411 Fact or Fiction Movies 6.20.08: Week 131

Posted by Ben Piper on 06.20.2008

Will The Love Guru suck? Will people tune in to the return of The Two Coreys? Will there be an actor's strike? Will Get Smart be a forgivable remake? 411's Ron Martin and Jason Chamberlain debate these and other topics in week 131 of 411 Fact or Fiction: Movies!



Hello, friends. Yup, that time of the week yet again, time for some Fact or Fiction!

While my peers at 411 have made mention of this, I'd be remiss if I didn't bow my head in heartfelt respect with regards to the passing of legendary FX master Stan Winston. This is the man that brought us several iconic characters and images throughout the years. From the effects work in the Terminator movies to the design of Predator to bringing the Alien Queen to life, to of course crafting the dinosaurs of Jurassic Park to awe-inspiring realization. He was a master craftsman and by all accounts, an unassuming, humble, down to earth guy who never once let his own ego cloud the picture. His untimely death sadly marks an end to an era. He shall sorely be missed by those who love his work that brought so much fanboy geekdom to us all.

Okay, moody downbeat opening aside, this week we've got Ron Martin and Jason Chamberlain trading ideas and arguments. Let's see what they have to say…

1. Mike Myers is not only overrated, but you also think that The Love Guru shall suck in that it would appear that many of the same jokes we witnessed in the Austin Powers movies now seem to have been recycled for a new franchise.

Jason Chamberlain: Fiction - If this was strictly about the Love Guru, I would have answered with a big dirty FACT. But I can't in good conscience call my fellow Canuck Mike Myers overrated because I don't agree with that sentiment. I enjoyed the Austin Powers franchise, I like his work with Shrek and Wayne's World is the best movie ever made, so I am a Mike Myers fan and therefore I answer FICTION.

That said, the Love Guru does, indeed, look like it will suck, big time. I've yet to get even a chuckle out of any of the trailers for it and 'Justin Timberlake prancing around half naked with a french accent' is not something I'd throw down money for. I also bring my anti-Toronto Maple Leafs bias into this movie, and since this film features them winning the Stanley Cup (a truly unlikely scenario) I intend to stay far away from the cinema when it opens.

Ron Martin: Fiction - I hate to admit it, but I agree with Chamby on this one. Even though Mikey Myers is a dirty no good sneaky Canuck, I don't think he's overrated. I don't really get the huge backlash on Myers because of the previews for Love Guru. So what if it's no good? Does that discount Wayne's World, the Austin Powers movies and the Shrek movies? Myers has some good will built up with the American public and he's a folk hero in Canada, so his reputation should be able to survive one bad movie, I would think. Did Sandler's career disappear after Big Daddy and Little Nicky? Hell, people are excited about Zohan and Sandler has only had one funny movie in the last decade.

A lot of Guru may seem a lot like the Powers movies, but that's just because it's a Mike Myers movies. He mugs for the camera, says funny words and does voices. That's Mike Myers. If it were a Sandler comedy, he'd yell a lot, do some funny dance and make a funny face. If it were Will Ferrell, he'd take his shirt off and say ridiculous dialogue with a straight face. I don't see a problem with Myer's style of comedy. Time will tell if Myers will go down the Eddie Murphy path of irrelevance, but off the heels of the incredibly successful Shrek 3 and Shrek the Halls, he's due a dud.

Score 1 for 1

2. You like the idea of Jon Voight being cast as the main villain for the upcoming season of 24.

Jason Chamberlain: Fact - I don't watch 24. There, I said it. I've been told numerous times that I should. One of my best friends continually tells me it's the best show on TV, period. But I've never picked it up for whatever reason. And since Elisha Cuthbert isn't a cast member anymore, I don't think I'll be watching the new season.

Even so, casting Jon Voight in anything can never be bad. Come on, he's Jon Voight! And he can definitely ham it up as a bad guy as Mission: Impossible and that crappy Anaconda movie proved. He was in that right? Bottom line, cast Jon Voight in something and you've got money. I only hope they follow the Transformers model, because Jon Voight with a shotgun is pure gold.

Ron Martin: Fiction- Don't get me wrong here. Jon Voight, as an actor, is not a bad thing. Voight will be 70 years old later this year. How much energy is he going to be able to bring to an adrenaline filled series? Most of the show's main audience doesn't even know who the man is. Season 7 was a letdown both critically and in the ratings for 24, so this reeks of stunt casting. Instead of creating a new star, the show is going to be limited in what they can do with Voight. He's not a Harrison Ford action hero -- he's an actor's actor. Yes, his monologue will probably rule all, but the core audience of 24 just isn't going to care. The show is on a downward slide and Jon Voight isn't going to be pulling back the brakes.

Score: 1 for 2

3. You're looking forward to the season premiere of Showtime's series Weeds, as well as the debut of it's new companion series, Secret Diary of A Call Girl, which stars Billie Piper, of Doctor Who fame.

Jason Chamberlain: Fiction - Last time I expressed my lack of fanhood for a TV show in this column, I got the shit kicked out of me in the comments section! Well I'm back for more, cause I've never gotten into Weeds. Although I did see a hilarious scene on youtube with the uncle giving his nephew a lesson in proper post masturbation semen disposal. THAT was funny. Who knew that banana peels were the key!

But yeah. Not looking forward to it.

Ron Martin: Fact-. Chamby, you ignorant slut. Of course I'm looking forward to the season premiere of one of these shows! For one, it justifies the fact that I have Showtime at all, because I certainly don't pay for it to see Californication. Chamby, being a Canuck, maybe you were watching the hockey finals and didn't notice that both Mary Louise-Parker and Billie Piper are what we in America would call members of "The Beautiful People." And it's on Showtime, it's not HBO, but there's the possibilities of some risqueness there.

Weeds just hasn't lived up to the expectations I had of it after season one. Casting the God awful Zooey Deschanel for episodes this season doesn't help. I am looking forward to Diary of a Call Girl though because if it's one thing I've learned about TV it's that the first couple of seasons are when the creative juices are the strongest and most shows are at their best. It's an interesting topic and looks competently written, so I'll give it a season.

Score: 1 for 3

Switch!!!

4. You expect that an actor's strike will break out at the end of June.

Ron Martin: Fiction- I think the studios learned a lesson from the writer's strike. Strike that. I hope the studios learned a lesson from the writer's strike and avoid this at all costs. I hate to say this because I'm a writer, but this one may be even more important to avoid. Writer's can be replaced, albeit not competently. Competent writing or not, most of America (and Canada) that has been dumbed down for years by the media would still tune it to see their favorite TV/movie stars say lines that make no sense in storylines that make less sense.

However, if the actors were to go on strike even a lowest common denominator audience would figure it out and tune out. They already figured out how to find other forms of entertainment during the writer's strike, so it would be that much easier to do during another strike. TV shows like the aformentioned 24 just couldn't take another work stoppage, no matter how short. And don't think that the writer's won't support the actors on their strike like (most of) the actors did for the writers.

Jason Chamberlain: Fiction- Do I expect an actor's strike? I don't. I really don't. I really hope not. I hope they're not that stupid. I think they're not that stupid. They might just be that stupid. I pray they're not that stupid.

They probably are that stupid.

'They' being the studios, I mean. I can't claim to know the inner workings of the TV/Movie business and if actors are being fairly compensated for their work. I think it's fair to say that the majority of actors are treated better and recognized more than the writers (that strike was justified, in my opinion). I know this strike would be more about the working actors than the '20 million for a crappy movie' headliners. At any rate, I hope both the studios and the actors will understand that the business simply cannot afford to screw up another TV season with one of their spats. I hope they sign an agreement and that they make it a nice long one so we don't even have to think about a strike for a very long time.

Score: 2 for 4

5. You're fully looking forward (In a guilty pleasure sort of way) to the return of The Two Coreys on A&E.

Ron Martin: Fact- I live in America. I don't know about Canada, but in America we like nothing better than to build people up until they are bigger than life and then tear them down with wreckless abandon. I give you exhibit A: Spears, Britney. It took awhile for us to turn on the Coreys, the ultimate icons of the 80s. First, we were content to ignore them. Then, when we realized they had no sense of reality because of the way we treated them since they were born, we put them on TV to laugh at them like monkeys throwing poo.

Let's be honest, though, monkeys throwing poo is entertaining. So are batshit crazy former celebrities. Give all the attention to Denise Richards and the Lohans if you will, but they don't come any crazier than these two. You'd have to be to think that Lost Boys 2: The Tribe is a good idea.

Jason Chamberlain: Fiction - A reality show about a couple washed up actors united by the fact they share the same first name? American creativity just filed for bankruptcy!

In all seriousness, no I won't be watching this show. I tend to avoid reality TV like the plague. The idea of these shows is to marvel at the train wreck that is these people's lives, right? They get some more 'fame' and we get a good laugh. It's one of those things where we don't want to look, don't want to be entertained, but we are? So I guess I understand the intended appeal of these shows, but they don't do much for me. Well, let me qualify that. I was guilty of watching a little bit of Flavor Flav's stuff. Never a full episode, but enough to feel like I was passing a five car pile up and taking a quick sidelong glance as I passed. I recall 20 women fighting over the right to find REAL love with Flav, and an earnest acoustic song about "Little Flavor and his big old girl." I can taste the bile just thinking about it.

So I have cast an eye on these guilty pleasures before, but since I don't stick around, I doubt I'm the intended audience that Corey(s) is shooting for.

Score: 2 for 5

6. Get Smart will prove to be a forgivable remake, in that in will not only live up to the original's reputation, but ultimately surpass it.

Ron Martin: Fiction- I'm only saying fiction because I don't believe that the movie will surpass the original. My hatred of remakes of movies is well documented on this site. I am, however, suprisingly okay with making old TV shows into movies. I do think the movie will be decent and won't embarrass the original TV series. Here's why it will never surpass the series. To the older people who remember the series, no movie will ever surpass the series. To the younger crowd, it's just another Steve Carell vehicle that has the Rock in it. I doubt anyone who sees this that hasn't seen the series is going to be inspired to watch the old series

Jason Chamberlain: Fact- This is one of those questions that is tough to answer because it contains a bit of truth and a bit of fiction.

I say FACT because I've been looking forward to this movie for a while, and I don't have a problem with remakes as a rule so I certainly think it will be 'forgiveable'. Steve Carell is always good for laughs. The Rock usually is too… (sorry Dwayne, you'll always be The People's Champ to me). And Anne Hathaway? Mmmm................. I'm back.

But then we get into the 'reputation' part of the equation. I know Get Smart used to be a TV show, I know my Mom watched it, short of that I don't know that much. And in today's instant gratification, 'I forget what happened five minutes ago' world, does a TV show from a few decades ago still have a reputation to speak of? Are people going to go see (or stay away) from this movie solely as a result of what they thought of the old series? I kind of doubt it. At this point, I'd say the film needs to be judged on its own merits (as Ron said, most people will probably just see another Carell movie) as opposed to how it pertains to the original incarnation.

For me, the important thing is that it looks entertaining. So I'll be buying a ticket.

Final Score: 2 for 6

There you have it. Ron and Jason disagree more than not. Thanks to them both for taking part and for being good sports all around.

Next week the column will tackle Wall-E, Wanted, and the prospects of Will Ferrell doing an Anchorman sequel, plus anything else that I can throw against the wall that I think will stick.

Until then,
-BP