8mm Forum: Going To The Movies

This is topic Going To The Movies in forum General Yak at 8mm Forum.

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Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 559) on March 15, 2009, 03:19 AM:

Just a thought [Roll Eyes]

I would do a little survey on the forum [Smile]

how often do you go? do you have a favourite cinema? and what might be your likes and dislikes about your movie going experence?

Graham. [Smile]

Posted by David Kilderry (Member # 549) on March 15, 2009, 05:03 AM:

Often! I am off to the Independent Cinema Association of Australia (ICAA) conference in Sydney this week. It's all about cinemas and movies.

In the last few weeks we've been to the pictures several times; we just love looking for that two hour escape where you are transported by the film on the screen. Not all films do that, but it is worth the search. We are in the business obviously, but love going out to the movies despite what we have here at home......or at work for that matter.

I am always encouraging others to visit different cinemas, not just different movies. We are spoilt for choice here in Melbourne with over 400 cinema screens to choose from; 20 plexes to Gold Class, drive-ins and classic old art-deco houses.

Dislikes: poor presentation! (focus, sound levels, light output, print quality)

Likes: Large screen, large auditorium, big sound, things that not even the very best home cinemas can match - and I've been involved in the design of some high quality ones.

A friend has a 50 seat 35mm theatre with Dolby digital and every other format you can think of at home (mansion). It is special, but still not up to the best large commercial cinemas. eg the recently closed Village City Centre Cinema 1 was an 850 seater with THX and over 15,000 watts of power!

David

Posted by Claus Harding (Member # 702) on March 15, 2009, 10:41 AM:

Here in DC, we definitely have a favorite theatre, the Uptown. It's 35/70mm capable (Century machines, if I recall right; no platter, only changeover) and has its original curved Cinerama screen intact. Also still has its balcony.

We haven't gone in a while, but every time we do, the theatre is run well (by that I mean good projection and sound.) The prints aren't as crisp as they used to be; I am guessing the high-speed duplication the labs use just isn't cutting it.

The usual complaints about rude or oblivious audiences always apply, depending on the film. Since we go for 'niche' and non-'big hit' movies, we tend to get a "better" crowd, no teens in general. That's also why we haven't gone in a while; it has been mainly the latest Hollywood hits there.

What is a letdown is how the theatre is not being used to its full potential (70mm) anymore. Even if the current prints are only in 35mm, they still could show what the Uptown used to feature: mini-festivals of 70mm prints during the summer. "Lawrence", "2001", "Zhivago"....and so on.
I guess with the rapid turnover of films these days, they don't have the slots for that any more.

I got a taste of what "the old queen" still is capable of during a pre-premiere I worked there (doing video coverage) when "Blackhawk Down" was featured.
The print was beautiful, and the Uptown's amps must all have been redlining given the volume they ran the tracks at. It was thunderous but very clean.

I am glad to have been around in '79 to see the theatre at its 70mm best.

Claus.

Posted by Osi Osgood (Member # 424) on March 15, 2009, 02:29 PM:

to be honest ... I rarely go to the movie theater anymore, as there are rarely any films I'd want to see, which won't be out on widescreen DVD on my projection TV in the near future.

It's really not the cost, it's the morals/mannerisms of the other viewers of the film. I have been constantly tempted to beat the living heck out of yet another rude person, and I don't like the thought of going to the "pokey" for someone who desperately needs a good punch.

(Honestly, I don't have an anger management problem!)

Posted by Steven J Kirk (Member # 1135) on March 15, 2009, 02:37 PM:

I haven't been for a couple of years or so... the reasons: only multiplex-type new places near me now, poor focus, picture doesn't fit masking, sound far, far too loud, 'boxey' dialogue, wobbling booming bass, crunching popcorn underfoot, noisy teens downloading ringtones in the middle of the movie, houselights that no longer go all the way down, schoolchildren for staff. Nothing wrong with the new films. Looking forward to 'Watchmen' - on Blu-ray!

Posted by Lars Pettersson (Member # 762) on March 15, 2009, 04:11 PM:

Just came back from seeing Lawrence of Arabia in 70mm at the swedish film institute art house cinema. Very nice brand new print, coutresy of Sony Pictures in Los Angeles. This was the same print screened in Berlin a short while ago. This was a one-time only deal, so the theatre was almost full.

It was breathtaking! [Smile]

Cheers
Lars

Posted by Osi Osgood (Member # 424) on March 15, 2009, 08:21 PM:

That must have been a hell of an experience, Lars! Those vast landscapes and all.

Especially that first long shot of Omar Shariff's character ... or perhaps that extreme long shot of the approaching Lawrence, bring back that rescued Arab.

The focus must have been amazing in 70MM!

Posted by Lars Pettersson (Member # 762) on March 16, 2009, 01:36 AM:

Hi Osi,
This is the Robert A Harris restored version, and since it was a new print the visual experience was magnificent. I saw this version, also in 70mm, exactly 20 years ago in a very good theatre in Paris (I would say it´s the "theatre capital" of Europe), and quite frankly it was a little better that time, probably it was run from a platter then, wheras yeasterday they had to run it on two projectors and one of them was partially slightly out of focus (due to the angle). But the A projector was pinsharp all over. Also I felt they handled the sound a bit conservatively, they could have brought up the volume a lot more. This really is as if you´d be standing looking out into the desert and somebody had brought a full symphony orchestra out there, so "the volume needs to be the size of the screen."

But these are minor complaints, it was very well handled apart from that.
The cool thing was, as I came home from the theatre, the tv was on and I glanced at it passing by. When you´ve just seen good 70mm, standard definition tv looks laughably washed out and fuzzy. The screen I´d watched an hour earlier was easily the size of the facade of the building where I live.

I try to go to the cinema whenever I can, I really enjoy it, and just as with the film raw stock itself (stills, super8), someone has to keep buying it or it won´t be provided to us anymore.

Cheers
Lars

Posted by Barry Attwood (Member # 100) on March 16, 2009, 02:18 AM:

Graham,

I go at least 1-2 times a week, as here in the U.K. we have a chain of Cinemas called Cineworld who have a monthly subscription card, and for a payment of £12.99p a month you can go and see as many films as you want. I try and go every Sunday, and sometimes if the film times fit, I'll see 3 movies in one go. I just love watching films at the Cinema, it's the best place to see them FIRST , and I don't care how good your home system may be, you'll never replicate that Cinema atmosphere, so when I do get the DVD/BLU-RAY version I can remember back to when I saw it on the real Big Screen, and it helps get me in the right mood for my home viewing.

Posted by Kevan Ellis (Member # 1232) on March 16, 2009, 11:18 PM:

Hi All
I have a little cinema in our town that has two screens and seats about 50 in each. It's not much but then again it's not much to go. The new owner has all the 35mm stuff but now he is forced to down load the movie from a site and is charged so much for every time he plays it. Now it's just a dvd projector that why I started collecting films, I just love the clicking sound of the film making it's way through the projector behind me and the flicker of light from the shutter and shortly after THE END you hear the slapping of the leader.... ho hum I think I play a movie now.

kevan

Posted by Patrick Walsh (Member # 637) on March 17, 2009, 02:38 AM:

I have noticed that the muiltplex cinemas are all trying to make their cinemas look like you are at home with big seats, no curtains on the screen and very plain decorating inside and out and yet all the home cinemas I have been seeing pics of seem to be going in the opposite direction with big red velvet curtains, nice lighting and in most cases the old leather flop down cinema seating, heck some home cinemas look even better than some of the old grand cinemas of years ago!
A shame that they run dvds in them though.
I own a cinema so I dont usually come along as a patron, but before I brought my cinema I used to go every week on sunday night no matter what was on.
Patrick

Posted by David Park (Member # 123) on March 17, 2009, 06:13 AM:

Picturville Bradford
http://www.in70mm.com/newsletter/1996/45/pictureville/index.htm
I'm living near.
One just can not go to a multi-plex after the film experience here.
Run by people who care.

Posted by Paul Adsett (Member # 25) on March 17, 2009, 09:14 AM:

Hi Patrick,
The multiplexes here in Orlando are all spartan black tombs, usually filled with frigid air conditioning. Combined with the deafening level of the sound systems, you take a real chance of either getting pneumonia or hearing loss every time you see a movie!
It really has to be a special movie to get me to the theater anymore. There is no showmanship left, the curtains and proscenium lights are long gone. You sit through half an hour of commercials and fifteeen minutes of slam-bang-boom trailers before the feature starts. Once they all switch over to digital projection I probably will never go again.
In contrast, my home theater is a little film sanctuary, with comfortable chairs, screen curtains and nice ambient lighting, regulated sound levels, and what I believe is a good standard of projection, be it film or digital.

So yes, I think you are right. While the commercial cinemas have become bare-bones boxes, home theatres are all going in the direction of capturing something of the ambience of the old movie palaces.

Posted by Lars Pettersson (Member # 762) on March 17, 2009, 09:20 AM:

Paul,
If I had your setup, I would never leave home! [Big Grin]

Cheers
Lars

Posted by Patrick Walsh (Member # 637) on March 18, 2009, 01:11 AM:

Wow Paul your cinema looks very nice!
Pat [Big Grin]

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