An Evening at the Monarch Theatre

On Wednesday I went to the Monarch Theatre in downtown Medicine Hat to check out Mightnight in Paris with my folks.  This was something out of the ordinary.  

I can count the number of times I've been to a movie theatre this year on one hand.  Which is a whirlwind compared to my parents, who have been almost 'anti-movie theatre' for seemingly most of their adult lives.  Using the same comparison, you could count the number of times they've been to the movie theatre in the last decade on one hand - and here it was their idea to go.  But all of this is moot.  

The true epiphany of the evening was that the Monarch is still a gem as far as old movie theatres go, and I haven't been taking near enough advantage of it.

I wrote about the renovation of the Monarch back in 2009, and since then I've only been a handful of times.  The theatre was never opulent to begin with, but the renovation has brought back the understated charms of this local landmark that was constructed in 1911.  I just wish they would've been able to restore the marquee.  The screen is still smaller than at the Cineplex, and the sound isn't quite as robust, but as a venue for independent and smaller features the atmosphere seems just right.

The flick wasn't bad either.  It was an entertaining mix of upbeat convenience and fantasy, with a healthy dose of neurosis.  It is a Woody Allen film after all.  We all seemed to enjoy it though, and I particularly liked the way that the film played with time travel and history so whimsically, and yet still managed to be quite earnest.  

My friend Tyler wrote a short review of Midnight in Paris that you can check out here if you're interested.  You can also view the trailer for the film, and a few of the snapshots I took while hanging out at the Monarch below.