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 lots to chew on in this Real Talk segment, including a potential reevaluation of Mark Wahlberg as a leading man. Keyword: “potential”.

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 the adventures of the Mercer brothers in a world that may be colorblind but also far from just! Plus: another teary-eyed performance from Terrence Howard!

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 episode that gains us a legion of Indian fans or the one that makes them shun us forever? Listen and decide for yourself!

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 straight! Listen to Alex & Julio as they dive into the most exciting and stylized international black-ops adventure the West has ever seen!

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 agreeing with Rotten Tomatoes? Can Fred MacMurray talk his way out of Julio’s noir prejudices? Listen to this Real Talk segment to find out!

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 there’s nothing sexy about keeping sexy stuff off-screen!

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 FRANK’s depiction of mental illness? It’s all discussed in this Real Talk segment!

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! Listen to Alex & Julio pick apart Lenny Abrahamson’s musical joint, especially its ridiculous the depiction of the city of Austin.

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 movie that reunites Mallory Knox and Jack Scagnetti!

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. Listen to Alex & Julio as they try to make sense of this quasi-forgotten sci-fi rarity!