Mon. April 16

We saw Stanley Kubrick's "A Clockwork Orange" when we were in our teens and we were genuinely shocked. (We'd yet to read Anthony Burgess's novel on which it's based.) There was the futuristic mix of sex and sadism, characters who reveled in pure evil - "ultra-violence" - and reprehensible thought control processes by the government. As the leader of the Droogs, the London street gang, Malcolm McDowell's Alex was cunning, chilling and, yet, sometimes likeable. There was a strain of sarcastic humor that ran through the film. "Singin' In the Rain" played as Alex and his mates pummeled an innocent victim. Beethoven's Ninth accompanied Alex's "rehabilitation." Coming out in 1971, not long after Charles Manson and his gang made their mark, it carried an especially potent punch. This "future" was not far from what we were experiencing. Our guess is that all these years later, "A Clockwork Orange," will still stir you, make you uncomfortable, and mesmerize you. It's a film you'll want to discuss, and the Coolidge Corner Theatre is giving you that opportunity to do just that Monday April 16, as part of its "Science on Screen" series. Marc Hasuer, Harvard College Professor, will be there following the 7 p.m. screening to talk about the film. Hasuer's work deals with language evolution, conceptual representation, social cooperation, communication and morality. He's the author five books. Tickets are $9.50.

290 Harvard St., Brookline, 617-734-2500 coolidge.org