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 “Saviors of Soul”. Will Alex sing Mustang Sally? Listen and find out!

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 rise and fall of Europe’s most offensive fictional band! Colm Meany, we expected more from you…

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 - and whether it deserves it or not.

It took the JAWS series four movies to get a true masterpiece out. Predictably, the world then decided the franchise wasn’t fashionable anymore and shunned JAWS: THE REVENGE, despite it featuring the most likable Michael Caine performance and despite it telling a story that explored the horrors of grief in ways no other shark movie ever has. Listen to Alex & Julio as they highlight everything this final entry does well and try to understand the hatred toward it.

It’s easy to understand why THE PRINCESS BRIDE has endured throughout decades. But, objectively, does it still work once you remove the nostalgia factor? More importantly, can Alex make it through this Real Talk without regaling our audience with an Andre The Giant history lesson? Plus: heartbreak on the Criterion side of life!

If you ever wondered why there’s a whole generation of men and women who can’t get out of vapid, toxic relationships, you can blame it all on THE PRINCESS BRIDE. The celebrated fantasy classic warped young minds all over the world and now sits at an almost-unassailable 98% on the Tomatometer. Listen to Alex & Julio as they pick apart Rob Reiner’s saccharine love epic and lament that no one in the cast can rise to the level of Andre The Giant.

We all love Steven Yeun, now that we are being serious. Alex loves him because of I Think You Should Leave, Julio loves him because of Minari — he was kind of boring in The Walking Dead, honestly. But now that we are in Real Talk, does it even matter how you feel about the biggest star in the movie, when the most important aspect of the experience is what you think is really happening in the story? Listen to The Contrarians speculate on the plot and come to terms, maybe, with the absence of answers.

Today’s cheat code: cast the star of a wildly popular TV show in your movie and let the critical praise come to you. BURNING is a slow, confusing, meandering Korean film that managed to snag Glenn from The Walking Dead for one of the main roles. But what happens once The Steven Yeun Effect loses its novelty? Listen to Alex & Julio as they try to figure out what’s going on in the most underwhelming love triangle of the decade!

Okay then, back to the present. Can we still enjoy the wall-to-wall senseless violence of an 80s action-fest in 2023 America? Is it possible there’s a valid reason why movies like INVASION USA aren’t wildly popular anymore? Has the window for a Chuck Norris renaissance closed? It’s a Real Talk segment that goes in many directions - and yes, one of those directions is Alex waxing poetic about practical effects.