The Line Up Saves My Night From Nicolas Cage

The Line Up is that tiny restaurant on the peninsula of property where Albert Street and Arthur Street meet at Bannatyne.  Right beside Cinematheque.  Anyways I went there after a late Friday evening at school.  I had just finished my Blog about how I was going to break free from the shackles of CreComm and start to enjoy the culture offered by the historical Exchange District.  OK so maybe The Line Up doesn't quite justify 'National Historic Site' status (yet) but what can I say, I was motivated and hungry after my ranting.
 
I met a friend who works in the area and we decided to partake in The Line Up's great offer of Dinner and a Movie.  The deal is you pay $11 for an entree, a regular drink and admission to movie at Cinematheque, Towne 8, The Globe, or even IMAX.  YOU CAN NOT BEAT THAT!

But I am getting a little carried away.  Why am I singing the praises of this Exchange District mainstay?  This is not purely a plug for the 'little diner that could.'  There is a point but you need some more back story.  You see after enjoying a delicious dinner my friend and I walked over to Towne 8 where we had our pick of only a couple of BAD movies: Little Fockers and The Season of the Witch.  (Next time I get the Dinner & a Movie deal I will check what's playing first.)  We checked the online reviews to which were not very flattering.  Daily Nexus compared Nicolas Cage's Season of the Witch to Monty Python and the Holy Grail... "but without any jokes and worse special effects."  But as true Winnipeggers we did not want to waste our free movie ticket.  So we chose bad action (Witch) over bad comedy (Fockers).  In hindsight we regretted our decision.  Season of the Witch was complete crap.  We should have gone to the King's Head for some live music instead.

Now back to The Line Up.  After the credits rolled we were walking out, trying to forgive ourselves for sitting through such crap, when I suddenly realized that I had left my school bag at The Line Up. My bag contained my lap top and memory stick with all of the year's assignments.  So needless to say I was a little worried. 

We rushed back to the restaurant but it was closed. So I called and left a message and even emailed their website. The following morning, after a sleepless night of imagining the worst, I got on the bus and headed back to the Exchange (a very depressing bus ride on a Saturday morning: "This is supposed to be my day off!").  When I got there I spoke with a cashier.  My bag was safely stored behind the counter.  When I got it back I thanked her profusely and quickly checked it.  Everything was there.  Phew!

So thank you to the Line Up's trustworthy staff and clientele.  You have restored my faith in mankind, which was very shaky indeed after realizing that many millions of people can suffer at the hands of just one man. See: Nicolas Cage's film career.

By the way here is a little excerpt from Monty Python's Holy Grail.  Funny, and amazing special effects! Cage could learn a thing or two from these guys.

Soupy out.





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