411 Fact or Fiction Movies/TV 09.25.09: Week 196

Posted by Ben Piper on 09.25.2009

Will Surrogates be a superior sci-fi film? Will Fame tank at the box office? Will Pandorum be an effective and original thriller? Is it too early to be talking about a proposed Sherlock Holmes sequel? 411's Jeremy Thomas and Todd Vote debate these and other topics in week 196 of 411 Fact or Fiction: Movies/TV!



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Aloha, and welcome back once again to another installment of Fact or Fiction. This week, the gaming zone's Todd Vote lends a hand and his opinion as he stands opposed to Mr. Hush-Hush himself, Jeremy Thomas. Let's see what's up, shall we?



1. Surrogates will be a superior sci fi-action film.

Jeremy Thomas: Fiction. It takes a lot for me to consider something a superior sci-fi action film; the bar is pretty high. This is not to say it won't be enjoyable, I very much think it has a chance to be an enjoyable film. It just doesn't look like a particularly intelligent film… which is to say it's taking an intelligent concept and mashing it into action cliches. I think it certainly has the potential to be a superior sci-fi action film; when it comes to movies like this Bruce Willis generally knows his stuff (See: Fifth Element, Sixth Sense & Unbreakable) and the rest of the cast is good. However, I'm just not sold on it. I think this will be a good but ultimately forgettable sci-fi action film, trying but failing to reach the levels achieved by Blade Runner, The Terminator and T2, Aliens and--hate all you want--Serenity and Minority Report.

Todd Vote: Fiction. I agree with Jeremy 100%. There have been so many incredible sci-fi films in the past that the bar is set pretty high. Surrogates, while looking like a film I would definitely want to see, doesn't jump off the screen from the trailers as anything more than a run of the mill sci-fi feature. That's not to say that's a bad thing, as I have enjoyed many a run of the mill sci-fi films. But I'm afraid when it comes to the genre, to actually expect anything more than that is usually a recipe for disappointment. I love the genre, but it takes a pretty special flick to separate itself from the pack.

Score: 1 for 1

2. You were pleased for the most part with the list of this year's Emmy winners.

Jeremy Thomas: Fiction. I don't watch TV. I'm kidding, I'm kidding! Hey you, put the rotten cabbage away! Seriously though, I wasn't too happy with the Emmy winners. There were some that I was okay with. Glenn Close was deserving of her win for Damages, I was glad to see Cherry Jones with for 24 and obviously Tina Fey deserved every award she can win for her Palin impression on SNL. But I'm frankly tired that one of my favorite shows on TV, Dexter, can't win an award to save it's life. Call me biased if you wish, but I absolutely feel that Dexter is some of the best television running and at the very least, Michael C. Hall should have gotten the nod for Best Actor, or Jimmy Smits for best Guest Actor. Outside of that little rant, most of the wins were safe but iffy choices. Hell, including that rant most of the wins were safe and iffy. 30 Rock is funny, but it's no Weeds. And much like that, Adam Baldwin is a funny guy, but I would have preferred to see Tony Shalhoub win. And then there were things that boggled my mind. Jon Cryer beats Neil Patrick Harris? Are you kidding me? This was supposed to be the year everything was different, but it came out as ultimately a boring, predictable set of wins for the most part and I had hoped for better.

Todd Vote: Fiction. But only because I can't choose indifferent. Not a big fan of awards shows. To be quite honest, I don't watch the majority of the shows that get nominated every year. 30 Rock, The Office, Weeds, and Family Guy are the only nominated shows that I try to stay up on. Add to that that the two or three shows I try to catch religiously are never nominated for anything, and suddenly the Emmy's have lost any appeal that they would have had. I can't argue with Mad Men though.. Any show with Christina Hendrix on it can have any award it wants. Weeds is a better comedy than 30 Rock, and my favorite drama didn't get a nomination. Well wait.. Would Supernatural count as a drama?

Score: 2 for 2

3. Fame will tank at the box office.

Jeremy Thomas: Fiction. Never underestimate a dance film. No, really. Never ever underestimate a dance film. Frankly, I don't know how the damn things do so well. They're usually crap, there's usually no marketable stars, but damn if people don't go out to see these things in droves. Yes, you'll occasionally get one that bombs--Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, I'm looking at you--but for the most part they do okay. I'm not talking $30 million opening, $100 million domestic okay, but well enough to be considered a success. With Fame, you have some moderately known names like Kelsey Grammar, Charles S. Dutton and Debbie Allen who was in the original. That last name might pull in some fans of the original, and some fans of the original will go hoping to see (relative) magic strike twice. Plus, you have to figure on the strong marketing push, the fact that it's in over 3,000 theaters and the PG-13 rating. There's enough glitz and hipness that the tweeners who want something High School Musical-esque will go. The final part of this equation is that the budget for the film is only $25 million. As loathe as I am to admit it, because I think it's going to be horrible, Fame will pull a good portion of that in during the first weekend. Throughout it's entire run I'm thinking that we're looking at $50, $55 million dollars with will make it a tidy little success for UA and MGM.

Todd Vote: Fiction. Considering the film was made with a very small budget ($25 million) and it is a dance flick, I say it makes it's money back before its second weekend. Then as Jeremy said will probably top off around $50 million. There is no reason to think that Fame will not be successful, and unfortunately keep these dance movies assaulting our senses for the foreseeable future. Sad? Yes... very.

Score: 3 for 3

Switch!!!



4. Pandorum will be an effective and original thriller.

Todd Vote: Fiction on original, fact on effective. Pandorum, while not a highly original concept, should be an effective thriller. The trailers I have seen have been fairly creepy, and that alone is enough for me to want to check it out. I realize that this has Paul W.S. Anderson attached as a producer, but that doesn't bother me the way it would some others. I am not the type of person who has to have deep meaningful stories to enjoy a film. Sometimes I just want a good scare, or a good action flick without having to wrack my brain to know what is going on. This seems to be that type of movie.

Jeremy Thomas: Fact. I think that Pandorum gives off a strong Event Horizon vibe. For some, this may not be a good thing but for me it undoubtedly is. It has that feel but the plot seems more Cronenberg-esque. I think the blending of those two does make for something quite original and creepy. Ben Foster has proven he can be a very good actor in films like this, with 30 Days of Night to his credit, and G.I. Joe aside Dennis Quaid is a reliable actor. The trailers have been quite good and the posters are nothing short of disturbing. I don't hate Paul W.S. Anderson like some do; he's made some crap films but he's made good ones, too. I think this has a lot of potential and should get a fair chance from audiences looking for something good.

Score: 3 ½ for 4 (?!). Screw it, we'll call it 4 for 4

5. It's far too early for there to be talk of a Sherlock Holmes sequel.

Todd Vote: Fact. I say this while also saying the movie looks awesome and I can't wait to see it. It is definitely to early for serious talks of a sequel. It's par for the course anymore though. As soon as a film starts generating any sort of positive buzz, the studios start cramming it down our throats with talks of sequels. Do they think that announcing a planned sequel makes me more apt to go see the first one? I don't see the harm in waiting till a film is released, and well received before talking about continuing a franchise. But these days if you aren't trying to make a franchise, you aren't trying hard enough for your studio...

Jeremy Thomas: Fact. I'm very hopeful that Sherlock Holmes will be a great movie, and I think what I've seen leads me to believe that this is the case. However, I hate it when Hollywood starts trying to build hype for a sequel before the first movie is already out. Especially in the current economy, a studio should be focusing on making profits on the movies they've spent umpteen million dollars on, not the one they're making if the first movie does well. The Hangover 2 was announced before the first one came out and it bugged me, but at least that was only a week or two before that one hit theaters. Honestly though, I don't know how much of this comes from the studio and how much is pure rumor and speculation. Either way, yes it's absolutely too soon.

Score: 5 for 5

6. You think the Nigerian government overreacted by banning District 9 from their country.

Todd Vote: Fact. I wasn't able to see District 9 yet, so I am basing this answer off of what I read. This is no different than Iran being upset at the portrayal of the Persians in 300. The country feels it creates negative thoughts on their society. It's an understandable gripe, but at the same time, I'm sure they have films in their countries that doesn't always paint the US in a positive light. Hell we have films here that don't always paint the US in a positive light. People aren't going to come away from District 9 talking badly of Nigerian people, they are going to be coming away talking about the film they just saw. It's a bit over-sensitive.

Jeremy Thomas: Fact. I think the Nigerian government overreacted, yes. I'm not ready to condemn them for it, because I can understand where they are coming from in an emotional sense. It is true that one of the worst characters in the film is Nigerian. However, this is Neil Blomkamp's attempt to introduce another important element of what happened in South Africa during apartheid, when blacks turned on each other for profit. In this case, it's the previously-oppressed minority turning on another minority who is lower than them. It's also worth noting that this is one group of gangs in the films, not an act by the Nigerian government. I understand why Nigeria feels this way and they have the right to ban any film. We are lucky to live in a country where relatively little is directly banned in terms of films. (Some are restricted, but that's a debate for another time.) But bottom line, yes they overreacted from my point of view.

Final Score: 6 for 6

Bonus Non Fact Or Fiction Question: What is your favorite movie genre?

Todd Vote: Oh man... If I could get a Sci-fi-action-comedy with a slasher in it, I'd be in heaven. If I had to choose one, I would say Action-Comedy.

Jeremy Thomas: I love almost every genre of film, but if I have to pick one I have to go with horror. There's so much variety--a deceptive amount, considering there's something for every mood. There's creepy psychological stuff, or flat-out gore. There's some great horror films and some that are so bad that they're good. Horror comedy, supernatural horror, action horror...so many good choices. You really can't go wrong.

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For the second week in a row we've got a reverse no-hitter! Many thanks to both Todd and Jeremy for taking part. Check back next week for more enticing Fact or Fiction action!
-BP

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