I honestly can't remember the last time I went to a movie on a night off.
 

I only go to theatres with projectionists and I also tend to only go to theatres with curtains. Thus my choices are severely limited. I generally catch whatever the Senator Theatre in Baltimore, MD is playing.
http://www.senator.com

I think Monsters Inc was the last film I saw in a movie theatre (THX and in EX and everything).

Steve

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"Old projectionists never die, they just changeover!"
 

That's why I avoid actually going to theaters and watching a film... anything wrong bothers me too much.
 

First I went to see The Majestic at a notably inferior theatre on "free popcon day". They were tremendously busy and the staff was behind. The trailers were all scratched to shit. The feature looked like the aperature plate wasn't in all the way and the crdits were out of frame. But the film was mercifly unscratched so I watched it without complaint. I enjoyed the scenes in the theatre itself. I would have liked to run the Majestic. I love the idea of the apartment above the theatre and the usher living in the basement. Nobody would be late to work. I did find the fact that they were a small town and had Matinees at 11 & 2 evenings at 6 & 9 a little far fetched.

Then I went to see Ali at the new Stadium 14. The presentation was much better as was the sound.

Both films I enjoyed watching. I don't need or want to watch them again. I feel that the set decoration in The Majestic was Oscar caliber and I would like to see Jon Voit get an Oscar nod for his portrayal of Howard Cosell, it was uncanny.
 

Sheesh, I gotta get out more.
 

The last movie I saw was The Others as UCI Norwich. UK. (November 2001)

The print was not that good ( picture weave and heavy density ) but I know that the projection equipment was not at fault as previous to that they had run Moulin Rouge which looked and sounded superb.
 

So Steve, if the theater has a stain on the screen, emulsion scratches through the print, warbly mono sound played through a speaker with the LF driver blown, but it DOES have curtains AND a projectionist, do you still go?

Last movie I have seen in its entirety? That would be 'Monsters, Inc.' in Fortuna about a month ago.

-Aaron

 

And Brad, you are right about presentation, you want picture and sound to be perfect. But don't dismiss showmanship; it doesn't have to be either/or -- great picture and sound, while abandoning everything else -- patron comfort, an interior that actually has some character rather than looking like a uninviting hovel, ammenities like curtians, an attentive USHER that can actually be summoned to help you with a problem, and yes, a curtain.... even such an extravagance as a projectionist at lease SOMEWHERE within a few minutes of the booth. These ammenities don't have to at the expense of picture and sound. Just because your theatre has a curtain doesn't mean it has to have crap on the screen and AM sound. Used to be that the flagship, first-run theatres always had BOTH, and it didn't seem to take any great magical powers to do it.

I liken these utilitarian, character-less black box "cinemas," even though they may have good picture and sound, to a 5 star restaurant that offers fantastically prepaired meals, but which has these culinary delights served, not by a head waiter, but by a HS kid with spiked hair, a ring in his nose and grungy cloths -- he throws down the plate on a dirty table that has no table cloth and one leg shorter than the rest so it wobbles every time you put you fork down. The floors are sticky and when you need water, there is no one anywhere to be found. You want your steak cooked a bit more, but when you finally find another high school kid, he tells you there is NO COOK in the kitchen -- the cook only comes in on Friday when he prepairs all the meals so they can be automated the rest of the week by the minimum wage help.

The way the HOUSE is run is as important as the way the BOOTH is run. They are two sides of the same coin. If the patron is unhappy with EITHER, or further if he isn't IMPRESSED by either, he stays home in HIS theatre where his comfort and sense of taste are catered to. No one tells him in HIS theatre to ignore the fact that the place looks shabby or that there are kids making noise in front of him or that his bathroom smells like a cespool. It simply isn't enough to put a great picture on the screen, sound in a room with stadium seating and then pretty much abandon the patron who enters that ugly black hole at his own risk.

We should demand both, or the economics of unhappy patrons will force changes that may quickly make the sorry state of today's cinema get even worse.
 

The Curtains and projectionist are necessary but not sufficient!

But with curtains, the likelihood of a stained screen are less than with a naked one and with a "projectionist" a poor show is also less likely therefore, using the above criteria, ones odds of a good presentation are increased. Furthermore, exhibitors that invest in projectionists and curtains tend to also not skimp on the quality of the show, by definition.

Basically now, there is one theatre in DC I will go to and one in Baltimore.

Steve

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"Old projectionists never die, they just changeover!"
 

Anyway back to the point... I love movies and popcorn (my friends in the business don't get how I could still love popcorn after all these years around it). My wife and I try to see at least one movie per week but have seen up to five movies in one week, once. Even when I was a full time theater manager my days off would be spent at the movies. I have traveled over 70 miles to see an art film or an advance film screening at the Variety Club in San Francisco. Those were the good ol' days...

I'm lucky enough to have several friends who are still theater managers so I don't have to pay for 90% of the movies I watch. I really do hate bad customer service and bad film presentation. The other day while watching a movie at the local multiplex, I used my cell phone to call my friend (manager) in the office to radio the booth person and tell them to check the focus. Lazy? maybe, effective? Yes!

Last movie Vanilla Sky, yesterday. (Didn't think it was a rush out to see movie because of the reviews but now that I have seen it I didn't think it was all that bad.)

I think I'm gonna try and see a movie at every theatre in the bay area now... I'm not sure. But tonight I saw "The Royal Tenenbaums" (passed into the Century Presidio). As far as the last movie I PAID for -- sheesh -- it's been awhile... I think maybe "Wet Hot American Summer" at the AMC 1000 Van Ness in San Francisco... but damn that was worth it... hiliarious.
 

Last movie was "Harry potter".

Bye
Antonio
 

My only problem with the film was all those damn mormons in it.

Dave
 

Harry Potter, probably will see something else today or tomorrow.

 

He may have been born in Vermont, but in September 1827, he received the Book of Mormon just east of Rochester, in Palmyra, New York. Each year, many thousands of Mormons celebrate the Hill Cumorah Pageant:

http://www.lds.org/placestovisit/region/0,10749,1775-1-1,00.html
http://www.lds.org/placestovisit/location/0,10634,1831-1-1-1,00.html
http://www.lds.org/placestovisit/location/0,10634,1813-1-1-1,00.html

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John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services, Entertainment Imaging
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7525A
Rochester, New York, 14650-1922 USA
Tel: 716-477-5325 Cell: 716-781-4036 Fax: 716-722-7243
E-Mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com
Web site: http://www.kodak.com/go/motion

OCEANS 11 (My Theatre) Flawless Presentation
MONSTER'S INC. (My Theatre) DTS defaulted to SR on updated R5
SPY GAME (Beacon Theatre in FLA.) Flawless Presentation
HARRY POTTER (AMC in FLA.) 2 reels scratched.
OCEANS 11 (Muvico Theatre in FLA.) opening week 1 reel scratched.

 

this X-mas eve, the movie called "Night of the hunter" directed by Charles Laughton, accompanied by some great 40's shorts. In our living room, brought in by a friend and his portable projection setup.

Commercially A.I., I even paid for the ticket. Total desaster. Brightness around 4 fl, gorgeous Dolby A with 70's style speakers.
This is even among the better theatres out in this rural area...

The X-mas performance showed, why I hate those Potter (TM) and Lord of the Rings (TM) "commercials", it does not require computerized Hi-Tech and Super surround sound, collectibles and marketing to get a suspenseful, grabbing night out.

The other event is the reason, why I stay out of commercial screenings. Unfortunately, the DVD has become more and more first choice of movie reception, as no theatre is willing to go highest possible standars. You can be lucky to have something done with love and knowledge... Support it. Buy the ticket.
 

quote:

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Joe Smith was a Vermonter

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What makes you think I'm a Vermonter??

And what's with this "was" stuff?? I'm still here!!

quote:

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in September 1827, he received the Book of Morman

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But I'm not quite that old....

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

quote:

---

But I'm not quite that old....

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Are you sure? How are we to know without a photo?
www.americanprophet.com

 

Actualy I was born and raised mormon, although my family is from Polermo, Sicily, and they were born and raised roman catholic. Back in 1933 when my great grandfather was turning states evidence against the now infamous louisiana mafia, he moved to california to escape the wrath, changed his name, his race (registered for duty in WWII as a mexican) and his religeon.

However he never stopped the mafia thing. Made millions running a three chair barber shop with this little private room in the back that I was never allowed to go in.

Or was that a movie I went and saw.

Dave
 

The last film I saw on TV was STARTREK II.

"LIVE LONG & PROSPER"

(BRAD WE NEED A SMILIE FOR THE ABOVE.)

1. Lord of the Rings, Carmike 10, Huntsville, 2002/01/02 (the longest movie I've seen in a long time)

2. Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, Regal Madison Square 12, 2001/12/28 (didn't get to see end of movie due to problem -- someone who has seen this please go to movie review forum, read my notes, and fill me in if I missed anything of significance)

2. Not Another Teen Movie, Regal River Oaks Cinema 8, Decatur, 2001/12/14 (short, dumb, and funny)

3. Monsters, Inc., Carmike 10, Huntsville, 2001/12/07 (saw it again to see the new outtakes and bloopers in the credits)

4. Shallow Hal, Regal Hollywood 18, Huntsville, 2001/11/28 (saw it mainly out of morbid curiosity)

5. Out Cold, Regal River Oaks Cinema 8, Decatur, 2001/11/24 (funny, dumb comedy)

6. Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone, Regal River Oaks Cinema 8, Decatur, 2001/11/23 (long but enjoyable)

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Evans A Criswell
Huntsville-Decatur Movie Theatre Information Site
 

The last movie (I much prefer the term motion picture, but use the word movie a lot too) I saw was on Dec. 31. And I had to see and hear a movie on that day so I could reach my goal for the year. I try to see at least 100 movies a year, in a theater of course. And I saw two that night. Jimmy Neutron and the stupid Not Another Teen Movie (but I did laugh), of which brought me to exactly 100 movies for 2001. Prior to JN and NATM I saw I Am Sam and Vanilla Sky. This weekend I plan on seeing Lord Of The Rings, again.

The 100 a year goal includes seeing/hearing movies more than once, but always in their entirety and always in the theater. In 2000, I did not quite make it, only saw about 85. Of the 100 I saw in 2001, included 8 shorts, a movie is a movie regardless of the running time. And of the 100, 99.5 of them were all presented via film. The .5 was a special screening of Space Cowboys where it was film and DLP (first reel DLP, second reel film, third reel DLP, and so on).

Along with seeing movies, I also try to see and hear motion pictures in formats besides 35mm, such as 70mm. Of the 100 motion pictures last year, saw of course 35mm, but also 70mm and even 16mm--though finding 16mm screenings is difficult. And hopefully I will make the 70mm screening of Spartacus, which is coming up on the 12th of this month.

And for some of my previous movie going experiences, here are some other numbers of note: My all time record is 204 motion pictures in one year. My record for movies in one day, of feature length (meaning no shorts), would be 5 movies. And those 5 were in five different theaters. Nowadays, I try and limit it to no more than 2 movies a day, or better yet, split it to 2 days. The furthest I went to see a movie—which would also be my costliest as well—was about 2200 miles (Los Angeles to Dayton Ohio to see two Cinerama movies), and that trips main purpose was to see the 2 movies. I used to drive 200 miles one-way on movie trips, about once a month, for the sole purpose of "going to the movies." Today, the closest theater I attend is the local neighborhood theater 5 miles from my house, but the better theaters I go to are about 50 miles away.

When going to the movies, my first and foremost requirements are good picture and sound presentation. I do not expect to see a 100% accurate presentation (of which I ask, can a 100% accurate presentation be achieved?), but damn close should be strived for. I understand there can be problems with equipment and such. And I will complain and walk out of movies when warranted. But when I return, I expect the problem(s) to have been fixed. And of the few problems I ran into last year, when I had returned, I am happy to say the problems were fixed. I am lucky in one respect in that I see and hear a share of movies at studio screening facilities, which have always been great presentations. The presentation of Lord Of The Rings at the Academy Theatre (Motion Picture Academy) was most excellent. But I am also happy to say, and amazed, that at my local neighborhood theater I have yet to see a movie where a print has been damaged—and I do not usually go on opening weekends. And I saw at least 40 movies there last year. Now, I guess its off to the movies!

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John Gordon
Cinema Applications Engineer
QSC Audio Products, Inc.
1675 MacArthur Blvd.
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(714) 957-7100
john_gordon@qscaudio.com http://www.qscaudio.com

quote:

---

The 100 a year goal includes seeing/hearing movies more than once, but always in their entirety and always in the theater. In 2000, I did not quite make it, only saw about 85. Of the 100 I saw in 2001, included 8 shorts, a movie is a movie regardless of the running time. And of the 100, 99.5 of them were all presented via film. The .5 was a special screening of Space Cowboys where it was film and DLP (first reel DLP, second reel film, third reel DLP, and so on).

---

Wow! You've definitely got me beat. I only saw 47 movies in theatres last year. There were definitely some "dry periods" where there were no movies I wanted to see. I saw 66 in 2000, 53 in 1999, and 80 in 1998!

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Evans A Criswell
Huntsville-Decatur Movie Theatre Information Site
 

Not that it matters, but just for the record, I LOVED "O." Huge Julia Stiles fan. In fact, I am looking at the banner on my wall right now.
 

But since I was a guest in the theater, I figured, "What the hey"....and surprisingly, I acually enjoyed the movie.
 

Something that has always been funny to me is the fact I know many people in this industry, both exhibition and production side, who's life blood is the movies, but never go to the movies. But many will watch videos.

As you can tell from my previous post, I much much prefer to see and hear motion pictures in a theater, as intended. And watching a complete movie through the port window, for me is not watching a movie (of which I have never done, even when I was a projectionist).

One thing I have learned when I go to the movies is to remember film is not a perfect medium. Problems can occur, and will. But when it comes to opperator error, that is a different story.

As for 2002, went to see and hear 2 movie this past weekend. Only 98 more to go.

Josh
 

My spouse wants to see LotR, though, so it seems that I have to suffer through yet another mediocre theatre with a mediocre presentation...
 

I like to watch movies when the cinema is fairly empty. I can get in there after all the advertsing crap has ended and still get a seat in the sweet spot. Also while things like scratches annoy me, there is nothing worse than some one-ton-dumbo crunching crips, rustling his crisp packet and slurping coke in the seat just behind me. If I ever buy into a cinema, the candy bar will only sell icecream (with soggy cones!!).

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Ray Derrick
President
Panalogic Corporation Pty Limited
44 Carrington Road
Castle Hill NSW 2154 Australia
Phone: 61 (0)2 9894 6655 Fax: 61 (0)2 9894 6935