Digital Cinema: The Saving Grace of Movie Theatres?

Sorry about the long hiatus in blogging (almost 2 whole days!), but it was my birthday weekend, and my friends would not let me spend it strapped to my computer blogging, as much as I would've liked to! ;-).

Here's a question for our moviegoers out there: Does digital cinema affect your decision when you go to the movies? How about 3-D digital movies?

Personally, I thought that it wouldn't until this weekend actually. The girl and I were driving around in this behemoth of a car (Honda Element) that I had rented. We ended up by a Jordan's Furniture, which happened to be showing Harry Potter 5 in digital. I had heard great things about it, with something like the last 30 minutes (or 15) being completely in 3-D. I really wanted to go, though the idea was squashed by the girl pretty quickly, as it would entail paying for a movie, which neither of us have done in years. That was ok with me, but it really got me thinking.

The theatres that I have worked at have mainly been traditional, 35mm film based theatres. Digital projection wasn't something that was considered, as they were expensive and apparently didn't create much more traffic. As the years pressed on (I sound old right now), I noticed that more and more people began to inquire if movies would be playing in digital. When the theatre I worked for finally got a digital projector, I did notice some people asking specifically for showings in digital, and did see part of a cool 3-D movie, but there were some problems.

• It wasn't in our biggest theatre. In fact, the technology did not allow it to project onto our largest screen. It would've become too pixelated to cover the whole screen.
• Unless you were a big time cinema buff (or watching a 3-D movie), you couldn't really tell the difference between a traditional and digital movie.
• One of our movies expired halfway through, causing us to shut the particular theatre down.
• It cost way more to see a movie in digital 3-D.
  

The last one wasn't a huge issue as it only happened once. But it did bring in a problem that you might not have with traditional cinema. Of course, there are many reasons why it would be beneficial for theatres and production companies to switch to digital cinema.

• No more cost of shipping films to theatres.
• No more cost of printing films to ship out. (These first two cost nearly 1 billion in 2003)
  
• Less staff required to run the projection booths.
• No more projectors shaking through movies.

Then I read this article in Wired about how digital cinema can help prevent bootlegging of movies. (From Wired Article)Traditionally, movies are protected in a few ways (even I didn't know about this):

1. Tones in movie soundtracks that are out of traditional hearing ranges. (old school)
   
2. Speeding up the refresh rate of frames and adding in frames. Not viewable to the human eye, but it can mess up the sensors of recording devices.
3. Other encoding techniques to show what reel and movie are playing (again undetectable to human eyes)

The techniques are much more complicated than what I've stated above, but not much is written about them since part of their usefulness is lack of knowledge in how they work. Digital cinema can aid in the effectiveness of these techniques. Besides the ones used above, there are ways to encode what movie, what location, and even the time of the show onto the screen in an invisible manner, only detectable to cameras. This will make it much easier to track down where bootlegs come from.

Christie, a leader in digital cinema, plans to deliver 4000 units to theatres by the end of 2007. Who knows, your local megaplex may already have one!

This is obviously beneficial to theatres. But what about the benefits of digital cinema for the moviegoer? The images are definitely clearer and brighter. And 3-D digital cinema works much better than traditional 3-D movies. Some benefits and other things to know about digital cinema are discussed in this post from 2blowhards.com. Some good points are made here, especially about cost of transition and the feel of movies.

I know a lot of people don't go to the movies anymore. Does digital cinema create the kind of buzz people need to get out of their homes and into theatres? I think that movie quality will always matter the most, but with less cost into printing, the movies just may get better on the same budget. Only time will tell, but I think the transition into digital cinema will make the experience better for everyone.

Review: Shoot 'Em Up

Shoot 'Em Up. You're probably thinking.. oh great... just another shooting movie. Well, you're right! And it was excellent. From the very beginning, it had a Sin City feel to it, and Clive Owen delivered an excellent performance as the nearly unfeeling hero, Mr. Smith.

Needless to say, there is a LOT of shooting in this movie, and its definitely not for the weak of stomach. Mark Davis, the director of this film, manages to have our hero use some very interesting implements in disposing of his enemies. From the title, you'll expect guns. And you'll get a lot of them. Then there are the things you don't expect. Like carrots. Yes. Carrots. You'll have to see it to believe it.

Davis also did an excellent job in creating a great feel to the movie. Like I said before, it really reminded me of the atmosphere of Sin City. There were more colors in this one, but it really brought out the emotion in the characters, and also a nice sense of humor.

With pretty much non-stop action from beginning to end,many scenes leaving you with a feeling of "did that just happen?" or actually making you cringe with what just happened, this is a gritty, awesome action thriller. Monica Belluci was nice to look at, but her accent did make her part seem a little unbelievable. Giammatti surprised me as a well thought out, sinister villian. He also brought quite a bit of humor into the movie, as subtle as it may have been.

I definitely recommend this movie for anyone who's looking for a lot of action. At a paltry 86 minutes, this movie won't take up much of your time, nor does it feel short, but will leave you talking about afterwards. It gave me quite the adrenaline rush. If you liked Sin City, I think there is a good chance you will like this movie. Some of the things they do are just freakin incredible! If you see it, let me know what you think!

On a different note, for anyone who is trying to monetize their blogs, Auction Ads is offering $25 to new publishers! You do have to make it to $50 for the first payout, but it can't hurt to try, and that $25 is great incentive to start publishing. I had to try something new on my birthday, so try it out if you're interested. I'll let you know how it works for me!

Well, I'm off to celebrate my birthday, by working!

Popcorn Lung?

Oh man. I am concerned for my life now. I found this article this morning on popcorn lung. Having worked at a movie theatre, I think that I've more than inhaled my fair share of popcorn fumes, and I continue to get them every day I come to work! Hopefully this only applies to the microwave popped corn, I don't THINK we have the same chemicals in our popcorn. I know that I've been eating it more lately, and it's actually been tasting better to me. Maybe its because its been so long since I've really eaten it. Back to the article, I don't know how this guy could really eat microwaved popcorn twice a day for the past 20 years.

I'm actually feeling a little sick now, but this is a cold, not popcorn lung. At least I hope not. I want to get over it before my birthday. Thanks for all the early birthday wishes by the way! Glad to know that there are people who read my ramblings out there. :-P.

Anyway, just thought I'd keep you updated on some of the other reasons why you should go to the movies! If you let us pop your popcorn, you won' t have to worry about popcorn lung! C'mon.. that's a good reason right? Anyway, I'm off to get some rest.. gotta work tomorrow night. Later, folks!

Let's Make Someone Famous: Mrs. Mandypoo!

We're off to our second edition of making someone famous. This week, we've got Skittle's sister, Mrs. Mandypoo. Mrs Mandypoo actually has three different blogs, one by her name, one about recipies, and one about her new baby, which will be updated after he or she is born! For the purpose of this though, we'll focus on her main blog, the one by her name!

Mrs. Mandypoo's got a lot going on in her life! She writes about so much stuff. As I write this blog entry, she's written a blog about one of her favorite TV shows, Scrubs! About to be a new mom, she offers quite a few looks at things she may be getting, such as beds and clothes. She's also introduced us to a few other members of her family.

Overall, she's got a great looking site, with a nice custom header, and a bright theme. Very upbeat, and fun to read! She's also got a really cool animation showing the progress of her pregnancy. Always a good read, I stop on by expecting to laugh or smile, or to find a video to watch! She's also tried several monetizing methods on her site, like mine!

So let's head on by and give Mrs. Mandypoo some congratulations on becoming famous! Again, let me know if you want to be featured!

Movies This Weekend!

All right folks, its time for another edition of Movies this Weekend! It's a special weekend though, since its my birthday weekend. Let's see what Hollywood has to offer us! It better be good.

Three "major" movie openings this week, and quite a few smaller openings. This post will focus on the more major releases, but feel free to discuss or ask me about the others! You can also check out IMDB or Rotten Tomatoes for information, as well as my buddy over at Blog Cabins!

3:10 to Yuma - I've been seeing a lot of ads for this movie (on this blog anyway!) and its been getting a bit of hype. This film nearly got the axe when everyone's favorite Scientologist, Tom Cruise, dropped out. However, with Russell Crowe and Christian Bale stepping in, it finally got off its back. This movie takes place in Arizona in the 1800s. Civil War Vet Dan Evans (Bale) trying to survive through a terrible drought, agrees to deliver the recently captured outlaw Ben Wade (Crowe) to the train by the same name as the title, which will bring him to trial. Through the dangerous journey to the rendezvous, the men gain each other's respect, and tackle what may end up being an impossible journey together.

How I think it will do - Receiving an 88% on the Tomatometer, the market has been craving a good western. The last one I remember being good was Open Range. This could satisfy that craving. Looks to be a real strong performace for the two. Some are saying that it could be the movie of the year. I think this movie will do well, especially with such rave reviews. It's different than a lot that's come out recently, so that will set it apart. It's going to compete for the top spot this weekend.

Shoot 'Em Up - An action thriller starring Clive Owen, Monica Belluci, and Paul Giamatti. Caught in the middle of a gunfight, Owen's character helps to deliver a baby. Forming an ally with Belluci's character, he is forced to help protect the baby he delivered from the gunmen who are trying to kill it, and the crime boss (Giamatti) who hunts them throughout the city.

How I think it will do - This movie also performed well on the tomatometer, receiving a 70. Another shoot-em up (as the name states) coming to the market, this movie could drive it home where War did not (Even though I liked War!) The star power in this movie is better, though I don't know how believable Giamatti will be as a crime boss. On the flip side, I really like movies with Monica Belluci in them, and she's in this one, so that is a plus for me. I think that this will make a strong showing, and is the only other candidate to go for #1 at the box office this weekend.




The Brothers Solomon - A comedy about two good hearted but romatically challenged brother, and their dream to fulfill their dying father's last wish: to have a grandchild. However, having been home schooled by their father in the remote arctic, their social skills are .... lacking. Hilarity ensues as their attempts to find a fit mother go disastrously wrong.

How I think it will do - This one follows on the coattails of Superbad and Knocked Up. I think that its a little too late, and the premise reminds me of Stuck on You. That movie fell short of predictions, and though I liked it, it didn't perform very well. I think that its going to be a valiant effort, but people looking for a comedy may find themselves disappointed. The star power is not there to drive a comedy like this.

Wow.. this post took forever to write. Unfortunately my internet access has been less than desirable lately. C'mon neighbors, don't you want to support my blogging effort! I guess with more support, this blog will be able to support my own addiction to the internet. Hehe, hopefully that will be in the future for this. I've been trying various things, though I can't seem to get Kontera links to work. Does anyone have any information on that one? EDIT: They work now :-)

That's all for now, what are you going to see this weekend?