With glimpses of Lily Tomlin, Jodie Foster, Kathy Bates, Fred Gwynne, Madonna, David Ogden Stiers, and many others, including a barely discernible Kate Nelligan.
NEWYORKER: Shadows and Fog
2.
The plot turns on the manipulations of a mesmerist (David Ogden Stiers) who intones magical words into the telephone, causing people to fall into trances and commit crimes.