tim’s thought property

So, as it so happened, Tim (Penner) and I were planning to see Ocean’s Eleven (1960), the Frank Sinatra version - you know, the original. It was playing at the Ellice Street Theatre, a recent business to the west end of the city, they play free movies, four nights a week. They go in themes, with a current film playing Monday, Tuesday and Thursday; then a classic film on the Wednesday. This week was Ocean’s Eleven (2001), with the remake playing on the three days.

Last week, Tim and I went over to see the Rat Pack in all their glory on screen, but were confronted with a middle aged Charleton Heston on the ill-fated Planet of the Apes (1968). Yes, we say Heston in his crowing moment, delivering his lines with that flare and panache that only he can do. …it was a long movie. Or at least long for my attention. When something is a bit of a novelty, you get bored with it rather quickly.

Anyway, this week we drove down and parked and walked into the theatre. Right off the bat, something was amiss. The fact that there were a handful of people coming to the movie as we did was a bit of a surprise. Then, when the concessions counter had coffee available, that was also a little strange. We walked in to the theatre itself, and it looked like the total cumulative attendance from the summer was there, (every time Tim and I would go, there would be a dozen people on average, in a 200 seat venue) leaving us with a more crowded spot to sit in. I looked on the stage and saw a podium, lit by an overhead light, and Tim and I were still muttering our confusion and uncertainty. So we promptly got up and went back to the lobby and looked at the posters, which said Ocean’s Eleven (1960) Thursday September 15th. With our griping a little loud, a lady next to us told us that the Mayor of Rochester, New York had come to town, and was having a discussion about Urban Renewal. This explains the many senior citizens, the coffee and the podium.

It looks like Tim and I were foiled again, and won’t see Frank on the big screen. Why not go on the 15th, as in today?, you ask. Well, I’m attending the Attics CD Release Party at the West End Cultural Centre tonight, and that overlaps the time when Danny Ocean will be robbing the casino, and the band takes the stage. That’s why. Which, by the way, you should come to see the Attics, if you live in the city. Tickets are $10 in advance, $13 at the door. Matt Epp and The Morning After are opening, and the Attics are a phenomenal band. Check them out, support your local artists.

And I’m done.