on *Real Time with Bill Maher*, and writer/performer on *Best Week Ever* (later renamed *Best Week Ever with Paul F. Tompkins* after he became the regular host of the show).

Paul's forays into the burgeoning field of podcasting led to regular appearances on shows such as Comedy Bang! Bang!, Superego, and other comedy podcasts. He has also hosted many podcasts of his own including The Thrilling Adventure Hour, Spontaneanation, The Dead Authors Podcast, and the beloved Pod F. Tompkast -- whose title one might say set the template for Blank Check's individual miniseries names many years later.

Paul was a guest of Blank Check on the Mars Attacks! episode of Podward Scissorcast, and The Two Friends were downright honored by the presence of a luminary in their field. He had never seen the film before sitting down to watch it for his Blank Check appearance; he brought his usual charm and comedic touch to the episode, reevaluating a film that was considered an earlier failure by Burton.
The Fog

**The Fog** is episode 339 focusing on the 1980 film of the same name and part of the They Podcast miniseries on the films of John Carpenter. Posted August 29, 2021.

## Summary

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> A film brave enough to ask the question - what if there was fog? Just kidding - this movie is ACTUALLY about vengeful pirate ghosts and a lady with a sexy radio voice. *CANDYMAN*’s Nia DaCosta returns to the pod to ask whether or not fog is scary if you aren’t driving through it. Producer Ben wonders if the titular fog should have had a voice. Plus, we explore the history of spooky lighthouse movies.
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### Milestones and Ephemera

* Recorded 4 days before Nia started shooting *Captain Marvel 2*!
* ***EXCLUSIVE!*** New Marvel character reveal: Jane G. Currently seen in *Candyman* (2021). Coming soon to *Captain Marvel 2*.
* David is a Damp Dude.
* Ben got a dang book!!
* The infinitely forgettable Our Souls At Night

#### Box Office

Feb 1, 1980

1. The Silent Scream
2. American Gigolo
3. Kramer vs. Kramer
4. The Electric Horseman
5. A Force of One

* Other movies: Chapter Two, The Jerk, The Fog (opens at #10), Fatso

## References

1. ↑ Blank Check Podcast. The Fog with Nia DaCosta. Audioboom. Retrieved on August 29, 2021.
Nicole Byer

**Nicole Byer** is a comedian, author, actor, TV host, and podcaster. She hosts *Nailed It* on Netflix and the podcasts Newcomers with Lauren Lapkus and Why Won't You Date Me.

## Biography

As a comedian, Nicole has done many tours of the US. Currently she's co-starring on the NBC sitcom *Grand Crew* and hosting the Netflix baking reality show *Nailed It!* Her book, #VERYFAT #VERYBRAVE: The Fat Girl's Guide to Being #Brave and Not a Dejected, Melancholy, Down-in-the-Dumps Weeping Fat Girl in a Bikini, came out in 2020 from Andrews McMeel Publishing.
Princess Mononoke

**Princess Mononoke** is episode 236 focusing on the film of the same name as part of the Howl's Moving Podcastle miniseries. Posted September 22, 2019.

## Summary

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> Griffin McElroy (My Brother, My Brother and Me, The Adventure Zone) joins #thetwofriends to discuss 1997's eco-friendly adventure, *Princess Mononoke*! Together they examine melting giant evil spaghetti boars, bones, tasty immortality heads, being raised by wolves and more!
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### Milestones and Ephemera

* A 50% Griffin podcast!
* Ponyo loves ham. Sosuke loves Ponyo. David loves Ponyo.
* The aforementioned BiBo interview
* The Boxmasters graphic novel: *A Twisted Tale through Time*
* Elk is zaddy.
* Lots of talk about no good, very Bad don't do it Santa.
* The "Tooth Guy" from the SyFy creepypasta show.
* Griffin McElroy has *never* thrown his baby at a 12 ft wolf 😉
* Reality show pitch to be produced by Blank Check Pictures: Ben's Apartment. A Joe's Apartment reboot but it's just cameras in Ben's apartment observing him being a roach-boy.
* Box Office Game: Weekend of October 29, 1999 (US release)

## Quotes

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> | Griffin N.: | They're like the cute characters in the movie. Like they're the only who graphically look kind of like adorable Ghibli characters. But also everything about how they move and sound is terrifying.
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## References

1. ↑ Blank Check Podcast. Princess Mononoke. Audioboom. Retrieved on January 2, 2022.
2. ↑ This percentage includes Ben! Obviously if it did not include Ben, it would be a 66.6% Griff ep.
3. ↑ q on CBC. Billy Bob Thornton 'Blow Up' on Q TV. Youtube. Retrieved on August 7, 2022.
Pod Me If You Cast

**Pod Me If You Cast** is a miniseries on the films of Steven Spielberg: The DreamWorks Years. It covers a portion of Steven Spielberg's directing career, spanning chronologically from 1997's *The Lost World: Jurassic Park* through the present.

## Summary

Griffin and David called this the biggest topic yet tackled by the show, in terms of scale and success. It is also the first time the podcast focused on a portion of a career - otherwise it's just too much and too big a career, even though the skipped portion features other "blank check" movie projects. The co-hosts reserved the right to go back and cover the rest of Spielberg's career at some point in the future but for the moment decided to limit the scope to a manageable amount.

Basically, by founding his own entire movie studio in 1997, DreamWorks Pictures, Steven Spielberg managed to issue himself the biggest blank check in history. A single director had never founded an entire studio before, but Spielberg did it. For a period of about eight years he was able to control every aspect of his own filmmaking, from production to direction right through to marketing and distribution. DreamWorks has since been sold a few times, spun off or shut down various arms of its business, and entered into film distribution agreements with different parties. It currently functions more or less as a scaled-back production company.

Even though *Lost World: Jurassic Park* and *The BFG* were not technically DreamWorks movies, the miniseries worked better with them as bookends - chronologically *Lost World* came out after a four-year break from directing, which offered a clean starting point after such a long hiatus. David noted that he looked at the miniseries as "Spielberg: post-Oscar." (Spielberg had finally won the Academy Award for Best Director for 1993's *Schindler's List*, after a notable nomination snub for 1975's *Jaws* had led to a career of aspiring to win it one day.)

This miniseries was preceded by the Podinator: Judgment Cast miniseries, on the films of James Cameron. It was followed by the The Pod Knight Casts miniseries, on the films of Christopher Nolan.

## Ranking Their Filmography

* Griffin and David shared their rankings (just top 5, and only up to 5/20/2017) on The First Blank Check Mailbag, rather than the final miniseries episode.
* The Blankies rankings were compiled from the Reddit voting thread found on the r/Blankies sub-reddit, where the results were also later posted.

## Episode Art

After the original series, the supplemental episodes had individualized episode art by the Great Pat Reynolds!

The PodReady Podcast OnePod Side CastyThe Podcastmans
Public Enemies

**Public Enemies** is episode 227 focusing on the movie of the same name, as part of The Cast of the Podhicans miniseries on the films of Michael Mann. Posted July 28, 2019.

## Summary

>
> Writer Fran Hoepfner joins #thetwofriends to discuss 2009's gritty bank robber romance, *Public Enemies*. Together they examine the merits of the phrase dumb egg, a vaping incident, pulling a classic “Chewbacca” and was Christian Bale nominated for David’s ‘Hard to Make the 5’ list?
>
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>

### Milestones and Ephemera

* Box office game: Weekend of July 3, 2001

## References

1. ↑ Public Enemies on Audioboom. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
Space Jam

come on and slam, and welcome to the jam

**Space Jam** (also known as **Space Pod**) is episode 185 focusing on the movie of the same name, as a Family Choice and part of the standalone grouping of episodes. Posted 30 September 2018.

## Summary

>
> This week, James Newman joins Blank Check for another family edition episode to discuss the 1996 Michael Jordan and Looney Tunes crossover, *Space Jam*.
>
>
>
>

Mashup theme song!

Welcome to the show, longtime brother of Griffin's... it's James Newman!

### Milestones and Ephemera

* Box office game: Weekend of November 15, 1996.

### Sponsors

* **Talkspace** (promo code CHECK)
* **Hims** (use a BLANK promo code)
* **Robin Hood** (get a free stock with signup!)

## References

1. ↑ Blank Check Podcast. Space Jam. Audioboom. Retrieved on May 16, 2022.
Special Features March Madness 2021

**Special Features March Madness 2021** was a supplementary March Madness tournament for Patreon subscribers. This Special Features March Madness tournament determined an upcoming franchise commentary series to be covered. At the end of the month, The Twilight Saga emerged victorious. The Twilight commentary series began in May 2021.

## Summary

The 2021 Patreon bracket was announced February 25, 2021 on the same day as the bracket for the main feed. "Will it be Muppets or Apes? Austin Powers or Miss Piggy? Zac Efron or the Blair Witch? Chuckie (Finster) or Chucky (doll inhabited by the spirit of a serial killer)?
Seeding is useless here, we're going for absolute chaos. ... LET'S FKING GO!!!!!!!!!!"

### March Madness FAQs

* The Special Features polls will be posted on Patreon only at 12 PM EST every day. Same time as Twitter for the main feed. But only Patreon subscribers can vote! So if you want a say you have to be #thethirdfriend!
* Polls will be up for 24 hrs so you have time to decide.

### Milestones and Ephemera

* Eight franchises returned for a second appearance on the SFMM bracket: Robocop, Austin Powers, Planet of the Apes, Resident Evil, Superman, Elm Street, The Muppets, and The Twilight Saga.
* The runner-up series, The Mummy was covered as a commentary series in 2021.
* Men in Black, which reached the Final Four before being eliminated by the eventual winner, and Austin Powers, which was eliminated by the runner-up, were both the subject of commentary series in 2023.

## Tournament

### Round Four

 Men in Black

patreon -- 4,375 total votes

patreon -- 4,367 total votes -- reddit

## Featured Episodes

The March Madness 2021 recap episodes appeared on Blank Check: Special Features.

 SF92
 SF94

## References

1. ↑ ANNOUNCING THE 2021 BLANK CHECK PATREON MARCH MADNESS BRACKET on Patreon. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
Talking the Walk 2022: Talking the Moon Walk

**Talking the Walk 2022: Talking the Moon Walk** is episode 157 of Blank Check: Special Features. Posted December 11, 2022.

## Summary

>
> One small step for man, one giant leap for PODCAST! J.D. Amato returns for the fifth annual Talking the Walk and Checkmates you are in store for a VERY SPECIAL EPISODE. Indeed, the gang discusses the 1969 Moonwalk and the absurd conspiracy that actually Stanley Kubrick directed it. But thats not all…we also talked Talking the Moonwalk. Topics include: alternative ideas for future TtW episodes, other director’s secret confessions, coffee diapers, if the pause was good, and more!
>
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### Milestones and Ephemera

* Just imagine Griffin sitting with a coffee diaper through all 3+ hours of Coraline

## References

1. ↑ Blank Check Podcast. Talking the Moon Walk. Patreon. Retrieved on December 11, 2022.
The Abyss

**The Abyss** is episode 78 focusing on the movie of the same name, as part of the Podinator: Judgment Cast miniseries covering the filmography of James Cameron. Posted October 7, 2016.

## Summary

>
> Josh Ruben (CollegeHumor) joins Griffin and David to discuss the 1989 underwater alien thriller The Abyss. But why exactly is this movie impossible to find anywhere on the internet? Just how much of wet nightmare was this production for the cast and crew? What ARE some things to do in Denver when you’re dead? Together they draw parallels certain between the lead characters failing marriage, share Chris Elliott scoops, examine Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio ’s career and why Ed Harris refuses to talk about this film ever again (hint: he didn’t like being repeatedly drowned.)
>
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>

## References

1. ↑ Blank Check Podcast. The Abyss. Audioboom. Retrieved on February 16, 2022.
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor Commentary

**The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor** is episode 113 of Blank Check: Special Features and about 2008 film of the same name as part of the The Mummy commentary miniseries. Posted October 21, 2021.

## Summary

>
> We’ve reached the final installment of the Mummy Trilogy! Topics include: why the kid still sucks, bone books, Jet Li as a dragon, Rob Cohen’s directing and more!
>
>
> **Movie starts at...12:36**
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## References

1. ↑ The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor on Patreon. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
The Matrix Resurrections

The Matrix Podcasturrections

*For the Patreon commentary episode, see The Matrix Resurrections Commentary*.
**The Matrix Resurrections** (also known as **The Matrix Podcasturrections**) is episode 356 focusing on the 2021 film of the same name and part of The Podchowski Casters miniseries on the films of The Wachowskis. Posted January 2, 2022.

## Summary

>
> Happy New Year! We’re going back to the Matrix - which we last covered in 2016 (!!) - and we’re feeling pretty good about it! Seraph was a login screen, sure… but is “Tiffany” a .TIFF? Is Agent Smith just a virus? Are we taking crazy pills for liking this movie so much? Jack in and let’s fly, Blankies.
>
>
>
> Opening clip is from Howl's Moving Castle with David Ehrlich.
>
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>

### Milestones and Ephemera

* The new record holder for longest episode!
* Bilge Ebiri's interview with Chad Stahelski (who plays Chad in this film): Neo’s Stunt Guy Chad Stahelski on How *The Matrix* Changed Movie Action Forever (Vulture)
* Box-office game: Weekend of December 24, 2021.
* The movie was a nominee and winner at The Seventh Annual Blank Check Awards including:
	+ Griffin:
		- Best Adapted Screenplay - Winner
	+ David: #8 in his top 10 for the year
		- Best Actor - Keanu Reeves

## References

1. ↑ Blank Check Podcast. The Matrix Resurrections. Audioboom. Retrieved on January 2, 2022.
The Jedi Council

**The Jedi Council** is episode 3 and the third episode of the The Phantom Podcast miniseries. Posted 6 Apr 2015.

## Summary

>
> This time out, Griffel and Simsbert discuss the Jedi Order. What are these mystical warriors all about? What is the Force? Why is Qui-Gon Jinn rigging chance cubes so that he can steal a child and casually take his blood?
>
>
> Their ongoing investigation reveals new insights into many aspects of these robed street people, including: explaining the ridiculousness of midichlorians, the poorly designed “revolving-restaurant” headquarters, and why love is forbidden for all Jedi.
>
>
> “Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.” - Yoda, confusing everyone
>
>
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>

Tune in for rampant speculation about how George Lucas devised the name and race of the Jedi warrior Yareal Poof, what it sounds like when Griffin eats bananas, and the unimpeachable conceptual perfection of chance cubes.

### Milestones and Ephemera

* Griffin and David Nickname that didn't stick: Griffel and Simsbert
* Pejoratives ascribed to the Jedi in this episode: Lame, boring, unfunny, judgmental, creepy, stupid, stick-up-their-ass, dickless, crazy, jerks, crazy obstructionist jerks
* David on Qui-Gon: "He deserves to die and it's great when he dies"
* Scoring: Griffin mentions that the Jedi can't love multiple times. It's unclear how he knew this but he spends time justifying it. No score deducted.

## References

1. ↑ Blank Check Podcast. The Royalty of Naboo. Audioboom. Retrieved on August 30, 2022.
Rachel Lang

**Rachel Lang** is a friend of the pod.

## Biography

She was the second-ever featured guest on the podcast, appearing on episode #016 Romance during the miniseries Attack Of The Podcast. She said that the Anakin and Padmé romance was profound to her as a pre-teen but later in life its reputation in her mind had diminished. She was also on episode the Toruk: The First Flight after attending the live Cirque Du Soleil performance with #TheTwoFriends and her girlfriend. In addition she can be heard reading a fan fiction story together with Griffin during the #033 Watch With Us Live at Union Hall episode of Revenge Of The Podcast.

She was a former teammate of #TheTwoFriends at Videology's Movie Trivia Night, including one week where she coined the team name "William H. Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade."

Rachel can be found on Twitter as @dirtypigeon - tweet at her about her unabashed love of composer John Williams, or about how much you love Pittsburgh, PA.
The Evil Dead

*This article is about episode 367 about The Evil Dead. For other articles, see Evil Dead (disambiguation).*

## The Evil Dead

### Audio link

Soundcloud
 Audioboom

### Sponsors

Bombas
Shopify
Brooklinen

**The Evil Dead** is episode 367 focusing on the 1981 film of the same name as part of Podcast Me to Hell miniseries on the films of Sam Raimi. Posted March 20, 2022.

## Summary

>
> It’s Sam Raimi time - groovy! Our new series PODCAST ME TO HELL kicks off with a banger - 1981’s ultra-low-budget horror classic “The Evil Dead”. We’ll be taking you back to Royal Oak, Michigan, to explain how Raimi linked up with Bruce Campbell and the Coen Brothers, thus establishing a very consequential partnership. We’ll be dissecting exactly why this film (from a lean 14-page script!!) works so well. David will admit that he first learned about this movie from watching “Donnie Darko”. And then all of a sudden…\*CRASH\*...a branch goes through the window! All that, plus TWO box office games!
>
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## References

1. ↑ Blank Check Podcast. The Evil Dead. Audioboom. Retrieved on March 20, 2022.
Pod & Basketcast

**Pod & Basketcast** is a miniseries covering the films of Gina Prince-Bythewood beginning in August 2020.

## Summary

The events of May and June 2020 -- including the murder of George Floyd and Black Lives Matter protests worldwide -- inspired #TheTwoFriends to commit to use the podcast platform to amplify black voices, including booking more black guests and covering more black directors on the podcast. They announced their intentions to at the beginning of the This Is My Life episode. Gina Prince-Bythewood is the first black director covered, and all the featured guests were black. Prior to the announcement of the miniseries, there was speculation that it might be John Singleton , Prince , Ava DuVernay , Spike Lee , Steve McQueen , or Ryan Coogler .

In The Old Guard episode, they say that it was specifically that film that made them decide on this series. They had yet to see the film, but had it on good authority that it was good. More like a Dunkirk than a Detroit.

The miniseries was preceded by You've Got Podcast covering the films of Nora Ephron, and followed by Podcast Away, the miniseries on the films of March Madness 2020 winner Robert Zemeckis.

### Milestones and Ephemera

* Gina Prince-Bythewood responded to the Blank Check twitter's post of the miniseries schedule. She wrote:
> @GPBmadeit: "this is cool. and appreciated.
>
>
* David's interview with Gina Prince-Bythewood in *The Atlantic*: The Woman Who Made the Best Action Movie of 2020
* Some of Bilge Ebiri's GPB pieces:
	+ The Magnificent *Beyond the Lights* Reminds Us What a Great Romantic Drama Looks Like
	+ The Quiet Storm
	+ Netflix's *The Old Guard* is Breathtaking
* Producer Ben nickname: **The Secret Life of Benz**.

## Ranking Her Filmography

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

 **2** | Love & Basketball
 **3** | The Old Guard
 **4** | Disappearing Acts
 **5** | The Secret Life of Bees

## References

1. ↑ This is My Life on Audioboom
2. ↑ u/Dankmemehater, The Case for a John Singleton Miniseries, reddit
3. ↑ u/steeeeeeeevens, Do you think Prince will be the next miniseries?, reddit.
4. ↑ u/rev\_artemisprime, The Case for Ava DuVernay, reddit.
5. ↑ u/Danny\_Rawlings, Spike Lee?, reddit
6. ↑ u/CaptainClipOn, So do you guys think it's too soon to do Steve McQueen?, reddit.
7. ↑ u/patrickbh1, Coogler miniseries, reddit.
8. ↑ Gina Prince-Bythewood on Twitter.
9. ↑ u/mi-16evil, What is your Gina Prince-Bythewood ranking?, reddit. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
10. ↑ u/dm\_your\_thesis, Gina Prince-Bythewood aggregated ranking, reddit. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
Paths of Glory

**Paths of Glory** is episode 389 focusing on the 1957 film of the same name as part of Pods Wide Cast miniseries on the films of Stanley Kubrick. Posted August 21, 2022.

## Summary

>
> Perhaps the most humanistic of Kubrick’s films, PATHS OF GLORY is a blistering study of injustice, middle-management, and anti-war sentiment. We’re down in the trenches this week with Sarah Marshall (“You’re Wrong About” and “You Are Good”), and we’re asking the big questions. Like - what crazy scheme did Timothy Carey pull during production that caused him to be fired as soon as all his closeups were filmed? Did Kirk Douglas take his hefty salary (a third of the total budget!) to pay for tennis lessons for son Michael? Why do American schools gloss over World War I? How does Ben weigh his love of ditches against the concept of trench warfare?
>
>
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>

### Milestones and Ephemera

* The previously covered "Yellow" episode of Tales from the Crypt is an homage/remake of this film and also stars Kirk Douglas.
* WWI: too much of a good thing on the ditch front.
* Timothy Carey's faked kidnapping.

#### Box Office Game

December, 1957

1. The Bridge on the River Kwai
2. The Brothers Karamazov
3. Witness for the Prosecution
4. Around the World in 80 Days
5. Search for Paradise

* Other movies in the top 10: Raintree County, A Farewell to Arms, Cowboy, ...And God Created Woman

### Sponsors

* Uatu the Watcher drops in to ask David some very low stakes What if's about Indeed.

## References

1. ↑ Blank Check Podcast. Paths of Glory. Audioboom. Retrieved on August 21, 2022.
2. ↑ Calum Russell (2021-11-09). Why an actor faked his own kidnapping on the set of a classic Stanley Kubrick film. Far Out Magazine. Retrieved on August 23, 2022.
Someone's Watching Me!

**Someone's Watching Me!** is episode 109 of Blank Check: Special Features and about 1978 made-for-TV movie of the same name as part of the They Podcast miniseries on the films of John Carpenter. Posted September 11, 2021.

## Summary

>
> For September's bonus ep, Griffin, David, and Ben discussed the TV movie *Someone's Watching Me!* directed by John Carpenter. Topics include: how this project influenced the making of Halloween, programming competition when NBC aired *SWM!* at 9:00pm on November 29th, 1978, Uncle Leo as Burly Man, the Obi-Wan Kenobi ploy, the filmography of Garry Marshall and more!
>
>
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>

### Milestones and Ephemera

* For the dang ass freaks, there's a Someone’s Listening to Me! cut. Content is exactly the same, just a little bit harder to hear.
* Griffin brings up Science Court which ABSOLUTELY HONKED!!!
* Griffin's all-in on the Puppetmaster franchise. Lots of practical effects, puppetry, and bits!
* Happy 96th birthday to Griffin's Uncle Earl.
* Ben loves a records room!
* Some incredible reminiscences about Attack of the Clones! For more of their chat about Star Wars Noir and Detective Obi-Wan Kenobi, check out the episode The Mysterious Planet Kamino.

## Quotes

>
>
> | Ben: |  There is something really diabolical of sending just sending a stranger presents.
> | Griffin: |  Oh yeah.
>
>

# Someone's Listening to Me! 3D Edition

## Someone's Listening to Me! 3D Edition

### Reddit thread

Link

**Someone’s Listening to Me! 3D Edition** (also known as **Someone's Watching Me! (Someone’s Listening to Me! 3D Edition)**) is bonus audio released on Blank Check: Special Features and about 1978 made-for-TV movie of the same name as part of the They Podcast miniseries on the films of John Carpenter. It is the simultaneous 3D audio recorded during the **Someone's Watching Me!** episode. Posted September 21, 2021.

## Summary

>
> ~~Psst... as promised here is the Someone's Listening to Me! 3D Edition. Re-experience the episode but this time YOUR the peeper.~~
>
>
>
>

### Milestones and Ephemera

* Basically exactly the same as the other episode, but a little harder to hear. For the dang ass freaks.
* Includes some **exclusive bonus content** at the very end of the episode of the BC crew trying to decide on food.

## References

1. ↑ Someone's Watching Me! on Patreon. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
2. ↑ Someone’s Listening to Me! 3D Edition! on Patreon. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
3. ↑ The actual description is written in that font where each individual letter is crossed out, which I edited to use strikeout for ease of visual legibility and readability for anyone using a screen reader. ~antlersantlers