411 Fact or Fiction Movies/TV 10.30.09: Week 201
Posted by Ben Piper on 10.30.2009
Will people flock to theaters to see Michael Jackson's This Is It? Is Ricky Gervais a perfect choice to host the Golden Globes? Is a sequel to Paranormal Activity a bad idea? Is the recent "Balloon Boy" incident a glaring example of why reality TV is a bad thing? 411's Chad Webb and Al Norton debate these and other subjects in week 201 of 411 Fact or Fiction: Movies/TV!
Welcome back! Here we go again!
I'd like to thank everyone that took the time to post a comment in last week's supersized 200th edition. The end result was the most comments for any single movie zone Fact or Fiction column ever! Most of which centered around the age old Family Guy/South Park debate, while others busied themselves by calling for Andy Critchell's head. (dude, you simply don't diss Python.)
Regardless, I hope that everyone enjoyed it and had fun reading it and participating in the debate.
This week, Chad Webb and Al Norton are here to bring their views to the table. Let's see what they are, shall we?
1. You're interested in checking out Michael Jackson's "This Is It".
Chad Webb: Fact I say "Fact", but just barely. I go see my fair share of documentaries in theaters, and I'm a huge fan of Michael Jackson, but I'm a little leery of how this footage will be assembled. The media is only now starting to calm down with their relentless coverage of everything related to Jackson, his kids, lost interviews, and on and on. The only part of This is It I'm interested in seeing are his rehearsals, to see just what he had left in terms of his performing abilities. What do people think they will learn by watching this? I hope no one expects this to shed some new light on the man. Plus, I find the timing to be way too soon. As Michael Moore has shown us, documentaries can be heavily manipulated. Sometimes this is a good thing, but for the most part, it is used in a negative way. If I do see this, it will not be opening weekend, and I might even wait until DVD depending on the circumstances. Michael had some issues, but I just hope this honors him instead of judging him.
Al Norton: Fact. Setting all the crazy aside, Michael Jackson was an incredible performer and the reviews so far for This Is It all rave about how it captures that energy and talent beautifully. Is the quick release of this about making money? Of course it is; this is a business, and hopefully his kids will benefit from the huge cash the movie will make worldwide. As far as manipulation goes, it's a documentary of a concert rehearsal, so I am not sure how much they could play with reality here. If you ever owned a Michael Jackson 45, cassette, album, or CD, I would think you'd be interested in seeing this movie.
Score: 1 for 1
2. The recent "Balloon Boy" incident is a glaring example of why reality TV is a bad thing.
Chad Webb: Fact Since Al is a TV guy and I am a movie guy we might very well have opposite opinions on this. I would be amazed if this is the first time someone tried to pull a fast one on the world for a reality TV deal (and in turn money). This is probably just the one that has received the most publicity. What the father did was wrong, but not all the fault lies with him if you ask me. The way reality shows are marketed these days, it sends the message to every average Joe and Jane that they too could get a deal and have millions watching their daily boring lives. I'm not excusing it, because he deserves some sort of punishment, but of course some people are going to go a bit wacko to get a deal when the media overwhelms us with BS about Jon and Kate 24/7. If the message is being delivered that just about anyone can be famous, you will have some who react like this. It will probably get worse. I don't watch much television, but what I watch the least amount of is anything reality TV based. It's not even reality TV really, but that's another story. Now I'm constantly seeing news bits asking us how far the punishment should go. Give me a break.
Al Norton: Fact. Sure, the same way James Frey's A Million Little Pieces was a glaring example of non-fiction books being a bad thing, and how Milli Vanilli being a glaring example of the music industry being bad. Of course I am being sarcastic but Chad's totally correct in what he says, although if you read it carefully his indictment is of the media, not of reality televison.
Saying reality television is bad is like saying pop music is bad, or that ice cream is bad; are there glaring examples of each that are awful, with no redeeming value? Of course there are, but there are plenty of examples of quality options of each as well. I'll see your Jon and Kate + 8 and give you Table For 12, a wonderful little show about a real family that is both entertaining and enlightening. If getting the three seasons of 30 Days, perhaps the best reality show in TV history, meant putting up with Wife Swap and Supernanny, I'll make that trade any day.
To me, the biggest issue here is shows like The Insider, Entertainment Tonight, Access Hollywood, and TMZ; they treat stories that previously had been considered trashy fun and blow them up like it's Watergate. And a large part of the blame has to go to the American public; the producers of these shows go with what works; if people didn't want to hear about Jon and Kate, ratings would fall and they'd move on to something else. What's worse, people trying to be famous or the people at home who can't get enough of them?
People going to extremes to seek fame have existed since the beginning of time, as have those looking to pull a fast one to make a buck. The technology that exists today allows more coverage of said folks as well as more opportunities for them to try and achieve their goals so it may seem like there are more of them but in reality (pun intended) it's the same percentage as it was 25 or 250 years ago.
Score: 2 for 2
3. A sequel to Paranormal Activity would be a bad idea.
Chad Webb: Fact Well, I won't spoil anything, but what would a sequel entail? Let's consider the options. If it were a continuation of what occurred at the end of the first film, it would be overkill, cheesy, and stupid. If they started over with a new couple, or maybe a family, it would repetitive, and still extremely dumb. Will they maintain the same style that brought them to the dance, or head in a mainstream direction? Either way won't work. This sequel has all the signs of being exactly like Blair Witch 2: Book of Shadows, which was a steaming pile of dung. I should also add that I think Paranormal Activity is very overrated, and decidedly mediocre. I hope I'm wrong. Maybe Writer/Director Oren Peli will use the bigger budget to make a terrific sequel. It could happen, but I'd put good money on it that it won't.
Al Norton: Fact. Chad mentions Blair Witch 2 above, which came to mind right away when I heard about this. Part of what has made Paranormal Activity such a pop culture phenomenon is that it came out of nowhere, and another not-so-small part is the rawness of the film, at least partially due to the low budget. Neither of that would be true with a sequel, which would make it just another scary movie. If the writer has a quality story to tell that somehow links up with the original I suppose it might work but anytime a project is more about money than creativity than the odds are against it.
Score: 3 for 3
Switch!!!
4. You're eager to check out ABC's alien invasion series remake V
Al Norton: Fact. With Battlestar Galactica gone, there is a glaring hole in my TV science fiction diet, and I am quite excited to give V the shot to earn my Tivo season pass. V has multiple things going for it; the source material is very cool, it has a strong cast, and the guy in charge of the project - Scott Peters - was the same person who gave us The 4400, so he has shown he has a touch for intelligent sci-fi. I am a bit concerned about ABC's strategy of showing four episodes and then pulling it for several months, but that has nothing to do with the quality of V's content.
Chad Webb: Fiction. Oddly enough, even though I don't catch much television these days, a preview for this series has been playing in theaters, so I at least know what it looks like. I would like to see the original 1983 mini-series, and its sequel possibly, but this new series does not look good enough for me to take a chance on. I plan on finally delving into Battlestar Galactica sooner or later, mainly because people keep urging me to. If for some reason this got rave reviews, I might check out on DVD, but I doubt it. The premise could work I suppose, but I'm just not all that enthused by the footage I've seen. The cast doesn't really help either.
Score: 3 for 4
5. Ricky Gervais is a brilliant choice to host next years Golden Globe Awards.
Al Norton: Fact. Fact. A Thousand times Fact!!!! Ricky Gervais' last few award show appearances have been hysterical, and while there was a push for him to host The Oscars or The Emmys, I think the Golden Globes is perfect in that there is not the same stuffiness that comes with the other awards. I mean, people are drinking during the telecast - the people at the awards, not just the audience at home - meaning his in-person audience might be a little more open to what I am sure will be more than a few outrageous jokes. I am also hoping he makes a short film or two for the show. I can think of no one else in the entertainment industry who is better suited to poke fun of the excesses of Hollywood while at the same time still loving every minute of the spotlight it provides.
Chad Webb: Fact. Ricky Gervais is the perfect choice to host any award show. Honestly, I would prefer he host the Oscars, but this works too. Al is right. His last few award show appearances have been some of the more memorable segments from those respective ceremonies, and I know he could be spectacular for a full length show. Plus, with the recent bomb that was The Invention of Lying, he needs a boost to keep American audiences interested in him. If the Golden Globes gig goes well, he also has Cemetery Junction coming to theaters, which will hopefully be excellent. His personality is perfect for an award show, and I think he'll prove that.
Score: 4 for 5
6. The current vampire craze in pop culture has overstayed its welcome and needs to go away.
Al Norton: Fiction. Here is the real issue; people love to hate things that are popular, especially if they liked said thing before the rest of the world caught on. If the vampire craze leads to quality product being produced, why would anyone have an issue? If you don't like something, don't watch/read/listen to it. I mean, what are we talking about here right now; one TV show, one movie series, and a bunch of young adult books. How is this really effecting anyone's lives in a profoundly negative way?
People waste way too much energy hating on things that really don't impact their lives in any way. Is getting worked up about seeing Robert Pattinson on the cover of another magazine really worth it? Let people like what they like, focus on what you enjoying spending your pop culture time on, and we'll all be a lot happier.
Chad Webb: Fiction. Let's be truthful. It's not the vampire trend that needs to go away. It's friggin' Twilight that needs to go away. It's frustrating when classic books like Wuthering Heights and films like Near Dark are changing their covers to resemble Twilight and appeal to those fans. That is what needs to stop. True Blood is a very good series I've been told, and I don't know anything about The Vampire Diaries, but it has received mixed reviews. Daybreakers doesn't look half bad as a film with Ethan Hawke and Willem Dafoe, and Cirque De Freak barely made a splash in theaters. The fact is vampires have been popular for decades. They always will be. It just so happens that now they are REALLY popular, and eventually it will die down. I can stand a "vampire craze" more than I could another reality show craze, or more shows about doctors and hospitals, or more courtroom dramas. If the Twilight franchise disappeared, I doubt many people would be complaining.
Final Score: 5 for 6
Bonus Fact or Fiction Question: What is your favorite horror movie of all time?
Al Norton: I am not a big horror movie guy as I like my entertainment to offer some semblance of realism and horror films that are realistic in their portrayal of said horror would offer no entertainment value to me. That being said, I saw Friday The 13th: The Final Chapter in the theater multiple times as a kid, and have the image of little Corey Feldman hacking up Jason embedded in my brain. I am not sure it is a great movie but it is far and away my favorite of the genre.
Chad Webb: My favorite has been the classic silent film Nosferatu for some time now, but Rosemary's Baby comes close as well. F.W. Murnau's masterpiece never gets old, and is always creepy. Roman Polanski's film is outstanding as well. Both are more than just horror, which is normally what I prefer in the genre.
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And there you go, Chad and Al are mostly in agreement. Thanks to them both for taking part, and to all of you for reading. Come back next week for more Fact or Fiction goodness!
-BP
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I probably might check out V, at least initially, but as the original program showed, the potential for a lengthy series can be difficult to sustain. The original V miniseries on NBC was very good, with a nice blend of sci fi and social commentary (paralleling the Visitors with Nazis). The follow up miniseries was also solid, if not quite as philosophical--plus it had Michael Ironside as a badass, but with a bit of a heart. However, the series never really took off, and really went into the toilet once half of the cast was written off midway through the season (including some of the more interesting characters). That is not to say that a series might not still hold our interest over a period of time. However, the writing has got to be very good, along with sustained support from the network, neither of which were the case in the 80's.
Plus, at least this show doesn't have Marc Singer, who could possibly have been one of the worst leading men in a TV show of all time. If you doubt me, check out his so called "acting" in V the Final Battle particularly in the scene where he is told that his son may have been brainwashed by the Visitors.
Posted By: Michael L (Guest) on October 29, 2009 at 11:13 PM
"He has his father's eyes."
"Those aren't Guy's eyes."
"Satan is his father."
"Hail Satan!"
Ah, he got that bitch good.
Posted By: Erik Luers (Registered) on October 30, 2009 at 01:06 AM
Re Question 6: No, Vampires do not need to go. The gay vampire craze needs to go. The "sensitive side" vampires need to go. Twilight has reached the level of annoyance that only Anne Rice's garbage had previously hit.
Posted By: Scott B (Guest) on October 30, 2009 at 02:24 AM
The original V was all kinds of kick ass, I saw it first when I was 7 years old and it used to scare the hell out of me. Can't wait for the new one!
Posted By: M:-X (Guest) on October 30, 2009 at 08:54 AM
why does morena baccarin keep having her hair that short (in V) ?? she looks so good with long hair
Posted By: hmm (Guest) on October 30, 2009 at 03:04 PM
Re: the vampire craze, well said Al. Why waste time hating on something when you can go enjoy the things that speak to you?
Posted By: Chamby X (Registered) on October 30, 2009 at 04:41 PM
Chad Webb, What the hell do you want from the movie calling it overrated? It was one of the most original horror movies ever made..I don't know how people can't like this movie..makes no sense
Posted By: LetsgoMEts1981 (Guest) on October 30, 2009 at 07:55 PM
. You're interested in checking out Michael Jackson's "This Is It".
fiction fiction fiction
have no desire to sit in a theater filled with crying NAMBLA members
Posted By: Guest#1803 (Guest) on October 30, 2009 at 08:45 PM
