an uptown matrix

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Waited with the gang in the drizzle last night to see the Matrix Reloaded at the Uptown. The theatre took awhile to fill up, as it was still half-empty minutes before showtime. The Uptown will be a loss when it closes in the next year, the last of the old major chain palaces. Signs have gone up indicating it's future as, what else, condos. Its demise was sealed when Famous Players decided to close it rather than comply with a legal request to provide handicapped access, along with the Plaza and the Eglinton. The ideal way for the theatre to go, and take advantage of its ample space, would be to show a classic silent with a live orchestra. Gone...the last theatre not to show advertising slides and star puzzles before the movie.

The movie itself? A mixed bag - the second half, with the freeway chase, worked better than the first, unless you're a fan of bump n' grind hippie dance sequences. The theatre helped, as the acoustics in the Uptown allow you the feel each kick, each explosion. Design and ideas good, dialogue dodgy. Weird points for comic relief. Interesting twists at the end that allow several months of pondering until movie numero trois comes out.

Drove back home to Amherstburg today, for a weekend of R&R away from the city. More about A'burg at a later time, as I'm going to fall asleep any second no....CLUNK!

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