411 Fact or Fiction Movies/TV 01.02.09: Week 158

Posted by Ben Piper on 01.02.2009

Is The Big Bang Theory criminally under appreciated? Are people bummed out that Disney has dumped the Narnia franchise? Which studio is responsible for the legal fiasco surrounding Watchmen? 411's Ron Martin and Marilyn Yang debate these and other subjects in week 158 of 411 Fact or Fiction: Movies/TV!



HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Hello, my friends. I hope that you all ushered in 2009 happily and safely and aren't suffering too many side effects from doing so. My name is Ben Piper, and this is the first Fact or Fiction of what will hopefully prove to be a great year for all of us.

For this first foray into 2009, we've got a Fool living in his own Utopia, Ron Martin. Standing across from him is Marilyn Yang. Marilyn became a member of the 411 staff by doing a great job writing True Blood recaps for the site. I hope to see more good stuff from her soon.

Let's do this…

1. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is going to wind up being the Oscar front-runner with regards to the major categories.

Ron Martin: Fact. Let's see; popular lead actor, popular lead actress, dramatic story involving love and circumstances beyond the characters control, based on a literary novel, stylistic director -- if this wasn't built to win Oscars, I don't know what is. While I don't think that it will win all the Oscars, it will definitely be the front-runner. The only thing hurting it is Revolutionary Road. The Academy loves them some Leo. Although I believe awards to be ridiculously overrated, I have no problems with this movie. I like the actors/director involved and the story is somewhat...curious. On top of all it has going for it, it was released very late in the year. The Academy has a history of loving on movies that are still in the minds of the people.

Marilyn Yang: Fact. I'm inclined to agree with Ron here. While I'm not much of a romantic, nor a huge fan of Brad Pitt or Cate Blanchett, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button does have all the makings of an Oscar favorite. Isn't Cate Blanchett nominated for an Oscar every year? According to IMDb--winner in 2005 for The Aviator, nominated in 2007 for Notes on a Scandal, and nominated twice in 2008 for I'm Not There and Elizabeth: The Golden Age. I guess two nominations in 2008 makes up for not getting nominated for anything in 2006. Point being, there are lots of things in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button that typically appeal to the Academy. It's not a stoner comedy. It has starpower. It looks classy.

Score: 1 for 1

2. CBS's The Big Bang Theory is criminally underrated with regards to award show kudos.

Ron Martin: Fact. The Big Bang Theory is criminally underrated with regards to any discussion of modern day sitcoms. Big Bang Theory is not a great sitcom, but it certainly belongs in the same discussion with sagging sitcoms like The Office, My Name is Earl and Scrubs. It is certainly better than the way overrated Two and a Half Men. Sadly, only 30 Rock is proving to be better than Bang this season. The sitcom is a format that is on it's way out -- and this makes me a sad panda. Between dramedies, game shows meant to embarrass people and Adult Cartoons, the best sitcoms we're given are a step above mediocrity. Remember the MADtv sketch, "Lowered Expectations"? However, with said lowered expectations, Big Bang Theory is as good as anything else. Sheldon, while not dynamic, is solid and had carried most of the episodes I have seen. I could do without the Penny/Leonard storyline, but then what would Sheldon play off of? While not yet a great sitcom, Bang is as good, if not better than it's competition and in the traditional sitcom format that most of them lack.

Marilyn Yang: Fact. Okay, first I will admit that I've never seen The Big Bang Theory, but hear me out. I think the programs that attract biggest audiences these days are reality shows and dramas, particularly dramas of the crimefighting variety. I don't know tons of people who watch sitcoms religiously besides The Office, My Name is Earl, and Scrubs. (Yes, I know these are the exact same "sagging sitcoms" that Ron mentioned. And I also have a friend who hates Two and a Half Men with a passion.) Point being, any sitcom worthy of a prestigious award probably isn't getting the recognition it deserves because not enough people are watching, because the majority of audiences are wrapped up in CSI, The Biggest Loser, or one of those dancing and singing shows.

Score: 2 for 2

3. Despite the fact that it re-unites Titanic co-stars Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio, you seriously have little interest in checking out Revolutionary Road.

Ron Martin: Fact. Guess what? I've never seen Titanic. I didn't have the desire to see it back then and I still don't today. This reeks of every other movie that was ever made involving two stars who had great chemistry in a previous hit movie. Sometimes they do alright and sometimes they bomb. I could be wrong, but Revolutionary Road has the feel of a loved by the critics, not so much by the moviegoers type of movie. This is a movie I would watch if I were at someone else's house and it was on their TV and I really didn't want to talk to that person. Then I'll watch it. I guess we could categorize that as little interest.

Marilyn Yang: Fact. I only saw the second tape of Titanic. Yes, tape. I watched the second half way back before DVDs were popular, and had no desire to watch the first half. There's really nothing special about reuniting two actors who were both in an insanely popular romantic drama over ten years ago. What was supposedly so great about pairing Winslet with DiCaprio over a decade ago has probably changed with time. I wasn't really wowed the first time, so I won't be going back for seconds.

Score: 3 for 3

Switch!!!

4. You're bummed out that Disney is dumping the Narnia franchise.

Marilyn Yang: Fiction. I'm curious if the end of the Narnia franchise will affect sales for the books that will never make it to the big screen. Part of me hopes kids will actually read a little instead of just watching movie adaptations of books. The other part of me is more realistic than that. I'm not broken up about the end of the Narnia franchise because it's five less movies being made that are based on books, which might give Disney the opportunity to put out more original stuff. Good original stuff, not more High School Musical.

Ron Martin:Fact. I got two reasons for this, one is for the people and one is more selfish. The first reason, for the people, is that when Disney does something, you know it's going to get done right. If some other studio picks up the Narnia franchise as has been rumored, though we'd like to think the film quality would be good, it's a crapshoot. When Disney does something you know it's going to be well made -- it might not be the best movie, but it will be well made. Say what you want about the Walt Disney Co., but no one knows how to make money while still appeasing fans like Disney. To add to what Marilyn said, I think the movies being cut will have the opposite reaction on the books. I've seen approximately 800,000 Twilight books since the movie came out. I think the movies lead more into reading than vice versa, but I do hope she is more right than me. The second reason I'm bummed about it is because when I was at DisneyWorld in May, they were working on a Narnia attraction in the Disney Studios. If they scrap the attraction, I'll never get to find out what was behind those huge giant walls.

Score: 3 for 4

5. You'd rather suffer with a head cold than tune in and watch NBC's Superstars of Dance.

Marilyn Yang: Fact. I took ballet for several years when I was younger, and still shows like this don't appeal to me. I might tolerate sitting through one dance number, but it's not likely. Additionally, I was never into riverdance.

Ron Martin: Fact. Let me tell you something, head colds are underrated. You're a little sniffly and congested. Maybe you got a headache -- so what. You can call into work, bundle up on the couch and hit up all those DVR'd shows that you been meaning to get to while eating a hot bowl of chicken noodle soup. As an added bonus, the stuffed up nose allows you to make impersonations that you wouldn't be able to make otherwise. Superstars of Dance on the other hand, is more like a bad rash on your thighs. It hurts when you walk while everything is red and swollen. Cheap imitations of hit shows very rarely work out. Very rarely. I don't think the drawing power of Dancing with the Stars is the dancing -- it's the celebrities. Superstars has actual professional dancers which means the dancing will be top notch but no one will watch. I would of suffered much more than a head cold to avoid this, Ben.

Score: 4 for 5

6. While most fanboys are pointing angry fingers at Twentieth Century Fox, you think that Warner Bros. is to blame for the current Watchmen legal fiasco.

Marilyn Yang: Fiction. Warner Bros. would know better than to make a movie with questionable production and distribution rights. Granted, people make mistakes, but usually not when something so potentially lucrative is involved. And also, thumbs down to Fox for being a thorn in the ass of every moviegoer who wants to see this movie already. They sat on the idea for this movie forever.

Ron Martin: Fiction. I'm all for telling fanboys their fingers are pointed in the wrong direction, but I also don't think Warner Brothers is to blame for the fiasco. This thing has been on and off the shelf for over twenty years now. There are a lot more people to point fingers at than Twentieth Century Fox and Warner Brothers. I just hope all the people having their hands in this movie doesn't water down the final result. I'm not a comic book reader, but I really like the premise of the storyline and would like to see it on the big screen.

Final Score: 5 for 6

Bonus Non-Fact or Fiction Question: What was your favorite movie of 2008 and why?

Marilyn Yang: I'm going to be honest and say I haven't seen a ton of movies this past year. I work a lot. That being said, I know I haven't seen all of the best movies of 2008, but I have to say I loved the shit out of Iron Man. Robert Downey, Jr. was the perfect choice as Tony Stark. I even liked Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts, and I'm not a huge Gwyneth fan either. And as always, I like movies with explosions. Most important though, it was a Marvel comic made into a movie that didn't disappoint. I'm looking at you, X-Men: The Last Stand.

Ron Martin: This was kind of a tough one. I really liked Dark Knight, but as I have documented (much to the consternation of my readers) in my column, it had a few issues for me. I haven't seen Hellboy II The Wrestler or The Hottie or the Nottie yet. I enjoyed Kung Fu Panda and Wall-E immensely, and I loved the nostalgia factor of Indiana Jones, but it stretched things a bit. I'm going to go all the way back to January and say the favorite movie that I saw this year was Cloverfield. That's entirely from personal taste. I like the POV angle (always have). I like the fact that we didn't ever clearly see the monster. Upon repeat viewings, I love this little tidbits, clues and intangibles hidden throughout the movie. It adds a whole dimension to the film that most filmmakers skip over without thought. It was well done and well acted for an unknown cast. Though I could have done without the hokey monster grabbing the helicopter scene, Cloverfield was my kind of movie. As a customer of mine at the bar likes to say "The Cloverfield Monster doesn't know why he hates New York -- he just hates New York."

And there you have it. Marilyn and Ron start the new year off agreeing more often than not. Thanks to them both for taking part, and to you, as always, for clicking the link. Check back next week for more exciting Fact or Fiction action!
-BP