IFC Center

323 6th Avenue,
New York, NY 10003

Unfavorite 34 people favorited this theater

Showing 76 - 100 of 202 comments

Mike (saps)
Mike (saps) on August 31, 2005 at 4:07 pm

Less easy to skip a reel when it’s all on one platter. But there are times when I wish I had a fast forward button.

RobertR
RobertR on August 31, 2005 at 3:36 pm

No……..this part………………

A few times I saw a movie a second time here… it was during the week and there was hardly anyone in the theatre….

In order to go home early, the projectionist would just SKIP a film roll!

thefieb
thefieb on August 31, 2005 at 2:14 pm

I don’t quite understand how this re-post is relevant with all it’s ellipses?

Are you blaming the projectionist for it’s bad decor?

When I was a teen, I worked as a box office person in a theater in California and during the last show if there was only one or two people the manager would pressure me to lie to the ticketbuyers and say something was broken so he and the projectionist could go home early. I couldn’t bring myself to do it and would make him tell his own lies. Oh yeah, this was a non-union house…so I guess the desire to go home after a long day is human nature, not a union disease.

Anthology Film Archives, on the otherhand, will show a film at the loss of staff wages if only one person shows up. As a projectionist or manager, I admit you do sort of resent that one person who desperately needs to see an unsubtitled russian film at 10pm, but it’s a good policy nonetheless.

RobertR
RobertR on August 30, 2005 at 7:05 pm

A few posts ago there was a lot of talk if the IFC should use a local 306 projectionist. I just read this post on the Nostrand page that may help make a decision.

This was a first run theatre Philip, not second.. except maybe at the end.

I remember lining up to see GREASE here.

They had painted birds on the ceiling.. it made you ask.. is that BUTTER in my popcorn!

An interesting fact about this theatre…

A few times I saw a movie a second time here… it was during the week and there was hardly anyone in the theatre….

In order to go home early, the projectionist would just SKIP a film roll!

Mike
posted by MikeRadio on Dec 4, 2003 at 9:40pm

John Fink
John Fink on July 29, 2005 at 7:12 pm

In regards to that question posed by Jennifer Fieber the truth of the matter is IFC Films has created theatrical versions of some of its TV documentaries. A Decade Under the Influence was shown in theaters and shown on TV in a double the lenght extended cut. This is nothing new, look at the films of Bergman. IFC Center, however hasn’t gotten around to that yet.

Whats more offensive are those PG-13 rated softened versions of pictures that Miramax dumps in to theaters only to, months later, offer an Uncut R-rated (or hardened “unrated” version) for purchase. IFC isn’t doing that sort of thing.

John Fink
John Fink on July 29, 2005 at 7:11 pm

In regards to that question posed by Jennifer Fieber the truth of the matter is IFC Films has created theatrical versions of some of its TV documentaries. A Decade Under the Influence was shown in theaters and shown on TV in a double the lenght extended cut. This is nothing new, look at the films of Bergman. IFC Center, however hasn’t gotten around to that yet.

Whats more offensive are those PG-13 rated softened versions of pictures that Miramax dumps in to theaters only to, months later, offer an Uncut R-rated (or hardened “unrated” version) for purchase. IFC isn’t doing that sort of thing.

Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez on July 29, 2005 at 4:38 pm

You can’t alway get what you want but if you try sometimes you get what you need.

Jennifer, I want quality projection at the Waverly. When did Local 306 ever supply that in the past?

thefieb
thefieb on July 29, 2005 at 2:17 pm

Not propoganda, it was a question…sounded strange to me too.

PeterApruzzese
PeterApruzzese on July 29, 2005 at 1:59 pm

jennifer fieber wrote: I had heard the new IFC theater edits it’s films for more convenient running times and tells patrons they can watch the full version on their televisions. Does anyone know if that is true?

This is not true.

RobertR
RobertR on July 29, 2005 at 12:02 pm

talk about propaganda

thefieb
thefieb on July 29, 2005 at 11:55 am

I had heard the new IFC theater edits it’s films for more convenient running times and tells patrons they can watch the full version on their televisions. Does anyone know if that is true?

thefieb
thefieb on July 29, 2005 at 11:53 am

Hi. I’m a member of that dreaded Local 306 you’re all talking about. I certainly don’t want to extend some of the more ridiculous parts of this union debate, but I did want to correct a few points of misinformation. These unquestioned perceptions of what it means to be in the union, unfortunately lead to a decline in support for an organization that IS SUPPOSED to protect skilled workers from being fired will-nilly. Unions are not set up out of greed, but if you want to believe that, whatever I say will not convince you otherwise.

A few things:
1) Wish that it were true that just by joining the union, the place is then unionized. Local 306 needs a contract with the IFC so it is not right to assume their scab projectionists do not want to join. There is simply no point in it until IFC meets with 306.

2)This last post by RobertR is misleading because the Union gets dues paid by the worker based on the wages earned at a place. There is not a certain amount a theater pays to the union directly, but it is based on whether a union person has worked there. No Payoffs. What is true here, is that just because the union has a contract with a place does not mean you are seeing a union projectionist at work. The megaplexes have chipped away at the union so much that they are usually required to have only one union person there full-time. This person is usually busy building up and breaking down prints for the platters and the actual projecting is done by very low paid managers. Hence most of the crappy projecting you see is done by a high school kid.

3)On this same note, I will not defend every union projectionist there is. I know some are better than others. I think more to blame is the automation of the theaters which has to do with saving money for the theaters. You’re not going to get perfect projections when one guy is running 12 rooms. Platters are also terrible on film prints; I prefer the old fashioned reel-to-reel method…but of course I work in archival booths where it is required. But how many times have you witnessed this?…the film comes up out of of focus or out of frame and astoundingly it plays through the trailers for like 15 minutes and no one does anything—I guarantee you this is a manager not a union person. There is no usher in the room checking it’s startup. So you get up to complain and find a young usher or manager he looks at you like you are the biggest pain in the ass for bothering him and besides he doesn’t even know what “out of frame” means so he thinks you’re crazy. etc. Obviously the owners of the theater have not trained their staff on what to look for to make sure a film is properly projected and pretty soon audiences just come to expect mediocre projection as par for the course. But conveniently, there’s always the union to blame.

4)The irony of this IFC thing is that the projectionist there actually makes a wage similar to what the union would ask for and he has benefits. Cablevision would not be hurt by talking to us but they simply want to keep the union from getting in and being able to protect that worker—kind of like WalMart. Also ironic is that a few of you went on and on about how bad union projectionist are but didn’t acknowledge the post where this same non-union projectionist was unable to run “Don’t Look Back”.

By the way, how does one appreciate Bob Dylan’s work and yet be anti-union? It baffles me…

RobertR
RobertR on July 27, 2005 at 1:49 pm

The reason this is a joke is that there are a slew of theatres in the city where the owners pay the union the dues and there is no union projectionist working there. This way the union gets the money and the theatre has the flexibility of using their own people.

hardbop
hardbop on July 27, 2005 at 1:31 pm

Well, it looks like the IFC is taking some more flack from the pro-union folks. John Sayles, who is very pro-union (see MATEWAN)asked to be removed from the IFC’s Board of Advisors if the IFC doesn’t start talking with the union. The union made the letter public and the “Voice” published in this week’s issue.

Some of the other Board of Advisors members — Tim Robbins & Ethan Hawke — also plan to speak to management.

I know I’m not comfortable patronizing the place and will go out of my way to see films elsewhere.

JackM
JackM on July 17, 2005 at 7:16 pm

By the way, Warren, unless I’m not reading correctly it appears that the manufacturer of the house vacuum cleaner is detailed in the various specs given for the new Waverly.

Sooooo … Product Placement is not a new idea, huh?

JackM
JackM on July 17, 2005 at 3:57 pm

Great photos, Warren, thank you.

Mike (saps)
Mike (saps) on July 15, 2005 at 11:51 pm

I hope you’re having fun, Jack, because this stuff will all be soon deleted. But when I said you union-bash, I was being too narrow, and I later self-corrected by admitting “I FORGOT TO MENTION” all the other bashing you are doing. Instead of saying “just to union-bash” I should have said “MAINLY to union-bash” because when it comes to the Waverly your poison pen is not limited to one mere aspect. (Emphasis added.)

JackM
JackM on July 15, 2005 at 12:42 pm

OK saps, last post you said:

>>Jack …it’s nice of you to join this site just to union-bash, ad nauseum. Got any opinions on anything else?<<

Most recent post, you said:

>>you also criticize the design of the theater, the neighborhood in which it sits, its future programming choices, the name “Waverly,” and any poster who disagrees with you. <<

Soooo, what is you thought (if you remember)… I make wide ranging comment upon the architectural, business and marketing design of the subject in focus, oorrrrr …. I’m only here to “union-bash?”

You smoking that stuff again, saps?

You’re posting to yourself now, saps, this is the end of my side of this chitchat.

Mike (saps)
Mike (saps) on July 15, 2005 at 11:22 am

Oh, right, Jack, I forgot to mention that you also criticize the design of the theater, the neighborhood in which it sits, its future programming choices, the name “Waverly,” and any poster who disagrees with you. Plus, you haven’t posted a comment about any other theater…if you can.

JackM
JackM on July 15, 2005 at 11:07 am

Fallacious,saps, and can lead you and readers off the point of the “Cinema Treasure” in focus. Use logic … if you can.

Mike (saps)
Mike (saps) on July 15, 2005 at 4:06 am

JackM and Jackwhite, it’s nice of you to join this site just to union-bash, ad nauseum. Got any opinions on anything else?

JackM
JackM on July 15, 2005 at 1:01 am

For the last couple nights, projectionist union protest managment has hired street urchins in hiphop clothes to hand out flyers.

Could this mean that gen-u-ine projectionists, protesting at projectionist wages, is not cost effective?

Hmmmmmmm …………….

JackM
JackM on July 14, 2005 at 11:49 am

>>I would ask the person who complained about the prices at IFC Center if s/he has bought a ticket at any other movie theaters in New York City.<<

You can ask the question, Mr. White, though the asking likely won’t
get you an objective answer. Posts here have shown, time to time, a set of contributors who express emotional and political views that appear to have scant grounding in either business experience or objective reasoning. God bless ‘em, I say, “whatever gets you through the night.”

JackWhite
JackWhite on July 14, 2005 at 1:37 am

I would ask the person who complained about the prices at IFC Center if s/he has bought a ticket at any other movie theaters in New York City. The Angelika, Sunshine, Village East, Lincoln Square, Union Square and many others charge $10.75. Surely you can come up with better arguments to support your anti-Cablevision position. God knows Dolan offers enough ammo for his opponents.

Further, with regards to the arguments about the projectionists' union, keep in mind that whether or not the IFC Center employs union projectionists is not up to Cablevision, Jim Dolan or the union itself. In this country it is up to each individual whether or not to join a union. If the projectionists that work at a theater want to join the union, they can apply for membership to that union. There are extremely strict laws prohibiting employers from threatening or too vehemently discouraging employees from joining a union.

So if an IFC Center projectionist decides that they prefer their current wage/benefit package to what the union may offer/promise (and the union can promise whatever they want, whether there’s a basis in reality or not), it’s that individual’s option to stay out of the union. If the treatment they receive from their employer is not satisfactory, the employees are free to join a union and it would be illegal for that employer to punish or reprimand or fire the employee for doing so.

And anyone who pays a projectionist $54/hr is an idiot.

JackM
JackM on July 12, 2005 at 4:07 pm

>>Well, I would rather see a projectionist get paid a livable wage, even $54 an hour, than see the money go into the rapacious Dolan/Cablevision’s pockets.<<

And in your scenario the projectionist will apply his wages to the operations cost of the property?

>>And the money they are saving by not paying union wages for projectionists is not reflected in the ticket prices,<<

Jeez, hardbop, I’d love it if you’d post the P&L of this theatre that has led you to make the two trenchant observations above. If you don’t have a P&L you’re simply creating bad blood for the business. Not what one would expect from a thoughtful contributor to the “Cinema Treasures” site. (A P&L is a profit and loss statement)