Cinema de Gym: 'Opportunity Knocks'

Kurt here with a new Cinema de Gym, the first to focus on a movie I never knew existed before my cardio session. Is everyone familiar with Opportunity Knocks? It's a 1990 comedy noteworthy for being the breakout film for SNL alum Dana Carvey. With his straw-blonde hair styled into what I remember to be an almost-mullet, Carvey plays Eddie Farrell, a California con man whose slovenly style (oversized shirts, khakis with sneakers) is used to convey an enviably carefree outlook (as opposed to Steve Carrells's version of the same style in this week's Crazy, Stupid, Love., which is used to convey unenviable cluelessness). I entered the movie just as it was starting (another first), and got to see the unremarkable opening credits blip onto the screen as Carvey strutted down the street in his lazy dude's attire. There was no telling why he was carrying a potted plant. 

Turns out it was part of the character's introductory ruse, which also involves two nuns, a female pedestrian and a rich man in a flashy car who's tricked into believing he almost killed someone. I'm tiptoeing around the details because, in truth, I'm forgetting them, but what's important to note is the scene ably reveals the character's nature without heaps of exposition, and it also introduces his partner, Lou, played by Todd Graff, who's best known to me as the other-guy crew member in The Abyss. The buddies work as a team, scamming suckers in such amusing ways as pretending to be plumbers and then stealing the family TV. One house they come upon is empty, and while rooting through the rooms, they hear a voicemail from the intended housesitter, who must renege on his responsibility. Suddenly, the crooks are able to use the glorified suburban bachelor pad as their home base, its game tables and stocked fridge perfect for passing time between jobs. 

Something else happened involving a mobster and a stolen car, but that's about all the synopsis I'm prepared to dish out. Besides, what I took away from this movie wasn't plot details, but early '90s nostalgia. Ever the deliverer of exaggerated accents and impersonations (plenty of which turn up here), Carvey was a youthful 35 when this movie was released, making him 56 today. That's somehow an astonishing number for me to process, I guess because it's tough to imagine the goofy comedians of your youth as being over the hill. In any case, the thought marks the first time I've felt a pang of longing for the Wayne's World days, which closely followed in 1992. The same sensation is tied to my being charmed by the gloriously dreadful look of this movie – that grayed, washed out, VHS aesthetic that doesn't look any better just because it's been transferred to DVD. There's a whole catalog of late-'80s and early-'90s titles with that same oddly cozy drabness, which is funny, considering it's an era usually defined by neon and excess.

The future Mrs. Billy ChristensenThe strangest revelations the film offered came during the post-gym research process. A few clicks on Wikipedia unleash a crazy batch of facts regarding what the cast and crew have been up to since. We're all pretty up to speed on Carvey (who can forget The Master of Disguise?), but how about co-star Julia Campbell? She's a busy TV actress, but you know her as none other than A-Group leader Christy Masters from Romy and Michele's High School Reunion. And director Donald Petrie? Most recently, you have him to thank for Welcome to Mooseport, Just My Luck and My Life in Ruins. As for Graff, he boasts the most startling resume by far, at least to this moviegoer. A musical theatre vet, the actor-turned-director is the guy behind Camp and Bandslam, and his next project – get this – is Joyful Noise, a 2012 gospel musical with Queen Latifah and Dolly Parton. How do I not know about the latter? Here's what its Wiki page says: “Two strong-minded women are forced to cooperate when budget cuts threaten to shut down a small-town choir.”    ...I'm sorry, what were we talking about again?

Conclusions?

1. Yesterday's casual is today's embarrassment, as evidenced by Carvey and Carrell.
2. Sadly, comedians age just like everybody else.
3. Ugly is endearing if you happen to be a movie from the late-'80s or early-'90s.
4. Todd Graff is our new Steve Antin – an out former actor about to unveil the unofficial sequel to Burlesque.

Oh, what to ask you? This post is one mixed bag. What jumped out at you? I can only guess...

The Ides of March Poster Splits the Difference

Robert here (Distant Relatives) with a look at The Ides of March poster which gives us half of Ryan and half of George staring out at us. What do we call this being? The Cloosling?

Still, it give us a look at both featured actors, throws in some political intrigue with the "is this man our next president?" line and is sure to get a few double takes hanging in a movie theater lobby. In that sense it's a well done poster. Then again, it's just about the only way to get George Clooney and Ryan Gosling together on a poster and make it somewhat aesthetically offputting.

It also reminds me of three similar face-mashing images in politics and movies.

• A famous magazine cover from 2000 that it might be intentionally referencing much in the way that Clooney's campaign posters reference Obama's.
• Ingmar Bergman's unsettling imagery from his film suggesting two people combining to build a bigger Persona.
• Or perhaps it's a more blunt assessment of a quality often found in politicians or operatives.

Newsweek 2000, Liv Ullman & Bibi Andersson in Persona, Two-Face

Shame on Them.

Jose here. I have to apologize in advance but I have to confess that every time I read new stories about Steve McQueen's Shame, I can't help but start singing this song. Today after seeing the first official pics of the movie, I couldn't help it either.

Carey Mulligan in all her Marilyn Monroe-esque glory plays the "wayward" sister to a sex-addict played by Michael Fassbender and according to the movie's official synopsis, things get out of control after she moves in with him.

Shame is the sophomore effort of British artist Steve McQueen, whose previous film Hunger won a ton of awards and introduced most of us to the marvelous Fassbender. The film had already sparked some controversy after a not-so-shy shoot in NYC took some by surprise and is set to debut at this year's Toronto Film Festival.

Excited to see what McQueen does this time? Thrilled to see Fassy and CaMu together or is their current reign as "go-to-actors for everything" exhausting you already? 

more pictures after the jump

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Anyone Mix their Documentaries with Hip Hop?

Paolo here again. Referring to the question above I wonder if any of the readers here have seen Beats, Rhymes and Life in the few big cities where it's already on.

It's strange how, in watching this documentary about the hip hop group A Tribe Called Quest, I realized I knew less about them and more about the film's director Michael Rappaport. He of course is in True Romance and eventually ended up in one of those yearly Vanity Fair photo shoots where they name the next batch of great actors. You might remember him from "The War at Home," a passable sitcom. He also happens to be a guy from Brooklyn who grew up as part of the first hip hop generation.

What I knew about ATCQ was more about mixing them up with De La Soul, or their reluctant front man of a rapper Q-Tip. He released a song called "Vivrant Thing," which had more in common with flashy club music of the late 90's than the conscious hip hop he created with the disbanded group a decade or so earlier.

Rappaport and his editors Lenny Messina and AJ Schnack spent three years to find and compress a lot of material about ATCQ. The film tackles their origins - the group's four members are childhood friends. Q-Tip revisits his high school and reminisce about banging on his classroom tables the same way kids in my high school did. We also see him at the studio sifting through his old vinyls, admitting to being a fan of 1970's jazz and disco chanteuses.

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10 years ago this week, 'NSYNC predicted the Rise of Timberlake

Hello, everyone! It's Mark Blankenship from The Critical Condition. You may remember me from a recent podcast here on TFE, but otherwise, this is my first appearance on the site. I'm not saying I'm nervous, but I changed my outfit six times before you got here, and I did this silly thing with my hair that you probably didn't even notice and... oh! Where are my manners? Why don't we sit in the living room and talk about you?

Ahem. Anyway.

As you already know, this week marks the tenth anniversary of Wet Hot American Summer and its ever-glorious scene of Janeane Garofalo destroying an infirmary. However, that is not the only cultural touchstone that arrived a decade ago. This week also brought us Celebrity, the final album by 'NSYNC.

Even at the time, the album was a big deal, selling 1.87 million copies in its first seven days and generating hit singles like "Girlfriend," "Pop," and "Gone." None of these were quite as brilliant as"Bye Bye Bye," but they were still pretty magical. (Plus, Dirty Pop is a great drag name.)

In retrospect, however, this album is even more important because it signalled the birth of Justin Timberlake: Media Machine. Before Celebrity, he was simply the most popular member of a boy band, meaning he occasionally shared lead vocals and danced in the back of a V formation.

Celebrity, however, was essentially the Justin show. Looking at the album cover, you could assume he was the lead artist, and watching this video or this one, you might think you were watching "Cry Me a River."

Hey... who are those guys in Justin's light?

When Lance Bass wrote a book (sigh), he suggested this intense focus on Justin broke up the group, and he may be right. Intentionally or not, this period let 'NSYNC's success provide a low-risk incubator for Timberlake's solo career. If he fizzled, then he still had the group to fall back on, but if he sizzled, then he could leap into new projects.

That's kind of how Timberlake evolved from a mere pop star into box-office draw. While nestled in his music career, he started making limited appearances as an actor, popping up in SNL videos and Christina Ricci vehicles. Failure wouldn't have meant much, since people were more focused on "SexyBack" than Southland Tales.

Obviously, though, the acting thing worked out. The Social Network, Bad Teacher, and Friends With Benefits have made Timberlake a movie star who used to make records, not a pop singer who moonlights in film. And to think this was all predicted when we heard "Pop" on the radio!

Timberlake at the Oscars, February 2011

Timberlake isn't the only person to transition from one medium to another, of course, but as Celebrity hits double digits, it's interesting to consider just how successful this former Mouseketeer has been. Ten years from now, we might be analyzing how Bad Teacher laid the seeds for Senator Timberlake's eventual appointment as the Secretary of Education.

[Editor's Note: Mark is currently hosting an amazing "ULTIMATE POP SONG" contest at Critical Condition... there's only 24 hours left to vote on the first round match-ups. Don't miss the hilarious POP SONG commentary at Nick's Flick Picks, and Low Resolution, either. Some of the first bracket countdowns are true 'Sophie's Choice's. Go now... vote!]