Large Format/"Premium" Theaters (IMAX 15/70, Digital IMAX, XD, ETX, RPX, etc.)

[GLaDOS]

No harm in watching a movie like Star Wars on a big ass screen.

[ITDEFX101]

True.

[sandman slim]

Originally Posted by xbs2034

Looks like The Last Jedi is starting to lose its stranglehold on premium screens this weekend... Some IMAX screens will start switching next week with The Commuter.

The lone IMAX here (Memphis) has two showings per day for TLJ & two for The Commuter starting Friday. We just got the 3D TLJ this week, one show per day. Off to check that out this afternoon...

[Eric The Duke]

Originally Posted by ITDEFX101

Fuuuuccckkkk. Udvar Hazy won't sell advanced tickets for it...so I will be stuck seeing it at my local D-IMAX theater. :\ Yeah it will open up (sort of) but not the same as Udvar. Oh well at least I get to put the 2 free passes I got from IMAX that I was saving for TLJ but after finding it didn't open up, I was like oh damn I gambled and lost.

I know what you mean but I reserve the Smithsonian IMAX theaters for movies that actually use the 1.43 aspect ratio. I remember seeing a movie at Udvar Hazy that opened up to a 1.9 aspect ratio and it just didn't wow me.

[GLaDOS]

Originally Posted by Eric The Duke

I know what you mean but I reserve the Smithsonian IMAX theaters for movies that actually use the 1.43 aspect ratio. I remember seeing a movie at Udvar Hazy that opened up to a 1.9 aspect ratio and it just didn't wow me.

Lockheed Martin has an aspect ratio of about 1.66:1 I believe. Good place to enjoy a movie even if it only opens up to 1.9.

[ITDEFX101]

Originally Posted by sandman slim

The lone IMAX here (Memphis) has two showings per day for TLJ & two for The Commuter starting Friday. We just got the 3D TLJ this week, one show per day. Off to check that out this afternoon...

My local D-IMAX screen is putting Jumanji on their IMAX screen.....Jumanji? For real?

Ugh...that wasn't even filmed in IMAX.

[Riddhi2011]

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (3D) MINOR SPOILERS ahead -

Saw this today at a premium large screen. 3D was mild to good. Certain aerial shots were really good with the depth. However, I felt that the 2.39:1 ratio didn't suit the movie at all. I often found myself wishing it was tighter at the edges and had a bit more height. It often felt too wide but constipated at the top and bottom. This would've looked very good in 1.85:1.

As for the movie itself, I wasn't thrilled. There was something "off" about the tone of the feature. The best comedy parts were mostly spoiled in the trailers. The Rock seemed uncomfortable with the "dorky teenager in a hunk's body" character. I was relieved to see him punch those tough guys kingdom-come though.

I liked Karen Gillan the most and also Jack Black to some extent. Nick Jonas was awkward to ok, while Kevin Hart was on the annoying terrain, almost throughout. Bobby Cannavale unfortunately is not intimidating or scary as Jonathan Hyde was as Van Pelt, in the original.

The best things about the movie was the callbacks to the original 1996 film and Robin Williams' character Alan Parrish. Loved seeing that board game, stuck in the beach (the last scene of Jumanji '96).

Loved the slightly altered Jumanji theme by James Horner that Jackman used quite judiciously. That and the drum beats were the highlights of the new score, for me at least.

A one-time watch for me; and only because I love the original Joe Johnston film.

This Jumanji has "a Little Hart, A Big Johnson," but it lacks the heart of the original Jumanji. I loved that odd, dysfunctional family dynamic in 1997 and really cared for the characters despite the shoddy VFX. Here, the VFX are still kinda shoddy (Hello fat leopards!) and the warmth of the original isn't there.

[Dubstar]

Originally Posted by ITDEFX101

Fuuuuccckkkk. Udvar Hazy won't sell advanced tickets for it...so I will be stuck seeing it at my local D-IMAX theater. :\ Yeah it will open up (sort of) but not the same as Udvar. Oh well at least I get to put the 2 free passes I got from IMAX that I was saving for TLJ but after finding it didn't open up, I was like oh damn I gambled and lost.

patience ... it's just over a month away, Udvar Hazy will have advance tix up, just not now.

[xbs2034]

Originally Posted by ITDEFX101

My local D-IMAX screen is putting Jumanji on their IMAX screen.....Jumanji? For real?

Ugh...that wasn't even filmed in IMAX.

The overwhelming majority of films which play in IMAX weren't filmed in the format, still can be great experiences. The bigger question I have is added IMAX so far into its run, but looks like there will be a clear split of screens this weekend, of the four IMAXes near me, two are continuing with Star Wars (with the laser screen going from 3D showings to 2D this week), and one each are doing Jumanji (no thanks, saw this weeks ago) and The Commuter (maybe I would, it plays in the digital IMAX with the awesome 12 channel sound system).

[CelluloidPal]

Originally Posted by xbs2034

The overwhelming majority of films which play in IMAX weren't filmed in the format, still can be great experiences. The bigger question I have is added IMAX so far into its run, but looks like there will be a clear split of screens this weekend, of the four IMAXes near me, two are continuing with Star Wars (with the laser screen going from 3D showings to 2D this week), and one each are doing Jumanji (no thanks, saw this weeks ago) and The Commuter (maybe I would, it plays in the digital IMAX with the awesome 12 channel sound system).

They're gonna start running Jumanji in IMAX near me while continuing TLJ elsewhere but The Commuter is being shown in a Dolby Cinema close by so that'll be interesting.

[CelluloidPal]

Just came from The Commuter at Dolby cinema over at Georgetown.
The theater itself looks like what I've seen in the photos.
The screen there is formatted for scope films in full and no black bars as for the red glow on the screen, it wasn't noticeable but had a small red dot there which wasn't a big deal. The seats were comfortable, the Atmos mix was pretty good and the picture was awesome.

[ITDEFX101]

Originally Posted by xbs2034

The overwhelming majority of films which play in IMAX weren't filmed in the format, still can be great experiences. The bigger question I have is added IMAX so far into its run, but looks like there will be a clear split of screens this weekend, of the four IMAXes near me, two are continuing with Star Wars (with the laser screen going from 3D showings to 2D this week), and one each are doing Jumanji (no thanks, saw this weeks ago) and The Commuter (maybe I would, it plays in the digital IMAX with the awesome 12 channel sound system).

I don't know if I want to see 3-5 feet of black bars on the top and bottom in my IMAX viewing experience. The sound however is as it should be...deafening lol.

[ZoetMB]

Originally Posted by ITDEFX101

I don't know if I want to see 3-5 feet of black bars on the top and bottom in my IMAX viewing experience. The sound however is as it should be...deafening lol.

The sound should never be deafening. Aside from the danger to hearing, it's distracting and I think it's one reason why many people don't bother with theaters anymore. The sound should fill the room and sound full, balanced, have dynamic range, a wide frequency response, inaudible distortion and maintain localization.

The problem today is that directors are so insecure, they think the way to create emotion is to blast the sound beyond the threshold of pain. All it does is turn the mix to mush and cause tedium. Everyone has forgotten what dynamic range is - it's the loud sound that comes out of the silence that has the biggest impact (and vice-versa) and when that's done, it doesn't have to be all that loud to have the desired effect. I really despise it when two characters are having a quiet conversation and it sounds like they're screaming at me.

Having said that, I think there was only one IMAX film that I've seen where I thought the sound levels were far too high throughout the film. It might have been a Bond film. I did think segments of The Last Jedi were too loud at my local Dolby Vision/Atmos theater. I keep forgetting to bring a sound pressure level gauge with me to see how the levels actually top out.

[ZoetMB]

Originally Posted by Riddhi2011

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (3D) MINOR SPOILERS ahead -

Saw this today at a premium large screen. 3D was mild to good. Certain aerial shots were really good with the depth. However, I felt that the 2.39:1 ratio didn't suit the movie at all. I often found myself wishing it was tighter at the edges and had a bit more height. It often felt too wide but constipated at the top and bottom. This would've looked very good in 1.85:1.

You must have seen it in a theater that is common width instead of common height. The Dolby Vision theater I go to is common height. 1.85 films have black bars left and right. 2.39 films fill the screen.

Dolby Vision aside, the problem is the DCI specs where a 2.39 image has less height than a 1.85 image when it should have been the opposite as it was in film presentation.

Regardless (and I haven't seen the film), I find it hard to believe that a film that takes place in a jungle doesn't benefit from a widescreen presentation. The reason why you felt it should have been tighter at the edges is that they probably didn't put anything important in the sides of the frame to protect it for 16:9 presentation on cable (which makes me nuts).

[Riddhi2011]

Originally Posted by ZoetMB

You must have seen it in a theater that is common width instead of common height....

Yes, the screen was around 1.89:1. Once the characters went into the jungle, I felt a taller aspect ratio would have been so immersive for this one. It's a personal opinion of course. I didn't mind that the modern-day portions (and the bazaar) were in 2.39:1. But the jungle, mountain and waterfall scenery bugged me in the scope ratio; which I felt couldn't do justice to those elements.

The sound was quite good though; not deafening but had a booming bass. Loved those jungle drums! The screen has Dolby Atmos. However, I didn't really feel much activity in the overhead speakers. I wasn't looking out for it.

[xbs2034]

Originally Posted by ZoetMB

The sound should never be deafening. Aside from the danger to hearing, it's distracting and I think it's one reason why many people don't bother with theaters anymore. The sound should fill the room and sound full, balanced, have dynamic range, a wide frequency response, inaudible distortion and maintain localization.

The problem today is that directors are so insecure, they think the way to create emotion is to blast the sound beyond the threshold of pain. All it does is turn the mix to mush and cause tedium. Everyone has forgotten what dynamic range is - it's the loud sound that comes out of the silence that has the biggest impact (and vice-versa) and when that's done, it doesn't have to be all that loud to have the desired effect. I really despise it when two characters are having a quiet conversation and it sounds like they're screaming at me.

Having said that, I think there was only one IMAX film that I've seen where I thought the sound levels were far too high throughout the film. It might have been a Bond film. I did think segments of The Last Jedi were too loud at my local Dolby Vision/Atmos theater. I keep forgetting to bring a sound pressure level gauge with me to see how the levels actually top out.

Imax is usually deep and impactful, but not deafening. The two films I recall being notably too loud in IMAX are the WW2 film Stalingrad and one of the concert films from a while back.

I didn't see Last Jedi in Atmos, but did see Force Awakens in Dolby Cinema (along with Imax and a regular, probably 5.1 theater) and recall some effects, particularly tie fighters and explosions, being overly loud in Atmos but not the other formats.

[ZoetMB]

Originally Posted by Riddhi2011

Yes, the screen was around 1.89:1. Once the characters went into the jungle, I felt a taller aspect ratio would have been so immersive for this one. It's a personal opinion of course. I didn't mind that the modern-day portions (and the bazaar) were in 2.39:1. But the jungle, mountain and waterfall scenery bugged me in the scope ratio; which I felt couldn't do justice to those elements.

The sound was quite good though; not deafening but had a booming bass. Loved those jungle drums! The screen has Dolby Atmos. However, I didn't really feel much activity in the overhead speakers. I wasn't looking out for it.

It boggles the mind that the mixers aren’t making better use of the Atmos objects in movies that take place in environments like jungles. The same was true for that Tarzan movie of a few years ago. What a perfect opportunity to place the sounds of the forest all around and above like birds, insects, leaves rustling, wind, animal calls, etc. I think in a lot of these Atmos films, they’re still mixing to 7.1, then sweetening with a few Atmos objects and calling it quits just so they can brand it as Atmos, rather than mixing in Atmos and downmixing to 7.1/5.1.

Also, I’ve found that Atmos theaters sound very different from each other even when they have the same number of playback channels and essentially the same speakers and amps.

Unfortunately, I feel that Atmos is being used more to drive up sound levels, since each surround and overhead speaker has its own amp channel, rather than the surround array zones of 5.1/7.1, than to provide discrete sounds.

I saw “The Post” yesterday at a Dolby Vision Theater. That certainly wasn’t a film that needed either Atmos or Dolby Vision and I don’t think there were very many added objects in the mix. They probably just mixed in 7.1 and mastered off in Atmos. Good film though, but there were only 5 people in the theater. I really fear for the future of movies presented theatrically.

[xbs2034]

Is The Post even in Atmos or Vision? Dolby is frankly terrible about website updates, but they often do play films in Dolby Cinema without Atmos and/or Vision, and I saw it in an Atmos theater (not Dolby Cinema or premium) and didn't seem to notice any Atmos use.

Frankly that screen bugs me a bit, as they let trailers/pre-show get a better presentation than the movie, with Terminator 2 and Shape of Water having Atmos use in the pre show and a trailer, but of course not in the non Atmos movies. And I saw a second viewing of Justice League there, and there was no Atmos since the movie and trailers were projected on 70mm film, but they did fill the screen with the Tomb Raider and Ready Player One trailers, yet let the movie show in unmasked pillarbox (did move the masking in for Shape of Water and The Post though).

[Dubstar]

Originally Posted by ITDEFX101

Fuuuuccckkkk. Udvar Hazy won't sell advanced tickets for it...so I will be stuck seeing it at my local D-IMAX theater. :\ Yeah it will open up (sort of) but not the same as Udvar. Oh well at least I get to put the 2 free passes I got from IMAX that I was saving for TLJ but after finding it didn't open up, I was like oh damn I gambled and lost.

Originally Posted by Dubstar

patience ... it's just over a month away, Udvar Hazy will have advance tix up, just not now.

pre-advance tix to 'Black Panther' just went on sale 11 minutes ago.

[Eric The Duke]

Originally Posted by GLaDOS

Lockheed Martin has an aspect ratio of about 1.66:1 I believe. Good place to enjoy a movie even if it only opens up to 1.9.

I'm almost certain it is 1.43 because I saw Dunkirk there and it took up the whole screen.