Montreal’s Dollar Cinema
A few days ago, I decided to go to the Dollar Cinema, a lesser-known, underdog theater. A repertory cinema is a cinema that plays either foreign movies or simply movies that are old, or fresh out of the mainstream cinema (ex: Moana was playing there a week ago because it was out of theaters for a bit of time). Bundled with the cheap price of just over ten dollars for 2 tickets, a large popcorn, and a drink, in terms of monetary efficiency, it is a steal. The selling point for me was that the service was a lot more humbling than you would ever get at places like Guzzo, for example. Advertiseless-films that are played in large super-high quality and comfortable rooms are definitely a plus as well. The catch is that there are only two cinema rooms, though they are certainly as cozy as regular ones.
The receptionist even told me that I could pay him next time I showed up due to the fact that they didn’t take cards (I promptly refused and found a nearby ATM). Though this was offered simply due to my luck, the circumstance, and certain charisma, that decision by the receptionist was fueled by his appreciation of simply having people present and supporting the underdog cause. To him, it wasn’t about the money, it was about the experience and support of the film goers, and this wins my vote any day of the week. Among that surprising introduction, the receptionist had a great sense of humor and really took time with his customers, even though most of them were simply buying tickets. He even offered my girlfriend three gifts because it was our first time showing up, which is something they supposedly do for all their first-time goers. All in all, the staff there was a lot friendlier than at other theatres. The cinema sported a variety of different kinds of viewers: there were the suit-and-serious intelligent thinkers, as well as the typical family simply looking to have a good night.
After taking a seat in one of the chairs while watching the last ten minutes of the movie that played prior to A Man Called Ove (the movie I saw), I instantly became comfortable, more so than I would be at any other cinema. The room was nearly empty, and this was awesome as I was able to form an indirect bond with other viewers. I was able to listen around to the consistent reactions of the people from the audience and kind of predict what ways they would be feeling during specific portions of the movie based on their comments and reactions to earlier scenes. The room itself was super high quality, with fantastic 360 degrees sound, no advertisements or commercials, squeaky clean floors, and a super large, clear projector screen.
In hindsight, this repertory cinema was a fantastic experience, and if I ever have the option to watch a movie for the heck of it, you can bet your money I’ll go to a repertory cinema instead, and spend the entire day watching movies back to back. It was an overall humbling and pleasantly surprising experience: your presence will matter to the people that work there. If you are looking for a good date opportunity, or heck, even a soulful night by yourself with thoughtful film, go to the Dollar Cinema, or any repertory cinema for that matter. Not only will you be thankful you have done so, but you’ll be preaching the cause on your own spare time, guaranteed.
Written By: Mikhael L’Heureux
