Blank Check with Griffin & David · Blank Check Productions

Critical Darlings: Train Dreams, And Netflix’s Quest For Best Picture

January 29, 2026·1 hr 4 min·5 clips

Richard Lawson sarcastically imagines Netflix mandating plot repetition and explosive openings because viewers are on their phones.

Hosts Richard Lawson and Alison Wilmore analyze the Oscar-nominated film 'Train Dreams', tracing its journey from the Sundance Film Festival to Netflix and the Academy Awards. They critique the film's sanitized adaptation, discuss the evolving role of Sundance in the awards landscape, and examine Netflix's ongoing struggle to win Best Picture.

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