Esther Zuckerman

“Amazing Amy” meets “Awkwardly-Smiling Affleck” in Fincher’s darkly comic masterpiece - an instant classic from that first shot of Rosamund Pike’s pretty head. The delightful Esther Zuckerman (who will definitely NOT “gone girl” her boyfriend) joins us to discuss this impressive work of adaptation. We’re asking all the big questions - is “Amazing Amy” actually a good children’s book? Did Tyler Perry take any directing tips from David Fincher when he made BOO! A MADEA HALLOWEEN? Would this movie work as well with Reese Witherspoon and Jon Hamm as the two leads? Why haven’t we gone long on the career of one Benjamin G. Affleck yet? Guest Links:  Buy Esther’s Book Beyond the Best Dressed Pre-Order Esther...

Just imagine…it’s 1993. Bill Clinton is in the White House, Seinfeld is on TV, and America has PIANO FEVER! Newly-minted member of the Five Timers Club Esther Zuckerman joins us to unpack Campion’s Oscar-Winning erotic drama (possibly the first prestige pic to feature mild butt play). We’re asking all the tough questions: is “The King’s Daughter” the new “Margaret”? Should Harvey Keitel play Wolverine? Did Sam Neill tell Anna Paquin that he was going to work with actual dinosaurs after their shoot? Does Mr. Skin have a film critic on staff?  Check out Esther's new book Beyond the Best Dressed: A Cultural History of the Most Glamorous, Radical, and Scandalous Oscar Fashion Join our Patreon at patreon.com/blankcheck Follow us...

Esther Zuckerman (Thrillist) returns to discuss 1989’s massive hit, The Little Mermaid! Topics include: the musical contributions of Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, the upcoming live action remake, Ursula in human form as Vanessa, and more! Check out Esther's book: A Field Guide to Internet Boyfriends: Meme-Worthy Celebrity Crushes from A to Z Join our Patreon at patreon.com/blankcheck Follow us @blankcheckpod on Twitter and Instagram ! Buy some real nerdy merch at shopblankcheckpod.myshopify.com

James L. Brooks had originally shot I’ll Do Anything as a musical. But in the test screening it was so disastrous the studio insisted he cut all the musical sequences out and reshoot new scenes to fill it in. Having reviewed that theatrical cut, Griffin and David revisit this film with returning guest Esther Zuckerman and discuss the lost, coveted musical cut of I’ll Do Anything in a special bonus episode. But what would the child of Albert Brooks and Julie Kavner sound like? Why does Griffin insist on singing the horrid song “You Are The Best?” Is this episode haunted? Together they go through all the musical numbers and try to decide if this version of the movie makes it any less worse.

Writer and friend of the show Esther Zuckerman joins Griffin and David to discuss 1994’s I'll Do Anything. But was this film originally developed and shot as a musical only to be reedited into a mostly non-musical? Were prolific musicians Prince, Sinéad O'Connor and Carole King brought on to write the songs for this movie? Did Nick Nolte really win People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive in 1992? Together they examine the inside baseball dealings of Hollywood, the bad 90’s fashion, honest curses and comedic frontal nudity. This episode is sponsored by Dollar Shave Club ( dollarshaveclub.com/check ), Beach Body On Demand (Text CHECK to 303030) and Light Stream ( lightstream.com/blank )

Nearing the end of the Cameron Crowe mini series, Esther Zuckerman (The A.V. Club) joins Griffin and David to discuss the writer/director’s most recent theatrical release, 2015’s space militarization romantic comedy, Aloha. But doesn’t someone in Emma Stone’s camp look at this script and see at least a few red flags? Why is the movie set in Hawaii but features 99% white people? How do you make being a fighter pilot sound sexy if you’re a woman? Together, they examine Alec Baldwin’s yelling, defining gate blessings, why one can’t buy the sky and offer up their solutions to fix this film.