There's nothing worse than arriving late for a movie. For many of us, the real enjoyment begins in those opening moments when the titles first appear on screen. What was once a simple gesture has emerged as a stunning art of dizzying graphic design and dramatic condensation. At their best, these brief sequences captivate the audience, establishing themes and prefiguring visual pleasures to come. And unlike many of the films they initiate, these mini-dramas thrive on visceral connections and abstracted imagery. Who can forget the aqueous bodies that launch Goldfinger, or the poignant coupling of bombers in Dr. Strangelove; the acid-bathed, scratchy glimpse of the killer in Seven, or De Niro falling through a curtain of flames in Casino? Presenters Ken Coupland and David Peters have studied the history of title design in depth, amassing an outrageous collection of opening sequences. They'll lead us from the early fifties and the emergence of pioneering designer Saul Bass (Man with the Golden Arm, Psycho) who merged graphic precision with a marketer's sense of seduction, to the latest generation of visual virtuosos like Kyle Cooper (Seven, Wild Wild West) and Randy Balsmeyer (Magnolia, Jungle Fever).