Fade to Black

I was just reading that a chain of the Art-house/repertory cinemas in Toronto will be closing down. I have fond memories of the Festival Cinemas. It was there that you could see relatively new films, but not the crappy ones. They always programmed excellent foreign stuff, new prints of classics and just crazy shit. Where else are you going to see Lars Von Trier's 280-minute 'The Kingdom' in it's entirety?

Every year they had a 'pick the Oscars' contest and once I won it. The prize: Free Movies for a year plus a guest. Needless to say, I watched a ton of movies that year. The place was dark, musty and never ever full. However, that was part of the charm. You felt part of a club.

The way we watch movies has changed the game, Netflix has changed the game and pirating has changed the game. I understand when places like this go under, and I'm surprised that they stuck around for so long. Prost.