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— by Ben Cosgrove
They're the butt of jokes. They're the envy of millions. They're tabloid fodder. They're the faces that launched a thousand glossy magazines. They're models, and this spring, on the new reality show "8th & Ocean," MTV is taking a look at what's involved in going from wannabe to the real, sought-after deal as six women and four men set up house in South Beach and set out to conquer the fashion world. To put it all in perspective — or, at least, help you pass the time — here are a few movies that either star a model or two, or provide some insight into this unusual and often high-strung breed.
 "Domino" (2005)
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This quasi-biopic about real-life model-turned-bounty hunter Domino Harvey stars Keira Knightley in the title role and, as one might expect from director Tony Scott, co-stars lots of explosions and hyper-stylized scenes that look great but don't really tell us much. (The real Domino Harvey died last year of a drug overdose in Los Angeles. She was 35 years old.) The film is frantic and pretty fun, with some excellent contributions from Mickey Rourke, Lucy Liu and Christopher Walken. And although by the time it's over the viewer might not have learned much about bounty hunters or models, one thing's for sure: If there's anyone on earth who looks better blasting away, double-fisted, with two mammoth handguns than Keira Knightley, we don't know who it is.
"Transporter 2" (2005)
Tougher-than-nails badass Jason Statham returns as Frank Martin, a driver-for-hire who seems to have incredibly bad luck, seeing as he's always getting into perilous situations that invariably involve guns, explosions, fists and/or dangerous women. This time around, Frank's in the employ, as chauffeur and bodyguard, of U.S. "drug czar" Jefferson Billings (Matthew Modine) and his family — including Jeff's wife, Audrey, played by Tulsa, Oklahoma, native and absurdly attractive supermodel Amber Valletta. When the Billings' son is kidnapped and injected with a potentially lethal virus, Frank embarks on a spree of thoroughly entertaining, good-natured, pyrotechnic violence in order to get the tyke back and (not incidentally) keep Audrey happy. (Frank's no fool).
"Into The Blue" (2005)
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Jessica Alba, Paul Walker, Scott Caan and Ashley Scott star in this adventure flick about four scuba-diving friends who uncover 1) a sunken airplane, 2) a whole lot of cocaine and 3) some harsh life lessons: namely, that coke dealers don't easily or happily give up their misplaced stash and that, when seen up-close, sharks are often scarier than their cuddly reputation might suggest. Tyson Beckford, meanwhile, appears in the film as a very shady nightclub owner and all-around bad guy named (unfortunately) Primo. Beckford doesn't have many lines, really, and he's not called upon to do much acting — but then again, in this lighter-than-air confection, neither is anyone else.
"Zoolander" (2001)
Despite what you might have heard, "Zoolander" is not a documentary — however, much of the onscreen behavior can probably be witnessed at any fashion event. Starring Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Will Ferrell, Milla Jovovich and a host of genuine stars and pop-culture nuisances playing themselves (Donald Trump, Christian Slater, Fred Durst, David Bowie), the film jumps from giddy to surreal to slapstick and back to giddy with impressive ease. The "plot," about two rival male supermodels joining forces to stop an assassination attempt, is just about as idiotic as it sounds, but there's no denying that when Stiller and Wilson are at their foolhardy, anything-for-a-laugh best, they're two very funny fellows.
"Coyote Ugly" (2000)
Based on the goings-on in a real bar in New York City — a bar that, after the movie was released, turned into a hellishly loud zoo, but with less interesting inmates — "Coyote Ugly" tells the classic tale of a young woman chasing her dreams in the big city. And if those dreams include pouring tequila down the throats of hairy men while dancing in short shorts and a cowboy hat on top of a bar, our heroine has obviously discovered her own personal nirvana. For our purposes, the film is notable for Tyra Banks' role as Zoe, one of the several sassy, curvy bartenders who seem to love, above all things, being ogled and howled at by drunks. Since the movie came out, of course, Tyra has gone on to unexpected success hosting her own talk show — much to the joy of viewers of "The Soup."
"Unzipped" (1995)
Kate Moss, Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Veronica Webb, Linda Evangelista, Helena Christensen, Amber Valletta and ... Liza Minnelli? Richard Gere? Roseanne Barr? You get the picture — pretty much everyone who was anyone (and a few folks who only thought they were someone) in the mid-1990s showed up in this documentary look at Isaac Mizrahi manically putting together his 1994 fall line. Consider this a 75-minute master class in the ups and downs of what it's really like to work in upper echelons of the modeling world. If you're still interested in entering that world after watching this film, then more power to ya.
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Photos: New Line Cinema
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