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Star Wars: Episode III
So I'll admit, I'm a nerd and have already ordered tickets to opening night. Is anyone else nearly as excited for this finale as I am? Also could we all be hoping this is the exact opposite end the spectrum from Episode I
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yep.
first movie i'll be going to watch opening weekend in a looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ong while.
next will be batman begins and then war of the worlds.
peace
k2
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Dunno about opening week, unless I can scam into an early afternoon weekday show (which are usually not too busy here).
I'm probably one of the rare few that actually liked Ep I and II for the most part with the exception of Jar-Jar in I and the bad 1930's romantic movie -love scene dialogue in Ep II. Not on par with the Original Trilogy, but far better than a ton of other crap out there in recent years. Though I think Lucas is starting to go senile or something - he's just not making much sense anymore.
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Originally Posted by Aric M L
So I'll admit, I'm a nerd and have already ordered tickets to opening night. Is anyone else nearly as excited for this finale as I am? Also could we all be hoping this is the exact opposite end the spectrum from Episode I
Aric M L,
Join us at the Favorite Films board!
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I remember seeing the first Star Wars (aka Ep. IV) like 10 times in the theater when it came out in '76. Of course, I was just a kid then and in my estimation, every succeeding episode has just gotten worse (OK, Empire held it's own). I'll take the kids to this one, but I'm not so psyched as to brave the madness on opening weekend. It does look to be more adult oriented and less syrupy than Ep. II. We'll see...
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im leaving work early so i can make sure to see it on thursday. yes im a nerd, but i have gone to see the other two opening day as well, so i might as well go. its amazing how many seats are available for a 230 afternoon show.
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Originally Posted by topspeed
I remember seeing the first Star Wars (aka Ep. IV) like 10 times in the theater when it came out in '76. Of course, I was just a kid then and in my estimation, every succeeding episode has just gotten worse (OK, Empire held it's own). I'll take the kids to this one, but I'm not so psyched as to brave the madness on opening weekend. It does look to be more adult oriented and less syrupy than Ep. II. We'll see...
Obviously I don't know how old your kids are, but this is the first one to have a PG-13 rating and is supposed to have plenty-o-decapitations and de-limbings.
looking forward to this one! :cool:
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Originally Posted by eqm
Obviously I don't know how old your kids are, but this is the first one to have a PG-13 rating and is supposed to have plenty-o-decapitations and de-limbings.
looking forward to this one! :cool:
Ooooh, really?
Hmmm, I might be rethinking this then as my boys are 5 and 3.
Thanks for the head-up on the heads-off :p.
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I've had tickets for the midnight showing for almost two weeks now. Yes, i'm camping out as any true geek should. We have considered catering food for our line waiting festivities. You gotta go all out, there won't be another Star Wars premiere to go to.
Anybody buy the EpIII soundtrack yet? It comes with a bonus 70 min DVD, "Star Wars: A Musical Journey" I bought one , but haven't listened to it yet or watched the DVD.
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I plan to wait a couple of weeks before seeing it. I have a Memorial Day weekend trip to SoCal planned, so I'll carve out some time to see it on one of the many great single screen theaters down there. Unlike in other big cities, a lot of the big movie palaces in L.A. have survived and kept pace with state-of-the-art projection and sound equipment.
The big screen Coronet theater in San Francisco that showed all of the Star Wars films dating back to the original chapter sadly shut down a few months ago. The few remaining single screen theaters left in San Francisco have inadequate sound systems (not that the Coronet's was that great to begin with), and much smaller screen sizes. Star Wars just wouldn't be the same in some anonymous megaplex, so I'm willing to wait the extra week to catch it in a big theater.
As a sidenote, I read that a group of Star Wars fans have camped out in front of the Chinese Theater in Hollywood for two months, and the movie might not even play there! Ep. III is confirmed for the Cinerama Dome a couple of miles away, but as far as I know, the line has not moved there yet. Oh, if only I had that much time on my hands!
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Insider Info
I beg to differ Woochifer. The Metro theatre in SF has the same sound system as the Coronet except for different surrounds. Star wars will be opening here and be presented in Dolby Digital EX. :D :D :D It is one of the few systems around that is capable of 8 channel SDDS and can still run 70mm. So yes there is still a grand single screen in SF. War Of The Worlds will be coming after Star Wars as well. ;)
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Originally Posted by anamorphic96
I beg to differ Woochifer. The Metro theatre in SF has the same sound system as the Coronet except for different surrounds. Star wars will be opening here and be presented in Dolby Digital EX. :D :D :D It is one of the few systems around that is capable of 8 channel SDDS and can still run 70mm. So yes there is still a grand single screen in SF. War Of The Worlds will be coming after Star Wars as well. ;)
Thanx for the info, but my trip has been planned and I'll probably catch the movie at the Mann Village in Westwood, which is probably my favorite theater because of its projection quality, huge auditorium (1,400 capacity), and standout sound system (the subwoofers alone sit inside of a massive enclosure that required ripping out the front three seating rows to install). The Metro is a nice theater, but it's definitely smaller than the Coronet, although if the sound system is identical to the one inside the Coronet, then it might make for a better sound experience. I always thought that the sound system at the Coronet was pushed beyond its comfort zone, but it had the huge screen and the buzz with a full house.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Woochifer
I plan to wait a couple of weeks before seeing it. I have a Memorial Day weekend trip to SoCal planned, so I'll carve out some time to see it on one of the many great single screen theaters down there. Unlike in other big cities, a lot of the big movie palaces in L.A. have survived and kept pace with state-of-the-art projection and sound equipment.
The big screen Coronet theater in San Francisco that showed all of the Star Wars films dating back to the original chapter sadly shut down a few months ago. The few remaining single screen theaters left in San Francisco have inadequate sound systems (not that the Coronet's was that great to begin with), and much smaller screen sizes. Star Wars just wouldn't be the same in some anonymous megaplex, so I'm willing to wait the extra week to catch it in a big theater.
As a sidenote, I read that a group of Star Wars fans have camped out in front of the Chinese Theater in Hollywood for two months, and the movie might not even play there! Ep. III is confirmed for the Cinerama Dome a couple of miles away, but as far as I know, the line has not moved there yet. Oh, if only I had that much time on my hands!
Wooch, have you been to the Bridge right off the 405, just north of LAX? It's an awesome theater, with a bar and everything. I'd be happy to join you if I'm not outta town.
http://www.thebridgecinema.com/home/home.asp?l=7801
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Originally Posted by paul_pci
I have been there. Saw LOTR:FOTR there a few years ago on the IMAX screen when it first opened. Probably should have tried one of the other auditoriums, because a 35mm print projected onto an oversized screen that close to the audience just didn't look right. The picture looked dark and grainy, but the sound was pretty good. I heard that The Bridge has some smaller "director's" screening rooms, with oversized leather chairs and tighter focus on the sound. Sounds pretty cool, and I think that they did something similar at the Arclight (of course, whenever I visit that theater, I'm there to watch whatever's screening at the Cinerama Dome next door, so I don't get to take advantage of the smaller theaters).
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Originally Posted by Woochifer
I have been there. Saw LOTR:FOTR there a few years ago on the IMAX screen when it first opened. Probably should have tried one of the other auditoriums, because a 35mm print projected onto an oversized screen that close to the audience just didn't look right. The picture looked dark and grainy, but the sound was pretty good. I heard that The Bridge has some smaller "director's" screening rooms, with oversized leather chairs and tighter focus on the sound. Sounds pretty cool, and I think that they did something similar at the Arclight (of course, whenever I visit that theater, I'm there to watch whatever's screening at the Cinerama Dome next door, so I don't get to take advantage of the smaller theaters).
I also saw the LOTR (TT/ROTK) in IMAX there. Sometimes I wonder abut IMAX. If you're up to close, then it's not really a good experience. My first experience there, though, was the director's hall as they call it and it was awesome: assigned seating, precisely the oversize leather chairs you mention.
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Originally Posted by paul_pci
I also saw the LOTR (TT/ROTK) in IMAX there. Sometimes I wonder abut IMAX. If you're up to close, then it's not really a good experience. My first experience there, though, was the director's hall as they call it and it was awesome: assigned seating, precisely the oversize leather chairs you mention.
I think projecting 35mm onto an IMAX screen just doesn't look right if the projection uses the full width of the screen. It's too close to the audience, unless you sit in the back couple of rows. Plus, with the big screen and closeup viewing, the image looks very grainy. IMAX is supposed to envelop your entire peripheral vision, and the IMAX movies are framed to take advantage of that, and the theaters are designed to put the audience "into" the movie. Plus, the film format is large enough to not look grainy on an IMAX screen.
As a sidenote, I also saw the IMAX version of Episode II, and it was a mixed bag. By transferring the movie onto the large print format IMAX projector, the image quality was stunning. I was actually shocked at how good the images looked considering that the movie was made using digital camcorders. The only image flaw that I could pick up on was that the live action images looked two-dimensional and lacked depth.
But, the main drawback of seeing Episode II in IMAX is that the aspect ratio got truncated. The IMAX version used the full IMAX screen, which unfortunately chops off the image on the sides. This made the IMAX experience more like the "pan and scan" experience. A lot of the action scenes were very hard to follow because so much of it was in the peripheral vision, which just exacerbated the narrow image frame. Still, it made for some interesting viewing, and apparently the IMAX version benefited from some extra editing -- a lot of the scenes with Padme and Anakin were mercifully cut out. :D
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Originally Posted by Woochifer
Thanx for the info, but my trip has been planned and I'll probably catch the movie at the Mann Village in Westwood, which is probably my favorite theater because of its projection quality, huge auditorium (1,400 capacity), and standout sound system (the subwoofers alone sit inside of a massive enclosure that required ripping out the front three seating rows to install). The Metro is a nice theater, but it's definitely smaller than the Coronet, although if the sound system is identical to the one inside the Coronet, then it might make for a better sound experience. I always thought that the sound system at the Coronet was pushed beyond its comfort zone, but it had the huge screen and the buzz with a full house.
The biggest problem the Coronet had was acoustics. All the hard surfaces made the system a bit harsh with the wrong soundtrack. It could have used 8 subs instead of 4 but thats not gonna happen anymore.
The Metro has a larger screen by 5 inches in width. The screen at the Metro actullay fits the auditorium better in some ways and has better visual impact. The Metro seats 675 and actually sounds better in the mids and highs. Much smoother sounding. The bass is not quite as tight as the Coronet but there is more of it. I only wish they would ditch the older JBL surrounds for the big EV surrounds that the Coronet had. The Metro uses all EV behind the screen with bi amplification and double stacked bass bins and 4 subs.
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Originally Posted by Woochifer
I think projecting 35mm onto an IMAX screen just doesn't look right if the projection uses the full width of the screen. It's too close to the audience, unless you sit in the back couple of rows. Plus, with the big screen and closeup viewing, the image looks very grainy. IMAX is supposed to envelop your entire peripheral vision, and the IMAX movies are framed to take advantage of that, and the theaters are designed to put the audience "into" the movie. Plus, the film format is large enough to not look grainy on an IMAX screen.
As a sidenote, I also saw the IMAX version of Episode II, and it was a mixed bag. By transferring the movie onto the large print format IMAX projector, the image quality was stunning. I was actually shocked at how good the images looked considering that the movie was made using digital camcorders. The only image flaw that I could pick up on was that the live action images looked two-dimensional and lacked depth.
But, the main drawback of seeing Episode II in IMAX is that the aspect ratio got truncated. The IMAX version used the full IMAX screen, which unfortunately chops off the image on the sides. This made the IMAX experience more like the "pan and scan" experience. A lot of the action scenes were very hard to follow because so much of it was in the peripheral vision, which just exacerbated the narrow image frame. Still, it made for some interesting viewing, and apparently the IMAX version benefited from some extra editing -- a lot of the scenes with Padme and Anakin were mercifully cut out. :D
I liked the IMAX cut of Episode II better than the original release!
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Woochifer
As a sidenote, I also saw the IMAX version of Episode II, and it was a mixed bag. By transferring the movie onto the large print format IMAX projector, the image quality was stunning. I was actually shocked at how good the images looked considering that the movie was made using digital camcorders. The only image flaw that I could pick up on was that the live action images looked two-dimensional and lacked depth.
D
I saw the imax version of Spidey2 and the image quality was incredible on that too. Imax is pushing a new agenda now, where they are going to simultaneously release films in the regular theaters and Imax as well, rather than wait a few months. They're also pushing their 3D technology for mainstream movies, converting many films. not exactly sure how. but also read that lucas is interested in re-re-re-re-releasing the original trilogy in Imax 3D. Just in the rumour mill now, but who knows, might happen.
peace
k2
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Originally Posted by Woochifer
Thanx for the info, but my trip has been planned and I'll probably catch the movie at the Mann Village in Westwood, which is probably my favorite theater because of its projection quality, huge auditorium (1,400 capacity), and standout sound system (the subwoofers alone sit inside of a massive enclosure that required ripping out the front three seating rows to install).
The Mann Village is a great theater! Isn't that the one with the big, plush chairs? There are three great theaters all within a few blocks right there and sometimes I'll get them mixed up (Village, Bruin, and one other). The Cineramadome is a terrific theater as well. I wouldn't mind watching the movie at either to be honest.
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Originally Posted by anamorphic96
The biggest problem the Coronet had was acoustics. All the hard surfaces made the system a bit harsh with the wrong soundtrack. It could have used 8 subs instead of 4 but thats not gonna happen anymore.
My impression of the Coronet was that the volume was sometimes cranked too high for the system to handle. The harshness I noticed, but I also heard occasional distortion, especially in the bass. Despite that, I still liked that theater because seeing a movie there felt like an event.
It seems that I've encountered sound issues with most of the big single screen theaters in S.F. The Alhambra, the Regency, the North Point, and the Castro are/were all grand movie palaces. Beautiful auditoriums, but with bad acoustics and/or inadequate sound systems that made the dialog very difficult to follow. IMO, the Castro is the grandest remaining movie theater in S.F. Nothing like getting a concert on the mighty Wurlitzer pipe organ before the show. Too bad the only movies I can follow there are subtitled foreign films! (Behind the screen, there's a huge amount of space, which creates all kinds of reverb)
And that's the biggest difference with the big single screen theaters in L.A. Most of them have treated the acoustics and minimized the reverb from the screen speakers. The Village, Bruin, Crest, and National theaters in Westwood, and the Grauman's Chinese, El Capitan, Egyptian, and Cinerama Dome in Hollywood are wonderful single screen theaters with a grand feel. But, they also have modern sound and projection systems that are better than what you typically find at even the newest theaters.
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Originally Posted by anamorphic96
The Metro has a larger screen by 5 inches in width. The screen at the Metro actullay fits the auditorium better in some ways and has better visual impact. The Metro seats 675 and actually sounds better in the mids and highs. Much smoother sounding. The bass is not quite as tight as the Coronet but there is more of it. I only wish they would ditch the older JBL surrounds for the big EV surrounds that the Coronet had. The Metro uses all EV behind the screen with bi amplification and double stacked bass bins and 4 subs.
Wow, that's great info. I might have to give that theater another try. It's been a few years since I've visited that theater, and if I recall it was refurbished not too long ago. Since that pie shop on Union Street closed, I haven't been as inclined to drop into that neighborhood to watch a movie!
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Originally Posted by topspeed
The Mann Village is a great theater! Isn't that the one with the big, plush chairs? There are three great theaters all within a few blocks right there and sometimes I'll get them mixed up (Village, Bruin, and one other). The Cineramadome is a terrific theater as well. I wouldn't mind watching the movie at either to be honest.
The Mann Village is the big one with the balcony. They remodeled the theater a while back and switched out those old velvety chairs for newer ones (though now the armrests have cupholders and the rows have a little more legroom). Still an awesome theater, and probably my favorite one overall. After that theater got renovated to THX standards (this was back when the THX label actually meant something), the management used to put this lighted sign out in the lobby that listed all of the equipment that they installed in that sound system. That was some serious hardware and they were understandably proud of the monster that they'd created! The bass in particular at that theater is deep and powerful, but doesn't feel overly pushed or strained like it can at a lot of megaplexes.
The Bruin is right across the street, and the National is the big brown modernist looking theater down the street. Another personal favorite is the Crest Theatre on the other side of Wilshire Blvd. Great sound system and projection, but they also have these fluorescent murals with old Hollywood scenes on the walls. When the lights go down, those murals glow like neon signs. And the ceiling has this shooting star effect that's also really cool.
The Cinerama Dome's got that big deeply curved screen, and they redid the sound system a couple of years ago and fixed the acoustics. Wonderful theater, and the lobby now has bar service! I saw Jedi at the old Cinedome in Orange, which also had a curved Cinerama screen. If you can get a seat in the middle of the theater, watching action scenes and chases in particular on a Cinerama screen can give you a sensation of motion. Definitely worth checking out next time you're down in L.A.
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Originally Posted by Kam
I saw the imax version of Spidey2 and the image quality was incredible on that too. Imax is pushing a new agenda now, where they are going to simultaneously release films in the regular theaters and Imax as well, rather than wait a few months. They're also pushing their 3D technology for mainstream movies, converting many films. not exactly sure how. but also read that lucas is interested in re-re-re-re-releasing the original trilogy in Imax 3D. Just in the rumour mill now, but who knows, might happen.
peace
k2
As much as I love the stunning image clarity on IMAX prints, I do have a problem with the way that the IMAX versions trunate the sides on widescreen movies. Most of us on this forum are all for widescreen DVDs and don't care much for pan & scan versions. But, with an IMAX version of a widescreen movie, it's really the same thing as pan & scan.
I guess if an IMAX version of a movie gets released, I would prefer that they either extend the image frame further at the top and bottom, or "letterbox" the image so that you still get the image clarity of the IMAX print without truncating the action on the sides. Either that or just film the movie on IMAX film and frame off the top and bottom of the image for the 35mm prints. Or maybe even show the movie only at IMAX theaters.
I've heard about the 3D rumors as well. That could be a very new experience! I've seen IMAX 3D movies before, and it's quite a trip how convincing that 3D effect is.
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Originally Posted by Woochifer
The Cinerama Dome's got that big deeply curved screen, and they redid the sound system a couple of years ago and fixed the acoustics. Wonderful theater, and the lobby now has bar service! I saw Jedi at the old Cinedome in Orange, which also had a curved Cinerama screen. If you can get a seat in the middle of the theater, watching action scenes and chases in particular on a Cinerama screen can give you a sensation of motion. Definitely worth checking out next time you're down in L.A.
The National! That's the one I couldn't remember! It's been a while since I've seen a movie in Westwood as the only reason I'll go to LaLa Land anymore is to attend a 'SC game, visit relatives in Newport, or take the kiddies to Mickey's. I have seen a few movies at the Cinerama Dome and I love the curved screen! The downside is when you're too close and off to the sides. It kinda sucks.
This would actually be kind of cool topic for a thread: Best Movie Theaters
If you ever get over to the Central Coast, check out the Fremont in San Luis Obispo. This homage to Art Deco has a great sound system, 70mm screen, and the ceiling is detailed with black lit indirect lighting in a paisley pattern. It's very cool. The wine festival is May 21st if you and the missus need a reason to get away for the weekend (and like to drink great wine).
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Originally Posted by Woochifer
The Cinerama Dome's got that big deeply curved screen, and they redid the sound system a couple of years ago and fixed the acoustics. Wonderful theater, and the lobby now has bar service! I saw Jedi at the old Cinedome in Orange, which also had a curved Cinerama screen. If you can get a seat in the middle of the theater, watching action scenes and chases in particular on a Cinerama screen can give you a sensation of motion. Definitely worth checking out next time you're down in L.A.
Wooch, if you get a chance check out a action movie in the dome. I saw T2 there when it reopened after the remodel. They had some issues with the sound system being so powerful that if was fluttering the screen during bass heavy scenes. My impressions of this system is that it sounded like a huge high end speaker system. Exceptionally clean even when at overbearing levels. If Star wars plays their, that's where I am going to see it.
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