I saw Mortal Kombat: Annihilation last weekend. As painful as that experience was by itself, it also solidified my belief that the motion picture is dying. Mortal Kombat made $16.8 million in its opening weekend. It was the number one movie. Mortal Kombat: Annihilation was the movie that America flocked to see. I could hardly justify splitting the cost of renting Mortal Kombat: Annihilation between the entire theater-full of people, yet it made nearly $17 million. I saw the movie for free, and I felt cheated.

Movies like Mortal Kombat dominate the box office, not for long, but long enough to push movies with artistic value out of the theater before anyone gets around to seeing them. This is a sad trend that I've noticed for the past few years, and I'm convinced that it is not going to change anytime soon. Yes, I've heard about the rising popularity of independent films. I am aware that the last Oscar for best picture went to an independent film, but it doesn't matter. I refuse to be impressed by the "novel" idea of making good movies. They used to make lots of good movies. They used to make lots of bad movies, too. The point is they used to make a lot of movies. But they don't do that anymore.

Ever since Star Wars, Hollywood has whored its artistic integrity to come out with the next big blockbuster. Don't get me wrong, I love Star Wars, but this Star Wars, was different; it was something new. Independence Day was not. $200 million go to the Titanic; whatever's left over is split among a couple of children's movies, a bad action flick or two containing Jon Voight, maybe a romantic comedy (also a dying breed), and perhaps, with some luck and the grace of God, one movie that has a chance of igniting an audience's imagination. They used to make more movies than anyone could see, and people would choose, yes choose which movie they wanted to watch and the studios would still make money. Of course this was before the $20 million salary.

And to be honest, this doesn't even bother me that much. Network television has been doing the same thing, copying formula and killing good shows to try to make an extra buck. What really makes me so sad about this whole thing is the fact that no one seems to care anymore. We're paying over $7.50 to fund a movie that has a script as an afterthought. For that much I could have an order of General Tso's chicken delivered to my room, and it would last longer than anything I'd get out of the movie. I envision a not-too-distant future wherein movies have no dialogue, only flashy cutting-edge special effects, a village's worth of blood, and a couple of bare breasts.

We have the opportunity to flood the theaters with movies more than we ever did before. With the huge, multiplex theaters we could have movies for everyone. And yes, maybe none of these movies would be a runaway hit, but at least a film made for a primarily African-American audience wouldn't be a risky move. But what is the point of having 14 screens when crap like Flubber is showing on three of them?

Of course, the solution to this problem is not an easy one. It's hard to tell an executive to sacrifice money for art. I suppose you could try boycotting blockbusters, but considering the lines I've waited in to see Batman and Jurassic Park, (both good movies, by the way) I don't see that happening. You could try a letter writing campaign to the studios, but, again, you're chances aren't too good. Personally, I plan to continue bitching and moaning to myself while I stand in line for the next James Bond movie. But that's just me.