43 - The Wild Bunch

Men with guns on a mission. How could you make that boring? Well, let Sam Peckinpah show you. Alex, Julio and returning guest Brandon Curtis tackle a movie that seems intent on proving that THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN was a quick jog in the park. Rambling cowboys, sadistic children, Mexican tunes, and more squibs than you can shake a misogynist outlaw at - somehow none of it exciting. Maybe it's because we can't buy Ernest Borgnine as a badass. Maybe it's because we can't tell any of the bunchees apart. Maybe it's because it all goes on FOREVER.

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Episode 42 - This Means War

"This means war" cried Tom Hardy after his agent told him he didn't think The Future Bane was well-suited for a lead role in a romantic comedy. "This means war" declared McG when studios all over told him it was nonsense to break his streak of amazing action movies by directing a Reese Witherspoon vehicle. "This means war" decided critics everywhere when they saw McG and Hardy had ignored everyone's advice and had gone ahead and shot a fantastic action-rom-com... so they conspired to give it a 26% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Join Alex and Julio as they fawn over Hardy's one and only foray into comedy and romance, McG's most complex and complete movie yet, and the fantastically good looks of Chris Pine and Ms. Whiterspoon. 

(and then, at the 1 hour 15 minutes mark: some spoiler talk about LOGAN, because why not)

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Episode 41 - Juno

For some reason, America embraced the tale of a pregnant teenage homewrecker back in 2007. JUNO was showered with Oscars nominations, glowing reviews and the kind of box office every indie movie dreams of. Join Alex, Julio and special guest Reid Lansford (from the Other Worlds Austin Sci-Fi Film Festival) as they wade through all the quirkiness and honest-to-blogness and try to debunk the myth that Juno McGuff is such a cool girl. Is Mark (Jason Bateman) unfairly maligned by the movie? Is Paulie (Michael Cera)'s lack of interest in his unborn son glorified by the filmmakers? Does screenwriter Diablo Cody have an axe to grind against men? And what drugs was Rainn Wilson on when they shot his scene?

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Bonus! - Endings (part two)

Alex and Julio are back on the Endings wagon! This time around there will be massive spoilerage of endings that affected them positively. You know, to balance the negativity from the other Bonus Endings Episode.

SO! You might want to avoid this one if you don't want to be spoiled about how the following movies end: INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE, ANVIL: THE STORY OF ANVIL, WORLD WAR Z. TERMINATOR 3: RISE OF THE MACHINES, THE MASTER, THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT, UNBREAKABLE, SPLIT, BATMAN: MASK OF THE PHANTASM, BATMAN BEYOND: RETURN OF THE JOKER, THE SIXTH SENSE, GLADIATOR, ANNIE HALL, DO THE RIGHT THING, CARRIE, BEFORE MIDNIGHT, THE DARK KNIGHT, TOY STORY 2 & 3, THE TERMINATOR, JUNO, BIG FISH, THE DEPARTED, ALMOST FAMOUS.

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Episode 40 - This is 40

The fourth film by Judd Apatow split the Tomato-meter in half and it put Alex and Julio at odds once again. Is THIS IS 40 a shameless photo album from the Apatow family or is it a sly cry for help from a man who doesn't know how else to express himself? Is Alex wrong for being so intolerant regarding our flawed protagonists or is Julio being too patient with the worst parents in the world? And how exactly are we supposed to define the Knocked-Up multiverse this movie may or may not take place in?

Our fourth Gray Area episode is one we've been dreading for a long time and it yields some real soul searching during the Real Talk section of the podcast. DON'T MISS IT!!!!!

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Bonus! - GLOW: The Story of The Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling

Another year, another Wrestlemania, another wrestling-related bonus episode! Alex and Julio tackle their first documentary: a baffling film that celebrates years of physical and psychological torture to a whole squad of women... as told by the women themselves! What's going on here? How far-reaching can the spell of televised pro-wrestling be? What was David McLane's secret? And how are we supposed to feel about all those musical numbers?

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Bonus! - Endings (part one)

Inspired by the disappointing ending of Academy Award Winner MANCHESTER BY THE SEA, Alex and Julio discuss their least favorite movie wrap-ups. If you care about spoilers, here's a handy dandy list of films that get talked about in good detail:

WAR OF THE WORLDS, HOLLYWOOD ENDING, HIGH TENSION, JURASSIC PARK: THE LOST WORLD, SIGNS, BATMAN VS SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE, 10 CLOVERFIELD LANE, CRAZY STUPID LOVE, RETURN OF THE JEDI, STAR TREK: GENERATIONS, THE ENTIRE ROCKY FRANCHISE, JERSEY GIRL, THE STRANGERS, GREAT BALLS OF FIRE, INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL, FRIDAY THE 13TH: A NEW BEGINNING and DEATH PROOF. And MANCHESTER, of course.

Don't worry, it's not all negativity! Coming soon we'll have part two of this bonus detour, in which The Contrarians will talk about their favorite endings!

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Episode 39 - A Chorus Line

Trying to get a straight, honest answer out of an actor is as difficult as spending an entire musical without actually singing a song. Alex and Julio join Michael Douglas in a cruel, grueling, enlightening journey through an 80s Broadway rehearsal as The Contrarians finish their tour of showbiz! Critics might have scoffed at this adaptation of the hit show,"A Chorus Line", but that's probably only because they were intimidated by Douglas' overpowering manliness and charisma. That was their loss because this movie has it all: dancing, songs, heartbreak, cool flashbacks and, goddammit, more dancing.

Also, on Real Talk: The Contrarians ask for your suggestions for an upcoming "Female Filmmakers Multi-parter!"

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Episode 38 - Bullets Over Broadway

The year was 1994 and Woody Allen decided it was time to be proactive about future competition. So he channelled every bit of Broadway-related bitterness he possessed and concocted a film dedicated to make aspiring artists run for the hills. Listen to Alex and Julio get the harshest come down from the joy that was the Entourage movie as they analyze an alleged master filmmaker spitting out an incredibly unpleasant alleged comedy! Who do you root for in this world of brutish criminals, spineless artists and sleazy performers? How can we ever enjoy a Broadway show again?

Also, in the nerdiest Real Talk so far, Alex whines about X-Men Apocalypse and Julio rolls his eyes (that starts around an hour and 34 minutes in).

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Episode 37 - Entourage

Boys just wanna have fun. And there's nothing wrong with that! Alex and Julio continue their journey through the highs and lows of show business by exploring the ENTOURAGE movie - also known as "THE PLAYER DONE RIGHT" - A compassionate look at what the PC police has taken to calling First World Problems or, even worse, White People Problems. Join us as we discuss how Vinnie, E, Drama, Turtle and Ari manage to be relatable to the everyman despite their wealth and success, because rich white people have feelings too!

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