187 - Pt. 1 - Frank (CC)

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.

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Bonus! - Pt. 2 - Strange Days (RT)

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!

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Bonus! - Pt. 1 - Strange Days (CC)

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!

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186 - Pt. 2 - The Commitments (RT)

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!

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186 - Pt. 1 - The Commitments (CC)

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…

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185 - Pt. 2 - Jaws: The Revenge (RT)

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.

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185 - Pt. 1 - Jaws: The Revenge (CC)

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.

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Bonus! - Pt. 1 - The Princess Bride (CC)

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.

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LOHAN: Part 4 (A Patreon Sampler)

It's Christmas in July for The Contrarians! For the fourth and final installment of LOHAN, we look at the Netflix original Falling for Christmas and the potential comeback of Lindsay Lohan!

If you haven't yet listened to Parts I, II, and III, be sure to head over to 
patreon.com/contrarianprime and drop $1 for exclusive access to the entire LOHAN miniseries!

-Alex

Notes:

  • Labor Pains was so bad that it made me think George W was still President in 2009

  • I may have cursed Joe Burrow for the season

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