Soon there will only be room for hollywood shit on the silver screen. Bob have mercy on us all.
I knew this was coming when I heard about the revue cinemas closure. We are one step closer to the business world's dream of a mono-culture. If you've at any point enjoyed the experience that was Kung Fu Friday, come out for what may be it's goodbye, as well as what is probably a goodbye to The Revue Theater.
Reprinted from Ultra 8.
1. The 2nd Last Kung Fu Fridays: May 26 - Donnie Yen is the HERO AMONG HEROES
Disciples, I bear sad, sad news... As I write this it looks like Kung Fu Fridays has come to an end. Not due to a jinx palm blast delivered to my vital solar stance power point, but due to the closing of a cinema. As many of you might have noticed, there has been a "For Sale"sign posted at our former temple, The Royal. Sad news there, but it gets worse. At this point, with all the news I am getting, The Revue Cinema is going to close its doors on June 30th as will the Royal, The Kingsway and The Paradise. Afraid I don't have the answers for you and I am a little baffled at the decision, but I do know it means that the Kung Fu Fridays series now has no home. Not to sure what will happen with the series, but in the mean time I will have to go on a trek to a mountain top and ask for advice from my sifu as to the future of KFF. Maybe a new temple will be found or built? Maybe the series will change, grow and become a new ferocious cinema experience. Who knows. At this point I certianly don't.But the thing is not to be sad. Hold your head high if you have ever attended a screening. We will not be defeated and we will not go without a roar! We still have one more film, plus the glorious Heroic Grace kung fu cinema series at the Cinematheque Ontario this June. So tell your friends about the last screenings. Thank you all for your loyal patronage over the years. --- Colin Geddes
Ultra Pictures Presents
[KUNG FU FRIDAYS]
May 26 - 9:45 pm
HERO AMONG HEROES aka FIST OF THE RED DRAGON
Directors: Yuen Wo Ping, Chan Chin Chung
Action Director: The Yuen Clan
Cast: Donnie Yen, Wong Gok, Fennie Yuen Kit-Ying, Ng Man Tat, Hung Yan Yan, Kwan Hoi San
Hong Kong / Cantonese with English Subtitles / 1993 / PG
Welcome to part two of our Yuen Clan action extravaganza! This time the Clan takes on the story of the young and naive Beggar So Chan, one of the students of Wong Fei-hung (the real life hero of Once Upon A Time in China). As China tries to escape foreign influence by banning opium, some unscrupulous Chinese plot to get rich by importing the drug by the bushel. Beggar So carelessly chooses the wrong side to fight on, putting him at odds with Fei-hung (Wong Gok) who is waging war against the druggies. So gets sidetracked by an opium addition and his engagement to a westernized Chinese beauty. Can he win the respect of this lady AND beat the addiction before it’s too late? Wo-ping cast his star protégé Donnie Yen (Iron Monkey, SPL, Hero) as Beggar So along with the talented Xiong Xin-xin (Club Foot from Once Upon A Time in China 3) as the lead villain who goes toe-to-toe with Yen. In 90 minutes Yen goes from a snot-nosed kung fu kid to a drug addict and alcoholic, before transforming into a Chinese hero who embodies humility and restraint. The two perform with bone-breaking excellence, Yen breaks out some great drunken boxing, cracks fists with some kung fu-fighting female cult leaders who use their ponytails as whips (!) and smashes the opium warehouse to vanquish the smugglers and destroy their stockpile of drugs, using spears, flying fu, and pole fighting. Contains classic Wo-ping humor, which is bawdy and excessive, plus some inscrutable Chinese epigrams like, "Being stupid is difficult, and harder from clever to be stupid!" How can you miss a film with a proverb like that!
Dear Friends, Neighbours, and Cinema Lovers,
It is with deep disappointment that I write you today with news the Revue, Royal, and Kingsway theatres are slated to close this June 30th,2006. Like many of you, I will miss walking to my favourite cinema,that nostalgic silver screen experience, and the movies themselves. But more than that, the Revue has felt like a community gathering place where friends and neighbours bump into each other, where we celebrate neighbourhood kids’ birthdays, and bring our babies to the mini-matinées.I will miss getting to know the folks of this neighbourhood and certainly miss working with the dedicated, dynamic, and boundlessly energetic team here.
The Revue was built in 1911 and in its 95 years has never ceased operations as an independent cinema. This makes the Revue the oldest movie house in Ontario and one of the oldest in Canada. The Kingsway was built in 1939 and the beautiful art deco building now known as the Royal was rescued from demolition in 1997 when it was set to become a parking lot. With these closures, the fabric of their neighbourhoods will be altered, where history is lost along with these business anchors.
But the real blow is to cinema lovers in this city: with our options continually narrowing, it is a shame these independent reps will no longer be the affordable option for film in one of the largest cities in North America. Though programming is always a bit of a gamble, we are proud to have been able to showcase some independent,foreign, and documentary films that otherwise would have been screened in limited release. The closing of the Royal in particular is a loss of a flagship venue for local film makers and the vibrant film festival circuit in Toronto.
As I understand it, the decision to close was a difficult one, arriving ayear-and-a-half after the death of Peter McQuillan, these three theatres’benefactor. His children inherited the business and were unprepared for the task at hand, citing tough market conditions as factors that contributed to their decision to shut down. Ultimately the managers of each cinema and our director of operations feel the businesses, with an updated business model, are viable. As no announcement has been made regarding the fate of the Revue, we remain hopeful that independent rep cinema will thrive again in Toronto. Should you have brilliant suggestions or comments, please email savetorontoreps@gmail.com We are also looking for your favourite memories of the Revue, and\nstories can be sent to\nrevuecinema@sympatico.ca. We will of course send out updates by email as more information becomes available.
Please come out and see us over the next five weeks, sign our guest book,and say good bye. The staff here at the Revue, and myself as manager, thank you for your support over the years and will miss being part of this great community. Please circulate this information to anyone you feel might be interested.
With warm regards,
Midori
Manager, Reuve Cinema
I've been a huge fan of the Rep cinemas since I was a youngin'. This just breaks my heart.
Reprinted from Ultra 8.
1. The 2nd Last Kung Fu Fridays: May 26 - Donnie Yen is the HERO AMONG HEROES
Disciples, I bear sad, sad news... As I write this it looks like Kung Fu Fridays has come to an end. Not due to a jinx palm blast delivered to my vital solar stance power point, but due to the closing of a cinema. As many of you might have noticed, there has been a "For Sale"sign posted at our former temple, The Royal. Sad news there, but it gets worse. At this point, with all the news I am getting, The Revue Cinema is going to close its doors on June 30th as will the Royal, The Kingsway and The Paradise. Afraid I don't have the answers for you and I am a little baffled at the decision, but I do know it means that the Kung Fu Fridays series now has no home. Not to sure what will happen with the series, but in the mean time I will have to go on a trek to a mountain top and ask for advice from my sifu as to the future of KFF. Maybe a new temple will be found or built? Maybe the series will change, grow and become a new ferocious cinema experience. Who knows. At this point I certianly don't.But the thing is not to be sad. Hold your head high if you have ever attended a screening. We will not be defeated and we will not go without a roar! We still have one more film, plus the glorious Heroic Grace kung fu cinema series at the Cinematheque Ontario this June. So tell your friends about the last screenings. Thank you all for your loyal patronage over the years. --- Colin Geddes
Ultra Pictures Presents
[KUNG FU FRIDAYS]
May 26 - 9:45 pm
HERO AMONG HEROES aka FIST OF THE RED DRAGON
Directors: Yuen Wo Ping, Chan Chin Chung
Action Director: The Yuen Clan
Cast: Donnie Yen, Wong Gok, Fennie Yuen Kit-Ying, Ng Man Tat, Hung Yan Yan, Kwan Hoi San
Hong Kong / Cantonese with English Subtitles / 1993 / PG
Welcome to part two of our Yuen Clan action extravaganza! This time the Clan takes on the story of the young and naive Beggar So Chan, one of the students of Wong Fei-hung (the real life hero of Once Upon A Time in China). As China tries to escape foreign influence by banning opium, some unscrupulous Chinese plot to get rich by importing the drug by the bushel. Beggar So carelessly chooses the wrong side to fight on, putting him at odds with Fei-hung (Wong Gok) who is waging war against the druggies. So gets sidetracked by an opium addition and his engagement to a westernized Chinese beauty. Can he win the respect of this lady AND beat the addiction before it’s too late? Wo-ping cast his star protégé Donnie Yen (Iron Monkey, SPL, Hero) as Beggar So along with the talented Xiong Xin-xin (Club Foot from Once Upon A Time in China 3) as the lead villain who goes toe-to-toe with Yen. In 90 minutes Yen goes from a snot-nosed kung fu kid to a drug addict and alcoholic, before transforming into a Chinese hero who embodies humility and restraint. The two perform with bone-breaking excellence, Yen breaks out some great drunken boxing, cracks fists with some kung fu-fighting female cult leaders who use their ponytails as whips (!) and smashes the opium warehouse to vanquish the smugglers and destroy their stockpile of drugs, using spears, flying fu, and pole fighting. Contains classic Wo-ping humor, which is bawdy and excessive, plus some inscrutable Chinese epigrams like, "Being stupid is difficult, and harder from clever to be stupid!" How can you miss a film with a proverb like that!
Dear Friends, Neighbours, and Cinema Lovers,
It is with deep disappointment that I write you today with news the Revue, Royal, and Kingsway theatres are slated to close this June 30th,2006. Like many of you, I will miss walking to my favourite cinema,that nostalgic silver screen experience, and the movies themselves. But more than that, the Revue has felt like a community gathering place where friends and neighbours bump into each other, where we celebrate neighbourhood kids’ birthdays, and bring our babies to the mini-matinées.I will miss getting to know the folks of this neighbourhood and certainly miss working with the dedicated, dynamic, and boundlessly energetic team here.
The Revue was built in 1911 and in its 95 years has never ceased operations as an independent cinema. This makes the Revue the oldest movie house in Ontario and one of the oldest in Canada. The Kingsway was built in 1939 and the beautiful art deco building now known as the Royal was rescued from demolition in 1997 when it was set to become a parking lot. With these closures, the fabric of their neighbourhoods will be altered, where history is lost along with these business anchors.
But the real blow is to cinema lovers in this city: with our options continually narrowing, it is a shame these independent reps will no longer be the affordable option for film in one of the largest cities in North America. Though programming is always a bit of a gamble, we are proud to have been able to showcase some independent,foreign, and documentary films that otherwise would have been screened in limited release. The closing of the Royal in particular is a loss of a flagship venue for local film makers and the vibrant film festival circuit in Toronto.
As I understand it, the decision to close was a difficult one, arriving ayear-and-a-half after the death of Peter McQuillan, these three theatres’benefactor. His children inherited the business and were unprepared for the task at hand, citing tough market conditions as factors that contributed to their decision to shut down. Ultimately the managers of each cinema and our director of operations feel the businesses, with an updated business model, are viable. As no announcement has been made regarding the fate of the Revue, we remain hopeful that independent rep cinema will thrive again in Toronto. Should you have brilliant suggestions or comments, please email savetorontoreps@gmail.com We are also looking for your favourite memories of the Revue, and\nstories can be sent to\nrevuecinema@sympatico.ca. We will of course send out updates by email as more information becomes available.
Please come out and see us over the next five weeks, sign our guest book,and say good bye. The staff here at the Revue, and myself as manager, thank you for your support over the years and will miss being part of this great community. Please circulate this information to anyone you feel might be interested.
With warm regards,
Midori
Manager, Reuve Cinema
I've been a huge fan of the Rep cinemas since I was a youngin'. This just breaks my heart.