Support Good Movies this Weekend, Help Save Hollywood

Take a look at the choices at the multiplex this weekend and I’m sorry to say that it’s like trying to pick the one tolerable outhouse toilet amid the ones you can’t step foot inside. But you can really do your part to help turn this sorry state of affairs around by ponying up the dough to see the good movies.

The more money the “little” movies make, the better it is for everyone. Think of it like recycling, or using a metal water bottle. You are helping all of mankind by choosing to contribute to artists who are taking the time to make movies that are more than just entertaining.

To that end, let’s take a look at the movies worth seeing:

1. Blackfish – Don’t let this great movie die on the vine. Get out there and force yourselves to watch it. Not only will it change your life, but it will ensure SeaWorld keeps running scared. They look at the box office numbers, which will help argue their case. The more people who see it, the better chance that something good can eventually happen to those magnificent whales in captivity.  I’ll admit, it was hard to watch. I probably would have avoided it had my teenage daughter not compelled me to see it. But it’s the least I could do, being part of the human race that has perpetrated so many crimes in the name of “entertainment.”

2. Blue Jasmine – Woody doesn’t get better than this anymore. Go for Cate Blanchett’s performance, stay for Andrew Dice Clay, Sally Hawkins, Peter Sarsgaard and Louis C.K. This is entertaining AND depressing. How often does that happen? It’s doing well at the box office so it doesn’t need much cheerleading, but hey, why not contribute to something this good?

3. Fruitvale Station – Don’t see it because of the Trayvon Martin case. See it to be among the first who saw Ryan Coogler’s debut. You know this dude is up and coming and that eventually he’ll get the big deals and he’ll probably stop making these kinds of films that cost nothing and run completely on heart and soul. You want to be there to see what real storytellers are doing without having visual effects to hide behind. Trust me, unless you’re watching Game of Thrones or Breaking Bad or House of Cards on repeat, you have nothing better to do on Friday night than seeing Fruitvale Station.

4. Before Midnight – How long is this movie going to be in theaters before you get out and see it? Are you really going to wait until it comes on Netflix or HBO? Because that will help enrich great movies like this how? Pony up the money — what’s it cost, a couple of days at Starbucks? Paying to see Before Midnight (I paid to see it) is an investment in the future of preserving great filmmaking. Ever wonder why there are no more movies like Carnal Knowledge or The Graduate? Take a look around, my friends. It’s ugly. Really ugly.

5. The Way, Way Back – You can take your teens to see Some Piece of Shit Part 2 or you can take them to a movie that might actually alter the way they think about their lives. Maybe it seems like a movie for quirky adults who took yoga that morning before going to the Farmer’s Market, then having fish tacos before going out to the art house that night – but really, it’s a movie for young and old THINKING people.

6. Pacific Rim – yeah, I know, I just went on and on about special effects this or that, but it’s not every day Guillermo del Toro makes a movie and this one is something to celebrate. He found a way, within the parameters of movie-making in the modern era, to deliver something wholly original. If this movie fails and Some Piece of Shit Part 2 does not, what do you think you’ll be getting for the next ten years? Let’s try to support originality along the way.

7. The Act of Killing – it’s hard to find this film playing anywhere. This is probably one that won’t need much box office since it is qualifying before it heads to TV. BUT so what, right? Any dollar in this film’s pocket is a vote for the continuation of documentaries, you know, for thinking people.

8. The Spectacular Now – I’m only adding it because it’s a good way to spend money if you feel like these other films are just not sexy enough. I suspect it will do just fine at the box office.

Of course, who am I kidding. We know hardly anyone pays to see movies anymore. Bloggers get in for free, and anyone who doesn’t live by a theater showing these movies know how to download them for free. That means the movies never make the kind of money they need to make to justify their existence. And what a shame that is.