After reading much buzz about Cate Blanchett’s performance in the new Woody Allen film ‘Blue Jasmine’ and already tired with the traditional summer fare, I saw this movie at the remodeled Bethesda Row. Expecting to be bedazzled by the $5M remodel, I was disappointed. Aside from the new bar, leather seating in the lounge and auditoriums and, of course, the technical upgrades in projection, it does not look all that different. The paint scheme is different and the counters look Ikea-grade, which isn’t bad.
The new self service ticketing kiosks have huge screen displays, but most of it is not put to use by making the menu selection and fonts BIGGER. All that real estate on the screen seems to have gone to waste. Once you select your movie, you select your reserved seat. Unless its a special event with a large crowd, I do not like select seating at all.
On a table, by the doors, is a notebook with a schematic of the seating for the auditoriums. I later found out that the one for Auditorium 2 is wrong.
There was the usual ticket taker/greeter at the bottom of the escalator. I had arrived early enough to want to sample some of the new menu items touted on the website. Unfortunately, there was NOTHING on the menu board to suggest the wraps and other new things. Fortunately, I was approached by the attendant, who was friendly and showed me a notebook-type menu that had the wraps and other food items. While the pictures and descriptions were lovely, there was no mention of prices at all! The attendant had to look up my queries on the register. Suppose there were lines? What is the purpose of keeping the menu offerings AND prices hidden from view?
Bad, bad, bad, bad.
I ordered the jalapeno cheese stuffed pretzel, which I loved from when they were offered at the AFI (then were forgotten to be ordered in the years after their remodel). For $4, its not bad, but smaller then the ones the AFI used to have. It was served hot from the convection/microwave they used to heat it up.
About 20 minutes before showtime, they were still cleaning up the prior show. When I was informed it was okay to go in, I had expected to be ushered to my seat, but no one bothered. In fact, none of the other patrons were escorted to their seats either. The older folks who came in were trying to find the tags on the seats to make sure they were in the right place. Auditorium 2 seems like the largest movie theater and I had hoped I would have some space to myself. Wrong. There were a group of loud French speaking patrons who sat behind me. Kept yakking until one of them probably got waft of my pretzel and decided to move. Thank you. Then two old ladies happened to choose the next two seats after mine. I call them Laverne & Shirley since they reminded me of the two tv characters; one of them with a distinctive NY accent..like Penny Marshall’s. One of them started chatting about the ticket for 5 minutes and how it seemed to read one way or another.
I had chosen row G as it was close enough to the screen but had leg room as it was situated by the walkway to get to the other side of the theater. In reality, they put a row of seats that blocks the path to the other side. I am probably spoiled by the enormous leg room and recliner seats at the Brandywine Xtreme Multiplex, but there is little leg room in front of the new seating area. I found myself having to get up, move to the aisle, so that patrons could access seats on my row. Only children or anorexic adults would be able to squeeze past a seated patron to move through to their seats.
Finally, the movie began after the usual pre show ads and previews. Volume was terrific as were the picture and sound. The Landmark trailer was decently loud and played to create that immersion experience with surrounds. I’d like to think there are curtains or draperies of some kind. In the Regals and Bow Tie’s..they move them to mask films according to their presentation format. One major detraction is the lack of sound insulation. You’d think with the millions spent they’d do something about sound bleed from the adjoining theater being heard into this one. Yeah, there was some big explosion boom I could hear and feel.
The movie was very good. I had expected the characters and their situations to be heavily cliched and, surprisingly, were not so. The writing avoided the usual soap opera-type dialog that accompanies movies with similar themes. It took me a few minutes to get into Cate Blanchett’s character, as I had expected to see/hear either Queen Elizabeth or the Elf Galadrel. Her character portrayal of the ex-wife of a Bernie Madoff-type character is very good. Yeah, she’ll be on that Oscar list of nominees for sure.
In summary, I think the remodel is a mixed bag. No menu visible on the menu board with prices. Decent sound and projection. Sound bleed from other auditoriums. Reserved seating should be for evening shows or special events. At least offer discounted parking for those who drive in. For the $25 or so I paid with parking, I probably could do better watching something formatted for IMAX-lite.
One more thing. Be warned about the Haagen Daaz ice cream store adjacent to the theater. I had an ice cream de leche caramel concoction that gave me bad cramping not too long after eating the $8.22 item. No, it wasn’t the pretzel because that food item was hot enough to have killed any food borne pathogen that may have been hatched. And yes, I did wash my hands before eating. :)
Okay, Steve. I hear you. Its just that my memories of 70mm from the 80s is so entrenched because of the sound more so than the picture. ‘2001,’ ‘Lifeforce’ and maybe a few others aside, what they’ve shown at AFI should have exceeded my experiences from way back then given the fact this venue is state of the art and is THX-certified.
Maybe the projectionist having come across a movie with no projection instructions should just err on the side of caution and hit the surround button. :) Dialog from LC/RC can’t be so bad as long as the character is on the right of the screen or left. Just my 2c.
Aww Howard, you’re so kind. I’ll periodically check the AFI website… :-D I make that statement cheekily as a veiled threat. In a good way.
The Powerball is up again this week. If I win, maybe I’ll buy the AFI Silver, myself. :)
You know this site is full of cinephiles (is there such a word?), like most of us on the site, who are passionate about movies and the experience, who know which venues have curtains and who doesn’t use them and are aware of what makes a good presentation, its just that when things are not right, you just want to go fix/run the operation yourself.
For example, when they run these special event movies, at least have some kind of introduction. How difficult is it to have a staffer google or IMDB some info about say, Cleopatra. I can remember off the top of my head that that movie was, at the time, one of the most expensive movies ever and probably still is accounting for inflation. Trivia like that that most people don’t know that would gain some appreciation from a film.
I’ll surrender my soapbox, for now, to check out whats showing at Landmark.. :)
I forgot to mention..the next time they do an 80’s retrospective with 70mm or without, they could book ‘2010.’ Not as memorable or the classic like ‘2001: A Space Odyssey,’ the visual effects were filmed by the Richard Edlund’s now defunct Boss Film FX, in 65mm. And I am 100% certain that film had surround sound fx as blogged about on the Jenifer and Springfield Mall cinema pages (assuming they haven’t been lost like other posts).
Hey..an old fashioned double feature with those two films in 70mm..the odyssey continues..
As nice as 70mm and DP is, unless the audio is heard with surrounds when they are supposed to be there, then I’m not so enthused. I could care less if its 4K and up front sound :P
I suppose I should have said something when ‘Lifeforce’ was played but I assumed it was just the print and maybe hoped it would get better, but it didn’t. And if the projector hit the wrong sound format, as Steve points out, then shame on him.
Don’t these films come with instructions on what format it is so that the film is properly set up and played the right away? This irks me. Maybe I should apply to be a projectionist..do they train on the job? Heck, I’d do it for free..almost ;–) . I would make sure the curtain would be used and make my own entrance music before the show and write my own introductions. Also, every film would have the THX sound trailer blasting before, right before the main film is played whether there are 500 people in the audience or just 1.
Maybe I’m assuming wrong, but do all the auditoriums share the same projection booth? If so, is it possible to wheel the 70mm projector to #2? Plug in the necessary sound jacks or whatever. Just curious. To be honest, I think the sight lines in 2 are better than #1. Yeah..I know..the Historic Auditorium is what it is and the architecture is nice to look at but if you sit way in the back and watch a movie its almost like tunnel vision with the way the walls close in to the screen.
Its funny but the old KB Fine Arts reminds me a little of the Silver, although the descending seats to the screen was different. Perhaps they were the same size.. 40' but heck, when they had 70mm..i.e. ‘Aliens,’ ‘Star Trek III’ ..those were decent films to experience.
Of the upcoming classic films, only ‘Cleopatra’ looks interesting even though its in DP. Since I wasn’t even alive when it first came out, the ‘roadshow’ version supposedly being shown should be good despite its long running time with intermission.
Steve..what you said may explain why all the sound was on the front screen. In the ‘Lifeforce’ movie synopsis on the AFI website, it specifically mentions magnetic sountrack, so I’m assuming the print shown was probably an older, seldom shown original print? The movie came out in ‘85, as there was no DTS then. I only saw the movie once at AFI so maybe whomever ran the projection booth, maybe hit the wrong button on the sound processor? I would doubt whomever owns the movie would’ve spent the $50K or so to strike a new 70mm print with DTS encoding for a film like that. Maybe I’m wrong.
I gather by everyone’s comments about 70mm sound that the DTS encoding of older soundtracks inhibit surround sound playback provided it wasn’t in the original sound mix? If so, that sucks for those movies that are to be heard with surround. It shouldn’t be that way. I vividly remember my DTS/THX experience of ‘Jurassic Park’ at Universal Studios in ‘93, when DTS was intro’d..that was surround, crisp, pop-free, immersive AND loud! If I’m missing something, the transfer of the sound should improve by eliminating any scratching, pops and other imperfections while at least maintaining, if not improving on the sound integrity by digitizing the sound for playback perfection.
Part of the enjoyment of the 70mm/6 track mag format was the soundtrack. Not only loud, but it drew you in and helped immerse you into the moviegoing experience we all hope for after paying our admission ticket…even if the movie wasn’t so great.
One thing I forgot to mention in my previous post, but do you all notice that in the Historic Theater, there is an odd echo chamber? When a character speaks in an accent, like British, its sometimes hard to hear that they are saying because of it. The Senator in Balto, has this same echo-y sound. To describe it more succinctly, its like a gargling sound when someone talks. Maybe this is something inherent in the older theaters.
I wanted to see ‘Star’ but missed it due to work :P
I am glad AFI put together a short video on 70mm movies to educate those who don’t know or were alive when these releases were the BIG events and weren’t the IMAX-lite, XD, Xtreme..etc presentation we have today. Come to think of it, they should have shot it in 65mm with some kind of six track sound mix to show off what the EXPERIENCE could be. They could even employ the older THX sound trailer..the GRAND one with the light show. I think James Horner scored that one. I remember seeing the Grand THX sound trailer, as it was ‘new’ when they released the first ‘Die Hard’ movie in ‘88 and seeing it at the now closed Cineplex Oden Wisconsin Ave 6 (either theater 5 or 6).
I did see ‘Lifeforce’ again, in 70mm, after 28 years, on the big screen. Its amazing that this print looked as good as it does. Hardly any fading or washouts and the soundtrack, itself, was intact..BUT, as with my previous experiences with 70mm presentations at the Silver, where is the surround sound?? I can understand with the older movies that perhaps there weren’t rear/side channel sounds. Just about every sound effect was in front.
For example, the scene where Carlton and the British Colonel fly in the helicopter to the base..there should have been the helicopter flying sound from the rear of the theater to the front. Nothing.
Also, the various visual effects of the ‘lifeforce’ swirling about should have had theater surround effects as it went off screen. sigh
Not to be entirely negative, Henry Mancinci’s score, with the London Symphony was effective, loud and calming, again heard all from the front screen. Observing some of the people in front jump and react to some of the shocking parts was fun given the age and overall campiness of the movie.
I was thinking about seeing ‘The Sound of Music’ but the end of the caption says 35mm. I wonder whose holding up the 70mm print of that movie :P It seems they are giving ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ a rest this time around.
I guess ‘Lifeforce’ was the sci-fi choice this time..but next time..maybe the fall, guys, please book ‘Brainstorm.’ That was shot in 65mm and would be great to see again. If they play it right, you’ll experience regular 35mm mono and 70mm surround, during the point of view scenes, and decent 65mm filmed visual effects. And great performances by Louise Fletcher (she deserved a Oscar nom imho), Chris Walken and Natalie Wood’s last movie.
I saw ‘The Heat’ with Sandra Bullock..no, not WITH Sandra..she was IN the movie. #6 was practically sold out on this matinee Friday. Surrounds were good especially with me sitting all the way in the back. The ticket person, after swiping my BowTie frequent moviegoer card, didn’t even tell me how many points I had..bad bad bad.
My niece and I saw ‘White House Down’ in #7, a few weeks back…not my choice, ok? Jamie Foxx as President? HAHAHAHA.
As with my previous visits to this auditorium, the sound up front is underwhelming. Its as if someone put some kind of sound filter over the speaker to reduce what was coming out. Also, I could hear the air conditioning running..not a good thing. I figured it would be a matter of time before the very nice plush faux leather seats and their power recline feature would break. There is a sign in the front that does not guarantee operable reclining seats. Already 3 months into operation and the place is running down.
The customer service is horrible. We had to wait almost ten minutes before we could buy our tickets. The only reason I waited was so they could swipe the theater’s own movie card, otherwise I would’ve used the kiosk. There was a guy who came out to ‘help’ but instead of opening up another register to help, he just disappeared.
I have yet to see movies in the other auditoriums. Perhaps they aren’t as bad, but since these are the ‘extreme’ theaters with 10.2 sound and 70' wide screens, you’d think it would be the best of them.
I just read that, Tinsel. A possible August opening? If you read further back on the facebook page, they had hoped for a late May opening. I’m optimistic the place will at least look good if it is at least 2/3 as good as the AFI Silver. Now those little itty bitty screening room-sized auditoriums make me wonder how much sound bleed there is going to be either going in or out from the other rooms.
It reminds me of when DC’s MacArthur was triplexed. They made two smaller theaters out of the bowed out parts of the original and even had little balconies! What was decent about that remodel, too, was the dropping and rising curtains between the shows.
Rechecking the AFI site, today, they have the rest of summer’s calendar and from the looks of it they must be having a 70mm series. I see the usual ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ booked. Tobe Hooper’s ‘Lifeforce’ returns, ‘The Master.’ Curiously, they’ve got ‘Star Wars: Return of the Jedi’ but I sincerely doubt its 70mm, especially with the recent tweaking by George Lucas, its probably either Blu-Ray or DP. ‘Sound of Music’ and ‘Hello Dolly!’ could also be in 70mm but there are no hyperlinks or announcements to indicate presentation formats as of this posting. Jedi would be great to see in 70mm especially for the speeder bike sequence on Endor and, of course, the space battles at the end.
I missed ‘Lifeforce’ the last time around. Based on prior AFI Silver experience, I wonder if it will surpass my memory of watching it the first time at the old Ontario in DC. That was an unforgettable experience…I can still smell the ‘paint’ from that theater’s remodel and the skylights beaming against the skies. The last few AFI 70mm showings were subdued soundwise.
Howard, this is true about the 70mm series. I was just hoping we’d have some counter programming to the traditional summer movie fare. Even if its a blown up print, I am nostalgic for the multi track sound that makes that experience of immersion . After seeing the latest Superman movie and paying for the IMAX-lite premiums for the other films, it would be nice to see something different. I believe there’s an anniversary up with Gettysburg (the battle). The bookstore near me has lots of commemorative books and magazines.
I frequently check out the west coast theater websites such as Arclight, Aero and Cinematheque just to see whats going on with their programming. Occasionally, I come across a 70mm booking that would be great if they could get here. Of course, those theaters are close to the studios where it would probably be easier to get bookings .
‘Gettysburg’ is supposedly booked here on 7/5 and 7/7 in 70mm. I vaguely remember this film coming out to not so great reviews and that it runs too long. Something along the lines of a bloated Ted Turner film. I didn’t see it in its first run, not for the aforementioned reasons. So far, this is the only 70mm film booked this summer. July’s calendar isn’t even posted, yet…
I caught ‘Man of Steel’ here in ETX last Sat night. My ears are ringing. Hahaha. I dragged my cousins here to get out of the doldrums of the usually substandard MD cinematic presentations (ok ok..not ALL are bad) they go to (we won’t name the bad plexes they go to in case they happen to read this posting). We arrived early enough but I have to tell you that even the seats here take a toll on the touche. Or, maybe its just me getting older. I know I could sit through any of the ‘Lord of the Rings’ movies at the old Senator Theater without feeling discomfort on their seats that were probably as old as the theater, itself. On the other hand, perhaps those movies were more engaging. Even with all the amazing fight scenes between Superman and Zod could not get my mind off of how uncomfortable I was feeling towards the end.
Having given the reviews a cursory glance, I did read enough to set my expectations low. The Richard Donner version of Superman forever sets the standard, for me, as the best comic movie adaptation. I’m not a fan of Chris Nolan’s dark interpretation, though many say its truer to the comic’s roots..fine, of Batman. I enjoy going to the movies and there’s a time to see and enjoy the darker toned films but I want to have a good time. To paraphrase what the late Roger Ebert said about movies is that we sometimes want to see them to get away from it all. If I want to be reminded how dark the world is I’d just as well watch Fox News at home for free. :)
For the $17.50 paid to see a film here in ETX, one should expect top notch everything. The projector went kablitz during the preview of next year’s 300 sequel. Then they restarted the trailer and it went out of focus. They started to play with it going in and out, out of focus, move to the right, move to the left. It was funny to hear the reactions of the audience..‘perfect’ ‘oh no..move to the right..’ ‘move to the left.’ Finally, some kid probably 8 or so, exclaimed ‘get it right, people’ to the laughter of the 400 or so in the audience. They didn’t play the Atmos sound trailer. AMC can do better to educate people as to why they should pay more for these premium sound systems by showing the trailers that show off what these systems can do. When I was in line to get my tickets, there was a pair of guys, in front of me, who couldn’t decide which showing of ‘Man of Steel’ showing to see. There were the 3 versions; IMAX(lite), ETX and the other DP showings. I told them to go for the ETX since its $1-less then IMAX, you can choose your own seat and the sound should be superior to IMAX.
I’m thinking they may have some problem with the set up here. What I forgot to mention in the previous post when I saw ‘Star Trek: Into Darkness’ in ETX, was that they had problems showing the preshow video as it had no sound! A patron came out to complain just as I was coming in and the female ‘manager’ that responded said they were having problems with their systems but that it would have no effect on the movie. Hmmmm.
Soundwise as I said before was loud. I’d have to see the movie again in a different sound chamber to tell you the difference. As with my previous experience with Atmos, its more like right and left separation with dialogue. Surrounds were good..I’m not sure if it was the soundtrack or someone’s actual cell phone going off, right rear, during the Daily Planet office scene.
Visually, I loved the look of the movie. The design aesthetic from the Krypton planet sequences to those little droids that resembled 3D etch-a-sketches come to life were real cool! While the Superman fight scenes were engaging, they seemed more like updated versions of the Neo/Smith fights from the final Matrix movie. I get it..its a live version of what you’d see in a comic book. Okay.
Whatever romance there was between the updated Clark and Lois did not have much spark. Maybe it was the tone of this movie that prevented a more comfortable, cozy and more romantic meeting depicted in the Donner directed Superman. In the inevitable sequel, maybe they’ll do better.
I saw Star Trek: Into Darkness in the IMAX-lite theater during a matinee showing in its final week in many local venues in IMAX-lite. I had hoped to catch the movie in the best format available before it gets relegated to the smaller and not so grand shoebox theaters at the local multiplexes. Not surprisingly, there was barely a handful in attendance. The preshow was shown in a small square and with low audio. Its as if no one cared to at make at least the ads top notch given the $18 premium paid for the format. Again, they showed last year’s teaser for the Superman: Man of Steel movie. Ridiculous. They should be playing the final trailer for a movie opening in less than two weeks!
With my Stubs membership about to expire, I decided to go to a few more AMC shows to get my reward credit to pay for the renewal. I would have sprang for one of the outrageously priced concession stand items but as I approached the counter, the attendant went the other way. With the movie about to start, I decided not to waste time or $10 for something I didn’t really want.
Since I was on the fence, had there been better customer service, I probably would’ve bought something even if I had missed the first few minutes of ads anyway.
Presentation was good. What is interesting about this viewing and this is probably the 5th or so I’ve seen in this format, is noticing sound effects that you either didn’t hear or notice from previous viewings. The picture didn’t seem as bright as Regal’s or the new Xcape Brandyine Xtreme auditorium. Maybe the DP is older? or the projection lamp needs adjustment or changing?
Giles, I wanted to see it at the Udvar Hazy, but their shows (Fri/Sat eve) sold out before I could even get the fan sneak tickets! I didn’t want to go earlier and have to pay $16 for parking before 5pm.
When Star Trek II came out way back in ‘82, in 70mm, there was also a sound mix up, during one of the performances. One day I went to see it and the scene where Kirk says 'all right, lets open her up’, after Saavik’s disastrous performance on the Kobyashi Maru, the ship’s ‘screen’ opens from right to left..well, the sound was left to right!
I’m looking forward to ‘After Earth’ but I don’t think its in IMAX-lite here. I’d be happy to see here in ETX. The Superman reboot should be good, but they keep playing last year’s teaser here as it ends with coming ‘next summer.’ Change it already!
Aside from the clarity and blemish free of digital projection and sound, its a shame that we must pay a premium for larger screen movies. When we had 70mm-6 track releases..even if they were 35mm blow ups, more so if you had a THX certified theater or better, THAT made for the immersive performance.
I caught Star Trek: Into Darkness in #1. Perfect presentation, great sound distinction and booms. The one scene before Kirk dies, you can hear his breathing on the left channel before Spock approaches the reaction chamber. Its hard to justify paying IMAX prices when you’ve got an auditorium like this to experience movies.
I caught Star Trek: Into Darkness in the same #7 I saw Iron Man, which is one of the two 70ft large screen auditoriums. The matinee showing was sparse..probably 6 of us. I love the recliner seats. They are perfect. This time, I sat further up and still had stretching room.
Soundwise..it was rather subdued compared to the THX 7.1 presentation at Annapolis Mall’s #1. I did not notice sound bleeding this time. Perhaps the adjoining theater’s soundtrack was not as jarring as the last time.
For its $15 price, its a toss up. Its less than AMC’s IMAX-lite but the bonus are the comfortable seating and leg room.
I caught Star Trek: Into Darkness in the ETX Theater during a matinee showing. Paid $18 for the privilege. No sound during the preshow. There was probably 10 in a theater that holds 499. The AMC trailer played nice and loud and the Dolby Atmos trailer showed off what it could do quite nicely. The opening reminded me of the THX flower trailer. The ETX was spatial compared to the IMAX-lite and the 7.1 presentation I saw in THX. I think the sound mix is somehow messed up because prior to the Kirk ‘death’ scene, I could hear ‘breathing’ in the THX theater on the left, whereas in ETX its at the right. At the IMAX-lite presentation, I don’t recall hearing it at all.
Compared to the Xscape plex in Brandywine, I don’t see the value here, plus there are no leather recliners. I think I’m spoiled now..
My friend and I saw ‘Star Trek: Into Darkness’ here at a fan ‘sneak’ in IMAX-lite 3D. Surprisingly, the line was loooong, the longest I’ve experienced at an opening film day IMAX-lite showing. There were a few dressed in Starfleet uniforms, which got the attention of some special folk, not sure if they were from Paramount or a news organization, who took pictures. They gave out posters to a few hundred of us, which was a nice bonus.
No friendly greeting from the ticket taker.
The movie is quite good. I want to see it a few more times in the different formats. I have some quibbles with the ‘Wrath of Khan’ references and scene homages. I hate the pixie dust warp drive trail. Bad idea. Presentation was very good but sound booms weren’t as they should have been such as during some explosions and warp jump snaps. Not sure if it may have been the soundtrack, as the trailer for the upcoming Superman reboot ‘Man of Steel’ had some good sound booms from just the music, itself.
I noticed that and thought it was a typo. The movie is already opening big, why does management think there needs to be shows every ½ hour? Fandango shows many tickets available. Is #8 still THX certified, or at least the better of the 8 to see/hear/experience a movie there? Aside from the new seating, has the remodel helped the experience there of watching movies? I’m tempted to revisit the place.
There are no distinguishing structural elements to this plex. You can see the steel ceiling and air conditioning ducts when you enter. One item worth noting is that there doesn’t seem to be a traditional box office in front of the building. When you enter, you see self service kiosks, the Customer Service/Manager’s cube and then the refreshment stands. The idea is to buy your ticket AND get concessions at the same time. Not a bad idea and a time saver, too. Opposite to the refreshment/box office cashier area are numerous self service soda fountains and condiment stations. This is a great idea as one can fix their soda the way they want. Single soda refills are free in all sizes. The $15.50 for the afternoon matinee in the 3D Xtreme format is palatable. The first show is even cheaper. Regal Theaters take note.
I had tried to ask the ticket taker(s) about the theater amenities but they didn’t know. The younger guy was trying to say something. The older lady blurted out said..‘oh, you’ll enjoy the nice clear picture and loud sound..’ Okay. I thanked them and went to the auditorium as the show was to start.
7, one of the two Xtreme Xscape auditoriums look like one of AMC’s IMAX installs. There are overhead speakers are there and one would think Dolby Atmos. Unfortunately, its neither advertised as such, nor indicated on the Dolby website as having been installed. In any case, hearing Iron Man 3 in this theater, I couldn’t notice anything of aural significance, except for upper left channel sounds..perhaps it is the Atmos-like experience with the upper theaters. I recall this experience at the Atmos theater in AMC Tysons Corner 16.
There were no pre show ads or format advertising at all. Its no doubt digital, most likely 4K, but I doubt its IMAX since its proprietary and the movie didn’t have that brightness..the laser directed projection I guess its called..to enhance the picture.
One major gripe about #7, and to be fair..the place is new, is the lack of sound insulation. After the beginning of the movie, I would hear these boom boom sounds and thought it was the movie. Unfortunately, it made no sense since there was nothing going on. It had to be sound from the adjoining theater. Very bad. If this place had been THX certified, there would be better sound baffling to prevent sound bleeding.
Entering in, you’ll see regular seats in front of the center aisle. Above the center aisle are rows and rows of LEATHERETTE reclining seats. I was about to take the regular seat to closer to the screen in the hopes of getting that aural and picture immersion experienced in similar venues. Instead, I chose the leatherette reclining seats and boy, was I not disappointed. How many times have you been to a theater where you wish you could s-t-r-e-t-c-h and end up either putting your feet up against the chair in front, or have an idiot do the same behind you? No more. You flip a switch on the right armrest by your thigh and the recliner opens up to the desired angle. Nice. I am curious how these seats will hold up within a year or so after heavy use.
The employees could use better training in customer service. No one greeted me anywhere…okay, the refreshment area, but the guy mumbled so badly, all I could hear was “welcome a;lkaeconweo8."
They need the best looking employee there to greet people at the door. The fact there’s no traditional box office will leave people a little lost but like I said earlier, combining the ticket purchase and concession purchases is a great idea.
Stay away from the pretzel bites. They do warm them up and serve them with the same nacho cheese sauce that goes with the nachos. They are just TOO salty.
Perhaps, the next time I go, I will do more looking around and take some pictures. The leatherette recliners are a BIG PLUS as they are comfortably cozy.
The ticket I had mentioned something about reserved seating. Perhaps, this will be coming to some of the auditoriums in the future. I hope not. I do not like reserved seating. I enjoy sitting where I want and to change my seat if I find out I’m not comfortable with my first choice.
BowTie here in Annapolis, MD is quite good and have been one of my favorite venues for years. The Mall and Harbour 9 are all digital projection and Dolby 7.1. Actually, they continued what was Crown Theaters and, initially, kept with the personal touch by having personal intros to the movies. However, they stopped. :P They also stopped with the in theater advertising for awhile, then that started up, again.
As far as their loyalty program, it needs fixing. I had a BIG disagreement with their staff about their point accumulation system and redemption. When I redeemed a soda voucher, it zeroed out my points to start all over again. It does not continue like the ones for Regal and AMC do. To this day, I am not sure if they’ve fixed it.
There was a lady at corporate, whose number I kept on my old cell phone but now lost it..she was nice enough to restore my points. I’m close to the 100 pt mark to where they give you a free pass, soda and popcorn. I’m hoping to redeem the incremental freebies; more passes, popcorn, etc. since the point values have not zeroed out.
They need to improve their concession offerings. Perhaps they could take a cue from Cinemark and make things more self service. I prefer to get my own soda with the right amount of ice.
The National Cathedral has a 2 to 1 voting advantage as of today..not too good. I’m reading there is money put aside for some upgrade work. They should at least get a digital projector to maintain some operating viability.
The article points to many needed upgrades, but $1M? Are they going for a renovation like the AFI Silver? If so, thats quite ambitious, maybe overly so given the area. You’ve got the Academy 8 a few miles up thats the main competition and they’ve got 3D Digital to boot. Unless they can get their hands on a 70mm projector… ;–) there could be some great counter programming here.
Grand reopening on Oct 10! Hooray!
An okay choice. Though they do have a few other screens.. and the 70mm projector is still there.
After reading much buzz about Cate Blanchett’s performance in the new Woody Allen film ‘Blue Jasmine’ and already tired with the traditional summer fare, I saw this movie at the remodeled Bethesda Row. Expecting to be bedazzled by the $5M remodel, I was disappointed. Aside from the new bar, leather seating in the lounge and auditoriums and, of course, the technical upgrades in projection, it does not look all that different. The paint scheme is different and the counters look Ikea-grade, which isn’t bad.
The new self service ticketing kiosks have huge screen displays, but most of it is not put to use by making the menu selection and fonts BIGGER. All that real estate on the screen seems to have gone to waste. Once you select your movie, you select your reserved seat. Unless its a special event with a large crowd, I do not like select seating at all.
On a table, by the doors, is a notebook with a schematic of the seating for the auditoriums. I later found out that the one for Auditorium 2 is wrong.
There was the usual ticket taker/greeter at the bottom of the escalator. I had arrived early enough to want to sample some of the new menu items touted on the website. Unfortunately, there was NOTHING on the menu board to suggest the wraps and other new things. Fortunately, I was approached by the attendant, who was friendly and showed me a notebook-type menu that had the wraps and other food items. While the pictures and descriptions were lovely, there was no mention of prices at all! The attendant had to look up my queries on the register. Suppose there were lines? What is the purpose of keeping the menu offerings AND prices hidden from view? Bad, bad, bad, bad.
I ordered the jalapeno cheese stuffed pretzel, which I loved from when they were offered at the AFI (then were forgotten to be ordered in the years after their remodel). For $4, its not bad, but smaller then the ones the AFI used to have. It was served hot from the convection/microwave they used to heat it up.
About 20 minutes before showtime, they were still cleaning up the prior show. When I was informed it was okay to go in, I had expected to be ushered to my seat, but no one bothered. In fact, none of the other patrons were escorted to their seats either. The older folks who came in were trying to find the tags on the seats to make sure they were in the right place. Auditorium 2 seems like the largest movie theater and I had hoped I would have some space to myself. Wrong. There were a group of loud French speaking patrons who sat behind me. Kept yakking until one of them probably got waft of my pretzel and decided to move. Thank you. Then two old ladies happened to choose the next two seats after mine. I call them Laverne & Shirley since they reminded me of the two tv characters; one of them with a distinctive NY accent..like Penny Marshall’s. One of them started chatting about the ticket for 5 minutes and how it seemed to read one way or another.
I had chosen row G as it was close enough to the screen but had leg room as it was situated by the walkway to get to the other side of the theater. In reality, they put a row of seats that blocks the path to the other side. I am probably spoiled by the enormous leg room and recliner seats at the Brandywine Xtreme Multiplex, but there is little leg room in front of the new seating area. I found myself having to get up, move to the aisle, so that patrons could access seats on my row. Only children or anorexic adults would be able to squeeze past a seated patron to move through to their seats.
Finally, the movie began after the usual pre show ads and previews. Volume was terrific as were the picture and sound. The Landmark trailer was decently loud and played to create that immersion experience with surrounds. I’d like to think there are curtains or draperies of some kind. In the Regals and Bow Tie’s..they move them to mask films according to their presentation format. One major detraction is the lack of sound insulation. You’d think with the millions spent they’d do something about sound bleed from the adjoining theater being heard into this one. Yeah, there was some big explosion boom I could hear and feel.
The movie was very good. I had expected the characters and their situations to be heavily cliched and, surprisingly, were not so. The writing avoided the usual soap opera-type dialog that accompanies movies with similar themes. It took me a few minutes to get into Cate Blanchett’s character, as I had expected to see/hear either Queen Elizabeth or the Elf Galadrel. Her character portrayal of the ex-wife of a Bernie Madoff-type character is very good. Yeah, she’ll be on that Oscar list of nominees for sure.
In summary, I think the remodel is a mixed bag. No menu visible on the menu board with prices. Decent sound and projection. Sound bleed from other auditoriums. Reserved seating should be for evening shows or special events. At least offer discounted parking for those who drive in. For the $25 or so I paid with parking, I probably could do better watching something formatted for IMAX-lite.
One more thing. Be warned about the Haagen Daaz ice cream store adjacent to the theater. I had an ice cream de leche caramel concoction that gave me bad cramping not too long after eating the $8.22 item. No, it wasn’t the pretzel because that food item was hot enough to have killed any food borne pathogen that may have been hatched. And yes, I did wash my hands before eating. :)
Okay, Steve. I hear you. Its just that my memories of 70mm from the 80s is so entrenched because of the sound more so than the picture. ‘2001,’ ‘Lifeforce’ and maybe a few others aside, what they’ve shown at AFI should have exceeded my experiences from way back then given the fact this venue is state of the art and is THX-certified.
Maybe the projectionist having come across a movie with no projection instructions should just err on the side of caution and hit the surround button. :) Dialog from LC/RC can’t be so bad as long as the character is on the right of the screen or left. Just my 2c.
Aww Howard, you’re so kind. I’ll periodically check the AFI website… :-D I make that statement cheekily as a veiled threat. In a good way.
The Powerball is up again this week. If I win, maybe I’ll buy the AFI Silver, myself. :)
You know this site is full of cinephiles (is there such a word?), like most of us on the site, who are passionate about movies and the experience, who know which venues have curtains and who doesn’t use them and are aware of what makes a good presentation, its just that when things are not right, you just want to go fix/run the operation yourself.
For example, when they run these special event movies, at least have some kind of introduction. How difficult is it to have a staffer google or IMDB some info about say, Cleopatra. I can remember off the top of my head that that movie was, at the time, one of the most expensive movies ever and probably still is accounting for inflation. Trivia like that that most people don’t know that would gain some appreciation from a film.
I’ll surrender my soapbox, for now, to check out whats showing at Landmark.. :)
I forgot to mention..the next time they do an 80’s retrospective with 70mm or without, they could book ‘2010.’ Not as memorable or the classic like ‘2001: A Space Odyssey,’ the visual effects were filmed by the Richard Edlund’s now defunct Boss Film FX, in 65mm. And I am 100% certain that film had surround sound fx as blogged about on the Jenifer and Springfield Mall cinema pages (assuming they haven’t been lost like other posts).
Hey..an old fashioned double feature with those two films in 70mm..the odyssey continues..
As nice as 70mm and DP is, unless the audio is heard with surrounds when they are supposed to be there, then I’m not so enthused. I could care less if its 4K and up front sound :P
I suppose I should have said something when ‘Lifeforce’ was played but I assumed it was just the print and maybe hoped it would get better, but it didn’t. And if the projector hit the wrong sound format, as Steve points out, then shame on him.
Don’t these films come with instructions on what format it is so that the film is properly set up and played the right away? This irks me. Maybe I should apply to be a projectionist..do they train on the job? Heck, I’d do it for free..almost ;–) . I would make sure the curtain would be used and make my own entrance music before the show and write my own introductions. Also, every film would have the THX sound trailer blasting before, right before the main film is played whether there are 500 people in the audience or just 1.
Maybe I’m assuming wrong, but do all the auditoriums share the same projection booth? If so, is it possible to wheel the 70mm projector to #2? Plug in the necessary sound jacks or whatever. Just curious. To be honest, I think the sight lines in 2 are better than #1. Yeah..I know..the Historic Auditorium is what it is and the architecture is nice to look at but if you sit way in the back and watch a movie its almost like tunnel vision with the way the walls close in to the screen.
Its funny but the old KB Fine Arts reminds me a little of the Silver, although the descending seats to the screen was different. Perhaps they were the same size.. 40' but heck, when they had 70mm..i.e. ‘Aliens,’ ‘Star Trek III’ ..those were decent films to experience.
Of the upcoming classic films, only ‘Cleopatra’ looks interesting even though its in DP. Since I wasn’t even alive when it first came out, the ‘roadshow’ version supposedly being shown should be good despite its long running time with intermission.
I saw ‘Hello Dolly’ the last time around.
Steve..what you said may explain why all the sound was on the front screen. In the ‘Lifeforce’ movie synopsis on the AFI website, it specifically mentions magnetic sountrack, so I’m assuming the print shown was probably an older, seldom shown original print? The movie came out in ‘85, as there was no DTS then. I only saw the movie once at AFI so maybe whomever ran the projection booth, maybe hit the wrong button on the sound processor? I would doubt whomever owns the movie would’ve spent the $50K or so to strike a new 70mm print with DTS encoding for a film like that. Maybe I’m wrong.
I gather by everyone’s comments about 70mm sound that the DTS encoding of older soundtracks inhibit surround sound playback provided it wasn’t in the original sound mix? If so, that sucks for those movies that are to be heard with surround. It shouldn’t be that way. I vividly remember my DTS/THX experience of ‘Jurassic Park’ at Universal Studios in ‘93, when DTS was intro’d..that was surround, crisp, pop-free, immersive AND loud! If I’m missing something, the transfer of the sound should improve by eliminating any scratching, pops and other imperfections while at least maintaining, if not improving on the sound integrity by digitizing the sound for playback perfection.
Part of the enjoyment of the 70mm/6 track mag format was the soundtrack. Not only loud, but it drew you in and helped immerse you into the moviegoing experience we all hope for after paying our admission ticket…even if the movie wasn’t so great.
One thing I forgot to mention in my previous post, but do you all notice that in the Historic Theater, there is an odd echo chamber? When a character speaks in an accent, like British, its sometimes hard to hear that they are saying because of it. The Senator in Balto, has this same echo-y sound. To describe it more succinctly, its like a gargling sound when someone talks. Maybe this is something inherent in the older theaters.
I wanted to see ‘Star’ but missed it due to work :P
I am glad AFI put together a short video on 70mm movies to educate those who don’t know or were alive when these releases were the BIG events and weren’t the IMAX-lite, XD, Xtreme..etc presentation we have today. Come to think of it, they should have shot it in 65mm with some kind of six track sound mix to show off what the EXPERIENCE could be. They could even employ the older THX sound trailer..the GRAND one with the light show. I think James Horner scored that one. I remember seeing the Grand THX sound trailer, as it was ‘new’ when they released the first ‘Die Hard’ movie in ‘88 and seeing it at the now closed Cineplex Oden Wisconsin Ave 6 (either theater 5 or 6).
I did see ‘Lifeforce’ again, in 70mm, after 28 years, on the big screen. Its amazing that this print looked as good as it does. Hardly any fading or washouts and the soundtrack, itself, was intact..BUT, as with my previous experiences with 70mm presentations at the Silver, where is the surround sound?? I can understand with the older movies that perhaps there weren’t rear/side channel sounds. Just about every sound effect was in front.
For example, the scene where Carlton and the British Colonel fly in the helicopter to the base..there should have been the helicopter flying sound from the rear of the theater to the front. Nothing.
Also, the various visual effects of the ‘lifeforce’ swirling about should have had theater surround effects as it went off screen. sigh
Not to be entirely negative, Henry Mancinci’s score, with the London Symphony was effective, loud and calming, again heard all from the front screen. Observing some of the people in front jump and react to some of the shocking parts was fun given the age and overall campiness of the movie.
I was thinking about seeing ‘The Sound of Music’ but the end of the caption says 35mm. I wonder whose holding up the 70mm print of that movie :P It seems they are giving ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ a rest this time around.
I guess ‘Lifeforce’ was the sci-fi choice this time..but next time..maybe the fall, guys, please book ‘Brainstorm.’ That was shot in 65mm and would be great to see again. If they play it right, you’ll experience regular 35mm mono and 70mm surround, during the point of view scenes, and decent 65mm filmed visual effects. And great performances by Louise Fletcher (she deserved a Oscar nom imho), Chris Walken and Natalie Wood’s last movie.
I saw ‘The Heat’ with Sandra Bullock..no, not WITH Sandra..she was IN the movie. #6 was practically sold out on this matinee Friday. Surrounds were good especially with me sitting all the way in the back. The ticket person, after swiping my BowTie frequent moviegoer card, didn’t even tell me how many points I had..bad bad bad.
My niece and I saw ‘White House Down’ in #7, a few weeks back…not my choice, ok? Jamie Foxx as President? HAHAHAHA.
As with my previous visits to this auditorium, the sound up front is underwhelming. Its as if someone put some kind of sound filter over the speaker to reduce what was coming out. Also, I could hear the air conditioning running..not a good thing. I figured it would be a matter of time before the very nice plush faux leather seats and their power recline feature would break. There is a sign in the front that does not guarantee operable reclining seats. Already 3 months into operation and the place is running down.
The customer service is horrible. We had to wait almost ten minutes before we could buy our tickets. The only reason I waited was so they could swipe the theater’s own movie card, otherwise I would’ve used the kiosk. There was a guy who came out to ‘help’ but instead of opening up another register to help, he just disappeared.
I have yet to see movies in the other auditoriums. Perhaps they aren’t as bad, but since these are the ‘extreme’ theaters with 10.2 sound and 70' wide screens, you’d think it would be the best of them.
I just read that, Tinsel. A possible August opening? If you read further back on the facebook page, they had hoped for a late May opening. I’m optimistic the place will at least look good if it is at least 2/3 as good as the AFI Silver. Now those little itty bitty screening room-sized auditoriums make me wonder how much sound bleed there is going to be either going in or out from the other rooms.
It reminds me of when DC’s MacArthur was triplexed. They made two smaller theaters out of the bowed out parts of the original and even had little balconies! What was decent about that remodel, too, was the dropping and rising curtains between the shows.
Rechecking the AFI site, today, they have the rest of summer’s calendar and from the looks of it they must be having a 70mm series. I see the usual ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ booked. Tobe Hooper’s ‘Lifeforce’ returns, ‘The Master.’ Curiously, they’ve got ‘Star Wars: Return of the Jedi’ but I sincerely doubt its 70mm, especially with the recent tweaking by George Lucas, its probably either Blu-Ray or DP. ‘Sound of Music’ and ‘Hello Dolly!’ could also be in 70mm but there are no hyperlinks or announcements to indicate presentation formats as of this posting. Jedi would be great to see in 70mm especially for the speeder bike sequence on Endor and, of course, the space battles at the end.
I missed ‘Lifeforce’ the last time around. Based on prior AFI Silver experience, I wonder if it will surpass my memory of watching it the first time at the old Ontario in DC. That was an unforgettable experience…I can still smell the ‘paint’ from that theater’s remodel and the skylights beaming against the skies. The last few AFI 70mm showings were subdued soundwise.
It looks like fun!
Howard, this is true about the 70mm series. I was just hoping we’d have some counter programming to the traditional summer movie fare. Even if its a blown up print, I am nostalgic for the multi track sound that makes that experience of immersion . After seeing the latest Superman movie and paying for the IMAX-lite premiums for the other films, it would be nice to see something different. I believe there’s an anniversary up with Gettysburg (the battle). The bookstore near me has lots of commemorative books and magazines.
I frequently check out the west coast theater websites such as Arclight, Aero and Cinematheque just to see whats going on with their programming. Occasionally, I come across a 70mm booking that would be great if they could get here. Of course, those theaters are close to the studios where it would probably be easier to get bookings .
‘Gettysburg’ is supposedly booked here on 7/5 and 7/7 in 70mm. I vaguely remember this film coming out to not so great reviews and that it runs too long. Something along the lines of a bloated Ted Turner film. I didn’t see it in its first run, not for the aforementioned reasons. So far, this is the only 70mm film booked this summer. July’s calendar isn’t even posted, yet…
I caught ‘Man of Steel’ here in ETX last Sat night. My ears are ringing. Hahaha. I dragged my cousins here to get out of the doldrums of the usually substandard MD cinematic presentations (ok ok..not ALL are bad) they go to (we won’t name the bad plexes they go to in case they happen to read this posting). We arrived early enough but I have to tell you that even the seats here take a toll on the touche. Or, maybe its just me getting older. I know I could sit through any of the ‘Lord of the Rings’ movies at the old Senator Theater without feeling discomfort on their seats that were probably as old as the theater, itself. On the other hand, perhaps those movies were more engaging. Even with all the amazing fight scenes between Superman and Zod could not get my mind off of how uncomfortable I was feeling towards the end.
Having given the reviews a cursory glance, I did read enough to set my expectations low. The Richard Donner version of Superman forever sets the standard, for me, as the best comic movie adaptation. I’m not a fan of Chris Nolan’s dark interpretation, though many say its truer to the comic’s roots..fine, of Batman. I enjoy going to the movies and there’s a time to see and enjoy the darker toned films but I want to have a good time. To paraphrase what the late Roger Ebert said about movies is that we sometimes want to see them to get away from it all. If I want to be reminded how dark the world is I’d just as well watch Fox News at home for free. :)
For the $17.50 paid to see a film here in ETX, one should expect top notch everything. The projector went kablitz during the preview of next year’s 300 sequel. Then they restarted the trailer and it went out of focus. They started to play with it going in and out, out of focus, move to the right, move to the left. It was funny to hear the reactions of the audience..‘perfect’ ‘oh no..move to the right..’ ‘move to the left.’ Finally, some kid probably 8 or so, exclaimed ‘get it right, people’ to the laughter of the 400 or so in the audience. They didn’t play the Atmos sound trailer. AMC can do better to educate people as to why they should pay more for these premium sound systems by showing the trailers that show off what these systems can do. When I was in line to get my tickets, there was a pair of guys, in front of me, who couldn’t decide which showing of ‘Man of Steel’ showing to see. There were the 3 versions; IMAX(lite), ETX and the other DP showings. I told them to go for the ETX since its $1-less then IMAX, you can choose your own seat and the sound should be superior to IMAX.
I’m thinking they may have some problem with the set up here. What I forgot to mention in the previous post when I saw ‘Star Trek: Into Darkness’ in ETX, was that they had problems showing the preshow video as it had no sound! A patron came out to complain just as I was coming in and the female ‘manager’ that responded said they were having problems with their systems but that it would have no effect on the movie. Hmmmm.
Soundwise as I said before was loud. I’d have to see the movie again in a different sound chamber to tell you the difference. As with my previous experience with Atmos, its more like right and left separation with dialogue. Surrounds were good..I’m not sure if it was the soundtrack or someone’s actual cell phone going off, right rear, during the Daily Planet office scene.
Visually, I loved the look of the movie. The design aesthetic from the Krypton planet sequences to those little droids that resembled 3D etch-a-sketches come to life were real cool! While the Superman fight scenes were engaging, they seemed more like updated versions of the Neo/Smith fights from the final Matrix movie. I get it..its a live version of what you’d see in a comic book. Okay.
Whatever romance there was between the updated Clark and Lois did not have much spark. Maybe it was the tone of this movie that prevented a more comfortable, cozy and more romantic meeting depicted in the Donner directed Superman. In the inevitable sequel, maybe they’ll do better.
I saw Star Trek: Into Darkness in the IMAX-lite theater during a matinee showing in its final week in many local venues in IMAX-lite. I had hoped to catch the movie in the best format available before it gets relegated to the smaller and not so grand shoebox theaters at the local multiplexes. Not surprisingly, there was barely a handful in attendance. The preshow was shown in a small square and with low audio. Its as if no one cared to at make at least the ads top notch given the $18 premium paid for the format. Again, they showed last year’s teaser for the Superman: Man of Steel movie. Ridiculous. They should be playing the final trailer for a movie opening in less than two weeks!
With my Stubs membership about to expire, I decided to go to a few more AMC shows to get my reward credit to pay for the renewal. I would have sprang for one of the outrageously priced concession stand items but as I approached the counter, the attendant went the other way. With the movie about to start, I decided not to waste time or $10 for something I didn’t really want. Since I was on the fence, had there been better customer service, I probably would’ve bought something even if I had missed the first few minutes of ads anyway.
Presentation was good. What is interesting about this viewing and this is probably the 5th or so I’ve seen in this format, is noticing sound effects that you either didn’t hear or notice from previous viewings. The picture didn’t seem as bright as Regal’s or the new Xcape Brandyine Xtreme auditorium. Maybe the DP is older? or the projection lamp needs adjustment or changing?
Giles, I wanted to see it at the Udvar Hazy, but their shows (Fri/Sat eve) sold out before I could even get the fan sneak tickets! I didn’t want to go earlier and have to pay $16 for parking before 5pm.
When Star Trek II came out way back in ‘82, in 70mm, there was also a sound mix up, during one of the performances. One day I went to see it and the scene where Kirk says 'all right, lets open her up’, after Saavik’s disastrous performance on the Kobyashi Maru, the ship’s ‘screen’ opens from right to left..well, the sound was left to right!
I’m looking forward to ‘After Earth’ but I don’t think its in IMAX-lite here. I’d be happy to see here in ETX. The Superman reboot should be good, but they keep playing last year’s teaser here as it ends with coming ‘next summer.’ Change it already!
Aside from the clarity and blemish free of digital projection and sound, its a shame that we must pay a premium for larger screen movies. When we had 70mm-6 track releases..even if they were 35mm blow ups, more so if you had a THX certified theater or better, THAT made for the immersive performance.
I caught Star Trek: Into Darkness in #1. Perfect presentation, great sound distinction and booms. The one scene before Kirk dies, you can hear his breathing on the left channel before Spock approaches the reaction chamber. Its hard to justify paying IMAX prices when you’ve got an auditorium like this to experience movies.
I caught Star Trek: Into Darkness in the same #7 I saw Iron Man, which is one of the two 70ft large screen auditoriums. The matinee showing was sparse..probably 6 of us. I love the recliner seats. They are perfect. This time, I sat further up and still had stretching room.
Soundwise..it was rather subdued compared to the THX 7.1 presentation at Annapolis Mall’s #1. I did not notice sound bleeding this time. Perhaps the adjoining theater’s soundtrack was not as jarring as the last time.
For its $15 price, its a toss up. Its less than AMC’s IMAX-lite but the bonus are the comfortable seating and leg room.
I caught Star Trek: Into Darkness in the ETX Theater during a matinee showing. Paid $18 for the privilege. No sound during the preshow. There was probably 10 in a theater that holds 499. The AMC trailer played nice and loud and the Dolby Atmos trailer showed off what it could do quite nicely. The opening reminded me of the THX flower trailer. The ETX was spatial compared to the IMAX-lite and the 7.1 presentation I saw in THX. I think the sound mix is somehow messed up because prior to the Kirk ‘death’ scene, I could hear ‘breathing’ in the THX theater on the left, whereas in ETX its at the right. At the IMAX-lite presentation, I don’t recall hearing it at all.
Compared to the Xscape plex in Brandywine, I don’t see the value here, plus there are no leather recliners. I think I’m spoiled now..
My friend and I saw ‘Star Trek: Into Darkness’ here at a fan ‘sneak’ in IMAX-lite 3D. Surprisingly, the line was loooong, the longest I’ve experienced at an opening film day IMAX-lite showing. There were a few dressed in Starfleet uniforms, which got the attention of some special folk, not sure if they were from Paramount or a news organization, who took pictures. They gave out posters to a few hundred of us, which was a nice bonus.
No friendly greeting from the ticket taker.
The movie is quite good. I want to see it a few more times in the different formats. I have some quibbles with the ‘Wrath of Khan’ references and scene homages. I hate the pixie dust warp drive trail. Bad idea. Presentation was very good but sound booms weren’t as they should have been such as during some explosions and warp jump snaps. Not sure if it may have been the soundtrack, as the trailer for the upcoming Superman reboot ‘Man of Steel’ had some good sound booms from just the music, itself.
I noticed that and thought it was a typo. The movie is already opening big, why does management think there needs to be shows every ½ hour? Fandango shows many tickets available. Is #8 still THX certified, or at least the better of the 8 to see/hear/experience a movie there? Aside from the new seating, has the remodel helped the experience there of watching movies? I’m tempted to revisit the place.
There are no distinguishing structural elements to this plex. You can see the steel ceiling and air conditioning ducts when you enter. One item worth noting is that there doesn’t seem to be a traditional box office in front of the building. When you enter, you see self service kiosks, the Customer Service/Manager’s cube and then the refreshment stands. The idea is to buy your ticket AND get concessions at the same time. Not a bad idea and a time saver, too. Opposite to the refreshment/box office cashier area are numerous self service soda fountains and condiment stations. This is a great idea as one can fix their soda the way they want. Single soda refills are free in all sizes. The $15.50 for the afternoon matinee in the 3D Xtreme format is palatable. The first show is even cheaper. Regal Theaters take note.
I had tried to ask the ticket taker(s) about the theater amenities but they didn’t know. The younger guy was trying to say something. The older lady blurted out said..‘oh, you’ll enjoy the nice clear picture and loud sound..’ Okay. I thanked them and went to the auditorium as the show was to start.
7, one of the two Xtreme Xscape auditoriums look like one of AMC’s IMAX installs. There are overhead speakers are there and one would think Dolby Atmos. Unfortunately, its neither advertised as such, nor indicated on the Dolby website as having been installed. In any case, hearing Iron Man 3 in this theater, I couldn’t notice anything of aural significance, except for upper left channel sounds..perhaps it is the Atmos-like experience with the upper theaters. I recall this experience at the Atmos theater in AMC Tysons Corner 16.
There were no pre show ads or format advertising at all. Its no doubt digital, most likely 4K, but I doubt its IMAX since its proprietary and the movie didn’t have that brightness..the laser directed projection I guess its called..to enhance the picture.
One major gripe about #7, and to be fair..the place is new, is the lack of sound insulation. After the beginning of the movie, I would hear these boom boom sounds and thought it was the movie. Unfortunately, it made no sense since there was nothing going on. It had to be sound from the adjoining theater. Very bad. If this place had been THX certified, there would be better sound baffling to prevent sound bleeding.
Entering in, you’ll see regular seats in front of the center aisle. Above the center aisle are rows and rows of LEATHERETTE reclining seats. I was about to take the regular seat to closer to the screen in the hopes of getting that aural and picture immersion experienced in similar venues. Instead, I chose the leatherette reclining seats and boy, was I not disappointed. How many times have you been to a theater where you wish you could s-t-r-e-t-c-h and end up either putting your feet up against the chair in front, or have an idiot do the same behind you? No more. You flip a switch on the right armrest by your thigh and the recliner opens up to the desired angle. Nice. I am curious how these seats will hold up within a year or so after heavy use.
The employees could use better training in customer service. No one greeted me anywhere…okay, the refreshment area, but the guy mumbled so badly, all I could hear was “welcome a;lkaeconweo8."
They need the best looking employee there to greet people at the door. The fact there’s no traditional box office will leave people a little lost but like I said earlier, combining the ticket purchase and concession purchases is a great idea.
Stay away from the pretzel bites. They do warm them up and serve them with the same nacho cheese sauce that goes with the nachos. They are just TOO salty.
Perhaps, the next time I go, I will do more looking around and take some pictures. The leatherette recliners are a BIG PLUS as they are comfortably cozy.
The ticket I had mentioned something about reserved seating. Perhaps, this will be coming to some of the auditoriums in the future. I hope not. I do not like reserved seating. I enjoy sitting where I want and to change my seat if I find out I’m not comfortable with my first choice.
BowTie here in Annapolis, MD is quite good and have been one of my favorite venues for years. The Mall and Harbour 9 are all digital projection and Dolby 7.1. Actually, they continued what was Crown Theaters and, initially, kept with the personal touch by having personal intros to the movies. However, they stopped. :P They also stopped with the in theater advertising for awhile, then that started up, again.
As far as their loyalty program, it needs fixing. I had a BIG disagreement with their staff about their point accumulation system and redemption. When I redeemed a soda voucher, it zeroed out my points to start all over again. It does not continue like the ones for Regal and AMC do. To this day, I am not sure if they’ve fixed it.
There was a lady at corporate, whose number I kept on my old cell phone but now lost it..she was nice enough to restore my points. I’m close to the 100 pt mark to where they give you a free pass, soda and popcorn. I’m hoping to redeem the incremental freebies; more passes, popcorn, etc. since the point values have not zeroed out.
They need to improve their concession offerings. Perhaps they could take a cue from Cinemark and make things more self service. I prefer to get my own soda with the right amount of ice.
The National Cathedral has a 2 to 1 voting advantage as of today..not too good. I’m reading there is money put aside for some upgrade work. They should at least get a digital projector to maintain some operating viability.
The article points to many needed upgrades, but $1M? Are they going for a renovation like the AFI Silver? If so, thats quite ambitious, maybe overly so given the area. You’ve got the Academy 8 a few miles up thats the main competition and they’ve got 3D Digital to boot. Unless they can get their hands on a 70mm projector… ;–) there could be some great counter programming here.