411 Fact or Fiction Movies: Week 99
Posted by Ben Piper on 10.26.2007
Will Ben Affleck find a second career as a director? Will Rendition find an audience despite its difficult subject matter? Are people looking forward to the live action Star Wars TV series? 411's Mike Gorman & Owain J. Brimfield debate these and other topics in week 99 of 411 Fact or Fiction: Movies!
Hello again! Yes it's that time of the week, time for Fact or Fiction: Movies.
Before we get into the column proper, I have something I need to address. Last week I got a couple of emails from you, the fans of this humble debate. As always, I welcome and encourage each and every one of you to reach out with your thoughts and perspectives on any given matter that we cover. However, you should probably be aware that if you click the link at the bottom of the page to contact me, you're doing just that, contacting me, Ben Piper, the moderator. If you wish to ream one of the participants for something that they wrote, then please, by all means you are free to do so. Just remember that I have no control over what any of these guys say, so please don't scream at me as though I was the one that offended you.
All of this stems from a statement debated over last week regarding the Fox TV show Bones and whether it was underrated or not. Both of last week's participants stated fiction, which really riled up a lot of fans of the show. After responding to the emails I received and clearing the air, I have decided that from time to time when I disagree with the arguments presented in this column, I'll chime in with my two cents worth. (That won't count towards the score, obviously) Which would look like this;
BP: Fact- The reason why I included the argument in this week's column is because I personally find "Bones" to be far more enjoyable than the usually emotionless procedurals that proliferate the airwaves. That and the fact that it seems like the show is never given any love by the mainstream media whom always fall all over themselves to promote "CSI".
Fair enough? This way I can avoid being systematically dismantled by people who think that I always agree with what winds up being presented, which is not always the case.
Alright, with that out of the way, we can now move onto why we're all here. This week we have Mike Gorman & Owain J. Brimfield taking part, so let's see what they have to say for themselves.
1. Gone Baby Gone's early critical success will ensure a second career for Ben Affleck as a director.
Mike Gorman: Fiction. If an Oscar for writing did not guarantee follow up success in scripting for this guy I am not sure that a well received directing turn will merit further gigs. I think it will depend on how this picture is judged by the public and also by the power players who might fund his future ventures.
Owain J. Brimfield: Fiction. It doesn't help that UK viewers won't get to see this, given apparent parallels between the Harlan Coben story it's based on and the recent disappearance of Madeleine McCann, a story the UK media has been all over like some sort of nasty yeast infection (and don't get me started on that). Shame, as the book is quite good and apparently so's the film. Still, Affleck will have to have a lot more than one contemporary success to outweight his current reputation, which is still bearing the scars of Daredevil and his association with Jennifer Lopez. Plus, he's one of those people, to me at least, who's just inherently unlikeable.
Score: 1 for 1
2. You're happy that The Office will revert to a half hour after the four one hour episodes that started the season.
Mike Gorman: Fact. One of the greatest things about The Office is the rapid fire timing and editing of the episodes. The one hour episodes had some high points but many times I felt like I was watching an episode of Saturday Night Live, ie. The jokes went on way too long. Streamlined 30 minute episodes will keep the material fresher as the season progresses.
Owain J. Brimfield: Fact. I'm surprised they have been as confident in writing new material as they have, given that the original UK Office only ran for 14 half-hour episodes. From what I've seen, though, the quality is still up there, even if I still can't get past my niggling doubts that it's not quiiiiite as good as the Ricky Gervais version. However, keeping things trimmed down to thirty minutes will undoubtedly extend the show's lifespan and keep the pacing of the episodes more satisfactory.
Score:2 for 2
3. Rendition will be hard pressed to find an audience, given it's subject matter.
Mike Gorman: Fact. And this is a fact I am not so happy about, but I think that this film is being given too much weight in the arena of political discussions before it is being seen. I sadly think some people will stay away because of the discomfort they might feel at the concepts of the film. Here's hoping I'm wrong. I'd much rather have people see a movie that challenges our actions and then debate it.
Owain J. Brimfield: Fiction. No more so than any other intelligent thriller. And didn't Roger Ebert call this one of the best movies of the year? I'd be surprised if Rendition was a big hit at the box office, but there's certainly no shortage of an audience in people who appreciate intelligent movies, and in pretentious twats who will watch it just so they can claim it vindicates their pseudo-political viewpoints.
Score: 2 for 3
Switch!!!
4. You're looking forward to the planned live action Star Wars TV series.
Owain J. Brimfield: Fact. That doesn't mean I'm optimistic though. I'm a huge Star Wars mark, but I think that recent contributions to the Extended Universe, from the Clone Wars cartoon to the more recent novels, have been pretty lacking (maybe that's just me getting cynical in my old age though). Thankfully, Lucas isn't tackling the writing himself this time round, so we'll be spared another "death of Padmé" debacle. The success of this depends heavily on the quality of the stories - there's an abundance of material so here's hoping they get it right. I'd love to see an adaptation of some of the stories from the Tales From... book collections, but if original material is where they're going (and it probably is), Lucas will be best served staying in the producer's chair.
Mike Gorman: Fact. I am very much a fan of the original trilogy (had my lightsaber, Star Wars sheets, etc. as a kid) and I did also enjoy the "new" films. However, I have never really delved into the huge wealth of novels, comic books, etc. that have deepened the mythos. I look forward to my first foray into this extended world and just hope that they do the original continuity justice. I definitely think now is the time for this show to make its presence known in the genre as the pickings are a bit lacking lately.
Score: 3 for 4
5. Benecio Del Toro as The Wolf Man is one remake you don't mind seeing made.
Owain J. Brimfield: Fiction. Partly because I'm not a huge fan of Del Toro, and partly because the endless slew of terrible, terrible remakes has forced me into a mindset of prejudging each and every future one as guilty until proven innocent. Sure, there have been a few decent remakes over the past few years, but they're hugely outweighed by generic Hollywood dross and "re-imaginings". Unfortunately, I've had my frontal lobes beaten with a stick by enough crap like The Hitcher and The Invasion to be anything other than pessimistic about things like this.
Mike Gorman: Fiction. I have to agree with Owain here. There have been way too many "re-imaginings" lately and I feel the horror genre as a whole has gotten lazy. I would rather see these big budget remakes be shelved and the money spent cultivating the work of the next Romero or King. Although, Del Toro seems like an adequate choice to star in this movie as it won't take much make up to make him "wolfish."
Score: 4 for 5
6. Dan in Real Life will put Steve Carell back on track both critically and commercially in regards to his big screen career.
Owain J. Brimfield: Fiction. But only on a technicality - when did he ever go off track? Sure, Evan Almighty was a bit poor, but when you offset that against Little Miss Sunshine, The 40 Year Old Virgin and Anchorman, not to mention his small screen ventures The Daily Show and of course The Office, all of which have been both commerically and critically successful, it's very hard to argue that ever made a dent in his reputation. He's still recognised as one of the foremost comedic actors of his generation.
Mike Gorman: Fiction. Hate to rob the readers of a real head to head battle, but I have to agree again. Carell's work to date has shown growth on his part as an actor and aside from the not so brilliant Evan Almighty he has made some great choices in terms of the roles he has played. If Dan in Real Life is as funny as the trailers make it seem, it will just serve to cement his place at the forefront of comedic acting at the moment.
Final Score: 5 for 6
And there you have it! Owain and Mike pretty much agree on all things, with one exception.
Next week is a true milestone, the 100th Fact or Fiction! In order to commemorate this big deal righteously, we're going to do something different. For the first time ever, Fact of Fiction shall be a supersized THREE WAY DANCE! Yup, that's right. Three writers bringing their opinions on nine different subjects. Should be interesting, to say the least. Check back in seven to see how that works out.
