411 Fact or Fiction Movies/TV 09.04.09: Week 193

Posted by Ben Piper on 09.04.2009

Will Extract be Mike Judge's best movie yet? Are people going to tune in to Curb Your Enthusiasm to see the Seinfeld cast reunion? Will All About Steve elevate itself above the usual rom-com doldrums? Is USA Network the best basic cable channel in terms of original programming? 411's Jeffrey Harris and Cory Johnson debate these and other topics in week 193 of 411 Fact or Fiction: Movies/Tv!



Hello Everyone. Welcome back once again to the column that has dudes commenting in the comments section for honest yet unreasonable reasons, Fact or Fiction. As always, I am your humble host/moderator, Ben Piper.

I make that introductory statement for a purpose, seeing as a couple of commenters had a problem with last week's column as it was presented. First off, let's see what they had to say…

hey! heres hoping next week you get people who have actually seen half of the stuff the questions are about! do you think we can get some of that?
Posted By: Guest#9761 (Guest) on August 28, 2009 at 09:33 AM

Agreed, Guest#9761 - pretty sad when you comment on something you really know nothing about. Ben, get some better informed participants
Posted By: McCheezy (Guest) on August 28, 2009 at 01:30 PM

Been a while since we've had this kind of talk, so I guess we're about freakin' due…

First off, Fact or Fiction: Movies/TV is put together using a rotation of the various staffers ‘on call' so to speak. This rotation is made up of various writers that have agreed to take part. It is mostly the entirety of the movie zone's staff, (with a couple of exceptions) plus a few guys from other zones that wanted to participate. The rotation is large enough at this point that each person involved takes part once every two or three months. That's a lot of people to keep track of.

As such, it is literally impossible for me to know week to week, given how many individuals take part, what each singular writer is knowledgeable in. In other words, I'm not omniscient. The best I can promise is that I know who the Englishmen are, and can try to stay away from American TV show questions when dealing with them when they're up. (To their credit, they know a lot more than I give credit for. Tim, Owain and Arnold are all great.)

Now, the comments that I've highlighted singled out both Jason Chamberlain and Will Helm for the responses they gave during last week's column.

Did I see that coming after reading what they wrote? Yeah, most definitely. I've been in charge of this column for the past two and a half years. I can see a storm of negative comment reactions from a mile away as soon as I set eyes upon them.

But the bottom line is that while these commenters faulted Jason and Will for their responses, I don't. Why? Because I'm the ass that has had to put this column together every week for a lot longer that I wish to admit, and I've seen enough to know which way the wind blows. While I do not know Jason or Will personally, I know their work. I know that they do know their stuff. And I also know It is NOT their fault that I came at them with questions that they did not have answers for. It is NOT their fault that I came at them to comment on stuff they haven't seen. And it is NOT my fault in that I did not know all of that beforehand. For honestly, how could I?

Stuff just happens. Not always, but sometimes. That's just the way it flows. Not every column with multiple participants can be a perfect little gathering that warms the heart. I have a deadline to meet, and I just manage to put this thing together the best that I can (Usually by the seat of my pants) every time out.

And you, as the reader, should know that as well, considering I've gone out of my way from time to time to bite back at the whole lot of you when all the feedback has been negative. It's not a perfect world, and we are not perfect people. We DO NOT live stereotypically in our parent's basements watching each and every TV show & movie that comes down the turnpike. We have lives of our own, and while we all love writing for 411, it is not the be all end all of our personal existences.

I'd also like to point out the little fact that you don't have to pay a red cent to read any of it. By benefit of the wondrous world of advertising, outside of a few pop-ups, you're all free and clear. You read this stuff for free.

So yes. I hear you. I feel your pain. I'd be in the same boat if I weren't on "the inside". But I am.

That said, get over it. It is what it is. And do your best to enjoy it as such. We had an off week. It happens.

Now please allow me to step off of my soapbox and get this thing started properly. This week Jeffrey Harris and Cory Johnson step into the lion's den.



1. Extract will be the best Mike Judge film yet.

Jeffrey Harris: Fiction. Extract looks ok, but Office Space and Beavis And Butthead Do America were brilliant. Idiocracy was alright, but I mean c'mon, the movie stars Jason Bateman who I have yet to find compelling in a lead role. I've only found him enjoyable in small supporting roles like The Break-Up and Dodgeball really. The trailers also seem to have a very mixed vibe like they don't really know what the movie is about.

Cory Johnson: Fiction. It pains me to say this, because I think Extract could be a great movie, but Mike Judge is not going to be able to come close to the iconic, quoteable Office Space (Beavis and Butthead Do America is great and one of my personal favorites, but it is not aging very well). Mike Judge impressed me with Idiocracy, which wasn't great but much better than I ever expected, so I have hope for this movie, especially going back to the working man's setting.

Score: 1 for 1

2. You refuse to pay attention to any more Batman 3 rumors until Christopher Nolan either confirms he's on board or he moves on to something else.

Jeffrey Harris: Fact. I'm sick and tired of all these BS rumors coming from an unreliable British tabloid newspaper being taken as fact. All this garbage like Cher being in the movie as a vampire. Enough already. What's more annoying is that people actually comment on it like its legit. Warner Bros. has not announced anything. No release, not even a projected release date yet. Gary Oldman might say 2011, but I bet you he doesn't even know and is just saying stuff to get the fans off his back.

Cory Johnson: Fact I'm not paying attention to Batman rumors period. The problem is that with or without Nolan, deep down I truly don't believe that they will be able to top The Dark Knight. Are we EVER going to see another actor/villian capable of winning an Oscar? Think about the Batman rouge's gallery and sadly realize that they have already used up the best villians they had. They could take another villian and modify them into greatness, like taking Catwoman out of the lover/antagonist role, but the Riddler, Penguin, Hush, or Bane will always be seen as a step down from the Joker. I think that Batman needs a little break before they plunge into Batman 3, but the rumors are going to continue until they stop selling and generating hits. I wouldn't be surprised if Fox started the Catwoman rumor herself, especially since people love thinking about her in leather and she has a new movie of her own to publicize and she is a bit of an attention whore.

Score: 2 for 2

3. USA Network is the best basic cable channel in terms of original programming.

Jeffrey Harris: Fact. Tough call IMHO, but I'll go ahead and say fact. Burn Notice is probably one of my favorite shows on right now. Psych and Monk are a lot of fun, and I've actually really been enjoying Royal Pains. I do simply appreciate that USA makes original 1 hour shows and doesn't kill them after a few episodes like most of the other networks. They seem to actually invest in the success of new original shows instead of shoving hours of reality garbage down our throats.

Cory Johnson: Fiction. I like USA, Psych and Monk have some great moments, and Royal Pains has been really good, but I could live without the USA originals. I almost gave this to FX because of Damages, Sons of Anarchy, and Rescue Me (RIP Shield), but the network with the best original programming is AMC. They win based on only two shows-Mad Men and Breaking Bad, but the quality of these two shows is what makes them stand out. Both have incredible casts and are completely different than anything else on TV. Breaking Bad is good enough that I would probably give this to AMC if Breaking Bad was the only show on AMC. Add in the amazing Mad Men and AMC will get me to check out anything they produce next.

Score: 3 for 3

Switch!!!



4. You want to check out the new season of Curb Your Enthusiasm for the promised Seinfeld cast reunion.

Cory Johnson: Fact. Seinfeld realistically couldn't do a reunion show; it just wouldn't work, but having the cast on Larry David's show trying to work out HOW to have a reunion show is unbelievably brilliant. The second that I heard the concept, I knew it was going to work, because it fits the approach that Seinfeld took towards comedy. I give Jerry Seinfeld some credit for giving a little back to his co-creator and co-writer Larry David, as well as the rest of the cast, considering all the animosity the DVD releases caused (and since Seinfeld doesn't NEED to do anything the rest of his life). I can't wait to see how they handle Richard's rascism rant, Louis-Dreyfus' successful show, George's failures, and if they can work Neuman in. I wonder if Seinfeld is still relevant, outside of the group that watched it on NBC, but Curb Your Enthusiasm is going to draw phenominal numbers this season and I will be one of them.

Jeffrey Harris: Fact. I'm interested because it seems even though its a subplot for an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm, there's still some sort of pseudo story being written in for the reunion episode which the actors talked about where their characters currently are for this new story within a story of Curb Your Enthusiasm. I'm curious exactly what we'll see of the actual reunion footage.

Score: 3 for 4

5. Gamer will suck horrendously.

Cory Johnson: Fiction. Action movie fans have been really spoiled by The Dark Knight. Gamer looks like a perfectly decent popcorn flick, filled with explosions, crashes and special effects. Expectations for action movies are nearly impossible to meet. Look at Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and Terminator: Salvation, both of them were perfectly awesome action movies (even if both of the movies were completely missing a coherrent plot), but when the plot and characters didn't meet up to the lofty fanbase expectations, they were sentenced to a harsher scrutiny then they deserved. What makes me want to give this film a shot is the strong cast. Gerard Butler has been good-great in everything I have seen him in, and Michael C. Hall looks ready to steal every scene. Kyra Sedgwick and Ludacris round out a really interesting cast. The concept sounds like something straight of the George Carlin bit about the death penalty mixed with the monologue Carlin never got to deliver on World of Warcraft. I think this movie will surprise some people.

Jeffrey Harris: Fiction. I pretty much agree with Johnson even though I don't think the movie looks that great. Also I think there is nothing wrong in desiring strong plot and characters, even in action movies. Look at garbage like Babylon AD, Dragonball, and XXX: State of the Union. I think the movie looks interesting and it has a gritty look to it, but it could also easily end up being this year's Death Race 3000.

Score: 4 for 5

6. The assembled cast and unusual premise will help elevate All About Steve above the usual rom-com doldrums.

Cory Johnson: Fiction. Sandra Bullock continues to try to find those perfect little quirky roles, but the preview did nothing for me. Bullock is at her best when she can be tough and sarcastic in small enough doses to remain loveable. This movie looks like she is trying to channel Dharma (of Dharma and Greg, not the Initiative) and I have no desire to see that re-run. I don't care that Bullock went blonde and is playing an off-balance character again (did someone think Force of Nature was THAT good?). I would like to see Bullock step out of her comfort zone, but she just looks like any other unconventional character going through the motions. I feel like I have seen this movie already, and that's never a good sign.

Jeffrey Harris: Fiction. It doesn't look all that unusual to me. The only really strong example I can say that did something like Ben Jammin suggests is the criminally underrated movie The Break-Up from 2006. This looks like a pretty basic rom-com, not to say that it won't do well, but I see nothing to indicate that it will be elevated from the usual rom-com doldrums. Looks like they are forcing Sandra Bullock to sport a push up bra though. For shame Sandra, be proud of what you got. You are hotter without the push up bra.

Final Score: 5 for 6

Bonus Non Fact or Fiction Question: What was your favorite movie of this past summer?

Cory Johnson: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. So many people hated this movie just because it didn't make any sense, but this movie made me remember what is so great about seeing movies in the theater (and why Imax is sweet). It was just big, dumb, loud fun and it worked perfectly on that level...especially considering that a live-action/cgi movie based on toys and a cartoon should never work. I still don't know why Wheelie humped her leg or why Prime has to die in every other TF movie, but I don't care, life's too short.

Jeffrey Harris: Star Trek. No offense to Mr. Johnson, but karmic forces are arranging some delightful comeuppance for picking Bayformers 2. Star Trek at least made me believe that there can be some merit to the reboot craze, but at at the very least it had a strong story (that doesn't really undo the original timeline), and a lovely as well as likable cast. Zach Quinto both honored and broke new ground with his interpretation of Spock. And SIMON PEGG AS SCOTTY! Perfect. My only quibble is that Nero was fairly flat as a villain, and the beagle should've popped up somewhere.

_____________________________________________

I must admit, I could've worded argument # 5 better, but hey, I personally think that Gamer looks like a complete mess. But that's just me.

Anyways, many thanks to Cory and Jeffrey for taking part. Come back next week for even more fantastic Fact or Fiction action.
-BP

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