The Pop Culture Contrarian Podcast

In this episode of "The Pop Culture Contrarian," we review "Young Washington," Angel Studios' newest historical drama covering the future president's early years during the French and Indian War. As America turns 250 years old, this was the movie that we needed! ----------------  🌐 The Patriot Post: https://t.ly/nPTsv  📧 News Letter: https://bit.ly/4mdVCfl  🕶️ Merch: https://t.ly/...

Ryan Gosling stars in one of the most refreshing sci-fi films in years. In this review of "Project Hail Mary," Thomas, Sterling, and Andrew explain why it feels like a throwback to classic blockbuster filmmaking. ----------------  🌐 The Patriot Post: https://t.ly/nPTsv  📧 News Letter: https://bit.ly/4mdVCfl  🕶️ Merch: https://t.ly/EoTTA  📱 Social: https://linktr.ee/ThePatrio...

In this episode of "The Pop Culture Contrarian," Thomas, Sterling, and Andrew give one of their harshest reviews ever. George Orwell's "Animal Farm" was supposed to be one of the greatest anti-communist stories ever written, but Angel Studios's film adaptation — directed by Andy Serkis and starring Seth Rogen, Woody Harrelson, and more — is anything but great. Did Angel Studios betray its audience...

In this breakdown finale of "The Pendragon Cycle: Rise of the Merlin," Thomas, Sterling, and Andrew dive into "Episode 7: The Last True Bard," in which Merlin finally embraces his true role — not as a king or conqueror, but as the last true bard of Britain. ----------------  🌐 The Patriot Post: https://t.ly/nPTsv  📧 News Letter: https://bit.ly/4mdVCfl  🕶️ Merch: https://t.ly/EoTTA...

In this deep dive of "The Pendragon Cycle: Rise of the Merlin – Episode 6: Ganieda," we break down Merlin's tragic love story, Brett Cooper's debut as Ganieda (yes, it's just as jarring as you'd think), the mystery of the Atlantean sword, and the brutal berserker battle sequence that changes Merlin forever. ----------------  🌐 The Patriot Post: https://t.ly/nPTsv  📧 News Letter: https:...

Our series continues with another deep dive into "The Pendragon Cycle: Rise of the Merlin — Episode 5: The Price of Failure." In this episode, we see Merlin forced to reveal the power everyone has only heard rumors about. Meanwhile, Aurelius has to prove he can lead Britain without hiding behind Uther, Saxons are looming offshore, and Merlin's past failure with Ganieda comes back to haunt him. ---...

In this deep dive of "The Pendragon Cycle: Rise of the Merlin — Episode 4," we break down one of the most important turning points in the series. Merlin is offered kingship and turns it down, but why? Ron, Sterling, and Andrew unpack the growing divide between Merlin and Morgaine, the collapse of Britain under weak kings, and the looming Saxon threat. ----------------  🌐 The Patriot Post: ht...

In the next episode of our deep-dive series, Ron joins the team! Merlin finally steps into the world from the wilderness, and we realize this is actually where the story begins. We discuss power vacuums, weak kings, and collapsing alliances as Britain is left wide open for destruction. ----------------  🌐 The Patriot Post: https://t.ly/nPTsv  📧 News Letter: https://bit.ly/4mdVCfl ...

In this second episode of our deep dive into "The Pendragon Cycle: Rise of the Merlin" from The Daily Wire, Thomas, Sterling, and Andrew outline powerful symbolism like baptism, sacrifice, and rebirth, and how characters are forced to choose between the old ways and a new truth. Caris embraces transformation, Morgan descends into darkness, and Taliesin's mission expands beyond tribe and survival....

In this introductory episode of our deep dive into "The Pendragon Cycle: Rise of the Merlin" from The Daily Wire, the guys unpack Episode 1 and the powerful themes shaping the story. As Rome withdraws and Atlantis falls, Britain is left in chaos, revealing a central idea: civilizations collapse spiritually before they fall politically. ----------------  🌐 The Patriot Post: https://t.ly/nPTsv...

We talk "Master and Commander," "Gladiator," "Saving Private Ryan," "Braveheart," and "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade," plus honorable mentions like "Tombstone," "No Country for Old Men," "Open Range," "Blade Runner," "Napoleon Dynamite," and more. ----------------  🌐 The Patriot Post: https://t.ly/nPTsv  📧 News Letter: https://bit.ly/4mdVCfl  🕶️ Merch: https://t.ly/EoTTA&nbsp...

What could have been a predictable romance movie ends up being a genuinely funny, surprisingly fresh film with strong performances, great cinematography, and a male-centered perspective you do not usually get in this genre. We break down how the movie rightly handles romance and marriage, why the Italian setting adds so much charm, and whether this is part of a new ecosystem challenging Hollywood....

What happens when personality, conspiracy, and distrust of institutions collide? Our team provides the answer. We also discuss internet cults of personality, post-COVID distrust, the collapse of shared truth, and why so many people are vulnerable to narrative over evidence. ----------------  🌐 The Patriot Post: https://t.ly/nPTsv  📧 News Letter: https://bit.ly/4mdVCfl  🕶️ Merch: h...

In this episode of "The Pop Culture Contrarian Podcast," Ron, Sterling, and Andrew talk through the opening strike of Operation Epic Fury, why Russia and China look boxed in, how this differs from Iraq-style nation building, and the hard questions Americans should ask the Trump administration: Is this America First? Is this egotism? Is this necessary? What are the real risks, and what do we stand...

Join Sterling, Andrew, and guest host Ron as they talk about the upsides of gaming like cognitive development, strategy, creativity, and storytelling. They also break down the real dangers of platforms like Roblox, the predatory nature of microtransactions, and how gaming can become a substitute for real-life achievement. ----------------  🌐 The Patriot Post: https://t.ly/nPTsv  📧 News...

Join Sterling, Andrew, and guest host Ron as we tackle assimilation vs. multiculturalism, the symbolism of Britain as America's roots, why national stories shape political reality, and why the fight for the future of Britain and Europe matters to Americans more than they think. ----------------  🌐 The Patriot Post: https://t.ly/nPTsv  📧 News Letter: https://bit.ly/4mdVCfl  🕶️ Merc...

In this episode of "The Pop Culture Contrarian," Thomas, Sterling, and Andrew talk about why "The Pendragon Cycle: Rise of the Merlin" from The Daily Wire feels more like a classic fantasy film. They also dig into the deeper meaning: shifting power structures, collapsing order, the search for authority and legitimacy, and what binds a civilization together when the center doesn't hold. Finally, th...

Star Trek used to be about adventure, ethics, sacrifice, competence, the frontier, and a cavalier masculine hero. It fantasized about a utopian, post-scarcity civilization testing big ideas in space. Enter "Starfleet Academy: Episode 1," which feels more like "postmodern Hogwarts in space." Oh, and by the way, the fact that in this new storyline emotional trauma (you read that right) nuked dilithi...

Today we're joined by our first-ever political candidate on "The Pop Culture Contrarian Podcast": Clay Fuller, who's running in the Georgia 14th Congressional District special election to replace Marjorie Taylor Greene. Clay lays out the three pillars of his campaign — Faith, Duty, and America First — and shares the personal moments that shaped his worldview: surviving thyroid cancer, serving as a...

Worshippers at Cities Church in Saint Paul, Minnesota, had their Sunday service disrupted when leftist protesters (led by "journalist" Don Lemon) entered and began shouting, crowding around congregants, and derailing the worship service. ----------------  🌐 The Patriot Post: https://t.ly/nPTsv  📧 News Letter: https://bit.ly/4mdVCfl  🕶️ Merch: https://t.ly/EoTTA  📱 Social: ht...

In this episode of "The Pop Culture Contrarian," Thomas, Sterling, and Andrew tackle a deceptively simple question that's about to become unavoidable: What is a person? ----------------  🌐 The Patriot Post: https://t.ly/nPTsv  📧 News Letter: https://bit.ly/4mdVCfl  🕶️ Merch: https://t.ly/EoTTA  📱 Social: https://linktr.ee/ThePatriotPost ----------------  🎙️ Podcast: htt...

We unpack what the successful mission in Venezuela means for U.S. power in the Western Hemisphere, why Venezuela suddenly became the focal point of a bigger chessboard involving China, Russia, and Iran, and how this operation functions as both deterrence and narrative warfare. ----------------  🌐 The Patriot Post: https://t.ly/nPTsv  📧 News Letter: https://bit.ly/4mdVCfl  🕶️ Merch...

From the start of President Donald Trump's second term to the assassination of TPUSA CEO Charlie Kirk, 2025 was a wild year with no shortage of significant events. Thomas, Sterling, and Andrew cover the political and cultural chaos, the AI takeover, DOGE, censorship battles, border enforcement, geopolitical events, and headlines that prove reality truly is stranger than fiction. ----------------&n...

In this episode of The Pop Culture Contrarian, Thomas, Sterling, and Andrew dive into the real dangers of AI: from economic disruption and job loss, to deepfakes and deception, to spiritual counterfeits and people literally forming religions around artificial intelligence. ----------------  🌐 The Patriot Post: https://t.ly/nPTsv  📧 News Letter: https://bit.ly/4mdVCfl  🕶️ Merch: ht...

Thomas, Sterling, and Andrew compare "Wicked" (2024) and "Wicked: For Good" (2025) to the original "Wizard of Oz"  movie."The Wizard of Oz" has been an iconic American fairy tale for well over 80 years. From the original novel to the silver screen and broadway, it has permeated pop culture across mediums and authors. Thomas, Sterling, and Andrew compare the latest film iterations — "Wicked" (2024)...