They said it couldn’t be done. Remaking possibly the most revered movie musical of all time?! A fool’s errand! But folks, we’ve learned a very important lesson…NEVER DOUBT STEVEN SPIELBERG. Especially when he’s teaming up with Tony “Dank” Kushner! David pinpoints the exact moments he wept during his multiple viewings of this most recent iteration of “West Side Story”; Ben praises all the dust and hot people; Griffin thinks that he probably needs to see it again. Grab your dancing shoes and meet us at the gym - it’s our final episode of 2021, and it’s time to MAMBO, Blankies!
 

Plus, check out the Slow Xmas 2021 holiday music compilation now on Spotify and Bandcamp! Please support the bands/artists featured on this album.



Andrew Bryant
Spotify
Apple Music
Bandcamp
YouTube
Website
Twitter
Instagram



Ian Ferguson
Spotify
Apple Music
Bandcamp
Website



Gymshorts
Spotify (band)
Spotify (Sarah Greenwell's solo project Greeensleeves)
Apple Music
Bandcamp
Greenway Records
Twitter
Instagram (band)
Instagram (solo)



Jason Hawk Harris
Spotify
Apple Music
Bandcamp
YouTube
Bloodshot Records
Website
Twitter
Instagram



Sad13
Spotify
Apple Music
Bandcamp
YouTube
Soundcloud
Website
Twitter
Instagram



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West Side Story (2021)

Not just another bad movie podcast, Blank Check reviews directors' complete filmographies episode to episode. Specifically, the auteurs whose early successes afforded them the rare ‘blank check’ from Hollywood to produce passion projects. Each new miniseries, hosts Griffin Newman and David Sims delve into the works of film’s most outsized personalities in painstakingly hilarious detail. Produced by Ben Hosley.

Society & Culture

Personal Journals

History

Philosophy

Places & Travel

TV & Film

Comedy

Film Reviews

We return to the Wasteland this week with Furiosa, and we’ve got quite the tour guide. Kyle Buchanan - author of Blood, Sweat & Chrome, THE book on the making of Mad Max: Fury Road - joins us as we do a definitive post-mortem on George Miller’s latest. Going up against the reputation of Fury Road was always going to be an uphill battle for the Anya Taylor-Joy starrer, and we go into all the ways in which this film matches, exceeds, or misses the highs of 2015’s action classic. Kyle brings with him plenty of behind-the-scenes details and shrewd observations, and Ben and Griffin bring a visceral report from their 4DX screening. And yes - of course we talk about how Dementus looks just like Guru Pitka.  



Read Kyle’s writing at the New York Times

Check out his Oral History of Fury Road as well as his book; Blood, Sweat & Chrome: The Wild and True Story of Mad Max: Fury Road



 This episode is sponsored by:

MUBI (mubi.com/blankcheck)

Zocdoc (zocdoc.com/check) 



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Furiosa with Kyle Buchanan

Come join the dream parade, folks - we’re talking about Paprika! Mother of the Blankies Emily Yoshida is with us to chat about Satoshi Kon’s final film - a film that FEELS like a swan song especially in hindsight. In this episode, we address the elephant in the room (those Inception comparisons), dive into the serialized story Paprika was based on, and Griffin makes the important connection between Paprika’s “DC mini” device and this being a “BC mini” (series). Plus, we establish 2024 as “The Year of Dreams” (Kon and Lynch on Blank Check!!), and Emily, Ben, and Griffin discuss their experience attending a special screening of Clifford with Martin Short himself.  



Check out Shogun on FX and listen to Shogun: The Official Podcast hosted by Emily  


Read Emily’s writing on Paprika 


Please follow Hollywood Entertainment (the organizers of the Clifford screening mentioned on the episode)for upcoming screenings in LA (including a new residency at Heavy Manners Library), regular streaming programs (accessible everywhere), and a to-be-announced return to New York this fall. 

https://www.instagram.com/hollyw00dentertainment 

https://www.hollywood-entertainment.com/ 



This episode is sponsored by: 

Storyblocks (storyblocks.com/check) 

Bombas (bombas.com/check CODE: CHECK)



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Paprika with Emily Yoshida

They call them the Godfathers of Tokyo…and we call him the KING of TIKTOK (in an old man newscaster voice) - Reece Feldman joins us to chat about Satoshi Kon’s beautiful Christmas fable about a trio of unforgettable characters on the fringes of society. We talk about how animation is truly a medium and NOT a genre, as evidenced by this film. We talk about Ice Age (another animated movie where outsiders care for a baby). We talk about whether or not David might get roped into watching Ice Age a million times if his daughter finds out about it. And we talk about David’s pitch for a Cheaper by the Dozen spoof called “Cheaper by the Cousin”…?



Follow Reece on his socials: TikTok - Instagram



This episode is sponsored by:

AuraFrames.com (CODE: CHECK)

Burrow (Burrow.com/check)



Join our Patreon at patreon.com/blankcheck Follow us @blankcheckpod on Twitter and Instagram! 

Tokyo Godfathers with Reece Feldman

Our Satoshi Kon series continues with his 2003 film Millennium Actress, a moving exploration of memory, history, and the magic of da moviesh. Writer Hoai-Tran Bui returns to the pod as we discuss the strange history of Dreamworks’ arthouse animation arm (Go Fish pictures), the luminous screen presence of Setsuko Hara, and the added poignancy this film takes on in light of Kon’s untimely passing. Plus, Griffin publicly addresses the Penny Marshall debacle, and the gang contemplates a version of “Millennium Actor” with Clint Eastwood.  



Read Hoai-Tran’s work



This episode is sponsored by:

Indochino.com (CODE: CHECK)

ExpressVPN (ExpressVPN.com/check)

RocketRx (CODE: CHECK)



Join our Patreon at patreon.com/blankcheck Follow us @blankcheckpod on Twitter and Instagram! 

Millennium Actress with Hoai-Tran Bui

Welcome to the filmography of Satoshi Kon - a thrilling series of funhouse mirrors and puzzlebox narratives that proved what is possible in the animation form. The icon, the legend, the culturista himself Bowen Yang joins us to talk about Kon’s feature debut, the shocking and influential pop-idol thriller PERFECT BLUE. We’re talking about famous “bad girl” transitions in pop history. We’re talking about Digimon villains. We’re talking about obsessive fandoms. And, most crucially, we learn a new piece of Ben lore that involves a famous reality tv star.



Listen to Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang



This episode is sponsored by:

MUBI (mubi.com/blankcheck)

AuraFrames.com (CODE: CHECK)



Join our Patreon at patreon.com/blankcheck Follow us @blankcheckpod on Twitter and Instagram

West Side Story (2021)

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