A tiny little gem nestled in the southern part of Niagara

This holiday weekend I want to take a few moments to let you know about a hidden gem in the southern tier of Niagara many people may not know about.  If you love movies and don't like the big multiplex movie houses, this place might just be for you.

I first discovered The Ridge Film House several years ago when it began life as the Boutique Theatre on Ridge Road in the heart of Ridgeway.  A flood in an upstairs apartment put an end to the first generation of the movie house as repairs had to be made, and the then-owner decided enough was enough.

So for a while moviegoers in Niagara's southern tier lost their little film house.  But not forever.  A new owner took over the business at 320 Ridge Road North and did extensive renovations to the interior, renaming it The Ridge Film House.

Now the theatre is open year-round offering a steady stream of carefully curated classic, independent, foreign, documentary and second run films.  You won't find the biggest and newest films available, but that's okay.  They serve an entirely different clientele and I love that.

There are two film rooms, each with 10X15 screens, leather seating and lots of character.  There's even a small cafe area in the lobby with table and chairs so you can meet your friends there before the show.

You do get trailers for upcoming movies here, but they don't take forever to see and actually, most of the trailers we saw were for films we'd actually like to see.  Nothing was blown up in those trailers so that was lovely!

I was down in Ridgeway on a Saturday afternoon last month and had a chance to get reacquainted with the theatre again, so I signed up for the monthly newsletter online in order to get the regular schedule of movies screened.  Last Sunday evening at 6:30 one of the movies screened caught my eye and so we drove through a nasty rain and hail storm to get down there for the show.

It's been years since I had seen Alfred Hitchcock's classic 1959 film North By Northwest, but since it is the 60th anniversary this year of the film's release and it was a Sunday evening, we thought "why not?".

Other than the iconic scene where Cary Grant is almost mown down in a cornfield by a crop duster, I really didn't remember much about the film all these years.  So for me it was almost like seeing it for the first time.

Yes, the film shows its age a little and yes, a 26-year-old blond falling for a 55-year-old man should raise a few eyebrows even now, but other than that the film holds up well.  It was also fun to see Edward Platt, later to be known as The Chief on the Get Smart TV series, as the lawyer in the early scenes of the movie.

I always liked Hitchcock's films but never got around to spending much time with them, but that might just change after seeing North By Northwest again.  It's a good film.

The experience at The Ridge Film House was exceptionally positive and we'll certainly return again.  It can get busy in those two little theatres so be prepared if that's the case.  On a summer Sunday evening, however, the theatre we were in was barely half full, so we had no trouble getting in at all.

The theatre is available for birthday parties, school functions, corporate events and more, and there are even memberships available.

Prices are very reasonable too:  adults $10, seniors $8 and children up to 13 years of age also $8.  For classic movies such as North By Northwest the prices are less and we were charged $8 each for that show.

They accept cash and debit only by the way, so no credit cards allowed.

For more information check them out at www.ridgefilmhouse.com.

Have a great weekend!

August 4th, 2019.