Watching a movie these days is basically comprised of parking one’s self on a favourite chair or couch in front of the TV, and watching something from Netflix or HBO or any of the other streaming services available.
Sometimes, it might involve popping in a DVD or Blu-ray disc to watch a movie, and if a person is really into it, they’ll watch the special features afterward.
Less and less, people actually venture out to head to the theatre to see a movie on a big screen, maybe even to catch a feature at the IMAX Theatre to see a really, really big screen.
In Weyburn, of course, that’s no longer an option unless someone wants to make the drive up to Regina to take in a movie, and to be sure there are people who do that when a movie comes out they’d really like to see on a bigger screen.
In any event, the option to go see a movie here in Weyburn was taken away when the Soo Theatre closed in November of 2017. Once in a while, the library has shown movies, and at Fair time, the Ag Society has shown a movie or two (as they are going to be doing on Sunday, June 30 and Monday, July 1).
The City has also shown a “movie in the park” once in a while — but these are special, singular occasions, and are not a regular feature that people can plan around for spending an evening out with friends.
Thus it was nice to hear of a grassroots group of people who love movies, working to form a community cinema group (as opposed to community theatre, like Crocus 80) to show movies in Weyburn.
This would be a wonderful idea, speaking as one who would like to see more movies, but haven’t been able to find the time very often to run up to Regina to do it.
I admit, I like watching DVDs/Blu-rays and Netflix too, but there’s something nice about going out to a theatre and munching on popcorn, surrounded by other people as we all take in the motion picture experience.
Maybe I’m a romantic or something, but I think there’s a kind of magic in seeing movies in a theatre. I refer you to a movie to kind of explain what that feeling is, namely “The Majestic” with Jim Carrey in a mostly serious role.
There are other aspects to the story, including a whole lot of patriotism vocalized by the Canadian actor, but the part of the movie I particularly enjoyed was the restoration of a theatre to its former glory to begin showing movies again. (Sounds like an idea, doesn’t it?) The whole reason they did it was to recapture the magic of going to picture shows as part of the community’s life. I agree with the organizers of this proposal, this is something that’s missing in Weyburn and we need it back again.
