AMC Annapolis Mall 11
1020 Annapolis Mall,
Annapolis,
MD
21401
1020 Annapolis Mall,
Annapolis,
MD
21401
5 people
favorited this theater
Showing 26 - 50 of 66 comments
I am a layperson when it comes to projection beyond seeing a LOT of films and remembering issues such as judder, scratchy green lines, etc. I saw The Hateful Eight here on 12/27, and I found the experience…all right. It was indeed in comparatively mid-sized auditorium number 10. No horror stories, but the ultra-wide image did not fill the screen; there was several feet of black nothingness above the frame. There were a few scratches during the overture, but those may represent intentional grind-house homage considering the director.
I strongly suspect Robert Richardson’s shadowy, snowy cinematography will be just as handsome when projected digitally at most multiplexes.
Random observation: I have decided I am not a fan of intermissions when watching a new film with a relatively rowdy/mix-of-casual-viewers-and-fans general audience. I found it…upsetting or at least, in a way, uncomfortable and distancing when the film paused for the intermission, and people started with the, “They sure say the n word a lot in this!”/“This movie is slow. Should we just go eat dinner?”/“I’ll refill the popcorn” chitchat. I would have rather just powered through.
This venue has booked Hateful 8 in 70mm in auditorium 10 and not #1, the big THX certified theater. I’m perplexed at this decision. While 10 isn’t exactly shoebox sized, I’m not sure how the smaller auditorium would do such a film like this justice. Whatever curtains they had haven’t been used since Crown ran the place and I believe they were more for masking/picture cropping then showmanship.
I caught X Men Future Past in #9, one of my favs and one of the 3 original THX certified auditoriums. Excellent sound and projection.
In #5, I recently saw Liam Neeson’s latest ‘A Walk Among Tombstones’ and ‘Maze Runner.’ While Tombstones was more of a thriller, the sound fx with the gun shots were very effective.
‘Runner’, on the other hand, plays like a budget Hunger Games meets Lord of the Flies, but had some really nice surrounds with the maze changing scenes, with distinct sounds rear, sides and in front. Sound booms were deep, but not as deep as in #1, which I missed opening week :(
After a long break, I am glad the self service kiosks have multiplied and also recognize the reward cards. What I am pissed about is they changed the point system to be more like Regal’s. I was getting close to the 100 mark on the old one and was going to cash in on everything at one time. Oh well.
Crown’s Annapolis Mall Cinemas was designed by Port Washington, New York, architect James Thomas Martino. It was one of nine multiplexes Martino designed for Crown Theatres, though this particular location was owned by Westfield Properties, operators of the mall. The multiplex originally seated 2,587, in addition to providing 47 wheelchair-accessible viewing slots.
Probably should acknowledge the existence of the other movie theater that was in the Annapolis Mall from the time it first opened in 1980 until the new venue was built in 1999/2000. From what I recall, it was a bit of a hole in the wall that could be entered from the middle of the mall plaza.
I caught Star Trek: Into Darkness in #1. Perfect presentation, great sound distinction and booms. The one scene before Kirk dies, you can hear his breathing on the left channel before Spock approaches the reaction chamber. Its hard to justify paying IMAX prices when you’ve got an auditorium like this to experience movies.
My friend and I caught a sneak peak of GI Joe: Retribution in 3D, special for Bow Tie Criterion Members in #11. The Dolby 7.1 trailer played nicely, but for some unknown reason, the sound level was not up to what it should be. The trailers, usually played loud..were subdued. The final Star Trek Into Darkness had none of that ‘boom’ ‘boom’ deep bass as in other venues. The film was bleh. Though the one action sequence where the bike splits up and becomes independent weapons was cool.
I saw “Here Comes the Boom” in #1 a few weeks ago. There weren’t really anything I wanted to see so I just chose it randomly. The ticket taker laughed at my reason for choosing it. It wasn’t bad as I thought and, of course, the sound and picture in #1 was top notch.
Last week, I saw Hotel Transylvania in #11 flat. As usual, the presentation was really good, bright picture, great surround and probably better appreciated without the 3D and darkness. I think the singing could have used stronger bass, but that may have been the sound mix and not the theater’s fault. It just seemed to beg for more bass given the rap elements. They had previous of a Despicable Me sequel among other CGI animated films.
This week, I saw “Bourne Legacy” in #5. Coming in a little late, I missed the trailers and sat too close to the front. The jerky camera and quick shots made me a little woozy afterward but not as bad as seeing “Born on the Fourth of July” in 70mm at the Uptown way back in ‘88. Digital perfect presentation, no detractions. The movie seemed more of a reboot with the new Jason. It runs like the first movie, including the open ending.
The venue needs to upgrade their self service kiosks to accept the BowTie movie card like Regal and AMC do. Since no one was as the closed Customer Service desk, I had to trek back to the box office to get my movie credit and ticket. Not very good customer service. :P
This past week, I saw Whitney Houston’s final film ‘Sparkle’, during a matinee and, surprisingly, largely attended screening in #11. I had trepidations that the sound may not have been great as if it were in #2 or 9, but was pleasantly surprised. 11 was my first positive experience with digital projection, albeit at 1.2K resolution 10 yrs ago. ‘Sparkle’ looked digital great, too.
The sound was played up and very enjoyable. Of course, the inevitable comparison to ‘Dreamgirls’ is unwarranted, Jordin Sparks holds her own in her movie debut. One special thing I have noticed in Whitney Houston movies is that when she sings, she’s filmed live singing and not lip synching and ‘acting’ in the moment. You can see her vibrato motions in her throat. In this film, there’s no exception.
A film like this is best enjoyed with a vocal crowd. Since this is an African American film, there were many blacks in attendance, even older couples. There was this black lady who kept clapping, amen-ing and even exclaimed ‘kick his ass’ as Mike Epps' character was being beaten by the sisters for beating one of their own. It was a great crowd pleasing good time had by all.
I’ve recently seen The Bourne Legacy and The Expendables 2 in house number one. Amazing presentations. Crisp digital picture. Thunderous (but also clear and nuanced) sound; I could even understand the majority of Sly Stallone’s lines, lol. Top-notch.
Also saw ParaNorman in 3-D, in house number two. Decent enough presentation. Good sound. The picture was a bit dim, but this isn’t too surprising when one is watching a largely nocturnal film with virtual sunglasses on. I would have rather seen it in 2-D, but the film is only on one screen, and the 2-D evening show didn’t fit my schedule.
Ahhh finally, some bloggers to share experiences with!
1, my favorite still has the THX plaque on it. Unless THX does not know they re still advertising THX certification, they should take it down. Otherwise, they must still have that auditorium certified.
I saw the latest ‘Ice Age: Continental Drift’ in 3D in #9. It was THX cert once upon a time, but the surrounds weren’t as powerful as it could have been. Sitting up towards the back, I was hoping for that immersive experience but heard mostly sounds in the front, with an occasional left speaker sound effect. Disappointing.
Also, the staff needs to be more attentive. The ticket taker took my ticket and forgot to give me 3D glasses while talking to the co-worker at the concession stand. Bad.
Given my lackluster experience in #9, it was even more disheartening to hear the loud end music to Batman Dark Knight Rises from #1. Hmmm. I’m holding out to see it in real IMAX when I have time to go downtown.
On a different note, it seems Bow Tie will be rolling out their own version of IMAX-lite and XD, with their BTX. They could easily tear down Screens 5 and 6 and combine them to one BIG 80' screened auditorium to compete with Cinemark’s XD and the IMAX-lite installs at AMC and Regal. Regal’s new Crofton venue will have IMAX-lite, so it makes sense to build one here to keep up with the competition.
Oh, also: at both this theatre and its sister at the Harbour Center, I notice they’ve at long last decided to utilize their sound systems to their fullest. For the longest time, the Dolby 7.1 “ALL…AROUND…YOU” left/rear/right introduction just played as “ALL…dead air…YOU” in most every auditorium. This sound-system promo has been playing properly for the last month and a half or so.
I saw The Amazing Spider-Man in 3-D in auditorium number two. The audio presentation proved solid, at times very dynamic, but otherwise a very unimpressive showing. Isn’t it now proper form to project 3-D features at levels brighter than usual, to counteract the glasses? The 2-D trailers (including The Dark Knight Rises, Lawless, and Total Recall) were incredibly dim and hazy, and the situation didn’t improve during the feature with the 3-D (sun)glasses on. Honestly, a bit of a disaster of a presentation; nauseating during the motion-filled action sequences, with the entire color palette reduced to a bland grey. I am not a huge fan of the 3-D illusion in general, but I’ve seen gorgeous and satisfactory 3-D presentations at this theatre before (Avatar, Fright Night), so I know they can do much, much better.
This is a nice place and its near by me. I let them know I will not be back till they have 4K projectors. Not having THX sucks but not as a big deal as 4k is. They were one of the last few that keep THX this long. My under standing every thing is still the same just made it 7.1 just no THX stamp or certification.
Madagascar 3 in Digital (non-3D) was good in #1. Surrounds were very good. I think the film would have been better in 3D as there were many ‘in your face’ moments. The character eyes could have been drawn better as they looked too flat and dead. I know thats not the theater’s fault, but its just an observation that drew attention to itself during character close ups.
I caught Men in Black in 3D Digital @ #7. This and #4 are not my favorite auditoriums. The picture seemed dark again probably because of the 3D. Sound was acceptable but not noteworthy. Movie was good and was surprisingly packed during the matinee showing.
Caught the new Johnny Depp movie “Dark Shadows” in #4 the other week. I enjoyed the movie better then I thought I would. As usual, the macabre nature of the Depp/Burton collaboration shows in this tv show send up. Unfortunately, the presentation was a bit off with sound and surrounds being a little off.
“Snow White and the Huntsmen” in #2 was better. The sound was appreciably up with good surrounds and digital crisp picture. Charlize Theron is surprisingly good as the evil Queen. The adult Snow White version borrows some visuals from Stephen Sommers ‘The Mummy’ remake especially with the soul sucking scene. No THX trailers at all. #1, #2 and #9 were supposedly THX certified. #1 still has the THX plaque, so the certs must still be in place.
I saw the updated ‘The Three Stooges’ in #4. Movie was enjoyable and surprised the theater was almost filled out and enjoyed by kids and adults alike. The actors captured the likeness and traits of the original to a t. I’m surprised the movie did not do better than it has.
I saw ‘Star Wars: The Phantom Menace’ in Digital 3D a few weeks ago. It was usual dark, with yet another Lucas tweak, at the beginning of the pod race. Sound and projection were good in #6.
The past week I saw ‘The Hunger Games’ in #1. As usual, the sound and picture were first rate. I love the Dolby 7.1 trailer, but miss the THX sound trailer. The movie is a bit overrated with elements of ‘The Handmaiden’s Tale’ and ‘The Running Man’ with the violent nature of the ‘game’ played with the kids.
JodarMovieFan, THX has a “find theater” function. Put in this zip code & it no appear. Here: http://www.thx.com/consumer/movies/find-a-thx-certified-cinema/
Hmm. Finally, someone to share comments with this theater…I wonder why I no longer get notifications even when the site says I am subscribed to it.
CWK, if the venue is no longer THX certified, why are there THX plaques all over the place; at the box office and prominently and proudly displayed in #1? On the THX website, it still lists the venue as being certified. As such, someone must be paying for the certification status, otherwise, the plaques and website info would be taken down. Bring back and play the THX sound trailers, please. Surely there are digital version of them..I’m thinking the last one with the flower petals is DP, as they’ve played that in DP movies here before.
I have enjoyed various movies over the holidays and last month to include; ‘Footloose,’ ‘Joyful Noise’ and ‘The Grey’ last week to a soldout crowd in #1 opening weekend.
With all the updates, they need to reprogram the self service ticket kiosks to read/accept the BowTie movie card to avoid the lines at the box office when it gets busy. Regal and AMC do. :)
@JodarMovieFan
The Bow Tie Annapolis Mall XI no longer sports THX. Over the summer, the theater made the transition to 7.1 Dolby Surround in all houses in addition to equipping all of the screens with digital projectors. I would know: I work at the Bow Tie Annapolis Mall XI. This may explain the lack of a THX reel prior to the show.
Caught Happy Feet 2 in #9. Very good projection and sound despite the darker 3D. No THX trailer played to show off the sound system, even though this is one of the 3 certified here. In fact, I do not think any THX trailer has played in any of the auditoriums since the sound/DP upgrade.
Courteous employee thanking us for coming as we were leaving the auditorium. On second thought, maybe he was thanking us because we were the last to leave so they could clean the place…
Recently saw Footloose in #4 in DP last week. Film is a subpar remake. The updated songs do not have the same oomph as the originals. Casting for the leads is off with Ren McCormack now sporting a Bawston accent. Deniece Williams' signature song doesn’t play as richly as the original given the digital soundtrack.
Yesterday, I saw ‘Tower Heist’ in #11 in DP. Very good picture, digital crisp and decent sound. Nothing great soundtrack wise. Engaging movie.
I did buy concessions this time around. They need a better condiment station to have fresh onion, relish and a ketchup and mustard dispenser. Packets of relish and ketchup just don’t cut it. The hot dog was lukewarm. Next time, I’m going to sneak food in.