By “Cinema” Dave
http://cinemadave.livejournal.com
“Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” 1 Corinthians 13: 6-7
When I accepted the plaque for 20 years of service with The Observer, I admitted that “Flicks” has been a labor of love for me. I also became aware that I would not be writing this column for another 20 years. Like Dwyane Wade’s final year with the Miami Heat, I was hoping to have #OneLastDance.
This columnist came to the revelation that the world had changed more than I have. (Case in point — does anyone know what the word “Flicks” means?) I am still the shy 10-year-old Davy from Huntington, Long Island, who moved to Deerfield Beach with his parents and Chrissy the dog in 1973. I live with chronic grief over the loss of my dad and my dog, yet I am sustained in my Christian belief that real love is eternal. We will meet again for a grand family reunion with my New York and Alabama families and dearly departed friends that I have written about in this column.
With decades of show business training, I am comfortable when the spotlight is thrust upon me. Actually, I am a private person and not emotionally demonstrative. I like having the separation from shy Dave Montalbano to Cinema Dave — that “swashbuckling journalist and information scientist.” The meek Montalbano is a working man with a deep love for his family, friends and pets, while Cinema Dave attends premiers, festivals and gets his picture taken with movie stars, music legends and American heroes.
Since 1999, our community has survived wars, rumors of wars, the 2000 Presidential Election, multiple hurricanes (with Hurricane Wilma being the most devastating), political corruption, shootings and my personal battles with a pesky puppet — Sinister Simon.
This column is older than actress Bailee Madison, Dwayne Wade’s NBA career and the Marvel Comic’s “The Infinity Wars Saga.”
Considering that major media have hired syndicated columnists from either New York, Chicago or Los Angeles for over a decade, I am proud to have claimed the title “the longest standing film columnist in Broward County.” My intention was to write a film column that was not uppity or snarky, unless I thought my column was Saturday matinee popcorn eating fun. Then, I would report on a film and let the ticket buyer decide the value of seeing the movie. Afterall, some people love Madonna and some people love a King Kong movie. Both are entitled to their opinions.
This column has outlasted Blockbuster Video and Border’s Bookstore. It seems appropriate that a column titled “Flicks” closes in 2019. People do not go to movie theaters the way they did in 1999. Yet, I am thankful this year to share the communal experience watching Captain America battling the Mad Titan Thanos at the Ft. Lauderdale Museum of Discovery & Science Autonation IMAX screen — A battle reminiscent of David versus Goliath, a mythic story that is close to this writer’s heart.
At my age, my heart is a current concern. Given the sedentary lifestyle of being a swashbuckling journalist and information scientist, my medical doctors have prescribed more walking and swimming, which I will be doing in my free time, since I will not be writing a weekly column. After next week, “Cinema” Dave has no plans for public publishing, but I have learned by writing “Flicks” that writing is my innate talent, so, given my Christian belief and faith, my writing has been “born again.” It seems appropriate to end my penultimate column with Merry Christmas!
