Dinner and a Movie . . .

When actor Michael Culkin began going to the Monday night screenings at the Atlas Bar & Grill, he had a gnawing sense of deja vu. “The lights would dim, the waiter would take away the food and for half the movie I’d be thinking, ‘Haven’t I done this before?’ ”

After all, it’s not as if a 10-by-7-foot movie screen slides out of the wall in most restaurants. It was only after three or four screenings that Culkin had an epiphany. “I realized it’s like being in an airplane,” he says. “The food, the drink. . . .”

“But you can’t smoke in airplanes,” interrupts restaurant owner Mario Tamayo.

“Yes, but it still reminds me . . . .”

“I’ll tell you what it’s like,” interjects designer Ron Meyers. “It’s like watching a movie from the snack bar of a drive-in.”

This brings a pause to the discussion. It takes a moment for the drive-in image to settle in. Minds begin working to phrase a better analogy. Eyes look toward the ceiling, puffs are taken on cigarettes, a sip is taken from a Ruby, the house specialty of blended vodka and cranberry juice. When 10 seconds pass without a better metaphor, the silence indicates the drive-in comparison is the winner.

This doesn’t settle what sort of film plays best in this atmosphere. Tamayo likes to describe his restaurant as a ‘40s supper club updated for the ‘90s. For him this is “like a movie theater with waiters.”

It takes a special kind of film to succeed in that ambience. “The ones that work best,” says Paul West, who helps host the evening, “are the ones that are either really new or really old.”

In the past, the choices have been skewed toward musicals: “Cabaret,” “Sweet Charity” and “West Side Story.” On this evening the restaurant has chosen “Naked Tango,” a feature starring Esai Morales that is still unreleased. “It’s little more serious than most of the films we have,” says Tamayo.

When the movie begins, it gets the undivided attention of the 200-strong crowd. There’s hardly a word of conversation. “They’re paying attention tonight because they haven’t seen the film before,” says manager Jeffrey Kleinman. “With some of the old films, like ‘The Women,’ they know all the dialogue--not quite like ‘The Rocky Horror Show,’ but close.”

As the film progresses, it begins to lose part of the crowd. Small groups begin to form at the bar and instant reviews are given. “It’s not the best movie we’ve ever seen,” says Meyers charitably, “but it is the best tango.”

The idea for the evening began with Tamayo and West inviting friends over to watch films. As a crowd developed, an informal group (which now goes by the self-parodying name The Consortium of Cool) formed to choose films. They began faxing word of the evening around town. In six months, the Monday evening event has grown to about 100 aficionados who come on a regular basis. “The whole idea is to sit around, drink Rubies, dish and watch a campy film,” says West. “Get a buzz, talk to friends and when you’re not talking, look up at the screen and recite the words you know.”

Name: Atlas Bar & Grill

Location: 3760 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles. Films screen Mondays at 9 p.m. The restaurant is open Mon.- Fri. from 11:30 a.m. until 2 a.m.; Saturday for dinner only; Closed Sunday.

Cost: No cover or charge for the film; beers cost $3.50, wine $4.50 and Rubies are $5. Dinner entrees are from $12 to $18.

Door Policy: No age limit, no dress code. Very loose. You can bring your own popcorn if you want.