Critical Darlings
By Blank Check Productions
Welcome to Critical Darlings: a podcast about the movies everyone is talking about, one new release after another.
Every week, critics Richard Lawson and Alison Willmore cover the latest film driving the conversation—from big summer blockbusters to festival favorites, buzzy streamers, and major awards contenders. New episodes every Thursday.
We’re a Blank Check Production! To catch up on our first miniseries covering the 2026 Oscars season, check out Blank Check on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. Stick around on this feed for new episodes going forward.
Produced by Benjamin Frisch
Subscribe to Richard's newsletter, Premiere Party, and read Alison's work at Vulture.
Follow @blankcheckpod on Twitter, Instagram, Threads and Facebook!
Every week, critics Richard Lawson and Alison Willmore cover the latest film driving the conversation—from big summer blockbusters to festival favorites, buzzy streamers, and major awards contenders. New episodes every Thursday.
We’re a Blank Check Production! To catch up on our first miniseries covering the 2026 Oscars season, check out Blank Check on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. Stick around on this feed for new episodes going forward.
Produced by Benjamin Frisch
Subscribe to Richard's newsletter, Premiere Party, and read Alison's work at Vulture.
Follow @blankcheckpod on Twitter, Instagram, Threads and Facebook!
Latest episode
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"Backrooms" And The Internet Horror Boom (With Ryan Broderick)
We discuss what works about Backrooms, what doesn’t, and continue our conversation about YouTube directors making the jump to Hollywood. -
“Obsession” And Youtube Creators In Hollywood
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Our Favorite Movies Of The Year So Far, And A Summer Blockbusters Preview
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“The Sheep Detectives” And Amazon’s Box Office Bets (With Griffin Newman)
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“The Devil Wears Prada 2” And The Future Of Tastemakers (With Who? Weekly)
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"Michael" And The Jackson Biopic That Wasn't (With Danielle Hewitt)
Today on the show we try and make sense of this deeply strange film that also features some of the best pop music of all time -
"Mother Mary" And Fictional Pop Stars in Film
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"The Drama" And The State of Provocateur Cinema
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“The Mario Galaxy Movie” And The Changing Shape Of Video Game Adaptations
This week, it's The Mario Galaxy Movie! -
"Ready Or Not 2," "They Will Kill You," And The Decline Of Social Satire Horror