In response to “jedlelandâ€: I stand behind what I said about the weak visual and the terrible sound problem 100%. Maybe Eternal Sunshine was playing on two of the Cal’s screens, and one was better that the other. Possibly you are a theater owner or manager lashing out to protect your business. All these three movies you mention are of course “dazzling†films… as films…but seeing/ hearing them as projected through an algae covered fish tank is not what I pay 9 bucks for. I wish I was you and could blissfully enjoy these movies presented this way, but alas…to my acute senses..(ears and eyes checked only two weeks ago)…the experience is excruciating. As for cutting edge cinematography: I had seen the Hidden Dragon courtyard scene in three other places before I saw it at the dark as an Oregon cave Act 1 theater…most detail was lost…and I know “Eternal Sunshine†is experimental and even has a lot of “lo-fiâ€45 rpm noise and reverse looping in it’s soundtrack , but it’s hard to appreciate through a blown drive-in movie speaker. That said, the Act1 and 2 provide a priceless service with their midnight movies and their screening of the only print of Bruce Campbell’s “Running Time†was an awesome event, which I’ll be forever grateful for. Which leads one to think that they (Landmark ) like movies , but that someone’s giving the order to keep the bulbs low to save money, and that their “plants†â€"theaters , are falling into disrepair. And sorry, I didn’t really mean to bulldoze the pretty building, (the Cal) , but that it might be better utilized as a ballroom or something.
Hi…didn’t know who to write/ talk to. We saw Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless mind at the California theater… 4/10/04. The screening was a disaster. The projection bulb was “lowâ€â€¦the image was dark, blue-ish…you had to strain to see details…I’m actually used to that. But the sound was another story- it was turned up to ear bleeding levels and the speakers sounded shredded. Loud is good , as in a good rock'n'roll record…loud as in killing squirrels in just negligent or teenage workers goofing around or bad policy. (one projectionist on the inet used the term “blown speaker drivers”) No one complained that I could see, which is terrible…people just accepting this. It was heartbreaking/ frustrating because this was an extremely important, anticipated movie. As was Hidden Dragon which got the same low bulb treatment at the Landmark Act 1 theater. This treatment of these movies is signaling the death knell for 9 dollar a head public theaters. We saw the third Lord of the Rings at the Grand Lake theater in Oakland, CA..and I could tell in the first minute that it will look better on our 249.00 dollar tv at home. Preserve and protect indeed….I’ve always said I would throw myself in front of the bulldozers if they were heading for the Castro Theatre (S.F.)…but I can’t say the same for the California.
In response to “jedlelandâ€: I stand behind what I said about the weak visual and the terrible sound problem 100%. Maybe Eternal Sunshine was playing on two of the Cal’s screens, and one was better that the other. Possibly you are a theater owner or manager lashing out to protect your business. All these three movies you mention are of course “dazzling†films… as films…but seeing/ hearing them as projected through an algae covered fish tank is not what I pay 9 bucks for. I wish I was you and could blissfully enjoy these movies presented this way, but alas…to my acute senses..(ears and eyes checked only two weeks ago)…the experience is excruciating. As for cutting edge cinematography: I had seen the Hidden Dragon courtyard scene in three other places before I saw it at the dark as an Oregon cave Act 1 theater…most detail was lost…and I know “Eternal Sunshine†is experimental and even has a lot of “lo-fiâ€45 rpm noise and reverse looping in it’s soundtrack , but it’s hard to appreciate through a blown drive-in movie speaker. That said, the Act1 and 2 provide a priceless service with their midnight movies and their screening of the only print of Bruce Campbell’s “Running Time†was an awesome event, which I’ll be forever grateful for. Which leads one to think that they (Landmark ) like movies , but that someone’s giving the order to keep the bulbs low to save money, and that their “plants†â€"theaters , are falling into disrepair. And sorry, I didn’t really mean to bulldoze the pretty building, (the Cal) , but that it might be better utilized as a ballroom or something.
Hi…didn’t know who to write/ talk to. We saw Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless mind at the California theater… 4/10/04. The screening was a disaster. The projection bulb was “lowâ€â€¦the image was dark, blue-ish…you had to strain to see details…I’m actually used to that. But the sound was another story- it was turned up to ear bleeding levels and the speakers sounded shredded. Loud is good , as in a good rock'n'roll record…loud as in killing squirrels in just negligent or teenage workers goofing around or bad policy. (one projectionist on the inet used the term “blown speaker drivers”) No one complained that I could see, which is terrible…people just accepting this. It was heartbreaking/ frustrating because this was an extremely important, anticipated movie. As was Hidden Dragon which got the same low bulb treatment at the Landmark Act 1 theater. This treatment of these movies is signaling the death knell for 9 dollar a head public theaters. We saw the third Lord of the Rings at the Grand Lake theater in Oakland, CA..and I could tell in the first minute that it will look better on our 249.00 dollar tv at home. Preserve and protect indeed….I’ve always said I would throw myself in front of the bulldozers if they were heading for the Castro Theatre (S.F.)…but I can’t say the same for the California.