I think it’s a great story no matter how many people showed up. Heck, if I were a millionaire I’d rent the Hall out for one night and show “2001” or “West Side Story” on the giant screen :)
I think what bothers me most about it is that almost all of the Friday night crowd standing still on those down escalators are about 25-35 years younger than me. Walking down an escalator is really easy – no strain at all. If only I had the guts to yell out “Gangway! Move it! Gotta catch a bus!” :)
I would take the stairs down to the ground level in the Empire 25, if I knew where they were! Maybe next time I should go exploring and see if I can find them.
The escalator exits would be OK if people would walk down them, but hardly anyone does and they’re too narrow for passing. I’ve missed many a bus to NJ at the Port Authority because of people standing still on all those down escalators.
The elevator is an alternative way to get out, but that can take longer than the escalator just waiting for it to arrive.
Those are my only complaints with the Empire 25. Being located practically across the street from the bus terminal is a nice convenience.
I’m convinced Brosnan’s bad singing was an intentional part of the show. At the climax of his first big solo number “SOS”, the orchestra started getting louder and drowning him out to the point where you could barely hear him anymore. That had to have been planned!
The Ziegfeld had to be the liveliest theater in the city tonight. The audience loved “Mamma Mia”. I was a little resistant to it at first, but ultimately it wore me down too. An old-fashioned good time at the movies.
I guess there’s nothing Meryl Streep can’t do. She even got a round of applause in the middle of one of her songs. The crowd wasn’t too kind to Pierce Brosnan when he attempted to sing, but somehow he looked like he knew he’d get that reaction and was in on the joke. It just added to the fun. A woman near me was dancing in the aisle with her kids during the closing credits. That could be a first for the Ziegfeld.
The sound system made the score sound great, as expected. Very big crowd, even though it’s not a Ziegfeld exclusive and is playing all over town, and there was a line of people waiting to get in for the late show (always a welcome sight).
Mike: Those two were not in any widescreen process, but I can think of a few Disney productions that were: “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” and “Lady and the Tramp” (CinemaScope), “Swiss Family Robinson” (Panavision), and “Sleeping Beauty” (Technirama 70).
Ed: I think the guy who owned the “Porgy and Bess” print mentioned something about a DVD release when he was being interviewed after the movie, but it sounded like it was just a hypothetical thing – nothing definite. It might have been a reply to a question from the audience.
It’s ranked at #125 on this TCM poll of movies not yet on DVD.
To give the Ziegfeld credit where it is due: they were entrusted with the extremely rare 35mm print of “Porgy and Bess” last fall, and the show I attended (with Otto Preminger’s and George and Ira Gershwin’s family members in the audience) came off very well.
Rory and JSA: I also think Steve McQueen gave his best performance in “The Sand Pebbles”. Robert Wise proved his versatility once again by making “The Sand Pebbles” his follow-up to “The Sound of Music”.
Leon is right, sad to say. I’ll never forget how disappointed I was when the new Film Forum opened and I saw how small that screen really was, especially compared to the ones in the old Film Forum.
As a first-time visitor to the main Arclight complex in February, this New Jersey guy was very impressed with the large lobby/cafe/store area, and especially with the grand staircase leading up to the theaters. However, two nights before I’d made my 5th visit to the Dome to see Cinerama (“2001” – not 3-strip but it’s still Cinerama to me) and all I can say is I’m very grateful the Dome is still standing, against all the odds, and long may it continue to stand.
It is a New York area exclusive at the Ziegfeld till July 1st, and that strategy worked well for “Dreamgirls” at $25. And everyone gets a free gift (?).
I can remember the Criterion still keeping its classy stature during the “Alien” engagement in 1979. I guess the bad times started not too long after that.
I’d say “Star Trek” and “The Untouchables” (both from the ‘70s and '80s) are the only TV show-to-movie adaptations that did work. The rest of them didn’t even come close.
I think it’s a great story no matter how many people showed up. Heck, if I were a millionaire I’d rent the Hall out for one night and show “2001” or “West Side Story” on the giant screen :)
I liked seeing the Mr. Moto ad with Keye Luke’s name displayed, since he painted the beautiful murals in the Chinese Theater’s lobby.
I’ll bet they’re alarmed anyway: Emergency Exit Only.
I think what bothers me most about it is that almost all of the Friday night crowd standing still on those down escalators are about 25-35 years younger than me. Walking down an escalator is really easy – no strain at all. If only I had the guts to yell out “Gangway! Move it! Gotta catch a bus!” :)
I would take the stairs down to the ground level in the Empire 25, if I knew where they were! Maybe next time I should go exploring and see if I can find them.
The escalator exits would be OK if people would walk down them, but hardly anyone does and they’re too narrow for passing. I’ve missed many a bus to NJ at the Port Authority because of people standing still on all those down escalators.
The elevator is an alternative way to get out, but that can take longer than the escalator just waiting for it to arrive.
Those are my only complaints with the Empire 25. Being located practically across the street from the bus terminal is a nice convenience.
Roland should be very proud of his Cinerama site – it’s the best one out there and all the Cinerama fans know it well!
Here’s a list of all Cinerama theaters in the USA and around the world, courtesy of Roland Lataille’s excellent Cinerama website:
View link
Wow Pete – that’s a good one to start the season off right!
I’m convinced Brosnan’s bad singing was an intentional part of the show. At the climax of his first big solo number “SOS”, the orchestra started getting louder and drowning him out to the point where you could barely hear him anymore. That had to have been planned!
The Ziegfeld had to be the liveliest theater in the city tonight. The audience loved “Mamma Mia”. I was a little resistant to it at first, but ultimately it wore me down too. An old-fashioned good time at the movies.
I guess there’s nothing Meryl Streep can’t do. She even got a round of applause in the middle of one of her songs. The crowd wasn’t too kind to Pierce Brosnan when he attempted to sing, but somehow he looked like he knew he’d get that reaction and was in on the joke. It just added to the fun. A woman near me was dancing in the aisle with her kids during the closing credits. That could be a first for the Ziegfeld.
The sound system made the score sound great, as expected. Very big crowd, even though it’s not a Ziegfeld exclusive and is playing all over town, and there was a line of people waiting to get in for the late show (always a welcome sight).
Saps: I’ll be going there for “Mamma Mia” tonight (can’t see “The Dark Knight” at Lincoln Square IMAX till Thursday) so I’ll report on the show later.
We’re on opposite sides of this topic: I actually look forward to getting “12"s and "55"s in my mailbox, my two favorite NYC theaters.
Mike: Those two were not in any widescreen process, but I can think of a few Disney productions that were: “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” and “Lady and the Tramp” (CinemaScope), “Swiss Family Robinson” (Panavision), and “Sleeping Beauty” (Technirama 70).
Ed: I think the guy who owned the “Porgy and Bess” print mentioned something about a DVD release when he was being interviewed after the movie, but it sounded like it was just a hypothetical thing – nothing definite. It might have been a reply to a question from the audience.
It’s ranked at #125 on this TCM poll of movies not yet on DVD.
http://www.tcm.com/top/notondvd/
To give the Ziegfeld credit where it is due: they were entrusted with the extremely rare 35mm print of “Porgy and Bess” last fall, and the show I attended (with Otto Preminger’s and George and Ira Gershwin’s family members in the audience) came off very well.
And to MPol: I agree with you that the Ziegfeld is the perfect place to see “West Side Story” (another Robert Wise classic).
Rory and JSA: I also think Steve McQueen gave his best performance in “The Sand Pebbles”. Robert Wise proved his versatility once again by making “The Sand Pebbles” his follow-up to “The Sound of Music”.
Leon is right, sad to say. I’ll never forget how disappointed I was when the new Film Forum opened and I saw how small that screen really was, especially compared to the ones in the old Film Forum.
As a first-time visitor to the main Arclight complex in February, this New Jersey guy was very impressed with the large lobby/cafe/store area, and especially with the grand staircase leading up to the theaters. However, two nights before I’d made my 5th visit to the Dome to see Cinerama (“2001” – not 3-strip but it’s still Cinerama to me) and all I can say is I’m very grateful the Dome is still standing, against all the odds, and long may it continue to stand.
It’s $20 for everybody. And the free gift is a T-shirt.
This movie is actually getting some good reviews. It’s old-fashioned, and that’s meant as a rare compliment. I hope it does well at the Ziegfeld.
It is a New York area exclusive at the Ziegfeld till July 1st, and that strategy worked well for “Dreamgirls” at $25. And everyone gets a free gift (?).
This was in today’s New York Times:
View link
I can remember the Criterion still keeping its classy stature during the “Alien” engagement in 1979. I guess the bad times started not too long after that.
I’d say “Star Trek” and “The Untouchables” (both from the ‘70s and '80s) are the only TV show-to-movie adaptations that did work. The rest of them didn’t even come close.
Thanks for posting that ad, Warren. I just watched the movie last night. What a beautiful film! If only I could have seen it at the Hall …