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This Week |
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| Toronto Film Venues | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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186 Spadina, in Chinatown |
New arts screening/stage venue. Formerly Chinatown's Golden Classics cinema. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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In the Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre, on the southwest corner of Bloor and Spadina. |
Home to the Toronto Jewish Film Society's
monthly Sunday screenings and one of the venues comprising the
yearly spring Toronto Jewish Film Festival.
Over the summer of of 2005, Capri Films
programmed first run releases and some specialty series but
backed off on continuing.
Upcoming:
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Once a promising cross-Canada chain of arthouse theatres, now reduced to two mini-multiplexes in Toronto. The downtown Cumberland is Toronto's premier arthouse venue. The east-end Beach cinema sports stadium seating and runs almost exclusively commercial fare, with an emphasis on family films that appeal to the denizens of its residential neighbourhood. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The American cinema chain has a number of suburban multiplexes (and now, one urban one) scattered across the greater Toronto area. Often the only stop for specialized fare in the outer reaches of the city. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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In the Annex at 506 Bloor W, just east of Bathurst |
Toronto's venerable repertory house,
featuring an eclectic mix of second run features, classics and
specialty programming by various organizations and festivals.
A $3 membership keeps regular ticket prices to $5.00 (cheaper
in the afternoons) for six months, although specialty
programming is often more expensive.
The venue sports a good-sized screen, but sound quality tends
to the muddy. Don't sit in the balcony in a packed house if
you want to have any hope of seeing the bottom half of the screen.
Home to Toronto's monthly Rocky Horror Picture Show screening.
Upcoming:
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296 Brunswick Ave, in the Annex |
Small 100-seat venue in the former Poor Alex Theatre space, screening socially conscious docs on video. Currently on hiatus. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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In the west end of downtown, at 1028 Queen W. |
Tiny venue once nestled in the back of a downtown watering hole screened a mix of specialized experimental/indie programming and new arthouse releases from the Mongrel catalogue but is now connected to the Stephen Bulger Gallery and run as a private rental space with the occasional public presentation. No 35mm capability; films are often shown on projected video. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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129 Spadina, down the alley |
Low-key experimental film venue, nestled behind tall buildings in the
downtown core.
Upcoming:
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Now that it has swallowed Famous Players, Cineplex Odeon
is Canada's major cinema chain, specializing in first-run fare in
theatres that range from older multi-screen venues to noisy modern
multiplexes with stadium seating. The stature of the downtown
Carlton has faded a good deal, but along with the cinema at
Canada Square, it remains one of Toronto's primary arthouse venues.
Higher profile arthouse fare often shows up at
the Varsity and occasionally the downtown Paramount first.
In an example of marketing run amuck, the Paramount is now known
as the Scotiabank, despite the fact that it is neither a bank
nor located in Nova Scotia.
Upcoming:
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On the waterfront, in the big white dome at Ontario Place |
Toronto's original Imax venue still screens large-format documentaries for family visitors to the theme park that it is situated in, but is also rented out for special events. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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1150 Queen St. West |
West downtown boutique hotel hosting nightly arts programming, including the occasional indie film event. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Following the Cineplex Odeon/Famous Players merger, Empire is now the second largest cinema chain in Canada, with two theatres in the Toronto area. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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in the Beaches at 2236 Queen E. |
Onetime Festival Cinemas house survived the June 2006 collapse of the
repertory chain to begin a new life as an independent second run cinema.
As of October 2007, the reins were transferred to the fellows at
Napoleonic Theatres. Programming is basically second run screenings
of Hollywood hits and high profile indies from the last couple of months'
releases, augmented with an irregularly occurring documentary night
and the odd classic.
Upcoming:
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163 King W, near University |
The Toronto chapter of the German cultural institution programmes German films of past and present at various city venues. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The magic of Bollywood screens at these two suburban cinemas located on either side of Toronto. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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On the waterfront, at Queen's Quay |
Waterfront collection of indoor and outdoor venues hosts a variety of arts programmes, only occasionally film related. Weekend summer festivals often include a film sidebar. In the past, the warm weather has been met with free weekly outdoor screenings, but they don't seem to be happening this year. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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On the downtown University Of Toronto campus, on the ground floor of the Innis College building, 2 Sussex Ave (at St. George). |
Medium-sized lecture hall venue with not especially comfortable seats used
for many of Toronto's smaller festivals in addition to U Of T events
and weekly free screenings put on by the Cinema Studies Student Union.
Upcoming:
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On the downtown U of T campus at 93 Charles St. W (at University), next to Museum subway station |
Soft-seat University Of Toronto lecture hall used by a number of the city's major festivals. No real film programming of its own. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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131 Bloor W, Second Floor |
The gateway through which Japanese culture often passes into Toronto. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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3030 Bloor W, near Royal York subway station |
Onetime Festival Cinemas house reopened in January 2009, two and a half years after the collapse of its former parent company. Programming currently consists of week-long runs of recent arthouse hits and high profile indies. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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In the National Film Board Of Canada at Richmond and John. |
The National Film Board Of Canada's public face in Toronto. Hosts weekly
screenings in association with local festivals and cultural groups in
the medium-sized upstairs theatre while offering instant access to a
sizeable portion of the NFB back catalogue downstairs via personal
viewing stations.
Upcoming:
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Three locations in the Greater Toronto Area, reviving venues discarded by the major chains with first run films and discount pricing. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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at 400 Roncesvalles, south from Dundas West station |
One-time Festival Cinemas house was saved from certain death by
a community campaign and
(as of Oct 4, 2007) is operating as an independent repertory cinema.
A $6 membership keeps movie prices down to $6.50 for 6 months.
Programming is basically second run screenings of recent fare
spiced up with the occasional specialty title or film event.
The old neighbourhood theatre is on the narrow side with a high screen,
making sitting in the first five or ten rows ill-advised.
Upcoming:
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in Little Italy, at 608 College |
One-time Festival Cinemas venue, saved from clubland/condo takeover
by Theatre D. Films selected by ex-TIFF programmer Stacey Donen
run the gamut from first run releases of arty or scrappy downtown fare to
one-off screenings of Canadian independent cinema to second runs of
recent arthouse hits.
Upcoming:
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At Avenue and Bloor. |
Toronto's largest museum, currently undergoing renovations. Home to the Institute For Contemporary Culture and site for cultural events, some of them film related. Downstairs theatre is a medium-sized venue used by a variety of local festivals and occasionally by the Museum itself. New seats mean that legroom is much improved, but a gentle rake means that even tall people have trouble reading subtitles during packed screenings. Occasionally, the rumbling of the subway running underneath the theatre can be heard. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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in the Regent, at 555 Mt. Pleasant (between Davisville and Eglinton) |
Digital post production facility by day, second run cinema by night, occasionally rented for the odd special presentation. The organization is also the new owner of Little Italy's Royal Cinema. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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In Jackman Hall at the Art Gallery Of Ontario, at Dundas and McCaul, McCaul street entrance. |
Emphasizes the artistic end of filmmaking, hosting travelling
and homegrown retrospectives, weekly experimental/avante-garde
programmes and occasional short runs of recent films that would
otherwise not get a Toronto release. Fall, Winter and Summer
programmes cover most of the calendar year, with breaks
typically occurring during much of December and the first half
of January, April through the end of May and
mid-August until mid-October.
A $45 membership yields substantial discounts and access to
advance ticket ordering.
Advance tickets may be purchased online, by phone at 416-968-FILM or
in person at 2 Carlton.
Upcoming:
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Shhh, it's a secret. |
Cult films unearthed (on 16mm film, not video) in a secret location in
downtown Toronto. Advance tickets (purchased at Tequila Bookworm)
bear the address for each screening.
Upcoming:
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Downtown, at the corner of Yonge and Dundas |
City square development features outdoor screenings once the warm weather hits. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Defunct Toronto Film Venues | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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As of June 30th 2006, the chain has folded.
The Fox continues to run as an independent repertory/second run cinema.
The Royal has been purchased by the folks at
Theatre D and re-opened in December 2006.
The Revue was saved by a community campaign and re-opened in
the autumn of 2007.
Before June 30th 2006, the chain was comprised of five locations specializing in discount second run fare with some repertory programming and occasional short runs of specialized titles. A $3 membership kept movie prices down to $6 (less for Tuesdays and matinees) for 6 months. The Royal offered a good-sized screen, decent sound and rocking seats. It showcased the most diverse programming in the chain, spicing up the usual second run fare with culty events such as the bi-weekly Kung Fu Fridays presentation. The Paradise was the place where you might have found that arty flick you missed during its brief run at the Carlton (albeit likely screening for only two nights) in a schedule filled with more traditional second run fare, but the theatre's divy environs were not the most inviting. The Kingsway, Revue and Fox presented more mainstream programming. The Kingsway sported the best screen and sound in the chain. The Fox was a close second. The narrow Revue's screen was on the high side, making sitting in the first five or ten rows ill-advised, and the sound was decidedly muddy. Final programme: June 2006 |
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| Out Of Town | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Rochester, NY |
Bringing solid repertory programming and arthouse releases to upstate New York. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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