Subject: 'Parents'
From: neilp@cs.hw.ac.uk (Neil Postlethwaite)
Date: 1992-04-30, 11:59
Newsgroups: rec.arts.tv.uk,alt.tv.twin-peaks

Just watched on video a film that was broadcast the other Friday here in
the UK. It was called 'Parents' and was shown as part of Channel 4's
horror season.

'Parents' was directed by Bob Balaban and I was considering watching it
and decided to give it 20 mins to live or die. When the start credits
rolled Orchestral Music by Angelo Badalamenti scrolled by. As I'm a big
Twin Peaks/David Lynch/Angelo Badalamenti fan I perked up and decided
to tape the film for later consumption.

Upon watching it I felt the director Bob Balaban seemed to be very influenced
by David Lynch, more specifically Blue Velvet. The music and atmosphere
helped this aswell (Angelo Badalamenti does almost all the music for Twin
Peaks aswell as David Lynch's movies. Blue Velvet, Wild At Heart).

Has anybody else seen this film and do they have any comments or flames to
make ???

The blurb in 'The Guardian' newspaper described 'Parents' as:

Parents (1989): Directed by Bob Balaban.

What is the secret behind the enormous quantities of red meat always on the
cosy dinner table of a typically Oldsmobile post-war American family ?
Bob Balaban's sinister and subversive black comedy from 1989 may be too
grisly for you to grin at, but it certainly skewers you attention.


I found the humour, the tacky 50's decor and general style very like
David Lynch (cf the beginning/closing scenes of Blue Velvet esp.).


Neil