411 Fact or Fiction Movies 12.21.07: Week 106

Posted by Ben Piper on 12.21.2007

Will National Treasure: Book of Secrets be better than the original? Will Sweeney Todd become a cult movie classic? Is Charlie Wilson's War ultimately too light and breezy a movie to be seriously considered as an Oscar frontrunner? 411's Joseph Lee and Steve Vicious debate these and other topics in week 106 of Fact or Fiction: Movies.



Hello my peeps! Yes, it's that time of the week yet again, time for some Fact or Fiction goodness.

Before we get into the column proper, I figure it would be only right if I were to give everyone a little bit of a "head's up". With Christmas being right around the corner I've been allowed by the 411 higher-ups to have next week off. Which of course means that this will be the last Fact or Fiction column for the Movie Zone in 2007. There will not be a useless trivia contest this week as a result, as well. But fear not, for I, the column, and the trivia contest will be back the first week of 2008.

With that out of the way, let's get this party started, shall we? This week we have Joseph Lee and Steve Vicious taking part. Let's hear their opinions…

1. You expect National Treasure: Book of Secrets to be better than the first installment.

Joseph Lee: Fact - I'll be honest. I haven't actually seen the first one. But it's a general rule that sequels do not do as well as the first in terms of quality. The first National Treasure was a success, however, and that means that people will be going out to see this new one. I expect the sequel to make a good amount of money, especially with the holiday season approaching. My only question is, now that Indiana Jones is back, why bother?

Steve Vicious: Fiction - I agree with the sequels are not as good as the original. It's just one of those things that I consider a general rule for movies.

Score: 0 for 1

2. Overall, you were less than enthused with what received Golden Globes nominations, both in terms of movies and TV.

Joseph Lee: Fiction - My only regret about these nominations is that the best show on television, Dexter, didn't get a nomination for Best Drama. Michael C Hall got another Best Actor nod, however. Overall it's a good selection that gives us a preview of the award season. Michael Clayton and No Country for Old Men, two of the best movies this year have been given rightful nominations and hopefully that momentum will carry them to the Oscars.

Steve Vicious:Fact - I pretty much hate all award shows because so many awards are based on stupid stuff. When Arrested Development was still on, it should have won best comedy three years in a row. So I can care less about the Golden Globes.

Score: 0 for 2

3. Sweeney Todd will become a subversive cult movie classic.

Joseph Lee: Fact - This goes without saying. The "Hot Topic" crowd will surely love this movie regardless of it's actual quality, because that's what they do for all Tim Burton/Johnny Depp team-ups. That's not to say this movie will be bad (it actually looks amazing) but there's a certain group of people who seem to think Burton = quality no matter what he does. So yes, expect this to become a cult classic and for people to be wearing "meat pies" shirts or whatever.

Steve Vicious:Fact - I haven't seen much about this movie in terms of previews but from what I have heard the film is receiving some attention. If it performs well, then it's due to Burton & Depp.

Score: 1 for 3

Switch!!!

4. It is not a smart move to green light a Sex & The City movie trilogy before the first installment is still months away from hitting the theaters.

Steve Vicious: Fact - Definitely. Sex & The City was popular, but I don't think it will translate well on the big screen. To green light a sequel before seeing how the film does at the box office is risky & I don't see it paying off here.

Joseph Lee: Fact - Not for lack of fanbase, though. Sex & The City is very popular, even now after it's cancellation. But three theatrical ventures would be overkill. As Steve said it's a risk to greenlight two sequels when the first one hasn't even been given a chance to perform. For all you know, it could be a box office flop and maybe no one cares about those characters anymore. It's a slippery slope.

Score: 2 for 4

5. David Letterman's production company negotiating independently with the Writer's Guild of America is a refreshingly positive step with regards to the writer's strike.

Steve Vicious: Fact - Letterman is doing the right thing because he is a member of the WGA. If Letterman can get a waiver, then it will be a step in the right direction for ending this strike.

Joseph Lee: Fact - If others follow Letterman's lead it could possibly bring other beloved shows back. I'm pumped to see Conan return, even if from what I've heard he's using non-WGA writers. Letterman is trying to get his writers back and if Hollywood in general is being stubborn (along with the WGA), it's good to see some cooler heads prevail.

Score: 3 for 5

6. While Charlie Wilson's War may likely be nominated in several category's, it shall be seen as too lightweight and breezy a film to be a true Oscar front-runner.

Steve Vicious: Fiction - I believe the film will do well enough to be taken seriously as an Oscar contender. It has big names attached to it and I think getting the best picture at the oscars could potentially be in this film's future.

Joseph Lee: Fiction- This film reminds me a lot of Catch Me If You Can, which was also "lightweight and breezy" yet recieved some Oscar nominations. It has a main cast of winners in Hanks, Hoffman and Roberts. I think that from what I've seen it looks like it could earn lots of acclaim. It's certainly coming out at the perfect time to do so, and if there wasn't any faith in it they would have pushed it until after award season.

Final Score:4 for 6

There you have it. Thanks to both Steve and Joseph for their participation.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the answer to last week's Useless Trivia Question and the winner of the contest. The answer to who is the "other" Michael Douglas and who was the inspiration for his professional name change is Michael Keaton, with the inspiration being Diane Keaton. Congrats to Eric from San Antonio who was the winner of the hand-written letter from moi. Eric responded to me letting him know that he won by telling me that my letter would be up for auction on eBay after Xmas. I don't know if he was pulling my chain or not, so if you're REALLY interested in owning a hand-written letter from yours truly, there's a possible option for you. I'm ambivalent about the whole deal, personally. If Eric actually puts it on eBay and people bid for it, that's cool. But if no one bids it wouldn't surprise me in the least bit.

Anyways, that's it for this week. This is the part of the column where I'd tell you to come back next week, but I won't be here. Sorry.

I do hope that you all enjoy yourselves over the course of the next two weeks, and I wish everyone the very best wishes for a happy, healthy, and safe holiday season!

See ya in 2008!

-BP