49 - Big

What's the deal with Tom Hanks in BIG? He doesn't behave like an adult, but he doesn't behave like a kid either! Could it be that maybe Penny Marshall, an adult woman, had no idea what thirteen year old boys were really like? What's Hanks' excuse though? And will we stop beating around the bush and address the incredibly inappropriate elephant in the room? The one that hooks up with a teenage elephant? Special guest Lillian Mattis joins Alex and Julio in the final installment of the Female Filmmakers Arc! 

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Bonus! - Home for the Holidays

The equivalent of somebody killing the mood by telling a joke that starts somewhat humorous and ends awkwardly personal and with no punchline, HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS is Jodie Foster's attempt at directing a comedy. Listen to Alex and Julio celebrate Thanksgiving by squirming through a movie that miscasts Steve Guttenberg as a grump, Dylan McDermott as someone who's supposed to be charismatic, and a coked-out Robert Downey Jr. as someone who's not supposed to be coked-out. Not even the unstoppable charm of Holly Hunter on pure loser mode can salvage a project that seems determined to portray the Ultimate American Family Gathering as a relentless nightmare. #NotMyThanksgiving.

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48 - Loser

As much a time-traveling machine to the year 2000 as it is an inspiring tale of resilience in the face of the worst New York Higher Education can offer, LOSER doesn't deserve its bad rep. Neither does its star, Jason Biggs, who has proved in the years since that his can-do attitude isn't something he saves only for when the camera is rolling. And then there's Amy Heckerling, delivering a masterful spiritual sequence to her big hit FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH, and being as misunderstood by the industry as Biggs is by the big city.

Join Alex and Julio as they relish a delicious Evil Greg Kinnear performance, witness the birth of future stars Thomas Sadowski and Jimmi Simpson and are shocked by some really dark stuff happening to Mena Suvari. The Contrarians' Female Filmmakers Arc continues!

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Bonus! - Third anniversary

Three years! Almost 50 movies, not counting bonus episodes. And, once again, Alex in Julio hand out the prestigious Embryies and Caanies (named after Ethan Embry and Scott Caan) as well as an exciting new award created this year: THE GAD.

Eligible movies: THAT THING YOU DO!, A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD, THE PLAYER, REINDEER GAMES, ENTOURAGE, BULLETS OVER BROADWAY, A CHORUS LINE, GLOW: THE STORY OF THE GORGEOUS LADIES OF WRESTLING, THIS IS 40, JUNO, THIS MEANS WAR, THE WILD BUNCH, AEON FLUX, GLOW (the Netflix show), LOST IN TRANSLATION, BEWITCHED and ZERO DARK THIRTY.

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47 - Zero Dark Thirty

Ever had an awesome history class you actually loved because the teacher made it feel like story time instead of boring school stuff? ZERO DARK THIRTY is the complete opposite of that. Special guest Kinsey Jones joins Alex and Julio as they navigate the dangerous waters of criticizing a 9/11 movie, analyzing Jessica Chastain's questionable investigative talent, and complaining about yet another instance of a movie wasting Kyle Chandler's time. It's the fourth installment of our Female Filmmakers Arc and it's a doozy!

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46 - Bewitched

The fact that BEWITCHED has a 25% on the infamous Tomatometer is proof that even those female filmmakers who have managed to get some respect can easily be taken for granted. Did Nora Ephron make the industry mad when she used this adaptation of a popular TV show as a platform to expose the plight of women in showbiz? Or is society too jaded to buy into the love story between a witch and a mere mortal? Never ones to go with the flow, Alex and Julio fall under the spell of Ephron, Nicole Kidman and Will Ferrell and have a delightful time in an episode that's pretty much the poster child for what this podcast stands for.

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45 - Lost in Translation

Remember when marriage was a sacred institution? Because LOST IN TRANSLATION doesn't! A trailblazing first female guest, Ashly Mitchell, joins Alex and Julio in dissecting Sofia Coppola's appalling ode to emotional infidelity and casual racism. A long meandering build-up to the biggest anticlimax ever, Coppola's movie told us it's OK to cheat on your spouse as long as you don't go past feet-touching and enigmatic whispers. It also told us it's OK to make fun of the Japanese as long as they don't understand what you're saying. 

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Bonus! - Netflix's GLOW (2017)

A few months ago, Alex and Julio took a look at the documentary GLOW: The Story of the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling. Never one to miss a nostalgia bandwagon to jump on to, Netflix has developed a show based on that 80s property. And Rotten Tomatoes now also does TV. Combine all these elements and you get a bite-sized bonus episode tackling the pilot of this new GLOW TV show!

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44 - Aeon Flux

Before Patty Jenkins and WONDER WOMAN, there was Karyn Kusama and AEON FLUX. And people just didn't get it. 10% on Rotten Tomatoes! Alex and Julio kick off their Female Filmmakers Arc by digging up a skeleton from Charlize Theron's closet and giving it the kind of polish you can only get from professional contrarians. Not only did Theron set the template for badass superwomen (you're welcome, Scarlett), but Kusama and her team created the kind of world and mythology you can talk about for hours (and we did). Who said you need ten hours to tell a complex futuristic story?

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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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