ProjectEnd
Superstar
Great article eustache, just don't forget to cite properly next time.
Welcome to the forum!
Welcome to the forum!
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AMC Yonge & Dundas opens at Toronto Life Square
- Thread starter smuncky
- Start date
Dan416
Senior Member
I'll still take AMC over Cineplex any day.
adma
Superstar
http://www.eyeweekly.com/city/scrollingeye/article/22213
AMC Yonge & Dundas
Today on the Scroll: Celebrating movies, now more than ever, as Kyle Rae and friends cut the ribbon on their commercialized sarcophagus.
BY Marc Weisblott March 27, 2008 14:03
As far as ribbon-cutting events go, it was not unlike the opening of an envelope. But more like one of those FedEx-style envelopes, the ones made of Tyvek. An envelope that was mostly lost in transit over the past decade. Postmarked from Kansas City, Missouri. Meant to stamp out all the blight that was there before.
But that’s enough lousy postal-service metaphors, because the intersection of Yonge and Dundas now has a hotspot where urban-minded Torontonians can snobbishly gloat they would never go — a local equivalent of the Olive Garden restaurant in Times Square, and the Disneyfication lurking outside its windows.
If only the relationship between the city and this complex wasn’t so complex.
Bringing the suburban megaplex experience to downtown Toronto, the AMC Yonge & Dundas 24 takes up plenty of the space in Toronto Life Square, along with Milestone’s Grill & Bar and Jack Astor’s Bar & Grill. Plus a Future Shop, Extreme Fitness, Shoppers Drug Mart, Adidas Sport Performance store, a food court, Starbucks and everything else the city expropriated 13 stores for by 1999.
Proud parent is Councillor Kyle Rae, forced to shush a ribbon-cutting ceremony crowd feasting on hors d’oeuvres and drinks last night, as if he was admonishing Rob Ford from across the floor at City Hall. But, for this, he wanted to be heard.
“This was a labour of love where we decided to intervene in the marketplace,†beams Rae, “so that we would not fall into the cesspool of other cities in North America.†Rae praises all the parties involved “who had the balls to say 'yes'.â€
A special $10,000 donation is made by cojones-bearing management corporation PenEquity to Central Toronto Youth Services, whose executive director Heather Sproule attempts to speak over the din of those ostensibly here for the freebies.
Sproule evokes the name of Emmanuel Jacques, the 12-year-old Yonge Street shoeshine boy lured into an apartment above a body-rub parlour in August 1977, strangled and drowned in the kitchen sink. Presumably, it wouldn’t have happened had the block boasted something like “20,000 feet of spectacular outdoor signage and media opportunities including the world’s largest contoured Tri-Vision screen, Canada’s largest HD video display and 10 backlit static signs ranging in size from 300 sq. ft. to 4,100 sq. ft.†Twisted logic, but totally true.
What was originally dubbed the Metropolis complex — before naming rights were bought by Toronto Life — was illustrated through garish renderings that initially made it look like a nightmare scenario for public-space advocates. Too late now —it was for real.
Kyle Rae tells of the decade and change process of putting the site together, and how AMC became the principal tenant — sticking it out even as their share price bobbed and weaved, and would-be anchors like the Virgin Megastore, the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and something called DisneyQuest bailed out.
The concept of the AMC megaplex — originating with Grand 24 in Dallas, Texas in 1995 — was sold as a key to renewing neighbourhoods, even if a consequence was that Hollywood movies would start having to suck even more than before.
More recently, the invasion of AMC — a non-acronym that still can’t help bring to mind the American Motors Corporation’s signature vehicle, the Gremlin — has spread throughout the 905: Concord, Mississauga, Oakville and Whitby, along with the Kennedy Commons in Scarborough. The company dates back to 1920, though, as started by Edward Dubinsky, who changed his name to Durwood (because, honestly, which name on his theatre was less likely to cause arson?).
Yet the legacy of Dubinsky is supplanting that of Drabinsky, coming up on 30 years since Garth (who has technically been a fugitive from US justice for the past decade) opened the Eaton Centre Cineplex in 1979 — 18 screens later expanded to 21 — all of which were, ah well, about the size of a postage stamp.
The opening of a VHS-rental emporium on every corner, plus the emergence of downtown repertory cinemas, kinda killed Garth’s buzz after a year or three. But, by then, he leveraged its success to take over the Odeon chain and make his company Cineplex a real player with mergers and acquisitions across the continent. (American spin-off Loews Cineplex was ultimately acquired by AMC in 2006.)
And by the time Drabinsky lost control of Cineplex in 1998, his first idea was falling into disrepair — it sure didn’t help the Eaton Centre’s status as a magnet for hoodlums, especially on the more loiterer-un-friendly Dundas end of the mall.
After the turn of the century, the original Cineplex was teetering dangerously close to the tawdriness of the still-standing Metro Theatre at Bloor and Christie, only instead of screening porn, it was a place to catch failed movies starring Saturday Night Live cast members for $1.50, anytime. Spill some sticky soda on the floor and you’d be lucky to find it mopped up within the same day, if ever.
The inevitable closing left a cinematic void at the intersection that lingered for seven years, when it often seemed like the hoarding at Yonge and Dundas was never coming down. For this they closed the Cinema 2000? “Totally concerned with SEX,†its sign boasted, in the space where HMV has lingered since 1991.
And then there was the Rio, a real-life grindhouse a couple blocks north, which incredibly stayed open until 1992 with quadruple features that offered something for everyone — invariably RESTRICTED to persons 18 years of age and older. You can see its exterior as a forlorn Corey Hart slouches past in the video for “Never Surrender,†and SCTV’s legendary Garth and Gord and Fiona and Alice.
There were other bijous, too, but the area has arguably lacked a credible first-run movie screen since 1986, when the Famous Players chain gave up on the Imperial Six — it was sold to Cineplex, refurbished for Drabinsky to mount Phantom of the Opera in the site that now houses the Mirvish-managed Canon Theatre.
Movie theatres along or near Yonge Street had dropped like flies in general throughout the 1980s, though: whether the Willow and Fairlawn to the north, to the Towne and University along Bloor, to the surreal-seeming twin cinemas in the Sheraton Centre and TD Centre — the shopping-mall movie experience prevailed. Scotiabank Theatre, the former Paramount multiplex at John and Richmond — whose neon sign caught fire earlier this week — has long provided evidence of that.
However, as of this weekend, that experience is smack dab in our downtown.
NOTES FROM AN OPENING NIGHT
Part of the AMC Yonge & Dundas 24 deal is the cinemas being used as occasional daytime classrooms for Ryerson University — helping ensure that Rye High retains its quirk. The fact that one must ride three or four escalators to get to class will offer opportunity for academic contemplation: study hard in school, or else you’ll end up having to work the rest of your life in the square’s food court.
The foyer of the megaplex has its own version of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel — a mural of movie stars past on one side, and relatively present on the other, all demographically and racially balanced enough to look like the by-product of a Kansas City focus group. Leads one to wonder which of these contemporary silver screen icons will face an untimely fate and become uncomfortable to look at: Elliott from E.T.? Drew Barrymore? Chris Tucker, Jackie Chan or both?
Conspicuously absent from such embellishment, at least on the lower level of screens, is any CanCon. Not a Maury Chaykin nor Jackie Burroughs in the bunch — but, hey, there’s a Coming Soon poster for the Toronto-shot The Love Guru starring Mike Myers.
The invitation-only opening last night actually came after last weekend's free preview of this AMC 24. A coupon distributed online, for free screenings of features that were a few months old, drew 9,500 people who doubtless spent at the snack bar.
And, gosh, is that snack bar ever a testament to the financial priorities of a movie exhibitior. The snacks are displayed in manner redolent of the world’s finest museums. Surveying the price list leads one to wonder if the day will come when the prices for a large popcorn or pop will have to make way for a “1†in front of the current cost, much like happened at gas stations over the last year or two.
So, when it was announced last night that the concessions would be free with the sneak peek of the digital auditoriums, you could imagine the stampede — even though the same people had just been plied with complimentary beer and wine, an endless flow of appetizers from Milestone’s and Jack Astor’s, and even dessert. A bag of MexiCasa nachos, when displayed in a tray that cost $6.75 — plus additional $1.75 for cheese — is certainly a difficult freebie for one to pass up.
Don’t forget the complimentary Butter Flavoring (sic) a term that was doubtlessly determined by the same AMC head office that trademarked the phrase "Silence is Golden" to remind moviegoers not to shriek or answer the phone during the show.
Movies on the menu for this opening: Leatherheads, starring George Clooney and Renée Zelwegger; 21 starring Kevin Spacey and Kate Bosworth; and Stop-Loss, the Iraq war protest drama starring Ryan Phillippe. And, by what seemed a huge margin, the least number of AMC attendees opted for the latter.
Send news, tips, links about arts, culture, media to scroll@eyeweekly.com.
AMC Yonge & Dundas
Today on the Scroll: Celebrating movies, now more than ever, as Kyle Rae and friends cut the ribbon on their commercialized sarcophagus.
BY Marc Weisblott March 27, 2008 14:03
As far as ribbon-cutting events go, it was not unlike the opening of an envelope. But more like one of those FedEx-style envelopes, the ones made of Tyvek. An envelope that was mostly lost in transit over the past decade. Postmarked from Kansas City, Missouri. Meant to stamp out all the blight that was there before.
But that’s enough lousy postal-service metaphors, because the intersection of Yonge and Dundas now has a hotspot where urban-minded Torontonians can snobbishly gloat they would never go — a local equivalent of the Olive Garden restaurant in Times Square, and the Disneyfication lurking outside its windows.
If only the relationship between the city and this complex wasn’t so complex.
Bringing the suburban megaplex experience to downtown Toronto, the AMC Yonge & Dundas 24 takes up plenty of the space in Toronto Life Square, along with Milestone’s Grill & Bar and Jack Astor’s Bar & Grill. Plus a Future Shop, Extreme Fitness, Shoppers Drug Mart, Adidas Sport Performance store, a food court, Starbucks and everything else the city expropriated 13 stores for by 1999.
Proud parent is Councillor Kyle Rae, forced to shush a ribbon-cutting ceremony crowd feasting on hors d’oeuvres and drinks last night, as if he was admonishing Rob Ford from across the floor at City Hall. But, for this, he wanted to be heard.
“This was a labour of love where we decided to intervene in the marketplace,†beams Rae, “so that we would not fall into the cesspool of other cities in North America.†Rae praises all the parties involved “who had the balls to say 'yes'.â€
A special $10,000 donation is made by cojones-bearing management corporation PenEquity to Central Toronto Youth Services, whose executive director Heather Sproule attempts to speak over the din of those ostensibly here for the freebies.
Sproule evokes the name of Emmanuel Jacques, the 12-year-old Yonge Street shoeshine boy lured into an apartment above a body-rub parlour in August 1977, strangled and drowned in the kitchen sink. Presumably, it wouldn’t have happened had the block boasted something like “20,000 feet of spectacular outdoor signage and media opportunities including the world’s largest contoured Tri-Vision screen, Canada’s largest HD video display and 10 backlit static signs ranging in size from 300 sq. ft. to 4,100 sq. ft.†Twisted logic, but totally true.
What was originally dubbed the Metropolis complex — before naming rights were bought by Toronto Life — was illustrated through garish renderings that initially made it look like a nightmare scenario for public-space advocates. Too late now —it was for real.
Kyle Rae tells of the decade and change process of putting the site together, and how AMC became the principal tenant — sticking it out even as their share price bobbed and weaved, and would-be anchors like the Virgin Megastore, the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and something called DisneyQuest bailed out.
The concept of the AMC megaplex — originating with Grand 24 in Dallas, Texas in 1995 — was sold as a key to renewing neighbourhoods, even if a consequence was that Hollywood movies would start having to suck even more than before.
More recently, the invasion of AMC — a non-acronym that still can’t help bring to mind the American Motors Corporation’s signature vehicle, the Gremlin — has spread throughout the 905: Concord, Mississauga, Oakville and Whitby, along with the Kennedy Commons in Scarborough. The company dates back to 1920, though, as started by Edward Dubinsky, who changed his name to Durwood (because, honestly, which name on his theatre was less likely to cause arson?).
Yet the legacy of Dubinsky is supplanting that of Drabinsky, coming up on 30 years since Garth (who has technically been a fugitive from US justice for the past decade) opened the Eaton Centre Cineplex in 1979 — 18 screens later expanded to 21 — all of which were, ah well, about the size of a postage stamp.
The opening of a VHS-rental emporium on every corner, plus the emergence of downtown repertory cinemas, kinda killed Garth’s buzz after a year or three. But, by then, he leveraged its success to take over the Odeon chain and make his company Cineplex a real player with mergers and acquisitions across the continent. (American spin-off Loews Cineplex was ultimately acquired by AMC in 2006.)
And by the time Drabinsky lost control of Cineplex in 1998, his first idea was falling into disrepair — it sure didn’t help the Eaton Centre’s status as a magnet for hoodlums, especially on the more loiterer-un-friendly Dundas end of the mall.
After the turn of the century, the original Cineplex was teetering dangerously close to the tawdriness of the still-standing Metro Theatre at Bloor and Christie, only instead of screening porn, it was a place to catch failed movies starring Saturday Night Live cast members for $1.50, anytime. Spill some sticky soda on the floor and you’d be lucky to find it mopped up within the same day, if ever.
The inevitable closing left a cinematic void at the intersection that lingered for seven years, when it often seemed like the hoarding at Yonge and Dundas was never coming down. For this they closed the Cinema 2000? “Totally concerned with SEX,†its sign boasted, in the space where HMV has lingered since 1991.
And then there was the Rio, a real-life grindhouse a couple blocks north, which incredibly stayed open until 1992 with quadruple features that offered something for everyone — invariably RESTRICTED to persons 18 years of age and older. You can see its exterior as a forlorn Corey Hart slouches past in the video for “Never Surrender,†and SCTV’s legendary Garth and Gord and Fiona and Alice.
There were other bijous, too, but the area has arguably lacked a credible first-run movie screen since 1986, when the Famous Players chain gave up on the Imperial Six — it was sold to Cineplex, refurbished for Drabinsky to mount Phantom of the Opera in the site that now houses the Mirvish-managed Canon Theatre.
Movie theatres along or near Yonge Street had dropped like flies in general throughout the 1980s, though: whether the Willow and Fairlawn to the north, to the Towne and University along Bloor, to the surreal-seeming twin cinemas in the Sheraton Centre and TD Centre — the shopping-mall movie experience prevailed. Scotiabank Theatre, the former Paramount multiplex at John and Richmond — whose neon sign caught fire earlier this week — has long provided evidence of that.
However, as of this weekend, that experience is smack dab in our downtown.
NOTES FROM AN OPENING NIGHT
Part of the AMC Yonge & Dundas 24 deal is the cinemas being used as occasional daytime classrooms for Ryerson University — helping ensure that Rye High retains its quirk. The fact that one must ride three or four escalators to get to class will offer opportunity for academic contemplation: study hard in school, or else you’ll end up having to work the rest of your life in the square’s food court.
The foyer of the megaplex has its own version of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel — a mural of movie stars past on one side, and relatively present on the other, all demographically and racially balanced enough to look like the by-product of a Kansas City focus group. Leads one to wonder which of these contemporary silver screen icons will face an untimely fate and become uncomfortable to look at: Elliott from E.T.? Drew Barrymore? Chris Tucker, Jackie Chan or both?
Conspicuously absent from such embellishment, at least on the lower level of screens, is any CanCon. Not a Maury Chaykin nor Jackie Burroughs in the bunch — but, hey, there’s a Coming Soon poster for the Toronto-shot The Love Guru starring Mike Myers.
The invitation-only opening last night actually came after last weekend's free preview of this AMC 24. A coupon distributed online, for free screenings of features that were a few months old, drew 9,500 people who doubtless spent at the snack bar.
And, gosh, is that snack bar ever a testament to the financial priorities of a movie exhibitior. The snacks are displayed in manner redolent of the world’s finest museums. Surveying the price list leads one to wonder if the day will come when the prices for a large popcorn or pop will have to make way for a “1†in front of the current cost, much like happened at gas stations over the last year or two.
So, when it was announced last night that the concessions would be free with the sneak peek of the digital auditoriums, you could imagine the stampede — even though the same people had just been plied with complimentary beer and wine, an endless flow of appetizers from Milestone’s and Jack Astor’s, and even dessert. A bag of MexiCasa nachos, when displayed in a tray that cost $6.75 — plus additional $1.75 for cheese — is certainly a difficult freebie for one to pass up.
Don’t forget the complimentary Butter Flavoring (sic) a term that was doubtlessly determined by the same AMC head office that trademarked the phrase "Silence is Golden" to remind moviegoers not to shriek or answer the phone during the show.
Movies on the menu for this opening: Leatherheads, starring George Clooney and Renée Zelwegger; 21 starring Kevin Spacey and Kate Bosworth; and Stop-Loss, the Iraq war protest drama starring Ryan Phillippe. And, by what seemed a huge margin, the least number of AMC attendees opted for the latter.
Send news, tips, links about arts, culture, media to scroll@eyeweekly.com.
OnceAThief
Active Member
I went there for the first time today.
The digital projection is better than 35mm by leaps and bounds. Anybody who says otherwise needs to get their eyes checked.
The digital projection is better than 35mm by leaps and bounds. Anybody who says otherwise needs to get their eyes checked.
E
eustache
Guest
I suppose you prefer paying more for less in the greatest possible sense!
E
eustache
Guest
You clearly have a problem understanding the statistics and specifications in the Torontoist article. They are not subjective opinion but objective fact, the film you saw has reolution the equivalent of a Blu ray disc, even if the film you saw was really 4K projection which it is not, a film print would still surpass it in resolution. There's no greater gage to image quality than resolution, the second most important arbiter of quality is contrastr ratio, quess what film blows digital away in that category also. Dude get out those bifocal lenses and don,t be so guillible to the cult of the new
Dan416
Senior Member
The person writing that article sounded like they'd never been to an AMC in their life. If they'd even bothered to Wikipedia AMC, they'd know AMC is an acronym, for American Multi-Cinema.
The "Silence is Golden" phrase is a cute little euphemism.
And I love their animated filmstrip mascot Clip. It's so cute
The "Silence is Golden" phrase is a cute little euphemism.
And I love their animated filmstrip mascot Clip. It's so cute
AMC Guy
New Member
Ok, Feel free to ask any questions you may have. (unlike some others I will NOT bash you for having a different opinion)
1.) Ticket prices for AMC in Canada are the same at almost every theater regardless of Digital presentation or not. Prices are higher for 3D presentations only.
2.) If you HONESTLY think that film is better then YOU need to heave more than your eyes tested and I will tell you why. 35mm does have the ABILITY to be better, but due to the duplication process the quality of prints shipped is less than it should be almost always. Film MAY look great if you see it on it's first day or even it's first weekend; after that it is a downhill slide. Scratches, dirt, jitter. Thanks, but I will pass. Most theaters also do not have DTS sound, so we are hearing sound that is being optically read off a print. Claims to suggest ANY of our films are the same resolution as HD are a HUGE LIE! The lowest resolution content we have is double HD's res. When studio's this year really start rolling out the content at 4k we will really have something to see. I have seen some 4k content and there is NO comparison to film.
3.) Some have wondered why we don't have the movie they are looking for. You can blame the LAW for that. AMC Y&D is considered a competition zone theater. We are NOT allowed to show the same content as another theater if it is inside of a certain distance. (only a studio stepping in can override this). If you want us to get everything then you need to pressure your local MP.
4.) AMC Y&D is currently looking into maybe, just maybe having 35mm projectors installed in some of our houses. Just a rumor at this point.
5.) Digital content DOES NOT make the exhibitor (AMC, Cineplex etc) any richer. The reason being we get almost none of the money that is made from the tickets as it is. Most goes right into the pockets of the studio that released the film. Yes you pay more for items at a theater concession stand than you would in some other places; if you didn't there would be no theaters as they could not afford to operate. Rent, wages, hydro, supplies, FILM RENTAL, building repairs are what you are really paying for when you buy at a concession stand.
6.) IF and I do mean IF you should happen to see a bad digital presentation you can blame the people who encoded it INTO digital. More than 95% of all content you are seeing that is presented in digital either home or at a theater started out on film and was encoded.
7.) Since some of you obviously have little knowledge in what Digital presentations involve I will simply say this. 'Pressing the Play Button' IS NOT the extent of a modern projections duties to put the show on. I have worked on some lower end digital systems as well as the Sony CineAlta 4K™ that AMC has at Y&D. Some of the systems are simpler, others more complex. They have virtually no moving parts so they are far less prone to break down than any 35mm projectors on the market. PERIOD.
8.) Last rant for the day. Digital projection is still in it's infancy compared with film. It is here to stay however, and when you see 4k content it is far more impressive than ANYTHING I have ever seen on film. I have been a projectionist for the last 8 years. In that time I have have threaded a LOT of movies, and projected them. Nothing crappy about the equipment I was using (Strong projectors) and I am not a crappy projectionist by a long shot. Film WILL degrade with use. Digital will NOT. Having worked with both for years I can honestly say the first generation of digital projectors that were in use around the turn of the century were not so impressive. Modern digital IS better by a long shot.
9.) Ok, this is REALLY my last rant. Something for you to ponder. An average film is 7-12 thousand feet in length. When your theater finishes playing those movies they are shipped to another theater (scratches and all) or they are returned to the distributor. Either way, when they are no longer playing they go to a dump. They then stay in the ground for many many years. (Even if I am incorrect about this, the film will have to be disposed of one way or another). Polyester is what the gelatin is printed on. (yes you heard correct. Jello) Digital content is shipped on hard drives which can be reused hundreds of times if not more. I will take my digital content ANY day. I will also sleep fine knowing the movie I see will not end up in a landfill.
Please feel free to ask any questions you may have.
Shatner said it best. 'People can be very frightened of change...'
1.) Ticket prices for AMC in Canada are the same at almost every theater regardless of Digital presentation or not. Prices are higher for 3D presentations only.
2.) If you HONESTLY think that film is better then YOU need to heave more than your eyes tested and I will tell you why. 35mm does have the ABILITY to be better, but due to the duplication process the quality of prints shipped is less than it should be almost always. Film MAY look great if you see it on it's first day or even it's first weekend; after that it is a downhill slide. Scratches, dirt, jitter. Thanks, but I will pass. Most theaters also do not have DTS sound, so we are hearing sound that is being optically read off a print. Claims to suggest ANY of our films are the same resolution as HD are a HUGE LIE! The lowest resolution content we have is double HD's res. When studio's this year really start rolling out the content at 4k we will really have something to see. I have seen some 4k content and there is NO comparison to film.
3.) Some have wondered why we don't have the movie they are looking for. You can blame the LAW for that. AMC Y&D is considered a competition zone theater. We are NOT allowed to show the same content as another theater if it is inside of a certain distance. (only a studio stepping in can override this). If you want us to get everything then you need to pressure your local MP.
4.) AMC Y&D is currently looking into maybe, just maybe having 35mm projectors installed in some of our houses. Just a rumor at this point.
5.) Digital content DOES NOT make the exhibitor (AMC, Cineplex etc) any richer. The reason being we get almost none of the money that is made from the tickets as it is. Most goes right into the pockets of the studio that released the film. Yes you pay more for items at a theater concession stand than you would in some other places; if you didn't there would be no theaters as they could not afford to operate. Rent, wages, hydro, supplies, FILM RENTAL, building repairs are what you are really paying for when you buy at a concession stand.
6.) IF and I do mean IF you should happen to see a bad digital presentation you can blame the people who encoded it INTO digital. More than 95% of all content you are seeing that is presented in digital either home or at a theater started out on film and was encoded.
7.) Since some of you obviously have little knowledge in what Digital presentations involve I will simply say this. 'Pressing the Play Button' IS NOT the extent of a modern projections duties to put the show on. I have worked on some lower end digital systems as well as the Sony CineAlta 4K™ that AMC has at Y&D. Some of the systems are simpler, others more complex. They have virtually no moving parts so they are far less prone to break down than any 35mm projectors on the market. PERIOD.
8.) Last rant for the day. Digital projection is still in it's infancy compared with film. It is here to stay however, and when you see 4k content it is far more impressive than ANYTHING I have ever seen on film. I have been a projectionist for the last 8 years. In that time I have have threaded a LOT of movies, and projected them. Nothing crappy about the equipment I was using (Strong projectors) and I am not a crappy projectionist by a long shot. Film WILL degrade with use. Digital will NOT. Having worked with both for years I can honestly say the first generation of digital projectors that were in use around the turn of the century were not so impressive. Modern digital IS better by a long shot.
9.) Ok, this is REALLY my last rant. Something for you to ponder. An average film is 7-12 thousand feet in length. When your theater finishes playing those movies they are shipped to another theater (scratches and all) or they are returned to the distributor. Either way, when they are no longer playing they go to a dump. They then stay in the ground for many many years. (Even if I am incorrect about this, the film will have to be disposed of one way or another). Polyester is what the gelatin is printed on. (yes you heard correct. Jello) Digital content is shipped on hard drives which can be reused hundreds of times if not more. I will take my digital content ANY day. I will also sleep fine knowing the movie I see will not end up in a landfill.
Please feel free to ask any questions you may have.
Shatner said it best. 'People can be very frightened of change...'
yyzer
Senior Member
Eustache...uh, after 10 years of waiting for TLS to finally open, you will forgive me if I say that, as a newbie here, you do appear to be a bit of an ass...
AMC Guy...Welcome to the forum! There are a few people out there that will complain about everything - pay them no heed, as the world is filled with idiots...
ganjavih
Senior Member
Thanks, I'll get right on that.
marcus_a_j
Senior Member
AMC Guy,
I agree with you 100%. I was also a projectionist for 4-5 years on both digital and 35mm (new and old, but not reel-to-reel) and the differences are great. Digital technology will only improve and will match the 35mm resolution eventually. But in the meantime, digital is free from dirt, scratches, oil spots, shaking while staying in focus and digital sound throughout the whole movie.
I mentioned here before that AMC Y-D will compete with ScotiaBank for films, with the distributor usually making the final decision. I worked at Kennedy for many years and was dissappointed when STC got a lot of the more popular movies. What this means is people who want to see a particular movie will go to whichever theatre is showing it. AMC will show movies second-run if they didn't get them when first released since they have the greater number of screens.
I went to see Stop-Lose yesterday and I was very impressed with the whole experience. The movie was ok but the presentation was what I was expecting (plus no commercials since those won't be digital anytime soon) and the lobby was nicely decorated. The concessionist didn't try to upsell or suggestive sell anything to me (although she should have as per theatre policy when I worked at AMC). I like how there are no concession areas, but I didn't notice any signs saying that there was another concession stand on the upper level. I can see the lower concession having long lines while the other ones doesn't when both are open.
I'm going back today to watch something else (Ryerson student, going to exploit the shit out of the free movies this weekend. Plus, after working at movie theatres for so long I try to avoid paying for movies).
I agree with you 100%. I was also a projectionist for 4-5 years on both digital and 35mm (new and old, but not reel-to-reel) and the differences are great. Digital technology will only improve and will match the 35mm resolution eventually. But in the meantime, digital is free from dirt, scratches, oil spots, shaking while staying in focus and digital sound throughout the whole movie.
I mentioned here before that AMC Y-D will compete with ScotiaBank for films, with the distributor usually making the final decision. I worked at Kennedy for many years and was dissappointed when STC got a lot of the more popular movies. What this means is people who want to see a particular movie will go to whichever theatre is showing it. AMC will show movies second-run if they didn't get them when first released since they have the greater number of screens.
I went to see Stop-Lose yesterday and I was very impressed with the whole experience. The movie was ok but the presentation was what I was expecting (plus no commercials since those won't be digital anytime soon) and the lobby was nicely decorated. The concessionist didn't try to upsell or suggestive sell anything to me (although she should have as per theatre policy when I worked at AMC). I like how there are no concession areas, but I didn't notice any signs saying that there was another concession stand on the upper level. I can see the lower concession having long lines while the other ones doesn't when both are open.
I'm going back today to watch something else (Ryerson student, going to exploit the shit out of the free movies this weekend. Plus, after working at movie theatres for so long I try to avoid paying for movies).
whatever
Senior Member
AMC Guy:
I don't really know much about film distribution and how it gets decided which theatres show which films, but given the new theatre's location and local demographic is there any chance we might be seeing anything like Ryerson/UofT film fests, or maybe some indie or small-market selections once things get rolling?
I don't really know much about film distribution and how it gets decided which theatres show which films, but given the new theatre's location and local demographic is there any chance we might be seeing anything like Ryerson/UofT film fests, or maybe some indie or small-market selections once things get rolling?
rather_draconian
New Member
I could care less about whether AMC runs its movies with digital material or on 35mm. All I know is that when I watched August Rush there, I remember thinking that the projection was very crisp. I'm not a film projection guru, and my eyes are just fine.
A boycott because AMC is trying to increase its profits by using digital? Uh, that's what multi-national corporations do. They make profits. And 98% of people who go to watch movies here are not gonna bitch about what sort of projection they used because it looked great.
A boycott because AMC is trying to increase its profits by using digital? Uh, that's what multi-national corporations do. They make profits. And 98% of people who go to watch movies here are not gonna bitch about what sort of projection they used because it looked great.
dt_toronto_geek
Superstar
Excellent post AMC. Your absolutely correct that 35MM has the ability to look better but there are too many variables working against the format in today's multiplex.
What digital sound format is being used with this system at AMC?
I understand that 3D can't be projected using this system, is that true?
MetroMan
Senior Member
eustache, you have to understand that people are judging the 35mm VS digital with what they see on a regular basis.
The truth is, most movie theatres don't have highly knowledgeable projectionists who know how to thread in the film properly, who keep the projector and film clean, etc. Even those who do can't improve used film.
In the end, 35mm becomes synonymous with pops, hair, fuzziness, and abrupt scene transitions even though it doesn't have to be that way.
It's not about the potential and technical superiority of 35mm vs digital. We know that 35mm wins there. It's about the experience in the real world. The ease of projection with digital is dumb proof so 10 times out of 10, you get a projection that looks better than your average 35mm viewing experience.