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.

Movies Ahead of Their Time

On November 10, 2008, we discussed "Movies ahead of their time," The meeting began with a person giving a passionate plea to consider the brilliance of 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). It had: (a) Great special effects, (b) It was a science fiction film that was not a fantasy, (c) Arthur C. Clarke wrote it brilliantly, (d) It had sequels and spoofs about it, (e) It had a passionate beginning, and (f) It was a somewhat realistic depiction of the future. Someone else added that computers have advanced but ironically PanAm no longer exists.

Other movies were also ahead of their time, though they did not have a high box office: Citizen Kane (1941), The Searchers (1956), and Vertigo (1958).

We also discussed the following films:

The Princess Bride (1987) became successful after it was released through VHS. This is Spinal Tap (1984) became a reference point for Christopher Guest films and mocumentaries. Psycho (1960) was ahead of its time because of its subject matter. Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) reminded one person about the real-life person, Rupert Murdoch. Airplane (1980) spoofed true stars. It had a rapid fire quality of jokes, with even jokes in the credits. Duck Soup (1933) was anti-war and anti-nationalistic, especially unique for a film between the two world wars. The timeline of Full Metal Jacket (1987) was unique. Dr. Strangelove (1964) was revolutionary because it ridiculed atomic war. The Great Dictator (1940) made fun of Adolf Hitler, long before The Producers (1968) did. Superman (1978) was treated like a big-budget film, made great because of the casting. The Graduate (1967) set the standard for a coming-of-age film. The soundtrack was excellent and set the mood for such films. It handled the taboo topic of men having sex with older women. It also inspired John Hughes, who wrote several comedies in the 1980s. Animal House (1978) was a slapstick movie about sex, leaving a long impression about that topic on its audience. Easy Rider (1969) was great because of its use of music and its glorification of drugs. Bonnie & Clyde (1967) had an excellent final scene. In that movie, the outlaws were heroes throughout the film. In the Heat of the Night (1967) during the orchid scene, it was revolutionary when the main character (a Black man) slapped a rich White man. Basic Instinct (1992) was unique because the main character (the hero) raped a woman. There was also full nudity with Sharon Stone, in addition to excessive sex scenes. The Passion of the Christ (2004) was great because Mel Gibson flipped the bill for the whole film, outside of the Hollywood system. Die Hard (1988) had brilliant casting with Bruce Willis, a television figure at the time. In addition Alan Rickman was the bad guy, another brilliant casting decision. Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) was a B movie that was done correctly. It had no true big stars and no major special effects. Network (1976) attacked television and blurred the line between entertainment and news. At the time that was a revolutionary concept, though in the modern times it is an everyday occurrence. Other movies were ahead of the time because of their violence or twists: Matrix (1999), Fight Club (1999), The Sixth Sense (1999), and Donnie Darko (2001). Toy Story (1995) was the first evidence of the Pixar formula. Annie Hall (1977) established Woody Allen as a great writer and inspired When Harry Met Sally (1989). Jaws (1975) set the standard for books leading to blockbusters, with its B-quality movie becoming an A-list movie. The Battle of Algiers (1966) was a movie created with handheld shots. It was also unique because it was about terrorism. Rope (1948) was fun to watch because of its seemingly non-stop cuts. Birth of a Nation (1915) had many awesome qualities, including its advanced time progression, its cuts, and its big budget. The Big Bounce was a film produced with 68 frames per second, three-times that of most other films. Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), The Last Starfighter (1984), and TRON (1982) were computer-generated films. As the meeting concluded, someone commented that "King Kong (1933) looks awful if you watch it closely, even if it's an awesome film. That ape suit is an abomination in some scenes."