I’m not usually a movie goer and I’m definitely not a movie fanatic. While I do love a great horror flick that sends chills down my spine or psychological thrillers that make me think twice, it’s not something I find practical. As an actor, you’d think that going to the movies would be habitual, but unless a film comes out that I just cannot pass up, I just see it as wasted superficial entertainment without understanding the magic that goes behind making the movie.

When my friend Leigh-Ann invited me to a movie wine night in the park, I was open to trying something new on a Saturday evening. Hearing the sentence, wine tasting, just made me feel all fuzzy inside and I needed a night of winding down. A movie in the open park with fresh air just sets an even emotional balance when you’re having one of those weeks and you’re in desperate need of relaxation, so I jumped at the offer. I didn’t know that the event was being promoted through Event Brite, which has been known for having events for the community and sometimes private, varying between being free and fluctuating in prices. Once I saw the amount of the event, I almost backed out due to my opinion of going to the movies; but I had already taken the invite and I bought a ticket. I mean, five glasses of wine and a movie isn’t a bad deal at all. The movie being played was an earlier Eddie Murphy film called, Coming to America. I’ve heard of the film, but haven’t seen it.

The movie started at 5:30, so I left work early to head over to Leigh-Ann’s apartment. The funny thing about officially moving to this city after so many years of playing in it, is that you’ll always end up somewhere you never knew existed. The Hollyhock House  on Olive Hill, is one of those hidden secrets that you only come across after wondering why you never knew about it all this time. The park is wide with just enough parking that overlooks the city of Los Angeles including seeing the famous Hollywood sign as the sunset glimmers into the sky. Normally, parks in the Los Angeles area, are populated with the homeless, but here, it was clean where people could bring their pups and plan out picnics without the awkwardness of feeling at ease.

Once we drove to the top of the hill, we walked towards the entrance of the event where two security guards were checking our invites and I.Ds to admit our admission. A table near the entrance was set up with a gourmet of party favors and snacks for the movie showing. A few steps further was my destination; the wine bar.

We were meeting one of Leigh-Ann’s friends, Antoinette, who had already been waiting for us. Such a beautiful lively woman who also is an actress like myself and Leigh-Ann. I was so overjoyed with excitement over the ambiance and wine, that trying to speak with the event organizers, I probably appeared to be an eccentric rambler.

There were several choices of wines to choose from, but unfortunately, they were not exactly the types I’m accustomed to drinking. I prefer sweeter wines that I can actually enjoy drinking, not anything that sours or dehydrates my taste palate. I didn’t purchase a ticket for the sake of just watching a movie while everyone else around me are clinking their glasses cheering over good times, so I asked for something that was the closest to what I might like. I was told to try the Chardonnay.

Dark Horse Wines , is a crafted wine company who sponsored the event with a selection of wine choices with many flavored ingredients. As an extra bonus gift, they had a basket of key chains resembling that of a horse, but as the companies signature logo. Because the wine that I most frequently drink wasn’t present, I tried the Chardonnay that was suggested to me as an option that might have a hint of sweetness. It was a step down from Riesling and Moscato,  but I was still able to enjoy it. Just my luck that they completely ran out after my second glass, so I had to switch over to their Sauvignon Blanc. It wasn’t too bad after my eyes started twitching and I started making friends with little imaginary elfs frolicking through the grass. Even the fire flies caught me off guard as I haven’t seen these beautiful creatures  since my childhood summer camps back East.

Before showing the movie, the organizers gave a brief background for the purpose of the event and how it positively contributes to the community. Barnsdall Art Park is a non-profit organization and foundation that keeps the spirit alive in the woman behind it all, Aline Barnsdall. Back in the late 1920’s, her mission was to keep this entire area dedicated to the community for those who truly have a passion for the creative arts and can flourish in the inspirations of what she left behind. They also had the director of the film and many other hits, John Landis, who spoke about the history of making the film and how it became one of the most recognized black comedy films. He referred to the Q&A as a race with the sun, as he tried to talk about every awkward moment of deliberating who would be in the film, making it 15 mins shorter, and Cuba Gooding Jr’s non speaking part while sitting in the barber chair.

I might be one of the very few people who has never seen this film, in fact, I’ve never really been a fan of Eddie Murphy and his comedic acts, so it’s really no surprise that I didn’t have the urge up until a wine tasting event to watch this film. But I’ll have you know that we have a small flashback in common.

Flashback

Okay, I’ll make this short, my mother and aunt grew up with him and his family well before he became the actor that he is now. Years later my mother would stay close friends with his first relatives who I remembered visiting in the city of New York. I came across these old photos that my mother saved from the time he would visit back home.

So, clearly I’m not biased, I just don’t  particularly like his films, but after watching this one, I became a fan. It was silly of course, but that’s with most movies played out in the late 80’s, they just had a different sense of humor that you couldn’t help but to love. Leave it to his trademark to handle playing multiple characters. People laughed and of course the ethnic girls danced to the famous scene choreographed by Paula Abdul. Leigh-Ann had brought a blanket for all of us to relax on with an assortment of treats. Her friend Antoinette was hysterical being the blanket cop. Anyone who dared placed their crusty feet on the blanket we were laying on would hear an earful from her. Two women sitting behind us thought they were being clever, but I fixed that real kick when I sprawled out with my wine glass in tote.

Leigh-Ann and I noticed a very interesting concoction of a shoe and wine pairing that would make it much easier to reach for our glasses with out having any unnecessary spilling. Our Gyro Greek fries were food coma heaven combined with our liquor allowing us the guilty pleasures of being foodies.

After the film wrapped up, we were thanked for coming and started cleaning up our area trying to respect the park for how it originally was. Once I found out that the wine glasses were free to take home, I made sure to snatch up as many as I could that was being left behind and discarded. As we went home, I made plans for the rest of the evening which then ended up turning into a night I’ll never forget….

To be continued

For more information about future showings movies with Barnsdall and other wine tasting events, go to their link for more details! All ticket purchases contributes to donations