Retro cinema experience
So, I’ve been to the cinema twice in the last 10 days. First, to see Star Trek and then to see Angels & Demons. Both good films. Star Trek way better in my opinion that any of the other Star Trek films and Angels & Demons is better than the book and better than the previous film, The Da Vinci Code.
Anyway, the point of this particular post is to whine a little about what spoiled the experience for me and, in fact what always spoils the cinema experience for me… PROJECTION!
I’m always amazed that in these days where even DVD is now being replaced by BluRay and digital technology in the home is old-hat, the Nation’s cinemas are still showing brand new films on such old technology. It’s just miserable. Start Trek suffered throughout by what seemed to be an unstable picture with closeups being marred by the whole scene shifting up and down perceptibly. Angels and Demons less so (different cinema as well) but both viewings were grainy, blurry, indistinct, “low-res” pictures. It was (and has been on all cinema trips I can remember of recent years) a very disappointing experience visually. It really did look like watching a VHS tape at home on a modest sized TV. Obviously it is higher resolution being purely optical, resolution may not even be the right word to use but the fact is the quality of picture I get at home on a large (42 inch) but budget plasma TV is in a different league.
Contrast is the other victim of cinema. Not so much with Star Trek but Angels looked like the entire lot was shot through cheesecloth with dull colours and contrast.
It just feels like a waste of money. The only way to see the film soon after release is at the cinema and the quality is dire.