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Author Topic: Esquire IMAX comments Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 05-03-2004 03:31 PM                     During my trip around California last week I was able to see a LOT of theaters, amongst other stops. The Sacramento Esquire IMAX theater really stood out. Taking into account my overly nitpicky standard of on screen presentation, praise is certainly due for this group. This booth has been ran by Adam, Kyle and Pat for some time now and it shows. In looking at prints they received new and handled exclusively under their care, the resulting image was absolutely astonishing. I have never seen an IMAX presentation come close to the quality level that I saw at this theater, and that includes comparisons on opening weekend elsewhere of an IMAX release where the print only had a few passes. Unfortunately, prints they received circuited from another location did not look very good. There was dirt, cinch marks and scratches on everything received used that I saw. Basically, a typical IMAX experience. If you are in the northern California area, run out right now and patronize this theater this week with one of the prints they received new. (They are running Nascar every day.) Adam is the booth manager and is leaving next week. Who knows who his replacement will be and how much longer Pat and Kyle will remain trying to keep things in order. Given the circumstances that these boys have had to put up with at this location, it really shows just how dedicated they are to putting on a damn fine presentation regardless of the working conditions. BIG TIME KUDOS to all three of you! I would hire any of you in a half second to work a booth of mine. On the flip side, someone needs to fire the janitors...or better yet the management who has let the theater get this bad. Without exaggerating, this theater was one of the filthiest I have ever seen. Old run-down dollar houses are generally cleaner than this place! Just look at the layers and layers of thick dust on the walls and AC vents if you don't see the dirt everywhere else. It's really bad. While I'm thinking about it, how about brixing those Coke machines somewhere near spec too? Here's an interesting concept...after a big group of kids comes to see a movie, how about you actually send an employee to clean up the piss all over the bathroom? I saw the bathroom trashed after a show, yet a few hours later when I returned to take care of some business it was still like that! Also, what's up with the outdoor flood lighting in the auditorium? Did IMAX run out of money to properly equip this theater with auditorium lighting? It looks quite tacky and is hard on the eyes as you are waiting for the movie to start. By the way, that theater intro is SUPER LAME! I know the projection staff hates it, and for good reason. Even though I knew beforehand that I would be sitting in my chair listening to jungle music looking at a blank screen for a couple of minutes, I still felt like something was wrong upstairs with the projector and felt the need to alert someone to a malfunction, yet this is done on every show...intentionally! Ugh, I'll stop ranting now, even though there's plenty more. (Somebody needs to call the management-police on this place.) Just rush out and catch a movie there this week. We all know it only takes one bad projectionist to completely kill a theater's presentation, so projection-wise this place *could* go to hell within 2 weeks.  |  IP: Logged Jesse Skeen Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1517 From: Sacramento, CA Registered: Aug 2000 posted 05-03-2004 05:36 PM                     This theatre has been good lately, though the first time I went there to see "Fantasia 2000" some jerk got on the microphone at the start of the end credits telling people which way to exit! Hopefully they fired whoever came up with that idea. I swore if they did that a second time I'd never come back, but thankfully they've waited til the end of the movie to gab since then. Did you check out the Regal Natomas Brad? That WAS a well-run theatre for a while (at least the booth was), god knows how it is now though.  |  IP: Logged Robert Stawiarski Film Handler Posts: 62 From: MW Registered: Aug 2003 posted 05-03-2004 09:51 PM                    I'm not surprised by your comments on this theatre, and am happy an IMAX presentation finally impressed you. Adam is known for taking pride in his work and knowing the system very well. We received a print from him when he was over at Grand Rapids; the print arrived in excellent shape. Hopefully the next projection manager there will care about their work as much.  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 05-03-2004 11:05 PM                     I drove by there a couple of years ago and all I can say is that Adam does a great job on the lawn!! Didn't have the time to go inside on that trip, come to think of it I'm not even sure if Adam was working there two years ago. But I will definatley put this on my must see list. BYW: Gord also does a first rate job at the Cinesphere running the original Imax projector , been there many times..... If any FTer goes to Toronto be sure to go see him there. Mark  |  IP: Logged Kyle McEachern Expert Film Handler Posts: 165 From: San Francisco, CA Registered: Feb 2004 posted 05-03-2004 11:32 PM                 Personally, I'd say all praise should be directed at Adam here. When I started working here I got the picture pretty quick that the quality standards were much higher than the theatres I had come from. I could tell from day one that the standards that I was held to were not the same as the rest of the theatre's standards (As Brad mentioned), and it showed. Suffice to say that 'sorry to see him leave' would be a statement that could win the Understatement of the Year Award. I guess all that's left is to hope that whoever ends up replacing him has the same kind of work ethic, attention to detail, and vast technical understanding of the IMAX system and projection in general. By the way, everyone congratulate Adam on getting his new job that has taken him away from our theatre, and curse Scott Neff for telling him about it, and thereby allowing him to leave us!  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 05-03-2004 11:34 PM                     If you can't get out there immediately Mark, I wouldn't bother putting it on your list. It's the projectionists that have made that place so great. Other IMAX theaters have proven that. IMAX is really foolish to let Adam go at any expense, but I know he will be happier working at his new job. Instead come visit me and I will take you to the worst IMAX theater in the world, the IMAX Fair Park in Dallas. We can laugh together as we try to see an image behind all the dirt and scratches. After that we can trek over to Cinemark's local IMAX bastardization for more laughs. I have always respected Adam and his attention to detail, but seeing this has really blown me away. Adam - if you don't like your new job, you will ALWAYS have a job waiting for you here in Dallas! I would be very proud to have you on my team. Same goes for Kyle and Pat if they ever move to Dallas. Kyle, don't count on getting anyone all that great. You'll probably get some typical fucktard who will run the place into the ground and drive you and Pat away with unnecessary nonsense.  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 05-03-2004 11:56 PM                     Whoa! I was doing a quick edit to this post and things went crazy on my screen..... figured it was Joe doinkin with the server er somethin.... Then I refreshed the screen to find this post now located in a brand new forum.... Awesome! Another new forum here on wonderful Film-Tech Now I know that there's no way that Joe did that changover because it was perfect!!!! Brad, If you think those two are bad you should have been to Cesars Palace Omnimax. The screen there was water stained for years, apparently from leaks in the roof. Awful at its best but no reflection on the ability of its projectionists. I'm glad that its gone and I can't believe that IMAX let it deterioate so bad. About 10 years ago Steve K. was almost apprehended by Cesars thugs for taking a snapshot of the booth. Hopefully he'll chime in here about that wonderful experience!! Good luck Adam where ever you go!! Mark  |  IP: Logged Joe Redifer You need a beating today Posts: 12859 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: May 99 posted 05-04-2004 04:00 AM                        Adam is the best projectionist who has ever lived (just like Josh). Kyle and Pat cannot be depended upon and that is why neither of them will get promoted to fill Adam's place. In my opinion they might as well set that IMAX venue on fire right now and let it burn to the ground! Adam now goes to a job where his mad projection skillz are not needed. Congratulations Adam! You've got a desk job! Hey I need some copies while you're by the copy machine! Quit loitering by the water cooler! And your tie is crooked!  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 05-04-2004 07:53 AM                     "Adam is the best projectionist who has ever lived" Don't tell Guttag I said that..... I did mean Imax Projectionist? Joe, Get a hold of yourself....  |  IP: Logged Thomas Procyk Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1842 From: Royal Palm Beach, FL, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 05-04-2004 12:26 PM                     Wait.... what happened to Adam? =TMP=  |  IP: Logged Andrew Lee Film Handler Posts: 99 From: Oakville, Ontario, Canada Registered: Jun 2002 posted 05-04-2004 12:42 PM                     Yes the Esquire is truly one the best Imax theatres overall in the large format world. No argument there. Mark, your comments on the Caesars dome screen caught my attention. Believe me it was a sore spot with Imax as well. Caesars would not allow that screen to be replaced because of the down-time involved (3-4 weeks). Imax was rumoured to have even offered to pay for everything if they would just redo that screen. I had the unfortunate job of taking that system out. On the Monday morning that it closed, there was a line up of about 70 people for the first show. Once they were told that it was closed, they were all quite upset. Even with the bad screen, that theatre did an amazing amount of business.  |  IP: Logged Scott D. Neff Theatre Dork Posts: 919 From: San Francisco, CA Registered: Oct 1999 posted 05-06-2004 05:37 PM                        Thomas: Adam's for as a just . And just in time... with more posts like this his ego was going to go through the roof. [ 05-06-2004, 09:04 PM: Message edited by: Adam Martin ]  |  IP: Logged Jesse Skeen Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1517 From: Sacramento, CA Registered: Aug 2000 posted 05-07-2004 01:13 PM                     What the blank??  |  IP: Logged Dennis Benjamin Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1445 From: Denton, MD Registered: Feb 2002 posted 05-10-2004 10:37 PM                        Jeez, Brad. I had to look that one up. fucktard A contraction of "fucking retard". fucking + retard = fucktard Fucktard - n. examples: A person who has sexual intercourse with a mentally challenged person. A mentally challenged person with whom sexual intercourse is had. You are probably one of the above. Add up all the mentally challenged persons with whom you have had sex to find out which. If you can't count that high, you are the tard.  |  IP: Logged

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