"Nothing makes me happier than watching a favourite movie with a bunch of my buddies and quoting line for line with each other," explains Ronald Tucker.

The former usher, who admits to watching The Big Lebowksi more than 100 times, wants to share that experience with Vancouver by launching Retro Cinema Fest at Denman Cinema Sept. 23.

The eight-day festival features 16 pop culture staples like The Godfather, Pulp Fiction and Ghostbusters.

Tucker warns this is not your typical movie crowd. He expects people to come dressed like characters featured in the films, shout out their favourite lines and even sing along to musical numbers.

He can't explain why people dress up for retro screenings - Tucker is wearing a Captain Kirk bathrobe to Sept. 27's Star Trek night - but he said it's "truly touching" to witness such a sense of community.

"What surprises me the most is how quickly people bond," he said, adding he once saw a man propose marriage at a screening of The Big Lebowski.

The films, however, are just the climax to an evening filled with trivia, costume contests and lots of drink specials.

Romulan ale will be served on Star Trek night and White Russians will be the hot item when Vancouver's first Lebowski Bash runs Sept. 29.

Despite Tucker's delight in organizing a festival featuring the movies he watched growing up, he said knowing Denman Cinemas will close its doors after the Back to the Future trilogy screens Sept. 30 makes the event bittersweet.

"That's the place I dreamed of owning ever since I was a teenager," he said. "It's a bit of a responsibility to make sure we take the old lady out in some style."