Breaking news: successful filmmakers and actors are very likely to be pretentious tools completely disconnected from reality. We’ve known this for over a century, so did we really need a movie that’s exclusively about that? The team behind OFFICIAL COMPETITION thought so, and critics agreed, stamping a 96% Tomatometer score on it. That means it’s time for The Contrarians to bring Penelope Cruz, Antonio Banderas, and Oscar Martinez down to Earth! Listen to Alex & Julio as they try to figure out if they can even pick a side in this three-way conflict.

44 INCH CHEST isn’t particularly gory, nasty, or offensive. It’s pretty foul-mouthed, but not to the point where THAT would tank its chances with critics and audiences. So is it a bit of a whiff because most people have trouble caring for Ray Winstone and his friends? Are they too reprehensible to elicit any sympathy? We try to figure it out in this Real Talk segment!

You thought John Wayne was problematic last episode? We’ve got five British powerhouses ready to give him a run for his money in the criminally underrated 44 INCH CHEST! The movie’s 40% Tomatometer score seems to reflect people’s inability to cope with bad behavior when it’s not traditionally scolded, so listen to Alex & Julio try to be open-minded and give Ray Winstone a shot!

Merry Christmas! We continue paying our Livestream For The Cure debt by watching THE EXORCIST III and chatting all throughout it. It qualifies as a Christmas movie because It’s a Wonderful Life plays a role in the story - and isn’t that all that matters?

Yes, of course THE SEARCHERS is not the Unforgiven of the 50s - but was it even trying to be? Can we set aside the things our modern eyes flag as regressive and appreciate the movie on its own terms? Do you need to be a John Wayne superfan to truly enjoy this John Wayne vehicle? What will our favorite movies look like to podcasters of the future? Let’s get it all out in this Real Talk segment!

It is SO America to have a problematic movie star as the ultimate icon of the quintessential American genre. And even worse: take John Wayne’s reputation out of the equation, and John Ford’s THE SEARCHERS can barely register as a serviceable Western. So it’s not just that Ford’s romanticizing of cowboy life is dated - it’s also boring, and a little cheesy when it goes for full emotion. Listen to Alex & Julio as they try to figure out if The Duke made his own brother a cuckold!

The fifth installment of Fresh Immigrants, Rotten Fascists introduces us to the Yi family - Korean immigrants chasing the American dream in Arkansas, led by patriarch Jacob (Steven Yeun). MINARI was a bit of an awards darling in the midst of COVID, and it even nabbed a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Youn Yuh-jung for her role as the family’s disruptive grandma. So get some kimchi to snack on, and listen to us discuss the trials and tribulations of farmers in the 80s!

Thank you for checking this new project out, whether you are a long-time Contrarians fan or someone who’s just trying to listen to people talking positively about immigrants and negatively about fascism. If you have any recommendations for future entries in the series, let us know!

Seriously, why would anyone hate this movie? Even if you account for film buffs being horrified by Zhang Yimou’s apparent Hollywoodization, there’s so much in THE GREAT WALL that average audiences would enjoy. Lots of theories in this Real Talk segment, in addition to unabashed praise for the film — and regret for not having supported it when it first opened. Matt Damon’s daughter is wrong on this one!

You’re telling us the director of Hero and House of Flying Daggers made a movie where Matt Damon and Pedro Pascal team-up with the Chinese army to battle aliens at the Great Wall of China… and it somehow wasn’t a smashing success? Was it the man-bun? THE GREAT WALL sports a shameful 35% Tomatometer score, which means Alex & Julio must jump (er-dive) to its rescue. And you get to listen!

Happy Thanksgiving! We continue paying our Livestream For The Cure debt by sitting through EXORCIST II: THE HERETIC and chatting all throughout it. Will this be the lowest point of the franchise? Let’s hope so.