The sound at the El Capitan is indeed good even if it’s a little low (probably not to scare the kids). I’m curious how big the screen speakers are as they have to be hung behind the screen to accomadate the various stage shows.
I think the stage at the Chinese was taken out or reduced decades ago sometime in the 50s. Anyone been back there?
It is sad to see this theater close but what was even more sad was seeing it continue to operate in such a depressing state. The Rialto deserves much more than that. Hopefully it will get the attention it needs soon.
Around 200 in attendence seems to be right. Probably only a few, if any, didn’t know it was the final show.
I still can’t believe the Rialto has no air conditioning, or one that works. On a 95+ degree day it must be unbearable in there. No wonder people stopped going.
Well, I just got back from the latest last show at the Rialto. There was a quite a few people there so I look forward to comments and stories.
All I have to say is I hope this historic theater reopens with it’s decor intact, new seats, a new screen, a new sound system, new paint, lighting that compliments the decor, and above all… AIR CONDITIONING. It was like a stuffy tomb in there.
Get well, Rialto. See you when you’re in better shape.
The last time I was in the El Capitan it was pretty cool, but it was so damn hot outside that it was acceptable. How full was the theater when you went? They probably set it to low to compensate for the amount of people that are in there.
I actually rather it be too cold than too hot because, believe me, there’s nothing worse than trying to watch a film with a room full of a few hundred people and feeling uncomfortable.
The 110 ends a few blocks away but I guess it doesn’t matter.
From the various articles it does sound like there is an effort to get some money to repair and renovate the Rialto. Hopefully it’ll still be a theater that shows movies.
Yeah, I know there’s no room below the mezzanine for a booth.
I know the screen isn’t the problem but unless a strip screen is put in then the contrast problems will remain, because of the curve. The whole situation just sucks.
Well, actually I was thinking more of right below the mezzanine on the ground floor, but that would probably be problematic. Not high enough for proper clearence of people walking back and forth, too short a throw distance, etc. Just a fantasy/idea.
Another idea I had was an adjustable screen. The screen could be relatively flat for regular movies then be programmed for the appropriate deep curve for Cinerama movies. This probably already exists somewhere.
I imagine some kind of custom lens would be possible to fix the screen distortion. Doing it at the digital level (in projector or the movie file) could result in aliasing and other artifacts.
3 DLPs aimed at the screen would definitely do something about the brightness but the cross reflections would still be there, maybe even worse with more light.
Too bad when the Dome was built the projector booth wasn’t below the balcony (back wall of ground floor). The throw distance would be pretty short but the angle would be much better, right?
I just stumbled upon this article so I didn’t know about the new DLPs at the 3 locations. I haven’t seen Grauman’s latest projector but I did see the Dome’s (for Spidey 3) and the Village’s (Transformers) this year (2007).
Even with the improved brightness the Dome’s screen is still dim resulting in a lack of contrast/pop. The picture distortion is still there, of course. Bottom of image was noticable cut off during the opening Columbia Pictures logo. Disappointing.
The Village’s projection is so much better it isn’t funny. Along with the proper luminance the black level was much better than previous DLP shows I’ve seen. The best digital projection I’ve seen yet.
I know places like Grauman’s, El Capitan, Village, etc used to get the very best show/EK/etc prints but with all or most of those theaters using DLP where are these prints ending up?
I saw a lot of movies at this theater in the mid to late 90s.
The main auditorium is pretty spacious (even in it’s reduced state) and had good sound but the picture became dimmer and dimmer throughout the years. The other theaters were actually not bad but were of course small and narrow.
I still remember an infamous first night screening of Batman Forever where the sound was out of synch with the picture and it couldn’t be fixed. Pretty amusing.
Besides the obvious deterioration, I mean.
How does the interior of the Alex compare to the Rialto?
The sound at the El Capitan is indeed good even if it’s a little low (probably not to scare the kids). I’m curious how big the screen speakers are as they have to be hung behind the screen to accomadate the various stage shows.
I think the stage at the Chinese was taken out or reduced decades ago sometime in the 50s. Anyone been back there?
It is sad to see this theater close but what was even more sad was seeing it continue to operate in such a depressing state. The Rialto deserves much more than that. Hopefully it will get the attention it needs soon.
Around 200 in attendence seems to be right. Probably only a few, if any, didn’t know it was the final show.
I still can’t believe the Rialto has no air conditioning, or one that works. On a 95+ degree day it must be unbearable in there. No wonder people stopped going.
Well, I just got back from the latest last show at the Rialto. There was a quite a few people there so I look forward to comments and stories.
All I have to say is I hope this historic theater reopens with it’s decor intact, new seats, a new screen, a new sound system, new paint, lighting that compliments the decor, and above all… AIR CONDITIONING. It was like a stuffy tomb in there.
Get well, Rialto. See you when you’re in better shape.
I’ll try to make the very last showing. Here’s hoping to better days for the Rialto.
The sound is still really that horrible nowadays? I thought they had an upgrade a few years back.
I really do hope it turns out that this closing is the best thing to happen to the Rialto. Neglect is not a good plan.
The last time I was in the El Capitan it was pretty cool, but it was so damn hot outside that it was acceptable. How full was the theater when you went? They probably set it to low to compensate for the amount of people that are in there.
I actually rather it be too cold than too hot because, believe me, there’s nothing worse than trying to watch a film with a room full of a few hundred people and feeling uncomfortable.
“But anyone whos been to the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood knows what a proper updating/remodeling can be like.”
Oh jeez…
I will agree that nothing has been done for this theater to be successful.
Wow, the original theater used to be not so shabby.
I assume the restaurant next door will remain? I forgot the name.
What a waste. Not that this theater was anything really special but it deserved a lot more care and attention.
The 110 ends a few blocks away but I guess it doesn’t matter.
From the various articles it does sound like there is an effort to get some money to repair and renovate the Rialto. Hopefully it’ll still be a theater that shows movies.
Digital cinema will kill film projection but image aquisition will still be largely film for some time.
Yeah, I know there’s no room below the mezzanine for a booth.
I know the screen isn’t the problem but unless a strip screen is put in then the contrast problems will remain, because of the curve. The whole situation just sucks.
Well, actually I was thinking more of right below the mezzanine on the ground floor, but that would probably be problematic. Not high enough for proper clearence of people walking back and forth, too short a throw distance, etc. Just a fantasy/idea.
Another idea I had was an adjustable screen. The screen could be relatively flat for regular movies then be programmed for the appropriate deep curve for Cinerama movies. This probably already exists somewhere.
I imagine some kind of custom lens would be possible to fix the screen distortion. Doing it at the digital level (in projector or the movie file) could result in aliasing and other artifacts.
3 DLPs aimed at the screen would definitely do something about the brightness but the cross reflections would still be there, maybe even worse with more light.
Too bad when the Dome was built the projector booth wasn’t below the balcony (back wall of ground floor). The throw distance would be pretty short but the angle would be much better, right?
I just stumbled upon this article so I didn’t know about the new DLPs at the 3 locations. I haven’t seen Grauman’s latest projector but I did see the Dome’s (for Spidey 3) and the Village’s (Transformers) this year (2007).
Even with the improved brightness the Dome’s screen is still dim resulting in a lack of contrast/pop. The picture distortion is still there, of course. Bottom of image was noticable cut off during the opening Columbia Pictures logo. Disappointing.
The Village’s projection is so much better it isn’t funny. Along with the proper luminance the black level was much better than previous DLP shows I’ve seen. The best digital projection I’ve seen yet.
Too bad they couldn’t try to do something with the original auditorium. I guess this will just become more parking spaces.
Check out the Kentucky Fried Movie and Scream 2 for some really good views. Scream 2 in particular because the blade marquee is actually turned on.
I meant do they still make special prints even though the top venus aren’t showing film anymore?
I know places like Grauman’s, El Capitan, Village, etc used to get the very best show/EK/etc prints but with all or most of those theaters using DLP where are these prints ending up?
So I guess the AMC Santa Anita 16 and the Pacific Paseo did it. Kind of sad but not surprising.
I saw a lot of movies at this theater in the mid to late 90s.
The main auditorium is pretty spacious (even in it’s reduced state) and had good sound but the picture became dimmer and dimmer throughout the years. The other theaters were actually not bad but were of course small and narrow.
I still remember an infamous first night screening of Batman Forever where the sound was out of synch with the picture and it couldn’t be fixed. Pretty amusing.