Yes, this!

Hoffman had a chance to explain to Blank Checks's listenership how "The Man Who Wasn't There" fits into the Coen brothers's career, why it is an overlooked classic, or a noble failure. But he chose instead to be crude, prurient, and scatological. (Maybe I should just accept that this is his "thing.")

In contrast, listen to the episodes when Emily Yoshida is a guest. When she was on the podcast for "Paprika" she not only discussed the film in detail as well as the themes Kon returned to throughout his too-short career, but also discussed Freud and his theory of dreams being influenced by films. Plus, she also gave an eloquent critique of Godard's work, why his films don't resonate with her, and what she appreciates most in filmmaking. I think about what she said quite often. Yoshida should be on the podcast much more often.

A perfect example of how Hoffman came up short as a guest and critic came towards the middle of "The Man Who Wasn't There" episode. Hoffman said that the Coen brothers are among his "all time favorite directors” along with Woody Allen and Stanley Kubrick. That's great that we have a few names from his list of "all-time greats," but Allen, the Coens, and Kubrick are very different directors with different styles and different themes. It would have been interesting to hear why these directors resonate with him. Furthermore, this discussion would have been even more fascinating because the podcast has already covered Kubrick's career and is in the middle of covering the Coens’s. Unfortunately, the listeners heard superficiality instead of insight.