The fresher they are, the harder they rot… or something along those lines. Peter Bogdanovich’s amazing initial run of movies eventually had to hit a rough patch, and NICKELODEON is infamously known as the project that derailed his career almost for good. Were critics and audiences too tough on P-Bog’s love letter to silent filmmaking? How do The Contrarians feel this measures against Paper Moon, Targets and The Last Picture Show? More pressingly, can we be okay with a story that praises Birth of...
May 30, 2024•54 min
Legend says the great Peter Bogdanovich once asked “Who would dare live in a pineapple under the sea?”. Unfortunately, studios were not interested in exploring the answer to that question just yet, so instead P-Bog made a comedy about the early days of filmmaking. NICKELODEON was a huge bomb and it’s branded with a 17% Tomatometer score, so it’s time for The Contrarians to come to its rescue! Listen to Alex & Julio as they celebrate another Bogdanovich/O’Neals team-up and stare at Burt Reyno...
May 30, 2024•56 min
Do you like ABBA? That could determine how you ultimately feel about MURIEL’S WEDDING. But there’s more to PJ Hogan’s feature film debut than its memorable soundtrack, and The Contrarians will get into it in this Real Talk segment. Does the comedy balance out the tragedy? Is the film too unfair toward some of its characters? And does the unstoppable talent of Toni Collette redeem it all? TIMELINE 00:01:49 Now on Patreon 00:13:25 Real Talk 00:58:45 The Future & Perennial Plugs - Interested in...
May 24, 2024•1 hr 2 min
Welcome to our first PJ Party of the Summer: a wedding party! Aussie filmmaker PJ Hogan jumpstarted Toni Collette’s career (and his own) with a cringy, depressing so-called comedy full of despicable characters and ABBA songs. Should we ignore MURIEL’S WEDDINGS many failings just because it gave us one of the best actresses of our generation? Listen to Alex & Julio pick apart a movie that clearly inspired Mamma Mia! - and isn’t that the worst sin of all? TIMELINE 00:01:24 Muriel’s Wedding 00:...
May 24, 2024•54 min
Friends, you better be ready for a major influx of Bogdaknowledge through your summer. THE LAST PICTURE SHOW was the obvious starting point for this journey, but did it wow The Contrarians as much as it seems to have done with pretty much the entire world? Can we relate to the struggles of the citizens of Anarene? Can we share the nostalgia for this bygone era of Americana? It’s all discussed in this Real Talk segment! TIMELINE 00:01:07 Now on Patreon 00:09:43 Real Talk 00:55:25 The Future &...
May 13, 2024•59 min
Our summer event begins! “Bogdanofilms & PJ Parties” opens with a bang: a Peter Bogdanovich coming-of-age flick so revered, it could be argued the filmmaker was never able to top it - and it was right at the beginning of his career. But is the Tomatometer too easily impressed by THE LAST PICTURE SHOW? Listen to Alex & Julio as they try to figure out what this meandering black & white tale is trying to say, and as they try to reconcile how young Jeff Bridges and today’s Jeff Bridges s...
May 13, 2024•59 min
MAD HEIDI is a crowdfunded indie production, so of course we are bound to support it on at least some level. But the question is, does it work for us as a movie? Or are we just more enamored with the idea of such a wacky film coming about from a grassroots effort? We’ll say this: one Contrarian is more in sync with Swissplotation than the other. Listen to this Real Talk segment to find out who it is! TIMELINE 00:00:36 Now on Patreon 00:10:54 Real Talk 00:56:56 The Future & Perennial Plugs - ...
May 03, 2024•1 hr 2 min
Apparently, at some point in the past few years, society decided it was okay to pick on lactose intolerant people. How else can you explain the unexpected success of MAD HEIDI, a Swiss schlockfest that spends its runtime making jokes about cheese and making fun of anyone who can’t drink a glass of whole milk? Listen to Alex & Julio as they try to make sense of Switzerland’s attempt to play with the big boys! Wonder aloud if Casper Van Dien is enough to make a movie watchable! Get real sick o...
May 03, 2024•55 min
Not being a Quentin Tarantino movie isn’t a mortal sin, and there’s a wide range of quality when it comes to Tarantino wannabes anyway - not that we’re sure THINGS TO DO IN DENVER WHEN YOU’RE DEAD is trying to be one. But if you remove the QT factor (or lack thereof), how does this Andy Garcia vehicle come across? Can 90s nostalgia work wonders in our cynical hearts? Do we find its end-of-the-millennium mannerisms charming or insufferable? The answers lie in this Real Talk segment! TIMELINE 00:0...
Apr 22, 2024•1 hr
Pity any gangster movie that came out in the post-Pulp-Fiction 90s. THINGS TO DO IN DENVER WHEN YOU’RE DEAD couldn’t escape the comparisons to beloved Tarantino fare, and critics decided that was enough to turn their backs on Andy Garcia and his band of chatty criminals. Listen to Alex & Julio as they go to bat for Scott Rosenberg’s tale of redemption and acceptance of your inevitable doom. Boat drinks, on the house! TIMELINE 00:01:24 Things To Do In Denver When You’re Dead 00:14:55 Contrari...
Apr 22, 2024•57 min
Okay, Ari Aster. This is where we give you a fair shake. It’s been established throughout the run of this show that neither Alex nor Julio care for Hereditary or Midsommar. But this Real Talk segment forces The Contrarians to articulate their feelings beyond snarky jokes, and consider that maybe they haven’t been giving Mr. Aster and his fans enough credit. Could it be? Was Contrarians Corner one of our most deceiving performances? Listen and find out! TIMELINE 00:00:56 Now on Patreon 00:11:01 R...
Apr 11, 2024•59 min
To hear critics tell it, Ari Aster reimagined the horror genre with HEREDITARY, his Tomatometer fresh debut. It doesn’t matter that the movie abandons its exploration of grief halfway through its runtime, and it doesn’t matter that the third act requires a character to drop a phonebook’s worth of exposition for it to make sense. Sometimes, people just fall hard for something new. Listen to Alex & Julio pick apart the most harrowing Toni Collette vehicle: the rise of Paimon! TIMELINE 00:01:24...
Apr 11, 2024•58 min
While Alex dropped little bits of pro wrestling trivia during Contrarians Corner, he saved all the heavy stuff for the second half of the episode. Is it possible to enjoy a mainstream biopic when you are quite familiar with the subject being explored? Is it a blessing in disguise to be ignorant of Saraya’s real life journey while watching Fighting With My Family? Can The Rock’s pet project co-exist with grimmer fare that doesn’t portray wrestling through rose-tinted glasses? All this and more in...
Apr 04, 2024•1 hr
Leave it to Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson to take Saraya “Paige” Bevis’ story and make it all about himself. FIGHTING WITH MY FAMILY celebrates how cool The Rock thinks he is while also trying to portray pro wrestling as the most wholesome sport in the world. The problem? We’ve already watched movies like The Wrestler and The Iron Claw, which pulled back the curtain and exposed the lack of fairy tale endings in this world. Listen to Alex & Julio as they pick apart this shockingly celebrated piec...
Apr 04, 2024•1 hr 5 min
Perhaps it’s a blessing in disguise that Quentin Tarantino was forced to split KILL BILL in two, since it’s hard to imagine both volumes holding together as a single movie - and some would argue they barely hold together as a two-parter. Is that an actual concern when it comes to appreciating Volume 2? Alex, Julio, and Chas have different experiences (with overlaps) when it comes to the second half of The Bride’s journey, and you get to hear all about them here. Who likes Esteban? Who hates Este...
Mar 23, 2024•1 hr
It took us almost ten years to make it to 200 (numbered) episodes. It feels like it took The Bride almost as long to finally get to Bill. KILL BILL VOLUME 2 presents Tarantino fans with a conundrum: if you liked Volume 1, you’re out of luck because this one is nothing like it. And if you liked Tarantino’s more “traditional” work, this isn’t as good as his first three movies. But it’s still fresh on the Tomatometer, so it’s time to nitpick it to death! Listen to Alex & Julio, joined once agai...
Mar 23, 2024•1 hr 5 min
It’s quite a different experience, appreciating KILL BILL: VOLUME 1 as the most recent Quentin Tarantino outing, versus watching it as the fourth of nine movies in his filmography. Has time and an expanded context softened Alex’s stance when it comes to The Bride’s adventures? Has Julio been overrating the first Kill Bill for almost twenty years? Has Chas’ unexpected clash with Tarantino over his writing in Volume 1 soured his take on the movie? Listen to Real Talk to find out! TIMELINE 00:00:52...
Mar 12, 2024•1 hr 3 min
The fourth film from Quentin Tarantino was a left turn in a career that so far had given us verbose bank robbers, verbose gangsters, and verbose, um, flight attendants turned money launderers? QT zigged by giving us wall-to-wall soulless Uma Thurman action in a homage to the kung-fu movies he watched instead of going to film school. Critics loved it, not caring that it didn’t even have a proper ending. Listen to Alex & Julio, joined by Chas Fisher from Draft Zero, as they give The Contrarian...
Mar 12, 2024•1 hr
Well, this episode features two hardcore FRIDAY THE 13TH fans and someone who doesn’t even care for horror movies most of the time. Get ready for some contention now that we are in the Real Talk part of the show! How does each of us react to the idea that maybe the 2009 Jason Voorhees adventure was aimed at potential new fans, so old fans need to calm down? Can we at least agree that Supernatural’s Jared Padalecki and The Flash’s Danielle Panabaker are watchable? Can we at least love Chewie? Lis...
Mar 02, 2024•1 hr 8 min
Can you believe it’s been 15 years since the last FRIDAY THE 13TH theatrical release? Apparently, critics and audiences had issues with an installment of the franchise that actually took itself seriously. Listen to Alex & Julio, joined by Stew from the Stew World Order podcast, as they re-evaluate the battle between Sam Winchester and Jason Voorhees, and praise the much-needed polish of this 26% Tomatometer victim. TIMELINE 00:01:24 Friday The 13th 2009 00:15:33 Contrarians Corner - Wanna kn...
Mar 02, 2024•1 hr 5 min
Hey, we are both Seinfeld appreciators. So that should be a starting point with DUNSTON CHECKS IN, right? How do we truly feel about Jason Alexander’s leading man capabilities, especially in the context of a kids movie? And what’s our tolerance level when it comes to Dunston himself? Can our love for the 90s help us connect to this movie or is this Real Talk mostly going to be about how we just don’t get the passionate fandom for this one? Listen and find out! TIMELINE 00:00:26 Now on Patreon 00...
Feb 22, 2024•56 min
As we race toward our 200th episode, it’s time to get into some monkey business. Some 90s Monkey Business even. How many Jason Alexander starring vehicles can you name? How many of them feature an adorable ape as his co-star? Listen to Alex & Julio as they scoff at DUNSTON CHECKS IN’s appalling 17% Tomatometer score! Marvel at Faye Danaway’s career reinvention! Applaud Rupert Everett’s fearless turn as a villain a mere year before he played the ultimate gay best friend in a Julia Roberts mov...
Feb 22, 2024•52 min
Did the plot holes and plot contrivances in YOUR NAME bother us as much as we expressed during Contrarians Corner? Are we immune to the charms of anime, or maybe just not receptive to modern anime? Was this a good entry point into Japanese animation for Alex and can Julio stop comparing it to a Studio Ghibli production? All this and more on this Real Talk segment! TIMELINE 00:00:54 Now on Patreon 00:09:35 Real Talk 00:55:18 The Future & Perennial Plugs - Interested in more Contrarians goodne...
Feb 12, 2024•59 min
Japanese animation: The Final Frontier! Or at least you would think so, considering how long it has taken The Contrarians to tackle anime on the show. Join Alex & Julio as they travel back to 2016, to pick apart YOUR NAME - a movie celebrated by anyone who has not seen Freaky Friday! Let’s answer the question on everyone’s minds: do you even have to bother if a Japanese animated movie isn’t directed by Hayao Miyazaki? TIMELINE 00:01:24 Your Name 00:13:33 Contrarians Corner - Wanna know how w...
Feb 12, 2024•57 min
Look, Brian De Palma is still making movies. But yes, they are not the Hollywood productions of his heyday. Was his fall from grace inevitable, and, more importantly, deserved? Is THE BLACK DAHLIA as bad as people say? Or in fact, could THE BLACK DAHLIA be actually as good as we said it was in Contrarians Corner? This Real Talk segment dives into those questions and more! (like a quick read of the official FBI report about the case) TIMELINE 00:00:45 Now on Patreon 00:08:58 Real Talk 01:01:27 Th...
Feb 02, 2024•1 hr 5 min
It’s been 17 years since Brian De Palma took a James Ellroy novel, called up emerging superstars Josh Hartnett, Aaron Eckhart, Scarlett Johansson, and Hillary Swank and said, hey, let’s put on a noir show. Critics hated it, audiences avoided it, and De Palma hasn’t made a major studio film since. Listen to Alex & Julio as they rediscover THE BLACK DAHLIA and try to restore its extremely tarnished reputation. Murder, romance, and wall-to-wall movie people dressed like it’s The 40s: what’s not...
Feb 02, 2024•59 min
With the Contrarians gimmick set aside, this Real Talk segment features a wide range of opinions regarding Nicolas Winding Refn and his work. Longtime listeners know how Alex feels about Drive and The Neon Demon — or at least how he felt before this rewatch. And we’ve hinted to Ryan’s actual Neon Demon feelings fairly strongly. But that’s only half the panel, and that alone already gives us all plenty to argue about. Listen to find out what’s the final verdict on Elle Fanning’s misadventures in ...
Jan 22, 2024•1 hr 6 min
Nicolas Winding Refn was in a pretty awkward place after releasing Only God Forgives. The popularity he amassed when he made Drive seemed to implode with the follow-up. So what did he do? He doubled down on the weirdness and released a biting, irreverent satire about the L.A. modeling scene. Listen to Alex & Julio discuss THE NEON DEMON with the help of Ryan & Bartek from the Spit & Polish podcast! Can we collectively succeed in making naysayers understand Winding Refn’s genius? TIME...
Jan 22, 2024•1 hr 8 min
Once again, we are starting the new year with a Denzel Washington movie. RICOCHET may divide the Contrarians far more than The Bone Collector did, however. How do Alex & Julio truly feel about this hidden gem/stain in Denzel’s filmography? Can at least one of them appreciate the fun trashiness of Steven de Souza’s screenplay? And we all know Kevin Pollak doesn’t know how to die on screen convincingly, but is that annoying or endearing? This and more on this Real Talk segment! TIMELINE 00:01:...
Jan 12, 2024•57 min
Imagine you are a young Denzel Washington and you just won your first Oscar. How do you show Hollywood you are not a one-hit wonder? Somehow, Denzel thought the answer was to face off against a predictably deranged John Lithgow in a schlocky thriller. And, based on RICOCHET’s fresh Tomatometer score, it worked! Listen to Alex & Julio as they pick apart yet another Steven de Souza extravaganza and marvel at the fact that Denzel didn’t ruin his career with it. TIMELINE 00:02:04 Ricochet 00:11:...
Jan 12, 2024•53 min
