100 Has Never Looked This Fierce

It’s my lucky 100th blog today. Feel free to send me notes of encouragement and anecdotes of how my blog has changed your life. I was planning a huge party with a big cake and loads of candles but couldn’t find a cake big enough. Just think. If I were a TV show, I could go into syndication, which would me more Diva. Sounds appealing doesn’t it? So what is the groundbreaking topic for my 100th blog? A rant on my inability to find great movies in my section of Miami.

This weekend was a bust as far as movie going was concerned. I’m running into a problem I haven’t had since I moved to Miami. I can’t find the movies I want to see in my local theater. Call me lazy but because I live in the south Miami-Dade I have to go across town in some instances driving 30-60 minutes or only have a couple of weeks to see the film. I’ve been repeatedly frustrated by theaters that have four screens of Happy Feet but no Volver or The Last King of Scotland.

It’s especially upsetting when you enter awards season. You read and hear about these great movies but it seems like no one gets to see them in a theater. I like to watch my nominated movies up front not on DVD months later or after the Academy Awards. Who the hell has seen Half Nelson? It’s getting great buzz but it’s impossible to find.

There used to be a day when I would drive all over the county looking for must-see movies. I saw Trainspotting at the dollar theater near Ft. Lauderdale. Remember those? I caught Priscilla Queen of the Desert at some out of the way cinema. As I get older and busier, it’s harder to plan a half day for a movie. Maybe that should be a New Year’s resolution.

Or maybe the movie studios need to realize that there is a real interest out here for art house, independent and critically acclaimed films. People outside of NYC and L.A. also love a good film. It may not be a money-making venture but if anyone can figure out how to bring more diverse films to different markets and turn a profit, it’s the studio bigwigs. It seems unfair and elitist to assume that Sundance movies or Oscar-nominated pictures are only for big city folks.

The average American enjoys these movies. I bet the majority of audiences want to be challenged. My mom constantly complains because of the limited selections in her town. She’ll have to drive to Cleveland or Pittsburgh (an hour plus to both cities) to see Dreamgirls. Magazines and TV shows tout these interesting movies that may never come to a theater near you and you’re lucky if Blockbuster carries one or two copies when they come to DVD.

Is it just me or do you run into this problem as well?