The lead story in today's KEY WEST CITIZEN reads 'The Interview' coming to Tropic. That headline got me so excited I had to go down to the Tropic Cinema in the wee hours of this morning to take a photo of the theater, the Marilyn Monroe statute, and "The Interview' movie poster, each of which is symbolic of what is right with America.
I often write about Key West being located out in the middle of the ocean far from the mainland. You have to fly, sail, or intentionally drive three hours or more to get here. Key West is so far removed from the mainland that people unfamiliar with Key West often wonder how we survive. As far removed from civilization as we may seem, we are an incredibly connected society nonetheless. So it came as no surprise that the Tropic Cinema joined other independent theaters across America that petitioned Sony Pictures to let them show the movie the big chains were afraid to show.
While being interviewed by The Citizen Matthew Helmerich, executive director the non-profit theater, said the decision to show the controversial movie is really a matter of "free speech". And it is. Like many Americans I was outraged that a group of hackers made SONY seemingly walk away from a multimillion dollar investment over threats by mad man. Helmerich said "The Tropic Cinema has a long history of speaking our minds."
Marilyn Monroe is an icon - maybe the biggest icon of the 20th Century. She became not only a sex symbol but also a symbol of America. We export culture to the rest of the world. What better a model of what is right about America than a beautiful and talented woman. And in Key West we will celebrate our right to free speech by watching a comedy about an evil man.
Just over Marilyn's right shoulder is the movie poster for "The Interview'. I don't recall having ever paid money to watch a Seth Rogen or James Franco movie, but I'm gonna watch this movie. The thing I appreciate about living in my adopted hometown is that you can be whoever you want to be in Key West. You can live the life
you want to live here. Most of us that came here left someplace else that wasn't where we want to spend the rest of our lives. I for one have never taken well to having some other person tell me what I had to do or what I could not do. I hope people from all across America show up at their hometown theaters to give notice to the hackers and the North Koreans that we are free to decide for ourselves whether to watch a silly movie.
