Hello LilyOnTheLam.Com Readers:
This past weekend was indie movie weekend for me. Tampa does not get many independent movies as compared to New York or Los Angeles or even Atlanta, Minneapolis and Boca Raton. Plus several of the movies we do get are only in theaters for a millisecond of time. It's easy to miss a lot of independent movies.
I often travel to Burns Court Cinemas in Sarasota or Enzian Theater in Orlando to get my indie movie fix. If I lived closer to Boca Raton, I would absolutely be a weekly visitor to the Living Room Theater there.
I saw the Jake Gyllenhaal movie "Enemy" at one of my local favorite theaters, the historical 80+ years old Tampa Theatre. I am not sure if I loved it or hated it! See the trailer for "Enemy" here. I will say that the movie has kept me thinking about it - analyzing it, trying to understand it. I read the synopsis of the book the movie was based on (don't read the wiki on this before you see the movie - too many spoilers!) If a movie keeps you thinking for days after seeing it, it was probably a good movie or at least worth the ticket price.
On Sunday, I attended the ArtPool Gallery Crafty Fest in St. Petersburg. I very much wanted to try their famous "wet coconut cake" at "The Cafe at ArtPool." I assume it is like a coconut tres leches cake. "Wet coconut cake" sounds very old-school Southern to me. Old-school Northern might have picked a more appetizing name than "wet cake." But perhaps I am just a Northern snob. ;-) But at the time I was still trying to shed the weight I gained eating my way through Los Angeles, so I had a high octane espresso instead.
After Crafty Fest, I then drove over to Anna Maria Island to get in some sun at the beach. Since I was so close, I then went to the Sarasota Art Festival and then headed over to the Burns Court Cinema as it started to rain. I hadn't heard of any of the movies showing at Burns Court Cinema (darn you Tampa and your lacking of indie movies!), so I read the synopsis for each film.
I was going to go to the Annette Benning, Robin Williams, Ed Harris film "Face of Love" but I noticed that a movie called "Tim's Vermeer" had almost double the RottenTomatoes.com score. The reviews were raving for "Tim's Vermeer" whereas the reviews were lackluster ("A bad Lifetime movie") for "Face of Love."
While a movie about art and technology, directed by Teller of Penn & Teller did not scream "ABSOLUTE MUST SEE" to me - the high RottenTomatoes.com score intrigued me. Plus the movie was 15 minutes earlier than "Face of Love" and I wanted to get out of the rain! (Honestly!)
Now Burns Court Cinema is not the fanciest theater (although their concession stand has a higher class of snacks than most theaters! Yum!) The theaters themselves remind me of ones from the 1980's - cement floors and acoustic panels on the walls. I always sit somewhere around the 4th row at Burns Court, which is much closer than I would at a traditional theater. The reason behind this is because Burns Court Cinema has a large elderly population of consumers, as Sarasota itself has a large elderly base. Every single time I have seen a movie at Burns Court Cinema, at least one elderly patron falls asleep.
Sometimes you hear a light hum of shallow, steady breathing. Other times, you will hear building-shaking snoring. Sunday was no exception to the sleeping patron rule. Toward the end of the movie, someone was sawing logs with a deep breathing "woosh woosh." Not exactly the movie soundtrack I like to hear. There was no snoring, but still it was somewhat distracting. I find that being closer to the screen helps me shut out the side noise of elderly patrons coughing up phlegm, sleeping, loudly unwrapping God knows what and making movie comments in extremely loud "whispers."
There is a sign in the Burns Court Cinema lobby recommending patrons research the art house/independent films BEFORE attending them. Also that patrons should keep an "open mind" when watching the movie because there are NO REFUNDS. I have never seen a sign like this anywhere else around the world. I can only assume it's because of grumpy elderly folks complaining.
Many times in Tampa, I will see elderly couples at the movie theater at movies I don't think 80 years old would want to see. Sometimes I then see them walk out in a huff within the first 30 minutes of the film. Sorry Great Grandpa, you probably should have researched "Twilight" before attending. Movies are so expensive these days, it's worth doing a little research before buying a ticket if you're easily offended/bored.
Despite the sleeping patron, I cannot say enough about how much I enjoyed "Tim's Vermeer." I was BEYOND FASCINATED by the film. Usually I am so ADHD during documentary movies that I cannot sit still. In fact I usually cannot watch a lot of documentaries at home because I start multi-tasking and lose all focus. But this movie had me on the edge of my seat in fascination. I could not believe what I was seeing! I was also in awe of the extent of one man's total devotion to a mission. It was interesting, funny and again I was JUST FASCINATED.
If you like documentaries or wonder what you would do if you had unlimited money, this movie is definitely for you. If you like art, this movie is for you. If you like technology, this movie is for you. If you like solving mysteries, this movie is for you. If you like being in awe and highly fascinated, this movie is for you. If you believe the Queen of England will eventually make the right decision, this movie is for you!
In other words - you should definitely see it.
I am not going to tell you more about the movie because I don't want to give any spoilers. However, I will say there is a scene where English artist David Hockney is looking at a painting with a lit cigarette in his hand. The smoking lit cigarette was poised just centimeters above the oil painting. It took all my restraint not to scream at the screen "OH MY GOD, GET THAT LIT CIGARETTE AWAY FROM THE PAINTING!" Perhaps if I did scream, the sleeping patron would have woken up.
Did I happen to mention I am crazy and think people on a movie screen can hear me? I also think drivers in other cars can hear me … except when I have the convertible top down, then for some reason I don't think other cars with windows rolled down can hear my very loud, very sarcastic comments about their driving. Go figure.
On a side note, Magician Penn Jillette of the duo Penn & Teller, narrated parts of "Tim's Vermeer." I had forgotten that I sort of kind of have a crush on Penn Jillette. (I have weird tastes, what can I say?) Perhaps it's because I've always liked Magicians (no, not you David Copperfield). When I lived in Los Angeles, I dated a magician/illusionist who is now a trapeze artist.
Yes, you read that sentence correctly.
If a cocktail party is boring, I will always have a tidbit like that to drop to stir up the conversation.
If you're a regular reader of LilyOnTheLam.com and/or you know me, you'll know that dating a magician/illusionist/trapeze artist is not the craziest thing I have done in my life …
If you get a chance, definitely see "Tim's Vermeer." I am 97.86% sure you will enjoy it! And hey if you don't, at least you supported independent movie making and Teller's debut as a Director.
Have you seen "Tim's Vermeer"? What did you think of it? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
This past weekend was indie movie weekend for me. Tampa does not get many independent movies as compared to New York or Los Angeles or even Atlanta, Minneapolis and Boca Raton. Plus several of the movies we do get are only in theaters for a millisecond of time. It's easy to miss a lot of independent movies.
I often travel to Burns Court Cinemas in Sarasota or Enzian Theater in Orlando to get my indie movie fix. If I lived closer to Boca Raton, I would absolutely be a weekly visitor to the Living Room Theater there.
I saw the Jake Gyllenhaal movie "Enemy" at one of my local favorite theaters, the historical 80+ years old Tampa Theatre. I am not sure if I loved it or hated it! See the trailer for "Enemy" here. I will say that the movie has kept me thinking about it - analyzing it, trying to understand it. I read the synopsis of the book the movie was based on (don't read the wiki on this before you see the movie - too many spoilers!) If a movie keeps you thinking for days after seeing it, it was probably a good movie or at least worth the ticket price.
On Sunday, I attended the ArtPool Gallery Crafty Fest in St. Petersburg. I very much wanted to try their famous "wet coconut cake" at "The Cafe at ArtPool." I assume it is like a coconut tres leches cake. "Wet coconut cake" sounds very old-school Southern to me. Old-school Northern might have picked a more appetizing name than "wet cake." But perhaps I am just a Northern snob. ;-) But at the time I was still trying to shed the weight I gained eating my way through Los Angeles, so I had a high octane espresso instead.
After Crafty Fest, I then drove over to Anna Maria Island to get in some sun at the beach. Since I was so close, I then went to the Sarasota Art Festival and then headed over to the Burns Court Cinema as it started to rain. I hadn't heard of any of the movies showing at Burns Court Cinema (darn you Tampa and your lacking of indie movies!), so I read the synopsis for each film.
I was going to go to the Annette Benning, Robin Williams, Ed Harris film "Face of Love" but I noticed that a movie called "Tim's Vermeer" had almost double the RottenTomatoes.com score. The reviews were raving for "Tim's Vermeer" whereas the reviews were lackluster ("A bad Lifetime movie") for "Face of Love."
While a movie about art and technology, directed by Teller of Penn & Teller did not scream "ABSOLUTE MUST SEE" to me - the high RottenTomatoes.com score intrigued me. Plus the movie was 15 minutes earlier than "Face of Love" and I wanted to get out of the rain! (Honestly!)
Now Burns Court Cinema is not the fanciest theater (although their concession stand has a higher class of snacks than most theaters! Yum!) The theaters themselves remind me of ones from the 1980's - cement floors and acoustic panels on the walls. I always sit somewhere around the 4th row at Burns Court, which is much closer than I would at a traditional theater. The reason behind this is because Burns Court Cinema has a large elderly population of consumers, as Sarasota itself has a large elderly base. Every single time I have seen a movie at Burns Court Cinema, at least one elderly patron falls asleep.
Sometimes you hear a light hum of shallow, steady breathing. Other times, you will hear building-shaking snoring. Sunday was no exception to the sleeping patron rule. Toward the end of the movie, someone was sawing logs with a deep breathing "woosh woosh." Not exactly the movie soundtrack I like to hear. There was no snoring, but still it was somewhat distracting. I find that being closer to the screen helps me shut out the side noise of elderly patrons coughing up phlegm, sleeping, loudly unwrapping God knows what and making movie comments in extremely loud "whispers."
There is a sign in the Burns Court Cinema lobby recommending patrons research the art house/independent films BEFORE attending them. Also that patrons should keep an "open mind" when watching the movie because there are NO REFUNDS. I have never seen a sign like this anywhere else around the world. I can only assume it's because of grumpy elderly folks complaining.
Many times in Tampa, I will see elderly couples at the movie theater at movies I don't think 80 years old would want to see. Sometimes I then see them walk out in a huff within the first 30 minutes of the film. Sorry Great Grandpa, you probably should have researched "Twilight" before attending. Movies are so expensive these days, it's worth doing a little research before buying a ticket if you're easily offended/bored.
Despite the sleeping patron, I cannot say enough about how much I enjoyed "Tim's Vermeer." I was BEYOND FASCINATED by the film. Usually I am so ADHD during documentary movies that I cannot sit still. In fact I usually cannot watch a lot of documentaries at home because I start multi-tasking and lose all focus. But this movie had me on the edge of my seat in fascination. I could not believe what I was seeing! I was also in awe of the extent of one man's total devotion to a mission. It was interesting, funny and again I was JUST FASCINATED.
If you like documentaries or wonder what you would do if you had unlimited money, this movie is definitely for you. If you like art, this movie is for you. If you like technology, this movie is for you. If you like solving mysteries, this movie is for you. If you like being in awe and highly fascinated, this movie is for you. If you believe the Queen of England will eventually make the right decision, this movie is for you!
In other words - you should definitely see it.
I am not going to tell you more about the movie because I don't want to give any spoilers. However, I will say there is a scene where English artist David Hockney is looking at a painting with a lit cigarette in his hand. The smoking lit cigarette was poised just centimeters above the oil painting. It took all my restraint not to scream at the screen "OH MY GOD, GET THAT LIT CIGARETTE AWAY FROM THE PAINTING!" Perhaps if I did scream, the sleeping patron would have woken up.
Did I happen to mention I am crazy and think people on a movie screen can hear me? I also think drivers in other cars can hear me … except when I have the convertible top down, then for some reason I don't think other cars with windows rolled down can hear my very loud, very sarcastic comments about their driving. Go figure.
On a side note, Magician Penn Jillette of the duo Penn & Teller, narrated parts of "Tim's Vermeer." I had forgotten that I sort of kind of have a crush on Penn Jillette. (I have weird tastes, what can I say?) Perhaps it's because I've always liked Magicians (no, not you David Copperfield). When I lived in Los Angeles, I dated a magician/illusionist who is now a trapeze artist.
Yes, you read that sentence correctly.
If a cocktail party is boring, I will always have a tidbit like that to drop to stir up the conversation.
If you're a regular reader of LilyOnTheLam.com and/or you know me, you'll know that dating a magician/illusionist/trapeze artist is not the craziest thing I have done in my life …
If you get a chance, definitely see "Tim's Vermeer." I am 97.86% sure you will enjoy it! And hey if you don't, at least you supported independent movie making and Teller's debut as a Director.
Have you seen "Tim's Vermeer"? What did you think of it? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Lily On The Lam wants to hear from you ... Seriously, she does ...