134 - Snowpiercer

Shortly after becoming a true Hollywood superstar thanks to his role as Captain America in the MCU, Chris Evans threw the equivalent of a rebellious tantrum by starring in SNOWPIERCER, a grimy, nonsensical bit of artsy sci-fi cinema. The movie isn’t just saddled by Evans’ attempts at proving he’s a “serious” actor, but also by director Bong Joon-ho’s attempts at proving he can be a Hollywood director. The end result? A messy promo reel that pales in comparison to the artists’ more honest efforts. Listen to Alex and Julio, joined by Joselyn Martin from STAR TREK WARS and BREAST CANCER IS BORING, as they discuss the lack of logic behind the train that never stops!

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133 - Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan

It’s a shame audiences and critics alike couldn’t look past the accidental deception in the title of the eighth FRIDAY THE 13TH movie. Sure, Jason only spends a fraction of the film’s runtime in The Big Apple… but who cares, when all the stuff preceding his arrival in New York is so good? We’re talking awesome kills, sexual tension, and a young Lady Deathstrike, all aboard a gorgeous boat! Listen to Alex and Julio as they celebrate what might be the best Jason Voorhees adventure!

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Bonus! - Daddy Day Care

It takes true talent for an entertainer as energetic as Eddie Murphy to tone himself down to the level of us regular people. Many critics didn’t recognize that, however, and they crucified an innocent kids movie like DADDY DAY CARE simply for not being as raunchy or as outrageous as other Murphy vehicles. Listen to Alex and Julio jump to the defense of a film that allows Jeff Garlin and Steve Zahn to shine! Not many of those around.

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132 - Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse

Spider-verse? More like Woke-verse, right? An extremely transparent attempt to cater to liberal America, SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE kills Peter Parker off to replace him with a minority because, why not? Listen to Alex, Julio, and returning guest Dan Brenic from Netflix N’ Swill, as they air their grievances with this much celebrated Oscar-winning Spider-Man animated adventure! Can the braintrust behind THE LEGO MOVIE ever take anything seriously? Are there subliminal messages hidden in the seizure-inducing animation? And why didn’t they make the whole movie about Spider-Man Noir???

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131 - Grudge Match

It would’ve been easy for Sylvester Stallone & Robert DeNiro to simply coast on the strength of the high-concept behind GRUDGE MATCH: “Rocky versus Raging Bull”. Instead, Sly & DeNiro got in excellent shape and provided inspiration to all of us slackers who keep putting off doing crunches & push-ups. Unfortunately, the Tomatometer hates fit senior citizens, and critics slapped a rotten 31% on this film . . . which means it’s time for Alex & Julio to celebrate all its merits! Listen to The Contrarians rally behind the last great American boxing movie - which also happened to be a Christmas release!

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Bonus! - Tango & Cash

The over-the-top fun of The 80s didn’t surrender to the angsty thoughtfulness of The 90s without a fight. Sylvester Stallone and Kurt Russell teamed-up to fight crime, make us laugh, and prove that yes, sometimes cops do go to prison - and unfairly too! Listen to Alex and Julio take on the much maligned last great action movie: TANGO & CASH! Why can’t critics appreciate Sly playing against type? Why can’t they appreciate Russell boldly dressing in drag before the world was ready for it? And how can anyone resent an early appearance from the best Lois Lane ever? Also: Jack Palance kisses a rat!

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130 - Crash (1996)

It’s impossible to talk about sexy 90s movies without bringing up David Cronenberg’s CRASH. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? The Tomatometer can’t make up its mind, so The Contrarians must battle! On this latest Gray Area Episode, Alex will attack CRASH’s gratuitousness while Julio does his best to defend Cronenberg’s kinks. Is James Spader being turned off by car accidents a bold approach to sexuality in film? Did we really need Casey Jones’s image forever stained in our memories? And what’s up with that leg scene?

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129 - The Wrestler

Darren Aronofsky’s THE WRESTLER is like that guy who won’t shut up about how they did the special effects for a movie. Nobody cares, dude, shut up and stop ruining the magic. Still, Aronofsky’s most boring movie racked up critical acclaim and landed a whopping 98% Tomatometer score, so you know what happens next: Listen to Alex & Julio as they lament the damage Mickey Rourke’s Oscar grab inflicted on the pro wrestling industry! Laugh at the mere idea of anyone making fun of a stripper that looked like Marisa Tomei! And cringe at Aronofsky’s attempt at making a serious film!

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Bonus! - Bacurau

If an American filmmaker depicted Brazil the way BACURAU does, they’d be accused of stereotyping a foreign country. When Brazilian filmmakers do it, however, they get top honors at Cannes and a 93% on the Tomatometer. What kind of double standard is that? Listen to Alex and Julio as they try to make sense of the weirdest Brazilian Western - if such a thing could even exist. When does Udo Kier become a hindrance in your movie? Why is it important to have a clear protagonist? And why would anyone mix science fiction with magical realism?

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128 - Showgirls

SHOWGIRLS is a movie made up of scenes that could only exist in SHOWGIRLS. That alone makes it worthy of recognition, and that’s before you even factor in how director Paul Verhoeven and screenwriter Joe Eszterhas managed to depict Vegas in an unflinchingly brutal - yet still entertaining - way. So, of course, the Tomatometer deems this film rotten and now Alex and Julio have to come to its rescue. Elizabeth Berkley, Gina Gershon, and Kyle MacLachlan getting down and dirty for two hours? How could anyone hate this movie???

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