|
This topic comprises 3 pages: 1 2 3
|
Author
|
Topic: Going out to a film reminds me why I much prefer to stay in
|
Jeffry L. Johnson
Jedi Master Film Handler
![](http://www.film-tech.com/ubbmembers/453.gif)
Posts: 809
From: Cleveland, Ohio, USA
Registered: Apr 2000
|
posted 01-28-2003 02:52 PM
here
Home Technology with Bill Lammers
Going out to a film reminds me why I much prefer to stay in
01/16/03
My wife, Nancy, and I went to our first movie theater together six months after we were married, a year and a half after our first date. Somehow during our whole courtship, we managed to avoid that dating tradition of dinner and a movie.
There were plenty of movies in our lives, but they all were shown in my home. She saw such classics as "Citizen Kane" and "Apocalypse Now" for the first time as played on my laser disc player, "Casablanca" on the satellite dish and "Taxi Driver" on DVD. I saw the animated "Jungle Book" for the first time from her daughters' videotape.
We have a life filled with entertainment, but for the most part it has been home entertainment.
On the first weekend of the New Year, we managed to make it to only our third theater movie in the 3? years that we have known each other. It was a matinee of Martin Scorsese's "Gangs of New York." Big budget, big scenery, big publicity - I figured we had to see it on the big screen.
Big mistake.
If ever I needed a rationalization for spending so much money on home entertainment equipment and programming, I got it that day at my western suburban multiplex.
For the first half-hour of the movie, the sound track dragged. Many of the opening scenes of the movie were without dialogue, so when the narrator sounded like Darth Vader on Quaaludes, I figured it was just Daniel Day-Lewis immersing himself in the role, pulling another chameleonlike job with his voice.
Imagine my surprise when I later found out that the narrator's voice belonged to Leonardo DiCaprio, not Day-Lewis.
As the music came in and dragged, too, we realized that something was wrong and that no one was volunteering to fix the problem. I went to the lobby and found a manager. She made a call to the projection room. I missed about 10 minutes of the movie doing this.
Someone else in the theater also must have found a responsible person, because when I returned, Nancy said that the sound had cleared up about a minute after I left the room.
All was forgiven - well, mostly it was forgiven - and we watched the rest of the film. I'm a credit watcher - somewhat to Nancy's irritation - so we were the last two people remaining in the theater as the movie was ending.
As the credits rolled, the one contemporary song from the movie's soundtrack, U2's "The Hands That Built America," became just as garbled as the opening half-hour of sound had been. Then, as the house lights came on and the credits became impossible to read, the projectionist speeded up the film, making Bono sound like Pee-wee Herman with a hernia.
All the while this was going on, two theater employees hovered over us, waiting to swoop down and clear our seats before the movie had fully ended. When I pointed out the bad sound to them and told them about the earlier problem, the best I got was a shrug.
Bear in mind that we were being herded along at 3 p.m. The next showing was at 3:50 p.m. We left with my deep-seated need to read every last credit unfulfilled.
Even with matinee prices, the cost of the movie, popcorn, coffee and Sour Patch Kids was more than $20. That's about how much the DVD of "Gangs of New York" will cost in six or nine or 12 months from now, when it is released in a special collector's edition with documentaries, interviews and other extras.
This is why I spend so much time making my home entertainment system work well. This is why I spend hours tweaking sound levels in the 6.1 surround-sound system. This is why I scan Internet sites for release dates of DVDs. This is why I'm comparison shopping for my eventual move into high-definition television. This is why I spend about $100 a month for the full boat of service from DirecTV to be delivered to four rooms of my home.
Because Nancy works days and I work nights, we usually get only two nights and two days together. The last thing I need to do is have one of those afternoons marred by a bad time at a movie theater run by children and slackers with little idea of what quality service means.
When the sound doesn't synchronize with the lips on a DVD movie at home, I can fix that. When the satellite goes out in the middle of "Oz" on HBO, I can sweep the snow from the satellite dish. If the actors whisper or shout, I can adjust my sound system to fit my own taste.
When Nancy has to avert her eyes from Day-Lewis and his meat cleaver - she's a nurse and can't bear to watch on-screen mutilation - she can bury her head in a pillow on the couch instead of peeking from behind her interlaced fingers.
Plus, I can make my own blankety-blank popcorn with real butter.
As we drove home from the theater and I ranted about the experience, Nancy said, "You know, they ought to just release movies directly onto DVDs. I bet they would make just as much money."
I wish that were true. I think the reality is that true movie lovers pay twice for a movie - once in the theater and once to rent or buy the DVD or tape for home use. What I saw - and the portion I heard - of "Gangs of New York" certainly will make me pre-order the DVD when the release date is announced.
In the meantime, I'll be watching "The King of Comedy," another Scorsese masterpiece that was released about 20 years ago. The DVD came out in December after a long wait by Scorsese fans and the Jerry Lewis faithful.
The Lammers family premiere is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. Limited seating available. All the popcorn we can eat. And an intermission whenever we want one.
Lammers is a Plain Dealer assistant news editor.
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:
blammers@plaind.com, 216-999-4162
© 2003 The Plain Dealer.
| IP: Logged
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
All times are Central (GMT -6:00)
|
This topic comprises 3 pages: 1 2 3
|
Powered by Infopop Corporation
UBB.classicTM
6.3.1.2
The Film-Tech Forums are designed for various members related to the cinema industry to express their opinions, viewpoints and testimonials on various products, services and events based upon speculation, personal knowledge and factual information through use, therefore all views represented here allow no liability upon the publishers of this web site and the owners of said views assume no liability for any ill will resulting from these postings. The posts made here are for educational as well as entertainment purposes and as such anyone viewing this portion of the website must accept these views as statements of the author of that opinion
and agrees to release the authors from any and all liability.
|