A recent trip to the Century 9 was most fun. I went into the XD Theatre and found the best curved screen in San Francisco. It’s huge and curved at the top and bottom. This screen is so popular they are adding a second one on the other side on the right section. They even cut a hole in the lobby for the left side exit from Theatre#1. I am told It will even be larger and with Dolby Atmos sound this may be the best place in SF to check out a movie on a giant curved screen in SF. They hope to be open with the new XD GIANT screen for Gatsby in 3-D next week. The theatres at the 9 complex near the cable car area of SF have the height to put in this giant screen.
Now that the Dome is closed let the legal fight to save It go on. Someone needs to check to see who SYWEST is. I beleive Its the same company that is ownded by the owners of what was Syufy Theatres. When the father died many years ago Ray Syufy the two brothers got the theatres. A few years ago they sold most of them to Cinemark. They did keep most of the old Drive Inns under the WESTWIND name. The Syufy brothers are only into cash for the land that the old theatres they still run and own are on. They are trying to make money off the land that the Century 21 Dome is on in Pleasant Hill CA. Out of respect for their dad they need to fix up the Dome, put back the huge Dimension-150 curved screen or call it EX and keep this Dome theatre a center piece of any new stores in the area. Tear down the junky other 4 theatres behind the Dome and build the stores but please keep the Dome for a new generation to enjoy.
The new screen going in is not that big. They can go 120 feet with a curve type but the new screen will be way to small. To bad this is a chance to put in a giant wide curved type screen but they choose not to. You can forget the nice neon signs out front ever coming back. The front is so dull now. If they go with a Imax square type screen It will be tall and not wide enough. Will they wreck the ceiling with all the Dolby Atomos speakers? You may never see the nice curtains again once a Imax type screen is put in with no masking. Go see Graumans before April so you will remember how nice It once was before the new disco managers took over this famous Hollywood movie theatre.
I like the blue lights. This is so different then the Century/Cinemark chain puts In. Most of their multiplex theatres just have boring white screens to look at and ads going when you come into the cinemas. Will they have armed guards in this tragic theatre? Someday soon maybe Century/Cinemark will go hi tech and put in some nice waterfall curtains with color lights on them in these hi price EX screen auditoriums that have no masking for CinemaScope® wide screen. You will just see a band of white on the top and bottom. It’s better to just see a 1.85 movie in XD then the full screen will be used. This new screen looks more semi curved on the bottom then on the top. When they cram in this giant screen ever inch of the front is used. If a curtain was put in they will have to cut and go up in the ceiling for the extra space to drop it down.
Big rumor going around Hollywood these days that the Scientology people that own so many building in Hollywood are makeing a move to get the Warner Pacific Cinerama office building and theatre on Hollywood Blvd from Pacific Theatres. I beleive a small church group rents out the large theatre on Sundays. This great theatre has huge office space above, so they may want to convert to class rooms ect like they have done all over Hollywood Blvd. Some bolder people have even called me the last few weeks that they heard the Scientology gang wants to buy the whole chain Arclight with the Cinerama Dome Theatre as their world headquaters. I hope this does not happen and that’s why I think people spreading the rumor got confused and the S church people are only interested in the Warner Hollywood building and theatre. My friends at Pacific Theatres are keeping their mouth closed about what is going on. They won’t tell me yes or now. If the Scientology group get’s the Dome Tom Cruise and John Travolta can show their films along with a space religious show in the Cinerama Dome. Pacific did sell off all there San Diego theatres recently. But If the Pacific/Arclight family wants to sell the Arclight brand chain why are they going into the Chicago market at this time? I don’t think they will sell to a church they are not in the movie theatre business. Lets see who comes out with the correct info about the future of the Warner Cinerama Theatre on Hollywood Blvd. Hope the new owners or renters trim the two trees that are wrecking the marquee. Gone may be the two tall Pacific blue Pacific neon towers on the roof, they may soon flash Scientology! I was always hoping that the Shuberts came into the Warner Hollywood to give the Pantages Nederlanders some competition down the street.
Thanks CTC with news about the right side fountain. Maybe the new people at TCL can put in a small plastic wading pool at the bottom and sell tickets and make some extra money for the tourists little kids on a hot day to put their feet and splash around in while the parents look at the prints in the forcourt. The strong adults can pay a rock climbing fee to TCL Grauman’s Chinese Theatre to climb what was left of the nice fountain that gurgles no more. They can make extra money If they want their photo taken on the top. Why did they take out the base pool on the right side?
I have talked to Tim League of Drafthouse Cinemas. For the large downstairs theatre he may put in a semi large curved screen with curtains and a kick ass stereo sound surround system. I told him to contact Century/Cinemark as in Pleasant Hill CA they have a large D-150 screen track that will go up in dust in a few months when they turn the wreckers ball on this classic dome theatre. Tim also knows about showmanship and the use of color lights in the new theatres coming at the New Mission. The Castro Theatre SF will have some major competion and food when this new theatre opens in about a year. You won’t find the New Mission Theatre SF closed on Mondays & Tuesdays like the Castro Theatre is now. The Mission plans to run retro, first run and some 70mm real film plus digital movies and grindhouse festivals and great trailers. Good luck to Tim and the New Mission San Francisco CA. Wait till the noisy movie people in SF find out about the Drafthouse policy for cell phones and tweets in the theatre when a movie is on. This area of Mission St in SF is making a big comback.
To bad the front of this RKO Golden Gate Theatre is a mess today in 2013. What is left of the great marquee is now painted a ugly brown color. Even the tall blades that say Golden Gate are painted in brown. The neon is not on or working. The front in the 50’s and 60’s was like a huge neon accordion of color ornage, green, yellow and blue. Please, the Shorenstein’s make big bucks in Broadway shows they play here, why can’t they get a good neon company back in and fix the front up with some color and repair the neon. This is one of the worst spots in SF day or night, even with theatre security you take your life in chance.
I think the right side waterfall can’t be used as they opened up a hole in the right wall to go upstairs from the forecourt to the shops upstairs near the fountain, I may be wrong but the last time I was there I think the right side waterfall was blocked someway? Let’s put in some gold fish in the working one on the left and blue underwater lights the tourists can feed them. The poor Egyptian Theatre down the street has waterfalls but they leak into the wall and restaurant next door. Hope they can fix them someday.
They need to call this theatre the TCL Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. The public is now finding out about the drop of the Grauman’s name and they are not pleased. The screen at the Chinese is not that large for the size of the main theatre. Many LA theatres have over 85 foot semi curved EX screens. Years ago for 70mm Grauman’s opened to a larger screen. Seems like there is more masking on top and on the sides that will open up. I hope they don’t put in a big IMAX square screen. It’s to tall and not good for a wide screen film. When you see a CinemaScope® movie on a large square IMAX screen white screen is shown at the top and bottom. You just see a band of a movie. They have no masking. It’s a big joke about the new Imax Experience screens going in at AMC and Regal and other theatres,they are not that much larger then the screens they have. The original older IMAX screens are huge. These chains just want the extra money for the IMAX name. The public knows these new IMAX and EX type screens are not that much larger and most stay away from the advance ticket prices. The TCL and new people that took over the Grauman’s lease just need to enlarge the screen they have to 90 feet and curve It more. Put in new color lights in the ceiling and around the theatre. It will be so nice as the curtains with red and organge lights part nice blue or green lights come on the ceiling. When It’s pre show or intermission time the roof lights can change to red. The sound at Grauman’s now is some of the best in any movie theatre I have been to. On certain movies the bass is so deep It will shake the theatre. If they put in the new Dolby Atomos® sound system the whole ceiling will have speakers hanging down. Forget the stadium seats, they will loose many hundreds of seats. Just put in a better low slope. What does TCL stand for THE CHINESE LAMP company? At least they may have many different color LED bulbs to put in. Please bring back the Grauman’s name and put some of the new money into bringing back the color lights in the bland forcourt outside. Time to bring back the neon dragon marqueee or re build them. Show the people on the street what is showing inside the famous Grauman’s Chinese Theatre Hollywood CA. Bring back the 50’s type charm. Time to start on the big remodel job and also put in a stage in front of the new larger screen and have some pre show entertainment like across the street at the Disney El Capitain Theatre. They have lines to get in the Grauman’s does not.
They need to bring this guy back ‘The Mental Marval’ to play a open end late Sat night run in San Francisco’s Strand Theatre on Market ST before the ACT people clean up the place in late 2013. He will bring in all the night zombies that walk the streets of SF and beg. A performance that will shock even the mental street people and turn them around.
I guess the large curved D-150 screen was taken out when they turned the place into a multiplex. To bad they didn’t keep it in the large cinema. How sad now It sits all closed up.
It’s about time Century will put in better more modern theatres in Napa. They have a exclusive for movies in Napa CA. While a few of the large domes are nice with curve screens ect they need to be remodled. Century needs to keep these domes going when the new theatres opens. Turn them into art cinemas like they did in Pleasant Hill CA or second run theatres or special comedy live events. To bad they can’t make the new larger theatre more then 300 seats in that one space. To crame in 12 screens in the space for 6 large screens they can make you feel crampy and with small screens in the 100 seat cinemas It will feel like you are home. Like so many other Cinemark-Century/Syufy Multiplex’s for the most part they have no wide CinemaScope screens. They just drop down masking from the top on many of the cinemas on a square screen and make it look wide. A poor mans CinemaScope/Panavision. That way they can fit more screens in a small cinema space. The theatres don’t have to be super wide. At least many of the Century screens built today have a slight curve to them. No Imax in Napa at this new cinema? Century EX screens are so boring and not cut out for Cinemascope, you get white screen space at the top and bottom of the wide screen image. It’s just one big white square space. Great for flat 1.85 films. Maybe some other theatre company like Sundance or Rave will come along and build a better first class theatre with full Imax and larger screens for the well to due wine/grape crowd in Napa CA. This area is way underscreened. Bring on the beer/wine and food and larger screens with 7.1 Dolby® to the Napa area. At least old Regal won’t be coming into Napa at this time. They are so cheap they’d go with a 20 plex with the shoebox look in that new space. The candy lobby at Regal is larger then the Cinemas.
Theatres booking a print in 70mm had better know what 70mm film print is. If they just let the candy staff projection people run it they will wreck many new 70mm prints. Many new young booth staff has never even heard of 70mm must less run it. They were trained in 35mm now digital video and just press a button. Will they allow a 70mm splice platter or will they want two 70mm projectors? The 70mm theatres still left will have to test out the old projectors and sound to get them up and going again. The theatres playing the ‘Master’ will need a decicated projection crew not some one that is in another theatre starting a print or selling refreshments or being ticket taker, fake manager ect. The true 70mm theatres will need to advertise this film in large letters on the marquee and in newspaper ads 70MM WIDE SCREEN MULTI STEREO SOUND! Even the little ad for The Master I see no mention of a nice curved 70mm logo or anything about the special 70mm release. Maybe they have separate ads for the 70mm showings. If the cinemas need to charge more for good projection and showmanship I don’t mind paying extra for 70mm. Now next time lets see if we can get a studio to come out with a good 70mm 3-D film and only show it on screens larger then 50 feet with a curve or on the new larger EX screens. What will happen I think some theatres will play the 70mm ‘Master’ print and It will look clear and crisp and sound great but most theatres have a small screen set up these days. To bad some of the original large roadshow theatres are not around to welcome back the start of 70mm again in 2012.
Does anyone know how big the screen is at the Ritz for 70mm? Will they be installing a larger screen and have a curve to it? The Draft people are coming to the old Mission theatre in San Francisco. Work is going on now to turn this large cinema to a five plex, with the larger downstairs part still large. Hope they put in curtains and a curve 70mm set up. You can buy these 70mm combo projectors cheap these days and add 5 stereo speakers backstage a full surround set up many old 70mm films have been restored. Even a nice wide 35mm CinemaScope® screen will look great. I think the new Mission screen may be larger then the Castro’s when put in. The bigger the better. The Draft San Francisco ‘Mission’ will be compitition to the Castro Theatre SF as they shy away from 70mm these days. The Castro is even closed most Mondays & Tuesdays. I think the Mission will be open 7 days per week showing new and classic films with food and beer. As the Castro sits closed people will hit the New Mission Theatre in SF for fun entertainment and eats & drinks.
The old Century 21 still stands today but in the worse way. The Syufy brothers under the name West Wind still run the place and many years ago they took many feet off the sides of the large curved screen and made it 35% smaller. They un plugged the giant curtains and run the projector light at about a 60% level. Good thing they never put in 3-D. No more showmanship at this old classic dome theatre. When the old man MR Ray Syufy got rid of the union projection guys and had candy help to put up 70mm film at the Century 21 they ruined many prints and the studios did not give him anymore 70mm prints to run for a long time. I remember going to see a 70mm print at the C21 and it was put on backwords. How sad this great Super Cinerama Theatre is still run so bad. They have a long lease on the land worth big bucks along with It’s neighbor the Century 22 3 plex, days of going to a a film on the huge screen are gone in San Jose. The Syufy family was so upset when the Fox West Coast (Mann) people opened another Super Cinerama type curved screen across the street at the Town & Country. If you go see a film at the Dome 21 complain about the light level, talk to the manager if you can find him or her. Get a refund like I did and see a film at a AMC Theatre in the area that has good light level.
I hope they can keep the inside nice like the gym at the Alhambra. Just take out the seats and keep the walls and stage. Now lets get something going at the Todd Ao Alexandria Theatre
Someone from the Fox California needs to do some tree trimming out side as the great big vertical neon California sign is blocked by tree limbs and blocked from one side of the street.
Just went into the Studio theatre a few days ago and they have torn out the old lobby walls. Will they wreck the nice front glass boxoffice also and front neon sign? What will the new name be ‘Studio Rocks Downtown’. In the old days people went outside to climb rocks for free, now you have to go indside and pay.
The Landmark Opera Plaza has a marquee out front on Van Ness but they don’t change the wording ever. Says the same thing every day. You don’t know what’s playing. Probably don’t want to pay the help with a ladder to post the new films playing in the tiny cinemas. Just like Century, Brendan and Regal many theatres don’t bother changing the marquee these days. Maybe If they did some advertising out front people will stop in.
Looks like another shoe box type of multi cinema. With 14 screens and only 1,800 seats total. Hope they have two giant curved screens with at least 550 seats each. The others they can do the tiny 125 seats. I’d be nice if the Pacific Forman brothers put in some curtains that open and close in the large cinemas and bring back some showmwnship to the San Diego area like their dad had many years ago.
The Seattle Cinerama louvered screen is way larger then the Hollywood Dome. The Dome took out the louvered Cinerama screen. They will be showing all the 70mm prints in Seattle also on the giant Cinerama louvered screen I checked with the manager Greg about this. Now only if they can get the proper lens to show It’s A Mad Mad World. The big film places have lost the negs & good prints to many of the classic 70mm films to bad.
A recent trip to the Century 9 was most fun. I went into the XD Theatre and found the best curved screen in San Francisco. It’s huge and curved at the top and bottom. This screen is so popular they are adding a second one on the other side on the right section. They even cut a hole in the lobby for the left side exit from Theatre#1. I am told It will even be larger and with Dolby Atmos sound this may be the best place in SF to check out a movie on a giant curved screen in SF. They hope to be open with the new XD GIANT screen for Gatsby in 3-D next week. The theatres at the 9 complex near the cable car area of SF have the height to put in this giant screen.
Now that the Dome is closed let the legal fight to save It go on. Someone needs to check to see who SYWEST is. I beleive Its the same company that is ownded by the owners of what was Syufy Theatres. When the father died many years ago Ray Syufy the two brothers got the theatres. A few years ago they sold most of them to Cinemark. They did keep most of the old Drive Inns under the WESTWIND name. The Syufy brothers are only into cash for the land that the old theatres they still run and own are on. They are trying to make money off the land that the Century 21 Dome is on in Pleasant Hill CA. Out of respect for their dad they need to fix up the Dome, put back the huge Dimension-150 curved screen or call it EX and keep this Dome theatre a center piece of any new stores in the area. Tear down the junky other 4 theatres behind the Dome and build the stores but please keep the Dome for a new generation to enjoy.
The new screen going in is not that big. They can go 120 feet with a curve type but the new screen will be way to small. To bad this is a chance to put in a giant wide curved type screen but they choose not to. You can forget the nice neon signs out front ever coming back. The front is so dull now. If they go with a Imax square type screen It will be tall and not wide enough. Will they wreck the ceiling with all the Dolby Atomos speakers? You may never see the nice curtains again once a Imax type screen is put in with no masking. Go see Graumans before April so you will remember how nice It once was before the new disco managers took over this famous Hollywood movie theatre.
I like the blue lights. This is so different then the Century/Cinemark chain puts In. Most of their multiplex theatres just have boring white screens to look at and ads going when you come into the cinemas. Will they have armed guards in this tragic theatre? Someday soon maybe Century/Cinemark will go hi tech and put in some nice waterfall curtains with color lights on them in these hi price EX screen auditoriums that have no masking for CinemaScope® wide screen. You will just see a band of white on the top and bottom. It’s better to just see a 1.85 movie in XD then the full screen will be used. This new screen looks more semi curved on the bottom then on the top. When they cram in this giant screen ever inch of the front is used. If a curtain was put in they will have to cut and go up in the ceiling for the extra space to drop it down.
Big rumor going around Hollywood these days that the Scientology people that own so many building in Hollywood are makeing a move to get the Warner Pacific Cinerama office building and theatre on Hollywood Blvd from Pacific Theatres. I beleive a small church group rents out the large theatre on Sundays. This great theatre has huge office space above, so they may want to convert to class rooms ect like they have done all over Hollywood Blvd. Some bolder people have even called me the last few weeks that they heard the Scientology gang wants to buy the whole chain Arclight with the Cinerama Dome Theatre as their world headquaters. I hope this does not happen and that’s why I think people spreading the rumor got confused and the S church people are only interested in the Warner Hollywood building and theatre. My friends at Pacific Theatres are keeping their mouth closed about what is going on. They won’t tell me yes or now. If the Scientology group get’s the Dome Tom Cruise and John Travolta can show their films along with a space religious show in the Cinerama Dome. Pacific did sell off all there San Diego theatres recently. But If the Pacific/Arclight family wants to sell the Arclight brand chain why are they going into the Chicago market at this time? I don’t think they will sell to a church they are not in the movie theatre business. Lets see who comes out with the correct info about the future of the Warner Cinerama Theatre on Hollywood Blvd. Hope the new owners or renters trim the two trees that are wrecking the marquee. Gone may be the two tall Pacific blue Pacific neon towers on the roof, they may soon flash Scientology! I was always hoping that the Shuberts came into the Warner Hollywood to give the Pantages Nederlanders some competition down the street.
Thanks CTC with news about the right side fountain. Maybe the new people at TCL can put in a small plastic wading pool at the bottom and sell tickets and make some extra money for the tourists little kids on a hot day to put their feet and splash around in while the parents look at the prints in the forcourt. The strong adults can pay a rock climbing fee to TCL Grauman’s Chinese Theatre to climb what was left of the nice fountain that gurgles no more. They can make extra money If they want their photo taken on the top. Why did they take out the base pool on the right side?
Yes the big neon sign will come to life. I beleive the tubes are a bright red/orange neon. The paint will be a rustic red Southwest look.
I have talked to Tim League of Drafthouse Cinemas. For the large downstairs theatre he may put in a semi large curved screen with curtains and a kick ass stereo sound surround system. I told him to contact Century/Cinemark as in Pleasant Hill CA they have a large D-150 screen track that will go up in dust in a few months when they turn the wreckers ball on this classic dome theatre. Tim also knows about showmanship and the use of color lights in the new theatres coming at the New Mission. The Castro Theatre SF will have some major competion and food when this new theatre opens in about a year. You won’t find the New Mission Theatre SF closed on Mondays & Tuesdays like the Castro Theatre is now. The Mission plans to run retro, first run and some 70mm real film plus digital movies and grindhouse festivals and great trailers. Good luck to Tim and the New Mission San Francisco CA. Wait till the noisy movie people in SF find out about the Drafthouse policy for cell phones and tweets in the theatre when a movie is on. This area of Mission St in SF is making a big comback.
To bad the front of this RKO Golden Gate Theatre is a mess today in 2013. What is left of the great marquee is now painted a ugly brown color. Even the tall blades that say Golden Gate are painted in brown. The neon is not on or working. The front in the 50’s and 60’s was like a huge neon accordion of color ornage, green, yellow and blue. Please, the Shorenstein’s make big bucks in Broadway shows they play here, why can’t they get a good neon company back in and fix the front up with some color and repair the neon. This is one of the worst spots in SF day or night, even with theatre security you take your life in chance.
I think the right side waterfall can’t be used as they opened up a hole in the right wall to go upstairs from the forecourt to the shops upstairs near the fountain, I may be wrong but the last time I was there I think the right side waterfall was blocked someway? Let’s put in some gold fish in the working one on the left and blue underwater lights the tourists can feed them. The poor Egyptian Theatre down the street has waterfalls but they leak into the wall and restaurant next door. Hope they can fix them someday.
They need to call this theatre the TCL Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. The public is now finding out about the drop of the Grauman’s name and they are not pleased. The screen at the Chinese is not that large for the size of the main theatre. Many LA theatres have over 85 foot semi curved EX screens. Years ago for 70mm Grauman’s opened to a larger screen. Seems like there is more masking on top and on the sides that will open up. I hope they don’t put in a big IMAX square screen. It’s to tall and not good for a wide screen film. When you see a CinemaScope® movie on a large square IMAX screen white screen is shown at the top and bottom. You just see a band of a movie. They have no masking. It’s a big joke about the new Imax Experience screens going in at AMC and Regal and other theatres,they are not that much larger then the screens they have. The original older IMAX screens are huge. These chains just want the extra money for the IMAX name. The public knows these new IMAX and EX type screens are not that much larger and most stay away from the advance ticket prices. The TCL and new people that took over the Grauman’s lease just need to enlarge the screen they have to 90 feet and curve It more. Put in new color lights in the ceiling and around the theatre. It will be so nice as the curtains with red and organge lights part nice blue or green lights come on the ceiling. When It’s pre show or intermission time the roof lights can change to red. The sound at Grauman’s now is some of the best in any movie theatre I have been to. On certain movies the bass is so deep It will shake the theatre. If they put in the new Dolby Atomos® sound system the whole ceiling will have speakers hanging down. Forget the stadium seats, they will loose many hundreds of seats. Just put in a better low slope. What does TCL stand for THE CHINESE LAMP company? At least they may have many different color LED bulbs to put in. Please bring back the Grauman’s name and put some of the new money into bringing back the color lights in the bland forcourt outside. Time to bring back the neon dragon marqueee or re build them. Show the people on the street what is showing inside the famous Grauman’s Chinese Theatre Hollywood CA. Bring back the 50’s type charm. Time to start on the big remodel job and also put in a stage in front of the new larger screen and have some pre show entertainment like across the street at the Disney El Capitain Theatre. They have lines to get in the Grauman’s does not.
They need to bring this guy back ‘The Mental Marval’ to play a open end late Sat night run in San Francisco’s Strand Theatre on Market ST before the ACT people clean up the place in late 2013. He will bring in all the night zombies that walk the streets of SF and beg. A performance that will shock even the mental street people and turn them around.
I guess the large curved D-150 screen was taken out when they turned the place into a multiplex. To bad they didn’t keep it in the large cinema. How sad now It sits all closed up.
It’s about time Century will put in better more modern theatres in Napa. They have a exclusive for movies in Napa CA. While a few of the large domes are nice with curve screens ect they need to be remodled. Century needs to keep these domes going when the new theatres opens. Turn them into art cinemas like they did in Pleasant Hill CA or second run theatres or special comedy live events. To bad they can’t make the new larger theatre more then 300 seats in that one space. To crame in 12 screens in the space for 6 large screens they can make you feel crampy and with small screens in the 100 seat cinemas It will feel like you are home. Like so many other Cinemark-Century/Syufy Multiplex’s for the most part they have no wide CinemaScope screens. They just drop down masking from the top on many of the cinemas on a square screen and make it look wide. A poor mans CinemaScope/Panavision. That way they can fit more screens in a small cinema space. The theatres don’t have to be super wide. At least many of the Century screens built today have a slight curve to them. No Imax in Napa at this new cinema? Century EX screens are so boring and not cut out for Cinemascope, you get white screen space at the top and bottom of the wide screen image. It’s just one big white square space. Great for flat 1.85 films. Maybe some other theatre company like Sundance or Rave will come along and build a better first class theatre with full Imax and larger screens for the well to due wine/grape crowd in Napa CA. This area is way underscreened. Bring on the beer/wine and food and larger screens with 7.1 Dolby® to the Napa area. At least old Regal won’t be coming into Napa at this time. They are so cheap they’d go with a 20 plex with the shoebox look in that new space. The candy lobby at Regal is larger then the Cinemas.
Theatres booking a print in 70mm had better know what 70mm film print is. If they just let the candy staff projection people run it they will wreck many new 70mm prints. Many new young booth staff has never even heard of 70mm must less run it. They were trained in 35mm now digital video and just press a button. Will they allow a 70mm splice platter or will they want two 70mm projectors? The 70mm theatres still left will have to test out the old projectors and sound to get them up and going again. The theatres playing the ‘Master’ will need a decicated projection crew not some one that is in another theatre starting a print or selling refreshments or being ticket taker, fake manager ect. The true 70mm theatres will need to advertise this film in large letters on the marquee and in newspaper ads 70MM WIDE SCREEN MULTI STEREO SOUND! Even the little ad for The Master I see no mention of a nice curved 70mm logo or anything about the special 70mm release. Maybe they have separate ads for the 70mm showings. If the cinemas need to charge more for good projection and showmanship I don’t mind paying extra for 70mm. Now next time lets see if we can get a studio to come out with a good 70mm 3-D film and only show it on screens larger then 50 feet with a curve or on the new larger EX screens. What will happen I think some theatres will play the 70mm ‘Master’ print and It will look clear and crisp and sound great but most theatres have a small screen set up these days. To bad some of the original large roadshow theatres are not around to welcome back the start of 70mm again in 2012.
Does anyone know how big the screen is at the Ritz for 70mm? Will they be installing a larger screen and have a curve to it? The Draft people are coming to the old Mission theatre in San Francisco. Work is going on now to turn this large cinema to a five plex, with the larger downstairs part still large. Hope they put in curtains and a curve 70mm set up. You can buy these 70mm combo projectors cheap these days and add 5 stereo speakers backstage a full surround set up many old 70mm films have been restored. Even a nice wide 35mm CinemaScope® screen will look great. I think the new Mission screen may be larger then the Castro’s when put in. The bigger the better. The Draft San Francisco ‘Mission’ will be compitition to the Castro Theatre SF as they shy away from 70mm these days. The Castro is even closed most Mondays & Tuesdays. I think the Mission will be open 7 days per week showing new and classic films with food and beer. As the Castro sits closed people will hit the New Mission Theatre in SF for fun entertainment and eats & drinks.
A 72 foot screen is no big thing. Now a 100 foot giant curved screen with curtains will be nice.
Any word on the new DI coming to San Diego CA????
The old Century 21 still stands today but in the worse way. The Syufy brothers under the name West Wind still run the place and many years ago they took many feet off the sides of the large curved screen and made it 35% smaller. They un plugged the giant curtains and run the projector light at about a 60% level. Good thing they never put in 3-D. No more showmanship at this old classic dome theatre. When the old man MR Ray Syufy got rid of the union projection guys and had candy help to put up 70mm film at the Century 21 they ruined many prints and the studios did not give him anymore 70mm prints to run for a long time. I remember going to see a 70mm print at the C21 and it was put on backwords. How sad this great Super Cinerama Theatre is still run so bad. They have a long lease on the land worth big bucks along with It’s neighbor the Century 22 3 plex, days of going to a a film on the huge screen are gone in San Jose. The Syufy family was so upset when the Fox West Coast (Mann) people opened another Super Cinerama type curved screen across the street at the Town & Country. If you go see a film at the Dome 21 complain about the light level, talk to the manager if you can find him or her. Get a refund like I did and see a film at a AMC Theatre in the area that has good light level.
I hope they can keep the inside nice like the gym at the Alhambra. Just take out the seats and keep the walls and stage. Now lets get something going at the Todd Ao Alexandria Theatre
Someone from the Fox California needs to do some tree trimming out side as the great big vertical neon California sign is blocked by tree limbs and blocked from one side of the street.
Just went into the Studio theatre a few days ago and they have torn out the old lobby walls. Will they wreck the nice front glass boxoffice also and front neon sign? What will the new name be ‘Studio Rocks Downtown’. In the old days people went outside to climb rocks for free, now you have to go indside and pay.
The Landmark Opera Plaza has a marquee out front on Van Ness but they don’t change the wording ever. Says the same thing every day. You don’t know what’s playing. Probably don’t want to pay the help with a ladder to post the new films playing in the tiny cinemas. Just like Century, Brendan and Regal many theatres don’t bother changing the marquee these days. Maybe If they did some advertising out front people will stop in.
Looks like another shoe box type of multi cinema. With 14 screens and only 1,800 seats total. Hope they have two giant curved screens with at least 550 seats each. The others they can do the tiny 125 seats. I’d be nice if the Pacific Forman brothers put in some curtains that open and close in the large cinemas and bring back some showmwnship to the San Diego area like their dad had many years ago.
The Seattle Cinerama louvered screen is way larger then the Hollywood Dome. The Dome took out the louvered Cinerama screen. They will be showing all the 70mm prints in Seattle also on the giant Cinerama louvered screen I checked with the manager Greg about this. Now only if they can get the proper lens to show It’s A Mad Mad World. The big film places have lost the negs & good prints to many of the classic 70mm films to bad.