While there are good films from Hollywood like Shrek, Moulin Rouge, Evolution and Along Came a Spider, too much of what is produced is unadulterated garbage, along the lines of One Night at McCool's, Town and Country, What's the Worse that Could Happen? and Saving Silverman.

Then there are films that are worth seeing, yet many are at best mediocre. Pearl Harbor, The Mummy Returns and Driven, fall into that category. When it costs almost $20 just to get into the theater, before you even hit the concession stand to leave another $10, the thought of getting your money's worth, for the time you spend at the movie, sounds like a grand idea.

We've found that the best films tend to be at the smaller theaters. Noted film critic, Michael Wilmington, of the Chicago Tribune, said, "… smaller venue films are often a better bet. Arriving with far less hype, without huge advertising budgets or enormous expectations, they are brought by exhibitors who care about them, and in many cases they represent the very best films exported from the country of origin that year. In these days of closing theaters and industry confusion, we should remember how invaluable these outlets are---booked by people who love movies, intended for audiences who love them as well."

While many of these films are from outside the US, there are some standouts that are made here that fall into the description often referred to as "independent." This includes films like You Can Count on Me, Shadow of the Vampire, Startup.com, The Claim and Caveman's Valentine.

Let's condition our minds to be receptive to something we've not heard of before. Almost by definition, if you have not heard of it that means it's not from Hollywood…so you should pay more attention, rather than less. Take the opportunity to find out about something worthwhile, which does not have a slick marketing campaign behind it. Don't let all of your movie going experiences deliver the excitement and predictability of a double cheeseburger at McDonald's.

If you have a choice of seeing Doctor Doolittle 2 or Bride of the Wind, the choice is clear. DD 2 will be around a month later and Bride of the Wind will not.

Getting to the smaller theaters often requires a longer drive and more planning on your part; most often it's worth the effort. As a norm, the films that play there tend to run only a week or so before being replaced by the next feature. Wonderful films currently playing that fall into this category are Bread and Roses, Chopper, Big Eden, Shadow Magic, The Golden Bowl, Amores Perros and Keep the River on your Right. You've probably not heard of most or any of these, and there is a reason for that. It's simply that they are not from Hollywood and don't have multi-million dollar marketing and promotion budgets such as films like Pearl Harbor and The Mummy Returns.

These "small" films will not be on the previews you see in the multiplex or during commercial breaks for the Superbowl, and you won't see the actors making the rounds of the morning talk shows and Oprah.

You find out about these films by reading the reviews in the Friday paper on what's playing at the art house theaters in your area. Even in large cities like New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Chicago, there are only a handful of theaters devoted to art house films. These venues usually have two to four screens, and there are limited prints for distribution, so the films can only be shown for a short period of time, even in the best situation possible. Since fewer prints are made (they cost about $4,000 each), art house films will have a staggered release across the country. These films can also be found by visiting our Art House Films page.

To see the best films of today and to ensure that more are produced it all boils down to going to see films on opening weekend. It's during the first three days of release, Fri-Sun, that the life of the film is determined. If it does well, the distributor will put marketing dollars behind it and/or theater owners will agree to keep it another week or so, or bring it back at a later date, once the initial tour is completed. Should it do poorly, after two weeks, at the most, the next time you see that movie it will be on video, if at all.

Memento, a small film that got good word of mouth, did well its opening weekend and took off from there. Recently the film The Visit, which is one of the best films of the year, did not have good awareness on opening week, and it came and went quietly, even with major name stars.

So if your answer was YES! to the question, "Do you want to see alternatives to Hollywood junk?", find art house films that are of interest to you in your local newspaper and our web site and then go see them on opening weekend.

You'll be surprised at how much fun it is to see the best films made. You'll be the one spreading the word to others and you will not be wishing later that you had seen a film, which is no longer around. For poor films, the price of admission is too high…for the good ones it's the best entertainment bargain around.