This spooky season, we give you two PSYCHOs for the price of one - and we’ve brought four friends to play along! Rhys, Irena, David and AJ from the Franchise Killer podcast join Alex & Julio in nitpicking Alfred Hitchcock’s original PSYCHO, and then also help them praise Gus Van Sant’s experimental remake. It’s Perkins v. Vaughn, Leigh v. Heche, and Macy v. Common Sense in this massive (and massively fun) special episode!

If you’ve seen WAKE IN FRIGHT, you’re probably wondering if we’re going to talk about the kangaroo hunt sequence. Of course we are. Real Talk also prompts a discussion about “aggressive hospitality”, a fascinating recount of the time this film was lost, and, of course, whether this Aussie classic hit the Contrarians’ sweet spot! Has Chas Fisher scored a win for his country? Listen and find out!

We can’t seem to escape the Land of Oz here on The Contrarians. Patron Chas Fisher is throwing Aussie classic WAKE IN FRIGHT at us, and its freshness on the Tomatometer is… inexplicable to say the least. Why are Australians proud of a film that depicts their countrymen as alcoholic brutes? Listen to Alex & Julio as they try to analyze a pretentious Englishman’s descent into madness, and have their image of Donald Pleasence shattered forever!

We’re doing some really cool stuff on our Patreon channel - some of it a direct offspring from things we do on the main feed. Case in point: the continuation of our Summer Break episode, which started with our Dazed and Confused episode, and here moves on to a discussion about a very different kind of Summer flick: A GOOFY MOVIE. Forget the Tomatometer score as Alex & Julio are once again joined by Lilian to talk about how good Goofy is as a parent and how bad Max is a son.

We avoided it for years, but it’s time to get acquainted with Taylor Lautner. So let’s be honest: did NEW MOON confirm every negative preconception we had about the third wheel in the Twilight love story? Or were we surprised by how much he added to the saga? And what do we make of Edward’s puzzling disappearance from most of the movie? Are we excited to watch ECLIPSE? The answers are in this Real Talk segment!

The Twilight Saga arrives on the main feed! Patrons of the show already heard Alex & Julio express their (surprisingly positive) feelings about the opening salvo, TWILIGHT, but this is where the story really kicks in. Why do people hate Jacob Black so much? Is it the washboard abs? Are critics too jaded for an old-fashioned supernatural love triangle? Listen to The Contrarians set the record straight when it comes to the werewolf/teenage-girl romance of the new millennium!

There is something to be said for Robert Eggers’ distinctive filmmaking, whether it actually vibes with you or not. But is admiration for a unique voice a sufficient reason to carry The Contrarians to a positive review of The Lighthouse? How much of Contrarians Corner was just slightly puffed up Real Talk? And when it’s all said and done, are we ready for more of Eggers’ work? The answers may (or may not) shock you! HARK!

HARK! A24 bamboozles critics again with their particular brand of indie pretentiousness. Black & white? Check. 4:3 aspect ratio? You got it. Unnecessarily convoluted dialogue? Of course. Ludicrously big performances? There they are. THE LIGHTHOUSE ticks off every box necessary to climb to the top of the Tomatometer, so it’s on Alex & Julio to bring it down a few notches. Is there anything left when you remove all the gimmicks?

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.