My Summer Lair Chapter #301: What’s Your Favourite (All-Time) Movie Theatre?
Guillermo del Toro recently shared his perspective in the Toronto Star upon hearing Toronto’s Revue Cinema may close.
“The denizens of Toronto tend to be humorously self-deprecating, but to an outsider, the city is a place that loves cinema with real passion. This has been true for decades and across the span of two centuries, so it is not a passing fad. Toronto has great voices, both critical and directorial — many of the world’s foremost critics and filmmakers have made their home here — as well as a world-class film festival (TIFF) and Cinematheque.”
This is a filmmaker supporting a local cinema because cinema is where memories are made.
And The Movie Man is a documentary about a small independent movie theatre named Highlands Cinemas, located in Kinmount, Ontario. (About 2 hours from Toronto…cottage country, basically.)
On July 25, 2024, I had the supreme pleasure of getting on a bus provided by Hollywood Suite (joining Henry VanderSpek aka Culture Snap Photography) to visit the Highlands Cinemas and see The Movie Man documentary.
First opened in 1979, the Highlands Cinemas eventually became a five-screen building brimming with movie paraphernalia, memorabilia, and vintage projectors collected from theatres and cinemas all over the U.S. and Canada that were forced to close down. (A moment of silence…)
Indeed at the Q and A following a screening of The Movie Man, Keith Stata the owner provided a mini-Universal Studios Tour.
The cinema we were sitting in? He shared the lights were from The Capitol in London. The seats were from a cinema from Barrie, the side-drapes from Bancroft, the ticket windows in the back are from O’Brien’s Theatre…Keith even pointed out: the door to the ladies room was rescued from the Vaughan Theatre in Toronto.
As he put it succinctly: “It’s all from somewhere.”
The Movie Man is a rousing ode to the theatrical experience. Those personal adventures that post-COVID we should relish even more.
Going to the movies has shaped who we are. Who we’ve become. Going to the movies is one of the coolest and smartest things I do.
It’s a commitment, a holy obligation that is never a chore. I’m so grateful I can and do go to the movies.
All of these sharp emotions are the premise of The Movie Man directed by Matt Finlin and executive produced by Ed Robertson (who you know is the lead singer of the Barenaked Ladies.).
I sat down with producer Ed, director Matt and owner Keith on location at the Highlands Cinemas to talk about the magic of going to the movies.
Here’s the conversation I had with the three gents. (Incredibly we drop Scorsese, Cameron, Capra, Kurosawa…talk about the power of the movies! Terminator 2, It’s a Wonderful Life…Rosemary’s Baby all come up. To quote Ed: Pinch Me! What a delicious treat.)
If you are a movie fan…if the thrill of sitting in a dark room with strangers and laughing and touring strange worlds is your concept of a good time, you need to see The Movie Man now streaming on Hollywood Suite.
As for the Highlands…the cinema is breathtaking, photos don’t quite convey the spectacular environment. Kinda like how a Sunset photos falls flat on IG. This joint is a Ripley’s Believe It or Not! You gotta see it to believe it.
And even though it’s like asking a magician how he pulled off a magic trick I ask Jason to explain his fascination with these massive cultural icons.
The Movie Man @ W • T • F
Host Sammy Younan
Recorded: Thursday July 25, 2024 at 1:30 pm (EST) at the Highlands Cinemas
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