I am a movie buff. Certifiable. The date of the Academy Awards is honored like a holiday in my home. Suffice it to say, I take my love of cinema seriously.

Although I reside in Watertown and work in Watertown, I often have to travel to Canton or Syracuse in order to see quality films. If they come to Watertown, it's usually well after their release dates. Of course, our city is quick to get big blockbuster hits, particularly brainless "shoot 'em ups," overly advertised animated movies and woefully executed comedies which appear to be perfect fodder for the underdeveloped teenage mind.

In Watertown, we often don't see well-received, critically acclaimed films until long after their premiere date, and that's if they come to Watertown at all. It's ironic that small communities like Canton and Potsdam are able to show well-crafted movies in a timely fashion. From independent art house films to Academy Award nominated classics, you'll find them in Canton and Potsdam. It almost appears that our theater's management feels like the citizens of Watertown just aren't mentally agile enough to appreciate such films.

At least I trusted that I could count on our Watertown theater to show kids movies when they premiere. My youngest daughter turned 8 on July 16. She's been so excited about taking a group of friends to see "Kit Kittredge: An American Girl" on her birthday this summer. Set during the Depression, this is also a movie that my 11-year-old daughter was excited to see because it followed on the heels of a major unit she studied in school last spring.

Imagine their disappointment and my frustration when Watertown's new movies were listed in the newspaper and the American Girl movie was not among them. This movie played at the Roxy Theatre in Potsdam on two weekends. These days, the cost of gas to Potsdam along with inflated movie ticket prices make this must-see movie a probably won't-see film. It looks like Kit's not the only one with a great depression on her hands.

I earnestly ask our theater's management to re-evaluate its selection process when it comes to determining what movies will play in Watertown. I ask this as a movie lover, a parent and a teacher who believes our kids and our community deserve better than what they're currently getting.

Gina M. Outman

Watertown