Comments from PeterApruzzese

Showing 326 - 350 of 675 comments

PeterApruzzese
PeterApruzzese commented about Ziegfeld Theatre on Apr 17, 2008 at 12:39 pm

I’m amazed they made it through 1987 alive, look at that lineup of junk!

PeterApruzzese
PeterApruzzese commented about Ziegfeld Theatre on Apr 16, 2008 at 9:52 am

Interviews in 1981 with Spielberg indicated that he saw the character as a variant on Fred C. Dobbs (Humphrey Bogart in Treasure of the Sierra Madre).

PeterApruzzese
PeterApruzzese commented about Lafayette Theatre on Apr 13, 2008 at 2:31 pm

Hi, Gary.

I’m glad you made it out and enjoyed the show. You came on a good day as we had the special lobby poster display from the movie and you got to see the “deluxe” presentation with trailer and curtain features, as well as walk-out music after the film.

Please introduce yourself next time you come out – I’m usually in the lobby before the show.

PeterApruzzese
PeterApruzzese commented about Newton Theatre on Apr 5, 2008 at 5:30 pm

Hi, Peter –

Should be before the end of April. The guys are still cleaning up and refurbishing the place. The marquee got hit by a truck on Thursday, so that needs to be repaired as well.

PeterApruzzese
PeterApruzzese commented about Ziegfeld Theatre on Apr 4, 2008 at 4:03 pm

If I’d been there, they’d have had to physically stop me from trying to do that, Bill. I nearly got thrown out of the Bergen Mall Cinema back in ‘89 when they couldn’t/wouldn’t fix the focus during a Star Trek V/ Indiana Jones & the Last Crusade double feature.

PeterApruzzese
PeterApruzzese commented about More 3-D films coming on Apr 4, 2008 at 3:17 pm

I hope you’ll get a chance as most of them look exceptionally good if the projection is correct. I’ll be showing some again – probably next year – at the Lafayette in Suffern. I imagine there will also be a third World 3D Expo in LA at some point.

PeterApruzzese
PeterApruzzese commented about More 3-D films coming on Apr 4, 2008 at 12:19 pm

“single”

PeterApruzzese
PeterApruzzese commented about More 3-D films coming on Apr 4, 2008 at 12:18 pm

Properly projected double system polarized 3-D – the way every songle one of the golden age films from the 50s were made and shown (the article linked above is hideously incorrect about the process) is not “bad”. LIM – you must not have ever seen one.

PeterApruzzese
PeterApruzzese commented about Is a free movie theater feasible? on Apr 4, 2008 at 12:15 pm

Generally, the studios do not waive exhibition rights payments even if you do not charge admission. In fact, since they also get a percentage of your box office, they will charge you more in a flat rate if you aren’t selling tickets. Whatever you do, please don’t show anything without clearing it and paying for it – the studios will never service you if they find out that you’ve done so.

Cost to obtain repertory prints can vary anywhere from $150 to $500 or more, plus shipping both ways. And you’ll have to sign a master agreement personally with every studio you want to do business with. I would suggest you contact a local film booker who can advise you better – go to www.bigscreenbiz.com for more info on bookers.

PeterApruzzese
PeterApruzzese commented about Roxy Theatre on Apr 2, 2008 at 3:29 pm

Hi, Vito – in your 4/1 post above you wrote, “In a situation where a theatre had only one curtain, when we showed a flat picture on the scope screen we would not open the curtain all the way, stopping it just after the edge of the image.”

When we first took over the Lafayette in Suffern back in 2002, there was no masking. By the time we started running classics as part of our line-up in early 2003, we still didn’t have masking so I used that exact same method with the curtain for running Academy ratio films until our new screen and masking went in a few months later. What goes around, comes around…

PeterApruzzese
PeterApruzzese commented about How to purchase/rent films? on Apr 2, 2008 at 11:25 am

You have your theatre’s film booker contact the repertory divisions of the various studios. Terms and conditions for every studio vary, so you’re best off using a pro rather than trying to do it yourself. You can find bookers at www.bigscreenbiz.com .

PeterApruzzese
PeterApruzzese commented about Radio City Music Hall on Apr 1, 2008 at 7:18 pm

Bosley Crowther’s New York Times review is dated 9/25/64 (“opened at the Music Hall”)

PeterApruzzese
PeterApruzzese commented about $35 tickets for luxury movie theater on Mar 31, 2008 at 5:07 pm

According to the CPI calculator, a $3 movie ticket in 1975 (which would have been on the upper end for first-run, IIRC) would be $11.80 today.

PeterApruzzese
PeterApruzzese commented about AMC Rockaway 16 on Mar 26, 2008 at 9:56 pm

In the case of AMC (as with most large chains), the district office or national booking office submits showtimes to the various services that then syndicate them to Moviefone, movietickets.com, Fandango, the newspapers, etc.

PeterApruzzese
PeterApruzzese commented about Radio City Music Hall on Mar 26, 2008 at 4:23 pm

Yes, Lady Vanishes was from his Gaumont British studio days.

PeterApruzzese
PeterApruzzese commented about AMC Rockaway 16 on Mar 26, 2008 at 3:49 pm

The theatre doesn’t submit its own showtimes.

PeterApruzzese
PeterApruzzese commented about Radio City Music Hall on Mar 20, 2008 at 2:39 pm

From what I was told, they will be around $50, but the official announcement is to come next week sometime.

PeterApruzzese
PeterApruzzese commented about Radio City Music Hall on Mar 20, 2008 at 2:33 pm

There will be a big organ concert at the Music Hall on Saturday night, August 9, sponsored by Theatre Organ Society International, and that tickets should be available starting next week

PeterApruzzese
PeterApruzzese commented about Ziegfeld Theatre on Mar 16, 2008 at 11:03 am

Fox did strike new prints of Planet of the Apes a few years ago. When I ran a brand new Fox vault print of it at the Lafayette Theatre in 2004, it was perfect. Most likely the Ziegfeld will get a similar print, though hopefully it hasn’t been harmed by disinterested projectionists prior to them getting it.

PeterApruzzese
PeterApruzzese commented about Hackensack Meridian Health Theatre on Mar 14, 2008 at 10:33 pm

Hi, “Legal”. Please re-write your posts so that we may understand you better. Thanks.

Again, it appears that the current series (none of us are talking about anything else) at Count Basie is completely licensed and correct. If they have booked their theatrical showings through the studios – since these are shows where they are charging admission, that would be the correct procedure – they do not need your “Umbrella License” service.

PeterApruzzese
PeterApruzzese commented about Hackensack Meridian Health Theatre on Mar 12, 2008 at 9:49 pm

Perhaps “Legal” doesn’t realize that most of the major studios (Warner, Paramount, Fox, & Sony; I don’t know about Universal) have recently been granting theatrical booking contracts that allows the exhibition of a DVD to the public in repertory situations.

PeterApruzzese
PeterApruzzese commented about Plan for Regal, AMC, Cinemark to go all digital on Mar 12, 2008 at 9:43 pm

Well, vinyl certainly sounds better than CD on a proper setup…

:)

PeterApruzzese
PeterApruzzese commented about AMC Rockaway Inner 6/Outer 6 on Mar 3, 2008 at 4:54 pm

Well, unless the theatre is damaging the film print, the Dolby Digital works just fine. The same type of damage that can affect the Dolby Digital track will affect the DTS track as well. Sound quality is essentially equivalent between them. Regarding “surround”, if the DTS track isn’t working, the sound comes from the analog stereo Dolby tracks, the same as if the Dolby Digital track isn’t working.

PeterApruzzese
PeterApruzzese commented about AMC Rockaway Inner 6/Outer 6 on Mar 3, 2008 at 4:16 pm

Why would bigger screens be a gripe? Dolby Digital delivers just as good sound as DTS, so I’m not sure I understand that gripe, either.

PeterApruzzese
PeterApruzzese commented about Film Forum on Mar 3, 2008 at 10:13 am

For those who missed King Kong at the Film Forum , the historic 1000-seat Lafayette Theatre in Suffern, New York will be showing it on Saturday, March 15 at 11:30am as part of its spring Big Screen Classics series.