Tag Archives: Gainesville

Groups

Welcome Gainesville Movie Lovers!

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Thank you for visiting my site. I hope you will create an account by clicking the “Register” link found under the “Get Social” tab in the menu. Once registered on the site, you will be able to see the Gainesville Movie Lovers Group under the “Groups” menu.

This has all the same functionality as the Meetup site including events and messaging, as well as the ability to create your own groups and events, and to join the discussion about your favorite films whether by commenting on existing posts or by starting your own conversation in the forums.

News

Cyclops Cinema

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Tonight, I went to Cyclops Cinema here in Gainesville. It is a DVD rental shop formally known as Video Rodeo. The proprietor, Jason McNeal, took over the shop from the previous owners back in December saying that it seemed like a bad idea for it to close. I would agree. I know that it seems like movie rental stores are a dying breed, but with a library of 8,000 DVDs and BluRays featuring a wide selection of independent and foreign films not available on Netflix or in Redbox kiosks, a shop like this cannot disappear if we hope for cinema to live well in Gainesville.

Jason had further dreams beyond a simple DVD rental storefront as well. In March, he installed 22 theater style chairs in the back of the 1,600 square-foot storefront off University Avenue and Main Street. It makes a very comfortable and welcoming environment to watch a film. In this screening room, McNeal shows everything from indie documentaries to horror movies, comedies and classics that you cannot and will not see anywhere else in Gainesville. Currently, Cyclops Cinema is showing the retro-futuristic drama High Rise starring Tom Hiddleston (best known as Loki in the Thor and Avengers films). It will be showing through June 30th nightly at 8:30pm and 5pm on Sundays for just $5. You can learn more about Cyclops Cinema and keep up with their upcoming schedule on their facebook page.

Cyclops

I’ll post my review of High Rise soon, but I wanted to comment on this idea of micro-cinema. I’m not sure why I’ve never thought of it before. We have micro-breweries which specialize in the craft of beer-making, taking pride in quality over volume. We have micro-roasters that take very unique coffee beans from around the globe and prepare and showcase them for the palettes of connoisseurs. I have always been a fan of locally owned businesses that aim to present the unique flair of a particular city. That is exactly what Cyclops Cinema is doing in Gainesville.

My film appetites tend slightly more mainstream than the films that will play every week at Cyclops, and that is probably the reason for my oversight of its need. I have been satisfied with the studio productions which are raised on the multiplexes multiple times a day. The convenience and anonymity of a 16 screen behemoth is nice when I’m looking for fast food film fare like the new Independence Day film being released this weekend. However, sitting alone in a 200 seat theater watching the independent release that this corporation begrudgingly gave a 1 week run is sad. It makes sense that film lovers like me have been forced to go to streaming and buying off the internet. I thought that was my only outlet as well, but now that I have met Jason, I will be back regularly.