There exists in Rochester, as in most other medium and large cities, a group of insatiable (and usually unemployed) human packrats who lie, cheat, steal and God knows what else in order to get into advance screenings of films and grab the promotional novelties (posters, t-shirts, etc.) that are often distributed there.  I've heard them called everything from Passholes to Prize Pigs to Movie Gypsies.

An offshoot of the Passholes' Manhattan chapter (they usually pay for admission, though) is the subject of the documentary Cinemania (screens Saturday, October 18 at the Dryden).  Directors Angela Christlieb and Stephen Kijak follow five of its members as they scurry around to New York theaters, coming up for air only to hop on the subway that will rocket them to their next film screening.  Some see as many as 2,000 pictures a year.  2,000!  And people look at me like I'm from another planet when I tell them I see 300 a year.

My favorite subject was Jack, who said movies are "better than sex," though one wonders if he has the frame of reference from which to make that comparison.  The sporadically hairy man obsesses about things like print condition, projection quality and screen masking - all things most people couldn't give a fig about (you wonder how he'd feel about this movie, which was shot on video and blown up to film).  Jack even goes into detail about his special diet, which involves precious few fruits and vegetables.  Because you don't want nature calling when you're seeing La Dolce Vita for the 17th time.

Harvey lives with his mother and has an impressive collection of soundtrack LPs but no turntable on which to play them.  Roberta was banned from the MoMA venue after she pulled a choking move right out of the WWE on an usher who had the gall to tear her ticket (she collects them, along with – judging from the state of her home – everything else she's come in contact with over the last six decades).  They're both on disability, as is Eric, who pretty much vanishes for some reason - perhaps he didn't end up being eccentric enough on camera.  Bill is, though for completely different reasons.  He fancies himself a philosopher but worries about his unemployment benefits carrying him through the New York Film Festival.

Cinemania shows there's a very fine line between an obsession being kinda cute and completely insane.  Some will find it depressing, especially those who realize the doc hits a little too close to home.

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