Not being a Quentin Tarantino movie isn’t a mortal sin, and there’s a wide range of quality when it comes to Tarantino wannabes anyway - not that we’re sure THINGS TO DO IN DENVER WHEN YOU’RE DEAD is trying to be one. But if you remove the QT factor (or lack thereof), how does this Andy Garcia vehicle come across? Can 90s nostalgia work wonders in …

Pity any gangster movie that came out in the post-Pulp-Fiction 90s. THINGS TO DO IN DENVER WHEN YOU’RE DEAD couldn’t escape the comparisons to beloved Tarantino fare, and critics decided that was enough to turn their backs on Andy Garcia and his band of chatty criminals. Listen to Alex & Julio as they go to bat for Scott Rosenberg’s tale of redempt…

Okay, Ari Aster. This is where we give you a fair shake. It’s been established throughout the run of this show that neither Alex nor Julio care for Hereditary or Midsommar. But this Real Talk segment forces The Contrarians to articulate their feelings beyond snarky jokes, and consider that maybe they haven’t been giving Mr. Aster and his fans enoug…

To hear critics tell it, Ari Aster reimagined the horror genre with HEREDITARY, his Tomatometer fresh debut. It doesn’t matter that the movie abandons its exploration of grief halfway through its runtime, and it doesn’t matter that the third act requires a character to drop a phonebook’s worth of exposition for it to make sense. Sometimes, people j…

While Alex dropped little bits of pro wrestling trivia during Contrarians Corner, he saved all the heavy stuff for the second half of the episode. Is it possible to enjoy a mainstream biopic when you are quite familiar with the subject being explored? Is it a blessing in disguise to be ignorant of Saraya’s real life journey while watching Fighting …

Leave it to Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson to take Saraya “Paige” Bevis’ story and make it all about himself. FIGHTING WITH MY FAMILY celebrates how cool The Rock thinks he is while also trying to portray pro wrestling as the most wholesome sport in the world. The problem? We’ve already watched movies like The Wrestler and The Iron Claw, which pulled ba…

Perhaps it’s a blessing in disguise that Quentin Tarantino was forced to split KILL BILL in two, since it’s hard to imagine both volumes holding together as a single movie - and some would argue they barely hold together as a two-parter. Is that an actual concern when it comes to appreciating Volume 2? Alex, Julio, and Chas have different experienc…

It took us almost ten years to make it to 200 (numbered) episodes. It feels like it took The Bride almost as long to finally get to Bill. KILL BILL VOLUME 2 presents Tarantino fans with a conundrum: if you liked Volume 1, you’re out of luck because this one is nothing like it. And if you liked Tarantino’s more “traditional” work, this isn’t as good…

It’s quite a different experience, appreciating KILL BILL: VOLUME 1 as the most recent Quentin Tarantino outing, versus watching it as the fourth of nine movies in his filmography. Has time and an expanded context softened Alex’s stance when it comes to The Bride’s adventures? Has Julio been overrating the first Kill Bill for almost twenty years? H…

The fourth film from Quentin Tarantino was a left turn in a career that so far had given us verbose bank robbers, verbose gangsters, and verbose, um, flight attendants turned money launderers? QT zigged by giving us wall-to-wall soulless Uma Thurman action in a homage to the kung-fu movies he watched instead of going to film school. Critics loved i…

Well, this episode features two hardcore FRIDAY THE 13TH fans and someone who doesn’t even care for horror movies most of the time. Get ready for some contention now that we are in the Real Talk part of the show! How does each of us react to the idea that maybe the 2009 Jason Voorhees adventure was aimed at potential new fans, so old fans need to c…

Can you believe it’s been 15 years since the last FRIDAY THE 13TH theatrical release? Apparently, critics and audiences had issues with an installment of the franchise that actually took itself seriously. Listen to Alex & Julio, joined by Stew from the Stew World Order podcast, as they re-evaluate the battle between Sam Winchester and Jason Voorhee…

Hey, we are both Seinfeld appreciators. So that should be a starting point with DUNSTON CHECKS IN, right? How do we truly feel about Jason Alexander’s leading man capabilities, especially in the context of a kids movie? And what’s our tolerance level when it comes to Dunston himself? Can our love for the 90s help us connect to this movie or is this…

As we race toward our 200th episode, it’s time to get into some monkey business. Some 90s Monkey Business even. How many Jason Alexander starring vehicles can you name? How many of them feature an adorable ape as his co-star? Listen to Alex & Julio as they scoff at DUNSTON CHECKS IN’s appalling 17% Tomatometer score! Marvel at Faye Danaway’s career…

Did the plot holes and plot contrivances in YOUR NAME bother us as much as we expressed during Contrarians Corner? Are we immune to the charms of anime, or maybe just not receptive to modern anime? Was this a good entry point into Japanese animation for Alex and can Julio stop comparing it to a Studio Ghibli production? All this and more on this Re…

Japanese animation: The Final Frontier! Or at least you would think so, considering how long it has taken The Contrarians to tackle anime on the show. Join Alex & Julio as they travel back to 2016, to pick apart YOUR NAME - a movie celebrated by anyone who has not seen Freaky Friday! Let’s answer the question on everyone’s minds: do you even have t…

Look, Brian De Palma is still making movies. But yes, they are not the Hollywood productions of his heyday. Was his fall from grace inevitable, and, more importantly, deserved? Is THE BLACK DAHLIA as bad as people say? Or in fact, could THE BLACK DAHLIA be actually as good as we said it was in Contrarians Corner? This Real Talk segment dives into t…

It’s been 17 years since Brian De Palma took a James Ellroy novel, called up emerging superstars Josh Hartnett, Aaron Eckhart, Scarlett Johansson, and Hillary Swank and said, hey, let’s put on a noir show. Critics hated it, audiences avoided it, and De Palma hasn’t made a major studio film since. Listen to Alex & Julio as they rediscover THE BLACK …

With the Contrarians gimmick set aside, this Real Talk segment features a wide range of opinions regarding Nicolas Winding Refn and his work. Longtime listeners know how Alex feels about Drive and The Neon Demon — or at least how he felt before this rewatch. And we’ve hinted to Ryan’s actual Neon Demon feelings fairly strongly. But that’s only half…

Nicolas Winding Refn was in a pretty awkward place after releasing Only God Forgives. The popularity he amassed when he made Drive seemed to implode with the follow-up. So what did he do? He doubled down on the weirdness and released a biting, irreverent satire about the L.A. modeling scene. Listen to Alex & Julio discuss THE NEON DEMON with the he…

Once again, we are starting the new year with a Denzel Washington movie. RICOCHET may divide the Contrarians far more than The Bone Collector did, however. How do Alex & Julio truly feel about this hidden gem/stain in Denzel’s filmography? Can at least one of them appreciate the fun trashiness of Steven de Souza’s screenplay? And we all know Kevin …

Imagine you are a young Denzel Washington and you just won your first Oscar. How do you show Hollywood you are not a one-hit wonder? Somehow, Denzel thought the answer was to face off against a predictably deranged John Lithgow in a schlocky thriller. And, based on RICOCHET’s fresh Tomatometer score, it worked! Listen to Alex & Julio as they pick a…

So, as of this posting, it’s basically impossible to stream DROP DEAD GORGEOUS in the U.S. Is that reflective of its quality, its controversial sense of humor, or both? Alex has been enthusiastic about the movie ever since he found out it was on the schedule, but will Julio share that excitement now that we are being serious? And is it easier to na…

Middle America exposed!!! And before the MAGA years, mind you. Unsurprisingly, this didn’t go over particularly well with conservative critics, and so DROP DEAD GORGEOUS’ Tomatometer score is divisive at best. Listen to Alex & Julio as they celebrate the rare mockumentary that’s not a Christopher Guest product: an incisive look at the beauty pagean…

You could make an argument that none of the players involved in JERRY MAGUIRE have ever been better. Tom Cruise, Renée Zellweger, Cuba Gooding Jr., Cameron Crowe… forget whatever acclaim they garnered in the future, maybe this rom-sports-com is where they peaked. Or maybe not. Maybe at least one of The Contrarians is too close to this film to judge…

Hey, look, it’s Hollywood mega-star Tom Cruise trying to play a regular guy. Wonder if movie critics will fall for it? Of course they did! JERRY MAGUIRE is fresh on the Tomatometer despite being among the worst examples of Cameron Crowe’s mannered dialogue and overproduced soundtracks. Listen to Alex & Julio as they try to figure out what exactly i…

Okay, let’s get serious about The Flintstones - because apparently that’s how the world has decided we must judge this 1994 live-action adaptation. Is there a silent majority that thinks this movie is good and has the internet’s echo chamber fed the Tomatometer in this instance? Can we all at least agree that Halle Berry and Kyle MacLachlan are STU…

You know we are too far gone as a society when we can’t appreciate the beauty of a perfect Flintstones live-action adaptation. We dare you, all of you, to propose a better cast. This was it: there won’t be a better Fred than John Goodman. And if anybody was ever going to crack the puzzle of Barney Rubble’s character, it would be Rick Moranis. But c…

By now, we know that THE SUICIDE SQUAD was basically James Gunn’s DCEU audition - one that he passed with flying colors. Would we have given him the job though? As you would expect, this Real Talk segment sees Alex struggling with his love for John Cena versus his aversion to movies that run over two hours - plus finally assimilating Margot Robbie’…

We used to wait at least a decade before giving a failed adaptation another shot at being reimagined. Now we pump out remakes, reboots, and requels faster than WB can shelve them. And that’s how we ended up with a SUICIDE SQUAD sort-of-sequel that didn’t even bother to change its title all that much. Listen to Alex & Julio as they try to make sense…

So here we are: Julia Roberts finally got her Oscar, three nominations in. But did she get it for the right movie? Would we still be talking about ERIN BROCKOVICH (those of us who still are) if it wasn’t known as Julia’s Oscar Win? And moving past the awards - how does this modern-day fairy tale hold up today, especially when touting it’s a true st…

Julia Roberts was due for an Oscar - that much most people would agree on. So in the year 2000, because a rising tide lifts all boats, ERIN BROCKOVICH became a major awards contender. Julia Roberts is the rising tide in this analogy, and the boats are all the other elements that make up Steven Soderbergh’s fairly mediocre biopic. Listen to Alex & J…

It’s unavoidable to spend much of this Real Talk segment analyzing the tawdrier aspects of ORIGINAL SIN, but fear not, we also talk about other noteworthy elements in it. Roger Ebert liked this movie, for crying out loud! So what works and what doesn’t in this alleged love story, and how much relevance does desire have in the proceedings? Jolie, Ba…

Angelina Jolie and Antonio Banderas going at it in an R-rated movie: waaaaaay too much for America’s puritanical film critics. ORIGINAL SIN scored a shocking 12% on the Tomatometer, as if it wasn’t a masterfully crafted adult thriller that also happened to feature some no-holds-barred lovemaking. Listen to Alex & Julio as they discuss the explosive…

The Contrarians turn nine! Join our annual celebration of the good, the bad, the horny, and the super white films we covered over the past twelve months as we unleash THE EMBRIES - 2023 Edition on your podcatchers! This might even convince you to check out some of the movies you skipped the first time around! TIMELINE 00:01:16 The Embries 2023 00:1…

As tempting as it is to spend all of Real Talk comparing and contrasting Romero’s DAWN OF THE DEAD and Snyder’s remake, don’t worry, we manage to take the conversation in other directions. For one, Alex’s surprising disinterest in the zombie genre. For another, Julio’s inability to stop referencing Dead Alive. Does it all add up to a positive score…

Uhhhhh… What is this? Certainly not zombies, we can tell you that much. George Romero’s much-acclaimed undead monsters amount to little more than really disoriented bluish humans. Somehow, this is enough to terrorize people in a mall for over two hours - and also enough for critics to give DAWN OF THE DEAD a fresh 93% Tomatometer score. Listen to A…

We are not quite John Singleton neophytes, but we are pretty close anyway. So how do we approach a Singleton flick that has been decried by many as an example of him selling out? How do we feel about the morality of FOUR BROTHERS and its celebration of vigilante justice? Are we overthinking this revenge tale or not giving it enough credit? There’s …

Few things are more spellbinding than seeing Mark Wahlberg on a warpath. And he’s only one of four equally badass brothers in this movie! John Singleton’s FOUR BROTHERS doesn’t get the respect it deserves on the critics side of the Tomatometer, so The Contrarians are going to set things right. Listen to Alex & Julio as they rejoice in recounting th…

Contemporary Indian crowd-pleasing cinema finally makes it to our main feed after percolating in our Patreon channel for over a year! Alex & Julio have had their ups and downs with movies like Singham, Sooryavanshi and Minnal Murali, so what happens when they are tasked with giving critically maligned VIKRAM the Contrarians treatment? Is this the e…

Modern Indian action cinema finally went full-Hollywood when RRR made a splash at the Oscars — but that doesn’t mean critics are ready to truly embrace the joyous lunacy that is exuded by movies like the spy thriller VIKRAM. The twisty-turny tale is considered rotten by Tomatometer standards, so it’s time for The Contrarians to set the record strai…

We don’t often travel back to the early days of Hollywood here on The Contrarians - and we probably should, if only because so many revered classics are ripe for reevaluation. DOUBLE INDEMNITY is almost too obvious of an assignment: a celebrated entry in a genre that’s given us trouble from time to time. Can Barbara Stanwyck seduce Alex into agreei…

Billy Wilder, black and white cinematography, Raymond Chandler, film noir, kinky anklets. DOUBLE INDEMNITY is a collection of catnip keywords if you are a Rotten Tomatoes critic - which explains its towering 97% score on the Tomatometer. You know what that means: it’s time for Alex & Julio to dismantle a ridiculous murder plot while pointing out th…

So we enjoyed The Most Likable Song, and we (predictably) scoffed at Fake Austin. But there’s more to FRANK than its songs and the presence of SXSW in the movie. Where did The Contrarians ultimately land when it came to this undercover Fassbender vehicle? Is there more to it than the talented actor’s performance? And how tricky is it to consider FR…

A quirky comedy about mental health and music - that’s how you get an easy pat on the back from critics. FRANK doesn’t offer much insight into whatever illness afflicts its protagonist and the music ain’t great either, but the Tomatometer rewarded it with a 92% score, and you don’t even get to see Michael Fassbender’s face until the very end! Liste…

Kathryn Bigelow won an Oscar for The Hurt Locker. James Cameron won an Oscar for Titanic. Let’s get real now: why don’t people talk about STRANGE DAYS more often? Is it because it - against all odds - isn’t good? Or was it so ahead of its time that we missed the window to truly appreciate it? Listen to Alex & Julio discuss their true feelings about…

A Kathryn Bigelow movie based on a James Cameron story? A noirish thriller set around the turn of the millenium? Ralph Fiennes playing a sleazy virtual reality bootlegger? You almost can’t blame critics for giving STRANGE DAYS a fresh Tomatometer score! Unfortunately, there’s a reason why Cameron and Bigelow don’t talk about this movie very much. L…

Here’s an opening statement: THE COMMITMENTS could understandably be someone’s EMPIRE RECORDS. If you’ve been listening for a while, you know what that means. If not, don’t worry, it’s part of this Real Talk along with the unavoidable discussion about cultural appropriation charges and what The Contrarians truly thought of the self-proclaimed “Savi…

Yikes. A bunch of white Irish kids decide they can play soul better than black people. Critics go wild with praise. Yikes again. Sir Alan Parker got away with this ode to cultural appropriation, as reflected by THE COMMITMENTS’ fresh Tomatometer score, so it’s time for The Contrarians to set things right. Listen to Alex & Julio as they discuss the …

Could people be overreacting a little when it comes to JAWS: THE REVENGE? Or does the movie deserve all the hate it gets because of what it does to the legacy of one of the most celebrated films of the 20th century? Real Talk allows Alex & Julio to try to be a little more serious when considering JTR’s status as the whipping boy of all shark flicks…