I’ve mentioned on more than one occasion that I really dig how Rich at Wide Screen World doesn’t just review films, but talks about the entire experience of going out to the theatre. I got to thinking about this on Thursday night over beers with Bob and James.

We began talking about how a lot of theatres in Toronto have a tough go of things, because even though they are bringing in quality programming, people tend not to come out…not even many of us in the community of heavy movie-goin’ crowd. For us, it just comes down to just so many hours in the week, and I’d wager just so many dollars in the bank.

Put it all together, and it leads to me deciding to chronicle my movie-going experiences whenever something interesting happens…for better or for worse. In short, infuse just a bit more personal experience into this space while I have the luxury.

Take yesterday for example…

The order of the day on Saturday was Terry Gilliam’s 1981 cult classic TIME BANDITS. I had never seen the film, much to chagrin of Danger Girl who’d loaned it to me, only for me to leave it unwatched on my coffee table for six weeks. Thus, when we learned that The Lightbox would be showing it as part of their 80’s programme, it was a chance to right a great wrong in my film literacy.

As the days went on, the posse grew and grew. Lady Hatter of course was in. Ditto little brother and his gal Rachel. Then I found out that Kurt from Row Three was coming too, along with his lovely wife and two kids. By the time all was said and done, we had almost an entire row taken up!

So after a few cool give-a-ways, a boisterous crowd settled in for some fantastical goodness. The film played pretty well, getting lots of laughs which helped everyone overlook the fact that the print we were watching was in pretty rough shape. But then something weird happened:

Around the 60 minute mark of the film, there was a reel change scheduled (right around the time the Titanic sinks), but rather than going to the next reel, they managed to flip to the film’s final reel! Thus we all sat stunned as the climax of the film began playing out before our very eyes, with what was obviously a lot of movie missing. The worst part of this? During the film’s introduction, a programmer had asked how many were seeing this film for the first time…and a lot of hands went up.

Oops.

In the end the problem was fixed, and even with the early climactic glimpse, it was time well spent. Oh, and for the inconvenience, TIFF has given every ticket holder a voucher to come back for another screening. Can’t argue with free movies!

Edit: Per Kurt’s comment below, if you want to get one of the best reviews of the movie you’re likely to witness, go here and check out what his little ones had to say about TIME BANDITS.