Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: SHREK

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Posted by Jason Black (Member # 684) on 05-18-2001, 12:12 AM:

Can someone, anyone, tell me what the big deal about SHREK is now that you've had the chance to screen it?
I just don't get it... People fall for this hyped up advertisement for such crap..

Had it NOT been for Eddie Murphy as the talking ASS, this movie would have really blown.. thankfully, for Dreamworks, and the misguided public, his comedic talent allowed me to sit htru this film in it's entirity.

Anyone else care to comment?

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The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese!

Posted by Rachel Carter (Member # 693) on 05-18-2001, 02:54 AM:

NOT FOR KIDS!

I don't understand how the movie industry works sometimes?!?! This movie was not for kids. It was rated PG but contained swearing and many sexual innuendos. Many of these things I'm sure a child would not even notice but I would not be comfortable taking a child to this flick. They probably wouldn't like it anyway.

Personally I didn't find it all that bad, as long as you go in as an adult and think of the movie from that point of view. There are many sutle jokes that you have to be paying close attention to even notice.

I'd give it 2 1/2 out of 5 stars.....
I was expecting much better!

Posted by Rachel Carter (Member # 693) on 05-18-2001, 02:58 AM:

I have copied this post by Demetris Thoupis, this movie was posted on 2 threads...this way they can be put together.

_____________________________________________

"WOW.
What a movie. Beats down every god damned animation ever created by Disney (although it is in 3D). The animation and the movement of each of the characters is so realistic that you might think that you are actually watching a movie and not an animation. But WHAT AN ANIMATION. So much detail given not only to the characters but to every single thing in the background e.t.c. Also. The plot and the jokes made in the whole film are just AMAZING. Why don't they make a real movie with jokes like the ones included in Shrek. Imagine singing and a bird blowing up because it is tweeting TOO LOUD!!!! Or imagine a Female Dragon falling in love with a "noble steed" . Eddie Murphy's voice is so realistic as a donkey. Mike Myers is great and of course the great princess Cameron Diaz. Anyone screening a print should definately see it. It's just AMAZING. Kids will love it. Adults will love it. YOU will love it
Demetris Thoupis

"HEY SHREK, I'M LOOKING DOWN!!!!!"

Posted by Will Morrow (Member # 792) on 05-18-2001, 04:08 PM:

I LOVED this movie. As DT said, I thought the animation was absolutely wonderful. I really fell in love with some of these characters. As far as it not being for children, I somewhat disagree. A child should not get most of the "adult" jokes. If a child does get those jokes, the damage has already been done earlier in the childs life. Swearing? I heard Ass in the movie, in reference to the donkey, not a big deal, you will hear that on Saturday cartoons. Ultimately, if a child is too young to see this, then they should be accompanied by a parent, so it should be okay to see it. If there is no parent, they are probably okay to see the movie. I screened this movie with about 15 other employees and guests, and there was a pretty constant level of laughter. I think everyone in there enjoyed it a lot, and I think the people are going to enjoy it as well.

Posted by John Anastasio (Member # 607) on 05-18-2001, 09:34 PM:

I just came from the AMC Hamilton (NJ) where they opened it tonight on a HUGE screen and did a really nice job with it. Not only did I enjoy the artistry of the film, but thoroughly enjoyed being in there with a mixed audience of kids and grownups. The audience reactions really helped with my enjoyment of the film, even though I did find a few things a bit crude...but hey, if it gets a laugh, that's what it's all about. As I was walking into the auditorium, I noticed one of the suits from AMC taking an employee to task because he wasn't wearing a white tee-shirt under his uniform! I was glad to see that they're paying attention to not only the film presentation but the way the staff looks to the paying public as well. And the girl behind the counter actually smiled at me as she sold me my popcorn.

Posted by Evans A Criswell (Member # 381) on 05-18-2001, 10:29 PM:

Attendance: Regal Hollywood 18, Huntsville, AL, Auditorium 10, 2001/05/18 17:00

I went to see this movie with a friend using two free tickets that we got at a Kroger grocery store nearby the previous week. We were both very impressed by the quality of the animation. We thoroughly enjoyed the movie and its many jokes.

I think most of the "adult-oriented" jokes will probably go over young kids' heads, as mentioned earlier, although my friend stated that this was not a movie to take kids to see.

The only unfortunate thing about this movie is it was shown misframed with the image center 2 feet too low on a screen roughly 17 feet high. Painfully obvious during previews and mildly noticeable during the entire movie, the misframing marred the experience. I hope when I see it again elsewhere, I'll have better luck. Studios need to do something to flat films to force proper framing to prevent this. The showing immediately before the one we attended was run misframed the same way (We went in while the other showing was ending).

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Evans A Criswell
Huntsville-Decatur Movie Theatre Info Site

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 05-19-2001, 03:17 AM:

Evans-

Why didn't you go put and complain about the framing during the trailers? Or at least send your friend.

Krogers rulez!

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 05-19-2001, 07:43 AM:

I agree, anyone who notices an obvious and correctable problem like misframing or poor focus should immediately inform the theatre personnel so they can correct it. Don't just sit there and stew, DO SOMETHING to get it corrected.

If the theatre does nothing to correct a real problem after they are told, then you have a right to ask for a refund.

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John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services, Entertainment Imaging
Eastman Kodak Company
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7419
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

Posted by Mitchell Cope (Member # 32) on 05-19-2001, 10:00 AM:

I don't disagree John, but wandering out into the lobby to find somebody is a pain. First you wander out like someone looking for emergency help in a hospital. And then the blank stare someone gives you when you tell them the film is out-of-focus, misframed, or whatever. You feel like, will they believe me? Am I little too much of a perfectionist?

Here's an idea! I think every screen should have a phone just outside the theater with a direct hot line to the projection booth. Anybody ever tried that?

Posted by Adam Martin (Member # 641) on 05-19-2001, 10:35 AM:

You mean you've never had someone call the manager's office or box office from their cell phone in the auditorium to complain about something?

I mean the projectionist wouldn't be in the booth anyway, he's in the lobby talking with his buddies.

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 05-19-2001, 01:32 PM:

I've used my cell phone MANY times to call the theater's direct line to complain about a problem in a theater. I've got all of the phone numbers to the theaters in town who I will watch a movie at memorized.

One thing that is interesting is that no one has brought up movie grills in this situation. I don't know how it is done around the country, but at the local movie grills, each customer is given a tiny little led light that they just turn on whenever they want a waiter to refill their drink, popcorn, order a burger, or whatever. The nice part about this is that if something is wrong with the projection, you can just flip the light on and a waiter will come running to whom you can complain to. This is not really a necessity at the local grills in Dallas, for they both have excellent operators, but I can see this as an interesting benefit to other grills around the country.

This topic is starting to wander pretty badly. If anyone would like to make a further comment, please do so in the Film Handler's Forum on a new thread (referencing this thread). Thanks

Posted by Mark Lensenmayer (Member # 134) on 05-19-2001, 06:01 PM:

Please allow me to yank this topic back on track. I saw SHREK this morning. I thought there were some brilliant moments (such as the entrance into the castle and the "rules"), but, in general, this film felt like it was made by a committee. Lets put this joke in for the kids..oh, wait, we need an adult line here to wake them up, we better throw in some music here...let's make it something that will make the folks buy the soundtrack album.

The animation was very good, and in some cases, outstanding, but everything seemed a little cold and calculated.

I base my opinions on film on a rule stated about 20 years ago on the original Siskel/Ebert show on PBS. Simply stated, if you don't care about the characters, you won't care about the movie. And I just couldn't care about the characters.

I also found the Scotland accent by Mike Myers to be annoying and pointless. From what I've read, this is a case of someones ego going WAY overboard and adding nothing to the film.

I was really disappointed. I really wanted to love this movie, but I just couldn't do it. It just didn't have the "heart" that the Pixar films have.

Sorry, Shrek...nice try, but I just didn't like it.

Mark Lensenmayer

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"As a moral to young men who come down to the city, don't go round breaking people's tambourines."

Posted by Don Anderson (Member # 397) on 05-19-2001, 06:50 PM:

Great CGI, lame storyline. Sorry, but I didn't like it. However, concession sales are very strong for this feature. I don't know what the little kids see in it. I did make a few kids happy by handing out SHREK t-shirts to a couple birthday parties.

Posted by Jesse Skeen (Member # 586) on 05-19-2001, 10:43 PM:

Didn't you see the phone number at the very end of the movie to report any presentation problems? That would've at least gotten the projectionist yelled at by someone. (And no I'm not going to say what number it is because it should only be called by people who care enough to stay til the VERY end of the movie!) I wonder if any theaters have been cutting that part off on movies that have it?
BTW what's the deal with theaters getting so MANY prints of "Shrek"? The theater I work at has 4, as do several other places that are showing it, even my old theater is showing 3 prints which they've NEVER done before.

Posted by Evans A Criswell (Member # 381) on 05-20-2001, 12:16 AM:

I went to see Shrek again tonight (Saturday, May 19) and I noticed many little details and jokes that I didn't catch on the first viewing. This is a great movie and I enjoyed it as much the second time as the first. There are so many details and little puns and jokes to look for in this movie that it would take several viewings to catch them all, or at least most of them. What other movie could make ogres lovable?

The "earwax" candle was great.

In the showing I attended tonight, there were a lot more kids than in the Friday showing I attended. The kids laughed at all the jokes that I thought would go over their heads. They're obviously being exposed to things at a much earlier age than they used to be.

Tonight, I drove out to Decatur to Carmike Century Cinema 8 to see this one.
This time, the framing was absolutely perfect, although the image was absolutely perfectly focused on the left half and the right half was so poorly focused that it was noticeable from the auditorium rear. Small text was practically unreadable on the far right. Maybe when this comes out on DVD, I'll get to see a good-looking version of it. This movie is only playing at the "bad" theatres in my area. You can have proper framing, or proper focus, but not at the same time. Take your pick.

I won't mention any other presentation quality details in this thread, unles I see a perfect one of "Shrek" somewhere, since it caused this thread to unravel a bit.

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Evans A Criswell
Huntsville-Decatur Movie Theatre Info Site

Posted by Jesse Skeen (Member # 586) on 05-21-2001, 08:08 AM:

If you experienced any condition that detracted from the theatrical presentation of this film, please call: 1-800......

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 05-21-2001, 11:27 AM:

Certainly contact the Lucasfilm Theatre Alignment Program (TAP) for any film that is participating in their program:
http://www.thx.com/professional_services/tap_800.html

_____________________________________________

"Welcome to the World Wide Web version of the THX Theatre
Alignment Program's 1-800-PHONE-THX service.

This service enables motion picture audiences to voice their
concerns regarding presentation problems that occurred during
select films with 1-800-PHONE-THX featured in the end credits.
Upon receiving a complaint, TAP personnel contacts the theatre manager and/or district
manager and works with them to investigate and resolve the reported problem(s). A report
summarizing each problem reported and the follow up conducted by TAP is generated and
sent to the studio's distribution company. Please note that all matters reported MUST relate
specifically and exclusively to the TECHNICAL presentation of a film. In other words,
problems associated with the picture and/or sound quality.

Remember, only select films employ TAP's 1-800-PHONE-THX service.
Due to the high number of calls via TAP's 1-800-PHONE-THX service, TAP is unable
to respond personally to each caller that registers a complaint."

_____________________________________________

Participating films include Moulin Rouge, Shrek, Pearl Harbor, Planet of the Apes, Evolution, and Doctor Dolittle 2.

For obvious problems that are correctable on-site (e.g., poor framing, poor focus, incorrect sound level), let the theatre personnel know of the problem immediately, so they can correct it.

Posted by Evans A Criswell (Member # 381) on 05-21-2001, 01:50 PM:

The 1-800-PHONE-THX thing is great, but none of the theatres in my area showing "Shrek" are THX certified. One auditoriums that are THX certified get investigated.

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Evans A Criswell
Huntsville-Decatur Movie Theatre Info Site

Posted by Mark Lensenmayer (Member # 134) on 05-21-2001, 02:14 PM:

Regarding the 1-800 number to report problems, I believe this is a TAP service not exclusively for THX theatres. It should apply to all theatres showing any of the selected movies.

Mark L.

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"As a moral to young men who come down to the city, don't go round breaking people's tambourines."

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 05-21-2001, 04:05 PM:

Yes Evans, the TAP program is not an exclusive thing for THX theaters. It is for ALL theaters.

(Hmmmmm, think the TAP team is going to be able to recognize Evans' voice within a month from now?)

Posted by Evans A Criswell (Member # 381) on 05-21-2001, 10:06 PM:

I hadn't intended on seeing Shrek a third time tonight, but I did. Four of my friends wanted to go see it and guess where and when they were planning on seeing it? At Regal Hollywood 18 at 7:30 (auditorium 10), the same one I saw the badly misframed showing in on Friday night. I told my friends about it and one of them replied, "I'd rather see it out of frame at Hollywood 18 than to see it at Madison Square 12" (

OUCH! Now that's something you don't want someone to say about your theatre!).

Anyway, it started way out of frame precisely as it did Friday night. Even my friends noticed. I got up and went out to the concession area and told a girl working there. A couple of minutes later, the guy, during a green band, centered the text, and afterwards, everything was perfect.

This was the first in focus, in frame showing I've seen, but it took a lot of effort.

During this showing, I looked more at the animation and backgrounds and noticed that a really nice job was done on putting shadows in appropriate places. Backgrounds had a lot of rich detail and I can't wait to get this on DVD so I can stop the movie and examine things closely. There's no telling what kinds of things are in the backgrounds that will go unnoticed during the movie when viewing it normally.

Of the four friends I went with to this movie, none had seen it before and some hadn't even seen the trailer. They really enjoyed the movie. The facial expressions on the characters were really well-done and so was the syncing of the voices with the mouth movements.

Does anyone know the resolution that this movie was rendered for film?

Evans A Criswell

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Evans A Criswell
Huntsville-Decatur Movie Theatre Info Site

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 05-22-2001, 09:57 AM:

Evans said: "This was the first in focus, in frame showing I've seen, but it took a lot of effort."

Wasn't the "effort" worth it? By spending a few minutes to tell someone in the theatre that the picture was out of frame, you didn't need to endure the bad framing throughout the presentation. You probably missed only one trailer for your efforts.

As far as digital animation details, check out the website for "Animation Artist":
http://www.animationartist.com/htm/homeset.htm

Posted by Evans A Criswell (Member # 381) on 05-22-2001, 11:12 AM:

To keep from drifting this thread about "Shrek" off again, I'm going to address the issue of reporting projection problems somewhere in the Film Handlers Forum, and explain why I sometimes do and sometimes do not report problems to staff before or during a movie. It's an interesting issue, since I'm grading presentations. This afternoon or tonight, I'll make a post about it in the Film Handler's forum.

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Evans A Criswell
Huntsville-Decatur Movie Theatre Info Site

Posted by Jesse Skeen (Member # 586) on 05-22-2001, 06:19 PM:

Well, I will say that there is no excuse for the same movie to be misframed for THAT long. Suggest they hire someone who actually wears their glasses when they need to!

Posted by Peter Berrett (Member # 672) on 07-14-2001, 09:03 AM:

Attendance: Coburg Drive-in Theatre Saturday July 14 2001

A 2km line into Coburg tonight. Gee the Drive-in sure is booming. Good to see the drive-in attendants dealt with the line very efficiently so the wait wasn't too long.

I was astounded about how good this film was. This is by far the best film I've seen this year. The animation was superb and the mix of pop culture and fairy tale worked really well. This film is a credit to everyone who worked on it.

I have only two gripes

1. The film did not appear to be in a widescreen format. It would have been even better in the wider format.

2. Due to numbers at the drive-in I was right at the back of Theatre 2 so, as often occurs when one is at a distance to the screen, one doesn't quite get the full impact of the movie. No matter I enjoyed it immensely and look forward to it coming out on video so that I can see it again.

Verdict (out of 5 stars) * * * * *

cheers Peter