The Great Movie Crisis of 2011

Living on a remote island results in shortages and lack of variety of products and services available. After being here for 7 months, I'd thought I'd gotten used to the rhythms and beats of this isolated market place. Buy the shipped-in fresh vegetables when they're in the grocery store and mostly green. Go with the canned, pickled, frozen or limited supply of local when it's been awhile since the last container ship has called on Pago Pago Harbor. These are the trials of living in paradise in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

It was the entertainment shortage that I wasn't prepared to handle. It all started on Friday, November 18 when Happy Feet 2 and Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 1 were released at the Nu'uli Place Cinema, the only movie theater on island. These two films replaced Tower Heist and Puss in Boots, another two movies that had little draw to Sara or myself, but had put a few butts in seats at the theater. Not having an interest in the animated animals or teenage heart throbs, I was happy to avoid the theaters for November.

When Happy Feet and Breaking Dawn held down the movie theater for a second week, I held out hope the next week would bring new cinematic entertainment to us here in American Samoa. Another week passed, yet new movies did not materialize in our theater.

Instead of bringing us The Muppets, Young Adult or Hugo they continued to run out night after night and show after show freaking Happy Feet 2 and The Freaky Vampire Abstinence Movie. Once the fourth week rolled around and still new movies didn't arrive, one of my friends openly called for a riot with pitch forks and torches (I suggested the more readily available machetes and coconuts). The movie viewing public didn't have the fervor of the Occupy movement, but we bided our time.

Finally, last Friday saw relief to our crisis. We were greeted by the marquee that read: Happy Feet 2 and Sherlock Holmes 2. We welcomed the end of our entertainment drought. Sunday evening we attended a packed showing of Sherlock. It was enough to stave off the turmoil of another week with the same two god-damned movies.

To our surprise we also were blessed with a midweek replacement for Happy Feet, on Tuesday it was replaced with Mission Impossible 4. We could go to sleep knowing that we had survived the Great Movie Crisis of 2011 and were able to get out of the house and be entertained.

We even managed a double date tonight to see Mission Impossible tonight. It was awesome. Now starts the wait until the next new movie comes to us...