You can’t say “Macbeth” in a theater, but you can certainly say it on a podcast! Dana Schwartz joins us (in her third Blank Check appearance on a witch-centered film) to talk about Joel Coen’s The Tragedy of Macbeth, the first solo-directorial effort from a Coen Brother after their amicable split. We’re debating the success of Frances McDormand and Denzel Wa ... Show More
Nov 9
Hail, Caesar! with Shirley Li
Would that it twere so simple to lasso that lazy ol’ moon! This week, we’re chatting about all the studio shenanigans in Hail, Caesar! with our pal Shirley Li. Speaking of Shirley, we all knew she was skilled at getting David “The Dog” Sims off the leash, but did you know that sh ... Show More
2h 36m
Nov 2
Inside Llewyn Davis with Rachel Zegler
🎵🎶Puh-pa-please Mr. Kennedy (uhoh!) please won’t you listen to our puh-podcast🎶🎵This week we broadcast, not from a balcony, but from the Blank Check office, with guest Rachel Zegler (she connects with people, JJ’s research confirms)! Coming off of back to back Blank Checks th ... Show More
2h 41m
May 2025
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning with Chris McQuarrie
Vanguardistas have more fun—so if you don’t already subscribe to the podcast, join the Vanguard today via Apple Podcasts or extratakes.com for non-fruit-related devices. In return you’ll get a whole extra Take 2 alongside Take 1 every week, with bonus reviews, more viewing recomm ... Show More
1h 9m
Aug 2022
Getting your movie greenlit by a studio with Yariv Lerner producer and Exec producer of Expendables, Rambo: Last Blood, Hellboy & The Dare !
Today, our host Giles Alderson welcomes a very special person to the podcast: The man who greenlit his debut feature film, Yariv Lerner. Now, not only does Yariv run Nu Boyana Film Studios, the biggest film studio in Eastern Europe, but he is also the executive producer or produc ... Show More
1h 1m
Mar 2025
‘The Electric State’ Is a Netflix Nightmare. Plus, 10 (Better) Movies We Missed.
Sean and Amanda are joined by Chris Ryan to discuss the latest Netflix mega-budget action movie, ‘The Electric State,’ one of the worst movies of the decade so far (1:00). They discuss the state of Netflix’s influence on the movie industry and the series of disastrous movies made ... Show More
2h 15m
Oct 2024
Another Transformers Film? What Will Mark Think?
This week’s guest is everyone’s favourite foul-mouthed politico-cum-Time Lord. That’s right, Peter Capaldi is on the show to tell Simon all about Season 2 of his time-bending, psychological thriller show ‘The Devil’s Hour’. Mark reviews ‘Transformers One’, an animated sci-fi acti ... Show More
1h 5m
Dec 2024
SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK — Charlie Kaufman’s movie of a lifetime
<p>When screenwriter <b>Charlie Kaufman</b> started making his epic, heartbreaking directorial debut <b>SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK</b>, he was the toast of Hollywood. Then it flopped, put a pause on his career, and arguably marked the end of the heady “indiewood” era of the oughties. H ... Show More
35m 37s
Oct 2024
Emilia Pérez: Have We Found the Film of the Year?
This week, Simon and Mark interrupt Ben Wheatley’s breakfast (sadly not Wheaties) to about his new comedy horror miniseries ‘Generation Z’, which sees an army truck crash outside a care home, infecting the residents and leaving four teenage friends to deal with the deadly consequ ... Show More
1h 9m