PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES and our family’s traditions.

Posted on November 28, 2024 by Bradley Crain

I love Thanksgiving because I love spending time with my family. My Mom is one of 15 kids from a large Catholic family in central Arkansas, so this is the time of year that I get to see a big part of that extended family. A lot of people are spread out across the state and country so we don’t get to see everyone at Thanksgiving, but we do get to see a lot of people. We go to my aunt Jo Ellen’s house, and I get to hang out with a bunch of my aunts, uncles and cousins. We’ll have a giant feast from a potluck of items we’ve grown to love over the years…Aunt Jo Ellen’s turkey and dressing, Mom’s candied yams, Aunt Connie’s deviled eggs, the giant table of desserts, etc. Our family is all about traditions, and this is the time of year we share those with each other. I just love it!

One of our movie-watching traditions is watching PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES together. And we do it every year. We still laugh at all the right parts…Kevin Bacon getting Steve Martin’s cab thanks to a mysteriously large trunk on the curb, John Candy reading The Canadian Mounted, Doobie’s Taxiola, “Those Aren’t Pillows,” Owen’s strange facial expressions and throat noises, “a couple of balls and an extra set of fingers,” the runway crossing, the car rental counter meltdown, “you’re going the wrong way,” the hotel destruction getaway, and the indestructible car radio. Odds are many of you are smiling as you read this quick summary of some of my favorite parts. We’ll watch the movie together while we’re settling in back at Dad and Mom’s house after a wonderful Thanksgiving lunch. It’s a guarantee that Dad will be snoring at some point.

As much as I love to eat, to me, Thanksgiving is all about spending time with the ones I love. We’ll tell a lot of the same stories that we’ve told many times over the years, and we’ll laugh at them all over again. We’ll truly enjoy our time together. Our family is not perfect, and we don’t always see eye to eye on everything, but we love each other and that is more important than just about anything else. That’s a Crain family tradition passed down from my parents. One of the best things about PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES is that there are times when the laughs die completely down, and that’s when the movie reveals its heart. The same can be said for my family, and that’s something I’m truly thankful for.

Horror Scenes That I Love: “Dentist!” from Little Shop of Horrors

Posted on October 1, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Since we’ve been talking a lot about the original Little Shop of Horrors today, I thought I would only be appropriate to share a scene from the remake for today’s scene of the day.

From 1986’s Little Shop of Horrors, here is Steve Martin performing Dentist! Because there’s nothing scarier than going to the dentist, right?

(Yes, I nearly picked Mean Green Mother From Outer Space but …. I don’t know. It bothers me that the film remake changes the dark ending of both the original film and the stage production.)

Scene That I Love: Steve Martin Reveals What He Needs In The Jerk

Posted on August 14, 2023 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today, the Shattered Lens wishes actor and comedian Steve Martin a happy 77th birthday. Originally from Texas, Martin has been a cultural mainstay for longer than I’ve been alive. He’s an adept banjo player and an occasional actor, equally skilled at both comedy and drama.

Today’s scene that I love comes from 1979’s The Jerk, in which Steve Martin reveals all that he needs.

Great Moments In Television History #22: Steve Martin’s Saturday Night Live Holiday Wish

Posted on August 14, 2022 by Jedadiah Leland

As Lisa already posted, today is Steve Martin’s birthday.

I think everyone who loves comedy has a favorite Steve Martin moment. A lot of people would cite his performance of King Tut on Saturday Night Live or maybe one of the many skits where he played a wild and crazy guy with Dan Aykroyd. Other remember him as The Jerk or playing Cyrano in Roxanne. I’ve always liked his performance in Bowfinger, in which both he and Eddie Murphy were in top form.

However, if I had to pick my favorite Steve Martin moment, it would be his holiday wish from SNL‘s Christmas ’86 episode. Even though it’s rare that anyone has anything nice to say about Saturday Night Live’s 1986 season, Steve Martin’s Holiday Wish is such a classic that it’s been included in almost every SNL holiday special since it originally aired. Is it too early to share a Christmas wish list? Not when Steve Martin is the one doing the wishing and it’s a great moment in television history!

Previous Moments In Television History:

Scenes I Love: Steve Martin performs Maxwell’s Silver Hammer in Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band

Posted on August 14, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today, the Shattered Lens wishes actor and comedian Steve Martin a happy 77th birthday. Originally from Texas, Martin has been a cultural mainstay for longer than I’ve been alive. He’s a master of both comedy and drama, as anyone who has watched Only Murders In The Building can tell you.

And he can sing too!

Here he is, performing Maxwell’s Silver Hammer in 1978’s Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Though this was not Martin’s film debut, it was his first “big” role. Steve Martin was 33 years old here. Remarkably, he only seems to have aged a few years in the decades since appearing in this film.

Happy birthday, Steve Martin!

Music Video Of the Day: Gone Daddy Gone by Violent Femmes (1983, directed by Doug Martin and Steve Martin)

Posted on February 4, 2021 by Jedadiah Leland

I will be the first to admit that I was hoping that it would turn out that this video was directed by that Steve Martin. But no, the directors of this video were twin brothers Douglas Brian Martin and Steven M. Martin. Along with a few acting appearances (they played “angry twins” in Fast Times At Ridgemont High), Steve Martin is credited with directed the documentary Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey in 1993.

According to the imdb, Doug Martin ” (d)irected the following music videos: “Murder, Mystery & Mayhem (1981)” for Peter Ivers “No Smoking (1982)” for John Waters “Shock Value (1982)” for John Waters “I Predict (1982)” for Sparks “Get Up And Go (1982)” for The Go-Go’s “Gone Daddy Gone (1983)” for Violent Femmes “Barefoot Rock (1983)” for The Blasters “One Red Rose (1983)” for The Blasters “The Cutting Edge (1983)” for MTV “Christian Girls Problems (1983)” for The Gleaming Spires “Head Over Heels (1983)” for The Go-Go’s “Sound Of The Rain (1984)” for Rank & File “Livin’ A Little, Laughin’ A Little (1985)” for John Hiatt/Elvis Costello “When Angels Kiss (1985)” for Gary Myrick “Stick Around (1985)” for Julian Lennon “Lips To Find You (1986)” for Teena Marie “Situation #9 (1986)” for Club Nouveau.”

This song features not one but two xylophone solos.

Enjoy!

Insomnia File #40: The Spanish Prisoner (dir by David Mamet)

Posted on October 2, 2019 by Lisa Marie Bowman

What’s an Insomnia File? You know how some times you just can’t get any sleep and, at about three in the morning, you’ll find yourself watching whatever you can find on cable? This feature is all about those insomnia-inspired discoveries!

If, at 3 in the morning on Wednesday, you were struggling to get to sleep, you could have flipped over to Flix and watched the 1998 film, The Spanish Prisoner.

Joe Ross (Campbell Scott) is an engineer. He’s a quiet, polite, and always considerate man. At one point, he’s told that he’s “too nice” and, watching him, you can’t help but agree. Joe works in an otherwise bland office where the walls are covered with menacing posters that, in an accusatory manner, announce, “SOMEONE TALKED!” Paranoia is in the air but Joe, for whatever reason, seems to be incapable of sensing it.

Joe has just invented something called The Process. It’s deliberately left obscure just what exactly The Process is but we do know that it stands to make Joe’s boss, Mr. Klein (Ben Gazzara), a lot of money. When Mr. Klein invites Joe and the company lawyer, George (Ricky Jay), to an island retreat, Joe assumes that it’s so Mr. Klein can offer him a lucrative cash bonus as a reward for creating the process. Instead, it turns out that Mr. Klein has no interest in giving George any extra reward. Instead, Klein feels that Joe should just be happy to be a part of the company.

On the island, Joe takes a picture of a mysterious man named Jimmy Dell (Steve Martin). Jimmy offers to give Joe a thousand dollars for the camera. Joe, instead, hands over the camera for free. Later, Jimmy tracks down Joe and apologizes for his behavior. He and Joe strike up an unlikely friendship on the island. Upon learning that Joe will soon by flying back to New York, Jimmy gives Joe a package to deliver to his sister. Joe agrees.

It’s not until Joe is on the plane and in the air that he starts to wonder about what’s inside the package. It doesn’t help that his secretary, Susan (Rebecca Pidgeon), won’t stop talking about you never really know anyone and how easy it is to trick an innocent person into becoming a drug mule. Finally, Joe steps into the plane’s lavatory, unwraps the package, and….

And that’s all I can tell you without spoiling the film. The Spanish Prisoner is a film about a dizzying confidence game, one that is full of nonstop twists and turns. No one in the film turns out to be who you thought they were when you first saw them. At times, it can be a bit hard to keep up with the plot but that’s actually a part of the fun. The Spanish Prisoner keeps you guessing and, fortunately, Campbell Scott gives a likable enough performance that you’re willing to explore the maze at the heart of this film with him. Steve Martin is also wonderfully sinister as Jimmy, using his own “nice guy” image to keep us off-balance.

As you might expect from a film written and directed by David Mamet, the dialogue is heavily stylized. The characters all move and speak at their own odd rhythm. Lines that should be innocuous take on a dangerous edge and it becomes impossible not try to read between the lines of even the simplest of exchanges. It creates a rather dream-like atmosphere, one in which you’re never quite sure what’s real and what’s just another part of the game.

The Spanish Prisoner is an intriguing mystery and one that seems like it will definitely reward repeat viewings.

Previous Insomnia Files:

The Dork Knight: Steve Martin in DEAD MEN DON’T WEAR PLAID (Universal 1982)

Posted on April 20, 2019 by gary loggins

cracked rear viewer

Quick, name a film noir that stars Humphrey Bogart, James Cagney, Joan Crawford, Bette Davis, Ava Gardner, Cary Grant, Veronica Lake, Alan Ladd, Vincent Price, and… Steve Martin? There’s only one: 1982’s DEAD MEN DON’T WEAR PLAID, the second collaboration between that “wild and crazy guy” Martin and comedy legend Carl Reiner. I remember, back in 1982, being dazzled by editor Bud Molin’s seamless job of incorporating classic film footage into the new narrative while simultaneously laughing my ass off. Things haven’t changed – the editing still dazzles, and I’m still laughing!

Martin and Reiner’s first comedy, 1979’s THE JERK, was an absurdist lover’s delight, and this time around the two, along with cowriter George Gipe, concocted this cockeyed detective saga after combing through old black and white crime dramas (we didn’t call ’em film noir back then) and cherry picking scenes to build their screenplay around. Martin plays PI…

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Music Video of the Day: I Predict by Sparks (1982, dir. Doug Martin & Steve Martin)

Posted on May 26, 2017 by Valerie Troutman

Or is directed by David Lynch?

Back when I went through all the David Lynch music videos, I specifically mentioned this one because it is frequently credited to David Lynch. If you do a Google search, then you’ll turn up lots of reviews and lists of Lynch music videos that include it. Even Wikipedia disagrees about it. If you go to the list of David Lynch music videos, then it’ll say he directed it. However, if you go to the article written about the song and video, then you’ll find out that it wasn’t. That article cites a book called Talent Is An Asset: The Story Of Sparks by Daryl Ealesa. It says the video was directed by Doug Martin and Steve Martin in the style of Lynch. I haven’t read it yet. Regardless, I just bought it so I can provide you with an excerpt covering it:

‘I Predict’ came with a striking video that fell foul of the conservatism of MTV. Directed in the style of David Lynch by group friends, identical twins and occasional actors Doug and Steve Martin, it is crammed full of strangeness. Shot in a dimly lit bar outside LA, Ron, in drag, develops the bride theme from the album’s cover with Russell still wearing the cover’s wedding suit. And Ron is stripping. And Russell is watching. Something is clearly not right. With the attendant promotion and the video’s notoriety, ‘I Predict’ reached number 60 on the Billboard Hot 100. Sparks had finally achieved a US Top 100 single after a decade of trying.

Below is the album cover the excerpt speaks of:

The funny thing is that despite being mis-credited to David Lynch, it does have a connection to him beyond being done in his style. David Lynch made a music video for the song Thank You, Judge by his group called BlueBOB that was made up of him and Jeff Neff. At the end of that music video, you have Eli Roth and Naomi Watts laughing at Jeff Neff about to receive an anal probe. Anyone who has watched Cabin Fever (2002) and David Lynch’s work, knows that from the opening to the very end, you’d be thinking of Lynch regardless of whether you knew there was any connection between them. From the Blue Velvet (1986) style opening credits to Party Cop to the person in the rabbit suit. There’s even a thanks to him in the credits. 7 years later, director Ti West made a sequel that is basically a lover-letter to 70s and 80s exploitation films. I watched all the Cabin Fever movies recently, and something caught my eye in the credits on Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever (2009). They used the Sparks song Eaten By The Monster Of Love, which is from the album, Angst In My Pants, that includes the song I Predict. Even without having directed this video, Lynch is still connected to it beyond the use of his style in the video.

David Lynch being credited for this in so many places doesn’t surprise me. I have a copy of Madonna: The Immaculate Collection. It’s a compilation of her early music videos. It lists Mary Lambert as the producer of Borderline–not the director.

You’d think that would be pretty definitive. In fact, there’s a reference to Star Wars in Pet Sematary II (1992)–Bruce Logan having done visual effects on Star Wars.

However, if you read the book I Want My MTV, then you get information straight from Lambert and others that she did indeed direct Borderline.

The point is that it’s easy for this stuff to get confusing, and as a result, you can end up with these kinds of situations.

Enjoy!

Channel Zero: Candle Cove Episode 2, ALT Title: Choosy Tooth Monsters Choose Teeth

Posted on October 22, 2016 by casewright

Cold Open: There’s an Old Man walking around who sees corpses of kids on the ground and in a tree and doesn’t seem to care. Frankly, this is kind of how I felt about this episode. It wasn’t great. It had popping moments, but an overdose of sighs, pauses, and stares. I mean Twilight levels of stares. The pilot and episode 2 were written by Don Mancini of Child’s Play and Halloween Wars Season 6. I was really surprised that Don wrote episode 2. The pilot was creepy and popped, but episode 2 fizzled. This was a missed opportunity for a good show. Here we go.

Katie is back home and watching Candle Cove on the tv and then stabs her brother with a hook. Then, the show slows down to a crawl again.

Mike’s mom investigates the show and we get a lot of exposition about how the show was pirated onto RF signals and such. Honestly, this was the nadir of the show, but it still has promise, if the writers decide to stop feeding the story shots of nyquil and turkey sandwiches with gravy.

Hospital: Katie is under observation and their son Dane is in surgery. This will be an awkward Hallmark Card! Jessica (Katie’s mom) asks Mike to come back and talk to Katie. The Cop kinda doesn’t like this, but doesn’t put up much of a fight either. This is the theme of the whole episode…build up…fizzle…light random pop…fizzle. Mike goes to talk to Katie and sees a crayon picture on the wall depicting Candle Cove. He shows Katie the drawing, which….doesn’t achieve much. However, out of nowhere, Mike breaks the touch barrier with the kid, sending the dad into WTF-mode?! The action happens through a screen: once Mike leaves- the tooth monster snuggles Katie. This is creepy and gross, but not connected to the scene before it. Therefore, the discourse between Mike and Katie didn’t need to happen and was a time waster!

Mike goes back home and shows his mom the drawing. She believes it’s an “abandoned” cement plant. Mike and Mike’s Mom (MM) go to cleanest and still seemingly operational cement plant- No graffiti, no beer bottles, no trash, nothing to indicate that the cement plant is not kept up and will be turned back on in 30 minutes. In fact, it’s clinically clean. The art department really dropped the ball on this one. Mike goes into the spooooooky cement factory and finds his brother’s corpse. Then, Mike flashes back to stabbing his brother with a hook and burying him.

Mike goes to bed and sees the One-Character from Candle Cove who looks a lot like the lobster-thing from Futurama – upon research, it’s called Zoidberg and that’s what I’m calling this One-Eyed thing- Hi, Zoidberg. Zoidberg causes Mike to flash again to his mom talking to her beat up son. She says that when she told the bully’s parents, the bully’s mom laughed at her. This was not my upbringing. My mother, a 12 Generation Tarheel, is perpetually armed. If someone laughed at her after they had just ganged up and beat me up, I’d be visiting my badass Mom in Prison.

Mike goes to the kitchen and tells his mom, ‘BTDubs, I killed my brother.’ [paraphrased] She tells him to leave, he won’t, she cuts him with a big knife. Then, Mike takes a nap. I’m starting to wonder if any of these writers grew up with human families. The Cop shows up purportedly to arrest Mike, but not really. It’s very vague as to what he plans on doing besides putting him in the backseat of his car.

They make a big deal out of this backseat thing; therefore, I will address the stupidity. A cop needs to maintain control of a suspect for his safety and the safety of suspect. The car did not have a partition, therefore, having Mike in the back is stupid and dangerous. Furthermore, Mike is not restrained in any way. In this instance, the cop has a confessed murderer in custody and just has him in the back, with no cuffs, a clear shot taking out the cop, and relieving him of his service weapon! This show really needs to think sometimes with a bit of commonsense.

Cop doesn’t take Mike to the station; instead, Cop just keeps driving … for some reason. It’s not spooky, it’s just kinda dumb.

The show ends with Mike’s former English teacher feeding the tooth monster teeth. GROSS! Maybe, it’s Steve Martin under all of those teeth?!! HA HA!

The episode has some good creepy parts, but it seems to lack a strong reality through story to contrast the weirdo elements of the story. Channel Zero really needs to keep the real elements of the story real or this show will turn into a steaming pile very soon. I have a lot of faith that this was just a bad second episode, which is not uncommon if your pilot had so much meat that second episode seemed like leftovers. It would’ve benefitted from some sort of side-quest for Mike to accomplish.

Happy Halloween- it’s just around the corner!