411 Fact or Fiction Movies: Week 93

Posted by Ben Piper on 09.14.2007

Will Jodie Foster be nominated for another Oscar for her latest movie? Are the MTV VMA's no longer relevant? Should Disney have fired Vanessa Hudgens? 411's Steve Vicious and Joseph Lee debate these and other topics in week 93 of Fact or Fiction: Movies!

Hello everyone, and welcome back once again to Fact or Fiction: Movies!

As you may or may not know, the powers that be here at 411 decided to hire some new blood for all the various zones. As such, you shall be getting introduced to some new names and talent in the near future. Some of that will occur right here in this column as over the next few weeks this will be the first forum for some of these young writers to express their opinions.

This week, you shall be introduced to Joseph Lee. Standing across the aisle from him is 411 vet Steve Vicious. Let's get this shindig underway.

1. HBO's Tell Me You Love Me will be the cable net's next breakout hit.

Steve Vicious: Fact - It's kind of hard to go against a show that will air on HBO, but the premise of the show sounds interesting. Not to mention all of the suggestive simulated sex that will be going on the show will be enough to garner the interest of the majority of HBO's viewers.

Joseph Lee: Fiction - I say fiction but I'll admit if I'm wrong. The entire "simulated sex" notion just screams "gimmick" to me. If the show proves to be worthwhile outside of that gimmick, then we have something. As of right now, it just seems like a ploy to gain more viewers, and I'm not sure it's even a good one.

Score: 0 for 1

2. Mr. Woodcock will be another creatively underachieving Billy Bob Thorton vehicle.

Steve Vicious: Fact - It looks like just another throwaway comedy film, in my opinion. It will probably do good in the box office, but I don't think the reviews will be positive. Bad Santa was a fun film, but the Bad News Bears was disappointing. Billy Bob should probably focus more on dramas because he has done it so well in the past. Check out Monster's Ball for an example of what Billy Bob can really do.

Joseph Lee: Fact - Is it bad that when I see Billy Bob Thorton's name attached to a comedy I now cringe? Bad News Bears was unnecessary. School for Scoundrels was like a watered-down version of Anger Management. This seems like the same movie as Scoundrels, only it replaced rising star Jon Heder with falling star Seann William Scott. Billy Bob needs to do something great to get out of the rut he appears to be in.

Score: 1 for 2

3. You don't think that there are any huge breakout hits amongst the new shows on the fall TV lineup.

Steve Vicious: Fact - Without question there's nothing I'm looking forward to watching on television this fall. Last season I had Heroes, Friday Night Lights and 30 Rock. Nothing interests me about this upcoming season. Bionic Woman looks okay, but it's not something I'm DYING to see.

Joseph Lee: Fact - Most shows I'm watching are returning. Does Californication count? It's decent, but it's only one out of many that I don't have an interest in. The majority just do not appeal to me, regardless of NBC's advertising campaign for shows such as Chuck and Journeyman. The fact I don't even know what is on other networks shows how interesting the lineup is to me.

Score: 2 for 3

Switch!!!

4. You're buying into the hype that Jodie Foster will be Oscar nominated for her role in The Brave One.

Joseph Lee: Fiction - I wasn't aware there was hype. The Brave One looks like Death Sentence with Jodie Foster in the Kevin Bacon role. A woman vigilante looks like a neat twist, but the trailers make it feel like a Lifetime movie and not the dark movie it appears it should be. I'm more torn than anything. Let's just go with fiction, but I'm more taking a "wait and see" approach.

Steve Vicious: Fiction - Yeah, I wasn't aware of the hype for Foster's role too. I probably won't see the film since it doesn't float with my usual tastes, but I'm sure Jodie will perform well in her role.

Score: 3 for 4

5. The MTV Video Music Awards are no longer relevant.

Joseph Lee: Fact - I didn't even know this was happening until after it happened. The biggest news stories to come out of the awards were celebrities making themselves look like jokes. Justin Timberlake won a lot of awards, but the big story was Britney's failed comeback and the battle of white trash musicians. When the off-screen hoopla makes a bigger story than career achievements, I think your relevance is gone.

Steve Vicious: Fact - Like I mentioned before, the VMAs used to be something I looked forward to watching towards the end of the summer. However, the show has become a total joke the past couple of years. The last time I cared to watch the show was when Johnny Cash's "Hurt" video was nominated for a VMA. My main gripe with the show is the lack of rock in it. It's like MTV is all about rap and R&B. That's not what I'm into.

Score: 4 for 5

6. Disney should have fired High School Musical star Vanessa Hudgens over the nude picture scandal.

Joseph Lee: Fact - I don't get the High School Musical business. I don't see what the big deal is. However I know a lot of kids do, and it's a very popular program on Disney. Star or no, Vanessa Hudgens obviously is not someone to display when she's not a good role model for the youth. A teen idol that falls astray is shocking, I know.

Steve Vicious: Fiction - Disney is a clean, family brand with high moral standards, but this "scandal" wasn't anything that Vanessa planned. It was a bad mistake on her part and it's the fault of whoever leaked the images. It's not like the High School Musical audience will be aware that she is nude on the internet because their parents probably have it loaded with parental restrictions.


Final Score: 4 for 6

That's it for this go ‘round. Thanks to Joseph and Steve, and thanks to each and every one of you for reading. Check back next week for more Fact or Fiction: Movies!