AMC Montgomery 16
7101 Democracy Boulevard,
Bethesda,
MD
20817
7101 Democracy Boulevard,
Bethesda,
MD
20817
4 people
favorited this theater
Showing 26 - 48 of 48 comments
Can somebody please take a photo, of the theater’s exterior or lobby or an auditorium, and post it so this page hss one?
while it’s unfair to compare Ant-Man’s ‘digital’ presentation to IMAX’s ‘laser’ presentation (at Air & Space Museum Airbus IMAX screen) [darker, less color, less sharpness] – I do have to say the Dolby Atmos mix blew the 12-channel IMAX mix out of the water, simply superior – the imaging is very wide as to extend the music and sound cues just outside the screen area (as mentioned before in my observation to ‘The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies’ Atmos mix) – what achieved this is the fact that not only Atmos allocates the speakers closest to the screens as sourcing, but sound ‘behind’ the screen is benefitted from not only the pre-requisite left,center,right speakers but also left-center and right-center speakers as in typical pre-1977 70mm sound systems (before the transition to ‘baby boom’ features and the removal of two channels of the five front stage speaker set up) The bass also seems tighter and punchier for some reason, most notably also heard in the Pixar short film that preceeded ‘Inside Out’: ‘Lava’
for some reason, I thought the ‘Widescreen’ was a fixed 2.40:1 screen – but I guess since they haven’t really shown that many 1.85 movies, (‘Gravity’ being an exception) I haven’t yet seen how such a film is projected. Got that chance with ‘Tomorrowland’ the other day since the image is 1.85 with the 2.20 aspect ratio nestled with a sliver of black borders above and below the image – the second film with an odd aspect ratio will be ‘Jurassic World’ (2.00:1). But basically the screen can expand vertically, which was a pleasant surprise.
‘Mad Max Fury Road’ in Atmos really showed off the bass channels (auditorium #6) to stunning effect, tight, low and resonant.
Giles, I was just teasing you. I thought the membership was supposed to be free for six months, thats what I read on the website when the place opened with ‘Interstellar’ last Nov. I’m just pissed at the awful customer service. I’m mulling writing a letter to corporate. Maybe it was just a bad day. I still want to to check out the other auditoriums and eventually will.
As far as digitizing a classic like 2001, I’m holding out for a HFR digital product along the lines of what FX Master Doug Trumbull is working on. I vividly remember his Showscan effort, HFR 70mm film projection that was ahead of its time and this Showscan Digital, or whatever its called, is supposedly compatible with today’s systems..this could be the generational leap in the motion picture experience that will sustain the business for years to come, imho.
Howard, I hear you, too. I forget the name of the magazine..‘Cinefantastique’ or some other one but there was this article that talked about digitizing the classic films that were 70mm..well, 65mm native. Whether to scan at a higher res rate like ‘Blade Runner’ supposedly did.. 8K. So when its finally rendered..4K, 2K, the final product should look better even if its several generations below the master scan.
Both of you are right in that these studios need better quality control when it comes to these transfers. They should pay extra $ to consult with the original production folks (while they are still living) to ensure these DCPs remain faithful to their film versions.
In 2013, I went from 70mm film festival at Seattle Cinerama to see a couple new 2k digital films which looked like crap compared to 70mm resolution, and notice Giles that crap is the more appropriate 4 letter word to publcly employ.
actually with Tyson’s prime time ticket pricing at $12.99 – with Arclight membership you’re saving yourself 24 cents (With the dollar off), and on Monday and Tuesday with the member discount it’s $10.75 at night. And because the ‘widescreen’ Dolby Atmos equipped auditorium is not a ‘speciality screen’ there’s no extra fee as AMC does with it’s ETX screen at Tysons. Of course, the flat up-charge price for 3D screenings is $3.50.
I didn’t expect the DCP of ‘2001’ to look as good as a 70mm print – HAH … I’m not that clueless. But really, Warner’s should be embarrassed how bad the DCP looks – the DCP should at least be encoded/created from the 4K workflow, but it isn’t, thrown up onto the 65 foot wide screen via a 4K projector, it looked (excuse my language) shitty. Close ups looked fine, but edge enhancements on the models was very apparent – the image judders in a couple of instances when the camera isn’t even moving. Did no one at Warner’s cross-check what the DCP looked like?? [ugh- face palm] Warner needs to stop being cheap bastards and pony up to encoding classic movies in 4K on their DCP’s – Sony does.
I finally made the trip to visit this grand new plex with much enthusiasm after reading what a great movie exhibition business this was in LA.
Before the movie, I had lunch in the eaterie area and was disappointed over the fact that the big restaurants have yet to be opened. Bobby Flay’s burger joint I’ve had and wasn’t too thrilled with at the Arundel Mills location and Cheesecake Factory is just another pricey chain restaurant. Visually, the place looks better and brighter than the old food court, I have to say that many pieces of the laminate furniture is already peeling apart. Very bad. Plus, a combination of the lack of patron courtesy and attentive cleaning staff made for very dirty tables. I don’t know why it is people don’t clean after themselves and leave their uneaten food, drinks and trash on the table when there are clearly marked trash bins all over the place.
I caught the new Wachowski sibling film ‘Jupiter Ascending’ also with some degree of heightened enthusiasm even after their last two disappointments known as ‘Cloud Atlas’ and ‘Speed Racer.’ The film was in #7 and had the Atmos sound system but was not Wide Screen.
When I went into the lobby area, there are self service tables with movie cards for you to sign up for or so I thought. I thought you could sign up and use the card at the same time to get your points. You can’t. Since I was running late, I paid the $17 (!) for the 3D Atmos presentation. It was only after I saw a guy, who should have greeted me at the station, who stated I could not get credit for my purchase since I didn’t go through him to sign up for the card. The idiot should have greeted me the second I walked through the door not just look into space like some zombie. I told him I was already late for the movie so I’d sign up at home. He then grabbed the card I had thought I’d need with the unique membership number and said I only get that when I sign up at home. Okay. Fuggeduhboutit!
The ticket taker observed me walking up and didn’t bother greeting me until I opened my mouth to say hi, first. Buzzer Poor, poor, poor customer service. Looking at the age of this guy, he had to be a Manager or someone in authority. I should’ve gotten his name. I asked him if the film was in Dolby Atmos. (I already knew it was because thats what the showtime ad said). He didn’t know, but looked at my ticket and said. ‘well, it says 'dolby’ so it MUST be Atmos. AHA! Okay. He told me where the theater was but no ‘enjoy the show.’
When I got to 7, the previews had started and the seat I had I could not see the number but visually, I sort of knew where it should be. Supposedly, there were to be 3 others in the same row but there was no one there. So much for reserved seating. The auditorium, itself reminded me of AMC’s newer theaters but in reduced size. I’d call them AMC’s IMAX-lite-lite. :D Screen size can’t be more than 50 ft. Seats were comfortable and, thankfully, all the armrests can be put up so you can make yourself more comfortable as long as you don’t have someone sitting next to you.
Presentation was good. The stylish glasses were spotted on the left but tolerable to see the movie. The digital 3D movie had decent color saturation and the expected darker picture was tolerable. The Atmos sound effects were mostly noticeable in some dialogue and people entering certain scenes. The sound could have been cranked up more beyond cradling you to sleep.
For $17 to watch a 3D DP film on a 40ft screen in Dolby Atmos is getting into IMAX-lite territory. Unfortunately, the customer service here is not there to justify such a high price point either.
Giles, you saw a 2K DP version of 2001 and had the slightest notion it would be superior to that of 70mm??? Blasphemy!! Maybe it was a DVD that you saw. They showed a 2K 2001 at the Senator in Balto. I passed on that one. They play them at the AFI.
Since 2001 was shot in 65mm, they should do what they did with Blade Runner when they transfer it to digital by going higher with the resolution. I read they scanned BR at 8K.
I hope to make a visit there sometimes this week. I see the prices are $13 for a show! We’re entering IMAX-lite territory here. The concession fare is equally expensive but above your typical popcorn and nacho fare. We’ll see…
the 7.1 surround sound presentation of ‘Into the Woods’ here at Bethesda was superior to what I had heard in December at Syracuse’s (New York) Regal Destiny USA’s RPX screen. I was hearing more instruments and movement of sound to better effect.
I’m loving the ‘Arclight Presents’ film series, although whoever over at Warner’s did the 2K DCP of ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ should have been kicked in the knees there were so many flaws, you wouldn’t have believed the movie was shot on 70mm film stock in the first place (it looked like a projected DVD) – the 2K bluray is far and away the better transfer (creating a new 4K DCP should be paramount). The 5.1 sound though was the highlight.
did a double feature of ‘Big Hero 6’ and ‘The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies’ (HFR-3D) today on the ‘widescreen’ screen (auditorium 6) and my impression was cemented that it’s in my top five favorite screens in the DC area. The screen is impressively wide at 65 feet and the auditorium is tall. Dolby Atmos sound is staggering as it’s not played back to obscene high volume levels as it is on AMC Tysons' ETX screen. The pinpointing of sound is enveloping and extends the aural imaging around the image as well as the standard side and rear surround channels. Numerous music cues and sound effects, notably in ‘The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies’ achieved this illusion to astonishing nuanced soundscaping.
finally saw a movie here: ‘Exodus: Gods and Kings’ – the Dolby Atmos system on screen 7 is the perfect example on how, why and possible for medium size auditoriums can feature and present Atmos mixed films.
3D presentations are complimented and achieved with Dolby glasses.
the wait for the Dolby Atmos systems (on screen 6 and 7) is driving me crazy – apparently they are STILL being installed / calibrated. Both ‘Big Hero 6’ and tomorrow’s ‘Hunger Games: Mocking Jay Part 1’ have been pulled /unadvertised as such.
the picture on the page is wrong.
All ArcLight locations including the newest have dual 35mm Kinoton projectors so they can play studio prints reel to reel. Interstellar is plattered.
all the screens sound systems can playback 7.1 sound.
JodarMovieFan: The 35mm is only used for special screenings; often providing access to titles that aren’t readily available otherwise. They utilize vault prints (or freshly struck prints in some cases); thus, they go to great lengths to assure presentation quality/film handling is first rate (i.e. no scratched prints, blotchy picture, etc.).
How can anyone be ‘excited’ about 35mm projection? On a platter, most likely! Plllleaaase! Harken back to the days of scratched prints, blotchy picture, no thank you. The Arclight website did boast 70mm at ‘all’ locations but not here :P
On a positive note, I am anxious to check this place out for myself given all the hoopla about presentation and sound ‘exceeding’ THX certs.
from what I can see on their website both a DLP presentation on the ‘Wide Screen’ and the 35mm print are happening. The 35mm print is opening two days prior on the 5th of November.
Yeah the BTX is unmasked for flat, but at least it’s designed for scope films. And I’ll take a widescreen presentation over a television-shaped one any day, which is why I’m seeing Interstellar at the Uptown instead of at Arclight, which I was considering previously.
I thought the Bow Tie Reston’s BTX screen was a set 2.35 screen with no side masking. The best thing about the Cinemark Xtreme screens are that they are two of the tallest screens in the DC area including the IMAX-D and ETX screen at Tysons and the Uptown.
six auditoriums are set up to playback 3D features as well.
The reported dimensions of the “widescreen” auditorium (65'x45') don’t make sense as that would produce an unmasked aspect ratio of 1.44:1, and this is obviously not a 70mm IMAX auditorium. Perhaps that measures the screen straight across and doesn’t account for the curve. Ultimately it’s likely to be (and appears to be from the pictures that are available) 1.85:1 unmasked, which means scope films will be masked or letterboxed just like at every other run-of-the-mill chain. And just like on a television. Cheaper to build, but not cinematic or widescreen by any stretch. At this point the only huge side-masked auditoriums in the NCR that I’m aware of are the Uptown and Bow Tie’s BTX screen in Reston (unless you include Fredericksburg…three down there including one large format). Some of the older Regals including former Consolidated and Loew’s theatres do have some side-masked screens, and Fairfax Corner used to be all side-masked until they put in their two Xtreme screens, and with Cinemark taking over I would guess they’ve done a full conversion, though admittedly I haven’t been there in a couple years.