The Bad Penny (beta)

It’s not uncommon for an actor to form or join a band – after all, it takes a certain gene to drive a person to be at the center of attention as much as they possibly can. But this past summer, when we caught up with vocalist Robbie Smith of sasscore squad Heavy Heavy Low Low, we learned that the inverse isn’t necessarily as common.

Sure, he enjoys fronting the band from San Jose, California, and writing and recording their songs – which are so unhinged and berserk that even Guantanamo Bay couldn’t restrain or temper them. Nonetheless, Smith also enjoys stepping away from the physical intensity of the band’s concerts to focus on an artistic endeavor he may value even more than crafting music: filmmaking.

Over the summer, The Bad Penny checked in with Smith to get to the bottom, so to speak, of Heavy Heavy Low Low’s apparent on-again/off-again reunion concerts, which continue to be in such high demand for fans of the squad’s spastic, “Should I call a 5150?”-provoking shows. And while we succeeded in achieving that objective, a substantial amount of the conversation revolved around low-budget, mostly short-in-length films Smith has and continues to make.

In light of Smith’s passion for film, we caught up with him after he had raised enough money to make his next film and began shooting it four days ago. While Smith crafts his motion picture, here’s a list of his top favorite 10 movies, with the majority of them falling under the horror domain:

1. Night of the Living Dead (1968; director: George A. Romero)

2. An American Werewolf in London (1981; director: John Landis)

3. Persona (1966; director: Ingmar Bergman)

4. Lost Highway (1997) and Mulholland Drive (2001). (“They’re two films [directed by David Lynch] but almost interchangeable for me!” Smith says.)

5. Cure (1997; director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa)

6. No Country for Old Men (2007; directors: The Coen Brothers)

7. Cemetery Man (1994; director: Michele Saovi)

8. Love Streams (1984; director: John Cassavetes)

9. Under the Skin (2013; director: Jonathan Glazer)

10. Paris, Texas (1984; director: Wim Wenders)

To scope out another musician’s favorite movies, check out the ones that Point Break 2 frontman Ted McGrath selected in a recent conversation with The Bad Penny. Be forewarned: His picks are waaay cheekier than Smith’s.

This entry was posted on 10/25/2025 at 1:15 pm and is filed under Favorite Films, Interviews, Lists, Reviews with tags An American Werewolf in London, David Lynch, Halloween, Heavy Heavy Low Low, Lost Highway, Mulholland Drive, Night of the Living Dead, No Country for Old Men, Robbie Smith, The Coen Brothers. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.