59 - Pulp Fiction

Why should we care for a bunch of despicable criminals? "Because they're cool!", says Quentin Tarantino. John Travolta's comeback vehicle gets The Contrarians Treatment as Alex and Julio wonder why Uma Thurman speaks like Juno McGuff, why Tarantino wouldn't cast an actual actor to play Jimmy and, more importantly, what gives Travolta those time-traveling regenerative powers. And are Bruce Willis' terrible breakfast habits to blame for everything? Why can't we get a whole movie about Eric Stoltz? Most importantly: how can a movie with so many guns have so little action?!?!?!

The Summer of Travolta continues!

Read More

58 - Battlefield Earth

The Summer of Travolta begins!!! Oh, and how. Listen to Alex and Julio as they plumb the depths of the Tomatometer and discover a misunderstood epic fantasy that could have, and should have, been a game-changer. John Travolta's passion project is an ode to human resourcefulness and resilience. More subtly, it's also a visual poem about the plight of both, blue and white collar workers. And, almost imperceptibly, it's a generous Barry Pepper vehicle as well!

Read More

57 - Chasing Amy

The year was 1997 and a young white man cracked the code. Kevin Smith decided to tell the rest of us what gay women were all about. The nerve of this guy, right? Well, critics and audiences ate it up, and CHASING AMY holds a sweet 88% on the Tomatometer. Listen to the horrified Alex and Julio as they discuss how Smith got away with mansplaining lesbians, how an actual love story between Ben Affleck and Jason Lee would've been more interesting, and how the world "problematic" apparently didn't exist back in the 90s.

Read More

Bonus! - Man on the Moon

It's Wrestlemania time, which means we are due for another Bonus Wrestlemania Episode! So Alex and Julio go Full Kaufman by picking a movie that waits about an hour to get to its big wrestling set piece: Jerry Lawler beating the hell out of Jim Carrey. It's a Rotten-Tomatoes-endorsed Possessed-Carrey vehicle about the Ultimate Troll, and the joke is on us, the audience! Listen as The Contrarians wrestle (get it?) with how empty the movie made them feel and also with what it's like to see the original cast of TAXI pretending to be 30 years younger.

Read More

56 - Catch and Release

Behold: a movie that shows you how to grieve the right way. Sussanah Grant’s CATCH AND RELEASE may look like an average rom-com vehicle full of beautiful charismatic people – and oh god are they all gorgeous -- but underneath it all lies enough pain and confusion to create a thousand ugly crying faces. Listen to Alex and Julio swoon for Jennifer Garner and Timothy Olyphant, marvel at a rare Kevin Smith performance written and directed by someone other than himself, and confirm that anything is automatically better when you add Juliette Lewis to the mix. It’s the first half of our Kevin Smith Appreciation Two-Parter!

Plus: a brief discussion of GOOD TIME and JIM AND ANDY during Real Talk!

Read More

55 - Fantastic Mr. Fox

What the cuss is this? An alleged kid's movie featuring broken marriages, rabid dogs, mutilated tails and... SMOKING?!?!?! Listen to Alex and Julio as they quickly realize stop-motion Wes Anderson is just as pretentious as live-action Wes Anderson but looks worse. FANTASTIC MR. FOX may have an all-star cast, but is it worth it when you can't really see their beautiful faces? And don't get us started on the plot holes...

Also: we reveal the line-up for the SUMMER OF TRAVOLTA event!

Read More

54 - Tank Girl

YEEEAAAH, TANK GIRL!!!! Lost among the myriad of failed adaptations in the 1990s lies a fantastic Looney-Toonish feminist manifesto that clearly scared too many people in Hollywood. Listen to Alex and Julio as they discuss Lori Petty's powerhouse performance as a female Bugs Bunny superhero, Malcolm McDowell's prescient take on a future American president and Naomi Watts' heartbreaking film debut in The States. All this and Ice-T as a mutant kangaroo too!

Not enough for you? We'll also announce our Summer 2018 Project!

Read More

53 - American Hustle

Christian Bale's combover. Amy Adams' accent. Bradley Cooper's perm. Jennifer Lawrence singing "Live or Let Die". Yes, on paper, AMERICAN HUSTLE is a comedy. On the screen? It's an experience so excruciating, Alex and Julio needed help from Down Under to get through it. Chas Fisher, host of the podcast DRAFT ZERO, returns to the show to discuss David O. Russell's lack of regard for sensible storytelling, wonder what dark secrets Russell knows about all these talented actors and, of course, be horrified by how this movie treats women.

All this, plus: some spoilery LAST JEDI talk and a super cute cameo by Chas' daughter in the post-credits clip.

Read More

52 - Righteous Kill

Pacino. DeNiro. Sharing the screen for a full 90 minutes, because Jon Avnet is fifteen times the director Michael Mann is. RIGHTEOUS KILL has it all: slick violence, slicker sex and the slickest final twist this side of an M. Night Shyamalan movie. It also has a dismal 19% score on Rotten Tomatoes, proving once again that you can't trust that website for nothing. Listen to Alex and Julio marvel at Pacino's hair, argue about whether this Carla Gugino performance tops the one she gave in WATCHMEN, and lament the fact that Pacino's death whisper hasn't been memified for some reason.

Read More

51 - Sing Street

Behold: an Irish film that's too scared to go Full Irish. No real heavy drinking, no real swearing, no real violence. Only lots of 80s musical numbers and one of those girl-totally-takes-advantage-of-boy love stories. Recently appointed Austin Critic, Eddie Strait, returns to the podcast to join Alex and Julio in dissecting SING STREET - and long for the days of THE BOONDOCK SAINTS and its sequel.

Read More