What the Ziegfeld REALLY needs is something like one or two week exclusives of BIG blockbuster movies before they go into saturation release.
The huge majority of people don’t care where they see a movie – employees at the multiplex look at me like I have 6 heads when I ask “which time is in thatre 13?” (The good big screen at Loew’s E-Walk – bigger than the Ziegfeld’s btw.) I know people who saw Titanic in one of the small houses at the Chelsea which I think is a travesty.
BUT – if it’s a highly anticipated movie and the ONLY place to see it is the Ziegfeld, people will come.
Ice Age 2 made what… $70 million? There were perhaps 30 people in attendance on Friday (opening) night. It was playing to sold out houses at the horrible horrible AMC in Times Square…. I’m just saying…
I’m gonna have to say it again (based on some of the comments above.) There will not be another series like this at the Ziegfeld if there IS no Ziegfeld. You guys have to see the first run movies they show here. You think most of it’s crap? So do I. I’m buying a ticket to the Ziegfeld, not to the crappy movie – yes I know the theatre sees very little of the ticket $$$ which is why I then buy a bunch of stuff from the concession stand.
I have no idea what Cablevision thinks of this venue, but if they’re allowing something like this revival series – I don’t know – it kinda smells like desperation…
So get yourselves in the seats even for the crappy first run movies – otherwise don’t come on here crying that the Ziegfeld is now closed!
Just wondering… I’ve stated before that I will go out of my way to see any old crap that they slap up on the screen at the Ziegfeld just to try to help support the place. Anyone else do this? Let me tell you, I have seen new releases here on a Sturday night with just 19 people (sometimes less) in the house, and meanwhile, the same movie will be a sell-out on 42nd Street. A few weeks of “classics” at $7.50 a pop sure as hell ain’t gonna keep the joint open. What I’m saying is… if you’re gonna see Ice Age 2 and it’s showing across the street from your house, make the trip to the Ziegfeld instead. And buy some popcorn and soda at the concession stand – you all KNOW that’s where they make their real money… I’ve seen 7 of the classics and I’ve seen people smuggle in complete meals at all of them. Shame on you!
I’m really sorry you experienced a “too loud” complainer, Bill. It happens to me quite often at first run movies: the volume will be at a perfectly acceptable level and someone (who is usually sitting on top of the screen) will go out and complain “it’s too loud” and invariably, the volume goes down not by a little, but a lot – usually to a level where you can no longer make out much of the dialog. I’m kind of surprised that it happened at Zhivago – why didn’t you march right out and ask them to turn it back up? I’ve now seen 5 of the revivals, only West Side Story was a little low, but it was still this side of acceptable. I was going to see Zhivago on Thursday, but now I’m afraid to…
And, VITO – I bet I would be happy if you were running the show. If you recall from one of our past conversations, I have to practically DRAG someone into the auditorium with me to observe the problem first hand.
Not be argumentative, but you say >>>he did play a role in how well the picture and sound were presented.<<< Clearly you have never been to the Chelsea 9 – there is no such thing as good picture and sound there. If you mean that he ensured a good sound mix and premium quality prints, well – that doesn’t matter much if the theaters don’t live up to the standard.
I agree with most of your comments about what he did for film presentation, but… 70mm is dead. THX in theatres is dead. Before it died, we had… either 3 or 5 (depending on who you ask) rooms that were THX certified. Digital Cinema is not even up to the quality of 35mm and is really about saving studios money. DLP completely underwhelms me. It is bright tho. Very bright. And usually very red also…
I read about how much Lucas is concerned about where they show his movies, YET… all three new Star Wars pictures were shown in the crappiest theaters in the city (Ziegfeld excepted.) The Park and 86st, the 86st East, the Clearview 62/1, the Clearview Chelsea 9, the Murray Hill come to mind immediately. Granted, Fox had $$$ issues with Loews but if Lucas cared soooo much, he certainly would not have allowed his babies to be displayed in these places. It’s all about the bottom line, not the audience (who doesn’t really care cuz they went to these dumps anyway.)
The movie was Final Destination 3. And like I said, there were maybe 30 people in the auditorium (#6).
I also experienced a fist fight here during (appropriately enough) Gangs of New York and had a group of people smoking pot during (of ALL things) Pride and Prejudice.
I found two managers and told them about my experience – they didn’t seem very surprised or concerned. They offered me a refund and said that someone would be in to check the auditorium (which of course didn’t happen.)
I’ve seen plenty of horror/slasher movies at the Ewalk across the street and NEVER experienced anything like this over there. Maybe because the Ewalk has patrolling security guards and ushers checking the theaters…
In any case, I never liked this place because of their generally crappy presentations – but I certainly am not going to put up with feeling like I might gat slashed in the mens room or assaulted during the movie. And I don’t feel that way even up at the Magic Johnson Harlem USA.
NEVER AGAIN.
During my visit here today I encountered: drug use AND selling in the mens room, filthy toilet stalls, endless concession lines with ONE person working and several other employees just standing around, sticky floors in the auditorium, sticky substance on the armrest, the stench of booze in the auditorium, someone smoking in the auditorium, a screaming match over the use of a cellphone AND a fist fight over the use of some sort of electronic device that was playing music (loudly) all DURING THE MOVIE. And there were MAYBE 30 people in the theater. It was like watching a movie at the old Harris on 42nd St on a Friday night (except this was Wednesday and AMC is supposed to be a decent place.) Ironically enough, the presentation was OK (a rarity here.) And no, it is NOT the neighborhood – this does not happen at the Ewalk across the street – no matter what kind of obnoxious movie they are showing. I seem to recall that there were a couple shootings here as well. Now that AMC owns everything, is THIS what we have to look forward to? In addition to their generally lousy presentations!?!
Not bashing Clearview at all – I’m happy to see the revivals! However, at Chelsea Classics, they throw 1.33 movies up on the 1.85 screen and crop the image top and bottom.
Perhaps there are prints of Singing… in which it has been optically printed (“windowboxed”) onto the 1.85 frame?? As in the last releases of Gone With The Wind and Wizard of Oz…
I won’t complain – either way I’m happy to see it since I have never seen it projected at all.
Gladiator on Monday night attracted perhaps 75 people.
Saw MFL on Monday and was expecting a horrible experience based on comments from here. Let me tell you, it wasn’t a bad print at all (a couple of scratches, some dropped frames) – I have seen worse prints of movies that have been in release for 4 DAYS.
Yeah, but they both have smallish screens. The Paris is really a niche market sort of place – they don’t show movies people actually see – and the Tower East (72nd St) likes to run movies at the “barely audible” setting (which is probably due to the neighborhood it is in – those sensitive UES ears!!) There’s also the crappy UA East which is probably THE worst national chain theatre in the city. So really, it’s only The Ziegfeld.
(Why was there no huge outcry over the Astor Plaza’s demise?? It was a better theatre.)
I’m just so thrilled that someone is doing SOMETHING with the theatre… I’d love to see a pristine 70mm 6 Track Dolby print of RAIDERS but am going to take what I can get! I go to EVERY SINGLE PIECE OF CRAP MOVIE that they throw up on that screen whether I’m interested in seeing it or not, just to support the theatre – which is, for all practical purposes, our last single screen in the city.
I have ZERO tolerance for sloppy presentation of NEW movies, but guys – you gotta cut them some slack with the revivals!
Hey Luis – I’ve never had a good experience at the 34th Street. I’ve been there maybe 8 times and something was wrong every time: low volume, muffled sound, blown out center speakers, film threaded backwards, blown out amplifiers, picture half off the screen… And only ONE single good experience at the AMC. In theatre six. For SHOPGIRL of all things. In comparison, I rarely have a bad experience at the Union Square. Have you tried Battery Park? It’s quite excellent. I also like the E-Walk…
Hi Luis – I agree that their customer service is lousy – particularly the concessionaires and ushers. Most of the managers are acommodating and they really can’t do anything about the type of crowd they attract. I mean, they’re next door to the NYU dorms. I rarely go to the movies on weekends, so I tend not to have the crowd problems and I’ve never seen the Union Square in any condition you’d call filthy. I did not like this place when it first opened (small screens, small rooms, sound issues) but it is now one of the three best theatres in the city that you can depend on for good presentation
Here’s the HUGE problem with the LOEWS @ Lincoln Square: If just ONE person complains that the movie is too loud, down the volume goes. And down it stays. In fact, most of the time, the volume is kept low anyway so that they don’t have to deal with complaints. This applies to ALL the auditoriums there. Talk about inaudible. This WAS a great thaeter when it opened, but sadly it no longer is. My very last visit was for WALK THE LINE (my friend lives across the street and didn’t want to travel.) In addition to the volume being too low, the sound was muffled and distorted. It didn’t concern the nearly soldout house or the management. We got refunds. Eventually saw the movie at the Union Square where it was loud and crystal clear (as it usually is there.) As for the ZIEGFELD, they have really done a tremendous job over the past couple years. As for CHINATOWN, you can’t hold an old optical mono track to the same standard as a new release or a freshly struck print. Yeah, they probably coulda cranked up the volume but those old worn out optical mono tracks tend to sound harsh and shrill at high volumes. The Ziegfeld DID indeed have sound and projection problems for a while. From Jurrasic Park until up to and including Moulin Rouge no matter how loud they made it, dialogue was mostly unintelligible. Including the VERTIGO rerelease after their renovation – it was BARELY audible. Also, many times, they couldn’t even manage to get the picture on the screen properly. Now however, it’s in the top 3 moviegoing experiences in the city. In a good way ;–)
I remember that screening of Backdraft!!
I also agree that the presentation at the Ziegfeld was iffy for a while there.
Since Clearview has had it though, it’s been quite good.
RENT rivaled some 70mm shows I’ve seen there.
EVERYBODY GO TO THE REVIVALS!!! If enough people support it, maybe we’ll luck out and get a series every year!
Hey Vito & RC – I’d love to continue this with you via e-mail before everyone gets pissed about this being off topic ;–)
You are absolutely right that some people do try to put on a good show – the guy at the Ziegfeld does a good job, Stanley at the Astor Plaza used to put on a great show . The people at the Union Square and Battery Park do the best job out of all the multiplexes in the city. They don’t use the fader memory feature or dual fader setting capability – they just leave it set for the feature and seem to deal well with the trailer complaints. At Loews E-Walk I can tell which projectionist is on duty based on the presentation – I believe they have 3 guys on staff – ONE of them does a good job. The Chelsea 9 (already a crappy theatre – even on a good day) took 45 minutes to manually switch over formats because “we can’t find the projectionist.” The dialog for MatchPoint at the Village 7 came from the right channel speaker and the projectionist had no clue how to fix it (it was running in the wrong program – he couldn’t figure out how to push one single button and quite frankly his attitude was one of “I couldn’t care less.”) I had to explain to the manager what to do and he manged to fix it. And it cost him 4 free passes and two refunds. AND he invited us to stay and see the movie anyway.
I don’t mean to demean the profession – and I’m sure all you guys are consummate pros who actually took/take pride in putting on a good show – but I’m also sure that you can see why I’m a little miffed.
As for the fader settings, why not do as my friend does: My buddy runs a 6 screener – 5 Dolby Digital & 1 SDDS. In the Dolby houses he sets the trailers to 4.5 and the feature between 6 and 7. In the SDDS house, he tries to get all the trailers to run in the SDDS format and sets it to -2.0 and sets the feature between -0.5 and 1.5. He actually goes into the auditorium and listens to the movie. He has said that on ocassion, he has had to run some movies at 7.5 and 2.5 DD/SDDS respectively to get clear dialog. He does have to move films a couple times a week for screenings, etc and says it’s not a big deal ‘cause it is just two cues. Sure, every commercial/trailer has a different level, but you can group all the commercials/trailers/etc and set them at one fader setting and the feature at another. No need to babysit the volume. I’ve watched him do it and I’ve heard the results. It’s a great and relatively simple solution.
OF COURSE THEATRE CHAINS DON’T CARE ABOUT THE PRESENTATION – THEY ARE WAY TOO CONCERNED WITH SELLING POPCORN!!! That’s why you’d assume that theatres with fulltime projection staff would do a better job – all the projectionist has to do is work with the film. But again, in my experience, here in the city, it doesn’t seem to make a difference. They put on just as crappy a show at the AMC as they do at the UA East as they do at Lincoln Square and Lincoln Plaza (where we just tried to see Mrs Henderson Presents – which was presented at a volume so low that about half the dialog was inaudible. Mrs Henderson herself couldn’t hear what she was saying!!! My complaint was greeted with “I’ll let the projectionist know.” Ten minutes later we were getting a refund.
Absolutely… the SDDS 3000 and all Dolby processors from the 500 series on. They allow you to set a sound cue for commercials, trailers and feature. The SDDS has memory – it will remember the level for a trailer even if it is removed from the platter and is reintroduced later. The Dolby does not have a memory feature but it CAN accept different fader settings for trailers and feature.
I had a conversation with a “tech” from a Loews theatre about this. His response was “it’s too much trouble, we have to program the machine every time we move the film.” Gee – that’s what I thought they get paid to do?
Not a comment about the Ziegfeld, but about theatres with with/without projectionists…
I have seen movies in theatres with fulltime projectionists who do a truly crappy job – and if there’s a problem, they can usually be found sitting around or holding up a wall or having coffee and usually are incapable of fixing the problem anyway. I have left the auditorium to try to get sound/projection problems fixed up to SIX times at a single showing (at a union theatre with a “tech” on duty) with zero results – for really simple things to fix (wrong sound format, pictures out of focus, picture on the wall, low volume.) Conversely, I’ve been in manager run theatres where they do a superb job and if there happens to be a problem, it is usually fixed. I always come away with the feeling that the projectionists just don’t want to be bothered.
At the manager run theatres, the answer to a complaint is “I’ll fix that for you right away” and it usually is done by the time I’m back in the auditorium. At union theatres the answer is “I’ll let the projectionist know.” The second time “I told the projectionist, I’ll call him again.” The third time I get a manager and it’s “The projectionist said he was just up there and nothing is wrong. I’ll call him again.” The fourth time it’s “The projectionist said that’s what the movie is supposed to sound like.” Then I have the manager come into the theatre with me at which point he says “Oh, I see. I’ll call again.” The fifth time I tell the manager that it’s the fifth time I’ve had to come out about this and then he says “I’ll go up there myself.” And then he does and manages to fix the problem.
Additionally, most complaints are about loud trailers (that really aren’t that loud anymore) and every single projectionist I have spoken with either doesn’t know about or is too lazy to use the capability of the new sound processors to set a separate sound cue for each commercial/trailer so that the feature can be shown at the proper level. They’re too busy holding up the walls.
Sorry to vent on you guys, but I see about 150 movies each year and that has been my experience in general. There are good and bad in all professions, but here in NYC, I find that there are more bad projectionists than good.
Not a comment about the Ziegfeld, but about theatres with with/without projectionists…
I have seen movies in theatres with fulltime projectionists who do a truly crappy job – and if there’s a problem, they can usually be found sitting around or holding up a wall or having coffee and usually are incapable of fixing the problem anyway. I have left the auditorium to try to get sound/projection problems fixed up to SIX times at a single showing (at a union theatre with a “tech” on duty) with zero results – for really simple things to fix (wrong sound format, pictures out of focus, picture on the wall, low volume.) Conversely, I’ve been in manager run theatres where they do a superb job and if there happens to be a problem, it is usually fixed. I always come away with the feeling that the projectionists just don’t want to be bothered.
At the manager run theatres, the answer to a complaint is “I’ll fix that for you right away” and it usually is done by the time I’m back in the auditorium. At union theatres the answer is “I’ll let the projectionist know.” The second time “I told the projectionist, I’ll call him again.” The third time I get a manager and it’s “The projectionist said he was just up there and nothing is wrong. I’ll call him again.” The fourth time it’s “The projectionist said that’s what the movie is supposed to sound like.” Then I have the manager come into the theatre with me at which point he says “Oh, I see. I’ll call again.” The fifth time I tell the manager that it’s the fifth time I’ve had to come out about this and then he says “I’ll go up there myself.” And then he does and manages to fix the problem.
Additionally, most complaints are about loud trailers (that really aren’t that loud anymore) and every single projectionist I have spoken with either doesn’t know about or is too lazy to use the capability of the new sound processors to set a separate sound cue for each commercial/trailer so that the feature can be shown at the proper level. They’re too busy holding up the walls.
Sorry to vent on you guys, but I see about 150 movies each year and that has been my experience in general. There are good and bad in all professions, but here in NYC, I find that there are more bad projectionists than good.
What the Ziegfeld REALLY needs is something like one or two week exclusives of BIG blockbuster movies before they go into saturation release.
The huge majority of people don’t care where they see a movie – employees at the multiplex look at me like I have 6 heads when I ask “which time is in thatre 13?” (The good big screen at Loew’s E-Walk – bigger than the Ziegfeld’s btw.) I know people who saw Titanic in one of the small houses at the Chelsea which I think is a travesty.
BUT – if it’s a highly anticipated movie and the ONLY place to see it is the Ziegfeld, people will come.
Ice Age 2 made what… $70 million? There were perhaps 30 people in attendance on Friday (opening) night. It was playing to sold out houses at the horrible horrible AMC in Times Square…. I’m just saying…
OPENING DAY of Ice Age. 30 people in attendance.
I’m gonna have to say it again (based on some of the comments above.) There will not be another series like this at the Ziegfeld if there IS no Ziegfeld. You guys have to see the first run movies they show here. You think most of it’s crap? So do I. I’m buying a ticket to the Ziegfeld, not to the crappy movie – yes I know the theatre sees very little of the ticket $$$ which is why I then buy a bunch of stuff from the concession stand.
I have no idea what Cablevision thinks of this venue, but if they’re allowing something like this revival series – I don’t know – it kinda smells like desperation…
So get yourselves in the seats even for the crappy first run movies – otherwise don’t come on here crying that the Ziegfeld is now closed!
Just wondering… I’ve stated before that I will go out of my way to see any old crap that they slap up on the screen at the Ziegfeld just to try to help support the place. Anyone else do this? Let me tell you, I have seen new releases here on a Sturday night with just 19 people (sometimes less) in the house, and meanwhile, the same movie will be a sell-out on 42nd Street. A few weeks of “classics” at $7.50 a pop sure as hell ain’t gonna keep the joint open. What I’m saying is… if you’re gonna see Ice Age 2 and it’s showing across the street from your house, make the trip to the Ziegfeld instead. And buy some popcorn and soda at the concession stand – you all KNOW that’s where they make their real money… I’ve seen 7 of the classics and I’ve seen people smuggle in complete meals at all of them. Shame on you!
Hey BILL and VITO,
I’m really sorry you experienced a “too loud” complainer, Bill. It happens to me quite often at first run movies: the volume will be at a perfectly acceptable level and someone (who is usually sitting on top of the screen) will go out and complain “it’s too loud” and invariably, the volume goes down not by a little, but a lot – usually to a level where you can no longer make out much of the dialog. I’m kind of surprised that it happened at Zhivago – why didn’t you march right out and ask them to turn it back up? I’ve now seen 5 of the revivals, only West Side Story was a little low, but it was still this side of acceptable. I was going to see Zhivago on Thursday, but now I’m afraid to…
And, VITO – I bet I would be happy if you were running the show. If you recall from one of our past conversations, I have to practically DRAG someone into the auditorium with me to observe the problem first hand.
Vito,
Not be argumentative, but you say >>>he did play a role in how well the picture and sound were presented.<<< Clearly you have never been to the Chelsea 9 – there is no such thing as good picture and sound there. If you mean that he ensured a good sound mix and premium quality prints, well – that doesn’t matter much if the theaters don’t live up to the standard.
I agree with most of your comments about what he did for film presentation, but… 70mm is dead. THX in theatres is dead. Before it died, we had… either 3 or 5 (depending on who you ask) rooms that were THX certified. Digital Cinema is not even up to the quality of 35mm and is really about saving studios money. DLP completely underwhelms me. It is bright tho. Very bright. And usually very red also…
VITO,
I read about how much Lucas is concerned about where they show his movies, YET… all three new Star Wars pictures were shown in the crappiest theaters in the city (Ziegfeld excepted.) The Park and 86st, the 86st East, the Clearview 62/1, the Clearview Chelsea 9, the Murray Hill come to mind immediately. Granted, Fox had $$$ issues with Loews but if Lucas cared soooo much, he certainly would not have allowed his babies to be displayed in these places. It’s all about the bottom line, not the audience (who doesn’t really care cuz they went to these dumps anyway.)
Z.
Hey Hardbop,
The movie was Final Destination 3. And like I said, there were maybe 30 people in the auditorium (#6).
I also experienced a fist fight here during (appropriately enough) Gangs of New York and had a group of people smoking pot during (of ALL things) Pride and Prejudice.
I found two managers and told them about my experience – they didn’t seem very surprised or concerned. They offered me a refund and said that someone would be in to check the auditorium (which of course didn’t happen.)
I’ve seen plenty of horror/slasher movies at the Ewalk across the street and NEVER experienced anything like this over there. Maybe because the Ewalk has patrolling security guards and ushers checking the theaters…
In any case, I never liked this place because of their generally crappy presentations – but I certainly am not going to put up with feeling like I might gat slashed in the mens room or assaulted during the movie. And I don’t feel that way even up at the Magic Johnson Harlem USA.
PS – I was wondering where all the people from the concession line went. Perhaps they have a crack den in there someplace??
NEVER AGAIN.
During my visit here today I encountered: drug use AND selling in the mens room, filthy toilet stalls, endless concession lines with ONE person working and several other employees just standing around, sticky floors in the auditorium, sticky substance on the armrest, the stench of booze in the auditorium, someone smoking in the auditorium, a screaming match over the use of a cellphone AND a fist fight over the use of some sort of electronic device that was playing music (loudly) all DURING THE MOVIE. And there were MAYBE 30 people in the theater. It was like watching a movie at the old Harris on 42nd St on a Friday night (except this was Wednesday and AMC is supposed to be a decent place.) Ironically enough, the presentation was OK (a rarity here.) And no, it is NOT the neighborhood – this does not happen at the Ewalk across the street – no matter what kind of obnoxious movie they are showing. I seem to recall that there were a couple shootings here as well. Now that AMC owns everything, is THIS what we have to look forward to? In addition to their generally lousy presentations!?!
Hey Howard,
Not bashing Clearview at all – I’m happy to see the revivals! However, at Chelsea Classics, they throw 1.33 movies up on the 1.85 screen and crop the image top and bottom.
Perhaps there are prints of Singing… in which it has been optically printed (“windowboxed”) onto the 1.85 frame?? As in the last releases of Gone With The Wind and Wizard of Oz…
I won’t complain – either way I’m happy to see it since I have never seen it projected at all.
Gladiator on Monday night attracted perhaps 75 people.
Singing In The Rain… that’s in 1.33 isn’t it? Now THERE’S a possibility for catastrophe…
Hey Saps,
No, MFL did NOT have any credits at the end.
Saw MFL on Monday and was expecting a horrible experience based on comments from here. Let me tell you, it wasn’t a bad print at all (a couple of scratches, some dropped frames) – I have seen worse prints of movies that have been in release for 4 DAYS.
Hey Ed,
Yeah, but they both have smallish screens. The Paris is really a niche market sort of place – they don’t show movies people actually see – and the Tower East (72nd St) likes to run movies at the “barely audible” setting (which is probably due to the neighborhood it is in – those sensitive UES ears!!) There’s also the crappy UA East which is probably THE worst national chain theatre in the city. So really, it’s only The Ziegfeld.
(Why was there no huge outcry over the Astor Plaza’s demise?? It was a better theatre.)
Hey all,
I’m just so thrilled that someone is doing SOMETHING with the theatre… I’d love to see a pristine 70mm 6 Track Dolby print of RAIDERS but am going to take what I can get! I go to EVERY SINGLE PIECE OF CRAP MOVIE that they throw up on that screen whether I’m interested in seeing it or not, just to support the theatre – which is, for all practical purposes, our last single screen in the city.
I have ZERO tolerance for sloppy presentation of NEW movies, but guys – you gotta cut them some slack with the revivals!
Hey Luis – I’ve never had a good experience at the 34th Street. I’ve been there maybe 8 times and something was wrong every time: low volume, muffled sound, blown out center speakers, film threaded backwards, blown out amplifiers, picture half off the screen… And only ONE single good experience at the AMC. In theatre six. For SHOPGIRL of all things. In comparison, I rarely have a bad experience at the Union Square. Have you tried Battery Park? It’s quite excellent. I also like the E-Walk…
Hi Luis – I agree that their customer service is lousy – particularly the concessionaires and ushers. Most of the managers are acommodating and they really can’t do anything about the type of crowd they attract. I mean, they’re next door to the NYU dorms. I rarely go to the movies on weekends, so I tend not to have the crowd problems and I’ve never seen the Union Square in any condition you’d call filthy. I did not like this place when it first opened (small screens, small rooms, sound issues) but it is now one of the three best theatres in the city that you can depend on for good presentation
They ALL have mice. Do you remember the PLAZA on 58 St? It was CRAWLING with roaches.
Here’s the HUGE problem with the LOEWS @ Lincoln Square: If just ONE person complains that the movie is too loud, down the volume goes. And down it stays. In fact, most of the time, the volume is kept low anyway so that they don’t have to deal with complaints. This applies to ALL the auditoriums there. Talk about inaudible. This WAS a great thaeter when it opened, but sadly it no longer is. My very last visit was for WALK THE LINE (my friend lives across the street and didn’t want to travel.) In addition to the volume being too low, the sound was muffled and distorted. It didn’t concern the nearly soldout house or the management. We got refunds. Eventually saw the movie at the Union Square where it was loud and crystal clear (as it usually is there.) As for the ZIEGFELD, they have really done a tremendous job over the past couple years. As for CHINATOWN, you can’t hold an old optical mono track to the same standard as a new release or a freshly struck print. Yeah, they probably coulda cranked up the volume but those old worn out optical mono tracks tend to sound harsh and shrill at high volumes. The Ziegfeld DID indeed have sound and projection problems for a while. From Jurrasic Park until up to and including Moulin Rouge no matter how loud they made it, dialogue was mostly unintelligible. Including the VERTIGO rerelease after their renovation – it was BARELY audible. Also, many times, they couldn’t even manage to get the picture on the screen properly. Now however, it’s in the top 3 moviegoing experiences in the city. In a good way ;–)
I remember that screening of Backdraft!!
I also agree that the presentation at the Ziegfeld was iffy for a while there.
Since Clearview has had it though, it’s been quite good.
RENT rivaled some 70mm shows I’ve seen there.
EVERYBODY GO TO THE REVIVALS!!! If enough people support it, maybe we’ll luck out and get a series every year!
Hey Vito & RC – I’d love to continue this with you via e-mail before everyone gets pissed about this being off topic ;–)
You are absolutely right that some people do try to put on a good show – the guy at the Ziegfeld does a good job, Stanley at the Astor Plaza used to put on a great show . The people at the Union Square and Battery Park do the best job out of all the multiplexes in the city. They don’t use the fader memory feature or dual fader setting capability – they just leave it set for the feature and seem to deal well with the trailer complaints. At Loews E-Walk I can tell which projectionist is on duty based on the presentation – I believe they have 3 guys on staff – ONE of them does a good job. The Chelsea 9 (already a crappy theatre – even on a good day) took 45 minutes to manually switch over formats because “we can’t find the projectionist.” The dialog for MatchPoint at the Village 7 came from the right channel speaker and the projectionist had no clue how to fix it (it was running in the wrong program – he couldn’t figure out how to push one single button and quite frankly his attitude was one of “I couldn’t care less.”) I had to explain to the manager what to do and he manged to fix it. And it cost him 4 free passes and two refunds. AND he invited us to stay and see the movie anyway.
I don’t mean to demean the profession – and I’m sure all you guys are consummate pros who actually took/take pride in putting on a good show – but I’m also sure that you can see why I’m a little miffed.
As for the fader settings, why not do as my friend does: My buddy runs a 6 screener – 5 Dolby Digital & 1 SDDS. In the Dolby houses he sets the trailers to 4.5 and the feature between 6 and 7. In the SDDS house, he tries to get all the trailers to run in the SDDS format and sets it to -2.0 and sets the feature between -0.5 and 1.5. He actually goes into the auditorium and listens to the movie. He has said that on ocassion, he has had to run some movies at 7.5 and 2.5 DD/SDDS respectively to get clear dialog. He does have to move films a couple times a week for screenings, etc and says it’s not a big deal ‘cause it is just two cues. Sure, every commercial/trailer has a different level, but you can group all the commercials/trailers/etc and set them at one fader setting and the feature at another. No need to babysit the volume. I’ve watched him do it and I’ve heard the results. It’s a great and relatively simple solution.
OF COURSE THEATRE CHAINS DON’T CARE ABOUT THE PRESENTATION – THEY ARE WAY TOO CONCERNED WITH SELLING POPCORN!!! That’s why you’d assume that theatres with fulltime projection staff would do a better job – all the projectionist has to do is work with the film. But again, in my experience, here in the city, it doesn’t seem to make a difference. They put on just as crappy a show at the AMC as they do at the UA East as they do at Lincoln Square and Lincoln Plaza (where we just tried to see Mrs Henderson Presents – which was presented at a volume so low that about half the dialog was inaudible. Mrs Henderson herself couldn’t hear what she was saying!!! My complaint was greeted with “I’ll let the projectionist know.” Ten minutes later we were getting a refund.
Hey RCDTJ,
Absolutely… the SDDS 3000 and all Dolby processors from the 500 series on. They allow you to set a sound cue for commercials, trailers and feature. The SDDS has memory – it will remember the level for a trailer even if it is removed from the platter and is reintroduced later. The Dolby does not have a memory feature but it CAN accept different fader settings for trailers and feature.
I had a conversation with a “tech” from a Loews theatre about this. His response was “it’s too much trouble, we have to program the machine every time we move the film.” Gee – that’s what I thought they get paid to do?
Not a comment about the Ziegfeld, but about theatres with with/without projectionists…
I have seen movies in theatres with fulltime projectionists who do a truly crappy job – and if there’s a problem, they can usually be found sitting around or holding up a wall or having coffee and usually are incapable of fixing the problem anyway. I have left the auditorium to try to get sound/projection problems fixed up to SIX times at a single showing (at a union theatre with a “tech” on duty) with zero results – for really simple things to fix (wrong sound format, pictures out of focus, picture on the wall, low volume.) Conversely, I’ve been in manager run theatres where they do a superb job and if there happens to be a problem, it is usually fixed. I always come away with the feeling that the projectionists just don’t want to be bothered.
At the manager run theatres, the answer to a complaint is “I’ll fix that for you right away” and it usually is done by the time I’m back in the auditorium. At union theatres the answer is “I’ll let the projectionist know.” The second time “I told the projectionist, I’ll call him again.” The third time I get a manager and it’s “The projectionist said he was just up there and nothing is wrong. I’ll call him again.” The fourth time it’s “The projectionist said that’s what the movie is supposed to sound like.” Then I have the manager come into the theatre with me at which point he says “Oh, I see. I’ll call again.” The fifth time I tell the manager that it’s the fifth time I’ve had to come out about this and then he says “I’ll go up there myself.” And then he does and manages to fix the problem.
Additionally, most complaints are about loud trailers (that really aren’t that loud anymore) and every single projectionist I have spoken with either doesn’t know about or is too lazy to use the capability of the new sound processors to set a separate sound cue for each commercial/trailer so that the feature can be shown at the proper level. They’re too busy holding up the walls.
Sorry to vent on you guys, but I see about 150 movies each year and that has been my experience in general. There are good and bad in all professions, but here in NYC, I find that there are more bad projectionists than good.
Not a comment about the Ziegfeld, but about theatres with with/without projectionists…
I have seen movies in theatres with fulltime projectionists who do a truly crappy job – and if there’s a problem, they can usually be found sitting around or holding up a wall or having coffee and usually are incapable of fixing the problem anyway. I have left the auditorium to try to get sound/projection problems fixed up to SIX times at a single showing (at a union theatre with a “tech” on duty) with zero results – for really simple things to fix (wrong sound format, pictures out of focus, picture on the wall, low volume.) Conversely, I’ve been in manager run theatres where they do a superb job and if there happens to be a problem, it is usually fixed. I always come away with the feeling that the projectionists just don’t want to be bothered.
At the manager run theatres, the answer to a complaint is “I’ll fix that for you right away” and it usually is done by the time I’m back in the auditorium. At union theatres the answer is “I’ll let the projectionist know.” The second time “I told the projectionist, I’ll call him again.” The third time I get a manager and it’s “The projectionist said he was just up there and nothing is wrong. I’ll call him again.” The fourth time it’s “The projectionist said that’s what the movie is supposed to sound like.” Then I have the manager come into the theatre with me at which point he says “Oh, I see. I’ll call again.” The fifth time I tell the manager that it’s the fifth time I’ve had to come out about this and then he says “I’ll go up there myself.” And then he does and manages to fix the problem.
Additionally, most complaints are about loud trailers (that really aren’t that loud anymore) and every single projectionist I have spoken with either doesn’t know about or is too lazy to use the capability of the new sound processors to set a separate sound cue for each commercial/trailer so that the feature can be shown at the proper level. They’re too busy holding up the walls.
Sorry to vent on you guys, but I see about 150 movies each year and that has been my experience in general. There are good and bad in all professions, but here in NYC, I find that there are more bad projectionists than good.