127 - Marriage Story

Rich white people have feelings too, and that’s okay. What’s not okay is pretending their lifestyle is relatable to us common folk. Basically, if any of us was married to Scarlett Johansson and she wanted to move to L.A., we’d say, sure, anything you want, dear. Nevertheless, MARRIAGE STORY became a critical darling and now Alex and Julio have to take it down a peg. It’s Noah Baumbach’s long-awaited debut on The Contrarians! Will he sink the show with his high-falutin dialogue, his heavy-handed symbolism, and his overall pretentiousness? Only one way to find out!

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Bonus! - Sling Blade

Back in 1996, Billy Bob Thornton became a household name by making a movie that not only made fun of the South, but it also demonized Southern hospitality. We hope you can sleep at night, Billy Bob. Listen to Alex and Julio as they wrestle with the critically acclaimed and disturbingly offensive SLING BLADE! Is this really two and a half hours glorifying murder? Why did Billy Bob cast beloved comedian John Ritter as a target of homophobic abuse? Is the whole film a subtweet about the quality of Dwight Yoakam’s music?

Thanks for patron Ben Murray for the pick!

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126 - Indecent Proposal

Talk about a high concept: would you rent out your spouse to Robert Redford for a million dollars? You’d think the answer would lead to a lurid tale about sex and money, but the beautiful twist in Adrian Lyne’s INDECENT PROPOSAL is it’s actually about three people learning the meaning of true love. Listen to Alex and Julio analyze the most heartbreaking and life-affirming romantic relationship covered on the show! Share their fascination with Robert Redford’s sex contracts! And ponder the ultimate question: WOULD YOU?

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125 - Robocop (1987)

For his American debut, Paul Verhoeven knew exactly how to win over movie critics and audiences: with a crude celebration of violence. Listen to Alex and Julio as they discuss the cheap Terminator knock-off ROBOCOP, an encapsulation of everything that was wrong in The 80s! Why are all these cops as trigger-happy as the criminals? Why doesn’t Nancy Allen feel guilty about causing the death of her partner? Did anyone tell Peter Weller he wasn’t a robot at the beginning of the movie? And who can take Red Foreman seriously as a villain?

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Bonus! - Beasts of No Nation

We can pinpoint exactly when Netflix stopped being a cool indie start-up and became an awards-seeking sellout company. The year was 2005 and Netflix decided it wanted to play with the big boys by making an artsy movie! Listen to Alex and Julio try to keep things light while talking about the bleak, depressing Oscars-baity BEASTS OF NO NATION! Forget the Tomatometer, can anyone make a film about African child soldiers sound fun? Maybe if we focus on Idris Elba’s weird bald spot?

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124 - Jade

From the man who directed THE EXORCIST and the man who wrote BASIC INSTINCT, comes a movie that gives David Caruso the Chaz Palminteri role and gives Palminteri the Caruso role - all while Linda Fiorentino teases the audience with her 90s Sexy Bored ‘tude. Listen to Alex and Julio tackle JADE, the film that finally answered the question: what does it sound like when Chaz Palminteri has sex? Also: Michael Biehn sets up a parent trap and we find an early contender for the 2021 Support ing Actor Embry!

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123 - Titanic

Three hours and fifteen minutes of disaster porn was enough to get you a bunch of Oscars back in The 90s, so Jimmy Cameron abandoned sci-fi and decided to make a profit off one of the most well-known tragedies in the world. Listen to Alex and Julio take TITANIC to task! Can anybody truly fall in love in two days? Wouldn’t we all had been better off with a movie that focused on Bill Paxton’s treasure hunter? And why did everyone give up so quickly on that damned boat?

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Bonus! - Whiplash

Watching WHIPLASH, one gets the feeling Damien Chazelle blames his lack of success as a musician on his loving girlfriend and parents. What’s worse: the movie celebrates abusive behavior to the point of getting J.K. Simmons an Oscar. Listen to Alex and Julio discuss the film that made America fall in love with the word “tempo”! Wonder why people can’t just be nice to Paul Reiser! And be dismayed at the most ridiculous ending a jazz movie has ever had!

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122 - Howard The Duck

Inexplicably, the true origin of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has gone down in history as one of the biggest bombs ever produced by Hollywood. Thankfully, Alex and Julio are ready to defend HOWARD THE DUCK and they’ve enlisted Sam Hurley from Movie Reviews in 20 Qs to provide support the way only a true MCU super-fan can! Listen as The Contrarians celebrate the exciting inter-species relationship between Lea Thompson and a duck! Witness the unforgettably over the top near-debut of the one and only Tim Robbins! And share the regret over George Lucas’ worst investment!

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121 - Good Will Hunting

It’s a shame that Robin Williams’ only Oscar was awarded for his participation in a film that celebrates mediocrity while actively trying to sell us Matt Damon as the coolest man on planet Earth. Listen to Alex and Julio as they are joined by David Schmitzer from the Franchise Killer podcast to dissect GOOD WILL HUNTING - a movie that boasts outrageous Boston accents alongside whatever it is that Stellan Skarsgard is doing with his voice!

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