The Kansas City Public Library welcomes film critic Scott Tobias for a presentation called The New Cult Canon on Wednesday, May 6, at 6:30 p.m. at the Central Library, 14 W. 10th St.

With the New Cult Canon, Tobias offers a new perspective on long-buried and overlooked films that have won a loyal audience based on word of mouth. He defines cult films as "obscurities kept alive by a small cadre of followers, popular movies with special replay value, flawed gems, or movies deliberately tailored to the obsessive weirdos who love them." His central thesis is that cult movies remain relevant in an artistic sense. 

For more than a year, Tobias has explored his New Cult Canon series in articles published for The A.V. Club, the arts and entertainment section for The Onion, a nationally distributed weekly publication with a satiric bent. Among those films on his list are: Near Dark (1987), They Live (1988), and Donnie Darko (2001).

Tobias is film editor for The A.V. Club, which has spawned a vibrant and interactive online presence in addition to its print version.  

This illustrated presentation kicks off the 2009 Off-the-Wall Film Series, which takes the New Cult Canon as its theme.