219 - Pt. 2 - Unforgiven (RT)

It wasn’t that long ago that we praised Steven Spielberg’s gritty take on the war genre. Does Clint Eastwood’s similar approach to Westerns manage to capture our interest the same way? UNFORGIVEN is just as celebrated as Saving Private Ryan, but you could argue we have less of a connection to its origin and its stars. So do we find anything transcendent in Eastwood’s most acclaimed cowboy adventure? It’s all in this Real Talk segment!

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219 - Pt. 1 - Unforgiven (CC)

Props where props are due: back in 1992, Clint Eastwood figured out a way to turn his status as an aging cowboy into an asset. UNFORGIVEN may be an unremarkable Western, but Clint managed to trick critics and audiences into buying it as an exploration of the first half of his career - successfully fueling the second half. Listen to Alex & Julio as they try to determine if this movie has anything to say beyond “Eastwood is still a badass”!

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Bonus! - Our Ten-Year Anniversary!

This one’s for the fans. And for us, honestly. It’s been ten years since we sat down to record the first episode of The Contrarians, and the journey has been fun, rewarding, and well-worth celebrating. So allow us to be more than a little self-indulgent as we stroll down memory lane, go over some of the show’s milestones and listen to messages from our friends and patrons!

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218 - Pt. 2 - Saving Private Ryan (RT)

We dragged poor Paul from The Countdown, kicking and screaming, through a Contrarians Corner dedicated to one of his favorite movies. Now it's time for the all-out praise-fest to be unleashed... or is it? How do we truly feel about SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, and what do we make of that American flag waving us goodbye as the end credits get ready to roll? It's a heavier Real Talk segment than the one in our Shakespeare in Love episode, for sure!

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218 - Pt. 1 - Saving Private Ryan (CC)

Oscars are like Pringles: you can't stop at just one. And that's why Steven Spielberg spent several years chasing the high of winning all those Academy Awards for Schindler's List - a journey that culminated in a Best Director Oscar for SAVING PRIVATE RYAN. The price? Sucking the fun out of the war movie genre forever. Listen to Alex & Julio - joined by SPR Superfan Paul from The Countdown Podcast - question if the man was worth the mission!

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217 - Pt. 2 - Judge Dredd 1995 (RT)

Okay, level with us, Judge Dredd fans: is the hate mostly about the helmet? The Contrarians are barely familiar with the 2000 AD comics, so it's very likely this Real Talk segment won't reflect the feelings of the average Dredd fan. But surely we can find common ground? Surely we can agree that Stallone looks great? And can this movie be judged as a 90s Sci-Fi Flick, separate from its comic book origins?

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217 - Pt. 1 - Judge Dredd 1995 (CC)

Find us a more pitch-perfect casting than Sylvester Stallone's granite jaw as Judge Dredd. Find us a more delightful comic relief sidekick than pre-MAGA Rob Schneider. Find us a hotter cop/lawyer hybrid than Diane Lane. But the Tomatometer didn't care, and it stamped the 1995 JUDGE DREDD adaptation with a rotten 22% score. Listen to Alex & Julio as they celebrate a comic book movie that wasn't afraid to have fun with violence!

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216 - Pt. 1 - Assassin's Creed (CC)

Oh, how the world changes. Back in 2016, the ASSASSIN'S CREED movie was ahead of the curve, taking its source material seriously before people were ready to give video game film adaptations the respect they deserve. Poor Michael Fassbender put in the work to set up an ambitious franchise, and the Tomatometer stamped an 18% score on it. Listen to Alex, Julio, and special guests Nerdbomber & Techtic from the Online Warriors Podcast, as they defend this labor of love!

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