Lest talk IMAX

[canofhumdingers]

Here's the of a slash film article that tells you how to find out. It's a few years old but I believe the LF Examiner page it links to is kept current. Look for the 1570 format. It appears there are two in Georgia.

I'd highly recommend the whole article too as it very clearly demonstrates how awesome real IMAX is.

EDIT: AAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! I just saw that the Marq*e 23 in Houston has gone digital! It was still 70mm film when TDKR came out and it was glorious! DANGIT!! Stupid modern technology.

[jellydonut25]

Damn. So...no more TRUE IMAX in Houston, huh?

[Henry88]

so who planning to go see Godzilla in IMAX?

[jellydonut25]

I probably will...though I'm not really thrilled about the idea since it'll likely be 3D as well. Being the superfan I am though...I'll feel the need to do so.

[Henry88]

[mr.negativity]

Disney has extended its long-running exhibition partnership with Imax, setting a deal to release “Star Wars: Episode VII,” “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” and other high-profile pics in the…

[Tom R VanSlambrouck]

A new theater just opened up a little closer to home and they have something called a GDX theater that is 70' and features Dolby ATMOS surround sound. Is this the same thing as Imax? When I google it I just get links to the local theater.

[Henry88]

IMAX Primed for Growth With Blockbusters on the Horizon
http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2 ... he-ho.aspx

[mr.negativity]

[Henry88]

Battle for the Bigger Screen
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/12/busin ... .html?_r=0

[hanshotfirst1138]

Real IMAX is a dying thing, the 15/70 projectors are mostly getting replaced by the digital ones. And the digital IMAX at my local AMC multiplex is just a slightly bigger screen with two 2K projectors. Apparently they're working on a laser system, which I'm assuming will be the digital equivalent for the bigger screen (and perhaps the smaller ones too). As always with celluloid, apparently the expense is so much larger than distributing digitally, and with IMAX, it's even more so. That being said, I'll take IMAX over 3-D any day, as I can't stand 3-D.

[mr.negativity]

[hanshotfirst1138]

I'd have loved to have seen this in IMAX, but it was only 3-D, so I went with 2-D DCP.

[GFan]

[mr.negativity]

[jellydonut25]

I don't go to these re-releases anyway, but Forrest Gump on IMAX seems rather pointless. I mean, I love LOVE me some Forrest Gump, but not enough to pay $20 just to see it on a slightly bigger screen.

[hanshotfirst1138]

The local "LIEMAX" at my AMC isn't exactly as impressive as I would hope. I do live near a genuine proper 15/70 IMAX for now, but I doubt it'll stay that way for long . I'm betting Interstellar will be celluloid's last stand , but I'd love to be wrong. Recently managed to see a 35mm screening of CE3K and have one booked for Seven Samurai .

Anyhow, I'd have been interested in the IMAX version of The Wizard of Oz which hit a while back, but it was only 3-D, so I skipped.

[mr.negativity]

[Henry88]

any movies worth watching on the big BIG screen this year? .

[canofhumdingers]

Dunkirk.

Reports say as much as 75% was shot on IMAX film. And IMAX 70mm film and (some) IMAX laser screenings are the only way to see the full 1.43:1 image. All others will be cropped on the top and bottom to some extent.

I'll be seeing it on IMAX laser Monday (in the full 1.43:1 ratio).

[mr.negativity]

[O.Supreme]

OK, so I've never seen a standard Hollywood Film in IMAX, only documentaries etc... Tried to see Avatar back in 2009, but it was all sold out. Anyway...It's my understanding that films not shot 100% in IMAX will randomly change aspect ratio during the film, I would think that would get extremely annoying after a few minuets.... Heck just the other day I was watching Dumbo on Disney Channel, which they prefaced at the beginning had a few missing frames of the original master, so occasionally you'd see the AR change, and that was bad enough. I cant imagine paying top dollar for a film on the Biggest screen possible and that happening...How do you guys do it?

[Benjamin Haines]

[canofhumdingers]

It's actually not bad. I suppose it depends on the movie and how well it's used, but Christopher Nolan uses it quite expertly. If you watch The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises, or Interstellar on blu ray you will see the changing aspect ratio and get a sense of what it was like in the theater (although when it switches to the IMAX it's still cropped vertically b/c the whole image won't fit on a widescreen tv unless it's pillar boxed).

But seeing this films on actual 70mm IMAX was amazing. The majority of the movies are in scope, but many transitional establishing shots expand to fill the screen and key action sequences also expand. But it doesn't just make the image larger (vertically), there is also a noticeable increase in clarity, resolution, and detail. It has the effect of drawing you in and making those sequences more visceral and immersive. Personally, I think it's an awesome experience and not theatrical experiences I've had compared to seeing Nolan's films on 70mm IMAX (or IMAX laser in the case of Dunkirk).

Now, one caveat I do have is actually with Dunkirk itself. Unlike previous films where key scenes or shots would expand to full IMAX size and resolution to give them more impact, in Dunkirk the vast majority of the movie is full on IMAX, and only a few shots here and there shrink down to 35mm scope. In this case I actually think it would have been more effective to shoot the 35mm scenes in academy (1.34:1) ratio which is very close to IMAX's 1.43:1 ratio so that when the film switched between sources, they could've maintained a constant ratio (by very slightly cropping the 35mm footage). The only difference would be a subtle drop in clarity and detail. Then they would've just had to crop everything down for regular theaters instead of just cropping the IMAX footage (again, like 75% of Dunkirk is IMAX 70mm. Maybe more)

Outside of Nolan's films, I've only seen two other Hollywood films on IMAX. The Force Awakens (on IMAX 70mm film), where only one scene (where Rey and Finn escape from Jammu on the Falcon) is in IMAX. And it, like Nolan's work, was an effective way to draw you in to the scene and make it more exciting and immersive.

The other was Rogue One in digital "liemax" 3D. This one was via the "liemax" 2k projector system, but it was on a full size IMAX screen. It did not have a changing aspect ratio and was letterboxed on the screen. I was actually quite impressed with the 3D conversion and was glad I saw it. But I was also glad I had seen it in 2D first.

[klen7]