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PODCAST

Proletarian Contrarian

Proletarian Contrarian

Join Lewis and Nick as they analyze, from a leftist perspective, some of the most under-performing and underappreciated films they can find, and honor those workers whose contributions would otherwise go unnoticed.

arts

All Episodes

00:00:42

PREVIEW Episode 24: Ewoks: The Rise of Brimley...

Proletarian Contrarian ·

2019/06/08

Our very first Patreon-exclusive episode demands an exceptional film, and "Ewoks: The Battle of Endor" (1985) certainly delivers. A direct sequel to 1984's "Caravan of Courage," "The Battle for Endor" is the more uneven film, yet the one that achieves greater emotional extremes--from camp to whimsy to sincere grief. Featuring space orcs, a sweet castle, and Wilford Brimley, you couldn't in good conscience ask for much more from a 1980's TV film. "The Battle for Endor" proves that Star Wars, for all

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00:47:16

Episode 23: There and Back Again: An Ewok's Tale...

Proletarian Contrarian ·

2019/06/08

The description to Episode 22 stated that it was the final film of Star Wars month. Well, as Obi-Wan said, "Your eyes can deceive you; don't trust them." Anyway, there's an argument to be made that "Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure" (1984) technically isn't a Star Wars film because it doesn't have the term "Star Wars" in its title, and because it's a straight-up fairy tale in the mold of an Amblin Entertainment flick or a poor man's Tolkien/Lewis mashup. And for all of that...this film actually

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01:27:50

Episode 22: Execute Order 69 ("Star Wars: Episode III...

Proletarian Contrarian ·

2019/05/26

The final film of our Star Wars Month, is, of course "Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith" (2005). By far the biggest disappointment of the saga, RotS is audacious in its tedium. Fittingly enough, however, turns out the story of the prequels parallels that of Anakin himself: a stumbling, awkward mess, whose precious few bright spots only serve to highlight the manifold missed opportunities. https://www.patreon.com/pro_con Music- "when the struggle itself becomes identified with a series

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01:36:43

Episode 21: Mr. Binks Goes to Coruscant ("Star Wars:...

Proletarian Contrarian ·

2019/05/17

Coming off their Phantom Menace high, Lewis and Nick nosedive faster than a LAAT/i Republic Gunship divebombing a platoon of IG-227 Hailfire-class droid tanks. That's right, it's time for "Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones" (2002). This one is pretty much exactly what you remember; despite continuing with the (largely unintentional) criticism of neoliberal technocracy, Episode II proves to be inferior in virtually every aspect to its

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01:41:07

Episode 20: Phantom Menace II Society ("Star Wars:...

Proletarian Contrarian ·

2019/05/10

Continuing our Star Wars month retrospective, Lewis and Nick finally arrive at the reason they pretty much started this podcast and review "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace" (1999). It's good! Its flaws aren't as awful you remember! And not just because we have a bone to pick with Jar Jar Abrams! Episode I is not only better crafted than Episode VII, but also offers a much sharper and more timely political perspective. https://www.patreon.com/pro_con Music- "when the struggle itself

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01:42:57

Episode 19: Pan Solo ("Solo: A Star Wars Story," 2018)

Proletarian Contrarian ·

2019/05/04

Time to kick off Pro/Con's very first Star Wars Month! It's only fitting that the first Star Wars film to be a true box office bomb is also the most dirtbag lefty of the bunch. Join a rogues' gallery of failchildren as they bumble across the gritty underbelly of the galaxy in a mad dash to pay the bills. An exasperated Lewis and an overenthusiastic Nick agree: we stan "Solo" (2018) -- Han Solo. https://www.patreon.com/pro_con Music- "when the struggle itself becomes identified with a series of

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01:05:18

Episode 18: Failchester ("Winchester," 2018)

Proletarian Contrarian ·

2019/04/26

Earning $41.3 million against a $3.5 million budget while failing to net any of the four Golden Raspberries for which it was nominated, "Winchester" (2018) very much embodies its central theme: money trumps all. Helen Mirren plays heiress Sarah Winchester at the center of a promising, yet inadequate, haunted house story set in the real world Winchester Mystery House. Lewis and Nick keep this episode alive by attempting an anti-colonialist read of the film that tracks surprisingly

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01:05:36

Episode 17: Spirit of St. Miller ("The Spirit," 2008)

Proletarian Contrarian ·

2019/04/19

Frank Miller: comic book legend, polarizing artist, uncompromising auteur, and absolute hack film director. Lewis and Nick plunge into Miller's solo directorial debut "The Spirit" (2008), an overstylized, oversexualized, and overdramatized mess that really emphasizes the importance of Robert Rodriguez's co-directing credit on "Sin City" (2005). Gabriel Macht and Samuel L. Jackson duke it out alongside a bevy of objectified actresses in thankless roles and a whole bunch of adorable

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01:12:45

Episode 16: Evidently Elizabethtown ("Elizabethtown,"...

Proletarian Contrarian ·

2019/04/10

You'd be hard-pressed to whip up a more perfect Pro/Con checklist: an actor from the Jackson LotR films at the top of his game cast as a failson of preternatural stature -- supplemented by a singularly kickass indie/classic rock and bluegrass soundtrack, and backed up by a heartfelt Susan Sarandon -- exploring themes of catastrophe, loss, and the struggles of family. Too bad it's terrible! "Elizabethtown" (2005) has all the raw material of greatness, but only manages to impress as a truly

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01:05:07

Episode 15: You'll Always Be a Jonnie Goodboy to Me...

Proletarian Contrarian ·

2019/04/05

How's the state of your thetan these days? Before you go running off to check yourselves on your E-meters, load up this latest Pro/Con episode and get the straight facts on "Battlefield Earth" (2000). This space opera classic made an indelible impact on the film discourse of the early internet. You couldn't swing a Bat'leth without decapitating some nerd whining about this crappy movie back in those halcyon days and...they weren't wrong! This thing's a piece of Scientology propaganda, but as a piece

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00:57:06

Episode 14: Rack Em, Oh Gee! ("The Emoji Movie," 2017)

Proletarian Contrarian ·

2019/03/25

Lewis and Nick truly did not expect "The Emoji Movie" (2017) to deliver such a transcendent spiritual experience, but, well, here we are. This postmodern, transhumanist fable didn't have to present such a moving depiction of the inherent compassion of a communist society, but Pro/Con didn't have to review this movie, either. Fortunately for our audience, all parties involved ultimately went ahead and realized the aforementioned possibilities. Film and review, subject and object, emoji and text all

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00:51:19

Episode 13: Keep It Simple Stupid ("The Keep," 1983)

Proletarian Contrarian ·

2019/03/18

Well, your Pro/Con boys sure are in a pickle now: trapped in an ancient stone citadel tucked away in the crags of the Carpathian Mountains, caught between Nazi soldiers and the undead eldritch sorcerer known as Radu Molasar! A weirdo Jedi failson played by Scott Glenn is running around with a mall-grade quarterstaff, too. See if you can escape "The Keep" (1983), a phantasmagorical fever dream whose pitch-perfect synth soundtrack from Tangerine Dream eclipses the rest of this imposing, but hollow,

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01:13:41

Episode 12: Moe, Larry, Curly, Nick and Lewis ("The...

Proletarian Contrarian ·

2019/03/09

Hit the gym, stretch out on your tanning bed, and slather on your hair gel, because it's time for..."The Three Stooges" (2012), starring five of the original cast members of the Jersey Shore! Our stars make their big screen debuts roughly an hour into the runtime, after the film meanders about to focus on the slapstick misadventures of a trio of goofuses. Difficult as it was to wait on the Shore castmates' big appearance, the rest of the film zips along well enough, despite a bizarre preoccupation

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01:00:39

Episode 11: Punish Us, Daddy Dolph ("The Punisher,"...

Proletarian Contrarian ·

2019/03/02

Your Pro/Con boys have to be frank: "The Punisher" (1989) rules! Turns out the very first cinematic adaptation of the most rightwing, libertarian, retrograde gun nut of a superhero is a pretty solid action flick. Lewis and Nick delve deep beneath the mean New York streets to join the titular vigilante, played by a grunged-up Dolph Lundgren, as he imposes his brutal, personal brand of retribution upon the sinful louts of modern superhero adaptations. https://www.patreon.com/pro_con Music - "when

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00:43:23

Episode 10: Shitty of Angels ("City of Angels," 1998)

Proletarian Contrarian ·

2019/02/23

The first Pro/Con throwback, just in time for our show to hit double digits! Lewis and Nick ascend from the hellish doldrums of episode 3 to the angelic heights of ennui as they review "City of Angels" (1998). Starring Meg Ryan as the world's most insipid heart surgeon and Nic Cage as the world's most lethargic intangible/incorporeal/invisible voyeur. This snoozefest ultimately elects to give up its chance at Pro/Con immortality, and remain in the 90's to die. https://www.patreon.com/pro_con Music

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01:04:45

Episode 9: Swamp Thing, I Think I Love You ("The...

Proletarian Contrarian ·

2019/02/18

A potent presence bubbles, broils, wriggles beneath the filmy surface of the marsh, separated from the thick air above. The two elements, so similar in composition, are yet divided by a membrane as alive as the discourse-driven lifeblood of Pro/Con itself...the presence buckles, thrashes about, rears up to burst through the heretofore placid swamp waters, a thing as resplendent and throbbing as life itself! "The Return of the Swamp Thing" (1989) terrifies the mind and repulses the body, even as it

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00:49:13

Episode 8: #F**KFailJerry ("The Mexican," 2001)

Proletarian Contrarian ·

2019/02/09

The strip of cracked blacktop roasts beneath the afternoon sun, stretching between danger far behind and desperate hope too far ahead...no, that's not a description of 2001's "The Mexican," it's the emotional state of Lewis and Nick as they struggled through it. An overambitious misfire of confused tone, mixed acting style, and inconsistent competency, the true redeeming qualities are the secondary characters we met along the way. In conclusion, "The Mexican" is a film of

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00:51:57

Episode 7: Mummy Mia! ("The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon...

Proletarian Contrarian ·

2019/01/31

A desiccated wind as lifeless as entombed bones tousles your hair...you shiver in dread, for something ancient, something evil, has clawed its way through sand and stone, coming for you! It's "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor," from the ancient era of 2008! Lewis and Nick weather a harrowing encounter with a limp plot, uninspired CGI, and general tedium to plunder the all-too-rare gems buried deep within. https://www.patreon.com/pro_con Music - "when the struggle itself becomes identified

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00:42:48

Episode 6: The Man Who Shot Regarding Henry...

Proletarian Contrarian ·

2019/01/18

In 1991, JJ Abrams did his level best to murder Harrison Ford. Decades later, Lewis and Nick reopen the case file, confusingly titled "Regarding Henry" (1991). It's a harrowing attempt, but a tenuous reading of class stratification, a cute dog, and a shocking surprise guest help them muddle their way through. https://www.patreon.com/pro_con Music - "when the struggle itself becomes identified with a series of defeats" by 红山郡 (hongshanjun.bandcamp.com/album/-)

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00:58:22

Episode 5: No Justice League, No Peace, Heckin MCU...

Proletarian Contrarian ·

2019/01/12

"Superhero fans are some of the worst people on the planet." -Nick Lewis and Nick come out swinging against the mad Marvel machine as they stan for "Justice League," that 2017 superhero blockbuster we all know and love. Better than you've heard, more leftist than you'd believe, the Pro/Con boys make a brave stand against the insectoid legions of online DC haters to defend this diamond in the rough. https://www.patreon.com/pro_con Music - "when the struggle itself becomes identified with a series

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