Change Your Image
Bob_Balaban
Balaban's most regarded film-directing credit is Parents starring Randy Quaid; a satire of the values and prejudices of Eisenhower-era America. He is also well-remembered for playing the role of interpreter David Laughlin in the 1977 Steven Spielberg film Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Balaban later wrote a book about his experience shooting this film, called Spielberg, Truffaut & Me: An Actor's Diary.
I believe Dennis Hopper created man in his own image...
Biography that is mostly made up
I have been called a lunatic, a genius, an idiot, a film buff, and even a messiah. I look the internet for cheap laughs and even cheaper thrills. In the back alleys and sewers is where I roam. Looking for justice, I am only seen and known by few. My life is like one of Batman, except I don't have a cool costume.
Greatest Film Character of All Time
Joe Don Baker as Mitchell in Mitchell
favorite bands/artists
Neil Young (& Crazy Horse), The Beatles, David Bowie, Joy Division, Elvis Costello (& The Attractions), Tom Waits, Bob Dylan, The Velvet Underground, Bruce Springsteen, Deerhoof, Roy Orbison, Butthole Surfers, TV On The Radio, Talking Heads, Electric Light Orchestra, Television, Warren Zevon, My Bloody Valentine, The Pixies, Dinosaur Jr., Brian Eno, Of Montreal, The Stooges, Supertramp, Architecture in Helsinki, Eric Clapton, Kaki King, Elton John, The Who, Serge Gainsbourg, Beck, Devo, The Rolling Stones, Fela Kuti, A Tribe Called Quest, Pink Floyd, New Order, Sonic Youth.
Favorite Movies*
Seven Years Bad Luck (Max Linder, 1921)
Metropolis (Fritz Lang, 1927)
M (Fritz Lang, 1931)
Dracula (Tod Browning, 1931)
Frankenstein (James Whale, 1931)
Freaks (Tod Browning, 1932)
The Invisible Man (James Whale, 1933)
March of the Wooden Soldiers (Gus Meins & Charley Rogers, 1934)
Bride of Frankenstein (James Whale, 1935)
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, 1943)
Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein (Charles Barton, 1948)
Peeping Tom (Michael Powell, 1960)
The Masque of the Red Death (Roger Corman, 1964)
The Naked Kiss (Samuel Fuller, 1964)
Alphaville (Jean-Luc Godard, 1965)
Point Blank (John Boorman, 1967)
Night of the Living Dead (George A. Romero, 1968)
Targets (Peter Bogdanovich, 1968)
Easy Rider (Dennis Hopper, 1969)
Kelly's Heroes (Brian G. Hutton, 1970)
Little Big Man (Arthur Penn, 1970)
THX 1138 (George Lucas, 1971)
A Clockwork Orange (Stanley Kubrick, 1971)
Straw Dogs (Sam Peckinpah, 1971)
The Abominable Dr. Phibes (Robert Fuest, 1971)
Deliverance (John Boorman, 1972)
Sleeper (Woody Allen, 1973)
American Graffiti (George Lucas, 1973)
The Crazies (George A. Romero, 1973)
Westworld (Michael Crichton, 1973)
Flesh for Frankenstein (Paul Morrissey, 1973)
Blood for Dracula (Paul Morrissey, 1974)
Mean Streets (Martin Scorsese, 1973)
The Conversation (Francis Ford Coppola, 1974)
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (Tobe Hooper, 1974)
F for Fake (Orson Welles, 1974)
Rollerball (Norman Jewison, 1975)
Tommy (Ken Russell, 1975)
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Milos Forman, 1975)
Love and Death (Woody Allen, 1975)
Death Race 2000 (Paul Bartel, 1975)
Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese, 1976)
The Man Who Fell to Earth (Nicolas Roeg, 1976)
Murder by Death (Robert Moore, 1976)
Eraserhead (David Lynch, 1977)
Slap Shot (George Roy Hill, 1977)
Star Wars (George Lucas, 1977)
The Kentucky Fried Movie (John Landis, 1977)
Suspiria (Dario Argento, 1977)
The American Friend (Wim Wenders, 1977)
Smokey and the Bandit (Hal Needham, 1977)
Dawn of the Dead (George A. Romero, 1978)
Foul Play (Colin Higgins, 1978)
Time After Time(Nicholas Meyer, 1979)
Phantasm (Don Coscarelli, 1979)
The Wanderers (Philip Kaufman, 1979)
Bad Timing (Nicolas Roeg, 1980)
The Empire Strikes Back (Irvin Kershner, 1980)
Altered States (Ken Russell, 1980)
The Big Red One (Samuel Fuller, 1980)
The Elephant Man (David Lynch, 1980)
The Blues Brothers (John Landis, 1980)
Stardust Memories (Woody Allen, 1980)
The Shining (Stanley Kubrick, 1980)
Out of the Blue (Dennis Hopper, 1980)
Shogun Assassin (Robert Houston, 1980)
The Evil Dead (Sam Raimi, 1981)
Nighthawks (Bruce Malmuth, 1981)
Death Hunt (Peter Hunt, 1981)
Scanners (David Cronenberg, 1981)
An American Werewolf in London (John Landis, 1981)
The Howling (Joe Dante, 1981)
Escape from New York (John Carpenter, 1981)
Fanny and Alexander (Ingmar Bergman, 1982)
Tenebre (Dario Argento, 1982)
The Adventures of Bob & Doug McKenzie: Strange Brew (Dave Thomas & Rick Moranis, 1983)
Videodrome (David Cronenberg, 1983)
The King of Comedy (Martin Scorsese, 1983)
Return of the Jedi (Richard Marquand, 1983)
A Christmas Story (Bob Clark, 1983)
The Dead Zone (David Cronenberg, 1983)
Dune (David Lynch, 1984)
The Company of Wolves (Neil Jordan, 1984)
Repo Man (Alex Cox, 1984)
Paris, Texas (Wim Wenders, 1984)
Frankenweenie (Tim Burton, 1984)
Secret Honor (Robert Altman, 1984)
Brazil (Terry Gilliam, 1985)
Re-Animator (Stuart Gordon, 1985)
The Return of the Living Dead (Dan O'Bannon, 1985)
Day of the Dead (George A. Romero, 1985)
Pee-Wee's Big Adventure (Tim Burton, 1985)
Prizzi's Honor (John Huston, 1985)
To Live and Die in L.A. (William Friedkin, 1985)
Mona Lisa (Neil Jordan, 1986)
A Better Tommorrow (John Woo, 1986)
Blue Velvet (David Lynch, 1986)
From Beyond (Stuart Gordon, 1986)
Big Trouble in Little China (John Carpenter, 1986)
Stand By Me (Rob Reiner, 1986)
Down by Law (Jim Jarmusch, 1986)
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (Tobe Hooper, 1986)
Manhunter (Michael Mann,1986)
Hope and Glory (John Boorman, 1987)
Radio Days (Woody Allen, 1987)
Evil Dead II: Dead by Dawn (Sam Raimi, 1987)
Raising Arizona (Joel Coen, 1987)
Wings of Desire (Wim Wenders, 1987)
Withnail & I (Bruce Robinson, 1987)
Dead Ringers (David Cronenberg, 1988)
They Live (John Carpenter, 1988)
The Unbearable Lightness of Being (Phillp Kaufman, 1988)
Willow (Ron Howard, 1988)
Colors (Dennis Hopper, 1988)
Parents (Bob Balaban, 1989)
The Killer (John Woo, 1989)
Crimes and Misdemeanors (Woody Allen, 1989)
Wild at Heart (David Lynch, 1990)
Miller's Crossing (Joel Coen, 1990)
Total Recall (Paul Verhoeven, 1990)
The Hot Spot (Dennis Hopper, 1990)
Cry-Baby (John Waters, 1990)
Naked Lunch (David Cronenberg, 1991)
Barton Fink (Joel Coen, 1991)
JFK (Oliver Stone, 1991)
Slacker (Richard Linklater, 1991)
Bram Stroker's Dracula (Francis Ford Coppola, 1992)
Man Bites Dog (Remy Belvaux, 1992)
Reservoir Dogs (Quentin Tarantino, 1992)
Hard Boiled (John Woo, 1992)
Shadows and Fog (Woody Allen, 1992)
Army of Darkness (Sam Raimi, 1993)
Faraway, So Close! (Wim Wenders, 1993)
Ed Wood (Tim Burton, 1994)
Crumb (Terry Zwigoff, 1994)
Clerks. (Kevin Smith, 1994)
Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino, 1994)
Dead Presidents (Allen Hughes & Albert Hughes, 1995)
Mallrats (Kevin Smith, 1995)
Dead Man (Jim Jarmusch, 1995)
Nixon (Oliver Stone, 1995)
SubUrbia (Richard Linklater, 1996)
Fargo (Joel Coen, 1996)
Bottle Rocket (Wes Anderson, 1996)
Hard Eight (Paul Thomas Anderson, 1996)
Boogie Nights (Paul Thomas Anderson, 1997)
Jackie Brown (Quentin Tarantino, 1997)
The Butcher Boy (Neil Jordan, 1997)
Lost Highway (David Lynch , 1997)
Deconstructing Harry (Woody Allen, 1997)
Chasing Amy (Kevin Smith, 1997)
The Sweet Hereafter (Atom Egoyan, 1997)
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (Terry Gilliam, 1998)
The Big Lebowski (Joel Coen, 1998)
Velvet Goldmine (Todd Haynes, 1998)
Buffalo '66 (Vincent Gallo, 1998)
Rushmore (Wes Anderson, 1998)
Sweet and Lowdown (Woody Allen, 1999)
Magnolia (Paul Thomas Anderson, 1999)
The Straight Story (David Lynch, 1999)
American Movie: The Making of Northwestern (Chris Smith, 1999)
Mulholland Dr. (David Lynch, 2001)
Ghost World (Terry Zwigoff, 2001)
The Royal Tenenbaums (Wes Anderson, 2001)
The Man Who Wasn't There (Joel Coen, 2001)
Punch-Drunk Love (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2002)
I Don't Know Jack (Chris Leavens, 2002)
Adaptation. (Spike Jonze, 2002)
Bubba Ho-Tep (Don Coscarelli, 2002)
About Schmidt (Alexander Payne, 2002)
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (George Clooney, 2002)
Kill Bill (Quentin Tarantino, 2003-2004)
Sideways (Alexander Payne, 2004)
Night Watch(Timur Bekmambetov, 2004)
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Michel Gondry, 2004)
Sin City (Frank Miller & Robert Rodriguez, 2005)
Me and You and Everyone We Know (Miranda July, 2005)
A History of Violence (David Cronenberg, 2005)
Match Point (Woody Allen, 2005)
Worst film of all time that is so terrible its utterly brilliant
'Manos' The Hands of Fate (Hal P. Warren, 1966)
Other films besides 'Manos' that are so bad they are awesome
Plan 9 from Outer Space (Edward D. Wood, Jr., 1959)
Double Dragon (James Yukich, 1994)
HellBound (Aaron Norris, 1994)
Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (Nicholas Webster, 1964)
Mitchell (Andrew V. McLaglen, 1975)
Howling II: Your Sister is a Werewolf (Philippe Mora, 1985)
Turkish Star Wars (Cetin Inanc, 1982)
Favorite Stand Up Comedy Special
Jim Gaffigan: Beyond the Pale
Hilarious IMDb Quotes
on a thread talking about people's opinions on Frank Miller
gifwasson:he sucks donky cocks
wusscakes2:is this a common interest that the two of you share?
after someone said that Keanu Reeves should play Max Payne in a film based of the video game
Fishmalk: Keanu Reeves acts about as well as a Prairie Dog's swollen left testicle.
after someone asked why are there so many political posts on the "War of the Worlds" board
AmberSumiko: Don't you know? Those Republicans ARE aliens, and they were sent to TAKE OVER EARTH.
when someone asked if "Cannibal Holocaust" was appropriate for their 5 year old niece
tedorton: My parents showed it to me when I was five. I have since developed into one of the most mature kids in my school, and I have laser vision.
another post from that same thread on the "Cannibal Holocaust" board
jross12: This is sutible for a 3 year old. Although when I saw it when I was three, I grew up going to south america and eating people. Then I got arrested. I'm posting this in the prison computer. Also...I miiight be high...
Reviewing Anus Magillicutty (2003)
ragin_asian47: i rent this movie from my local video store and i do not think its very good. i was to think that this movie was something different but i am wrong. usual times i rent many movies with porno and i think this movie was to be like that, but i was misstaken. this movie did have plenty nudity but not porno. some funny things in it. its ok i guess. i do not like porn with gays. i like porn with sex for the butt of the woman. i enjoy buttman and other titles. this movie had very sexy woman but was not porn. it was okay but not waht i am expecting. i do like large breasted american women in this movie. i like this kind of ting very lots. i like too much the sexy ladies in this movie. i am very liking the scenes with the sexy blounde ladies and the produce. i also am in love with the large breasted girl in the shower. she makes me very happy ending. i think that the banaana scne is one of the best parts of thhis movie. it gives me plenty of lots time to view the lovely ladies and am enjoyable. i like the sexy ladies of this movie. they make me want to very much have produce.
When asked what was a better film: "Koyaanisqasti" or "Baraka
prock:I don't know that Koyaanisqatsi guy. Special character? How do you get him? My favourite was Raiden. 2nd - Johnny Cage. I love teleporting out of the way when someone is trying to flying kick you.
Websites that you should go to RIGHT NOW
www.badmovies.org
www.youngmanridge.com
Two DVDs that Must be Released as I say
Parents.
Criterion Collection 2 disc set.
Bob Balaban director approved.
$39.95
Special features: Widescreen transfer. Audio commentary from director Bob Balaban, writer Christopher Hawthorne, and actor Randy Quaid. Interviews with Balaban, Hawthorne, composer Angelo Badalamenti, and the cast. Documentary abour the release and making of the film. TV Spots and Theatrical Trailers. Still and Poster Gallery.
Lost Highway
Criterion Collection 2 disc set.
David Lynch director approved
$39.95
Special Features: Widescreen transfer. Audio commentary from co-writer Barry Gifford. "Pretty as a Picture: The Art of David Lynch" documentary. Interviews with cast and Crew. Feaurettes highlighting Trent Reznor and Barry Gifford's involvement. TV Spots and Theatrical Trailers. Still and Poster Gallery.
Reviews
From Beyond (1986)
Stuart Gordon's second film is even better than his debut!
In 1986, one year after Stuart Gordon had directed his cult classic horror-comedy "Re-Animator" he directed "From Beyond" ,another H.P. Lovecraft story which ends up making an even more enjoyable film than his first.
On this film, Gordon teamed up with a lot of the cast and crew from his previous films such as actors Barbara Crampton and Jeffrey Combs, writer Dennis Paoli, and producer Brian Yuzna. By doing this, Gordon creates a similar film to his debut, but due to some liberties taken with the story, it comes out for a much better cinematic experience.
H.P. Lovecraft's short story "From beyond", published in 1920, is actually only used for the per-credits sequence of the film. After that, Gordon deals with the almost "Cronenbergian" aspects of the flesh and human sexuality, while both present in "Re-Animator", here are used much more appropriately.
If you are a fan of "Re-Animator", "The Fly", or "Videodrome", I highly suggest that you give this delightfully odd film a try! THIS MOVIE GETS BONUS POINTS FOR Jeffrey Combs, Barbara Crampton, Ken Foree, and Great Special Effects!
Phantasm II (1988)
Does not pack quite a punch as the first, but is still fun as hell!
In 1979, Don Coscarelli wrote and directed the surreal horror classic, "Phantasm". His film used great special effects and a very creepy score by Fred Myrow ("Soylent Green", "Rubin and Ed"). Nine years later, Coscarelli teamed up with actors Reggie Banister and Angus Scrimm again to make the appropriately titled, "Phantasm II".
While certainly not as creepy as the first film, "Phantasm II" is certainly very fun. Coscarelli was able to use better special effects than in the first film and it certainly is noticeable. Also, this sequel goes with the "Evil Dead II" logic of "bigger is better". Chainsaw duels and explosions are added, not to mention an arsenal of extremely cool weapons including a home made flamethrower and a really cool double shotgun. But bigger is not always better...
One problem that this film has is that it does not capture the "coming of age" theme that the first film has. While this is understandable because all the characters have aged nine years, the feeling the first film had of "investigating something creepy in town" is something we can all relate to. "Stand by Me", "Blue Velvet", and the first "Phantasm" all used this very appropriately, but I only wish that the sequel did as well. Another problem I have is that the character of Mike is so different. In the first he was a curious youngster (similar to Jeffrey Beaumont in "Blue Velvet") but he is much different in this film, as he is much more level headed. However, it is better that his character has changed because he fits the mood of this film.
"Phantasm II" is not a spectacular film, but I really do enjoy it, and that's why I rate it a nine out of ten. It is a rather different film from the first, but is still extremely fun, and that's the reason why I rate it as one of my favorites. Don't go expecting the same mood of "Phantasm", but rather the mood of "Army of Darkness"...
THIS MOVIE GETS BONUS POINTS FOR...
Angus Scrimm, great special effects, creepy soundtrack
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986)
Tobe Hooper's Masterpiece
In 1974, director Tobe Hooper and writer Kim Henkel set out to make a pitch black dark comedy entitled: "Headcheese". They intended the film to be PG rated comedy, but they ended up making what some see as the most horrifying film of all time which they retitled the more effective "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre". Now, while they did create a brilliant film which most now see as a classic, in their intentions, they did fail.
Twelve years later, Hooper enlisted L.M. Kit Larson (Wim Wender's great "Paris, Texas") to write him a sequel to "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" appropriately titled: "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2". Larson's screenplay was witty, satirical, and much, much more violent than the original film, which contained much less violence than it is known for. To bring the gore Larson wrote in his screenplay to celluloid, Hooper teamed up with the wizard of gore himself, Tom Savini (Dawn of the Dead, Maniac). Savini's gore looks great and at some points is truly gruesome, thanks to the great cinematography by Richard Kooris. Kooris' cinematography a bizarre yet beautiful feel the original did not have. The age make-up on the grandfather character is also considerably better than in the first film. The music as well, which in the first one was much more avant garde and ultimately bland, here is exciting and really fun.
While Bill Johnson is certainly no Gunnar Hansen at playing Leatherface, this is made up for in the supporting roles, especially those by Bill Moseley ("The Devil's Rejects") and Dennis Hopper ("Easy Rider", "Land of the Dead"). Hopper's character of an insane sheriff hunting down the Leatherface clan is great, but appears to have a much more complex layer to him than the other characters. All in all, the performances do add to the insanity of his brilliant film. I really do enjoy it and I hope you will too!
THIS MOVIE GETS BONUS POINTS FOR:
Chainsaw Duels Dennis Hopper Tom Savini effects