pod night shyamacast

In the debut episode of the newly rebranded ‘Blank Check’, Griffin and David look to another director of supersized ego and skill: M. Night Shyamalan. Similar to their investigation of George Lucas’ Star Wars, the hosts aim to discover where exactly in Shyamalan’s filmography did this artist lose touch with his unique vision and become the “twist” guy? Starting with 1992’s Praying with Anger (set in India and filmed while he was still a student at NYU), as well as, his first major-motion picture Wide Awake, join the hosts as they try to understand how these early attempts would affect his future films and the recurring themes Shyamalan would continue to explore. Join our Patreon for franchise commentaries and bonus episodes. Follow us @blankcheckpod on Instagram, Threads, Facebook and X! B...

Joining Griffin and David on this week’s episode is special guest Katey Rich (Vanity Fair) to help examine Shyamalan’s 1999 breakout, career defining film: The Sixth Sense. How did this unknown writer/director convince Disney to pay him 3 million dollars for the script with the clause to direct? What is the significance of red in the movie? How did this same filmmaker go on to make Lady in the Water? Are there any SIGNS of what is to come!? Together, they discuss ghost logic, actor Toni Collette’s amazing performance, munchausen by proxy, the climate in cinema during 1999 and so much more! Plus, the gang nerds out on box office stats, Griffin revisits working with Trevor Moore on ‘Butt Whistle’ and Producer Ben presents his own original endings.

Matt Patches (Thrillist, Grantland) joins Griffin and David this week to discuss Shyamalan’s fourth feature, Unbreakable. This sad and muted superhero film where mostly nothing happens was seen by many critics and fans as a “sophomore slump” when released in 2000. But what are some of it’s redeeming qualities? How does it stand out among the Marvel superhero movie craze in the years that followed? Oh and is there a twist you ask? Well listen along as the gang unpacks the making and reception of Unbreakable, together examine the stylistic choices incorporating the visual language of comic books, begin to notice a pattern of recurring themes related to loveless marriages and disturbed children, and try to shake the dead eyes of Spencer Treat Clark.

This week’s guests on the Shyamacast are ‘real life lovers’ Murf Meyer (The Chris Gethard Show) and Diana Kolsky (Above Average), hosts in their own right of Ménage à Trois Radio, also on the UCB Comedy podcast network! And for Blank Check’s ongoing investigative mini-series of Shyamalan’s films, together with #thetwofriends they discuss 2002’s faith biased, alien invasion movie, Signs. Was it fate that it was poorly received? Was Shyamalan smart in casting himself for a role that required some real acting? How does Mel Gibson’s filmography hold up to the numerous terrible things he been quoted in public saying? Well, Blankies rejoice because this in-depth analysis leaves no glasses half empty nor half full! Also, Griffin professes hi...

David Ehrlich (Rolling Stone) joins Griffin and David this week for an in-depth analysis of 2004’s isolationist thriller, The Village. Why was this film so universally panned by critics and audiences? What was Adrien Brody thinking to sign up for this role after winning an Academy Award? Was this the the twist that finally did Shyamalan in or was his reputation already tarnished? Together, the gang examines the color that will remained unnamed, going “simple jack”, a popular website in the early oughts called The Smoking Gun and why for the love of all that is holy does Night keep casting himself?!

Richard Lawson (Vanity Fair) joins Griffin and David to examine 2006’s egotistical bedtime martyr tale, Lady in the Water. Is M. Night trying to say something subtly about his film’s critics? Why is the lady never seen in the water? How is this a movie? Seriously. Together, the BC crew examines Giamatti’s stuttering, the cookbook misdirect payoff, the Disney controversy, and explore deep Lorax cuts. Plus, new segment the Burger Report, and the return of 'What If Al Pacino Was In This?' Join our Patreon for franchise commentaries and bonus episodes. Follow us @blankcheckpod on Instagram, Threads, Facebook and X! Buy some real nerdy merch. Connect with other Blankies on our Reddit or Discord For anything else, check out BlankCheckPod.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/a...

This week, Griffin and David discuss M. Night’s first ever R rated film, 2008’s The Happening. But is wind scary? Are any of the actors convincing they haven’t completely checked out? Why am I talking to a plastic plant? Together, #TheTwoFriends examine 9/11 imagery, why Kung Fu Panda is a better movie, impressions of nerds, and why Shyamalan calling this the “best B-movie you will ever see” is preposterous. Plus, the Departed sequel scoops and not seeing Hamilton. Join our Patreon for franchise commentaries and bonus episodes. Follow us @blankcheckpod on Instagram, Threads, Facebook and X! Buy some real nerdy merch. Connect with other Blankies on our Reddit or Discord For anything else, check out BlankCheckPod.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Seaton Smith (Mulaney, Late Night with Seth Meyers) joins Griffin and David to discuss 2010’s agonizing, unwatchable fantasy adventure, The Last Airbender. When adapting the the original animated series, why did M. Night try to incorporate ALL 20 episodes of the first season into one movie? How do the casting choices reflect negatively on the film? Was Last Airbender so terrible that the BC crew in this episode talks about basically anything else? Yes, yes it is. Together, they examine the artist’s quest and how to avoid making your ‘Last Airbender,’ this being the first film Griffin ever auditioned for, on set stories for Chris Rock’s Top Five and Seaton meeting Woody Allen.

James III (Black Men Can’t Jump In Hollywood Podcast) joins Griffin and David to discuss the incredibly dull, thinly veiled Scientology sci-fi, 2013’s After Earth. Beyond starring along side his son Jaden and being credited as a producer and original story writer, how else did Will Smith play a role in the making of this film? Does the timing of After Earth’s release have anything to do with Jaden’s emancipation from his parents? Is it possible for M. Night to ever work again after 5 sequential critical and commercial failures? Together they examine Will’s illustrious career up to After Earth, the development of Jaden’s stardom, having emotion, giving your monsters the ability to see and the duality of what is happening in this movie is happening in real...

Louis Peitzman (BuzzFeed) joins Griffin and David to discuss the old person horror, 2015’s The Visit. But is the found footage device used in a effective way? Can the great Kathryn Hahn do no wrong? Does this mean M. Night’s very bad movie streak has finally run out? Together they examine the Blumhouse model, the gross factor versus the gore factor, a dirty diaper in the face and how Shyamalan paying out of pocket for this production might just correlate with it being actually palatable. Also, the original Slenderman, lil Roman Polanski rapping, and a Burger Report with LeBron James.

In the final episode of the Pod Night Shyamacast mini series, Griffin and David discuss the SyFy Channel hoax documentary, 2004’s The Buried Secret of M. Night Shyamalan. Why is Academy Award nominated documentarian Nathaniel Kahn involved in this project? What are #thetwofriends final thoughts on Shyamalan? Together they analyze Javier the pizza guy’s impact on cinema, Johnny Depp’s appearance, hanging outside of your favorite director’s property gates and pretending to commune with the spirt world. Join our Patreon for franchise commentaries and bonus episodes. Follow us @blankcheckpod on Instagram, Threads, Facebook and X! Buy some real nerdy merch. Connect with other Blankies on our Reddit or Discord For anything else, check out BlankCheckPod.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...

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? Join our Patreon at patreon.com/blankcheck Follow us @blankcheckpod on Twitter and Instagram ! Buy some real nerdy merch at shopblankcheckpod.myshopify.com

Knock knock! Who’s there? M. Night Shyamalan, of course! We’re answering the door and ushering in the apocalypse with a look at Night’s latest offering.  Join our Patreon at patreon.com/blankcheck Follow us @blankcheckpod on Twitter and Instagram ! Buy some real nerdy merch at shopblankcheckpod.myshopify.com or at teepublic.com/stores/blank-check

You know the Butcher? That freakin' nutjob that goes around just chopping people up? Well, we’re about to spend nearly three hours talking about him! Join us as we unpack TRAP - the devilishly entertaining new thriller from M. Night Shyamalan, with special insights from our own David Sims, who spent much of this year interviewing Night at his compound in Philadelphia. We’re talking about a bunch of things - dads, serial killers, how much we don’t like going to concerts, the sexy elephant mascot of the New York Liberty, Josh Hartnett’s career arc - when we’re not excusing ourselves to go to the bathroom to uh…check on some apps. Read David’s Profile of M. Night Read Esther’s Article on The Shyamalans Check out the Saleka merch Join our Patreon for franchise commentaries and bonus episodes. ...