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.

Cult Movies

On October 12, 2009, we discussed "Cult films: Will you join us?" The discussion began with talk about Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) and how people used to throw rice at the screen because of the rice scene in the movie. It seemed like everyone in the discussion group had a fond (though peculiar) memory of that flick. One person even commented that the craziness among those in the audience even extended to people in Israel. At that time, many cultures were still repressed, so the transgender main character certainly transcended cultures. "It defined the cult film. It had a small devoted following. It is like being in a secret club. We get it, but you don't get it ... yet."

Another film quickly mentioned was Office Space (1999) and its TPS reports, in addition to much more of its film lingo that is known. Star Wars (1979) is a cult movie that went mainstream, though it can also be argued that it is not a cult movie at all. In England, "Jedi" is a recognized religion by some people. It seems Star Wars has overtaken Star Trek (1979) as a cult favorite with road shows. Showgirls (1995) is definitely a cult movie. (Originally considered a bomb, now parties are based on Showgirls.) Wayne's World (1992) was a cult movie, too. Fargo (1996), The Big Lebowski (1998) was a let-down to many people though later it led to parties with the "dude" character becoming a fun anti-hero. (The IMDb discussion board, by the way, is quite defensive of The Big Lebowski.) Night of the Living Dead (1968) and Fight Club (1999) are other cult films. Weekend at Bernie's (1989) was somewhat of a cult movie. The Exorcist (1973) is a cult movie for cults. Snakes on a Plane (2006) was a cult film even before it was released. It was the only film that tried to pass itself off as a cult film even before it was released.

What defines a cult movie is difficult to define, though it is usually not a box office hit when it starts. A cult films can be a good film that is loved, or a film with hard core fans. In general, cult movies are popular at midnight. So far, sequels are really not possible for cult films. One person said, "If you were on drugs when you wrote the movie, chances are it's a cult film." Sometimes music makes a film cultish. Lastly, there is a statute of limitations for a cult film, which is probably a generation.

Directors can also have cult followings, including: David Lynch, John Waters, Terry Gilliam, The Coen Brothers, Larry Clark, and the early films of Peter Jackson. Plus, Gus Van Sant with My Own Private Idaho (1991) and Drugstore Cowboy (1989), established him as a cult director. The Coen Brothers go back and forth on their movie cult-like films. Other cultish directors include: Richard Linklater with Slacker (1991) and Dazed and Confused (1993), Federico Fellini, Joe Dante, Tim Burton, John Carpenter, and George Lucas' first film: THX 1138 (1971), Others are Alejandro Jodorowsky (with El Topo in 1970), and some of Roger Corman's films, too. Sometimes actors can be cultish: Vincent Price, Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Bruce Campbell, and Peter Sellers are examples.