PODCAST · tv
The Contrarians
by Alex & Julio
Hosts Alex and Julio take on popular opinion, trashing movies everyone loves and praising movies everyone hates. Visit their website at www.wearethecontrarians.com
Episodes
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FIRF #14 - Problemista
The fourteenth installment of Fresh Immigrants, Rotten Fascists introduces us to Alejandro, a young immigrant from El Salvador in dire need of an American sponsor - a path that entangles him with… a Tilda Swinton character. PROBLEMISTA is written and directed by Julio Torres, the mind behind the...
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276 - Pt. 2 - Trancers (RT)
You really get a lot of leeway when your movie is 75 minutes long - and when its leads have the chops and chemistry to carry a feature. TRANCERS isn’t high art, but does it need to be? And if we are positive about it, do we need to justify why we are harsher on more polished films? We discuss…
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276 - Pt. 1 - Trancers (CC)
Imagine the hubris necessary to release a movie about a time-traveling hero sent back to the 80s to protect someone from a futuristic killer… the same year The Terminator came out. But TRANCERS doesn’t coast purely on hubris and riffs on better sci-fi movies - it also features a young Helen Hunt...
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275 - Pt. 2 - Alita: Battle Angel (RT)
You’d think the joint forces of James Cameron and Robert Rodriguez would produce an unstoppable box office juggernaut - a franchise that would capture the world’s imagination for decades… but that didn’t turn out to be the case with ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL. Its devoted audience is still holding out...
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275 - Pt. 1 - Alita: Battle Angel (CC)
From James Cameron, they said. From the mind behind Titanic and Avatar, they said. But Jimmy C couldn’t even be bothered to let the actual director of ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL, Robert Rodriguez, play with the kind of tech that makes Cameron flicks so visually impressive. So poor Alita had to settle…
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FIRF #13 - El Conde
The thirteenth installment of Fresh Immigrants, Rotten Fascists takes us to Chile, where infamous dictator Augusto Pinochet is revealed to be a vampire. Just another off-kilter biopic from Pablo Larrain, the man who brought us Jackie, Spencer, and now… EL CONDE. Thank you for checking this new...
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274 - Pt. 2 - Troy AND The Odyssey (RT)
Is the world big enough for standard Hollywood blockbuster adaptations of Homer’s work and artsier, brainier takes on the fall of Troy? Can Wolfgang Petersen’s TROY and Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey co-exist? This super-sized Real Talk segment explores our feelings about Petersen’s epic AND…
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274 - Pt. 1 - Troy (CC)
Odyssey-mania has taken over the world, and it hurts to see so many people have forgotten its unofficial 2004 prequel, TROY. Sure, it wasn’t a big hit with critics back then, but can we not appreciate the lost art of hot men trying to kill each other today? While Nolan’s movie is all about…
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273 - Pt. 2 - The Other Side of the Wind (RT)
Our Bedroom to Box Office journey has been a bit of a wild ride so of course the final stop would be Orson Welles’ long lost movie. The adult film industry connection was already discussed in a bonus interview we dropped right before this episode (check it out, lots of fun) but there is a lot…
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273 - Pt. 1 - The Other Side of the Wind (CC)
Man, we cut Orson Welles way too much slack. The guy makes Citizen Kane at the beginning of his career, then he gets to coast for the rest of his life - and posthumously too! THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WIND, a Welles’ joint he didn’t even get to finish, was received with pure adoration by critics even...
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Bonus! - An interview with Adam Graver (Gary Graver's nephew)
Gary Graver was the cinematographer on Orson Welles’ final feature film, THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WIND. As a warm-up to our upcoming episode giving that movie the Contrarians Treatment, here’s a special treat for all of you: an interview with Adam Graver, one of Gary’s nephews. And yes, Gary Graver…
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FIRF #12 - Sin Nombre
The twelfth installment of Fresh Immigrants, Rotten Fascists takes us all the way to Honduras for a complicated road trip toward the Mexico/US border - all courtesy of Cary Fukunaga, who would go on to depict another harrowing journey in Beasts of No Nation. This is his writing/directing debut, a...
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272 - Pt. 2 - Inherent Vice (RT)
We love PTA here at Contrarians HQ. This has been documented all throughout our podcasting journey. We may disagree on specific ranking placement for most of his movies, but we agree that they’re all great… until now? Will INHERENT VICE split Alex and Julio apart? And let’s not forget this is…
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272 - Pt. 1 - Inherent Vice (CC)
There came a time in Paul Thomas Anderson’s career when he decided he wanted to try to be funny again. So he called up Joaquin Phoenix, gave him Irish sideburns, and told him to do his version of The Dude from The Big Lebowski. And so INHERENT VICE was born, and it was branded with a fresh...
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271 - Pt. 2 - The Girlfriend Experience (RT)
Steven Soderbergh. Sasha Grey. Barack Obama. This thing should write/direct itself, right? So what’s the deal with THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE, really, and is there anything to the fact that it’s basically impossible to stream online? Does the movie have anything to say about escorts? About…
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271 - Pt. 1 - The Girlfriend Experience (CC)
2009 Hollywood rolled the dice on Steven Soderbergh and got artsy, experimental Sodes. THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE looks like it was shot on an old iPhone - which is an insane aesthetic choice when your protagonist is played by Sasha Grey. But there’s also running bits about the pre-Obama recession...
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FIRF #11 - Jojo Rabbit
The eleventh installment of Fresh Immigrants, Rotten Fascists forces us to confront what happens when hateful ideologies spread to children, and features Taika Waititi prancing around as an imaginary Hitler. It’s JOJO RABBIT! Thank you for checking this new project out, whether you are a…
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270 - Pt. 2 - Romance (RT)
You’d think that after spending an hour trying to be funny about ROMANCE for Contrarians Corner, having an honest conversation about the movie for Real Talk would be much easier. Not quite. This one’s very much not for us, so we may end up with more questions than usual - which doesn’t mean it...
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270 - Pt. 1 - Romance (CC)
Foreplay is over, as Bedroom to Box Office goes full-artsy, full-French, full-frontal. Most people think of movies like The Matrix and The Phantom Menace when they think of 1999, but real film buffs think of Catherine Breillat’s ROMANCE - an underappreciated sexual drama that deserves more than…
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269 - Pt. 2 - The Running Man - 1987 (RT)
Well, Alex stretched the B2B gimmick pretty thin for this episode - no, Kurt Fuller did not star in an adult film early in his career - but the important thing is we got THE RUNNING MAN in Contrarians Canon. The better version too (not that Edgar Wright’s take offered much competition.) So why…
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269 - Pt. 1 - The Running Man - 1987 (CC)
We like Glen Powell as much as the next film fan, but let’s get real. There’s only one Running Man, and his name is Arnold Schwarzenegger. Critics and audiences weren’t quite ready for Arnie in full wisecracking mode though, and Paul Glaser’s 1987 adaptation of Stephen King’s THE RUNNING MAN is...
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FIRF #10 - The Namesake
The tenth installment of Fresh Immigrants, Rotten Fascists introduces us to the Gangoli family - first generation Indian immigrants to America. Familiar faces Irrfan Khan and Tabu play the parents, but the big marketing angle was Kal Penn’s dramatic turn as their son, he of the multiple names...
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268 - Pt. 2 - 52 Pick-Up (RT)
How much sleaziness is too much sleaziness? Is Elmore Leonard’s 52 PICK-UP as nasty as its John Frankenheimer adaptation? Does the movie deserve its somewhat forgotten status in the director’s filmography, or should we all push for a 52 PICK-UP re-evaluation? This and more in this Real Talk…
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268 - Pt. 1 - 52 Pick-Up (CC)
The second chapter of B2B - Bedroom to Box Office - brings us a gaggle of porn stars smack dab in the middle of a mean, nasty, supremely entertaining John Frankenheimer joint. Sadly, 52 PICK-UP was too sleazy for critics and not even the Elmore Leonard connection or having Roy Scheider as its…
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267 - Pt. 2 - Rabid - 1977 (RT)
The real surprise when it comes to RABID is that Cronenberg meant it to be about the dangers of mishandling an epidemic. As much as we can all relate to that, it can be difficult to connect to that theme when it’s carried by a movie that plays like a parody of the director’s body-horror…
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267 - Pt. 1 - Rabid - 1977 (CC)
Our Bedroom to Box Office Summer Event begins with David Cronenberg’s sophomore effort, RABID - a horror ditty starring iconic adult movie star Marilyn Chambers. The concept of patient zero using an armpit-stinger to infect other people must have blown critics’ minds back in the 70s, leading to a...
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Bonus! - Haywire Commentary Track
As the long-awaited(?) Ronda Rousey Vs. Gina Carano fight looms, Julio and Alex are, once again, joined by Joe and STEVE(!) to reflect on a fighter crossing over to film. As the four travel back to 2012 for Steven Soderbergh's Haywire, the conversation takes some wild, and some very expected,...
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FIRF #9 - Wag the Dog
The ninth installment of Fresh Immigrants, Rotten Fascists features a presidential sex scandal, and the (fake) war the White House creates to distract from it. WAG THE DOG could have been written yesterday! Although you could argue Robert DeNiro, Anne Heche, and Dustin Hoffman are waaaaaay more...
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266 - Pt. 2 - Dennis the Menace (RT)
It’s hard to think anyone could argue against the cast of this DENNIS THE MENACE adaptation. It’s not just Matthau, Thompson, and Christopher Lloyd doing solid work, but also Mason Gamble as Dennis, holding his own against them. And it’s directed by Nick Castle, the original Michael Myers? We can...
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266 - Pt. 1 - Dennis the Menace (CC)
We’ve been around our fair share of children and we can assure you, there is far worse than poor Dennis out there. That’s not to say that DENNIS THE MENACE doesn’t work as a brutal takedown of bad parenting and the crux carried by the community that has to deal with a spoiled kid. With a 28% on…
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265 - Pt. 2 - Rye Lane (RT)
Like Westerns and Musicals, Romantic Comedies keep being pronounced dead and then fighting their way back into relevance. RYE LANE is certainly a strong effort to revive the genre, even if it doesn’t reinvent the wheel the way some of the critical acclaim proclaims. Does it matter if you have a...
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265 - Pt. 1 - Rye Lane (CC)
When you take the concept of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl and you apply it to an entire movie - making a Manic Pixie Dream Film, if you will - you get RYE LANE. And you know what, critics are so starved for romcoms that the super quirky romance between David Jonsson and Vivian Oparah received an...
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The First FIRFies
Eight episodes of Fresh Immigrants, Rotten Fascists in, it’s time to pause, take a breath, and invite someone to help us recap what we’ve gone through so far. Enter the always articulate, always passionate, Jason from Binge Movies (and also The Slashers) - a very smart friend of the show who...
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264 - Pt. 2 - Silent Running (RT)
Not sure “Bruce Dern one-man show” was on our checklist for this Contrarians Year but that was the hand we were dealt on this episode. And yes, the drones are cute, but can we really sync with what SILENT RUNNING is trying to do, with its slow pace, and in-your-face ecological activism? Find out…
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264 - Pt. 1 - Silent Running (CC)
It’s tough out there for old sci-fi movies, as their once-cutting-edge visuals can feel dated and even silly. And then, if you are SILENT RUNNING, you have to also deal with the uncanny-valley-esque experience of watching a young Bruce Dern mugging the camera non-stop. Critics - and the…
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263 - Pt. 2 - Big Night (RT)
Who doesn’t love Italian food, even when it’s surrounded by petty, self-involved men? The case could be made that BIG NIGHT is worth watching just on the strength of how much fun it can be to see people enjoying a decadent feast. But is there more to Tucci and Scott’s comedy? Can we get in sync...
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263 - Pt. 1 - Big Night (CC)
You can get away with making a lightweight movie if you appeal to critics’ base instincts - hunger in this case. That’s probably how BIG NIGHT scored a fresh 96% Tomatometer score despite featuring a problematic Italian impersonation from Brit granddaddy Ian Holm and lots and lots of food porn...
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FIRF #8 - Cabaret
The eighth installment of Fresh Immigrants, Rotten Fascists takes us to 1931 Germany, where a whole lot of people keep telling each other the rise of the Nazi party is not a big deal. Yes, old chums, we are going to the cabaret - Bob Fosse’s CABARET, specifically. It will be distressing, and…
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262 - Pt. 2 - Marathon Man (RT)
That William Goldman… what a tough writer to pin down, huh? MARATHON MAN never reached the popularity or garnered the reverence some of his other works have, but it’s still a well-respected 70s thriller. How did it play to a couple of present-day film fans, and were Dustin Hoffman and Lawrence...
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262 - Pt. 1 - Marathon Man (CC)
What do you know, Dustin Hoffman doesn’t run a single marathon in John Schlesinger’s MARATHON MAN. He does run from Nazis and corrupt American operatives a lot though. Was that enough to warrant a fresh 82% Tomatometer score? Listen to Alex & Julio as they lament that Roy Scheider is relegated to...
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261 - Pt. 2 - Dogfight (RT)
All joking aside, it’s a bummer that a movie like DOGFIGHT is not better known and, once we get past our annoyance at younger reviewers engaging with the film on a superficial level, we do our best to celebrate Nancy Savoca’s bittersweet love story. So no point in even trying to be suspenseful...
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261 - Pt. 1 - Dogfight (CC)
What if Dinner for Schmucks was an artsy love story? Yes, that change would suck the fun out of the film, but, in exchange, it would get it some cred with film critics. And that’s how DOGFIGHT ended up with a fresh 87% score on Rotten Tomatoes - and a pretty recent Criterion Collection induction…
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Bonus! - The Exorcist V Commentary Track
We were going to originally drop this on Valentine’s Day, but we figured the In the Heights conversation needed an extra holiday in the spotlight. Regardless, here we are, at the end of our Exorcist Franchise journey, as we chat our way through THE EXORCIST: BELIEVER - yet another failed attempt…
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FIRF #7 - In the Heights
The seventh installment of Fresh Immigrants, Rotten Fascists introduces us to a whole host of characters that would get harassed by ICE in today’s America. Writer and friend Cathy Alvarez joins us to talk about Usnavi and the rest of the Latino community of IN THE HEIGHTS! Thank you for checking...
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260 - Pt. 2 - Serenity (2005) RT
It would be disingenuous to talk about SERENITY without addressing the Whedonesque Elephant in the ship, so to speak. So, yes, this Real Talk segment devotes some time to the rise and fall of the Whedon brand. But we also talk about Serenity itself, and how it works for someone who’s not familiar...
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260 - Pt. 1 - Serenity (2005) CC
The year was 2005 and Joss Whedon decided to audition for a spot among Big Hollywood Blockbuster Directors. He submitted SERENITY for our collective consideration and it didn’t quite light the world on fire, despite its passionate fanbase - who would’ve thought a movie based on a short-lived cult...
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Bonus! - The Exorcist IV Commentary Track
The actual title is DOMINION: PREQUEL TO THE EXORCIST, which really rolls off the tongue, doesn’t it? Anyway, we continue paying our Livestream for the Cure debt by doing a commentary on the Paul Schrader version of the fourth Exorcist movie - which happens to be the one you can watch for free! -...
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259 - Pt. 2 - John Q (RT)
Director Nick Cassavetes has a penchant for successfully manipulating audiences into loving movies most critics scoff at. That explains the disconnect between JOHN Q’s 26% Tomatometer score and its 78% Popcornmeter score. Of course, we live in a world where half the American population low-key...
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259 - Pt. 1 - John Q (CC)
More than 20 years before Luigi Mangione became a controversial celebrity, Denzel Washington was taking on the American healthcare system in JOHN Q - a thrilling hostage flick that might have been a bit too challenging for movie critics, leading to a rotten 26% Tomatometer score. Listen to Alex &...
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FIRF #6 - Nineteen Eighty-Four
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...
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does The Contrarians have?
The Contrarians currently has 300 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The Contrarians about?
Hosts Alex and Julio take on popular opinion, trashing movies everyone loves and praising movies everyone hates. Visit their website at www.wearethecontrarians.com
How often does The Contrarians release new episodes?
The Contrarians publishes regularly with 300 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to The Contrarians?
You can listen to The Contrarians on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts The Contrarians?
The Contrarians is created and hosted by Alex & Julio.
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