one fine kung-fu friday at the revue

-

Side Marquee
Considering how many times I visited members of the Princess Party Patrol when they lived across from the Revue, it's surprising that I had never seen a movie there until Friday night. Especially given it is the oldest continuously operating movie house in TO.

A brief history of the Revue from Enright's Theatres of Canada.

Revue Cinema Misty Coming Attractions Flavoured Popcorn

It was also the last installment of Kung-Fu Fridays, a series that has bounced around town for a decade. I had checked it out once before, for Bondyra's birthday a couple of years ago. The flick that night was The Golden Mask aka Golden Killah (sound clips). He and a coworker also came for the final edition, preceded by a round of sushi over on Bloor.

Getting Into The Kung-Fu Friday Spirit...
Let's just say they were in the spirit of the evening...or a George Romero film fest. Take your pick.

Trailers
The trailers were a laugh riot, mostly from the 70s. The one above came from a flick about children and the undead, beings that shouldn't mix. Also featured was one I wanted to call Russ Meyer's Wonder Woman, as the heroine spun like Lynda Carter and breasts were not of the A-cup variety. After a raffle and a few gifts, it was time for the feature presentation: Crippled Avengers (reviews from Kung Fu Cinema and Subway Cinema). Basic plot: bad guy maims four people (one blinded, one made deaf and mute, one made legless and one turned into an idiot after a headcrushing), who learn martial arts and gain their revenge. Great fun to watch with a capacity crowd.

After the Fists Stopped Flying
Alas, this was the last of closing Festival cinemas I had a chance to go to. With any luck, the rumours that the Revue and Royal may have a future ahead of them will come to pass. - JB

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

past pieces of toronto: knob hill farms

-
Image
From November 2011 through July 2012 I wrote the "Past Pieces of Toronto" column for OpenFile , which explored elements of the city which no longer exist. I've republished all but two of those pieces on this website.  Here's the first of the final pair, both of which provided good lessons for future writing. Prepare yourself for a lengthy preamble.
Read more

past pieces of toronto: the mynah bird

-
Image
From November 2011 through July 2012 I wrote the "Past Pieces of Toronto" column for OpenFile, which explored elements of the city which no longer exist. The following was originally posted on May 20, 2012. Advertisements, (left) the Toronto Star , April 22, 1966 (right) the Globe and Mail , July 26, 1967. In an August 1967 article, the Globe and Mail ’s Blaik Kirby set the scene for anyone curious about entering one of Yorkville’s oddest coffee houses. “The Mynah Bird is a fetid room in a former Victorian home, with a tiny triangular stage behind bars in one corner. There are two other rooms in reserve if needed. You enter through a hallway, passing the piranha and the caged mynah bird after which the place is named. Hanging rushes conceal the high ceiling. The walls are red flecked wallpaper. The lights are low, with candles on each table. One of the two friendly go-go girls ushers you to a seat, and soon reappears on the stage. She is slightly plump, with lo
Read more

the smiling men of pasadena 2: the eternal smile of "uncle bill" haas

-
Image
The December 31, 1920 edition of the Pasadena Post spotlighted (mostly) grinning photos of the paper's staff and local businessmen. Given my penchant for going down research rabbit holes related to anything quirky I stumble upon, this series will look at some of the stories behind the smiling faces.  Pasadena Post, December 31, 1920 . "That ponderous body of his simply shakes." There's descriptive language you just don't see any more.  From the accounts I've found, it seems William A. Haas was a classic old-time entertainment PR man, full of stories and tall tales to go along with his eternal smile. When he died in 1941, his obituary included many claims that might not hold up under scrutiny. He unsuccessfully ran for coroner (possibly in Iowa) against future president William Howard Taft. He suggested that William McKinley be promoted as the “Advance Agent of Prosperity” during the 1896 presidential campaign. He planted the idea of motion pictures in Thomas E
Read more