President Obama Loves Burgers and ... Cult Movies?

Wouldn't it be cool if President Obama and Vice President Biden sat around chatting about cult flicks like the rest of us weird movie buffs? Sure, they've got the economy, two wars, the nominating of a Supreme Court Justice, and the preservation of democracy to worry about this week, but what if they decided to eat burgers and share their love of psychedelic drug movies featuring topless dancers?

Obama and Biden did, in fact, pay a surprise visit on Tuesday to Ray's Hell Burger in Arlington, Virginia, for what the Washington Business Journal described as a "quick working lunch." They waited in line, placed their orders, and sat down to await their burgers. Did they choose to sit at that particular table so they could contemplate the poster for William Rotsler's 1968 cult flick Mantis in Lace? Or was that the only one empty?

The blog Popcorn and Sticky Floors posted the photo, but in case you're thinking it was doctored, I've included a couple of photos I've found at other sites -- one a broader view of the restaurant with the two men and owner Michael Landrum, and another from last year showing that the restaurant decorates its walls with posters.

Obama has gone on record ranking Casablanca, The Godfather, The Godfather Part II, Lawrence of Arabia, and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest as his favorite movies. But I wonder: What are his favorite "guilty pleasure" movies? Is Mantis in Lace on that list?

[ Thanks to Colin Geddes for the pointer and headline.]

Gallery: President Obama - Burgers and Cult Movies