411 Fact or Fiction Movies/TV 02.05.10: Week 214

Posted by Ben Piper on 02.05.2010

Do people refuse to watch Jersey Shore on general principle? Will From Paris With Love kick all kinds of ass? Are people willing to get behind the idea of Gremlins 3-D? Should Mortal Kombat be rebooted? 411's Al Norton and Andy Critchell debate these and other topics in week 214 of 411 Fact or Fiction: Movies/TV!



Hello, and welcome back to Fact or Fiction. We've got another week of topics to be discussed, another two writers willing to take part, and a moderator (That'd be me) that has a bone to pick with the whole sorry lot of you, the 411 readership.

Look, I know that for the most part, you guys are okay. You're just here for some light entertainment chatter and debate, and that's all good. We'll have some laughs, and there will undoubtedly be some disagreements, but whatever. Everyone has their opinions and are entitled to them. I'm not one to judge.

But the world is already choked full of negativity and cynicism as it is. We don't need more of it, we need less. And while I can be just as negative and cynical as the next guy, I do my very best not to be. And do you know why? It's because it doesn't make me a better person. It doesn't make me more intelligent, or more insightful, or a better writer.

It would just make me a douchebag. And that's just unflattering.

So there.

So yeah, if you don't enjoy the column, stop reading it. Stop wasting everyone's time. Yours, by reading it and commenting negatively, mine, by having to put up with the BS, and everyone else's, who just stopped by to fill their time.

Al Norton and Andy Critchell are here to kick around this week. Let's get to it.

Wow, speaking of douches…



1. You refuse to watch Jersey Shore on general principle.

Al Norton: Fact. I mean, I did try to watch one episode and got about five minutes in before bailing. I can't watch a show where the main entertainment is derived from enjoying the stupidity of others, and don't try to tell me there is anything more than that involved here; these folks are not smart nor self aware and while I will admire their ability to make money off of the lack of those traits, I will not celebrate it. MTV deserves plenty of credit for finding a third pop culture phenomenon (The Real World and The Hills being the first two) but I can't help but wonder about the shelf life of this one, especially upon hearing that the second season won't take place in Jersey but rather find the batch of regulars going somewhere warmer as producers don't want to film on the Shore in the winter. Perhaps the bright lights of a new location will make fans of this train wreck come to their senses.

Andy Critchell: Fiction! Is this a joke? Jersey Shore was a HILARIOUS show about people who had no shame and yet had almost zero self awareness. It was a phenomenon, a once in a lifetime type show that simply cannot be duplicated. So there is that. And besides, not every TV show has to be an exercise in intelligence or good storytelling or compelling human drama. Sometimes things can just be fun and Jersey Shore was just plain fun. And Jersey Shore was the biggest pop culture water cooler topic in a long time so if you didn't watch then you were out of the loop for a lot of stuff. Look, there are people this stupid and ridiculous all around the world. Ignoring them won't make them go away, so why not at least get some humor out of them?

Score: 0 for 1

2. You can get behind the notion of Gremlins 3-D.

Al Norton: Fact. I am behind it as much as I am behind a third Gremlins movie of any kind. The script obviously will play a pretty large role in how good this movie is but I am coming off of seeing Avatar, which was one of the most enjoyable experiences I have had in a movie theater despite a rather pedestrian script, so the fun nostalgia of Gremlins combined with some cool special effects could make for some quality entertainment.

Andy Critchell: Fact. I am in complete agreement with Al on this one. Gremlins was cool enough when I was a kid but I'm not exactly dying to see another one. But hey, if they do make a new one then they might as well go balls out with the 3-D and the effects.

Score: 1 for 2

3. Jay Leno's appearance on Oprah didn't do himself any good with regards to damage control for his reputation and image.

Al Norton: Fact. If the question had been phrased to say he had hurt himself with damage control I would have said fiction because the truth is no one had their mind changed by this appearance; the Jay-screwed-Conan camp would use the interview as exhibit A of their "Jay has no conscience" argument and the Team Jay folks would say he used the hour to make his case quite well.

One thing that is quite clear is that Jay has no idea how he is viewed; the continuing taking shots at Conan's low ratings without pointing out it took him several years to top Letterman is disingenuous at best and blatantly manipulative at worst. I am not sure if the last few months will have any effect on his ratings - yes, there will be a spike when he returns - but it's clear that his legacy has been tarnished by his constant inability to take any responsibility for his actions.

Andy Critchell: Fiction. I disagree with the idea that Leno's legacy has been "tarnished" at all. History is written by the winners and like it or not, Leno has won twice and won big both times. In the long run, no one will remember the details of his feud with Conan or with Letterman, just that they happened, and at the end of the day Leno was still the host of the Tonight Show. As time goes on, the effects of what went down with become less and less relevant. Besides, Leno's audience and Conan's audience don't really overlap and no matter how dedicated of a Conan fan you are, how long can you be expected to carry the banner for a guy who got shafted to the tune of 30 million dollars? Leno's audience largely doesn't care about this and before long everything will be forgotten and Leno's ratings will return to what they were before the Conan mess.

Score: 1 for 3

Switch!!!



4. From Paris With Love will be a fun action thriller that kicks serious amounts of ass.

Andy Critchell: Fact. With big explosions and one liners it is clear that Travolta has taken a page out of pal Bruce Willis' playbook for a successful action movie. Much like Jersey Shore, From Paris with Love seems to be mindless fun. I'm a man damn it! I want big explosions! I want boobs! I want to see dudes kicking ass! From Paris with Love will probably fill all those requirements.

Al Norton: Fact. Once I get past the ripoff title and consider that it's directed by the guy who did Taken and factor in John Travolta and Jonathan Rhys Meyers being in the cast I am more than willing to think this will be some quality mindless fun with some well crafted action set pieces. The Italian Job of 2010 perhaps?

This is usually a slow time of year for movies as everyone is running around checking out the Oscar nominated films they missed so the timing is perfect. I don't think this will knock Avatar off the top of the heap but I see a strong opening as this could be considered paying it forward by all the women who will drag their men to see Valentine's Day next weekend.

Score: 2 for 4

5. Considering there's already two similarly themed shows on TV (Ghost Whisperer and Medium) you don't see how Past Life will find an audience and be a success.

Andy Critchell: Fact. The premise doesn't matter but the serious lack of star power does. If the biggest star on your show is Toby from the West Wing then you have a serious uphill battle. And it's not like Fox has a great history with giving shows a chance to grow over time. I'd have more hope if the main chick on the show was hotter but they don't really even have that.

Al Norton: Fact. Well, sort of. I don't think Past Life has any chance in hell of being either a good show or a hit but it has nothing to do with there being two other shows with similar themes. I mean, CBS is an entire network based on similar themes and they seem to be doing ok. The real issue is that the ads look terrible. Ok, that and that the specific premise is a great example of pushing something too far; audiences are clearly on board with ghosts and spirits crossing over to try and right past wrongs but to take that a step further and have a show based on tapping into people's past lives as a way to solve crimes is a Jesse Owens'-esque leap that I don't think viewers will be willing to make. Anything that gives Richard Schiff - the aforementioned Toby from The West Wing - gets points from me but that's where my interest begins and ends.

Ok, so the last answer my F or F compatriot talks about how he loves boobs and bombs and now in this one he wants a hotter female lead...The Andy doth protest too much, methinks.

Score: 3 for 5

6. You wouldn't mind a reboot of Mortal Kombat.

Andy Critchell: Fact. Why would I mind it? It's not like the first two movies were masterpieces. In fact, they were pretty crappy, even for mindless action movies. The only things that matter here is how interesting will the script be, how cool the fighting sequences are, and how much money the studio puts behind it. If all three of those things hit, then the movie should be a lot of fun. If not, well it's not like anyone will be up in arms about it.

Al Norton: Fact: I couldn't care less about a reboot of Mortal Kombat, which I suppose falls under "not minding". I've never played the game, didn't see the movies, and wouldn't see this one, but if someone has an idea about a better way to go about making a movie (and a sequel) that was universally panned, why not give it a go?

Final Score: 4 for 6

Bonus Non Fact or Fiction Question: What was your favorite TV show of the past decade?

Andy Critchell: There are a lot of choices here, the 2000s were great for TV, but I'd have to say my favorite is Lost, with The Wire second. Lost is the kind of show that encourages active participation with the audience by providing a multi layered and interesting plot with several simultaneous storylines. They have revolutionized the idea of a TV mystery/thriller and almost created their own genre. The Wire was also a great show with really great characters and superb writing. McNulty, Marlo, Bubbles, Avon, Stringer, Clay Davis, Kima, Cedric Daniels and almost everyone else on the show was a character that you just loved to see.

Al Norton: Interesting timing on this as over at Two Tivos To Paradise today we've got a list of the 40 Best Shows of the Decade. I didn't pick a specific show in the column but rather noted the 10 that would make up the upper 1/4 of the list but if push came to shove I'd have to go with Six Feet Under narrowly beating out The West Wing and The Sopranos. An amazing cast, great writing, and the best pilot-finale combination in TV history. Also, this was the first new show that Mrs. Tivo and I watched together after we started dating so it will always hold a special place in my heart.

________________________________________________

And there you have it. Al and Andy agree more often than not. I truly thank them both for their efforts.

"It's a beautiful world we live in
A sweet, romantic place
Beautiful people everywhere
The way they show they care
Makes me want to say,
What a beautiful world…."

-BP

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