AMC Tysons Corner 16

7850 Tysons Corner Center,
McLean, VA 22102

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Showing 101 - 125 of 160 comments

Mike Rogers
Mike Rogers on March 2, 2011 at 1:03 pm

I think too much is made of Imax.just give me a good film with fewest people to watch it with.

tmundell
tmundell on March 2, 2011 at 7:51 am

AMC is very light on the technical details; overall I agree this has potential to sound much better than Imax (I don’t really like the Imax sound systems I’ve heard). 11 channel sound? No idea how that would work, far as I know there has never been a movie mixed with 11 channel sound, and by far the norm is 5.1 even with better options available. Makes me wonder if it’s just marketing bullshit or if they’re doing some odd monkeying to derive the extra channels (ala EX type matrixing of the channels that are available) in which case I would expect the results to be somewhat random – some movies could sound great, others worse as the sound mixer would not be taking into account AMC’s secret method of adding extra channels.

As far as screen size goes, all the rooms at Tysons already are wall to wall. There is simply no room to add a bigger screen to any of the rooms (ok, technically maybe there’s an extra foot or two available, but that won’t really be noticeable). Not sure if it’s true (will find out soon I guess!) but apparently the ETX rooms copy Imax and don’t have masking? If so, I definitely will not go back as I refuse to pay for any auditorium without proper masking (especially when there is a surcharge!)

Giles
Giles on March 1, 2011 at 5:35 pm

oh and I understand it, ETX screens allow up to 11 channels of sound with the minimum of 7.1 with discrete 4-channel surround sound that is not achievable on the IMAX screen – these ETX presentations could easily sound superior to the IMAX sound setup.

Giles
Giles on March 1, 2011 at 5:31 pm

the only good about an ETX screen is that non-IMAX films can get the big screen treatment – sounds cool to me!

HowardBHaas
HowardBHaas on March 1, 2011 at 3:41 pm

For a surcharge to the ticket, AMC is going to deliver a slightly larger screen & better sound??

tmundell
tmundell on March 1, 2011 at 2:19 pm

According to the AMC Theatres website, one of the auditoriums will be converted to ETX scheduled to open March 18, 2011. I don’t know which one, but #11 would probably make the most sense.

Giles
Giles on November 17, 2010 at 3:50 pm

oh and this time around, the glasses didn’t produce that annoying glare that I had encounted with ‘Resident Evil: Afterlife’

Giles
Giles on November 17, 2010 at 3:49 pm

‘Megamind’ (3D) on the IMAX digital screen looked great! the sound though and I’m blaming the soundmix, not the actual soundsystem, seemed way to quiet at times – I know it’s up to the sound design team of the film to determine how sound is to implemented and recreated in the final theatrical mix, but for an action superhero film of this type – it wasn’t that aggressive – would have loved to have heard the 7.1 discrete mix (oh well)

Giles
Giles on September 10, 2010 at 12:21 pm

maybe I was sitting to close to the IMAX screen but ‘Resident Evil: Afterlife’s’ surround sound mix was no where as immersive or inventve as ‘The Expendables’. The mix was very front heavy, alot of bass, but the surrounds didn’t seem well used. Another thing that bothered me was the IMAX glasses were producing reflective glare from the images on the screen(!) – this was extremely distracting – and something I’ve never seen before or encountered with the Cinemark’s XD system and 3D glasses.

Giles
Giles on September 8, 2010 at 2:04 pm

holy canoli! granted ‘The Expendables’ is a naturally loud movie, I wasn’t expecting to be pummelled by the soundmix. I’m so used to the XD screen and it’s mammoth sound system, that I forget that other theatres and specific films can equally impress. Seen on screen 13 – the sound was a juggernaut, so much so, I was getting a headache, something I don’t get alot from ‘sound’ Thumbs up to lossy 35mm sourced digital sound to be that aggressive – wow!

JodarMovieFan
JodarMovieFan on March 26, 2010 at 6:16 pm

It so happens that one of my cars is being fixed nearby the Potomac Mills 18 plex. I’m curious to see how that screen compares to the others. When it is ready next week, I hope to make a trek and see Dragon there maybe.

With regard to Hoffman’s IMAX-lite, maybe Tysons is a tad bit larger. The last IMAX-lite movie I saw there was the boring Night At the Museum 2. That movie was more of a retread of the first one. I wanted to call the new one Flight From This Awful Movie Ad Nauseum :) Sitting in the section that would be called the orchestra section in the olden days, it seemed to me the screen was the same size as the others, or at least as wide, if not as tall. Perhaps someone following this thread and will be able to get their hands on the theater specs.

As I’ve blogged in the news section about the recent (as in TODAY) price increase, its making it less palatable to see movies in this format and pay $16. Just looking at Cinemark’s XD 3D prices, they seem to be holding the line at $14.50. I have yet to experience their XD 3D presentations, but I’m guessing its the same as the IMAX-lite sans the branding. Unless they decide to follow AMC, they may get my business not only for the more reasonable pricing but that its closer to me :)

Giles
Giles on March 26, 2010 at 3:23 pm

the screen is most definately NOT the same size as Hoffman’s – it’s larger.

As for the ‘Alice in Wonderland’ color scheme – I’m sure it was the fact that the film’s many sequences come of as monochromatic as designated by the film’s Director of Photography and director Tim Burton, hence why the colours don’t really have a pop, it’s sharp, but not as a dynamic colour range.

From what I’ve read about ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ – the IMAX versions have been reframed to 1.44 and 1.78 for IMAX Digital thus utlizing the whole screen.

JodarMovieFan
JodarMovieFan on March 25, 2010 at 7:48 pm

I made a trip to see Alice in Wonderland in IMAX-lite 3D, in Auditorium #3, before it gets replaced by “How to Train Your Dragon.” When films are shown full screen it is quite an experience BUT, again, the $15 full price is hard to swallow for what should be the ‘norm.’ The sight lines are perfect from the aisle level, with peripheral sight just right to avoid head turning. I think the screen size is pretty much the same as Columbia’s and Hoffman’s IMAX-lite installs. Its possible it may be a little larger, or it may be that there are more rows of seats closer to the screen making its largesse illusory. Bass is deep but to me there’s the slight lack of reverberation to give you the spine tingle of the best THX-cert houses.

Also, during the Dragon 3D trailer, it seemed as if the deep bass may have stressed some of the speakers to the point of some crackling. Subjective opinion, yes, which begs a subsequent visit. :)

As far as the film, itself, it was quite good. From the opening strains of Danny Elfman’s music, it had the familiar choral accompaniment to the orchestral score, to the zaniness of Johnny Depp’s and Helena Bonham Carter’s performances, I had a good time. Now to nitpick a little, I had expected better color contrast in the digital format. The wonderland sequences looked fantastic but lacked vibrancy and vividness. Even the opening set up in the current day was Merchant Ivory, yet the costumes and the garden looked….well, dull. I may have to see this in regular digital 3D to compare.

Giles
Giles on March 10, 2010 at 8:01 pm

yeah this needs another opinion on the matter, I don’t want to be touting something that aint so… you know what I’m saying… :)

JodarMovieFan
JodarMovieFan on March 10, 2010 at 6:03 pm

“even larger than KoP’s IMAX?”

KoP’s IMAX is a REAL IMAX screen. Sounds like I need to investigate this for myself….hehehe. :)

Giles
Giles on March 10, 2010 at 5:32 pm

so I made it out to the theate this morning, and wow, I was very, VERY impressed. The first trailer ‘How To Train Your Dragon’ (3D) was stunning – I uttered an audible “whoah!”. ‘Alice in Wonderland’s image filled all the of the 1.78 framed screen. The sound on the other hand seemed too bombastic at times, very very aggressive and alot of bass, I’d be curious to know if any of the adjoining theatres blocks out the sound. I’ve only been to Hoffman’s IMAX-lite screen and Tysons easily blows that theatre out of the water. I’d say it’s the same size or even larger than King of Prussia’s (PA) IMAX screen

Giles
Giles on March 6, 2010 at 2:46 pm

apparently, the IMAX system was not working on Friday morning, all the screenings were cancelled in order to fix the problem.

tmundell
tmundell on March 2, 2010 at 10:26 am

“two Sony LCoS 4K systems (10 & 12)”

Shouldn’t this be #12 and #14, or did they move one?

JodarMovieFan
JodarMovieFan on February 25, 2010 at 6:47 pm

Awesome Giles. Thanks for the info. I may have to make the trek to Tysons even though it is a haul for me in MD. I used to travel to VA, and to the National Amusement Multiplexes; Alexandria, Merrifield and for ONE time Centreville (for the awful movie “Shadow”) when they had 70mm event movies booked. My continual issue with the IMAX-lite screens (Columbia and Hoffman) are the lack of deep bass subwoofer ooomph. Its improved somewhat but its not the same as the best THX cert houses. You can tell what a theater’s sound system is capable of (deep bass) when you can ‘feel’ the power of it when the THX flower trailer is played.

Giles
Giles on February 25, 2010 at 5:33 pm

actually I forgot to mention that with the addition of the IMAX-Digital screen, the complex will now have four 3D screens, one DLP screen (#6) two Sony LCoS 4K systems (10 & 12) and Texas Instruments IMAX digital setup (3)

Giles
Giles on February 25, 2010 at 5:27 pm

I’ve never been to the Columbia IMAX screen, but when to compared to Hoffman’s – yes, it’s alot larger (in height), by alot. Supposedly the two auditoriums behind the concession stand mirror each other, but in my mind, the one to the left(and immediately to the right) (#3) seems larger to me. Of the movies I’ve seen there: ‘Casino Royale’ ‘Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix’ and the aforementioned ‘Zathura’ – all the presentations have been stellar, 5.1 soundmixes have been thunderous and agressive, and the sheer size of the screen is uttely amazing and immersive.

Local619
Local619 on February 25, 2010 at 4:28 pm

The small group of minnies on the lower level were run by Roth Theatres as I recall..

The real Tysons Twins.. the 1200 seat 800 seat back to back was at Fashion Court then down two levels.. back in the ancient daze when the now lower level of shops was the delivery tunnel under the mall..

JodarMovieFan
JodarMovieFan on February 25, 2010 at 4:09 pm

Giles, is the auditorium, at Tysons, larger than the Columbia and Hoffman installs? I remember going into Tysons..I think to the left of the concession stand and to the right was a humongous theater, whose screen seemed as big as the Uptown’s.

AdoraKiaOra
AdoraKiaOra on February 25, 2010 at 3:25 pm

Yea, there was a small complex in the exact location described a few posts above. I cant remember the name of the company at the moment but it was a real dive of a place. Everything about it was second rate. I went there a good many times as well as the Odeon on the other side of the mall across the main road. Has that Odeon gone now? That was a horrible place too, down some steps into a dungeon- if its gone it cant be missed!

Giles
Giles on February 25, 2010 at 2:11 pm

and… drum roll please… the auditorim that got the upgrade … [oh I’m so excited to state this] … #3..

HOORAY!!!!!!!

refer to my post, fourth one down from the top. This screen is massive, for once AMC does something right (after my numerous letters to them over this matter). Oh I can’t WAIT to see ‘Alice in Wonderland’!