In one corner, someone who’s generally underwhelmed by John Carpenter’s work. In the other, someone who usually thinks very highly of the filmmaker. Can Alex & Julio meet in the middle when it comes to GHOSTS OF MARS? Is there even need for any sort of compromise? What’s the deal with the Martian Matriarchy anyway? The answers to this and more will be revealed during Real Talk!

John Carpenter isn’t just The Master of Horror - he’s also a low-key Master of Sci-Fi. The Contrarians would like to submit the underrated GHOSTS OF MARS as proof that Carpenter can handle more than low-budget gorefests: this is a true star-studded Hollywood blockbuster, set in Mars to boot! Listen to Alex & Julio as they discuss the implications of a Matriarchal Martian Society, the fate of Pam Grier’s head, and the boldness of one of the best closing shots in modern cinema.

As you’d expect, Alex has some questions about Peru. But can Julio answer them satisfactorily? And how does a non-Peruvian experience a movie designed to make him crave a visit to Peru? Can we draw parallels to other international cinema we’ve covered on the show? Above all else… is this a fair representation of Peruvian filmmaking? This and more in Real Talk!

It’s taken us almost nine years of podcasting to tackle a Peruvian movie, and it took Peru almost twice that time to produce a Netflix Original Movie. Now the stars have aligned and Alex & Julio are primed to jump to the defense of a love story set in Julio’s homeland. WITHOUT SAYING GOODBYE is rotten by Tomatometer standards, but that only means The Contrarians will do their best to highlight its best qualities: awesome locations, hot people, and a spicy romance between polar opposites!

Hey, we’re Austinites here in this podcast. Does that make us more qualified to talk about an Austin-set movie from an Austin filmmaker? Does it even matter if the high school experience is, supposedly, universal? Find out how Alex, Julio, and, more importantly, elementary school teacher Lilian experienced DAZED AND CONFUSED on this rewatch! Is this Richard Linklater’s Contrarians redemption?

School’s out forever! Or so Richard Linklater proclaimed in 1993 when he released DAZED AND CONFUSED and bamboozled critics into confusing nostalgia for quality. Listen to Alex, Julio, and returning guest Lilian - a teacher herself - as they discuss the many ways in which Linklater’s beloved coming-of-age film has aged poorly!

The stage is set for yet another Contrarians battle. Alex will complain about how it used to be better, Julio will gently point toward streaming releases… but through it all, the main question will be answered: is LAST ACTION HERO a good movie or just a vehicle for nostalgia in the year 2022? And could you remake it today?

There wasn’t a bigger action star than Arnold Schwarzenegger in the early 90s. So, in a way, he was the only person who could headline a true spoof of action blockbusters - even though the world wasn’t ready for it. Listen to Alex & Julio extol the virtues of LAST ACTION HERO, a one-of-a-kind beast which was unfairly met with confusion and derision back in the day. Let’s show Arnie we don’t trust that 39% Tomatometer score!

Well, well, well. Julio has already admitted Jennifer Aniston is his second favorite Friends Cast Member, and Alex has already confessed to picking HE’S JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU only so he could get Ginnifer Goodwin in Contrarians Canon. So where does that leave us? Obviously we still need to talk about Ken Kwapis’ work, what was going on in Friends when this was released, and, more importantly, which character in this movie represents us the most!

It’s hard to believe it’s taken us 160 episodes to finally tackle a Ken Kwapis joint. Nevertheless, here we are, having a heated argument over HE’S JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU for our 16th Grey Area Episode. Listen to Alex on the defense and Julio on the offense as they debate the merits of one of the first star-studded ensemble romcoms and disagree on the validity of the Cult of Rachel Green in the final chapter of the Friendstravaganza!