The cinema rant thread

I had wondered how modern cinemas play films. I just assumed they received a drive with the film, plugged it in and pressed play.

Its irritating because we've been going there for years and it's never been a problem. Make's it hard to think there's going to be much hope for the industry if they care so little about the experience 9f the viewer.

Yeah, it's mostly fine and to be honest the quality of most projectionist wasn't exactly exceptional. The amount of times I had to sit through poorly screened films back in the day. I'd sit there and seethe about lazy shit that they just didn't care about.

I saw Jungle Cruise in 3D (I realise I'm in the minority for enjoying 3D). Cinema was projecting the left eye and right eye images inverted, which looks very odd indeed, almost like trying to resolve an Escher painting. I had experienced the same issue before so knew that wearing the 3D glasses upside down would fix the issue. I told people around me to do the same and pass the message on. Some did, most didn't - it was pretty astonishing how many people were quite happy to sit there and watch it that way, not caring or even realising that something was wrong. I mean, surely they could tell it wasn't meant to look like that! Worst thing is, when I told a member of staff about the issue on leaving the screen she said that it had been that way for a little while and they were working to fix it. But clearly didn't think it worthwhile telling anyone.

In my experience, the thing most people get off their arses and complain about is the sound. Other than that they'll put up with most shit.

Ushers are never going to confront them and why should they? They work in shit conditions for fuck all money, and the sort of people who act like cunts in cinemas (or shops, or restaurants etc) are the sort of entitled people who will at best bitch and moan as if they're victims - a tactic likely to work given how terrified manager types are of things like bad reviews and official complaints - or at worst genuinely kick off. I worked in a cinema briefly a few years ago and we had to have a security guard thanks to these types.

Dickhead customers are often the most entitled and shameless, and staff disempowered and disinterested.

I'm quite fortunate to have a good multiplex near me (a Vue). Don't think I have ever had any issues. The only one I can think of is when I saw 2001 there and they didn't dim the lights during the overture (they also regularly raise the lights too quickly when the credits start, but I think that is actually controlled by the film rather than them).

Behaviour of the audience isn't too much in their control though and I don't really blame staff not wanting to get too bolshie with dickheads. The ushers are normally not much more than kids themselves. They do regularly inspect the screens and I think I've seen them tell people to shush.

Fortunately, I normally am able to pick times when it isn't too busy (Sunday afternoons are normally pretty good) and I prefer to sit towards the front. Most dickheads seem to sit at the back.

Aiming for quieter times is even more important at the moment, seeing as no one seems to give a shit about almost 40,000 new c19 infections every day, with no mask wearing and screens crammed to full capacity again. That's a national problem though and not isolated to cinema chains.

You're probably right, after my period running the cinema I found it difficult to watch anything screened anywhere else, there was always something wrong.

I cannot stand the higher frame rates in films myself. It really cheapens the look of a film imo. I believe Peter Jackson's now made The Hobbit films 24p for an upcoming home release. 

Audiences in general hated the soap opera effect.

I thought Gemini Man looked incredible, once you get used to the fact that the meeega frame rate (it was filmed in 120fps) meant that everything had to be extremely well lit like an episode of Eldorado. The extra detail in fast motion is pretty amazing once you get used to it.

Douglas Trumbull wanted to do 60fps all the way back in 1983 with Brainstorm but cinemas were loath to update their equipment.

Dune might tempt me back in....it is a nice experience when it goes well!

Amen

I've only been to the cinema once since I saw Return of the King (2003). I'm pretty intolerant so don't appreciate noisy buggers around me or a basketball player with a hat sat in front of me.

The cinema I went to was one of these fancy ones where all the seats were huge and reclined and were far apart. I can't remember what the hell I watched though. The cinema was a lux in Bradford.

The local cineworld never has the projection set bright enough, contrast seems to have the same issue. It’s like watching every film with sunglasses in.

The main advantage to the cinema is being forced to focus on that and not watching with someone that’s going to get up and wander around for 5 minutes every half hour. I usually go at fairly antisocial times when I’ve been so other people aren’t that much of an issue.