Comments from bigjoe59

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bigjoe59
bigjoe59 commented about Criterion Theatre on Oct 24, 2019 at 3:39 pm

Hello-

to vindanpar- I compliment you on your Oct. 23 post.

speaking of souvenir programs. I went to see Star Wars 1st screening opening day May25, 1977 at the Loews Astor Plaza. programs were kind of on the way out but I hoped they’d have one anyway. when i entered theater and didn’t see anyone at a table hawking the program i went “ohm well”. as I approached the refreshment stand what did i see but a huge stack of programs on a counter behind the stand.

interestingly four and a half years later at the 1st screening opening day of Reds they had a person at a table hawking the souvenir program.

bigjoe59
bigjoe59 commented about Criterion Theatre on Oct 22, 2019 at 1:55 pm

Hello-

to vindanpar- since you missed out on Twilight Time’s A+ blu-ray disc of Nicholas and Alexandra they recently issued Anne of the Thousand Days on blu-ray. in terms of the richness of the colors and the crispness, clarity and sharpness of both the picture image and the multi-channel audio tracks its everything a blu-ray disc of a large scale historical drama should be.

bigjoe59
bigjoe59 commented about Paris Theater on Oct 22, 2019 at 1:02 pm

Hello-

a question- if Netflix does wind up taking a long term lease on the theater will they show other films or just their prestige Oscar Bait films?

bigjoe59
bigjoe59 commented about AMC Lincoln Square 13 on Oct 22, 2019 at 12:58 pm

Hello-

I really liked The Last Jedi and simply don’t get the hate for the film. so can someone in an intelligent adult manner describe to me what was soooooooo wrong with the film. I look at this way- if it was sooooo uneven why did it make two truckloads of $$$.

bigjoe59
bigjoe59 commented about Paris Theater on Oct 21, 2019 at 12:18 pm

Hello-

to Howard B. -the Paris Theater has been a jewel in NYC’S cultural like since May 1949. so I don’t know how much one can say the landlord liked the Paris as a movie theater if he jacked up the rent after the most recent lease expired to a level City Cinemas was not willing to pay.

bigjoe59
bigjoe59 commented about Paris Theater on Oct 20, 2019 at 2:41 pm

Hello-

considering the landlord of the building that houses this theater isn’t exactly a movie buff for closing it to begin with I’m surprised it wasn’t already gutted. but everytime I’ve passed by the theater which still has Pavarotti marquee up I had a feeling something was up.

bigjoe59
bigjoe59 commented about RKO Warner Twin Theatre on Oct 15, 2019 at 3:31 pm

Hello-

to vindanpar- yes I still have the long horizontal program from when I saw 2001 at the Capitol. its in mint condition. I looked at eBay and saw it goes for $125. damn.

also I myself went to the office for National Publishers which was in a large office building that was at the N.E. corner of Bway and 42 St.. this was toward the end of the roadshow era say 69/70. several of my programs had been damaged in an accident. the receptionist was kind enough to let me look thru the stock room. It was like being a kid in a candy store.

bigjoe59
bigjoe59 commented about Criterion Theatre on Oct 14, 2019 at 2:22 pm

Hello-

in recent comments I mentioned I had 140 movie souvenir programs/brochures. of those 140 14 are hardcover-

Around the World in 80 Days South Pacific Windjammer Ben-Hur The Alamo Spartacus Kings of Kings El Cid The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm Mutiny on the Bounty How THE West Was Won My Fair Lady The Greatest Story Ever Told Hawaii

does anyone remember any other movie programs/brochures that were hardcover?

bigjoe59
bigjoe59 commented about RKO Warner Twin Theatre on Oct 14, 2019 at 1:38 pm

Hello-

to Al A. as always thanks for the info. two additional
quick questions-

  1. I ask about whether it was presented “in Cinerama” since the Cinerama logo is used on the cover of the new Twilight Time restored/remastered Blu-ray disc.

  2. also was “Holiday in Spain” the exact same film as “scent of Mystery” except for the Smell-o-Vision part?

bigjoe59
bigjoe59 commented about AMC Lincoln Square 13 on Oct 14, 2019 at 1:02 pm

Hello-

to moviebuff82- thank you for your reply. I can see the thought you expressed as valid for some small film no had ever heard of. but for a big studio film on the opening weekend is highly surprising.

bigjoe59
bigjoe59 commented about RKO Warner Twin Theatre on Oct 13, 2019 at 2:57 pm

Hello-

did both “Holiday in Spain” and “The Golden Head” open here and if so were they advertised as being “in Cinerama”?

bigjoe59
bigjoe59 commented about AMC Lincoln Square 13 on Oct 13, 2019 at 2:18 pm

Hello-

I go to the 19tht St. a good deal and until rather recently they had 10a.m., 10:30a.m. or 11:00 etc….. for any big release on its opening weekend. so I’ve been surprised by the rather late first screening of the day for a number of such films.

bigjoe59
bigjoe59 commented about AMC Lincoln Square 13 on Oct 11, 2019 at 2:56 pm

Hello-

would anyone happen to know why a number of the AMC/Loews theaters recently have had rather late first screenings of the day even on Sat. and Sun.?

bigjoe59
bigjoe59 commented about Criterion Theatre on Oct 9, 2019 at 3:19 pm

Hello-

I thought Russell did a rather nice job. but like Hepburn she couldn’t hit the high notes well so her vocals were enhanced by Kirk who assisted with the high notes.

bigjoe59
bigjoe59 commented about AMC Lincoln Square 13 on Oct 9, 2019 at 3:13 pm

Hello-

to digital3d- I wouldn’t mind seeing GM in the Dolby
Theater but without 3D. 3D is just a way of squeezing more
$$$ out of moviegoers. it fact 3D does nothing for 99%
of the films show that way.

bigjoe59
bigjoe59 commented about AMC Lincoln Square 13 on Oct 9, 2019 at 2:52 pm

Hello-

a question for people knowledgeable with projection. what was the point of Ang Lee shooting the film the way he did if no theater can in fact show it that way?

it s kind of like his last film Billy Lynn’s Long Half Time Walk. without the high frame rate projection there was nothing special about it. it was just a average film about a young man adjusting to home life after returning from war.

bigjoe59
bigjoe59 commented about Criterion Theatre on Oct 9, 2019 at 2:44 pm

Hello-

to vindanpar- I had a feeling she had to have known. on the 50th Anniversary blu-ray disc they included Wouldn’t It Be Lovely and Show Me as Hepburn shot them. even better is on the soundtrack cd they should have included the songs as she shot them as a bonus. a few years ago they released a nicely remastered cd of the Gypsy soundtrack album. what made it special was simple- in addition to including all the soundtrack LP tracks they also included as a bonus all of Russell’s song as she shot them before her vocal’s were enhanced by Lisa Kirk I think it was.

bigjoe59
bigjoe59 commented about AMC Lincoln Square 13 on Oct 9, 2019 at 2:26 pm

Hello-

apparently very few theaters in the entire U.S. can show Gemini Man exactly the way Ang Lee shot it? but apparently some theaters will come damn close. which auditorium in this theater will show the film as close as possible to the way Ang Lee shot it?

bigjoe59
bigjoe59 commented about Criterion Theatre on Oct 8, 2019 at 2:37 pm

Hello-

i should have said the reprise of Just You Wait as Eliza is kneeling front of the fireplace looking for the ring is all Hepburn but that the original rendition of the song was mostly Hepburn with an assist from Nixon.

also I have heard as well that till the premiere of MFL at this theater that Hepburn had no idea her vocals had almost totally been replaced. is it really possible she had no idea whatsoever?

bigjoe59
bigjoe59 commented about AMC Lincoln Square 13 on Oct 8, 2019 at 12:56 pm

Hello-

I saw Joker at the Valencia auditorium this past Sat. 10/5. I thought it ties with Suicide Squad as the worst, most lackluster most disappointing comic book derived film ever. I can’t be the only one with this reaction.

bigjoe59
bigjoe59 commented about Criterion Theatre on Oct 7, 2019 at 3:47 pm

Hello-

to Mike(saps)– as they say beauty is in the eye of the

           beholder isn't it? 
                

to vindanpar- a year or so before the Katz/Harris

           restoration of MFL i bought an A+ cd
                           that was imported from Holland. it contains
                           the same tracks as on the soundtrack 
                           released by Columbia Records when the 
                           film first opened. it doesn't contain
                           any of the extraneous noise etc... that's
                           on the expanded cd issued with the Katz/
                           Harris restoration. 
                

to Al A.– if I am not mistaken Marni Nixon did not

           do all of Eliza's singing in MFL. i can
                           swear i read a few years ago the Just You
                           Wait number is Hepburn as is the reprise
                           of the song after Eliza and Higgins have 
                           their big fight after they get home from 
                           the ball. 
                
bigjoe59
bigjoe59 commented about Criterion Theatre on Oct 6, 2019 at 2:50 pm

Hello-

I happen to like Dr. Dolittle and saw it twice during its roadshow run at the Loews State. the still available Twilight Time Blu-ray disc in terms of richness of colors and the crispness, sharpness and clarity of both the picture image the multi-channel is everything a Blu-ray disc should be.

talk about a film being edited just before its premiere. aside form the image of Harrison riding on the giraffe on the cover of the soundtrack album the booklet enclosed has a description of a Prologue sequence that doesn’t appear on the Blu-ray. also the souvenir program sold in the lobby of the State has a description of Harrison singing a song about Emma(Samantha Eggar)at the end of the film that doesn’t appear on the Blu-ray disc either.

fortunately an A+ 2 disc cd set was released last year of
ALL the music recorded for the film.

bigjoe59
bigjoe59 commented about Criterion Theatre on Oct 3, 2019 at 3:56 pm

Hello-

to Mikeoaklandpark- I saw The Rose three times during its 70MM exclusive engagement at the Ziegfeld. so I can imagine your horror when you took your friend to see it in one of the lower level auditoriums here. its kind of like who in God’s name would want to watch Lawrence of Arabia on an iPad or tablet?

bigjoe59
bigjoe59 commented about Criterion Theatre on Oct 2, 2019 at 4:40 pm

Hello-

to Al A. thanks as always for your info filled replies. be that as it may I’m sure they had a number of other lobby cards they could have used. I don’t know how much before Nicholas and Alexandra opened that the staff at this theater did up the display cases to either side as you entered. but to include a photo of a scene they most have known wasn’t in the film while it may not meet the legal definition of false advertising was certainly a really odd thing to do.

bigjoe59
bigjoe59 commented about Criterion Theatre on Oct 2, 2019 at 2:07 pm

Hello-

to Al A.–

I thank you for your reply. its just I would say roadshow engagements where a film played at only 1 theater in all of NYC for weeks, months or in many cases well over a year is a somewhat different case. the only thing I can think of is this- I think the film is just about perfect as is but the big wigs at Columbia may have said “hey at 3hrs. 9mins. it s long enough” so at the last minute they cut out any scenes not pertaining to the title characters. so I’m assuming the posters, lobby cards etc…. were shipped out even before the final cut was arrived at.