We’ve joked about Keri Russell’s limited role in Mission Impossible III long enough that it’s only fair to bring one of her starring roles to the show. Critics went ga-ga for WAITRESS, an indie darling that romanticizes small-town infidelity and fetishizes pie-making, so that makes it the perfect target for The Contrarians’ gimmick! Listen to Alex, Julio, and special guest Rachel from YUM YUM PODCAST, as they wonder if there’s anything in this film that can make up for Jeremy Sisto’s awfulness and Nathan Fillion’s lax morals.

Does Alex really hate Hugh Grant’s romcom persona or was he just putting on a show in Contrarians Corner? Can Julio focus on anything besides Rachel Weisz’ presence in this movie? And what is ABOUT A BOY really saying about… well, anything? Those are just a few of the things we ponder in the Real Talk segment, which also includes patron Jamie’s reasons behind assigning us this bit of early 2000s nostalgia!

We couldn’t escape the specter of a bonafide Hugh Grant comedy anymore. The guys behind AMERICAN PIE felt they had what it took to adapt a Nick Hornby book, and the Tomatometer rewarded them with a mind-blowing 93% score. That’s what we call “Prime Contrarians Material” around these parts, and patron Jamie Russell seems to agree! Listen to Alex & Julio as they dissect the movie that can be directly blamed for Nicholas Hoult’s Hollywood journey and try to wrap their minds around ABOUT A BOY’s anti-bachelor stance!

The potential problem with THE MUTATIONS is how heavily it borrows from FREAKS, to the point where comparisons are inevitable. But does it really play much differently to someone who, like Julio, isn’t that well-versed with 70s horror? And does Alex’s passion for the genre get in the way of him enjoying something as derivative as this Donald Pleasence vehicle, or does it enhance the experience? It’s all answered in this Real Talk segment!

Donald Pleasence as a mad scientist. Isn’t that more than enough to get you fired up to watch a movie, even before you find out Doctor Loomis is trying to create an army of Plant People? And yet, somehow, THE MUTATIONS has drifted into obscurity, at best being looked down upon as a cheap FREAKS rip-off. Listen to Alex & Julio as they honor the first demand of the Patron Invasion and sing the praises of this underseen 70s acid trip!

Can you make a revenge thriller that avoids asking questions about the morality of its premise? More to the point, can you watch a revenge thriller without asking yourself those questions? That discussion cuts to the core of why one of The Contrarians enjoys DEATH SENTENCE more than the other, but it’s not the only thing occupying Alex & Julio’s minds in this Real Talk segment. There’s talk about the logistics of Kevin Bacon’s vigilantism and, of course, an appropriate comparison to another head-shaving scene in a different movie!

Back in 2007, James Wan decided it was time for Kevin Bacon to be a badass again. Thus Bacon was put at the center of a brutal revenge thriller, got his head shaved, and set off to remind the world he’s more than just the guy from Tremors and Footloose. Sadly, audiences and critics didn’t take kindly to this. Listen to Alex & Julio as they discuss DEATH SENTENCE and all the awesomeness within it! How can this Wan B-side score a meager 20% on the Tomatometer???

Is it possible for two Scorsese fans to say anything fresh about GOODFELLAS? Is it even necessary? Alex & Julio face an unusual challenge in their Contrarians journey, but hopefully one that makes for a fun Real Talk segment. And when they’re done praising everything about Marty’s masterpiece, will Alex be forced to re-evaluate his opinions about CASINO?

Hey look, it’s the movie that Martin Scorsese has been remaking through most of his career - perhaps because it wasn’t that great to begin with. Try telling that to all those critics which bestowed an impressive 96% Tomatometer score on GOODFELLAS. Guys, it wasn’t even good enough to beat Dances with Wolves at the Oscars. Listen to Alex & Julio drop some hard truths about Marty’s so-called masterpiece as we close the Mount Rushmore arc!

Okay, seriously, Jason Reitman… what happened? You may like LABOR DAY, you may hate LABOR DAY, but either way you can’t argue that it’s a puzzling career move from the man who brought us Thank You For Smoking, Juno, Up in the Air, and Young Adult. In this Real Talk segment, listen to Alex & Julio try to figure out how Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin ended up in a trashy romance novel and even dare to brainstorm an alternate, more satisfying, version of the story.