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I have yet to be in a movie theater with "state-of-the-art" acoustics....

Fine then, kill cinema. But first kill the pile of shit they call TV

Paid 22 bucks for my wife and I to see a movie on Saturday, over 15 minutes of trailers and commercials. I kept trying to hit the menu button so I could start the movie.

Oh and the print had a big line down the right hand side and the color was off on reels 2 and 3.

Sorry the cinema experience has been kicked in the ass by my plasma and surround sound at home.

P.S. - I don't think 3D glasses are the answer.

Funny, I thought crappy plots and over-reliance on franchises/sequels were killing cinema.

You mean the big screen experience of screaming kids and smelly parents?
You mean the big screen experience of jackasses who wont turn their phones off?
You mean the big screen experience of tiny seats made for 3rd grade pygmies?
You mean the big screen experience of 12 dollar popcorn and cups of ice with a splash of pop?
You mean the big screen experience of 35 minutes of adds before the previews even start?

I'm wondering where the hell you've been, Ridley, because my cinematic experience was ruined a long, long time ago.

-c

MW: 'history' (will teach us nothing)

It is all about money. The reason theaters have a poor experience and over charged concessions is because the movie makers screw them.

Most theaters make their money from the concessions not the movies. So they have enough to operate, but not to keep up or upgrade.

I love movies but just like the music industry, they are working on broken model, and they need to find a new model, not whining about losing their current model.

Unfortunately I do have to agree with Mr. Scott here. Cinemas are the best way to enjoy movies, even if you get strange and roudy people there as well.

And Home Cinemas with 60" screens are great too. If you can afford it.

But I think Ridley Scott's problem is with 'TINY' mobile phones and computer screens. That I can understand.

I mean Films (even if they are rubbish) like Transformers do impress more on a big screen with great sound, be it cinema or Home Cinema, rather than a mobile phone with tinny speakers, or even watching it on an iPod.

Now tell me, that's not true!

I agree with MDN, and would add that the movie theater experience is stuck in the '80s, just as the music industry, and indoor malls.

I would HAPPILY pay $8-$10 (or, say, $20 or so for a 'site license' to invite peeps over) to watch first run movies AT HOME on my fantastic 1080p LCD. My couch is infinitely more comfortable than any friggin' seat in a movie theater!! And, I don't have to constantly "shush" people (or tell them to STFU if shushing doesn't work). On demand first run films, movie studios, that's where it's at!!

You people just hate people...

Nothing beats the cinema - as long as there aren't a***holes in the audience (and where I live they thankfully are few)

I would enjoy movies in the theater a lot more - if there were a better selection to justify the $50 I have to spend for 3 tickets, food, etc. - -

Start with banning Cuba Gooding, Jr. in movies...

Cinema is far from dead judging by the record profits of some movies today. But MDN is right as far as the food prices and the non-existent service.

Obviously, he's been going to the wrong theaters. I recently found an AMC Premium theater near where I live (a few in the country). They only seat maybe 200 or so, but it's only for 21 and over and has humungous seats...even has benches if you want to snuggle.

I've seen two kiddie crossover (Transformers, Pirates of the C) movies there and it was a fantastic experience, visually and audibly.

Well it all depends on where you live. I live in Effingham Illinois and you have to drive 23 miles to watch a movie on a decent screen with decent sound. Bad movie theaters are also responsible for killing the cinema experience

Exactly.

I'm sitting next to a big, fat, mouth breathing, scene commenting, white guy who took all the arm rest with his fatness. He kept checking his cell phone and talking and mouth breathing through the movie. He also wore his keys on a neck chain. so every time he moved his keys jiggled.

I would gladly never go to a movie again. I would pay 50 bucks to buy a HDVD or Blue Ray if they would simultaneously release movies on disc for home viewing.

Oh and I'm a white guy. So let's keep race out of this. And if the guy was skinny, he would have still been unable to keep his mouth or his cell phone shut.

People suck. So the movie going experience sucks.

I just hate being in the cinema these days.

One, the price of admission.
Even if I only watch the DVD 3 times... it is cheaper to OWN it then go to the cinema. So I buy.

Two, even on a old 27" CRT the picture is better.
DVD is sharp, clean and vivid colour... Yum.

Three, the seat at home is more comfortable.
No one is in my line of view, I can pause and re-start, go to the fidge or water closet on will -- without missing a beat. Plus re-play something I thought was interesting.

Ridley Scott - may need an upgrade himself.
The classic, social, theatre experience is as dead as Subscription Cable. hahahahaha

Oooops, that is the only thing I miss from going to the Cinema.
Sharing the experience with tonnes of FANS who love the same movie... the fanatic social events. Cos my apartment is too small to house a hundred guests.

j

"I have to spend for 3 tickets"

Well, there you go, you're taking one person too many

I like watching movies at home more than the cinema because I can pause when I need to pee.

Film has a certain quality - or actually - lack thereof, and why a movie looks like a movie, the grain and the color gamut primarially.

But now, movie making has rapidly switched over to digital production, and the "film look" is added by both the camera and in post. Yes, movies are dumbed down to look like film, and not HD, because we inherently know what "film" movies look like.

But with HD rapidly gaining home acceptance, watching sports or other shows in HD is changing the way we perceive image quality.

For many, movies no longer have that great image quality we once associated "film" with. Now we see a truly 3-D like look with 1080p as being "the real thing" the "top quality image" and this is what freaks out guys like Ridley Scott.

In but a few short years, virtually anyone will some film knowhow will be able to produce the highest of high quality HD movies as good as any studio...

Add in YouTube, Apple TV and iTunes HD, independant films that show at top quality with creative non-corporate agenda's and forumlas, will soon start springing to live - in your living room - on your 60" HDTV.

Ridely represents the corporate big movie viewpoint, the dynasty that is about to fall to an entirely new wave of home cinemas - and we the consumers are aiding in ushering it in - and love it.

I've got a 92" screen driven by a DLP front projector at 1500 lumens, my cinema experience is quite good.

I love going to the moves. Or at least I used to. You know, back in the days when people were considerate and didn't talk out loud on their cel phones during the movie. Back when small kids were in bed with a babysitter at 8:00, not sitting next to me crying through a 3 hour movie that they get nothing out of. You remember when they had ushers who would kick people out for talking or putting their feet up on the backs of the seats next to them? Those were the good old days. Now going to the movies sucks and I can't get any of my friends to go with me due to the aggravation of it all. So, it's DVD rentals on the big screen at home. Even though it doesn't totally compare to the movie going experience, it's a lot less frustrating.

@Hey hey hey

rofl- too funny! thanks for the perspective

FWIW, the cinema experience in my town is not too bad (Cineplex-Odeon Galaxy), other than the cost of snacks. 10 bucks flat fee to get in, high back stadium style seats, surround sound, some films shown using DLP. And at the Galaxy in the next town over, I can get a pizza delivered fresh from the lobby pizzaria, to my seat in one of the 10 theatres.

However, I do limit my trips to the Galaxy to seeing movies that need large screens. And Ridley Scott films would be in that group.

GIRL, you said it BEST!!!!!

Mr.Scott is only realizing this now?
He needs to get out more, or get with the times.

Oh --- and WOW --- gee wiz, a remastered version of BladeRunner.

THE REMASTERING new technology must of RUINED his vision of the classic master? Tech-no-good.

j

Great take on the "cinema experience". I gave up long ago for all the reasons stated (don't forget 'parking' and the general mall, inner city experience. Ridley Scott can continue to give us big screen thrills, only we' own the screens.

Lets not forget popcorn kernels, milk duds, and gummi bears stuck to the screen. Oh and screaming kids, the old lady sitting behind me that needs to talk all the way through the movie, rotten little snought nosed kids running up and down the aisles, the security guard going and checking the exterior door mulitple times - my personal favorite is when he or she decides to open the door. Oh, and crappy out dated movie projectors where I can see "trailing" or "ghosting" because the frame is not in synch.

No I'll take my 1080P HD TV and home theater system any day.

So Ridley Scott, the once visionary film maker attends the festival, showing a remastered version of 'The Blade Runner'. Didn't we have a 'Director's Cut' re-hash, just a few years ago?
I mean, there are tons of uninspired, predictable sequels and remakes thrown at us on a regular basis. Mr. Scott does not even go through this effort. He just feeds us reruns of his old movies.
That, Mr. Scott, is why movies and movie theatres are dying: the movies are not worth the effort of going to the movies. Once or twice a year, a real gem comes to the theatres. But the rest is run-off-the-mill stuff that has to compete with free run-off-the-mill stuff on TV.

I really think you guys are missing the point. Cinema isn't just a USA thing. Theaters are very different around the globe and not all of them are like they are in the USA. The point was from an artists perspective not the concession stand and staffing. You should really redirect your complaints about that to theater operators. I agree with Scott , from a cinema experience, and I also agree with MDN from a USA theater going experience. But the problem is much deeper than just technology.

I love going to the movies...absolutely love it, but nowadays, I can't stand going there because of the:

1. Prices
2. People being rude
3. Service is so slow and sucky (AMC is probably best...but it is still weak)
4. Quality of picture (this autofocus deal is so no-auto)

Luckily, recently South Florida has started getting DLP cinemas (we had them in Cleveland over four years ago) which really takes the experience to another level.

They said the same crap about VCRs a gazillion year ago, right?

"The videotape will kill the movie business"

But I see the theaters full of people and movies making millions.

As long as there are people enjoying the movie experience, there's a market. I like to go to the movies (despite all the cons.) There's something about the big screen and the projection that I still feel a TV can't replace as state of the art as it can be. It might just be the fact that you are changing your environment or the fact that you've been waiting for a movie and you don't want to wait for it to be released on DVD, or it becomes routine to watch movies at home.

But whether you agree or not, the hard fact is, as long as there are people liking the movies, there will be a market. Ridley Scott is speaking nonsense.

There is still nothing like seeing a great movie in a crowded theater on its opening night... that's one thing that at-home digital theaters will never be able to replicate. Fortunately, I happen to live near a complex with great a screen/sound experience -- they even a deluxe auditorium with leather oversized seats and small tables between every two people... it seats around 200.

WRONG!

Just because the relatie size of the screen at 10 feet is bigger than a movie theatre's screen does not mean its a better experience. A RC Car can have a higher relative speed than the real thing but it is absolutely not the same or better experience.

The theatre is and always will be the only proper venue for a movie.

That said. Sound should be improved and I could do without the sticky floors and people who talk in the row behind me after the previews are over.

As long as people like Rob Schneider make movies I'll stay away.

Re: MDN Take: And I thought this only happened in the UK where I live. I've stopped going for all the reasons listed, plus a projector at home and a comfy sofa and beer in the fridge is what the cinema experience is really all about!

Having said that, I ventured out last week to see Borne Ultimatum at the Odeon on a Digital screen. Great seats, great picture, great sound. The price of popcorn still sucks though, so I went without. Mental note: must remember to stash own snacks inside jacket pocket before going

@ Toasty!

Nay, it's the same shit here in the EU. They're probably different in Romania but the moment there is money to be made the big cinema chains will dominate the markets.

"And One More Thing..."

hen was the last time Mr. Scott watched a movie at his local mega-plex, like the rest of us? I am almost certain he has no idea what he is talking about.

"And One More Thing #2..."

We take this crap from a guy that releases products, deffective by design. How many times do I need to purchase or rent Blade Runner, to see a product that he felt was really what he wanted to create? Is he making a movie or Winodws?

Oooops, that is the only thing I miss from going to the Cinema.
Sharing the experience with tonnes of FANS who love the same movie... the fanatic social events. Cos my apartment is too small to house a hundred guests.
Would that there were more of those experiences. I'm getting to the point that I may reserve going to theaters for comedys only.
George Costanza: <i>Shut your traps and stop kicking the seats! We're trying to watch the movie! And if I have to tell you again, we're gonna take it outside and I'm gonna show you what it's like! You understand me? Now, shut your mouths or I'll shut'em for ya, and if you think I'm kidding, just try me. Try me. Because I would love it!<i>

• My 28-inch crt tv viewed from 10 feet away is invisible to the naked eye
• I buy my tickets online and walk two blocks to the theater to pick them up from a vending machine - no line
• I don't have a sorround soundsystem at home.
Movie theaters too often supply the wrong kind of surround sound - can agree to that but anyone that talks in "my" theater will be "shushed...sch!" either by me or someone else.
• I can sit in my bed at home so thats comfy but I usualy pick a seat at the theater thats located four or five rows from the screen. Man's got to have hair like Empire State Building to block my view.
• I don't eat or drink when I'm at the theater and if it was up to me I'd ban celofan-bags with potatochips etc in the theater

The movie business is broken - I can agree to that. Tickets usualy cost equivalent to $13 over here so it isn't cheap but I still prefer a dark theater with a screen that covers my whole field of view before sitting home alone watching a movie with my headphones on to eliminate the sound of my neighbors.

My theater experiences were going down hill just prior to the release of the flat screen technologies for homes. My sound system has always killed even a good sounding theater experience, and with the release of really nice flat screen technologies I've actually begun to loathe going to the theater. This last Cmas/NewYear's season I went and saw The Good Shephard in a theater and after about an hour began to wonder if I was going to make it through because I was so uncomfortable. The movie is long a slow, but I really like it, but I just can't watch it in a theater, nor will I ever again. There are still some movies I like to go to the theater for from time to time, but they're getting fewer and farther between all of the time. And yes to the way-overpriced snacks, (I think I should be allowed to at least bring my own coffee in, if not my own snacks), the commercials (of all the damn things), and ultimately the relatively poor visual quality that even a decent theater screen provides compared to a good flat panel tv screen.

If we think getting the music industry over itself is hard, how easy do you think it's going to be to get movie producers and directors with long successful resumes to see change as positive?

I agree with MMO... what's up with indoor malls?

Even a mid-range home theater kicks the sh*t out of any cinema experience there is anywhere. Now with HD technology like Blu-ray available in the home, there really isn't much reason to go out and watch a movie at the cinema any longer.

In related stories:

"Buggy builders are furious over the invention of the automobile"

"Telegraph operators plan mis-use morse code in reaction to the telephone industry."

"Milkmen will refuse to use condoms until supermarkets stop selling dairy products."

Just my $0.02

what i hate about the home-theater experience is that the audio tracks, specifically volume levels, are designed for the movie and not the home. The number of times I have to adjust the volume while watching a movie is making me want to quit watching movies.

Another dinosaur heard from. Here's a tip, Ridley: Make a better product!

Oh, and prevent your scumbag theater owners from dialing down the brightness of their projector lenses to save a few pence. Every film I've gone to lately is dark and muddy. And just try getting them to respond if the picture is unfocussed.

I had seen Order of the Phoenix twice in theaters- once in digital, once film- with my kids. Then I took my son to see it in IMAX 3d at a Jordan's Furniture store in MA.- I was SHOCKED at how much clearer and brighter the picture was than the 2 previous times I had seen it.

$7.50 for a ticket (what can I say, I'm cheap- I usually only do matinees), then twice that for disgusting food. Ridiculous.

Sorry, the experience at home on my $600 Vizio 32" LCD + $50 DVD/VCR + $40 Creature II speakers- is far superior.

Far.

There are a tiny handful of feature films that MUST be seen on the big screen- then a bunch more that I want to see sooner rather than waiting 6 months for the DVD. That's just instant gratification at work.

It's no wonder they won't allow simultaneous release on screens, dvd and download- I truly think the cinema multiplexes would be in deep doodoo if they did.

Yes, Ridley, the cinema experience is broken: you and your cinema owners have broken it. What are YOU going to do about that?

I haven't been to a cinema in the US for a long time, but if it's anything like the cinema experience here in Germany, then it's good that new technology is killing cinema. IMO it's new technology that's making watching movies fun again.

BTW, thanks MDN.

60 inches? Not really a match for the big screen IMMO

Your not in the "club" unless your 100 inches or over.

http://theater.stevejenkins.com/gallery/complete/p6_25.jpg

Anyone who is skeptical about how far digital filmmaking has come, only needs to check out "Zodiac" by David Fincher. The image is rich, deep, sensual and glorious. As good as any film stock (IMHO).

MDN Take = AMEN.

Now do you want to reconsider your iMove 08 take?

@chuckie

I'm sitting next to a big, fat, mouth breathing, scene commenting, white guy who took all the arm rest with his fatness.

......

Oh and I'm a white guy. So let's keep race out of this

Right...

Cinema has been dead ever since the "blockbuster" and the action adventure genre emerged in the late 70s. Hollywood's second golden age of cinema has long since died. Even the remaining great directors are sell outs. Heck, Mr. Scott is a prime example. So, if people are so concerned about cinema and the movie viewing experience, why doesn't someone throw the whole notion of "franchising" out the window and dare to allow great storytellers to do what they do best, instead of bitching that small format devices are killing the industry. The industry has nobody to blame but themselves. People are making entertaining content with the devices they have as a classic revolt. When you can't control what is being shoved at you, the server won't listen, you take matters into your own hand. I'd suggest Mr. Scott wake up, and try instead to shake up some of his cronies at the head of these very institutions before he attacks prospective customers for marginalizing his craft.

But does your home theater have a cup holder on your chair?

I think not.

Touche!!!

I've always thought that theaters should sell year-long movie passes. That is, pay one fee for unlimited movie viewing for a whole year. The idea is to increase the average amount spent per person per year at the theater. I know I would spend more at the theater with such a plan.