There’s such a thing as Pre-Terminator Arnold Schwarzenegger and, oh boy, it’s a tough experience to sit through. Exhibit A? CONAN THE BARBARIAN, which was appreciated by critics and audiences enough to get a sequel, despite featuring a wooden performance from Arnie and excessive slow-mo that would make Zack Snyder proud. Listen to Alex & Julio marvel at the T-800’s humble beginnings!

The third installment of Fresh Immigrants, Rotten Fascists focuses on The Sullivans - an Irish family trying to start anew in America. So, of course, the movie is called IN AMERICA! Directed by Jim Sheridan, with Oscar-nominated performances from Samantha Morton and Djimon Hounsou, it’s the kind of film that’s determined to make you cry, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Thank you for checking this new project out, whether you are a long-time Contrarians fan or someone who’s just trying to listen to people talking positively about immigrants and negatively about fascism. If you have any recommendations for future entries in the series, let us know!

Is there still room in modern society for the man-child R-rated comedy? Can bros still be funny, or are they mostly cringe these days? Either way, it certainly helps your movie when you have a stacked cast, populated by incredibly charismatic performers poised to take over Hollywood. THAT AWKWARD MOMENT would triple its budget today, but it could also get a more charitable read from critics. Find out how we really feel about it in this Real Talk segment!

Ah, yes, that awkward moment when you find out one of the funniest R-rated romcoms of the new millennium is rotten on the Tomatometer. Joke’s on critics, however, as the cast of THAT AWKWARD MOMENT went on to be major power players in Hollywood, despite that 23% green splotch: Efron, Jordan, Teller, Poots, Davis, come on! Listen to Alex & Julio as they make a desperate plea for more movies about bad boys learning to be sensitive good boyfriends.

Come on. It’s CASABLANCA. Who doesn’t love Casablanca? Not The Contrarians! But actually, there are people in the darkest corners of Letterboxd who find it boring and reprehensible. So you know this Real Talk segment will start with a bit of a rant before we give in to a full lovefest!

You know why, as of this recording, CASABLANCA still doesn’t have a Criterion edition? Probably because The Powers That Be know that 99% Tomatometer score is a hollow accolade. The Rick/Ilsa/Lazlo love triangle was captivating back when we were in the throes of WW2 but, watching it today, it’s a silly distraction from serious international issues. Listen to Alex & Julio as they do their best not to sing La Marseillaise on this episode!

Are we ending The Summer of the (MTV) Bangers with a bang or with a whimper? The only way to answer that is by having a real discussion about BIG DADDY and reckoning with the different types of movies Adam Sandler makes and why some work for us better than others. Plus: Alex tells a Scuba Steve story that instantly becomes a Top Tier Contrarians Classic.

What’s most irresistible than a 90s slacker finding his inner father figure and (sort of) adopting an orphan? Adam Sandler’s off-kilter take on Annie charmed audiences everywhere - even as it turned critics off. And so BIG DADDY’s 39% Tomatometer score is offset by Adam Sandler’s MTV Movie Awards win for Best Comedic Performance. Listen to Alex & Julio as they close The Summer of the (MTV) Bangers in style!

The second installment of Fresh Immigrants, Rotten Fascists focuses on Adenoid Hynkel - the familiar looking authoritarian played by Charlie Chaplin in THE GREAT DICTATOR. Of course, there’s more to Chaplin’s masterpiece than Hynkle’s fascist antics, including a showstopper of an ending that remains as relevant today as it was in the middle of World War II.

Thank you for checking this new project out, whether you are a long-time Contrarians fan or someone who’s just trying to listen to people talking positively about immigrants and negatively about fascism. If you have any recommendations for future entries in the series, let us know!