How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Embrace the Present

Late last year about a dozen of us formed an office movie group. Every month we meet to discuss the current selection over pizza or sandwiches. (I suspect some joined just for the food, but that's not the point of this entry.)

Aside from a noted fondness for Patricia Clarkson (back-to-back months of "The Station Agent" and "Pieces of April"), the collection of movies we've discussed has been eclectic. And while most of them were made within the last decade, June's selection was "Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb," a 1964 black comedy directed by Stanley Kubrick.

The movie was met with very mixed reactions, with some ranking it toward the top of their all-time favorite movie list and others noting that it was hard to get through the entire 90 minutes. (Full disclosure: I found the film okay; I wouldn't recommend it to my friends.)

Like in much of our focus group research, reactions were divided mainly along demographic lines -- in this case, the split was based on age. Those old enough to have seen the film when it premiered liked it, while those of us who weren't expressed a more negative view. I may have forgotten, but I can't recall a single exception to this rule.

Someone wondered, aloud, whether movies with themes relevant to the day (in this case, the Cold War) could possibly be evaluated fairly by today's audiences. I don't think so. There's no substitute for being there. One group member recalled what it was like to duck and cover as a class in elementary school. I couldn't fully relate. I barely remember "The Day After." So in this respect, older period pieces definitely get short shrift.

But I'm convinced there's more at play here. At the risk of taking an immature view on the subject, I believe that entertainment today, for all its faults, is better than it has ever been -- that goes for movies, music, and even everyone's favorite punching bag: TV. I believe today's entertainment offers more selection and higher quality than at any time in the past -- that acting has evolved, writing is more creative, directing is sharper, and that there's more good entertainment out there if people are willing to search for it.

What do you think?