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Author Topic: AMC Van Ness SF Problems Terry Monohan Master Film Handler Posts: 379 From: San Francisco CA USA Registered: May 2014 posted 12-29-2017 01:45 PM                     Yesterday we went to AMC Van Ness in SF. Was once a great cinema complex with those vacuum large curved screens. As we were going into a cinema next to the what they call a Imax many people were storming out of the 11 55AM Thursday 12/28 showing of Star Wars 2D in Baby Imax. People yelling this is he 3rd time! Well I went in and found the sound on but no picture on the screen. People all streaming out in the dark, lucky some old person did not fall in the dark aisles. Must have been a bulb problem. Well then we all went into the old red seats stained with soda and cheese to see 'The Greatest Showman'. The screen is almost flat now but a good scope size for a 300 seat auditorium. At least they still use moving masking at AMC. Thank god they have not done reserved seats here. No recliners just some of the worst dirty old seats in any theatre in SF. I had hoped my presentation would be ok but noticed a constant flicker on the pre show ads. Thought It would clear up when the 'Greatest Showman'started but not the case. I noticed I did not hear much surround sound in the first 15 minutes then looked up in the dark walls and found AMC had replaced all their dusty old side surround speakers with just two small wall side speakers placed way up near the ceiling. The surround speaker sound was going up to the roof not aimed down at the audience. With the stage speakers sound so loud any volume that came out of these replacement speakers (they had 6 speakers for surround in the past set on the wall lower) did not reach my ears. The whole system is way out of balance. They need to turn down the stage speakers a little and turn up the volume of the way to high up surrounds. After 20 minutes of bad surround sound and the constant flicker our group left to get a refund. No one closes the auditorium doors here when a movie is playing so you hear all the sound and lobby gab when your film is playing. I had to get up and close the doors. We hope we don't come down with bed bugs with these old tired seats as that was the case here at this cinema a few months ago in SF but AMC said they cleaned the seats. Time will tell. AMC needs to turn this cinema into SF's first second run bargain $1 theatre. We miss many movies when they fist play in SF. They have the AMC ex Loews/Sony Metreon a mile away showing almost the same films with new seats and way better sound and curved screens then the AMC Van Ness.  |  IP: Logged Travis Cape Expert Film Handler Posts: 122 From: St. Louis, MO, USA Registered: May 2000 posted 12-29-2017 05:58 PM                     Terry, I can't believe you even went there. It sounds like AMC is waiting for the lease to expire. I can't imagine SF operating costs allowing for a $1 show. That doesn't even work here.  |  IP: Logged Terry Monohan Master Film Handler Posts: 379 From: San Francisco CA USA Registered: May 2014 posted 12-30-2017 09:54 PM                     Had to go here in SF Travis to see 'Greatest Showman' on a true scope screen. Cinemark/Century shows this film also in SF on a flat 1.85 screen with a small scope blind image in the middle with white screen on the top and bottom. They have masking but they refuse to use It. Not a scope type wide screen at Cinemark anyway. At least I got to see the first 15 mins of the movie and the AMC Van Ness has a nice wide screen that opens masking on the sides for a scope movie. This lease thing may be why they took out most of their surround speakers and let the old seats go to rot plus the bulbs are ready to go out. What is so sad they put in 3 candy counters here on 3 floors but because they don't want to hire people you have to go way down to the lower level to buy things with one person in the refreshment counter and wait and spill everything going back up to your cinema space. I will see the rest of this Fox movie with my pass and go to another better AMC theatre with a large scope curved screen in the San Jose area before It leaves the area to DVD land. Time for a new movie chain to get in SF and remodel the place as the area has many new condos and a brand new huge hospital going in across the street. At least they do validate in the under cinema garage for $8 for 5 hours of movie watching.  |  IP: Logged Eric Hooper Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 532 From: Fort Worth, TX, USA Registered: May 2003 posted 01-05-2018 07:48 AM                     quote: Terry Monohan No recliners just some of the worst dirty old seats in any theatre in SF. Have you ever been to the UA Stonestown?  |  IP: Logged Terry Monohan Master Film Handler Posts: 379 From: San Francisco CA USA Registered: May 2014 posted 01-05-2018 11:18 AM                     Yes Eric that is another bad split old UA cinema in SF. Seats face the wrong way to a small split screen with cobwebs in the ceiling. Things are about to change as Macy's is moving out soon in the SF Stonestown Shopping Center and a new large movie theatre is going in. I think CineWorld/Regal/UA will be the ones going in as they will close and demolish the old cinema next door and use the space for parking. We will be glad to have a good modern Regal/UA house back in SF again with a large RPX screen.  |  IP: Logged Mark Ogden Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 943 From: Little Falls, N.J. Registered: Jun 99 posted 01-05-2018 11:31 AM                     Since we are talking San Francisco, and I am going to be there in a few weeks, what ARE the really good first run theaters anymore apart from the Metreon? I'm staying in Marin, in Larkspur, so anything up thataway counts too.  |  IP: Logged Terry Monohan Master Film Handler Posts: 379 From: San Francisco CA USA Registered: May 2014 posted 01-07-2018 04:08 PM                     Mark**The best 4 1st run movie theatres around the SF area as of Jan 2018 are the new Dolby Cinema #10 inside the AMC Metreon in downtown SF. Big large scope curved screen, great sound. Also in SF are the two huge XD curved screens at the Century SF Center at 845 Market St. XD screen in cinema on the left is larger and more curved. In Marin at Corte Madera CA off the 101 freeway is a great large single curved screen theatre at the Century Cinema soon to torn down. Over in Orinda across the Bay the single large space at the Orinda Theatre, very art deco with curtains with a union projectionist on duty. Most are still playing Star Wars. May change when you arrive?  |  IP: Logged Chris Markiewicz Expert Film Handler Posts: 209 From: Glenaviegh, County Tipperary, Ireland Registered: Aug 2002 posted 01-07-2018 07:32 PM                     Don't forget the Grand Lake in Oakland!  |  IP: Logged Terry Monohan Master Film Handler Posts: 379 From: San Francisco CA USA Registered: May 2014 posted 01-13-2018 11:49 AM                     Yes Chris the old Fox Grand Lake in Oaklnad CA is another great movie palace to check out. The large downstairs space has two sets of curtains that go up. Also a union projectionist on duty in all 4 cinemas. Some of the best 2 projector 3D you will ever find in the SF Bay Area. Now the AMC Van Ness along with all It's problems in SF has most of It's neon blade sign outside not working.  |  IP: Logged Scott Jentsch Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1061 From: New Berlin, WI, USA Registered: Apr 2003 posted 01-16-2018 09:02 AM                        Terry, Please add your experience to the Reader Comments page for the AMC Van Ness 14: http://www.bigscreen.com/Marquee.php?theater=4857&view=comments The only way that it will change is for them to be called out on it, and it will perhaps save others from the same experience.  |  IP: Logged System Notices Forum Watchdog / Soup Nazi Posts: 215 Registered: Apr 2004 posted 02-07-2019 01:39 PM                 It has been 387 days since the last post.  |  IP: Logged Jim Cassedy Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1661 From: San Francisco, CA Registered: Dec 2006 posted 02-07-2019 01:39 PM                     A friend who went to see a show at this theater last night has informed me that the AMC 1000 will CLOSE as of tonight. Unknown if another operator will take it over or if it will be torn down or converted into a Walgreens or Starbucks or something.  |  IP: Logged Marcel Birgelen Film God Posts: 3357 From: Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands Registered: Feb 2012 posted 02-07-2019 04:31 PM                     Isn't the building itself listed? When they converted this into a cinema, they kept the vintage look of the Cadillac dealership that was once in it on the lower floors, where the box office was located.  |  IP: Logged Jarod Reddig Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 513 From: Hays, Ks Registered: Jun 2011 posted 02-07-2019 04:52 PM                     Its despicable how run down they let these locations get before they shutdown.  |  IP: Logged Jim Cassedy Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1661 From: San Francisco, CA Registered: Dec 2006 posted 02-07-2019 10:59 PM                     quote: Marcel Birgelen Isn't the building itself listed? Yes, Marcel, it is listed as a historical landmark both by San Francisco, & in the National Historic Register. (And shame on me, being somewhat knowledgeable of old SF buildings, to have not realized that) It was originally a 'Don Lee Cadillac' dealership,and is really a grand old building, which I pass several times a week on my way downtown to the screening rooms I work at. Here's a photo of it in the 1940's when it was also home to radio station KFRC, which was originally owned by Don Lee, who also owned an early TV network down in Los Angeles. The radio towers were dismantled in the late 1950's The Don Lee showroom, some time in the 1920's. This is where the AMC theater lobby is (was?) now. The theater lobby retained the original ceiling & columns. The exterior looks pretty much the way it did when it was built (minus the radio towers) The beige structure in the rear is a parking garage, which, if my memory is correct, was added around the time the theater moved into the building, some time in 1998.  |  IP: Logged

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