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| - I'm a firm believer that you can gauge the worth of a city based on its number of independent cinemas there are. With that number shrinking in Toronto all the time, it's good to see the Bloor Cinema alive and thriving in the Annex. The Bloor has a rich history in the city, having celebrated its Centennial in 2005.
The staff at the Bloor are people who love film with a passion, and it shows. Every day of the week features multiple screenings across genres, periods and from around the globe. It's no wonder that so many of Toronto's amazing small film festivals choose the Bloor as their main theater and home base. Having worked for some of these festivals I consider the Bloor to be like a home away from home.
With its classic movie palace interior, large stage, upstairs lounge area along with balcony seating, the Bloor offers the classic movie experience. The concessions area isn't some monstrosity of neon corporate fast food chains, but a simple booth with a wealth of candy options, along with popcorn and sodas. The theater's staff is friendly and informative about the schedule and about film in general. And, if you're not a jerk about it, they will let you bring in outside items like coffee from Starbucks (within reason of course). The laid-back atmosphere leads to a pretty great movie experience. And since so many cineastes love the Bloor, you can often find a clutch of people milling upstairs near the washrooms or outside smoking, discussing the movie they just saw or film in general.
The Bloor is in the "middle of the universe" aka Bloor/Bathurst, pick up a schedule in front of the cinema, in your local alternative weekly or on their website.
Pros: great film selection, supports independent film as well as foreign, classic and second-run films, amazing film festival screenings, lovely staff.
Cons: Standing in long festival lines out front all but guarantees your hair will smell like Ghazale's famous shawarma, the exhaust fan from which blows out directly in front of the theater. The PDF of the schedule has zero navigation options, sometimes they show a movie I really love at the early showing when I'm still at work :( Check that schedule, kids.
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