Blank Check with Griffin & David · Blank Check Productions

The Tragedy of Macbeth with Dana Schwartz

November 23, 2025·2 hr 44 min·5 clips

Griffin and David shockingly argue that Denzel and Frances are the two least favorite performances in this acclaimed Macbeth adaptation.

Hosts Griffin Newman and David Sims are joined by guest Dana Schwartz to dissect Joel Coen's film 'The Tragedy of Macbeth,' starring Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand. They analyze performances, discuss the Coen brothers' split, and delve into Shakespearean history, all while sharing personal anecdotes and humorous tangents about everything from COVID-era filmmaking to Marvel's President Red Hulk.

As heard by us

Macbeth gets treated like a quote page, a curse, and a very serious joke.

The piece is strongest when it stays close to the concrete details: the IMDb quote page with only five quotes, the careful attention to small textual choices, and the running joke that saying Macbeth in a podcast studio is a curse.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

You get a Macbeth chat that starts with IMDb quote-page archaeology and wanders into curse lore, textual choices, and Shakespearean side doors.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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