The Contrarians

To tackle Michael Radford’s NINETEEN EIGHTY-FOUR on the sixth installment of Fresh Immigrants, Rotten Fascists almost feels like a cliche. But then, isn’t the current political climate in America a bundle of tired authoritarian tropes anyway? And so we dive into this bleak adaptation of Orwell’s dystopian tale and marvel at how it predicted Fox News - among other things. Thank you for checking thi...

Regardless of where your allegiances lie - with Ivan, Felix, or Lola - odds are that you’ll have a good time watching OFFICIAL COMPETITION. That is, of course, unless the movie’s relentless focus on rehearsals turns you off. Or you could have a problem with the complete absence of sympathetic characters in the cast. Was that the case for one or both of The Contrarians? Listen to this Real Talk seg...

Breaking news: successful filmmakers and actors are very likely to be pretentious tools completely disconnected from reality. We’ve known this for over a century, so did we really need a movie that’s exclusively about that? The team behind OFFICIAL COMPETITION thought so, and critics agreed, stamping a 96% Tomatometer score on it. That means it’s time for The Contrarians to bring Penelope Cruz, An...

44 INCH CHEST isn’t particularly gory, nasty, or offensive. It’s pretty foul-mouthed, but not to the point where THAT would tank its chances with critics and audiences. So is it a bit of a whiff because most people have trouble caring for Ray Winstone and his friends? Are they too reprehensible to elicit any sympathy? We try to figure it out in this Real Talk segment! TIMELINE 00:01:26 Let’s hope...

You thought John Wayne was problematic last episode? We’ve got five British powerhouses ready to give him a run for his money in the criminally underrated 44 INCH CHEST! The movie’s 40% Tomatometer score seems to reflect people’s inability to cope with bad behavior when it’s not traditionally scolded, so listen to Alex & Julio try to be open-minded and give Ray Winstone a shot! TIMELINE 00:01:...

Merry Christmas! We continue paying our Livestream For The Cure debt by watching THE EXORCIST III and chatting all throughout it. It qualifies as a Christmas movie because It’s a Wonderful Life plays a role in the story - and isn’t that all that matters? - Interested in more Contrarians goodness? Join THE CONTRARIANS SUPPLEMENTS on our Patreon Page! Deleted clips, extended plugs, bonus episodes fr...

Yes, of course THE SEARCHERS is not the Unforgiven of the 50s - but was it even trying to be? Can we set aside the things our modern eyes flag as regressive and appreciate the movie on its own terms? Do you need to be a John Wayne superfan to truly enjoy this John Wayne vehicle? What will our favorite movies look like to podcasters of the future? Let’s get it all out in this Real Talk segment! TIM...

It is SO America to have a problematic movie star as the ultimate icon of the quintessential American genre. And even worse: take John Wayne’s reputation out of the equation, and John Ford’s THE SEARCHERS can barely register as a serviceable Western. So it’s not just that Ford’s romanticizing of cowboy life is dated - it’s also boring, and a little cheesy when it goes for full emotion. Listen to A...

The fifth installment of Fresh Immigrants, Rotten Fascists introduces us to the Yi family - Korean immigrants chasing the American dream in Arkansas, led by patriarch Jacob (Steven Yeun). MINARI was a bit of an awards darling in the midst of COVID, and it even nabbed a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Youn Yuh-jung for her role as the family’s disruptive grandma. So get some kimchi to snack on, a...

Seriously, why would anyone hate this movie? Even if you account for film buffs being horrified by Zhang Yimou’s apparent Hollywoodization, there’s so much in THE GREAT WALL that average audiences would enjoy. Lots of theories in this Real Talk segment, in addition to unabashed praise for the film — and regret for not having supported it when it first opened. Matt Damon’s daughter is wrong on this...

You’re telling us the director of Hero and House of Flying Daggers made a movie where Matt Damon and Pedro Pascal team-up with the Chinese army to battle aliens at the Great Wall of China… and it somehow wasn’t a smashing success? Was it the man-bun? THE GREAT WALL sports a shameful 35% Tomatometer score, which means Alex & Julio must jump (er-dive) to its rescue. And you get to listen! TIMELI...

Happy Thanksgiving! We continue paying our Livestream For The Cure debt by sitting through EXORCIST II: THE HERETIC and chatting all throughout it. Will this be the lowest point of the franchise? Let’s hope so. - Interested in more Contrarians goodness? Join THE CONTRARIANS SUPPLEMENTS on our Patreon Page! Deleted clips, extended plugs, bonus episodes free from the Tomatometer shackles… It’s every...

Yes, we eventually get into the inevitable Deckard/Replicant discussion. But there is so much more to talk about when it comes to BLADERUNNER - and with four of us on the panel, you know there will be some clashing opinions in this Real Talk segment! Ridley Scott would be proud (if he cared). TIMELINE 00:01:26 Prodigal Son 00:01:54 Real Talk 01:15:54 The Future & Patreon Stuff - Interested in...

Audiences had it right back in 1982: BLADERUNNER is a boring, confusing neo-noir featuring a barely-awake performance from Harrison Ford. But BLADERUNNER is also proof that if you keep recutting and re-releasing a film, you are likely to fool critics into thinking it was a masterpiece waiting to be discovered. Listen to Alex & Julio - and special guests Ryan & Rachel from Yum Yum Pod - as...

We may have to wait a few decades for the tell-all Todd Phillips memoir that finally explains what led to JOKER: FOLIE A DEUX being, well, JOKER: FOLIE A DEUX. But it’s fun to speculate, even though it potentially being a genius prank doesn’t affect the experience of watching it as much as you’d think. Did we at least like it more than the original JOKER? Listen to this Real Talk segment and find...

We start Year Twelve of the Contrarians with a movie we never thought we’d cover (or watch) - but how can you escape one of the most infamous and puzzling bombs in recent history? Did people really not get how Todd Phillips used JOKER: FOLIE A DEUX to give Hollywood a much-needed middle finger? Did the joke go over critics and audiences’ heads? Listen to Alex & Julio discuss this masterful tro...

The fourth installment of Fresh Immigrants, Rotten Fascists focuses on the rise and fall of Lonesome Rhodes, as depicted in Elia Kazan’s A FACE IN THE CROWD. The story of a populist media superstar that grows to wield immense influence over the American public? How could that be relevant today? And yes, that’s America’s Grandpa Andy Griffith playing the maniacal Rhodes in his feature film debut. T...

The 90s and their MTV Movie Awards were the focus of many episodes during our eleventh year as Contrarians - will they also dominate our annual awards ceremony? Listen to find out who gets Embries, Hooeys, Ruffalos, Gads, and The Lancaster Dodd Grant! TIMELINE 00:01:24 The Embries 2025 00:12:20 Supporting Actress 00:26:02 Supporting Actor 00:40:40 The Ruffalo 00:47:46 The Lancaster Dodd Grant for...

Happy Halloween! We hit our donations goal at this year’s Livestream For The Cure, which means we are now on the hook to do commentary tracks for all five Exorcist films. Can’t think of a better time to start than now, on Halloween day, so enjoy listening to us talk about William Friedkin’s horror classic - ideally while you watch it! (Don’t worry, The Embries 2025 should drop this weekend) Intere...

All these years later, we know FREDDY’S DEAD was far from the “final nightmare”. Freddy went on to fight Jason Voorhees, be meta in New Nightmare, and get a grim makeover in 2010. But word on the street is Rachel Talalay’s Elm Street entry was meant to be the end of Freddy at the time. Does that context make it a better or worse movie? And can we ever come to terms with the darkness and campiness...

Horror icons are not allowed to die - but that doesn’t mean they are not allowed to try. And so, Fred Krueger gave it a shot in the boldly titled FREDDY’S DEAD: THE FINAL NIGHTMARE. Predictably, critics panicked at the idea of a world without Elm Street terrors and stamped a 23% rotten Tomatometer score on Freddy’s efforts. Listen to Alex & Julio defend this surprisingly emotional (and sincere...

We will always do our best to celebrate big swings and original ideas - even when we can’t make heads or tails of them. So yes, we’re going to cut QUANTUM COWBOYS some slack even though some of our qualms from Contrarians Corner also stand in this Real Talk segment. But even when acknowledging the value of trying new things, we also have to analyze why a well-meaning effort doesn’t work. That’s wh...

Take a hit of whatever your drug of choice is - that’s your best chance to grasp how QUANTUM COWBOYS scored 100% on the Tomatometer. Yes, universal acclaim is a little easier to attain when the review pool is shallow, but still, it’s weird when a nearly incomprehensible movie gets so much praise. Listen to Alex & Julio as they try to wrap their minds around a trippy plot and even trippier anim...

Well, it was The 80s, so maybe we were all a little easier to impress. With that in mind, how does CONAN THE BARBARIAN hold up in a world that’s been inundated with fantasy epics since its release? Can we spot what James Cameron might have seen in young Arnold Schwarzenegger back then? And will anyone think of the original Conan fans? That, and more, in this Real Talk segment! TIMELINE 00:01:26 Al...

There’s such a thing as Pre-Terminator Arnold Schwarzenegger and, oh boy, it’s a tough experience to sit through. Exhibit A? CONAN THE BARBARIAN, which was appreciated by critics and audiences enough to get a sequel, despite featuring a wooden performance from Arnie and excessive slow-mo that would make Zack Snyder proud. Listen to Alex & Julio marvel at the T-800’s humble beginnings! TIMELINE...