This is topic Fun with THX -- Series Programming in forum Film-Yak at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.


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Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 02-06-2016, 03:32 PM:
 
Help me show off my THX theatre. What should I program?

If you suggest more than one title, please rank your selections, with your #1 choice listed first.

Feel free to repeat or "+1" a suggestion. I am very interested in seeing if there could be a consensus. It would help me whittle down my list, which is too long.

Okay -- Go!
 

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Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 02-06-2016, 03:34 PM:
 
THX Broadway
THX Cimarron
THX Tex

oh wait, you probably meant features, didn't you?
 

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Posted by Buck Wilson (Member # 5885) on 02-06-2016, 04:01 PM:
 
+1 to Brad's list, with the addition of the new THX Eclipse somewhere in there!


 

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Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 02-06-2016, 04:05 PM:
 
We're off to a great start. LOL
Yes -- FEATURES please!
 

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Posted by Louis Bornwasser (Member # 3063) on 02-06-2016, 08:55 PM:
 
The Second Ring Movie.
 

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Posted by Aaron Garman (Member # 1653) on 02-06-2016, 10:35 PM:
 
-Saving Private Ryan

-Jurassic Park (a 35mm DTS print only!)

-Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

Wait, I'm picking Spielberg movies...let's shake this up:

-Titanic

-Terminator 2: Judgement Day

Oh great, now I'm picking Cameron movies. Let's throw a curveball:

-Moulin Rouge

Here's some that may be hard to track down in their original form:

-Return of the Jedi (the first "THX" movie if you will)

-Apocalypse Now

You could honestly pick any film that Gary Rydstrom worked on, which includes a ton of good stuff from Pixar.

Whatever you do, don't pick any Woody Allen movies.

Oh, and of course, Birdman would be an EXCELLENT choice.

AJG
 

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Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 02-06-2016, 11:34 PM:
 
2001: A Space Odyssey

Alien (the original one, not the recent version with extra footage)

Apocalypse Now

Blade Runner

Amadeus

The Right Stuff

Starship Troopers (a personal favorite/guilty pleasure)

Of recent titles, I was highly impressed by The Hateful Eight. It doesn't have any explosions, but the mix and overall sound quality are excellent.

Star Wars and anything Pixar are, of course, good choices, but are not available to the best of my knowledge.

Also, Howard the Duck seems like an oddly appropriate choice for a THX house, if the film is available.
 

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Posted by Mark Lensenmayer (Member # 134) on 02-07-2016, 07:29 AM:
 
The best sounding movie I heard in a THX room was THE DOORS.
 

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Posted by Carsten Kurz (Member # 5396) on 02-07-2016, 09:27 AM:
 
Die Hard
 

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Posted by Tony Bandiera Jr (Member # 2365) on 02-07-2016, 10:54 AM:
 
The Right Stuff (preferably in 70mm if you can find it and have 70mm mag capability) Had the most awesome track. And, if you have bipart curtains or moveable side maskings, be sure to start with them closed down to the 1:33 opening scene image and when the explosion hits, open them up....I got standing ovations at the Davis-Monthan AFB theatre when I did that on our run.

Amadeus

Backdraft

Days of Thunder (Ok so the movie's campy but the track was damn good)

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Raiders Of The Lost Ark (good luck finding a decent print)

Star Trek II, III, IV

Star Trek Generations

Top Gun

I have a few more but can't think of them ATM...
 

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Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 02-07-2016, 11:38 AM:
 
Ok Manny, in all seriousness.

First off, 70mm mag is awesome, but good F'ing luck in finding a good print in the repertory circuit that isn't scratched up or has magnetic track damage. I know that doesn't matter at the moment to you anyway, as you don't have 70mm capability, so let's stick with 35mm.

In talking 35mm, I am going to stick firmly with prints that had some flavor of digital sound. Nothing against a good A or especially an SR track, but any dirt or scuff mark on the optical soundtrack also pulls away from the quality of your THX presentation. Plus back then the mixes simply weren't capable of what later mixes were. (For example, yes the original Die Hard had a great soundtrack on it for 1988, but the 4th Die Hard from 2007 was actually more impressive, as technology improves over time...assuming an equally good mixer and so forth.)

So here is a random sort of list for you, in alphabetical order, not order of recommendation. Keep in mind not all of these are simply "loud blow 'em up action" titles. Some just had a really good mix to them:

Changeling (SRD/DTS/SDDS)
Contact (SRD/DTS or SDDS)
Detroit Rock City (SRD/DTS/SDDS)
Die Hard 4 (SRD/DTS/SDDS)
Faculty (SRD/DTS/SDDS)
From Dusk Till Dawn (SDDS)
Hairspray (SRD/DTS/SDDS)
Heat (SRD)
Inception (SRD/DTS/SDDS)
Joyride (SRD/DTS/SDDS)
Matrix (SRD/DTS/SDDS)
Mission Impossible 4 (SRD/DTS)
Moulin Rouge (SRD/DTS/SDDS)
Mr. and Mrs. Smith (SRD/DTS/SDDS)
Saving Private Ryan (SRD/DTS/SDDS)
Southpark (SRD/DTS)
Star Trek 2009 (SRD/DTS/SDDS)
Toy Story 2 (SRD)
U-571 (SRD/DTS/SDDS)

Make SURE you are playing 35mm prints and not DCPs, as some of these DCPs aren't using the original theatrical mixes, but the audio from the home video near-field "F-type" mix that sounds like giant blobs of poo on a real system. Even an official theatrical re-issue like The Lion King from a few years back...that was even remixed by the original mixers...absolutely sucks ass.
 

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Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 02-07-2016, 12:11 PM:
 
I'm probably going to get flamed for this, but as the idea of a THX auditorium is to give excellent audio reproduction in all movie soundtracks, not just those mastered under the THX brand and/or post-1992 digital ones, how about some movies that demonstrate breakthroughs in sound design going back further? Possibilities...

I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang for the 1930s - the industry finally breaking free from sound on disc (for original recording) and realizing what multi-channel mixing can really do.

That having been said, it is one of the most depressing movies ever to come out of Hollywood. A glossy '30s musical might be a better bet - Gold Diggers of 1933 is one of my favorites.

They Were Expendable for the '40s - Douglas Shearer's multi-layered mixing is so intricate that you have to pinch yourself to remember that it's mono, especially in the battle scenes. I showed an Academy Film Archive print at Cinecon last year, which was one of the nicest non-nitrate b/w prints I've ever seen, for both pix and sound.

Bad Day at Black Rock for the '50s - one of the most underrated movies of the early mag stereo era - very dramatic contrast of loud music cues and almost total silence in some of the suspense scenes. However, I'm guessing that the only film prints available now would be optical mono.

In the Heat of the Night for the '60s. Even the noise of a fly buzzing makes you sit up.

All The President's Men for the '70s. Another amazing example of what can be done with a mono mix and almost no music. The Conversation would be another possibility, but a more obvious one.

...and then we're into the '80s Dolby whiz-bang era, for which there is no shortage of suggestions.
 

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Posted by Aaron Garman (Member # 1653) on 02-07-2016, 01:10 PM:
 
I should say that Episodes I and II of Star Wars had absolutely wonderful mixes. The Podrace in I is a sound design wet dream. My favorite sequence in II is the asteroid field where the sound goes completely silent and then goes mega loud explosion. Such a neat effect. Again, get em on 35mm like Brad says because they've likely been remixed (and I'm pretty sure they were on Blu-ray at least).

Do you all have access to the THX WOW reel on 35mm? We had one at DeBartolo and it was SRD. That's a very fun piece to play.

AJG
 

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Posted by Lionel Fouillen (Member # 1475) on 02-07-2016, 01:58 PM:
 
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade in 70mm with magnetic Dolby SR was the best sounding movie I heard in a theatre. But that is 70mm. Would a 35mm print of The Abyss in Dolby SR still be available somewhere? It wasn't bad at all.

Now regarding the artistic aspect in Leo's comment, I would also mention The Forbidden Planet and its sound effects all through the movie (not to mention the intro with panned effects originally done in Perspecta). Has anything like that been done afterwards? This film too was somehow pioneering. I know that it was re-released in theatres a few years ago, but was it 35mm? A unique show took place in an art house in my city but I wasn't able to attend.
 

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Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 02-10-2016, 01:41 AM:
 
I love these suggestions. Thanks so much. It's the end of a very long couple of days, so I'll work on a longer reply tomorrow. This is very reassuring input, because some of my thoughts are also showing up in your comments. But also some new thoughts that I like. Thanks again. I hope I remember to follow up tomorrow.
 

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Posted by Daniel Schulz (Member # 1881) on 02-10-2016, 02:13 AM:
 
If we're just talking about films that show off your theater's ability to play back impressive, creative and technically demanding soundtracks I will add:

West Side Story (the 6-track mix for 70mm is best, but the 5.1 is great as well)
Interstellar
Tron: Legacy
Seconding Apocalypse Now
Seconding Jurassic Park
 

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Posted by Steve Kraus (Member # 476) on 02-10-2016, 09:43 AM:
 
My 35mm demo reel was made of

∙ Sony Theatres policy ("Thank you for coming to Sony; relax and enjoy the show...") with the clips of several Columbia movies. Technically unimpressive but good fun.

∙ U-571 trailer (good subwoofer action)

∙ THX Tex (demonstrates split surrounds)

∙ Ep. 1 trailer. Just because. (I need to remove this and put it with the other two.)
 

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Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 02-10-2016, 10:30 AM:
 
The only title here that is a standout from me of "not recommended" is Interstellar.

In my opinion there was way too much buried dialogue in that mix to use that as a title to show off how good THX can sound.
 

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Posted by Aaron Garman (Member # 1653) on 02-10-2016, 11:53 AM:
 
You know, you might even want to separate it into smaller programs like:

-Sound of the Golden Age: Citizen Kane, Scarface
-Glorious Mono: Psycho, Jaws, Star Wars (yes, the mono mix is great!)
-Mag Multitrack and Dolby Stereo: Apocalypse Now, Star Wars
-Dolby Stereo Mixdowns: Ghostbusters, Back to the Future
-Digital Sound: Jurassic Park, Speed
-Modern Marvels: Inception, Birdman

And let's not forget whilst THX is typically associated with sound, image clarity is just as important. I wonder if there is a way to simulate what it'd be like to have *bad* seats placed in your room that make viewing the image suck but also create a poor audio experience.

AJG
 

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Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 02-10-2016, 01:26 PM:
 
This isn't the full reply that I hinted at, but I want to say that Leo and Aaron's suggestions about looking back to the pre-THX era is appealing. However, I know I will be limited to a handful of screenings (around 4 or 5), in which case, I might be reluctant to sacrifice one of them for a movie that doesn't really "show off" the venue.

The movie suggestions are encouraging -- We are all pretty much thinking alike.

With that said, I agree with Brad that INTERSTELLAR is an example of a flawed soundtrack.
 

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Posted by Aaron Garman (Member # 1653) on 02-10-2016, 03:54 PM:
 
Manny, make sure to let us know when it's finalized. I'll have to come visit!

AJG
 

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Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 02-10-2016, 04:29 PM:
 
Please make sure to show off the THX with "Paint Drying".

Oh, and of course "Curse of the Queerwolf".
 

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Posted by Bill Brandenstein (Member # 7758) on 02-11-2016, 03:46 PM:
 
May I suggest "Interstellar" be a please-test-first scenario? The controversies of the mix don't need to be rehashed here, but I'd like to suggest that how well it comes off depends on the room and equipment. One of the three venues I've seen it in constituted the single most amazing sound experience anyone in my family and I have had in years. The other two were "fine." I can see why opinions of it are so disparate: your mileage most definitely will vary.

May I also suggest "Master and Commander" as a movie with an impressive, wide-range sound mix with great use of LFE and split surrounds.
 

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Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 02-11-2016, 04:49 PM:
 

quote: Brad Miller

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The Lion King from a few years back.

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