*dimsumdolly* - the different morsels of the life of a foodie

Boutique Cinema

Last night I went to a very interesting place for dinner and after-dinner entertainment. I had dinner at a restaurant called Govindas where my friends and I had a vegetarian buffet. The variety wasn't great, but the food was pretty good. I liked the cosy ambience of the place. The place was so zen - there were pictures of Hindu gods around and there was a faint scent of incense burning.

After dinner, we went upstairs to "The Movie Room" which is what they call a boutique cinema. It was the coolest movie theatre I've been to. Not because it's ultra high-tech or anything, but the concept of it was so interesting. The theatre was small in size - probably only about 20m by 7m. There were only about 7 rows, but there were no seats per se. The "rows" were lined with thin mattresses with a backing to prop our backs up. Each person had two cushions - one for the head and one for the lower back. But really, you could use it in any way you wanted. Shoes had to be removed before lying on the mattresses.

I watched the movie "Travelling Birds" last night. I had vaguely heard reviews of the film and at first I thought it was going to be a boring documentary. I was to be proved wrong. The documentary was unique in that there was minimal narration. The filmmakers let the magnificent visuals speak for themselves. The film documented the migratory routes of a variety of birds like cranes, pelicans, different types of geese etc.

The angles in which the film were shot were amazing and it was as if you were flying with the birds. Apparently, 17 pilots and 14 cinematographers, in five teams, followed a variety of bird migrations through 40 countries and each of the seven continents. There were breathtaking scenes of the Artic, Antartic, the paddy fields of Vietnam, the city of Paris and New York, Monument Valley, mountain ranges in Europe etc.

There were also scenes showing the effects of urban sprawl and industrialisation on the birds' diminishing numbers. Scenes where people killed the birds for sport and where beautiful macaws in the Amazon are captured for commercial purposes were rather heartwrenching.

This was the first time I watched a documentary in large format and it was a different experience compared to a TV screen. The birds felt so much closer and the majesty of the birds' flight was all the more evident.

I like the concept of the boutique cinema. It must be really popular 'cos after the movie, there was a long line of people waiting to enter the cinema for the 9pm show. Both independent and mainstream films are screened there and I think it's great that such enterprises exist. It adds variety to the films people have access to.

The dinner costs $15.90 with an additional surcharge of $3 for the film. That wasn't too bad. I love the concept of this place. A cosy restaurant where one can satisfy one's tastebuds and then adjourning upstairs to satisfy the other senses. Though I did feel like quite a pig to be lying down straight after a meal! Haha. But it was all good. Good food and good entertainment - couldn't ask for more.

Posted by DSD at November 29, 2003 9:53 AM