411 Fact or Fiction Movies 02.29.08: Week 115

Posted by Ben Piper on 02.29.2008

How long can Will Ferrell make the same type of movie over and over again before people stop caring? Will The Other Boleyn Girl be a sub-par costume drama despite it's stars? Are people excited about a proposed fourth Bourne film? 411's Matthew Motiuk and Will Helm debate these and other subjects in week 115 of Fact or Fiction: Movies!



Hello everyone. I hope that you all enjoyed last week's special Oscar edition of Fact or Fiction. On a somewhat related note, I tied for runner up in the 411 Oscar pool with Arnold Furious. If I had only made a couple more common sense choices, I could have easily won the whole damned thing. Ah, well. There's always next year.

Anyways, on to the business at hand. This week, Canadian sensation Matthew Motiuk matches wits with the future of late nite TV, Will Helm. Let's see what they have to say for themselves.

1. Overall, you were happy and satisfied to how the Academy Awards played out with regards to the winners.

Matthew Motiuk: Fact. I'll admit, I'm not usually happy with the Academy Awards, but this year had a lot of strong contenders and really, none of them were that big of a disappointment because of how strong all the movies were. Plus, it doesn't hurt that the Coen brothers took top honours and then some. I was hoping Michael Clayton might win out in the end, but it lost to a worthy contender. So yeah, I'm satisfied with the Academy Awards this year.

Will Helm: Fact. Let's see . . . Ratatouille won. The Coen brothers won. Norbit didn't win. I'd say I'm pretty happy with how the Oscars turned out. Jon Stewart was funny as usual - live audience be damned . . . though I am sad there were no Colbert sightings and Steve Carell was limited to just giving away Best Animated Feature. Sad panda here. Other than Tilda Swinton and her velvet trash bag messing up my picks, I dug the Oscars . . . although evidently no one else watched.

Score: 1 for 1

2. While you acknowledge that this particular TV show would likely benefit a lot of people in need, there's no incentive strong enough to persuade you to tune in for Oprah's Big Give.

Matthew Motiuk: Fact. I have a few rules when watching television. One is to never watch anything with Oprah in it, another is to never watch reality television. Putting the two together pretty well creates the worst abomination of television since Dr. Phil put together that stupid house. Granted, yes, this is one of the more noble ideas, but it does not change the fact that this will be a reality show (aka not at all about the show's goal, but all about the "drama") with Oprah as its hook.

Will Helm: Fact. Though I understand and admire the power that Oprah has on middle-aged women, I didn't even know that her Big Give was about helping people. I thought she was just giving out stuff, like she usually does. I appreciate her charitable nature, but I've already heard enough sob stories - mainly from watching American Gladiators . . . honestly, is there anyone who didn't have any tale of adversity? - this television season. So I think I'll skip the Big Give . . . unless Ms. Winfrey has something to give me. Hint, hint.

Score: 2 for 2

3. You're starting to wonder how long Will Ferrell will be able to continuously make the same kind of movie over and over again before it finally bites him in his ass.

Matthew Motiuk: Fact. I've been wondering this for years. Seriously, all his movies are the same and all his characters are the same, with the exception of that odd one that appears out of nowhere and then fades away to be replaced by another one which is exactly the same as the others. Personally, I'm hoping it's sooner than later, but it'll happen eventually.

Will Helm: Fiction. There's no wondering just why Will Ferrell keeps doing films like Semi-Pro, Talladega Nights, and Blades of Glory: college guys are everywhere. Ferrell, more than any other, is the breakout star of the "Frat Pack," a group of actors well named as their largest segment of fans are college guys. His films largely speak directly to that demographic as they're usually either unapologetically masculine - such as Anchorman or Talladega Nights - or mock things that are a little more "feminine," so to speak, like Blades of Glory. As long as Ferrell sticks to this formula and it works for him, I can't imagine it biting him on the ass anytime soon.

Score: 2 for 3

Switch!!!

4. You're interested in checking out FOX's new detective with a twist show New Amsterdam.

Will Helm: Fiction. Whenever I hear the words New Amsterdam, it either reminds me of the undergrad bar in college or the Counting Crows. Neither is a good connotation. Anyway, it takes a lot for me to watch a detective show to begin with, but I don't think the twist of immortality is enough to change that trend. Even though sci-noir seems to be one of the hotter genres out there, I have a feeling this "twist" will be more of a gimmick than a source of interesting plot devices and - especially since it's FOX - the show won't last long enough to find a balance anyway.

Matthew Motiuk: Fiction. The current thing seems to be to make shows with some sort of gimmick or catch only because the show itself could never stand on its own two feet. This will almost surely be the case with the immortality angle. Then again, there's always that bright point that surprises you -Pushing Daisies, for example - but I wouldn't count on lightning striking twice in such short succession. Plus, as Will Helm pointed out, it's on FOX. I'm sorry, but the odds are stacked against this one.

Score: 3 for 4

5. Despite having arguably two is the most beautiful young actresses in Hollywood on board, The Other Boleyn Girl will be nothing more than a sub-par costume drama.

Will Helm: Fiction. You know ... I have to wonder why in life, "sub-par" is a bad thing, while in golf, "sub-par" is a good thing. Honestly, though I have no interest in seeing The Other Boleyn Girl in the theaters - it may be a rental sometime, I think it'll be a "par" costume drama, so to speak. Though they seem to be a-dime-a-dozen, costume dramas usually have enough gravitas behind them to keep from being dull in the cinematic sense - thematically, people may disagree. Portman and Johansson are both great actresses - and quite comely as well, but, rather than their chemistry, it's how they work with Eric Bana as Henry VIII that'll make the film work, and, as I generally trust Bana's work, he'll keep the film from disappointing, for the most part.

Matthew Motiuk: Fact. Reading what this movie is about, it sounds like it will be nothing more than The Bachelor with costumes. Granted, I think both Johansson and Portman are talented - and beautiful - actresses of varying skill, and I have no reason to complain about Bana, but to make this any better than a run-of-the-mill costume drama, you would need one hell of a team, and I just don't think this cast could do it. Even if it is sub-par, it should garner enough interest to at least make it somewhat successful. Hopefully I'm proven wrong (the sub-par part, not the success part).

Score: 3 for 5

6. You're completely stoked that there are now supposedly plans in place for a fourth Bourne film.

Will Helm: Fact. I know I probably have to return my "man card" after saying this, but I've never seen any of the Bourne movies. I've wanted to, sure, but I've never gotten around to it. That being said, I'm actually really happy that the franchise is continuing and, amazingly, it looks like Matt Damon is going along with it. For all intents and purposes, Jason Bourne is the closest thing America has to James Bond - they even have the same initials! - and none of the other attempts - Derek Flint and Matt Helm - ever made it past three films. The Bourne series continuing makes me even more excited to start watching the films . . . and to know they'll keep going as well.

Matthew Motiuk: Fact. The Bourne films have been a bright point in recent years, intelligent action movies that have kept an interesting idea going for three movies. They balance action, story, and character perfectly, and Matt Damon portrays the role to a tee. After the third one, I can honestly say I don't think it's a mistake to continue the series. There is still plenty of ground to cover, and if the integrity and direction (and Matt Damon) of the first three is kept, then I look forward to the fourth instalment. After dissecting Jason Bourne in English 111, I have a new appreciation for the films, and hopefully I can do some more analysis in the future.

Final Score: 4 for 6

Nice. Will and Matthew agree more than not. Thanks to them both for their participation, and to you always, the 411 faithful, for clicking the link…

Useless Trivia Question of the Week

Every few weeks it seems like either somebody will post in the comments section or in an email to me how easy the question I asked was. They come off as all smug and all-knowing, like I shouldn't have even wasted their time. But every so often I'm able to come up with a ringer that completely baffles the readership and I get to boast how I absolutely STUMPED the masses.

I almost did it again last week. I only received one email regarding the contest. This person was not only right, he provided his address, so yeah, he got the letter. (well, hopefully, might not have gotten there yet) So congrats to Jim from Roanoke, Va. He correctly answered Who are the two people that have the most consecutive Oscar acting nominations, and in what years did their streaks take place? Okay, so what if I didn't word it exactly in that way, but that's the gist. The correct answer was Bette Davis from 1938 to 1942, and Greer Garson from 1941 to 1945.

Okay, rules. First person to answer correctly in email form as well as provide their home address within the continental US shall receive a hand-written letter from moi. Previous winners are ineligible.

Question: The following lyrics are from a TV Theme Song. Name the show, and it's two top stars…

Look what's happened to me
I can't believe it myself
Suddenly I am on top of the world
Should have been somebody else

Of course, I completely expect people to again be crying too easy! Hey, they can't all be stumpers.

‘Til next time…
-BP