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Post by tombitd on Oct 15, 2008 22:21:23 GMT -5
Hey, gangs.
Next week, Derrick and I will be recording a change of pace episode focusing on how moviegoing has changed. We'll be talking about things, both good and bad, about the present movie theater experience.
I'd like input from you guys--your own praise and or damnation of movie theaters you've endured.
So let those feelings flow....
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Post by james on Oct 16, 2008 7:17:05 GMT -5
Two of my favorite movie theaters, in the NYC/NJ area:
The Clearview's Ziegfeld on 54th St. I got to see Iron Man and the recent Blade Runner "reconstruction" there. (and the newest Indiana Jones, which I didn't like much - not the theater's fault).
The Loews in Jersey City (which is a revival theater supported by donations and runs films only on certain weekends). I got to see the extended version (extra Brando scenes) of Superman: The Movie there. My only complaint is that the prints they screen aren't always the best (the print for the Disney 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea was surprisingly scratchy with patchy audio, but on the other hand I only paid five dollars for a ticket).
Both are very large spaces with comfortable seats and enormous screens - these are movie palaces of the old style, with balconies and high ceilings, that have managed to survive. (Actually, the Loews was abandoned for decades before a group of cinephiles raised the funds to restore it a few years ago).
I just wish the good revival houses in Manhattan (like Film Forum, IFC Theater and Anthology Film Archives) had larger screens and spacious rooms like these. Seeing Blade Runner on such a massive screen was an unforgettable experience.
This isn't a bad theater, but Cinema Village in New York (a place I otherwise like) was host to a very bad experience. I was there to see the documentary about professional Scrabble players, Word Wars. Maybe half an hour into the film, the screen freezes, and a white arrow appears on the image. Yep, the film was digital and was (apparently) being projected from a computer of some sort. The arrow was a cursor. And the film stayed that way for a good ten minutes, either because the projectionist couldn't fix the problem or was too oblivious to the loud complaints from the patrons. Several people walked out.
(So if you and Derrick are going to discuss how movies have changed, digital projection is a good topic).
Worst theater I've been to was probably the one in Hoboken, NJ (I don't remember the name, but it was the only theater in Hoboken, and now its closed, so there aren't any). Uncomfortable seats, a rough floor that had the texture of sandpaper, sound leaking from screening room to screening room - the place looked like an armory or a rodeo with a few walls thrown up to convert the place into a theater. Now, it's a bank. Though I did see one of my favorite movies, Mike Leigh's Topsy-Turvy there.
One last note - I love the "midnight movie" series at the Sunshine Cinema in Manhattan. I've been able to see Gremlins and The Shining (among others) there. I have to say, you haven't really seen Kubrick's film until you've seen it projected - I picked up on all sorts of things I missed (or didn't appreciate) seeing that movie on television. IFC has a similar "midnight movie" series that I haven't checked out yet, because the Sunshine books the cult films I want to see (so far).
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Post by anansi on Dec 21, 2008 9:03:00 GMT -5
I've lived in Maine my whole life. So I am only speaking about the theaters here. They all pretty much sucked until recently.
All I had growing up were the box type small-screen ones. Very generic and blah. Saw some good movies though.
Strangely, the best movie-house in the city of Portland was the porn theater. I never went in but have heard it was very nice in its heyday (before it was for porn).
Now we have the cinemagic chain, which I like for the stadium seating and digital projection.
We have one arthouse theater in town that has one screen and about 75 seats. They tend to show good stuff. I once went to see Ghost Dog but because of the way they show multiple movies in a day I went to the wrong time. Ended up seeing an Iranian movie called The Color of Paradise which I probably wouldn't have seen otherwise and really enjoyed it!
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