Cinema Lounge, a film discussion group, takes place at 7:00 PM at Barnes and Noble, 555 12th St., NW in Washington, DC (near the Metro Center Metro stop). The group meets informally on the second floor in the open dining area, seated at round dining tables. You do not need to be a member of the Washington DC Film Society to attend.

Cinema Lounge is moderated by Daniel R. Vovak.

Summer Review/Fall Preview

On September 8, 2008, we discussed "Summer Review/Fall Preview." The evening began with questions about the upcoming release Towelhead (2008), directed by Alan Ball. Then someone stated that Eagle Eye (2008) did not look like it was going to be good, especially since the woman's voiceover on the trailer was annoying. There was an eagerness for one person to see the movie Terminator Salvation (2009). Another was interested in Frost/Nixon (2008), with someone else interested in W (2008) by Oliver Stone.

One person complained about The Dark Knight (2008) because it was too long. Another disagreed, saying, "You could only sleep through that movie if you were on meds or had some serious issues." Most people thought Gotham City looked too much like Chicago. Also, why did Katie Holmes turn down a role in that movie for Mad Money (2008)?

There were complaints that Ben Stiller was over-publicized in the credits of Tropic Thunder (2008). There was a similar compliant with Julie Delpy in 2 Days in Paris (2007).

Interestingly, five of the six people in the group had seen The Bank Job (2008), with everyone loving the film. Speed Racer (2008) was considered to be a victim of too much CGI. Flawless (2008) was rated as pretty good. People were disappointed in Stop Loss (2008) and The Incredible Hulk (2008), believing the Hulk was more of a reboot.

The funniest comment of the night was that "Someone could stomp on your foot and take $10 and save you more pain than watching The Happening" (2008), a film by M. Night Shyamalan. Someone else laughed, adding: "Smoke the plants; burn the forest," regarding the same film.

A topic arose about whether or not actors have "minutes on screen" in their contracts. There was no consensus on it, though. As the evening closed, there were comments about how target marketing has changed some media outlets. For instance, Disney now is all about Tween girls. MTV is about 16+ kids.