Surprise! In a first for Blank Check, we’re dropping a bonus main-feed episode featuring a conversation with the Academy Award-winning director of the films we just covered. The great Andrew Stanton joins us for a delightful conversation about Pixar, what happened to scatting, and how Elmo messed everything up for everyone. He answers many questions from Griffin (the Pixar nerd formerly known as FlikLover98), and goes in depth on the ending of WALL-E. Enjoy!

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Woody, Buzz, and Jessie are back - and they're making us freak out about social media! Join Griffin, David, Ben, and Marie as they discuss Andrew Stanton's latest film - this summer's blockbuster hit Toy Story 5. David gets to talk about being a parent. Marie and Ben get to talk about wanting to be parents. And Griffin gets to talk about his special interest - the Toy Story franchise.

Special thanks to Nick “Tiger” Wiger (Doughboys, How Did This Get Played?) and Aiko Tanaka (@aikocomedy) for help with the Japanese translations.

Read Sucker: My year as a degenerate gambler By McKay Coppins

Watch Please take Toy Story 4 away from me by Jenny Nicholson

Read: Toy Story Confronts a Nightmare of Modern Parenting By David Sims

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Did you know that Andrew Stanton released TWO movies this year? Toy Story 5, of course, but also the centuries-spanning sci-fi yarn In the Blink of an Eye?! This episode is dedicated to the latter - kind of. Theater critic and brother of the show Joey Sims joins us to chat about a BUNCH of things, not limited to In The Blink of an Eye; Off-Broadway plays, caveman movies, Power Rangers, and the status of the Lost in Space IP. It's a tangent-heavy listen, folks.

Listen to Joey’s Pod: House Closed: Theater We Saw

Read about how Off-Broadway's PERFECT CRIME and THE OFFICE halted performances due to theft of pipes at the theatre

Check out the Hayden Planetarium at the New York Museum of Natural History 

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Sing in us, O Muse, and let us tell the story of four cunning podcasters, wanderers who gained entry into three different large format screenings of Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey across three cities and two continents.

This week, we defied the gods to record an episode with missing King of Ithaca himself, Griffin Newman, as he continues his own mythical journey of trying to survive this European heat wave. Join us for a sensible two-and-a-half-hours gushing about this incredible cinematic event, breaking down our favorite set pieces and performances, and discussing previous attempts to bring The Odyssey to the screen. That Christopher Nolan really can't seem to bounce a check these days, can he?

Read Richard Nilsen’s review of the 1997 Odyssey miniseries.

Check out the Picture House in the UK if you are there. 

Check out Mile End Kicks.

Read the classic tweet /post.

Read Bilge’s article about the making of the Odyssey.

Read David’s review. 

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Have you seen Dory? We have!

Zach Cherry joins us to talk about 2016's Finding Dory, a film that made a kajillion dollars and set off a run of four Pixar sequels in a row. In this episode, we're talking about Ellen DeGeneres, animating characters without mouths, the success of Modern Family, live action remakes of already live action films, and Zach's proposed future spinoffs for the Nemo franchise. Young Marlin, Old Marlin, Old Nemo - the possibilities are endless!

Read: After 30 years of Toy Story, Woody and Buzz face the tech age as a Pixar legend comes full circle in E.W. By Nick Romano.

Watch the trailer for The End of Oak Street.

Watch 72 Hours when it comes out

Check out the last Raaaatscraps show on August 8th 

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We are going to Barsoom with 2012's John Carter - a film that bounced almost as much as the titular hero bounced around on Mars! Matt Singer joins us to talk about this legendary flop - the cursed marketing campaign, the year of Taylor Kitsch, and Disney's acquisition of Marvel and Star Wars, which effectively made John Carter irrelevant almost immediately. Plus, we spend a lot of time talking about X-Men Origins: Wolverine, for some reason.

Read Second-Act Twist By Tad Friend

and

The Untold Story of Disney’s $307 Million Bomb ‘John Carter’: ‘It’s a Disaster’ by Drew Taylor

Pre-Order Matt's Book

Read Matt's Writing

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Put on your pod-day clothes, there's lots of world out there! We're joined by David Ehrlich to discuss WALL-E this week - a film many consider to be Stanton's (and Pixar's) crowning achievement, and a film David Ehrlich's son has watched upwards of a million times. Join us for a long-ranging conversation that includes context around Disney's 2006 acquisition of Pixar, discussion about the film's depiction of humans, and speculation about the mental health of robots.

Read: Frankie Muniz Hasn’t Spoken to Hilary Duff in 22 Years, Says Her Mom Interfered in ‘Agent Cody Banks’ Casting and ‘It Pissed Me Off’: ‘I Regret Not Staying Friends With Her’

Check out Erlich’s Review of Lee Cornin’s The Mummy

Listen to Griffin on Podcast Like It’s Talking About Monsters Inc.

Read Ehrlich’s Interview with Stanton

Read Ehrlich’s piece on Alamo Drafthouse

Listen to Ben discuss his good friend Johnny5 on The Flop House

Cool Dad Raising Daughter On Media That Will Put Her Entirely Out Of Touch With Her Generation

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Welcome to PODD-C, our series on the films of Pixar stalwart Andrew Stanton! This week, we're kicking off with 2003's Finding Nemo, a film that ushered in nearly two decades of Ellen DeGeneres supremacy and made millions of children remember the exact address of one "P. Sherman." Writer Rebecca Alter joins us to chat about Nemo's immaculate screenplay, the Finding Nemo attractions within Disney Parks, and the under-the-sea craze that had Nemo, Spongebob, and Shark Tale all hitting at the same time. Pixar obsessives - rejoice! Griffin really gets to nerd out here.

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This is "Spielberg Face: The Movie." This is radical empathy. This is Emily Blunt Supremacy. This is DISCLOSURE DAY.

Griffin, David, Ben, and Marie break down Steven Spielberg's latest offering, his first sci-fi film and his first contemporary-set film since War of the Worlds in 2005. It's bound to be divisive. We mostly love it. We've got trains, Fableman dynamics, car chases, Janusz Kaminski pools of light, expressions of awe and wonderment - all of Steve's greatest hits! Join us for a wide ranging discussion about aliens, cynicism, and Michael Caine riding a giant bee (completely unrelated to this film).

Listen to Regina Hall on Good Hang with Amy Poehler.
Check out who is getting this year’s Honorary Oscars. 

Watch the Close Encounters SNL Sketches.

Listen to The Rewatchables in ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ With Bill Simmons, Steven Spielberg, and Sean Fennessey.

Sign up for Check Book, the Blank Check newsletter featuring even more “real nerdy shit” to feed your pop culture obsession. Dossier excerpts, film biz AND burger reports, and even more exclusive content you won’t want to miss out on.

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We're talking about a very long walk this week as Alex Ross Perry joins us to discuss Peter Weir's final film, 2010's gulag escape drama The Way Back. Remember those couple of years when Jim Sturgess was everywhere? Remember when Peter Weir could barely get distribution for his follow-up to Master & Commander? Dire times. As is the case with most ARP episodes, expect some wild takes about everything from the Coen brothers to World War II movies, plus a very detailed rundown of the National Geographic Films slate.

Check out Videoheaven on the Criterion Channel

Buy some Pavements Merch / Blu-Ray

Listen to Critical Darlings discuss Train Dreams

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Beat to quarters, men..and nice Brazilian lady holding an umbrella! We're sailing the high seas with John Hodgman this week as we unpack one of David Sims' favorite films - 2003's Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. We're talking Crowe. We're talking Bettany. We're talking James Cameron's Mexican water tank. We're talking soused hog and we're talking Saluting Day. And yes, we are talking BOATS. Is Ben about to enter his Salty Dog Era? He should!

If you wish to inquire about Ship Happens, [email protected].

Check out the rest of Patrick O’Brian’s work.

Read New 'Master and Commander' Film In The Works, But Russell Crowe And Paul Bettany Probably Won't Be Back BY Ben Pearson. 

Listen to The Lex G Podcast.

Pop over to the Sunken Harbour Club if you’re in NY. 

Watch Medieval Barber Theodoric of York - SNL

Read Grab your breeches, hoist the mainsail and prepare for an epic ride -- but is 'Master and Commander' seaworthy? By Mick Lesalle 

Watch Dicktown on Hulu

Read Hodgman’s Books in any format

Subscribe to Hodgman’s Substack

Sign up for Check Book, the Blank Check newsletter featuring even more “real nerdy shit” to feed your pop culture obsession. Dossier excerpts, film biz AND burger reports, and even more exclusive content you won’t want to miss out on.

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For anything else, check out BlankCheckPod.com

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