Tim's Vermeer sees an inventor try to recreate a famous 17th century painting. So why is it a great geek documentary? Ryan explains...
In a San Antonio warehouse, Tim Jenison slaves over his canvas. He gently caresses its surface with a tiny brush, leaving minute strokes of oil paint behind as he painstakingly recreates the delicate weave of a Persian rug. It's the latest stage in a project that has taken this inventor-turned-artist years of research and months of intricate rendering, and from his posture and the intense look in his eyes, we can tell that both physically and psychologically, it is s hard, hard work.
The obsessive recreation of a famous painting by 17th century Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer might sound like an unlikely subject for a documentary, but Tim's Vermeer isn't really just about painting at all. It's about invention and the nature of genius. It's about testing...
In a San Antonio warehouse, Tim Jenison slaves over his canvas. He gently caresses its surface with a tiny brush, leaving minute strokes of oil paint behind as he painstakingly recreates the delicate weave of a Persian rug. It's the latest stage in a project that has taken this inventor-turned-artist years of research and months of intricate rendering, and from his posture and the intense look in his eyes, we can tell that both physically and psychologically, it is s hard, hard work.
The obsessive recreation of a famous painting by 17th century Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer might sound like an unlikely subject for a documentary, but Tim's Vermeer isn't really just about painting at all. It's about invention and the nature of genius. It's about testing...
- 2/2/2015
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
Our resident VOD expert tells you what's new to rent and own this week on the various streaming services such as cable Movies On Demand, Amazon, iTunes, Vudu, and, of course, Netflix. Cable Movies On Demand: Same-day-as-disc releases, older titles and pretheatrical exclusives for rent, priced from $3-$10, in 24- or 48-hour periods Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (action; Chris Pine, Keira Knightley, Kevin Costner; rated PG-13) Non-Stop (high-altitude thriller with an extraneous titular hyphen; Liam Neeson, Julianne Moore, Lupita Nyong'o; rated PG-13) Repentance (thriller; Forest Whitaker, Anthony Mackie; rated R) Tim's Vermeer (documentary; Tim Jenison, Penn Jillette, Teller; rated PG -13) Hellion (drama; Aaron Paul, Juliette Lewis Premieres; premieres 6/13 on Mod...
Read More...
Read More...
- 6/10/2014
- by Robert B. DeSalvo
- Movies.com
Moviefone's Top DVD of the Week
"True Detective: The Complete First Season"
What's It About? This creepy HBO series stars Woody Harrelson and
Matthew McConaughey as troubled detectives on the hunt for a killer in 1995, and as the possible subjects of an investigation in the present day. The crazy conspiracies and weird worldviews presented by writer/creator Nic Pizzolatto and the masterful direction by Cary Fukunaga make this a series to obsess over. Time overlaps as our antagonists and their associates are interviewed in the
Why We're In: The Internet exploded with theories about "True Detective," and although they didn't necessarily prove to be fruitful, there's still plenty to examine and re-examine in each episode. Plus, there are audio commentaries, deleted scenes, interviews, and other behind-the-scenes goodies.
Moviefone's Top Blu-ray of the Week
"All That Heaven Allows" (Criterion)
What's It About? Jane Wyman stars as a rich widow named...
"True Detective: The Complete First Season"
What's It About? This creepy HBO series stars Woody Harrelson and
Matthew McConaughey as troubled detectives on the hunt for a killer in 1995, and as the possible subjects of an investigation in the present day. The crazy conspiracies and weird worldviews presented by writer/creator Nic Pizzolatto and the masterful direction by Cary Fukunaga make this a series to obsess over. Time overlaps as our antagonists and their associates are interviewed in the
Why We're In: The Internet exploded with theories about "True Detective," and although they didn't necessarily prove to be fruitful, there's still plenty to examine and re-examine in each episode. Plus, there are audio commentaries, deleted scenes, interviews, and other behind-the-scenes goodies.
Moviefone's Top Blu-ray of the Week
"All That Heaven Allows" (Criterion)
What's It About? Jane Wyman stars as a rich widow named...
- 6/10/2014
- by Jenni Miller
- Moviefone
True Detective I have told quite a few people to check out "True Detective" and even loaned my father-in-law this new Blu-ray to check out as he had not yet watched it. Considering how each season will be one contained storyline I'd say this is an easy buy if you liked it and not something you need to wait until several seasons are made available as one giant box set.
Non-Stop It's easy to laugh and dismiss a movie like Non-Stop, but it's actually not that bad. It does have a rather typical ending as they opted to go the standard direction with the "what's really going on questionc", but it's still a movie you won't mind renting, though a buy is out of the question.
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit On the other hand, Jack Ryan isn't even worth the rental, just flat out not a good movie. Too bad,...
Non-Stop It's easy to laugh and dismiss a movie like Non-Stop, but it's actually not that bad. It does have a rather typical ending as they opted to go the standard direction with the "what's really going on questionc", but it's still a movie you won't mind renting, though a buy is out of the question.
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit On the other hand, Jack Ryan isn't even worth the rental, just flat out not a good movie. Too bad,...
- 6/10/2014
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
I'm somewhat embarrased to admit that I never took an art history course in college. My knowledge and awareness of 17th-century Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer even more embarrasingly begins and ends with Scarlett Johansson portraying the young woman who is the subject of Vermeer's painting in Girl with a Pearl Earring. I felt slightly more knowledgable after watching the documentary Tim's Vermeer, directed by Teller of the comedy/illusionist duo Penn and Teller, which opens in Austin today.
If you take a look at Vermeer's work, it's easy to be struck by how realistic his paintings are. Hundreds of years before photographs, he captures light and his subjects in a way that leaps off the canvas almost as if it's a video image. That's how Tim Jenison sees these classic paintings and, over the years, it has started to become a bit of an obsession. Tim is an internet streaming...
- 3/22/2014
- by Matt Shiverdecker
- Slackerwood
Even though it ended up being snubbed for a best documentary Oscar nomination, the show must got on for Penn & Teller's "Tim's Vermeer," and it did so to the tune of a healthy $57,873 from 4 theaters, averaging $14,468. That bodes well for the Sony Pictures Classics release as it expands. Edited down from a remarkable 2,400 hours of footage, the film follows the epic quest of Penn & Teller's buddy Tim Jenison, an inventor based in San Antonio whose creations include the NewTek firm, the videotoaster, an airplane made entirely from elements that he bought at WalMart, and a lip-synching duck. Tim's latest project is attempting to prove a theory that 17th century Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer employed technology in painting his works. The release date had clearly been set to benefit from a potential Oscar nomination, though while the film -- a hit on the festival circuit last year-- made the Academy's doc shortlist,...
- 2/2/2014
- by Peter Knegt
- Indiewire
Tim Jenison decided to use his expertise as an inventor to try to recreate Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer’s “The Music Lesson” using technology that would have been available in the 17th century. When Penn Jillette learned of his friend’s passion project, he knew it had to be a film – and soon got his business partner Teller to come on as the director for Tim's Vermeer.
“You see a Vermeer on the wall next to a bunch of paintings and it jumps out. They have a very different look to them. Even among the Dutch masters, who all painted extremely well, there's something about a Vermeer,” Jenison explained to Uinterview exclusively. “It's like when a little kid brings in a picture he made of a superhero and you go, 'Oh, did you lay this over the top of a comic book and trace it?' 'Yes, I did. How did you know?...
“You see a Vermeer on the wall next to a bunch of paintings and it jumps out. They have a very different look to them. Even among the Dutch masters, who all painted extremely well, there's something about a Vermeer,” Jenison explained to Uinterview exclusively. “It's like when a little kid brings in a picture he made of a superhero and you go, 'Oh, did you lay this over the top of a comic book and trace it?' 'Yes, I did. How did you know?...
- 2/2/2014
- Uinterview
Are you heading to the movies this weekend? We've got you covered! Our take on the new releases: Labor Day is every bit as gooey a romance as you've heard, but it still works - thanks, in part, to its stars, Oscar winner Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin. On the other hand, Zac Efron's romantic comedy That Awkward Moment can't quite get over itself - though it does have its moments ... and its merits. Plus, why you should check out this year's Oscar-nominated shorts. See This:Labor Day var brightcovevideoid = '3132464550001'; What is it about bad romance that feels so good?...
- 1/31/2014
- by Alynda Wheat and Patrick Gomez
- PEOPLE.com
Penn & Teller are generally known for their magic tricks and prankish energy, but "Tim's Vermeer" -- a documentary directed by Teller and produced by Penn Jillette -- stands apart from the rest of their oeuvre. A spirited look at the quest of an eccentric entrepreneur intent on uncovering the cryptic technique of Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer, "Tim's Vermeer" plays less like the sort of exposé of trickery one might expect of Penn & Teller and instead focuses on the nature of desiring answers to unsolvable mysteries. At its center is middle aged technologist Tim Jenison, the owner of a successful computer graphics company obsessed with Vermeer's art. Having read David Hockney's controversial tome "Secret Knowledge," which argues that Vermeer used a camera obscura to trace a projection of real images as a means of explaining the painter's extraordinary attentiveness to the behavior of light, Jenison can't stop thinking about ways to prove the theory.
- 1/31/2014
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
"Tim's Vermeer" is one of those magical documentaries. It's a film that makes you see the world in an entirely different way. Directed by Teller, the taciturn member of the famed magician duo Penn & Teller, the film follows the artistic and scientific experiments of Tim Jenison.
Jenison is a respected pioneer in computer graphics, as well as an avid tinkerer. The film follows his investigation of a hypothesis -- that Dutch master Vermeer used optics to aid in creating his photo-realistic art. Along the way, Jenison's investigation gets to the core of artistic expression and engineering ingenuity, and how the split of art and science may not be quite as stark as many believe.
Moviefone Canada sat down with Teller and Jenison during last September's Toronto International Film Festival.
Moviefone Canada: This may be the definitive statement about what you do as Penn and Teller. This is a reflection upon...
Jenison is a respected pioneer in computer graphics, as well as an avid tinkerer. The film follows his investigation of a hypothesis -- that Dutch master Vermeer used optics to aid in creating his photo-realistic art. Along the way, Jenison's investigation gets to the core of artistic expression and engineering ingenuity, and how the split of art and science may not be quite as stark as many believe.
Moviefone Canada sat down with Teller and Jenison during last September's Toronto International Film Festival.
Moviefone Canada: This may be the definitive statement about what you do as Penn and Teller. This is a reflection upon...
- 1/31/2014
- by Jason Gorber
- Moviefone
Tim Jenison introduced his idea for an experiment in which he’d try to recreate a painting by Joannes Vermeer using technology he believed the Dutch painter used to his longtime friend Penn Jillette. Before long, his passion project was in development as a documentary called Tim's Vermeer with Teller at the helm.
Jenison was drawn to Vermeer’s paintings for their near-perfect photorealism and was determined to figure out what the catch was. “You see a Vermeer on the wall next to a bunch of paintings and it jumps out. They have a very different look to them,” Jenison told Uinterview exclusively. “Even among the Dutch masters, who all painted extremely well, there’s something about the Vermeer. It’s like when a little kid brings in a picture he made of a superhero and you go, ‘Oh, did you lay this over the top of a comic book and trace it?...
Jenison was drawn to Vermeer’s paintings for their near-perfect photorealism and was determined to figure out what the catch was. “You see a Vermeer on the wall next to a bunch of paintings and it jumps out. They have a very different look to them,” Jenison told Uinterview exclusively. “Even among the Dutch masters, who all painted extremely well, there’s something about the Vermeer. It’s like when a little kid brings in a picture he made of a superhero and you go, ‘Oh, did you lay this over the top of a comic book and trace it?...
- 1/31/2014
- Uinterview
Tim Jenison tried for a whole year to recreate a Vermeer painting – and all he got was a pedantic imitation
Tim's Vermeer is a film about a man who totally fails to paint a Vermeer.
That's right – fails. This is not how the acclaimed cinema documentary by American TV magicians Penn and Teller bills itself or how it has been received by reviewers. Inventor Tim Jenison, we're told, set out to discover how the 17th-century artist used optics, hoping to prove his theory by painting his own version of Vermeer's The Music Lesson. The result, we are told, is almost uncannily convincing – Tim uses simple technology to create a perfect Vermeer.
At the risk of offending the education secretary, I have to quote Blackadder here. It's a brilliant theory, with just one tiny flaw: it's bollocks.
Tim's painting does not look anything like a real Vermeer. It looks like what...
Tim's Vermeer is a film about a man who totally fails to paint a Vermeer.
That's right – fails. This is not how the acclaimed cinema documentary by American TV magicians Penn and Teller bills itself or how it has been received by reviewers. Inventor Tim Jenison, we're told, set out to discover how the 17th-century artist used optics, hoping to prove his theory by painting his own version of Vermeer's The Music Lesson. The result, we are told, is almost uncannily convincing – Tim uses simple technology to create a perfect Vermeer.
At the risk of offending the education secretary, I have to quote Blackadder here. It's a brilliant theory, with just one tiny flaw: it's bollocks.
Tim's painting does not look anything like a real Vermeer. It looks like what...
- 1/28/2014
- by Jonathan Jones
- The Guardian - Film News
Sony Pictures Classics presents the Los Angeles Premiere of Tim's Vermeer directed by Teller and starring Tim Jenison, Teller, Artist David Hockney, and Vermeer's paintings. The screening will be held Wednesday January 29th at Pacific Design Center (8687 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood CA 90069)
Tim’s Vermeer explores boundaries between art and technology and between art and creativity. Vermeer is one of the world’s most loved painters, but this 17th century Dutch master was mostly ignored until 19th century Parisians “rediscovered” him. The jewel-like beauty of his small pictures captures your eye and has a near mystical effect in the realistic portrayals of scenes such as a woman reading a letter or pouring milk from a jug or drinking a glass of wine.
Raised in Delft, Holland, a city where perspective was treated as an optical illusion and in the 17th century where “the art of describing” typified Dutch art, Johannes Vermeer may have been using his painting more as a technical inventor than as an artist. This film sets out to test a theory of Tim Jenison, a Texas based inventor, (Video Toaster, LightWave, TriCaster) as he attempts to solve one of the greatest mysteries in all art: How did 17th century Dutch master Johannes Vermeer (“Girl with a Pearl Earring”) manage to paint so photo-realistically – 150 years before the invention of photography?
Tim Jenison himself is not a “mere” inventor, his ideas have changed technology and art. After founding NewTek in 1985 he led the way in the development of Digiview, one of the first video digitzers for a computer, DigiPaint and the Video Toaster. He saw the personal computer as the mode for incorporating his varioius interests in electronics, music, film and video. Testing his theory on how Vermeer captured his scenes is very much in keeping with his own uses of technology. As he tests his theory, his journey itself is as extraordinary as what he discovers. Tim sets out to reproduce a Vermeer painting using optical instruments which he believes Vermeer actually used. The work was so tedious, I got a bit overwhelmed by it as did Tim himself, but the excitement of discovering the same tools Vermeer probably used, conjecture over the fact that perhaps Vermeer was using science to depict life and may or may not have had “art” in mind with his own creations is fascinating.
Tim’s wanting to discontinue the work and his tears at finally completing his work are candid and endearing. The question of “art vs. science” is an interesting one, something akin to the question of “art vs. commerce” vis a vis the moving picture industry. The separation between art and science may be a contemporary separation, but on a closer look, one can stay that all art changes its forms as technology advances and changes our reality. Vermeer truly created art, whether he knew it or not at the time. That has been judged by history itself. Perhaps his “secret” use of technology (no one ever wrote of how he painted) is akin to the producer Penn Jillette, half of the magic team Penn and Teller. The secrets die with the artists.
On the other hand, Tim is not creating art, but true to his nature, he is creating a technology in such an “artistic”, that is to say, in such a pure way, that he too ranks among the “greats” much like the science/ technology participants in the film business are. As they receive their own Academy Awards, so Tim deserves accolades for the purity of his investigations and ultimate creations. He handmade the lens, handcrafte the paint and pigments, calculated and designed the room, built replicas of the furniture and all the objects in the room as he set out to reproduce The Music Lesson by Vermeer in order to prove, over 130 days of painting, how Vermeer could use a camera obscura and two mirrors to duplicate the color and light of real objects in a real room.
As three “older” men discuss Vermeer as colleagues, the stature of Tim to that of David Hockney himself and their mutual interest and curiosity in the great master Vermeer makes this investigation into Vermeer’s techniques into an event we the viewers are able to share in as equals. I felt like I was a part of their discussions which were on a visibly normal plane and yet at the same time were discussions by masters about another great master of art. I felt accomplished at speaking the same language as they used to express their thoughts.
Spanning eight years and edited from over 2400 hours of footage, Jenison’s adventure takes him to Delft, Holland, where Vermeer painted his masterpieces; on a pilgrimage to the North coast of Yorkshire to meet artist David Hockney; and eventually to Buckingham Palace, to see the Queen’s Vermeer. Directed by Teller, Tim’s Vermeer was produced by Penn Jillette and Farley Ziegler and features Tim Jenison, Penn, David Hockney, Philip Steadman and Martin Mull. Executive producer, Peter Adam Golden.
Huffington Post features an interview with Tim here by Kristine McCracken.
Tim’s Vermeer explores boundaries between art and technology and between art and creativity. Vermeer is one of the world’s most loved painters, but this 17th century Dutch master was mostly ignored until 19th century Parisians “rediscovered” him. The jewel-like beauty of his small pictures captures your eye and has a near mystical effect in the realistic portrayals of scenes such as a woman reading a letter or pouring milk from a jug or drinking a glass of wine.
Raised in Delft, Holland, a city where perspective was treated as an optical illusion and in the 17th century where “the art of describing” typified Dutch art, Johannes Vermeer may have been using his painting more as a technical inventor than as an artist. This film sets out to test a theory of Tim Jenison, a Texas based inventor, (Video Toaster, LightWave, TriCaster) as he attempts to solve one of the greatest mysteries in all art: How did 17th century Dutch master Johannes Vermeer (“Girl with a Pearl Earring”) manage to paint so photo-realistically – 150 years before the invention of photography?
Tim Jenison himself is not a “mere” inventor, his ideas have changed technology and art. After founding NewTek in 1985 he led the way in the development of Digiview, one of the first video digitzers for a computer, DigiPaint and the Video Toaster. He saw the personal computer as the mode for incorporating his varioius interests in electronics, music, film and video. Testing his theory on how Vermeer captured his scenes is very much in keeping with his own uses of technology. As he tests his theory, his journey itself is as extraordinary as what he discovers. Tim sets out to reproduce a Vermeer painting using optical instruments which he believes Vermeer actually used. The work was so tedious, I got a bit overwhelmed by it as did Tim himself, but the excitement of discovering the same tools Vermeer probably used, conjecture over the fact that perhaps Vermeer was using science to depict life and may or may not have had “art” in mind with his own creations is fascinating.
Tim’s wanting to discontinue the work and his tears at finally completing his work are candid and endearing. The question of “art vs. science” is an interesting one, something akin to the question of “art vs. commerce” vis a vis the moving picture industry. The separation between art and science may be a contemporary separation, but on a closer look, one can stay that all art changes its forms as technology advances and changes our reality. Vermeer truly created art, whether he knew it or not at the time. That has been judged by history itself. Perhaps his “secret” use of technology (no one ever wrote of how he painted) is akin to the producer Penn Jillette, half of the magic team Penn and Teller. The secrets die with the artists.
On the other hand, Tim is not creating art, but true to his nature, he is creating a technology in such an “artistic”, that is to say, in such a pure way, that he too ranks among the “greats” much like the science/ technology participants in the film business are. As they receive their own Academy Awards, so Tim deserves accolades for the purity of his investigations and ultimate creations. He handmade the lens, handcrafte the paint and pigments, calculated and designed the room, built replicas of the furniture and all the objects in the room as he set out to reproduce The Music Lesson by Vermeer in order to prove, over 130 days of painting, how Vermeer could use a camera obscura and two mirrors to duplicate the color and light of real objects in a real room.
As three “older” men discuss Vermeer as colleagues, the stature of Tim to that of David Hockney himself and their mutual interest and curiosity in the great master Vermeer makes this investigation into Vermeer’s techniques into an event we the viewers are able to share in as equals. I felt like I was a part of their discussions which were on a visibly normal plane and yet at the same time were discussions by masters about another great master of art. I felt accomplished at speaking the same language as they used to express their thoughts.
Spanning eight years and edited from over 2400 hours of footage, Jenison’s adventure takes him to Delft, Holland, where Vermeer painted his masterpieces; on a pilgrimage to the North coast of Yorkshire to meet artist David Hockney; and eventually to Buckingham Palace, to see the Queen’s Vermeer. Directed by Teller, Tim’s Vermeer was produced by Penn Jillette and Farley Ziegler and features Tim Jenison, Penn, David Hockney, Philip Steadman and Martin Mull. Executive producer, Peter Adam Golden.
Huffington Post features an interview with Tim here by Kristine McCracken.
- 1/23/2014
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Try as we might to cover every corner of the film world in a given year, some movies, even as acclaimed as "Tim's Vermeer," for whatever reason manage to escape our grasp but you can bet this is one we'll be catching up with in 2014. Directed by Teller (yep, one half of the magician duo Penn & Teller), making his feature debut, the documentary tells the tale of one man's obsession with 17th Dutch master painter Johannes Vermeer. Tim Jenison, taken by the Vermeer's ability to "paint with light," sets out to try and unravel how the painter did it, with theory that the artist used a camera obscura (Vermeer was painting roughly 150 years before the invention of photography) to project an image on a canvas. And that's just the start of a fascinating tale of art obsession and passion. "Tim's Vermeer" opens on January 31, 2014 in limited release. And with the...
- 12/30/2013
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
"I'm proposing an alternate history of Vermeer." Sony Pictures Classics has finally debuted the trailer for one of my favorite documentaries of 2013, Tim's Vermeer, the directorial debut of Teller, one half of the entertainment duo Penn & Teller. The two introduce us to the entrepreneur/artist/inventor Tim Jenison, documenting the many years he spent attempting to debunk the great mystery of Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer. He invents a device which he believes is similar to the device used by Vermeer to paint his very detailed paintings in the 1700s. It's a very fun and fascinating doc that comes highly recommended. Enjoy! Here's the first official trailer for Teller's doc Tim's Vermeer, originally from Yahoo via The Film Stage: In Tim's Vermeer we meet Tim Jenison, a Texas based inventor (LightWave) who attempts to solve one of the greatest mysteries in all art: How did 17th century Dutch master Johannes...
- 12/24/2013
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Magician and filmmaker Teller's wonderfully mind-boggling doc "Tim's Vermeer," on inventor Tim Jenison's goal to unlock the secret behind Dutch master Johannes Vermeer's photorealistic paintings, begins its awards qualifying run today (December 6 in New York; December 13 in La). The film recently made the Oscar Documentary shortlist. Check out an exclusive interview snippet below, where Jenison discusses how he hatched the idea to crack the mystery. Our Toh! interview with Teller on "Tim's Vermeer" is here. A clip from the film is also below.
- 12/6/2013
- by Beth Hanna
- Thompson on Hollywood
"Awe-inspiring!" Among the many fantastic documentaries of 2013, one we suggest seeking out at your earliest convenience is a fun, fascinating art doc called Tim's Vermeer. The doc is the directing debut of Teller, one half of Penn & Teller, both of whom produced this film about their friend Tim Jenison, who attempts (and pretty much does) debunk the myth of artist Johannes Vermeer and how he painted such detailed artwork. The film has been receiving rave reviews from festivals all over (I saw it in Telluride and enjoyed it quite a bit) and has made the cut for the Oscar's Best Documentary shortlist, meaning it has a chance for a nomination. I'm sure a trailer is next, but until then check out the new poster below via HitFix. In Tim's Vermeer we meet Tim Jenison, a Texas based inventor (LightWave) who attempts to solve one of the greatest mysteries in all...
- 12/5/2013
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
When I idly caught Teller's documentary "Tim's Vermeer" at Telluride back in August, it was an instant sensation. I adored its vision of art as ingenuity and the profound places it went. The film's subject, Tim Jenison, received one of the most enthusiastic standing ovations I've ever seen at Telluride, and the film, thankfully, made the cut with the Academy's list of documentary feature finalists earlier this week. "Tim's Vermeer" is "mostly an awe-inspiring curiosity," I wrote from Telluride. "But it ends up dipping into the profound. What is art if not the height of ingenuity? If Vermeer and certain contemporaries...
- 12/5/2013
- by Kristopher Tapley
- Hitfix
David O Russell takes early lead in Oscars race by taking three awards, while Robert Redford and Cate Blanchett also win
• Coen brothers' Inside Llewyn Davis wins best film at Gotham awards
• Oscar predictions 2014 – American Hustle
David O Russell's star-studded period crime drama American Hustle picked up three of the top prizes at the New York Critics Circle awards last night, in the process placing itself front and centre in the race for next year's Oscars.
Russell's film was named victor in the best picture and best screenplay categories, with Jennifer Lawrence cited as best supporting actress. The film, a fictional retelling of the FBI's famous Abscam sting of the 1970s and 80s, also features Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper and Jeremy Renner. It has been widely tipped as an awards seasons favourite.
Elsewhere, Cate Blanchett picked up best actress for her much-heralded turn in Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine...
• Coen brothers' Inside Llewyn Davis wins best film at Gotham awards
• Oscar predictions 2014 – American Hustle
David O Russell's star-studded period crime drama American Hustle picked up three of the top prizes at the New York Critics Circle awards last night, in the process placing itself front and centre in the race for next year's Oscars.
Russell's film was named victor in the best picture and best screenplay categories, with Jennifer Lawrence cited as best supporting actress. The film, a fictional retelling of the FBI's famous Abscam sting of the 1970s and 80s, also features Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper and Jeremy Renner. It has been widely tipped as an awards seasons favourite.
Elsewhere, Cate Blanchett picked up best actress for her much-heralded turn in Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine...
- 12/4/2013
- by Ben Child
- The Guardian - Film News
For magicians Penn and Teller, art is work. In their act, these professional skeptics break down the process that makes stage magic appear supernatural. Such demystifying is also the main concern of Teller-directed Tim's Vermeer, a provocative documentary about technologist Tim Jenison's quest to understand and replicate the optical techniques that were likely used by Dutch Master painter Johannes Vermeer. Jenison, an old friend of Penn Jillette's, devoted four years to re-creating Vermeer's The Music Lesson (1665), a work Jenison maintains that Vermeer painted with a photographic accuracy beyond what the naked eye could accomplish. The Voice talked with Teller about how Jenison's appro...
- 12/4/2013
- Village Voice
The Lone Star Film Festival kicks off tonight in Fort Worth, and it will live up to its name with a number of Austin and Texas selections, as well as some honored guests. The festival runs through Sunday, November 10.
The Austin Chronicle co-founder and SXSW director Louis Black, musician and actor Lyle Lovett and Fort Worth businessman Stephen Murrin, Jr. will be honored tomorrow for their role in film and the arts at the Fort Worth Club. In addition, the following movies all have Austin or Lone Star connections:
Bob Birdnow's Remarkable Tale of Human Survival and the Transcendence of Self, about two friends who reunite at a conference, just won the Ron Tibbett Excellence in Filmmaking Award at this year's Memphis Indie fest. Writer/director Eric Steele and producer Adam Donaghey are owners of the Texas Theatre in Oak Cliff, Texas. Donaghey also produced Lsff selection Little Hope Was Arson.
The Austin Chronicle co-founder and SXSW director Louis Black, musician and actor Lyle Lovett and Fort Worth businessman Stephen Murrin, Jr. will be honored tomorrow for their role in film and the arts at the Fort Worth Club. In addition, the following movies all have Austin or Lone Star connections:
Bob Birdnow's Remarkable Tale of Human Survival and the Transcendence of Self, about two friends who reunite at a conference, just won the Ron Tibbett Excellence in Filmmaking Award at this year's Memphis Indie fest. Writer/director Eric Steele and producer Adam Donaghey are owners of the Texas Theatre in Oak Cliff, Texas. Donaghey also produced Lsff selection Little Hope Was Arson.
- 11/7/2013
- by Jordan Gass-Poore'
- Slackerwood
Revivals, Views From The Avant-Garde, Convergence, Applied Science, Motion Portraits took place at the New York Film Festival. Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze Breaking off from the New York Film Festival Main Slate, here are some of the highlights. In the Applied Science programme at the press conference for Teller's Tim's Vermeer, David Hockney, Johannes Vermeer, and Jimi Hendrix were intertwined by Teller's partner Penn Jillette. This year's Convergence focused on the "intersection of technology and storytelling" and opened with a Keystone Presentation of Investigate North's The Cloud Chamber Mystery, co-produced by Lars von Trier's Breaking The Waves producer Vibeke Windeløv, whom I met at the New York Film Festival in 2003 where she presented Dogville with Nicole Kidman. In the Revivals, Arthur Ripley's restored The Chase starring Robert Cummings, Michèle Morgan and Peter Lorre would be a high-water mark for any festival, at any time. In New York,...
- 10/15/2013
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
After over 30 years together primarily working as illusionists, Penn & Teller sure seem like they've made a documentary with the magic to place them in this year's Oscar race. Their very clever take on art and technology, "Tim's Vermeer," debuted to strong notices in Telluride and Toronto, and only continued to build buzz when it debuted at the New York Film Festival yesterday. Edited down from a remarkable 2,400 hours of footage, "Vermeer" follows the epic quest of Penn & Teller's buddy Tim Jenison, an inventor based in San Antonio whose creations include the NewTek firm, the videotoaster, an airplane made entirely from elements that he bought at WalMart, and a lip-synching duck. Tim's latest project is attempting to prove a theory that 17th century Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer employed technology in painting his works. How exactly? By meticulously recreating one of his works via building an exact replica of the room...
- 10/4/2013
- by Peter Knegt
- Indiewire
A suspenseful non-fiction investigation into the artistic process, Tim's Vermeer charts the unlikely odyssey of Tim Jenison, a TV industry inventor and engineer whose fascination with the paintings of 17th century Dutch master Johan Vermeer--whose techniques have always been a mystery to scholars and historians--led him to not only look into how they were made, but to recreate one himself. The catch is that Tim is not a painter. Yet that, amazingly, winds up not being an insurmountable hindrance. Inspired by Philip Steadman and David Hockney's books, Tim surmises that Vermeer utilized a series of camera-obscura optical mirrors to create photorealistic replicas of scenes he'd staged in his studio. Thus, Tim thinks that, using this "objective" procedure, he too might be ab...
- 10/2/2013
- Village Voice
Noted over the weekend, Penn and Teller's "Tim's Vermeer" might be the breakout hit of this year's Telluride Film Festival. Talking to everyone from Oscar-nominated directors to casual movie-goers at the fest, it was clear to me that the film delighted just about everyone who managed to catch it, giving the film a nice boost into the Toronto Film Festival over the next week or so. It could be poised by Sony Classics to be one of this year's Best Documentary Feature nominees. That branch tends to like movies that follow a single subject and in the case of Tim Jenison,...
- 9/5/2013
- by Kristopher Tapley
- Hitfix
A brief new clip from the Toronto-bound art documentary "Tim's Vermeer," an investigation of the paintings of Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer, has arrived. Watch below. Directed by Teller, the film spans a decade as it centers on Tim Jenison, a Texas based inventor who attempts to figure out how the 17th-century Dutch master behind "Girl with a Pearl Earring" managed to paint so photo-realistically -- 150 years before the invention of photography. The film played Telluride and officially world premieres at Tiff this week before hitting the New York Film Festival next month. Well reviewed thus far, the film has been called something like the "ultimate episode of 'MythBusters'" and an "uncanny crowdpleaser" by Variety.
- 9/5/2013
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Thompson on Hollywood
Premiering to rave notices in Telluride over the weekend, the art documentary "Tim's Vermeer," directed by Teller, the famed magician of Penn & Teller fame, next plays at the Toronto International Film Festival. Indiewire is pleased to premiere an exclusive scene from the film. The film follows Tim Jenison, a Texas based inventor, as he attempts to solve how 17th century Dutch master Johannes Vermeer managed to paint photo-realistically 150 years before the invention of photography. In his Telluride review, Indiewire's Eric Kohn wrote: "Penn & Teller are generally known for their magic tricks and prankish energy, but 'Tim's Vermeer' -- a documentary directed by Teller and produced by Penn Jillette -- stands apart from the rest of their oeuvre. A spirited look at the quest of an eccentric entrepreneur intent on uncovering the cryptic technique of Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer, 'Tim's Vermeer' plays less like the sort of...
- 9/3/2013
- by Indiewire
- Indiewire
Telluride, Colo. - I must say I'm happy to see that the media is finding its way to Penn and Teller's "Tim's Vermeer" here at the fest. I caught the film on a whim Friday morning and haven't found the right time and head space to write it up, but it might just be -- still -- my favorite entry of the 40th annual Telluride Film Festival. The film tells the story of engineer, inventor and self-professed geek Tim Jenison, who upon reading about the Hockney-Falco Thesis in David Hockney's landmark book "Secret Knowledge," set out to recreate one of Johannes...
- 9/2/2013
- by Kristopher Tapley
- Hitfix
Penn & Teller are generally known for their magic tricks and prankish energy, but "Tim's Vermeer" -- a documentary directed by Teller and produced by Penn Jillette -- stands apart from the rest of their oeuvre. A spirited look at the quest of an eccentric entrepreneur intent on uncovering the cryptic technique of Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer, "Tim's Vermeer" plays less like the sort of exposé of trickery one might expect of Penn & Teller and instead focuses on the nature of desiring answers to unsolvable mysteries. At its center is middle aged technologist Tim Jenison, the owner of a successful computer graphics company obsessed with Vermeer's art. Having read David Hockney's controversial tome "Secret Knowledge," which argues that Vermeer used a camera obscura to trace a projection of real images as a means of explaining the painter's extraordinary attentiveness to the behavior of light, Jenison can't stop thinking about ways to prove the theory.
- 9/1/2013
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Can I man who has never painted before duplicate one of the most famous Johannes Vermeer paintings? That's the mystery, the great challenge presented to Tim Jenison, the titular "Tim" of the documentary Tim's Vermeer. Produced by Penn Jillette and directed by Teller of Penn & Teller, Tim's Vermeer is a doc following Tim as he invents and attempts to paint and recreate the "The Music Lesson" painting from the 17th Century in the same way Vermeer did. The big problem is that no one knows how Vermeer painted such immaculate art, but this documentary might just solve the 350 year old mystery. And it's utterly fascinating. A great documentary, one that stands out and leaves an impression, usually has a narrative uncovered while filming. Instead of finding a subject and telling their story and that's it, it follows all the discoveries, the surprises, the honest moments, the lucky captures and everything inbetween.
- 8/30/2013
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
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