Cinerama Hollywood

I wish them well, from a projectionist with over 39 years expierience.

CINERAMA returns to The Dome in April with the two most popular titles from the 1960’s. Sunday April 19, HOW THE WEST WAS WON presented in its original three- strip format with 7 channel stereophonic sound. Sunday April 26, Stanley Kubrick’s 2001:A SPACE ODYSSEY . If you have never experienced these films on the Cinerama screen, you haven’t seen them at all. Tickets on sale at arclightcinemas.com. And for our Cinerama fans in the Midwest, the Detroit Music Hall, the second Cinerama installation in the world, (March 23, 1953) with play digital restorations of CINERAMA HOLIDAY, SOUTH SEAS ADVENTURE, and select sequences from THIS IS CINERAMA on a specially constructed curved screen, Sunday April 12. Information and tickets available at www.musichall.org.

Which version of Blade Runner?

Been here a few times since Interstellar and have been impressed each time. Inherent Vice in 70mm did look a bit grainy but it went with the mood of the story. I was not really sure what the story was fully about but it was a nice touch to see a movie that evoked the 70’s and the presentation did as well.

I can say that the masking issue seems to be fixed!! Both Mockingjay and American Sniper ( both in digital) used the full scope screen and the bottom masking was normal and reached to the bottom of both corners of the screen ! No more distorted image on that great screen. Was also nice to see maybe 50 empty seats today for the 1245 show. I am cautiously optimistic that they figured it out. American Sniper looked great and hopefully they will keep this masking configuration in place for future shows.

Oh so the filmmaker wanted to make it look and sound like a low budget cheaply made film.

I thought the presentation was great. I saw it on both DCP and 70mm. The movie is naturally very, very grainy. The movie is also Flat, so it doesn’t have as many of the funky illumination at the sides of the frame you get with full 2.20 in there.

I would highly recommend seeing it here if you can. The screen is really awesome when the masking isn’t all jacked up like it is during the digital presentations. They still do not use the full 86 feet of the screen, but its still massive. I sat upstairs for this one, first row on the side as that was all that was left. I normally like to sit downstairs, center aisle seat in the last 4 or 5 rows, but I am tall and if someone is in front of me it doesn’t really bug me so much. If you sit upstairs, the first row center is best as then you wont have anyone in front of you. I like the sound equally from both areas.

Now I definitely want to see Interstellar in the Dome while it’s still playing there (for just 3 more days).

Is there any consensus on the best seat location for the best balance of visual and sound? (apart from staying away from inquisitive 5-year-olds ;)

Is it perhaps the first couple of rows in the back raised section? Or perhaps closer up somewhere in the middle of the main floor?

Finally made it to see Interstellar last night in 70mm at the Dome. I had seen it on opening day at the Universal IMAX and wanted to see it here as well.

The previews were in digital and they looked a bit distorted as usual as the picture didn’t go near the bottom corners of the screen ( I have bitched about that here before). During the Age of Ultron preview my friend turned to me to complain how crappy the picture looked. When the film started and it took up the entire screen he leaned in again and said, that’s better. To my delight, they used the full masking including the bits at the bottom corners. The screen looked as it should, grand and large with a nice curve to it with the picture using the full height and depth of the screen.

It was nice to see the theater about ¾’s full, and (except for the 5 year old behind me asking his dad a question every 2 minutes) the presentation was outstanding. I enjoyed the sound mix here much better then at IMAX and I actually enjoyed the movie more the second time too. Perhaps it was the Dome, or perhaps it was that this time I understood the plot a bit more.

CINERAMA WEEKEND AT THE DOME. the last two Cinerama 1950’s travelogues make their remastered, restored, premieres at the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood. SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD (1956) plays Saturday November 1 at 11:00am and SEARCH FOR PARADISE (1957) plays Sunday November 2 at 11:00am. Also showing at 3:00pm on Sunday is 2001:A SPACE ODYSSEY. Tickets for all three digital presentations are available at arclightcinemas.com. Prizes will be given to lucky seat holders.

That’s not what I said or was talking about… I understand the differences between the IMAX and the mass cropped scope versions. I know the business, the current business, after all. I was making a point about how the Chinese is handling this release (and only THIS release). It’s a compromise that Universal City won’t have.

Actually… What any good business man knows is that profit trumps volume. Would you rather sell 50 buggy whips and make $20 or sell 20 and make $50? Your answer will tell me what kind of business man you are. Eventually that may catch up to itself, but it hasn’t yet. When Disney goes to it’s shareholders, do you think they say, “We made a record profit this year, but unfortunately the number of actual ticket sold were down. Best to get out now despite the profit.”

And no… the Chinese isn’t going to do it -completely- right. Because they installed a 1.90:1 screen for digital IMAX, they’re actually going to be reducing screen size for the scope portions of Interstellar and masking big chunks of the screen on the left and the right to accommodate the full height of the IMAX filmed portions (Which is something I warned would happen when the Chinese was being discussed last year). Look at the seating chart for the Chinese and you’ll see they’re not selling seats in the lower right and left because those will be outside of the reconfigured frame. So even though they’re doing it as “right” as possible, those expecting to see Interstellar from wall to wall are going to be disappointed.

I’d rather sell 1 seat and make $14 than 2 seats and make $10. A dollar trumps a seat and last year was more $$$ than ever before. Where have you been?

And where are you going where they can’t project a bright clear picture with good sound. I usually don’t have problems at Arclight, the Chinese, the Regencys in Westwood. Maybe you should be better at choosing theaters.