The Contrarians

Happy 30th anniversary, BATMAN FOREVER! We don’t need The Schumacher Cut to celebrate you - we just need an open mind about where camp sits in the Batman mythos. So, are you Team Carrey or Team Jones? Are you a U2 person or a Seal fan? Where do you place Val Kilmer in the Bruce Wayne rankings? We discuss all that and more in this Real Talk segment! TIMELINE 00:01:26 Black Rubber 00:02:23 Real Talk...

How can anyone hate on the Batman movie responsible for Kiss From a Rose? BATMAN FOREVER may not have won any of its MTV Movie Awards nominations back in 1996, but its legacy turned out to be its ultimate triumph - regardless of what its rotten Tomatometer score says. Listen to Alex & Julio as they revel in the pure 90s vibe of Joel Schumacher’s bat-masterpiece! TIMELINE 00:01:24 Batman Foreve...

Joe Pesci - comedian. Is that a thing? Or is it telling that Marisa Tomei seems to be the most memorable aspect of MY COUSIN VINNY? But whether you love or hate the movie, how wonderful is Fred Gwynn anyway? And will Austin Pendleton ever put on a performance The Contrarians enjoy? And perhaps the biggest question: if you’ve already won an Oscar, haven’t you already “broken through”? All that and...

What do you do after you win an Oscar for playing a scary bloodthirsty mobster? You try to lead a courtroom comedy, of course! That’s how Joe Pesci ended up headlining MY COUSIN VINNY, and that’s how, unsurprisingly, Marisa Tomei stole the movie from him - winning an Oscar for it and, even better, the MTV Movie Award for Breakthrough Performance of 1992. Listen to Alex & Julio question Pesci’s...

Could the third time be the charm for Chris Farley on The Contrarians podcast? Infamously, our episodes on Black Sheep and Almost Heroes featured some serious disagreements regarding the comedic talents of Farley and his co-starts. So what happens when we discuss a Farley/Spade vehicle that shaped Alex’s early years? Can Julio resist an avalanche of TOMMY BOY quotes and references? Find out in thi...

Chris Farley movies always underperformed with critics - even the beloved TOMMY BOY, which most regular people would deem the best of them all. So, does the winner of the 1996 MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Duo deserve its 42% rotten Tomatometer score? Listen to Alex & Julio do their best to defend the first Farley/Spade team-up, while marveling at the high caliber of supporting players in...

Gone are the days when a crowdpleaser like THE FUGITIVE could stand toe-to-toe against films like Schindler’s List and The Piano come awards season but, hey, this is why we love The 90s - arguably Tommy Lee Jones’ decade. However, there’s more to Andrew Davis’ acclaimed thriller than TLJ’s beloved performance, and we’ll discuss it all in this Real Talk segment! A segment led by two people who’ve n...

The Summer of the (MTV) Bangers begins! THE FUGITIVE got Tommy Lee Jones his first and only Oscar but, more importantly, it also took home the Best On-Screen Duo and Best Action Sequence trophies at the 1994 MTV Movie Awards. All that and a 96% Tomatometer score, just for Harrison Ford being chased for two hours? Listen to Alex & Julio pick apart every contrivance in this surprisingly beloved...

Look, we’ll do our best not to dwell on the unfortunate parallels to Hereditary , but they need to be addressed (and yes, we know THE BABADOOK came out first). Thankfully, there’s more to Jennifer Kent’s feature debut than the inevitable comparisons to Ari Aster’s own “I am your motherrrrrr” flick - and we’ll get into all of that in this Real Talk segment! Also, once again: don’t forget to join us...

Most people just say “don’t have kids”. Jennifer Kent shot a whole movie to make her point. And whether THE BABADOOK worked as contraceptive for a whole generation or not, it was certainly effective in boosting Kent’s career and wowing critics and audiences. Listen to Alex & Julio pick apart this brutal tale of pop-up books, senior bingo, and hatred for your own child. Oh, and join us at this...

We've reached the end of the road. We find out where our show's main rivals (Josh Koscheck & Chris Leben) ended up as well as discuss the paths our four finalists (Kenny, Diego, Stephan, and Forrest) took following the finale. We collect our thoughts and experiences from this adventure and ask ourselves "Was this truly  the ultimate?" Want more from the hosts? - Alex and Julio discuss the...

Was anyone asking for the Firefly Family to get a happy ending? Or is the entire Firefly Trilogy a wicked exercise in extreme button-pushing? Once again, we try to figure out what the deal is with Rob Zombie: is there a point to his movies or is he just having fun being disturbing? All this, and more, in this Real Talk segment! Also, once again: don’t forget to join us during this year’s Livestrea...

Much like the return of the Firefly family in 3 FROM HELL, Roberto Zombirelli is back on The Contrarians, against all odds. This is what happens when we hit goals during the Livestream for the Cure! So listen to Alex & Julio do their best to defend this 58% rotten Tomatometer victim, grappling with a wonderfully unhinged Sheri Moon performance and the wildest Clint Howard cameo! Oh, and join u...

What a journey it's been. Now, we make sense of what became of The Ultimate Fighter. Who won the Couture-Liddell showdown?! Want more from the hosts? - Alex and Julio discuss the freshest and most rotten movies on the Tomatometer in every episode of The Contrarians . - STEVE! has opinions all over Bluesky. - Joe talks about all sorts of wrestling related stuff on THE LATE NIGHT GRIN .

If any movie was going to make Alex go easier on Ansel Elgort, a Señor Spielbergo joint would have the best chance to do it. But whether Baby Driver finally wins a Contrarian over or not, there’s a lot more going on in the new WEST SIDE STORY, and we’ll have a serious conversation about it in this Real Talk segment. Listen to find out Julio’s proposed fix to the third act and more! TIMELINE 00:01:...

Steven Spielberg has reached the point in his career where he just makes films for himself. On the road to the ultimate indulgence of directing his own biopic, he stopped to remake one of his favorite movies, and his version of WEST SIDE STORY was Oscar-baity enough to score 91% on the Tomatometer! So listen to Alex & Julio as they lament how a gifted filmmaker wasted his time on an Ansel Elgo...

The road we've taken has brought us to this... The first ever Ultimate Fighter finale. A historic night on Spike TV that saw three fights and one Kevin James. In the Middleweight finals, Diego Sanchez fights Kenny Florian. In the Light Heavyweight finals, Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar have a moderately well-known contest. And, in the Main Event, Ken Shamrock returns to the octagon to test up-...

In our last episode before the finale, we get TWO fights! Prior to that, we have to ensure Josh Koscheck is still alive. Sam Hoger enters the cage to face Forrest Griffin while Mike Swick and Stephan Bonnar clash in a Team Green showdown. And, fear not, we get into several lengthy detours regarding Professional Wrestling. Want more from the hosts? - Alex and Julio discuss the freshest and most rot...

People loooooooooove SOME LIKE IT HOT. Does it belong on Billy Wilder’s Mt Rushmore though? How does it compare to the other Wilder movies we’ve covered on the show? What’s it like, watching a classic Marilyn Monroe performance after having experienced her turn on THE MISFITS? Will this be our next Criterion purchase? The answers are in this Real Talk segment! TIMELINE 00:01:26 Goosepimply All Ove...

Billy Wilder channeled his inner Adam Sandler for 1959’s SOME LIKE IT HOT. All he had to do to wow critics and audiences was put Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis in drag, and sexualize Marilyn Monroe every few scenes. Listen to Alex & Julio take on this 95% Tomatometer score, as they wonder if Wilder realized his movie celebrated a woman embracing the latest in a series of toxic relationships! TIME...

How does Chris Leben take his second loss of the season? Surprisingly well. Coach Couture's speech playing a large part, undoubtedly. Dana White finally begins explaining what the finale of this thing is going to look like. And it's time for the most anticipated fight of the season as Josh Koscheck faces Diego Sanchez to determine who fights Kenny Florian in the finals. Want more from the hosts? -...

Ah, this was so much easier to record than Contrarians Corner. If you wanted to hear us actually engage with The Son’s concerns regarding mental health and parenthood - and how the movie addresses them - well, this is where it happens. But don’t worry, we still throw in the occasional Wolverine joke. TIMELINE 00:01:26 Berserker Rage 00:02:21 Real Talk 00:54:57 The Future & Patreon Stuff - Inte...

If you’re a new listener of our show and -especially- if you like Florian Zeller’s THE SON, you might want to skip Contrarians Corner. Zeller’s follow-up to his critically acclaimed The Father was a bust with critics and audiences - which means Alex & Julio will do their best to find things to praise within it and hopefully be funny along the way… but this is a movie about Hugh Jackman trying...

Believe it or not, we've arrived at the semi-finals... But not without one last twist! We get an unexpected return to the house in case Forrest can't fight as the others remaining appear to be losing their minds. A whole lot of blood and a whole lot of bromance coat this one. Want more from the hosts? - Alex and Julio discuss the freshest and most rotten movies on the Tomatometer in every epi...

Where to begin with this one?! Team Liddell loses another man that Coach Couture is more than happy to welcome aboard. We get the most taxing and least rewarding team challenge of the season. There's a thief in the house as another chapter in the saga of Sam Hoger unfolds. And, to top it off, we get an absolutely wild fight to see who advances to the semi-finals. Want more from the hosts? - A...