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The Contrarians

The Contrarians

Written by: Alex Mattis & Julio Olivera
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Hosts Alex Mattis and Julio Olivera take on popular opinion, trashing movies everyone loves and praising movies everyone hates. Visit their website at www.wearethecontrarians.com Art
Episodes
  • 260 - Pt. 2 - Serenity (2005) RT
    Feb 4 2026

    It would be disingenuous to talk about SERENITY without addressing the Whedonesque Elephant in the ship, so to speak. So, yes, this Real Talk segment devotes some time to the rise and fall of the Whedon brand. But we also talk about Serenity itself, and how it works for someone who’s not familiar with the show versus how it works for a hardcore Firefly fan. Can you enjoy the movie if you didn’t care for the show? It’s all answered here!

    TIMELINE

    00:01:26 I aim to misbehave

    00:02:34 Real Talk

    00:56:12 The Future & Patreon Stuff

    - Interested in more Contrarians goodness? Join THE CONTRARIANS SUPPLEMENTS on our Patreon Page! Deleted clips, extended plugs, bonus episodes free from the Tomatometer shackles… It’s everything a Contrarians devotee would want!

    - Our YouTube page is live! Get some visual Contrarians delight with our Contrarians Warm-Ups and other fun videos!

    - Contrarians Merch is finally here! Check out our RED BUBBLE MERCH PAGE and buy yourself something nice that’s emblazoned with one of our four different designs!

    - THE FESTIVE YEARS have been letting us use their music for years now and they are amazing. You can check out their work on Spotify, on Facebook or on their very own website.

    - Our buddy Cory Ahre is being kind enough to lend a hand with the editing of some of our videos. If you like his style, wait until you see what he does over on his YouTube Channel.

    - THE LATE NIGHT GRIN isn’t just a show about wrestling: it’s a brand, a lifestyle. And they’re very supportive of our Contrarian endeavors, so we’d like to return the favor. Check out their YouTube Channel! You might even spot Alex there from time to time.

    - Hans Rothgiesser, the man behind our logo, can be reached at @mildemoniospe on Instagram or you can email him at mildemonios@hotmail.com in case you ever need a logo (or comics) produced. And you can listen to him talk about economy on his new TV show, VALOR AGREGADO. Aaaaand you can also check out all the stuff he’s written on his own website. He has a new book: a sort of Economics For Dummies called MARGINAL. Ask him about it!

    Up next, the next installment of Fresh Immigrants, Rotten Fascists arrives, as we discuss the joyful Lin-Manuel Miranda musical IN THE HEIGHTS! Then, we’ll come back to Contrarians business with the Criterion-celebrated drama DOGFIGHT. In the meantime, let us know what you thought of Serenity: did you experienced it without prior knowledge of the show? Have you followed Mal and the crew ever since Firefly debuted or were you converted by their big screen adventures? Are you (still) a Joss Whedon fan? E-mail us at wearethecontrarians@gmail.com or share your thoughts with us on Threads or BlueSky!

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    1 hr and 1 min
  • 260 - Pt. 1 - Serenity (2005) CC
    Feb 4 2026

    The year was 2005 and Joss Whedon decided to audition for a spot among Big Hollywood Blockbuster Directors. He submitted SERENITY for our collective consideration and it didn’t quite light the world on fire, despite its passionate fanbase - who would’ve thought a movie based on a short-lived cult show wouldn’t break box office records? Still, it’s fresh on the Tomatometer, so it’ll get the Contrarians Treatment!

    (Patrons: check your feeds for a discussion about FIREFLY that leads right into this episode.)

    TIMELINE

    00:01:24 Serenity

    00:14:37 Contrarians Corner

    - Wanna know how we really feel about SERENITY? Check out the Real Talk (RT) episode, on your feed RIGHT NOW! (or pretty soon — Spotify can be a pain when it comes to refreshing the feed)

    - Interested in more Contrarians goodness? Join THE CONTRARIANS SUPPLEMENTS on our Patreon Page! Deleted clips, extended plugs, bonus episodes free from the Tomatometer shackles… It’s everything a Contrarians devotee would want!

    - Our YouTube page is live! Get some visual Contrarians delight with our Contrarians Warm-Ups and other fun videos!

    - Contrarians Merch is finally here! Check out our RED BUBBLE MERCH PAGE and buy yourself something nice that’s emblazoned with one of our four different designs!

    - THE FESTIVE YEARS have been letting us use their music for years now and they are amazing. You can check out their work on Spotify, on Facebook or on their very own website.

    - Our buddy Cory Ahre is being kind enough to lend a hand with the editing of some of our videos. If you like his style, wait until you see what he does over on his YouTube Channel.

    - THE LATE NIGHT GRIN isn’t just a show about wrestling: it’s a brand, a lifestyle. And they’re very supportive of our Contrarian endeavors, so we’d like to return the favor. Check out their YouTube Channel! You might even spot Alex there from time to time.

    - Hans Rothgiesser, the man behind our logo, can be reached at @mildemoniospe on Instagram or you can email him at mildemonios@hotmail.com in case you ever need a logo (or comics) produced. And you can listen to him talk about economy on his new TV show, VALOR AGREGADO. Aaaaand you can also check out all the stuff he’s written on his own website. He has a new book: a sort of Economics For Dummies called MARGINAL. Ask him about it!

    Show More Show Less
    53 mins
  • Bonus! - The Exorcist IV Commentary Track
    Jan 26 2026

    The actual title is DOMINION: PREQUEL TO THE EXORCIST, which really rolls off the tongue, doesn’t it? Anyway, we continue paying our Livestream for the Cure debt by doing a commentary on the Paul Schrader version of the fourth Exorcist movie - which happens to be the one you can watch for free!

    - Interested in more Contrarians goodness? Join THE CONTRARIANS SUPPLEMENTS on our Patreon Page! Deleted clips, extended plugs, bonus episodes free from the Tomatometer shackles… It’s everything a Contrarians devotee would want!

    - Our YouTube page is live! Get some visual Contrarians delight with our Contrarians Warm-Ups and other fun videos!

    - Contrarians Merch is finally here! Check out our RED BUBBLE MERCH PAGE and buy yourself something nice that’s emblazoned with one of our four different designs!

    - THE FESTIVE YEARS have been letting us use their music for years now and they are amazing. You can check out their work on Spotify, on Facebook or on their very own website.

    - Our buddy Cory Ahre is being kind enough to lend a hand with the editing of some of our videos. If you like his style, wait until you see what he does over on his YouTube Channel.

    - THE LATE NIGHT GRIN isn’t just a show about wrestling: it’s a brand, a lifestyle. And they’re very supportive of our Contrarian endeavors, so we’d like to return the favor. Check out their YouTube Channel! You might even spot Alex there from time to time.

    - Hans Rothgiesser, the man behind our logo, can be reached at @mildemoniospe on Instagram or you can email him at mildemonios@hotmail.com in case you ever need a logo (or comics) produced. And you can listen to him talk about economy on his new TV show, VALOR AGREGADO. Aaaaand you can also check out all the stuff he’s written on his own website. He has a new book: a sort of Economics For Dummies called MARGINAL. Ask him about it!

    Show More Show Less
    2 hrs and 7 mins
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