411 Fact or Fiction Movies/TV 05.29.09: Week 179

Posted by Ben Piper on 05.29.2009

Will Conan O'Brien be successful as the new Tonight Show host? Will Up be the best movie of the summer? Will Drag Me To Hell be the best horror movie of the year? Is making a Buffy The Vampire Slayer movie without Joss Whedon's involvement a bad idea? 411's Lucas Huddleston and John Gale debate these and other topics in week 179 of 411 Fact or Fiction: Movies/TV!



Whassup? Welcome back once again to the 411 column sure to elevate heart rates and blood pressure, Fact or Fiction. This week Lucas Huddleston and John Gale bring their opinions to the table. Let's see what they have to say…

1.Up will be the best movie of the summer.

Lucas Huddleston: Fiction. I really only say ‘Fiction' for the simple reason that nobody knows with any amount of certainty what will end up being the best film of the summer. I do believe, however, that it will undoubtedly be ONE of the best movies of the summer...but the absolute best of the summer? Now, if the question posed was about Up being the best ANIMATED film of the summer, then I'd probably say, yeah, probably, as you really can't go wrong with Pixar in the realms of animation these days. But best film PERIOD? Eh, it's a tough call, but I'd be inclined to say ‘probably not'. There's a whole slew of potentially great films cresting the horizon for the summertime, including the new Harry Potter film (based on what is perhaps the best book of the series), Tarantino's Inglorious Basterds, Public Enemies, the next Transformers movie…there's quite a bit of competition to go ahead and say that Up will be the hands-down best. It definitely has the pedigree to be amongst the best, though.

John Gale: Fiction. I'm inclined to agree with Lucas here. Based on the trailers, Up looks really good, and I'm definitely going to watch it when it comes out, but calling it the BEST movie of the summer is covering a lot of territory. Pixar has a really good track record, but I don't think they've released anything that would qualify as possibly the best movie of an entire summer since Monsters Inc. (which was actually released in November) in 2001. Of everything that is coming out this summer, I'm looking the most forward to Public Enemies, which looks really, really good. With the bank robber theme and Michael Mann directing, it will probably be the closest thing to Heat since that masterpiece came out in 1995, so I'll go with Public Enemies as the best movie of the summer. I'd slot Up at No. 2.

Score: 1 for 1

2. You're already looking forward to ABC's update on the classic 80's alien invasion series V.

Lucas Huddleston: Fiction: Not really, for my part. The original V mini-series is a great series in its own right, undoubtedly one of the greatest mini-series' of all-time, and it's fine just the way it is. Normally, I'm more lenient than most when it comes to ‘updates' (i.e. remakes); I don't blast them for merely existing, and I give them more of a chance than it seems like a majority of other movie nerds do. However, I'll readily admit that there are indeed certain instances where a remake is completely unwarranted. Friday the 13th? That remake was well-warranted and completely harmless. The Day the Earth Stood Still? Completely unnecessary, as the original is a true classic, perhaps the greatest sci-fi film ever made, and truly a film that, while definitely a product of its own time, has a great story whose implications ring true even to this day. In other words, it's timeless. While I wouldn't go so far as to place V up there with the original Day the Earth Stood Still, it would definitely find a place amongst my favorite sci-fi movies/mini-series' of all-time. Everything about that movie is about as good as it CAN be, about as perfect as it could be, so there's very little reason to remake it. Remaking a great mini-series is also a bit of a stretch, in my opinion, considering the amount of time that one must invest in it. It would be like a remake of Lonesome Dove…it just seems odd to me.

John Gale: Fact. I did a complete 180 on this question. I was about to say fiction, since I didn't even know what V was about until I read the question, so it was hard to say I'm looking forward to it. I was born in 1982, and I don't remember the original series, so it's not like it has any nostalgia for me. But then I watched the trailer online, and it looks really good. I like the concept, and I'm a big fan of Elizabeth Mitchell's work as Juliet on Lost, so it will be nice to see her in what appears to be a lead role. Maybe if I had seen the original miniseries and had all these good memories about it like Lucas does, I would be more apprehensive. But since I haven't seen the original, and since the update looks good, I'll check it out. Now that 24 and Lost are in hiatus, I'll need something to watch anyway.

Score: 1 for 2

3. Sam Raimi's Drag Me To Hell will be the best horror movie of the year.

Lucas Huddleston: Fiction. Again, similar to what I said about Up, it's far too early to go claiming that ‘such-and-such' movie is going to be the best of the year. It's only May, and so that means we have a whole gaggle of upcoming Horror films to get through before the year actually ends. However, Drag Me to Hell definitely has the pedigree to be the best, and it has all the potential in the world. It has me intrigued to see it, no doubt about that; I think it's awesome that a now big-time director in Hollywood that got his start in the industry by making Horror movies has chose to return to the genre that he owes much of his career to. But, I imagine that the film will be heavily criticized by quite a bit of people: by the insane ‘Raimi Sucks' people; and by the fans of Raimi who will undoubtedly try and compare Drag Me to Hell to The Evil Dead films. The Evil Dead was/is great, as the low-budget hindered what Raimi could do, so he had to utilize his own imagination and ability to do the things that he wanted with that picture, and it turned out unique; in this film, he'll already have everything he wants, so it may end up being viewed as a disappointment to those fans. But anyway, no, it won't be the best Horror movie of the year…that'll be The Wolf Man. Now THAT'S one remake that I'm eagerly looking forward to.

John Gale: Fiction. Well, even if it was the best horror movie of the year, I wouldn't go see it. I just don't like the genre. With that said, Drag Me to Hell looks terrible, even by horror movie standards. I was watching Pardon…the Interruption the other day, and this movie was one of the sponsors for show that day. Right after it was announced as a sponsor, Tony Kornheiser and guest host Dan LeBatard both busted up laughing. Tony then sarcastically added, "That looks good." I think that says all you need to know about Drag Me to Hell. By the way, can you imagine how pissed the producers of the movie were to hear the negative comments from the host of a show that they paid money to get a sponsorship? Then again, PTI is such a great show, that I'm sure they don't care if they lose one advertiser.

Score: 2 for 3

Switch!!!

4. Conan O'Brien will have great success as the new host of The Tonight Show.

John Gale: Fiction. I really don't think he'll have great success. That would imply that he'll do just as well or better than Jay Leno did in the same time slot. I think Conan will do OK, but he's going to be undercut by Jay's new show. Not only will Leno get better guests because of his better time slot in prime time, I also think a significant amount of people that currently watch The Tonight Show will follow Jay to his new show at the earlier time. I count myself among them. I really think that people watch these shows more for the host than anything else, and there's a reason why Jay has had the top-rated late night talk show for like 15 consecutive years. I watch Jay's monologue and second segment every night because he consistently makes me laugh, while I only watch Letterman if he has a guest that I want to see. I just don't think Letterman is funny. Conan is funnier than Letterman, but if I'm going to be watching Jay at his earlier time slot, I suspect I won't watch either Conan or Letterman later on. I also suspect that I won't be the only one who feels this way.

Lucas Huddleston: Fact. Oh, ye of little faith. I feel just the opposite here. Conan did really, REALLY well for himself in a much-later, (technically) much-crappier timeslot. When his numbers really went up, it was mostly the younger crowds that tuned in to watch his show. Now those people are older, probably work full-time day-jobs, and will probably tune in again (assuming they tuned out in the first place) to see Conan again. What's more is that I really don't think the fact that Leno is running a new show ahead of Conan will affect him all that much, either. As I said, Conan did pretty damn good with Leno ahead of him before, and in a much more disadvantageous timeslot, to boot. Honestly, I see no problems whatsoever ahead on the horizon for Conan taking over The Tonight Show, with the exception of a few growing pains and such (assuming that most of the Late Night crew doesn't carry over to the new timeslot with Conan). Leno can move ahead, that's fine; I don't anticipate it affecting either: A.), the people who tune in to watch Conan regularly; or B.), the crowd that's accustomed to already watching The Tonight Show on a regular basis. In fact, I only see two terrible things when it comes to ‘the big move' – no more Masturbating Bear, or Nascar-loving, shotgun-toting Jesus…and no more inspired shows such as the episode where Conan filled the studio with a bunch of first-graders or the claymation episode.

Score: 2 for 4

5. Making a Buffy The Vampire Slayer big-screen movie without the involvement of mastermind Joss Whedon is an insanely stupid idea.

John Gale: Fact. I suppose it's possible that the movie could work without Whedon's involvement, but I would say it's very unlikely. Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a really good television series that featured a lot of good action, as well as strong storytelling and character development. Oh, and Sarah Michelle Gellar and especially Charisma Carpenter were really hot, so that helped. If Whedon was on board, I would be optimistic about the movie's chances of being high quality. But since he isn't going to be involved, I'm skeptical. Also, I just did some research and discovered that Buffy is going to be recast (not too surprising) and that her friends from the series will be nowhere in sight. I'm not a fan of either of those decisions. They should just leave the franchise alone unless Whedon himself wants to do a new project.

Lucas Huddleston: Fiction. I'm going to just come right on out and say it – I'm not a Whedon-phile. I like Firefly and whatnot enough, but I don't bend at the altar of all things Whedon like some people seem to do; in other words, I don't act like he's some big secret that nobody else but me knows about. I've had a few run-ins with hardcore Whedon-philes, and their ‘zest' for the man and his works usually tends to turn me off from the man…especially since much of their ‘zest' (i.e. insanity) comes by way of hurling insults over things that are largely inconsequential (like, oh, I don't know, throwing a fit over Xena being ranked above Buffy on a list of Badass Female Characters). But…that's not why I'm saying Fiction here. No, I'm saying Fiction for the mere reason that it's not uncommon for a project/creation/franchise of a single, creative mind to (essentially) move on without the original man behind it. Think: James Cameron/The Terminator; Ridley Scott/Alien; Paul Veorhoeven/Robocop; Robert E.Howard/ Conan; Peter Gabriel/Genesis; Stan Lee/all the major Marvel Comics titles…I'm sure you get the point here. I'm quite certain that Buffy-fans are bemoaning the fact that Whedon hasn't even apparently been approached to be a part of the project. However, the person that's behind this new film is the same one that was partnered with Whedon for the other iterations of Buffy – Fran Rubel Kuzui, who directed 1992's Buffy film, and played a part in getting the series picked up. So maybe that'll make ‘em feel better. At any rate, I'm sure that a majority of Buffy fans will indeed check out the new film if it gets off the ground, regardless of how they feel about it now.

Score: 2 for 5

6. You're bummed out that NBC has cancelled My Name Is Earl.

John Gale: Fiction. I've tried to watch a few episodes of the show, and I thought it was mildly funny but nothing to get too excited about. And The Office (a vastly superior and funnier show that I watch every week) came on right after My Name is Earl, so it wasn't like I needed to watch it for a few laughs. With that said, I know several people who do like the show, and it was much funnier than the incredibly overrated 30 Rock (I have not been more mystified by the success of a "comedy" since Cheers—I can never make it past the first commercial break of either show), so I feel bad for the people that were fans of My Name is Earl. But I guess it wasn't getting the ratings, and that's just the way it goes.

Lucas Huddleston: Fiction. I used to watch the show regularly, back during the first season. I've always liked Jason Lee, and I liked the show, too. I thought it was funny, and it entertained me enough to keep me tuning in every week. However, after that first season, I just kind of stopped watching it near as much as I once did. It was just one of those things, you know…where a person just isn't too concerned with a show or whatnot anymore. That's about the best as I can explain it; I didn't think there was anything wrong with the show, or anything like that. But, needless to say, since I haven't watched it very much since its initial season, I'm not really all that bummed to see it go.. I'm sure those that DID watch it are bummin' though. I'm WAY more bummed to see King of the Hill go.

Final Score: 3 for 6

Bonus Non Fact or Fiction Question: Who is your favorite current TV actor?

John Gale: Kiefer Sutherland. This is a no-brainer for me, since I'm the same guy who just got done recapping the excellent seventh season of 24. It just doesn't get any better than Jack Bauer kicking ass and saving the country every week by whatever means necessary. And Sutherland does a great job with the character. There's a reason why he's been nominated for an Emmy for each of the first six seasons and won an Emmy for his work in Season 5. Sutherland's legal issues notwithstanding, I think he's a lock to be nominated again for his masterful performance in Season 7, and he may end up with the second Emmy of his career. Honestly, I think he turned in the best acting performance of his career in the season that just wrapped up. He was incredible. My second choice would be Steve Carrell for his work as Michael Scott on The Office. Michael is the funniest lead character since Homer Simpson when The Simpsons was still funny circa 2001.

Lucas Huddleston: Well, the obvious answer for me is Bruce Campbell from Burn Notice, considering he's one of my heroes and one of my favorite actors of all-time. As such, it'd be silly of me to go against the Man and say that he's NOT my favorite current TV actor…WHEN HE'S ON A TV SHOW! Recently, a friend of mine went to a yard sale and, lo and behold, he stumbled upon the Jack of All Trades: The Complete Series DVD-set for seven bucks. I'd never seen the thing, and when he showed it to me…it was amazing. Probably the best Bruce series ever, as it totally plays to his strengths and such, so if you're a Bruce fan, go get that series right now. Pay whatever cost – my friend also paid twenty-five smackers for Alien Apocalypse, which I still make fun of him to this day (I bought my copy for 3). Now, if the question was the best actor on TV or whatnot, I might hesitate to go with Bruce…hesitate so that I can kick my own ass for considering to not still name him. Not while he's on the TV, baby.

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What? No love for Hugh Laurie, Josh Holloway, Michael Emerson, David Boreanaz or Bryan Cranston? Ah, well, at least all these fine gentlemen got a name drop from me.

Thanks to Lucas and John for taking part, and to you for clicking the link. Check back next week for more satisfying Fact or Fiction action!
-BP

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