(Interview by Dan Cullinane for the 2002 Book Expo in New York City)

Speaking with author and entertainment journalist Dennis Hensley, it becomes clear that he loves movies. But perhaps even more than his love of film, is his fascination with the role movies play in not only reflecting society, but in may ways altering the lives of those who view them. In Hensley's new book, Screening Party, an eclectic group of films that share the distinction of being part of the zeitgeist of their time, are deconstructed in an entirely new, and very, very funny way.

Q:  What is the origin of the Screening Party?

A:  It originated exactly like how I describe it in Chapter One. I had been doing a good deal of writing for the UK magazine British Premier and one day, my editor there, Matt Mueller, asked me if I could write something about Jaws for it's 20th anniversary. Well, believe it or not, I had never seen it, so I called him and said, "How about it I have some friends over and watch it and write about that?" He said yes and so I threw the party, taped the commentary and wrote an article based on that with the different characters and their recollections and observations. Matt was pleased with it and had me do a series of similar articles about other movies. When the magazine folded a while later, I did a few Screening Party articles for Instinct magazine here in the states.

Q:  But you must have had some idea of what you wanted, how it would work. Or did you just decide to do the grand experiment, and if you got something useable... great.

A:  It was sort of an experiment and I was prepared to write about whatever happened. Plus, I knew my friends that I'd invite could deliver in the funny department because they'd been coming over for award shows and beauty pageants for years and they're not shy. So I was pretty confidant that I'd have something to work with. There were no real ground rules as to what kind of comments people were to make. I wanted them to just say what they thought. Though I do believe that because I interview people for a living, I know how to dig for the anecdote or the joke. If people make an interesting comment about a movie, I'm good at asking follow-up questions.

Q:  Each participant brings a unique perspective to these films, as well as an incredible sense of humor. Did you carefully screen the screeners or did this just happen?

A:  Mostly, it's just my friends. I have really funny friends. I'm very lucky that way. The characters in the book are sort of composites of different friends that I have. The mix of people at each party tends to differ a bit too. Whoever shows up to a given party, I take what they say and filter into the different characters.

Q:  Are all of them composites? Are you saying there is no real Dr. Beaverman?

A:  There is one woman friend of mine who sort of channels Dr. Beaverman. It's sort of this alter-ego she's had for years that was born in the late 80s when we were doing a silly radio show together for fun and she's just sort of endured. As for the other characters, my roommate's name is Tony and he's a lot like he is in the book although I've fabricated a little. He's actually not as bitchy in real life as he may come off in the book but Tony's happy to take on that role. I have one friend who bakes for all the parties who is a lawyer much like Marcus, although a few other friends sort of feed into that character as well. I have three film geek pals who sort of combine to make Ross and a handful of chicks who I roll together for Lauren. And sometimes, I just make stuff up completely.

Q:  Taxi Driver, Flashdance, Armageddon, Jaws? How exactly do you go about choosing the movies?

A:  In the beginning, they were assigned to me to tie in with a movie's anniversary or to a theme that the magazine was featuring that issue. For example, we did Armageddon because Instinct was doing an "End of the World" issue right before Y2K. 9 1/2 Weeks was for a special sex issue. Other times, I pitched movies to do and most of the time my editors said yes. There are a number of movies in the book that never appeared as articles I chose because I thought they'd be fun and interesting. The movies I think work best are ones that had a huge cultural impact at the time they were released, even though in some cases, like Flashdance for example, they weren't that good. But they were part of the zeitgeist and they mattered to people.

Q:  That's true, I look at the list and I'm like "God, I remember exactly the first time I saw that movie, and how much I loved it." Even the ones that now I can't sit through at all. What is it about some of these movies that gave them that extra something that made them unforgettable somehow? Good marketing?

A:  I don't really know. Some of it's hype, I'm sure, especially a more recent movie like Armageddon, which was preordained to be the summer box office champ. Some movies just have incredible timing. They just touch something in the culture and take off. Take Flashdance, for example, all the people who worked on that thought it was going to be a big bomb and it was huge.

Q:  It would be easy to say Screening Party disses these movies, but there seems to a genuine affection for them at the same time, even the bad ones. How do you walk the line between recognizes the movie is bad, while still admitting you love it.

A:  I don't think most of the movies in the book are bad. In fact, some are great, like Jaws or The Sound of Music. I'm in love with Saturday Night Fever. It really moves me. I've found that the more I work on each chapter and research the movie and watch the DVD commentary track etc., the more affection I develop for all the movies. You see what goes into the making of them and what the filmmakers were trying to achieve and it sort of informs how you feel about the movie. I have a real soft spot for Armageddon now, if you can believe that.

Q:  I'm gonna have to ask. Why?

A:  Because you see how much goes into making the movie, I guess, and in the case of Armageddon, some of the images are really artful and memorable. The truth is it actually takes me forever to write about one movie, between throwing the party, transcribing the tape of the party, researching the background of the movie and then writing the damn chapter, so by the end of it, the movie's feel like old friends, even if they suck. Like it or not, Glitter and I have a history together.

I've also realized over the years, that I can't separate my camp enjoyment of something from whether it's good or bad. In other words, if I have a good time at a movie that must mean it's good. Years ago, I interviewed Elizabeth Berkely for Detour before Showgirls came out. It was supposed to be an inside feature but our cover celebrity dropped out that month, so my editor wanted to bump Elizabeth up to the cover and sent me to an advanced screening of Showgirls to check it out. I had so much fun at the movie I wholeheartedly endorsed making her our cover girl. I run into Elizabeth now and then and she's always so sweet to me and says I'm the only journalist who was nice to her at the time of Showgirls. But the truth is, I ate that movie up with a fork. I knew it was campy, but campy equals good to me. I'd rather watch Coyote Ugly than Unforgiven, any day of the week.

Q:  Is there any movie in your estimation that would withstand a screening party without being brought down a few notches?

A:  I'm sure there are. A lot of times, we're not so much making fun of the movies as much as finding humor in our reactions to them and how they affected us, like in Saturday Night Fever, Lauren, the aspiring stand-up comic says, "When I saw this, I knew I was Donna Pescow but I always wanted to be Karen Lyn Gorney and that is the problem that has stayed with me my whole life." That's sort of funny but not really mean, and I think a lot of people can relate to it. The movies that I think are "asking for it" are movies that had a huge impact at the time they came out but took themselves really seriously. I think it would be interesting to watch Forrest Gump again. My hunch is it's not aging well, even though it won a slew of Oscars. Who knows, maybe I'd love it all over again. I also think a movie's fun to do if there's something phony about it, like Pretty Woman has become this romantic comedy touchstone but it's about a prostitute.

Q:  Prostitute's aren't romantic?

A:  None of the ones I've hired are. Perhaps I'm just going through the wrong Web sites. Do you have any referrals? I'm in the market for a good romantic prostitute.