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!]

Toronto & Venice Lineups: Full of Contenders & Sleepers

Robert here (of Distant Relatives) with some thoughts on the lineups for the Toronto and Venice International Film Festivals which were announced Wednesday morning. And Oh Canada (and Viva Italia!) are they impressive.

Let's begin with Venice since it's up first.

VENICE
First up, the many films that will be vying for awards and spots on prestigious top 10 lists at the end of the year. I mention them first because while there's much to anticipate about them all, there's not too much left to say. They've staked their claim and now we must wait for word to start rolling in. So we can see if Roman Polanski's late career semi-resurgence can continue with the impressive cast of Carnage, or whether Steven Soderberg's Contagion can live up to that buzzy trailer. Meanwhile David Cronenberg's A Dangerous Method sets out to prove that just because he doesn't make movies with gynelogical tools that look like alien lifeforms anymore, he's still a master of psychosexual pathos. George Clooney's The Ides of March will try to be more than Primary Colors redux and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (from Let the Right One In's Tomas Alfredson) may finally get Gary Oldman some recognition in the form of little statues. And of course Madonna reinvents herself yet again, this time as feature film director with W.E.

Meanwhile I feel like the lineup has reminded me of how many films have fallen under the radar so far this year. Did you know Jonathan Demme has made a post-Katrina documentary entitled I'm Carolyn Parker? Underachiever James Franco has found time to direct a film about Sal Mineo called Sal. Todd Solondz is back at it with the romance Dark Horse, which I'm sure will be more fun for the whole family. Further representing the ladies are Marry Harron who jumps into the vampire fray with The Moth Diaries, Andrea Arnold who gives us a new version of Wuthering Heights, and Marjane Satrapi of Persepolis fame who, with co-director Vincent Paronnaud presents her sophomore effort Chicken With Plums.

If that weren't enough there's Shame, Steve McQueen's follow up to 2008's Hunger which pairs Michael Fassbender with Cary Mulligan. If you liked 2007's sweetly sad The Band's Visit, director Eran Kolirin presents The Exchange. And if you liked last years not-so-sweetly sad Dogtooth, Giorgios Lanthimos is back with Alps. Plus new films from Philippe Garrel, Abel Ferrera, William Friedkin and more. Exhausting. The full list is available for your perusal at The Guardian.

TORONTO
Now on to TIFF, the official unofficial start of award season. Along with some films from Venice that will be here too (The Ides of March, The Dangerous Method, W.E.), we'll get our first look at "Sad Clooney" in Alexander Payne's The Descendants, "Angry Woody" in Oren Moverman's Rampart, and "Mathy Brad" in Bennett Miller's Moneyball. Rodrigo Garcia's Albert Nobbs rings the bell on the Glenn Close/Meryl Streep steel cage Oscar match we're all looking forward to and/or feeling conflicted about. Meanwhile Francis Ford Coppola continues the "we hope this one will be his big comeback" era of his career with Twixt.

Of course, Toronto could be comeback central. Fernando Meirelles is premeiring 360 in an attempt to put Blindness out of sight. Lasse Hallstrom is back (actually I can't remember if he went anywhere or if we all stopped paying attention). Anyway if he has his way the title Salmon Fishing in the Yemen will be on all of our lips. Also did you know that Roland Emmerich has apparently grown tired of destroying the world and made a film about Shakespeare called Anonymous... seriously. And his subtler and more stylish French counterpart Luc Besson has maybe put thrillers on hold for The Lady.

The list seemingly never ends, but I must. So I'll finish off with two films you might be anticipating if you enjoyed 2004's My Summer of Love and 2007's Away From Her. Pawel Pawlikoski is back with The Woman in the Fifth and Sarah Polley returns to the director's chair for Take This Waltz. As usual there's still plenty more and The Guardian has that list too.

Once your head has stopped spinning with the promise of a busy end of the year sound off. Which of these are you looking most forward to? Which are you having trouble getting worked up for?

Pontiac... The Emerald City

Hey people!  I'm popping in very briefly from Michigan as I vacation. How about this for my timing:No sooner did I arrive (Saturday) than James Franco, Mila Kunis, Michelle Williams and Rachel Weisz showed up to start shooting Oz, The Great and Powerful (Monday). Okay okay technically maybe they aren't all here yet -- I haven't seen the call sheets -- but production began at the new Raleigh Studios in Pontiac. The whole movie will be shot there in what used to be an old truck manufacturing plant or somesuch.

Pontiac is where we used to go to concerts as a kid... the ones that weren't in Detroit that is. Here's a handy map to show where we're all located. I'm only like an hour away from the stars.

[Note: Madonna is not in Oz The Great and Powerful but I include her on the map because every time I visit Michigan, I pretend she also just happens to be visiting, as we are (pretend) psychically bound!]

If I wasn't visiting family and friends. If I wasn't sane. If I wasn't poor. If I had all the time in the world. If I were a stalker. If I owned a paparazzi telephoto lensed camera... I would stake out the studios and share photos. Too many "if"s so I'll just keep on with the visiting.

If you haven't been following the film, it concerns the Wizard as a younger man (Franco) who is whisked away from Kansas to the magical land (people come and go so quickly there) where he attempts to establish his wizardly rep while dealing with Oz's many political problems and three doubtful witches: Theodora (Kunis) and Evanora (Weisz) who are sisters (West and East, don'cha know) and Glinda the Good (Williams). I'm actually most curious about what they'll do with Glinda. After so many gloomy indies and depressed characters, isn't this a major "against type" role for Michelle Williams? As you surmise it's a prequel to Dorothy's legendary trip and sounds as if bears at least a passing resemblance to Gregory Maguire's "Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West" albeit with the focus shifted away from the green skinned broom flying baddie and over to the man behind the curtain.

Glinda in 1920, 1939, 2003, and 2012

Maguire's rather R rated "Wicked" was adapted into a kid friendly behemoth musical in 2003. It's so popular that it's long since outgrossed most films in existence. That's not something you hear every day, huh, theater outgrossing the cinema? But with a billion dollars and counting, it's beyond huge. The original books by L. Frank Baum -- all dozenplus of them -- are in the public domain meaning that any writer who wants to can riff on the world and characters free of licensing fees and rights options. But this has been true since the late 1950s so the plethora of Oz pictures in the works, are obviously due to Wicked's popularity, and Wicked's popularity alone. In a weird twist of fate by the time Wicked gets to the screen (distant future? never? they've been dragging their heels for years) the public may be too exhausted by Oz to care. 

But back to Oz the Great and Powerful. Remember when Franco & Kunis played those crazy marrieds in Date Night? 

"Wet Hot American Summer" at 10!

Alex BBats here, and today is the 10th birthday of one of my all time favorite films.  

Watching a film can be a relatively light affair.  Simple plots, easy jokes, characters who follow archetypes to the tee. A.O. Scott recently proposed that more challenging and unconventional films, such as Bela Tarr’s Turin Horse, might expand a moviegoers palate and appetite for cinema.  Occasionally a film brings the viewer into a lawless land, not one filled with bandits, but a can of vegetables who happens to be a Vietnam Veteran, a boy who can create gusts, and haystacks able to block a motorcycle.  Wet Hot American Summer (2001) challenges the viewer with absurdity, its reward being pure bliss.

Wet Hot American Summer is bedazzled to the brim with details: funny posters, extras dancing, strange gestures, or that fantastic breaking glass sound effect.  I’ve seen Wet Hot American Summer over 30 times and always find, or am given, something new to smile at.  (This latest playthrough, I heard a small, impressed gasp that the talent show MC hailed from  the Catskill Mountains resort circuit and Amy Pohler whispering “This is terrible” during the Godspell number.) 

Depth is rare in film and rarer in comedy.  David Wain and the company put there all into making this film the best possible.  There's a youthful vigor to the movie, which is especially considering that twenty and thirtysomethings are playing teenagers. Every scene in Wet Hot American Summer has something unexpected. The actors don’t sell the jokes, they own and share them.  You can tell everyone had an amazing time on the set.  Eighty percent of the cast (or thereabouts) went on to become A-list actors. (Bradley Cooper gets a permapass because of this film). Even the kid that gets tossed out of the van has an amazing resume. 

Seriously, check out his IMDB page, Kyle Gallner

Nathaniel once described Rachel Getting Married as “Nathaniel Getting Hugged.”  I feel that Wet Hot American Summer is Alex Getting Loved Passionately.  I’ll snuggle up with Wet Hot American Summer any season.

Also, Sluts Rock.

Summertime Chills: Teeth

Robert G from Sketchy Details here with a look at a bizarre and refreshing horror film for those hot summer days.

I just have to ask: can't we get just one horror film where a trip to a large body of water doesn't spell disaster? Whether it's shark attacks, masked killers, or ancient monsters from the deep, water in a summer horror film is a bad thing. The younger the characters are, the more diastrous the events will be

Teeth is not an exception to this rule. The strange horror/dark comedy hybrid follows the story of Dawn, a high school abstinence advocate opening herself up for the first time to relationships. She meets a nice boy named Tobey who seems different from the rest. He's kind, sweet, and is not pressuring Dawn to do anything she doesn't want to do.

Of course they wind up in a big body of water. How could late summer fun like this turn bad?

Easy. 

Click to read more ...