The Contrarians

Okay then, back to the present. Can we still enjoy the wall-to-wall senseless violence of an 80s action-fest in 2023 America? Is it possible there’s a valid reason why movies like INVASION USA aren’t wildly popular anymore? Has the window for a Chuck Norris renaissance closed? It’s a Real Talk segment that goes in many directions - and yes, one of those directions is Alex waxing poetic about pract...

The 80s were truly the Golden Age of American Cinema - and America in general, sure. You could solve almost any problem by shooting at it, and you had movie stars like Chuck Norris, who could believably stop a Russian invasion all by themselves. Unfortunately, INVASION USA was met with derision from snobby critics everywhere, so it’s time for The Contrarians to celebrate it. Listen to Alex & J...

Okay, so COLOR OUT OF SPACE looks as spectacular as the best Windows screensaver, and then some. But is there anything behind it? That’s the main question driving this Real Talk segment, and we throw a few things around: the true value of an unhinged Cage performance, how much would being familiar with the Lovecraft story enrich the viewing experience, and would we change anything about the way th...

Hey, look, it’s a modern Nicolas Cage movie! That means it’ll be a collection of memes trying to encapsulate a performance that’s pitched at 11 regardless of the context surrounding it. But COLOR OUT OF SPACE is based on a Lovecraft story and it’s helmed by a cult director, so of course critics ate it up! Listen to Alex & Julio as they squint their way through this psychedelic mess and call ou...

Oh hey, Eddie Murphy is back again. Not just on our show (this is our fourth Murphy vehicle) but on the mainstream. Will he stick around? Alex & Julio speculate about that while discussing everything that works in DOLEMITE IS MY NAME… and maybe a few things that don’t. And no, nobody breaks into an actual Dolemite impression - although the challenge was put forward. TIMELINE 00:00:50 Now on Pa...

Have you ever wondered how hard it is to make a movie? According to the celebrated DOLEMITE IS MY NAME, it’s a breeze! All you need is a plucky crew and a good amount of can-do attitude. Listen to Alex & Julio pick apart the latest Eddie Murphy comeback and try to figure out if Wesley Snipes’ performance is the best part of the movie or the worst. Also: why would you cast Titus as the quiet me...

As promised, this is us taking care of some loose ends from our Livestream for the Cure 2023 segment. We do Josh Gad Minutes for every movie we covered and we also get to some movies we ran out of time for. Thank you all for your support!

There’s a very good chance we wouldn’t have had this long a conversation if we were covering the actual Casablanca. Instead, we’re covering a riff on Casablanca that landed terribly with most critics. Was it a reaction to its star, Pamela Anderson? A reaction to its silly, hypersexual tone? A reaction to how it predicted things going to hell in 2017? More importantly though, this is where you find...

Wow. Does America hate sexy badass women or what? Pamela Anderson could’ve taken over the world if we’d only given BARB WIRE an actual chance, but instead critics decided she already had enough good fortune in her life and planted a 28% Tomatometer score on the film. Listen to Alex & Julio as they try to convey the awesomeness of Barb, her wacky sidekicks, and her even wackier enemies — none m...

Palme d’Or winner. Criterion selection. 94% Tomatometer score. Will any of this be reflected in Alex & Julio’s true opinions about PARIS, TEXAS? This Real Talk segment sees The Contrarians discussing the experience of watching movies that come with an abundance of hype as baggage, along with their own personal histories with Wim Wenders ode to the American South! And how do we really feel abou...

Welcome to the most boring road trip in the history of film! Acclaimed German filmmaker Wim Wenders decided to show the world the nightmare that it is traveling across Texas with a small child, and he succeeded - to the tune of a 94% Tomatometer score. Listen to Alex & Julio take the beloved PARIS, TEXAS down a few pegs while also acknowledging they, too, would be obsessed with finding Natassj...

Ok, let’s get real. Is 12 Monkeys really too convoluted for its own good? Does La Jetée still work all these decades later, when we are used to more bombastic sci-fi moviemaking? What possessed patron Stu Willis to task us to tackle both of these puzzle-box films? We talk Oscars, performances, and what connects Julio to Terry Gilliam’s most mainstream movie… all in this Real Talk segment! TIMELINE...

Critics like to be confused, apparently. The experimental mind-bender LA JETÉE has a Criterion release, even though most people can’t make sense of it. And then, when Terry Gilliam decided to turn it into a Hollywood blockbuster starring Bruce Willis, he somehow made the plot even more impenetrable. Listen to Alex & Julio as they try to figure out the rules of the 12 MONKEYS universe, the reas...

Come on. If Jurassic Park was part of your childhood or teenage years in any capacity, you probably have strong feelings about this final (?) entry in the series. But, are we over-reacting, one way or another? Are critics and audiences asking for too much from a franchise that is basically about giant reptiles chasing people throughout different locations? It’s all about blockbuster filmmaking in...

Taking the best lessons from The MCU, the most popular dinosaur franchise in the universe took its time building to its very own Jurassic Avengers. Everyone comes back for this one! So what happened? Why all the hate for JURASSIC WORLD DOMINION? At 29% on the Tomatometer, you’d think people didn’t want to see Doctor Alan Grant finally find love while also teaming up with Starlord. Listen to Alex &...

Our Jurassic World Dominion episode is running a little late, so we figured we’d share something from our Patreon archives with you: our conversations about the last two chapters (so far) in the Halloween Saga. An epilogue of sorts to our Haddonfield Nights arc from a couple of years ago. But also, we wanted to give you more details about our upcoming segment in the Livestream for the Cure: 5/20,...

Is it time to add another movie to the very limited list of noirs that The Contrarians like? Or do we simply enjoy making fun of whatever it is Altman and Gould are doing in this collaboration? Alex & Julio had a blast talking about Marlowe’s 70s adventures with Dale Bridges and exploring how his own book relates to the film… but does that mean THE LONG GOODBYE gets as high a score as THE MEAN...

Who do you get to play hard-knocks noir gumshoe Phillip Marlowe when Humphrey Bogart is not available? The future Jack Geller, of course! Dale Bridges, author of the hilarious THE MEAN REDS and film noir enthusiast, joins Alex & Julio to try to make sense of Robert Altman’s weird, lackadaisical detective story, THE LONG GOODBYE. Come on, Elliott Gould, really??? And wait until you hear about t...

Anyone who’s been paying attention for a while knows how Alex really feels about RIDERS OF JUSTICE. Julio’s thoughts about the movie might be a little more obscure - especially after a rewatch. But quality aside, the real question is: is this a Christmas movie? Plus, what is it saying about conflict resolution? It’s a merry Real Talk segment as we come up with answers! TIMELINE 00:00:39 Now on Pat...

This is the world now: we praise a movie that teaches intellectuals the way to effectively solve conflict is with violence. Who cares about morals when we get to see Mads Mikkelsen mow down bad guys with the help of the Danish Big Bang Theory cast? Listen to Alex & Julio pick apart a Tomatometer favorite, as they tackle RIDERS OF JUSTICE! TIMELINE 00:01:16 Riders of Justice 00:17:01 Contrarian...

Trying to make sense of Jim Carrey’s filmography is an exercise in futility, especially when confronted with a movie as puzzling as DARK CRIMES. What made the beloved comedian decide to star in this grimy, unpleasant, sexually violent exploration of the worst Poland has to offer? Has he even watched the finished product? We discuss all this and more in a very sobering edition of Real Talk. TIMELIN...

It’s unlikely anybody expected Jim Carrey to whip out an unofficial new sequel to Ace Ventura, but that’s the easiest way to rationalize the existence of DARK CRIMES. The grim, brutal Polish thriller was met with universal disdain on the Tomatometer, and now it’s The Contrarians’ duty to make sure people reappraise this hidden gem in Carrey’s filmography - courtesy of patron Jason Nerdrovert. List...

Lots of twists and turns in this Real Talk segment, as not all final scores for WAITRESS are what we expected. We also find out why Rachel picked this particular movie, what the musical version of Earl is like, if anyone here was rooting for Nathan Fillion to save the day, and who was all-in when Keri Russell had her climactic turn. It’s a Real Talk that makes Contrarians History! (You’ll find out...

We’ve joked about Keri Russell’s limited role in Mission Impossible III long enough that it’s only fair to bring one of her starring roles to the show. Critics went ga-ga for WAITRESS, an indie darling that romanticizes small-town infidelity and fetishizes pie-making, so that makes it the perfect target for The Contrarians’ gimmick! Listen to Alex, Julio, and special guest Rachel from YUM YUM PODC...

Does Alex really hate Hugh Grant’s romcom persona or was he just putting on a show in Contrarians Corner? Can Julio focus on anything besides Rachel Weisz’ presence in this movie? And what is ABOUT A BOY really saying about… well, anything? Those are just a few of the things we ponder in the Real Talk segment, which also includes patron Jamie’s reasons behind assigning us this bit of early 2000s n...