Proletarian Contrarian

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 its crass commercialism, has some real heart if you know where to find it.

https://www.patreon.com/posts/episode-24-ewoks-27490872

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 kind of works! A children's film through and through, it very much knows its audience, and ultimately contributes more to the Star Wars mythos than most of the theatrical releases.

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/-)

Theme song from the "Star Wars: Ewoks" cartoon series

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

"Empire Today" from the Kinect Star Wars soundtrack

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 predecessor.

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/-)

"Naturally" from the Kinect Star Wars soundtrack

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

"The Saga Begins" by Weird Al Yankovic

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 defeats" by 红山郡 (hongshanjun.bandcamp.com/album/-)

"I'm Han Solo" by MC Chris

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 well.

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/-)

"Street Punks" by Vince Staples

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 cats.

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/-)

"Spirits in the Material World" by The Police

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 spectacular fiasco. Kudos to Cameron Crowe for crystallizing the Manic Pixie Dream Girl trope, which has provided plenty of boilerplate whimsy ever since.

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/-)

"My Father's Gun" by Elton John

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 of narrative fiction, it's honestly not markedly worse than much of the other content from the time. How much worse, though? Only one way to find out!

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/-)

"We Stand Tall" by The Church of Scientology