After brunch, we decided to check out the TIFF gift shop. We walk by this shop at least 3 times a week but we've never popped in. We literally spent around 20 minutes in there before heading home. Or rather, we started to head home - we even made it onto the street - when Vince turned to me and said some guy told him that there was a free costume exhibit on the 4th floor. What? Please don't tell me that! We were on our way home to be lazy.
Since we were already there, we turned on our heels and ended up spending the next hour or so exploring the Bell Lightbox. The costume exhibit was alright - nothing too special as I had never heard of any of the movies except Saw - but it was great checking out the rest of the building.
Then I saw this poster for El Bulli and stopped dead in my tracks. "How to we get tickets to see this movie?" Vince looked at me curiously. I sputtered and spewed a string of incoherent sentences. "Molecular gastronomy!" "Spain!" "Remember when we went to Chicago?" "Alinea?" "We couldn't get reservations?" "He worked under him!" I had to slow down, start from the beginning, and explain. We figured out where to buy tickets and learned that it was the very last day that the movie would be playing. Vince clearly saw that I was excited, too excited, and even paid for the tickets. :)
The movie wasn't playing until the early evening so we headed home, took a nap, walked Lulu, and picked up some groceries. In between, I had some time to read reviews for the movie and I grew steadily more nervous that Vince was going to hate it. Or fall asleep. Or both. The movie was rated very poorly and it sounded boring, really boring. Hard to follow and did I mention boring?
Still I was excited so we headed back early to the Lightbox, bought popcorn and root beer, chose our seats, and waited while the theatre filled up around us. What followed were the two most entertaining hours of the year for me! In terms of movies, that is. El Bulli was both fascinating and funny. It was not hard to follow and in no way boring. Vince stayed awake and I think he even enjoyed it. He came home and googled the best restaurants in the world and read me the top 100. This from the guy who never reads anything to me (believe me, I've asked).
The verdict? El Bulli - Cooking In Progress was easily the best movie I've seen since The September Issue. I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT. People clapped at the end. I was one of them. I can't wait to own it on DVD.
(movie poster courtesy of El Bulli - Cooking in Progress)
