Steve Martin Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Your Oscar Hosts: Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin
Filed under: Casting », Oscar Watch »
When the comedy gods close a door, they open a window. Ben Stiller and Robert Downey Jr. said no to co-hosting next year's Academy Awards, and we barely had time to grieve for what might have been before we received this news: Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin have said yes. It's official, as detailed in a press release from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Martin has hosted the Oscars twice before, in 2000 and 2002, and he happens to be my personal favorite host. In fact, he's one of my personal favorite entertainers, period. The man is a straight-up genius, the terrible movies he's made in the last decade notwithstanding. Baldwin was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for The Cooler, so he at least knows his way to the theater, and he's currently enjoying a resurgence in popularity thanks to his top-notch work on TV's 30 Rock.
Martin and Baldwin have worked together several times thanks to their longstanding affiliation with Saturday Night Live. Martin has hosted 15 times -- more than anyone else -- and Baldwin is right behind him at 14. In 2006, Baldwin showed up on a Martin episode, followed a few months later by Martin crashing a Baldwin show, both times with Martin trying to kill Baldwin to prevent him from overtaking his hosting record. (In the Oscar press release, Martin says, "I am happy to co-host the Oscars with my enemy Alec Baldwin.") Martin guested on an episode of 30 Rock, and both actors will appear in It's Complicated this Christmas.
I think both of these men, separately and together, are hilarious, so I'm excited about the Oscars (to be held March 7, 2010). What do you think?
Classic Cameos: The Muppet Movie
Filed under: Classics », Fandom », Family Films »
I think our original idea behind the Classic Cameos series was to pick one memorable cameo from a movie. However, The Muppet Movie is a long string of cameos, and why should I have to highlight only one? So many people pop up throughout the 1979 film -- my favorites are James Coburn, who owns the El Sleezo nightclub; Carol Kane's very silly "Myth? Yeth?" running gag; Mel Brooks in what's really more of an actual role than a cameo, as the mad scientist; and Orson Welles at the end of the film. If that sounds like enough cameos, I've barely started. The Muppet Movie also has appearances from Dom DeLuise, Madeline Kahn and Telly Savalas, Paul Williams, Cloris Leachman, Bob Hope, Milton Berle, Edgar Bergen (and Charlie McCarthy), Elliot Gould and Big Bird. Director James Frawley supposedly appears onscreen briefly, but I'm not sure I'd recognize him. I've included two YouTube clips of cameos after the jump: Richard Pryor as a balloon salesman who gets Gonzo in a lot of trouble; and Steve Martin as -- what else? -- a rude waiter.
The Muppet Movie sometimes gets a "cameo for cameo's sake" feeling after you've seen two or three of them that have little to do with the plot and aren't that funny. As the years go by, however, I do get a warm sentimental feeling from watching various performers who are no longer with us -- including, of course, Jim Henson himself as Kermit the Frog.
Streep + Martin + Baldwin = 'It's Complicated' Trailer
Filed under: Comedy », Romance », Universal », Trailers and Clips »
Oh, Nancy Meyers. I thought The Holiday was endless pap, full of admittedly charming actors in predictable situations over the length of a Quentin Tarantino WWII riff or Michael Mann crime drama, and man, was I pleasantly surprised by Something's Gotta Give for precisely the first half before Diane Keaton's extended crying fit signaled the end of something playful and the beginning of something painful.But this could be cute, this It's Complicated of yours. The trailer seems to suggest as much. Meryl Streep (in her third film of the year come Christmas time) finds herself torn between the renewed flame of her ex (Alec Baldwin) and the flirtations of her architect (Steve Martin). You know what, that actually seems surprisingly simple despite its title, and middle-aged romance is certainly in your wheelhouse, so the benefit of the doubt is indeed yours.
If I can just make one small request: keep it short. Keep it simple. The natural charm of even a cast like this can only go so far. Don't wear it out. Be romantic. Be comedic. And then leave us be. That'd be a gift I'd cherish above most.
Cinematical Rewind: Actors Who Could Play Siblings
Filed under: Fandom », Lists »
(Cinematical Rewind is a new column that showcases some of our favorite posts from the past few years. Here's Jeffrey M. Anderson's famous Cinematical Seven from 7/22/08)
Occasionally Hollywood cobbles together random members of the A-list to play family members on film, even if their genes obviously come from opposite ends of the earth. If the actors are good enough or if the chemistry is there, sometimes the combo can work, such as Ethan Hawke and Philip Seymour Hoffman as brothers in Before the Devil Knows You're Dead or Colin Farrell and Ewan McGregor in Cassandra's Dream. Other times, it stretches credibility, such as Adrien Brody, Owen Wilson and Jason Schwartzman in The Darjeeling Limited. My all-time favorite oddball casting is in Sidney Lumet's Family Business (1989), with Sean Connery, Dustin Hoffman and Matthew Broderick playing grandfather, father and son. (Huh?) At the same time, there are actor combos out there who just scream to be paired up in a family capacity. Remember Julia Roberts and Kyra Sedgwick in Something to Talk About? Well, neither do I, but that pairing was perfect. Here are a few others that could work:
1. Christian Bale & Samantha Morton
I don't mean to harp on that old "Bad British teeth" thing, but both Christian and Samantha have front teeth that seem to curve slightly upward in the center, so that their pearly whites tend to disappear under their top lips when they speak. As a result, both speak with ever-so-vague sibilant 'S'es -- Christian more so than Samantha. (It's fairly inconvenient trait for a Bruce Wayne trying to maintain his secret identity.) But aside from that, they both have dark, intense eyes and they certainly both project a similar, singularly dedicated mood onscreen. (Christian is the big brother, three years older than Samantha.)
That Steve Martin, He's So Racy!
Filed under: Celebrities and Controversy », Scripts »
In 1993, Steve Martin wrote his first full-length play, Picasso at the Lapin Agile. In it, Albert Einstein, Pablo Picasso, and some others interact in a Parisian bar called Lapin Agile (Nimble Rabbit), and debate about genius and talent, art and science. The play is set in 1904, right before Picasso paints Les Demoiselles d'Avignon and Einstein publishes his theory of relativity.Lapin is a play that's traveled the world, but has now been stopped in its tracks by an Oregon high school, according to the CBC. It seems that students at La Grande High School were gearing up a production when they were stopped by the school board, who received a complaint signed by 137 people in the community. Why did they want to stop it? Because it takes place in a bar and includes sexual references. (They must really hate Grease then!)
To me, it seems quite silly, especially considering the fact that the play is about a much more cerebral subject matter than the usual high school production, and in the days of Hannah Montana, that should be praised. Heck, my alma mater did nothing but a yearly musical, and nothing that came close to the idea of Picasso and Einstein chatting in a bar. Luckily, the show must go on, and Martin has offered to pay for the production to be put on at Eastern Oregon University.
To get a glimpse of this play, head after the jump for a recording of a performance, and check out this piece of trivia:
The first reading of the play took place in Martin's home. Tom Hanks read the role of Pablo Picasso, and Chris Sarandon read Albert Einstein.
Fan Rant: Where Is the 'Planes, Trains & Automobiles' Special Edition DVD?
Filed under: Comedy », Paramount », Fandom », Fan Rant »
With Thanksgiving coming up, I thought I'd revisit Planes, Trains & Automobiles, one of the few movies directly connected to that holiday and a delightful comedy classic in its own right. It had been several years since I'd watched it, and I assumed that in the meantime it had been released on some kind of special edition DVD. Last year was its 20th anniversary, in fact -- a fine time to put out a handsome disc with lots of extras.
Or so you'd think! As it turns out, Planes, Trains & Automobiles has only legitimately been released on DVD once, way back in 2000, with a poor video transfer and no extras whatsoever. Not even a trailer. Not even the extra scenes that are commonly included when the film airs on television. Deepening this wound is the fact that, as several reviewers noted at the time, Paramount's announcement of the DVD had promised it would have deleted scenes. Why the studio changed its mind at the last minute no one knows, but it sure disappointed people in 2000 who had been looking forward to the DVD.
The film was released again this summer as part of VH1's "I Love the '80s" series, but it still didn't have any extras and was essentially a rip-off in new packaging. The only bonus was the incorporation of one additional scene, of Neal and Del eating food on the airplane, that's often shown in the TV version. That's hardly a good enough reason to re-buy the disc, though.
Why is there no special edition of this movie? It's a perennial favorite. It is beloved. It is oft-quoted ("Those aren't pillows!"). It frequently appears on polls of movie fans' favorite comedies. Its very title has become shorthand for any trip punctuated by mishaps and setbacks, as in, "Our vacation to Mexico was a disaster -- it was a total Planes, Trains & Automobiles situation." You would buy it, right?
Meryl Streep's Romantic Indecision: Steve Martin or Alec Baldwin?!
Filed under: Comedy », Romance », Casting »
If you were checking out the casting bites back in August, you might recall that Meryl Streep was looking to sign on to a new romantic comedy penned by Father of the Bride and Irreconcilable Differences scribe Nancy Meyers (which Meyers will also direct). The film was said to focus on a love triangle, and now Variety reports that the beaus fighting for her affection will be: Alec Baldwin and the just-signed Steve Martin.But still, we know nothing about the plot other than the fact that both will play rivals fighting for Streep's affections, and that this mysterious project will leap into production during the month of romance -- February.
At the very least, it looks like this could bite on the question: Which do ladies prefer -- the sexy guy or the funny man? Baldwin comes from a pack of bros so sexy that his last name became a term for hotness in Clueless. As for Martin, well, he might be a wild and crazy guy, but he's also a bit of a goof.
If you had your choice, who would you pick?
Terrorism Thriller 'Traitor' is from a Story by ... Steve Martin?
Filed under: Action », Drama », New Releases », Fandom »
As I exited the screening of Traitor, the terrorism thriller starring Don Cheadle that opens on Wednesday, I noticed something odd in the closing credits: story by Steve Martin and Jeffrey Nachmanoff. The second guy is the film's director. But that first guy ... Steve Martin? The Steve Martin? I knew the one-time Wild and Crazy Guy was a renaissance man. In fact, lately I've enjoyed his writing, which is clever, nuanced, and intelligent, more than I've enjoyed most of his movies. He apparently is not as selective about his film projects as he is about his writing. His novella The Pleasure of My Company is one of my favorite recent books, and Shopgirl (which was made into a film) is another surprisingly emotional gem.
But a terrorism thriller about Muslim extremists and FBI investigations? Even with the understanding that "typical Steve Martin" territory extends much further than the casual fan might realize, this was not typical Steve Martin territory. Checking out the film's website, I found this explanation:
"Traitor began its journey to the big screen when Steve Martin presented an intriguing idea to producer David Hoberman while they were working together on the blockbuster comedy Bringing Down the House. Martin's "what if?" scenario immediately captured Hoberman's imagination with its provocative contemporary themes and surprising final twist."
The production notes go on to describe Nachmanoff and Don Cheadle doing a lot of reworking of Nachmanoff's script, which had been based on Martin's original concept, so I don't know how much of Martin's idea is in the finished product. (He's also credited as an executive producer.) But either way, as a huge fan of Martin's, it's always exciting to see him do something new. It's also nice to know that something positive came out of Bringing Down the House.
Cinematical's Friday Night Double Feature: Road Trippin'
Filed under: Comedy », Fandom », Home Entertainment », Friday Night Double Feature »
This is the perfect time for a road trip -- the sun is high in the sky, the weather is warm, and the roads are clear. But alas, the responsibilities of adulthood and busy scheduling don't always make the open road a viable option. Luckily, however, there's always the movies -- a million different cinematic road adventures to explore.
For this double feature, I'm giving you a little taste of the '90s and then a little taste of the '80s. One is a feature that helped start the careers of two notable actors, and spawned a terrible copy-cat film with Tom Green. The other made soft, warm pillows seem like more than just a wonderfully relaxing safe haven. Sit back and enjoy Overnight Delivery and Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.
Cinematical Seven: Actors Who Could Play Siblings, etc.
Filed under: Fandom », Cinematical Seven », Nicole Kidman »
Occasionally Hollywood cobbles together random members of the A-list to play family members on film, even if their genes obviously come from opposite ends of the earth. If the actors are good enough or if the chemistry is there, sometimes the combo can work, such as Ethan Hawke and Philip Seymour Hoffman as brothers in Before the Devil Knows You're Dead or Colin Farrell and Ewan McGregor in Cassandra's Dream. Other times, it stretches credibility, such as Adrien Brody, Owen Wilson and Jason Schwartzman in The Darjeeling Limited. My all-time favorite oddball casting is in Sidney Lumet's Family Business (1989), with Sean Connery, Dustin Hoffman and Matthew Broderick playing grandfather, father and son. (Huh?) At the same time, there are actor combos out there who just scream to be paired up in a family capacity. Remember Julia Roberts and Kyra Sedgwick in Something to Talk About? Well, neither do I, but that pairing was perfect. Here are a few others that could work:
1. Helen Hunt & Leelee Sobieski
They're so similar it's spooky, from their hair and foreheads, right down to the tonal quality of their voices. Anybody check the hospital records for mixed-up babies? (Helen is about 20 years older.) Not too long ago, both careers hit a peak: Helen won an Oscar while Leelee was working with Stanley Kubrick and playing Joan of Arc on TV. Now they're both in decline. For some reason, whenever Helen's name comes up, I hear "I HATE Helen Hunt!" And Leelee's last movie was for Uwe Boll. Now would be the perfect time for these two to team up in a mother-daughter drama. If they cooked up something along the lines of Terms of Endearment, with a good, solid writer and/or director, it could be interesting. Or better yet, how about something really strange and kooky with Spike Jonze or Harmony Korine? (Note: apparently the two once went head-to-head on "Celebrity Death Match.")
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