Blank Check Podcast: "The Cars That Ate Paris" (March 8, 2026)

Episode Overview

This episode launches a new miniseries exploring the films of Australian director Peter Weir. Hosts Griffin Newman and David Sims (with producer Ben Hosley) dive deep into Weir's 1974 debut feature The Cars That Ate Paris, unearthing its origins, tone, and legacy. They also reflect on the Australian New Wave, share personal stories, and chart out the future of their director-focused podcast adventures. The trademark Blank Check banter, running bits, and tangential asides are all here in force.

1. Introduction: Setting the Tone & New Miniseries (00:01 – 05:50)

• Cold open riffing: Griffin gives a faux-gritty intro parodying the film’s small-town setting, with the hosts spinning out into jokes about shame and Michael Fassbender.
• Banter about episode delays due to dental surgery, travel mishaps, and Ben's tardiness—playful self-flagellation and inside humor.
• Official launch of the Peter Weir miniseries.
• Griffin and David discuss "Blank Check" concept: directors given creative freedom due to early success.

Key Quotes:

• [03:04] Griffin: "You're a dear friend and I'm sure you would never, ever try to run me off the road and take the intro."
• [05:51] Griffin: "A podcast about filmographies: directors who have massive success early on in their careers and are given a series of blank checks to make whatever crazy passion projects they want."

2. Who Gets a Miniseries? "The Guys" Draft & Director March Madness (06:00 – 14:50)

• Recap of past Blank Check director brackets: hosts recall their favorite "candidates."
• Griffin and David swap picks and reflect on completed series (Lynne Ramsey, Tim Burton, Jane Campion, Danny Boyle, etc.), debate future candidates (Tony Scott, Jim Henson, Mike Leigh).
• Ben’s bracket picks discussed (Carpenter, Dickerson, Penelope Spheeris, Harmony Korine, Spike Jonze, Danny DeVito): affectionate ribbing about podcast scheduling and future plans.
• Shared excitement for the "Weir" bumper sticker bit (“Blank Check... Weir’d Again”).

Key Quote:

• [08:23] David: "The Archers. Powell and Pressburger. Would love to do them. Something that's a shared dream."

3. Introducing Peter Weir & the Australian New Wave (15:00 – 35:00)

• "Podnick at Hanging Cast": the miniseries title.
• Griffin’s first exposure to The Cars That Ate Paris via TCM as a curious teen, expecting metaphor but encountering literal weirdness.
• David’s context: only watched the film after Mad Max: Fury Road came out, pointing out the iconic spiky cars’ influence.

Key Quotes:

• [15:45] Griffin: “Owner of one of the best titles in the history of film.”
• [21:20] David: “Because of the Mad Max connection...I was like, so this is going to be like a gnarly car movie about fucking gangs...and then it’s not quite that.”
• [22:51] David: "England is so derisive of all, like, former British colonies...in a way that's a little shocking sometimes."

4. Peter Weir’s Background & Path to 'Cars That Ate Paris' (25:00 – 53:00)

• Weir’s childhood: Sydney suburbs, comics (The Phantom, Scrooge McDuck), no TV, love of movies and storytelling games.
• University drop-out; famous experience dissecting Blake’s poetry, which later influenced Dead Poets Society (“That's Dead Poets Society. Like, I put that into Dead Poets Society.” - [35:02] David).
• European travels; working random TV/doc jobs in Australia for 10,000-hour “apprenticeship.”
• Early shorts and anthology film (Three to Go).
• Transition from comedy/sketch to film: trip to London; meeting Ken Russell and Alfred Hitchcock, witnessing Monty Python’s TV revolution (“He sees Monty Python and he’s like, these guys are pretty good. I’m not going to do anything remotely approaching this.” - [49:06] David).

5. Genesis & Making of The Cars That Ate Paris (53:20 – 56:30)

• Idea arises from Weir’s eerie detour on a misty French road, sparking the “town that engineers car crashes” premise.
• Script development with Keith Gao & Piers Davies: a comedy morphing into a “thriller with an underlying social comment on capitalist way life and motor cars...But above all, I want to make an entertaining story.”
• Context: Australia’s film industry was nearly dead, but government initatives (Australian Film Development Corporation) rebooted funding.
• Small budget, backwater shoot in New South Wales, and the learning experience of pitching & promoting a genre-defying movie.

Key Quotes:

• [56:03] Griffin: “Not you have to make a movie with a poster in mind first but a little bit..."
• [55:06] Ben: “His vibe is beef tallow.”

6. The Film: Plot, Tone, and Cast (62:00 – 71:00)

• Terry Camilleri (Arthur) in his debut—later Napoleon in Bill & Ted, also appears in The Truman Show.
• The central set-up: a quiet man, ensnared by a seemingly normal, insular town with a deadly secret.
• The mayor (John Meillon)—cartoonish, classy, and morally bankrupt.
• Early crashes set the uneasy tone; ambiguity about whether the accidents are engineered.
• Arthur’s passivity: “He's a really passive character. He's really quiet, and he kind of goes with the flow...doesn't feel like he's trying to solve a Mystery.” - [70:45] Griffin

7. Themes, Visuals & Cultural Context (72:00 – 92:00)

• The film as an allegory: small-town fear, generational divides, and Australia’s struggle for identity.
• The Mad Max connection: Bruce Spence's presence (gyrocopter pilot in Road Warrior) and proto-Mad Max car aesthetics ("spiky cars").
• Young people's chaos vs. older townsfolk’s hypocrisy; both groups complicit in violence, but only one pretends civility.
• Extended digression comparing the movie's commentary to both Australia’s history and America’s current moment for generational/cultural stasis.

Key Quotes:

• [89:19] Griffin: "...through line in all of his movies of this sort of, like, clash of cultures that is very in conversation with the weird short history of Australia..."
• [91:47] Griffin: “Everyone’s doing the exact same thing and they’re having a philosophical disagreement—being hedonist and owning the chaos versus...etiquette.”

8. Legacy: Release, Cuts, and Influence (103:08 – 106:51)

• Released in Australia, then recut and released in America as The Cars That Eat People by New Line, losing about 15 minutes and adding narration (Weir: not thrilled).
• Influence on Roger Corman ("Death Race 2000") and, via proxy, Mad Max.
• Picnic at Hanging Rock developed simultaneously; both films together launch Weir into international prominence.

9. Memorable Moments & Quotes

• Michael Fassbender’s penis as a running shame gag ([01:41] Griffin)
• Blank Check scheduling tribulations ([04:31] Griffin: “The first time it was bumped...my third dental surgery in 12 months.”)
• Bumper sticker bit ([08:28] David: “Like, they better come in. Really? Are we charging $400 per bumper sticker?”)
• Griffin explaining his non-drinking of milk since age five ([75:22] Griffin: "Oh cool, I’m never drinking milk again.").
• Extended Bruce Spence appreciation ([86:03] Griffin: “He’s in the good P.J. Hogan Peter Pan...He rules. And you should have been excited the first time I brought him up.”)

10. Box Office Game & 70s Context (107:00-117:50)

• The hosts play the Box Office Game for June 1976, the U.S. release of The Cars That Ate Paris as The Cars That Eat People.
• Notable titles: Mother, Jugs & Speed, All The President’s Men, The Missouri Breaks, Jackson County Jail, Lipstick—a grimy, edgy 70s lineup that mirrors the roughness of Weir's debut.

11. Closing & What’s Next (118:10 – End)

• Next episode: Picnic at Hanging Rock, with filmmaker Jane Schoenbrun as guest.
• Future plans: "Weir Train," Mandalorian commentary, Griffin’s plan to binge live-action Star Wars series for an upcoming Gethard episode.
• The usual sign-off: reminders to rate, review, subscribe, and upcoming schedule teases.

Notable Quotes (with Timestamps)

• [15:45] Griffin: “Owner of one of the best titles in the history of film.”
• [21:20] David: “Because of the Mad Max connection...I was like, so this is going to be like a gnarly car movie about gangs, and then it's not quite that.”
• [49:06] David: "One reason he says he moves away from comedy is when he's in London, he sees Monty Python and he's like, these guys are pretty good. Yeah. I'm not going to do anything remotely approaching this."
• [91:52] Griffin: "The commentary is that everyone's doing the exact same thing and they're having a philosophical disagreement about...owning the chaos versus putting on airs. Which I think is very in line with...hostilely taking over a country, pushing the indigenous people aside and then being like, and we are a society of manners."

Recap for the Uninitiated

This episode is rich in context for both Australian film history and cult genre movies. It’s also a textbook example of Blank Check’s tone: reverent but irreverent, research-driven but highly digressive, full of running inside jokes and genuine cinephile passion. Even if you’ve never seen The Cars That Ate Paris or heard of Peter Weir, the hosts make a case for why this weird, jagged little film matters.

Want to Prep for Picnic at Hanging Rock?

Stay tuned: the genuinely acclaimed Picnic at Hanging Rock is next—Blank Check tradition is to dig even deeper.

Blank Check with Griffin & David – “The Cars That Ate Paris” Main theme: A town’s weird relationship to violence, cars, and modernity, launching Peter Weir’s career and sparking waves in Australian (and global) cinema.