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Author Topic: Titanic: Looking Back Sam Graham AKA: "The Evil Sam Graham". Wackiness ensues. Posts: 1431 From: Waukee, IA Registered: Dec 2004 posted 01-17-2010 09:10 AM                        I remember all the negative publicity the movie was getting before its release...the huge budgets, supposed problems...that thing was supposed to be a disaster unto itself. Movie going for me was pretty depressing at the time. The Des Moines market was a simply godawful, unacceptable situation...especially for somebody who had regular access to Act III plexes a few years previous. In Portland, I went to 1-2 movies a week. In Des Moines, I went to fewer than a half dozen movies a year at indoor houses, otherwise whatever might spark my interest had to be playing at a decent drive-in or I wouldn't see it. So one day I happen upon Act III's website, and discover they've built an 18-screen all-digital, all-THX "stadium riser" multiplex in Kansas City at Station Casino. I barely slept that night. I was there the next morning, completely geeking out. I had NO idea what to see...the thought to pick a movie never even crossed my mind...so I saw the then newly released "Titanic" in Auditorium 6. I subsequently saw Titanic six times in that auditorium over the next couple of months, and four more times elsewhere. None of the home video versions have been able to reproduce the chills I get seeing Titanic on a well-run big screen. I validated that a few years ago when the Titanic Pilfered Artifact exhibit toured Salt Lake City, and Megaplex 17 got a print and ran a few showings on the (then) Cricket Super Screen. The chills were back. I hope that changes with the Blu-ray release. Whenever that happens, it should be a treat as it will have been a few years since I've sat down to watch it. A funny side effect I'm conscious of...TNT-HD shows Titanic once in awhile. But when I run into it while channel-flipping, some reflex makes me immediately flip away from it. I can't watch it on broadcast television. I have no idea why.  |  IP: Logged Bobby Henderson "Ask me about Trajan." Posts: 10973 From: Lawton, OK, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 01-17-2010 09:44 AM                     The idea of watching Titanic on TNT-HD with frequent 5 minute long commercial breaks and animated TV program ads super imposed over the bottom third of the picture during the movie made me throw up in the back of my mouth a little. Kind of a, um, "vurp." Not quite vomit. Not quite a burp either. Ugh.  |  IP: Logged Paul Mayer Oh get out of it Melvin, before it pulls you under! Posts: 3836 From: Albuquerque, NM Registered: Feb 2000 posted 01-17-2010 12:20 PM                        Would you believe I've only seen it in a theater one time? But that one time was memorable - 70mm at the Mann Village in Westwood, CA on opening day. Being a lifelong fan of the lore of Titanic, it was absolutely thrilling to see her under way. Those pristine moving high resolution color images on that giant screen are something I will never forget. It was a dream come true to see her portrayed like that, like a Ken Marschall painting come to life. I've never owned any video versions of Titanic, nor do I have any strong desires to do so. Nothing in a home video format could possibly match the impact of what I saw that day in Westwood.  |  IP: Logged Bobby Henderson "Ask me about Trajan." Posts: 10973 From: Lawton, OK, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 01-17-2010 12:47 PM                     I drove 200 miles to Dallas see the 70mm DTS show of Titanic in the big 1000+ seat THX house at the Northpark 1-2 theater. That's the sort of movie where a really large auditorium equipped with a well maintained sound and projection setup pays off big. I also watched Titanic here in Lawton at least 3 times in the THX houses in our Carmike theater. The presentation quality was really good, but not in the same class as the Northpark theater. The funny thing is the day I saw Titanic at the Northpark theater my former girlfriend and I went to Grapevine Mills to do some shopping and then see Amistad at the newly built AMC Odyssey 30 within the Mills super mall. The auditorium was TINY. It didn't seem like there was any more than perhaps 50 seats in that room. Hell, Brad Miller's screening room may actually be larger! Perhaps the room seemed really tiny after watching a different, better movie in a far bigger auditorium.  |  IP: Logged Jeremy Jorgenson Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1002 From: Chicago, IL, USA Registered: Feb 2005 posted 01-17-2010 02:12 PM                        quote: Paul Mayer Would you believe I've only seen it in a theater one time? But that one time was memorable I've also only seen it once theatrically (and never on TV/video). I saw it opening night at Woodfield 1&2 (Schaumburg, IL) in auditorium #1, which was always my favorite auditorium (it closed in 1999, though). quote: John Wilson I have had the letterboxed VHS since it came out but to this date have still never been able to bring myself to watch it. Likewise ... mine's still in the wrapper. I haven't bought any other format.  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 01-17-2010 02:26 PM                        I wonder where the Titanic video sits in the sales ranks? There are probably lots of people who just don't think it would be the same on a TV set, no matter the size, so for that reason they haven't bought the video. If I ever do buy one, it'll be for the "making-of" features and such...I don't think I'll probably ever watch the movie on TV unless my wife wants to.  |  IP: Logged Bobby Henderson "Ask me about Trajan." Posts: 10973 From: Lawton, OK, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 01-17-2010 03:46 PM                     Hopefully the executives at Paramount Home Video realize the proverbial bar has been raised quite a bit higher on what is expected out of a properly executed Blu-ray special edition release. Some bare bones single disc issue with an old HD-telecine video transfer is simply just not going to be acceptable. I expect a Blu-ray version of Titanic will probably be a special "Sapphire Edition" release at the bare minimum and more likely a more deluxe "Commemorative Edition" box set like what they're planning with The African Queen. Considering the 12 year age of Titanic, it's likely most of the extra materials will be SD-quality video. I don't expect more than the movie and its trailers to be in high definition. I don't expect Titanic to arrive on Blu-ray for perhaps another year or two. I guess it all depends. It seems pretty certain at least one or more older James Cameron movies will be upgraded to Blu-ray in time for the release of Avatar. The Abyss and True Lies both never received proper treatment on the DVD format in Region 1. So they're obviously the most neglected films out of the James Cameron filmography.  |  IP: Logged Geoff Jones Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 579 From: Broomfield, CO, USA Registered: Feb 2006 posted 01-17-2010 04:01 PM                        Bobby, you got me beat. I only drove 80 miles to see it in 70MM at the Century 21 Dome in San Jose (Now "Winchester 21"). IIRC, there were only 16 70MM prints of Titanic. I remember the image being very bright, steady, and clean. 2012 is the 100th anniversary of the sinking. I wonder if there will be a re-issue or BluRay tie-in. It's probably my 2nd least favorite JC film, after Avatar (and not counting Piranha 2), but I like it enough that I would pay to see it on the big screen again.  |  IP: Logged Jeremy Jorgenson Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1002 From: Chicago, IL, USA Registered: Feb 2005 posted 01-17-2010 04:48 PM                        quote: Geoff Jones not counting Piranha 2 Why not?  |  IP: Logged Geoff Jones Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 579 From: Broomfield, CO, USA Registered: Feb 2006 posted 01-17-2010 07:12 PM                        Well, he was an FX guy who only took over after the director quit... and then he was pretty much fired before the film was edited. It doesn't really seem like a full-on "James Cameron Film."  |  IP: Logged Jeremy Jorgenson Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1002 From: Chicago, IL, USA Registered: Feb 2005 posted 01-19-2010 12:48 PM                        Nod, fair enough. I never had trouble accepting it as a Cameron movie, I suppose in part because of the controversy in production/post production. The thought of him breaking into the editing room to "fix" the editing always intrigued me - it sort of epitomizes the type of individual that he is ... definitely the type of director that needs control.  |  IP: Logged Pravin Ratnam Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 844 From: Atlanta, GA,USA Registered: Sep 2002 posted 01-20-2010 06:15 PM                     Before all the preteen and teen girls creating backlash among many, Titanic was something of an underdog(i know , weird, considering it did get a lot of publicity). I thought the first half could have been better, but the second half delivered. The atmosphere when the passengers hang on to the railings from the unsunken side and the chef and WInslet exchanging a quick glance, it was pretty damn good. Cameron is one of the very few who could have pulled off such a movie on a grand scale. Imagine if Nancy Meyers or Nora Ephron directed that. Ugghhhh. Cameron showed that he could make a better "chick" flick better than the chick flick directors. I know we like to bag on the score and the celine dion song. But that helped the movie immensely in terms of setting the mood, especially overseas. But I remember having to avoid family gatherings or any friends parties where there were young girls hogging the living room with some VHS viewing party of Titanic.  |  IP: Logged Joe Tommassello Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 547 From: Coatesville, PA, USA Registered: Jan 2008 posted 01-22-2010 09:35 AM                  OMG!!!! We ALL agree on something??? Maybe we should get a room! I also love this film in spite of it's flaws (Cameron's lapses into terribly dialog, that whiney song, etc.) and like Bobby I am looking forward to the blu-ray version but only after it's out and the quality of the audio and video has been confirmed.  |  IP: Logged System Notices Forum Watchdog / Soup Nazi Posts: 215 Registered: Apr 2004 posted 01-30-2011 08:45 AM                 It has been 372 days since the last post.  |  IP: Logged Tom Petrov Five Guys Lover Posts: 1121 From: El Paso, TX Registered: Jan 2003 posted 01-30-2011 08:45 AM                    I really hope that TIFF will play this film. Perhaps even the 70mm blow up print.  |  IP: Logged

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