What makes a Star Trek movie a true Trek movie, if such a thing even exists? Did J.J. Abrams sell out the franchise, or did he simply provide a modern entry point for younger audiences? This Real Talk segment features three different levels of Trek fans (you already know that if you listened to Contrarians Corner), and we try to truly figure out what works and what doesn’t when it comes to the Kelvin crew.

Fire everything!!! That was J.J. Abrams’ strategy when reimagining Star Trek for the Michael Bay generation and it worked. With a 94% Tomatometer score, the 2009 STAR TREK was a hit with critics and audiences alike… but at what cost? The Pint’s John Amenta joins Alex & Julio as they discuss what Trek lost when it became just another action movie where hot people shoot at each other.

Okay, so IO may not be top-shelf sci-fi entertainment. But does that mean there is no value to it? Once we get to Real Talk, there’s worthy conversation to be had about the audience for this type of movie and the role Netflix plays in, perhaps, shaping the next generation of filmmakers. Also, Alex gets another chance to rail against the fading away of physical media, and that’s always fun.

Yet another underappreciated gem from the Netflix Sci-Fi Originals factory, IO was met with a massive shrug from critics. Have we really lost the ability to enjoy anything that isn’t part of a billion-dollar franchise? What happened to giving a shot to the little medium-budget movies that could? Why wasn’t anyone more psyched about The Falcon teaming up with Jill Garvey from The Leftovers? Listen to Alex & Julio as they extol the virtues of this Netflix hidden treasure!

You can’t fully discuss GREASE 2 without going back to the first Grease - a movie tackled in this podcast long ago. It’s clear Em adores the sequel, but how does she feel about the original? And how does the OG Grease experience affect The Contrarians? Can the Verbal Diorama host’s enthusiasm for Michelle Pfeiffer’s musical debut rub off on Alex & Julio, or is it all a lost cause? The answers lie within this Real Talk segment!

So, what, you’re not allowed to make a GREASE movie unless you have John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John as the leads? GREASE 2 superfan Em (from the delightful Verbal Diorama podcast) joins Alex & Julio to extol the virtues of a sequel that’s waaaay better than its predecessor! If you’re looking for a show that celebrates Michelle Pfeiffer, Adrian Zmed and… well, sure, okay, Maxwell Caulfield too… you can stop because you’ve found it!

Can you follow every trope and still achieve transcendence? Or put in simpler terms: is WARRIOR better than ROCKY? We 100% go there, and many other MMA-related places, in this Real Talk installment - including a look at Tom Hardy’s unexpected real-life MMA exploits! Can Alex look past the inaccuracies in the depiction of one of his favorite sports? Can Julio look past the similarities to HERE COMES THE BOOM? The answers are all here!

Is there really no other way for two men to resolve their issues than pure violence? And if they must do so, would it be too much to ask not to have them do it in such a paint-by-the-numbers sports movie? WARRIOR managed to somehow dazzle critics into a fresh Tomatometer score, but does it actually offer anything worth talking about, besides its outdated ideas about masculinity? Listen to Alex & Julio as they pick apart Gavin O’Connor’s bloated celebration of MMA and fractured families!

We wrap up our eighth year of podcasting and head into Year Nine by celebrating the good, the bad, the horny, and the super white movies we covered over the past twelve months: it’s THE EMBRIES - 2022 Edition. Don’t worry, it’ll still be fun even if this is your very first Contrarians episode. It might even inspire you to check out some of the awards recipients!

Honestly, if a few months ago you’d told us we’d have a serious sustained discussion about the finale to the Twilight Saga, we would’ve rolled our eyes. And yet here we are, debating whether Jacob was redeemed in the final two movies, trying to suss out how we feel about the franchise’s sudden jump onto a pro-life soapbox, and arguing the merits and flaws of the epic climactic battle. Breaking Dawn Real Talk, indeed.