Proletarian Contrarian

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 sublimate into a swirling, kaleidoscopic techno-synthesis balanced on the razor's edge which divides sincerity and irony. This is a wild one on all levels, folks!

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/-)

"Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" by Wham!

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, script.

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/-)

"Stealing The Silver Cross" by Tangerine Dream

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 on classic vaudeville humor.

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/-)

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 the struggle itself becomes identified with a series of defeats" by 红山郡 (hongshanjun.bandcamp.com/album/-)

"Holy Wars... The Punishment Due" by Megadeth

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 the struggle itself becomes identified with a series of defeats" by 红山郡 (hongshanjun.bandcamp.com/album/-)

"Holy Wars... The Punishment Due" by Megadeth

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 -

"when the struggle itself becomes identified with a series of defeats" by 红山郡 (hongshanjun.bandcamp.com/album/-)

"Iris" by Goo Goo Dolls

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 engages the senses! This facsimile, this avatar of vitality from rot, this...thing, from the swamp....it...it fucking slaps! It's good, folks!

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/-)

"Born on the Bayou" by Creedence Clearwater Revival

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 contrasts.

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/-)

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 with a series of defeats" by 红山郡 (hongshanjun.bandcamp.com/album/-)

"Me and My Mummy" by Bobby Pickett

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/-)