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Aziz Ansari freaks out over fake Imax

post #1 of 17
5/12/09 at 7:51am
Thread Starter 
Aziz is Bored - REBLOG THE FUCK OUT OF THIS. WARNING: AMC theaters are running FAKE IMAX's and charging $5 extra for a slightly bigger screen. Boycott IMAX, AMC, and Regal. Don't let them fool you.

Seems to be trending big this morning on Twitter.
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post #2 of 17
5/12/09 at 7:58am

Re: Aziz Ansari freaks out over fake Imax

The comments following the blog cracked me up.
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post #3 of 17
5/12/09 at 8:11am

Re: Aziz Ansari freaks out over fake Imax

Well, it is a pretty disingenuous strategy. A theater near my dad advertises Star Trek playing in both their "IMAX" (Digital) theater and in a DLP projection theater. I'm trying to figure out what the difference would be.
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post #4 of 17
5/12/09 at 9:25am

Re: Aziz Ansari freaks out over fake Imax

I agree with the concern. IMAX is size. Not a name. It's pretty analogous to false advertising.
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post #5 of 17
5/12/09 at 10:33am

Re: Aziz Ansari freaks out over fake Imax

Nikki follows up on this too, and I have to admit, I agree. IMAX was supposed to be: Image Maximum.

Now, if you're going to do it on regular screens, it really becomes just another standard similar to THX.

http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.co...ng-moviegoers/
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post #6 of 17
5/12/09 at 1:15pm

Re: Aziz Ansari freaks out over fake Imax

So they're basically slapping the IMAX brand on slightly bigger screens?

What a gyp. I don't go to that many movies anymore (the few revivals in town and movies I really, really want to see which are few and far between), and the fact that it's become a rip-off and a hassle is a huge chunk of it. Money is the only thing keeping me from building a home theater in my home.
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post #7 of 17
5/12/09 at 2:59pm

Re: Aziz Ansari freaks out over fake Imax

Reading all this makes me think that IMAX is (has?) become the video counterpart to Bose.

People are drawn to it because of the name. They hear that it's bigger, louder, and more expensive, therefore they deduce that it's better. Those of us that know better, get frustrated that so many people get "suckered" in, thereby fueling the fire.

At least I'm comfortable in the knowledge that I won't contribute to IMAX-lite.
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post #8 of 17
5/12/09 at 5:16pm

Re: Aziz Ansari freaks out over fake Imax

I can relate with this. In my town (Calgary, Canada), the one IMAX screen is a total sham, it's only a tad bigger than a regular theater screen.

And this isn't a cheap, low rent theater either. It has a full on Egyptian/Mummy theme complete with a giant Pharoah's head that comes down a breathes fire (I kid you not). It's like something out of the Vegas strip.

They charge a hefty surplus per ticket as well.

There used to be a gorgeous, large IMAX screen downtown but it got shut down.
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post #9 of 17
5/12/09 at 7:56pm

Re: Aziz Ansari freaks out over fake Imax

I saw Trek in the IMAX-lite theater here in Albany. It was actually pretty impressive in terms of picture and sound, but probably not worth the $5 premium for most movies. Still, I seldom see movies in the theaters anyway so it's worth it for the occasional "event" movie.
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post #10 of 17
5/12/09 at 8:03pm

Re: Aziz Ansari freaks out over fake Imax

Thanks for posting this thread. I did not realize what the AMC-IMAX deal meant and had assumed that all IMAX showings were alike. Now, I'll save a little time and money and see it again at a regular theater instead of driving a great distance to see it in faux-IMAX.
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post #11 of 17
5/12/09 at 8:43pm

Re: Aziz Ansari freaks out over fake Imax

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jason Charlton
Reading all this makes me think that IMAX is (has?) become the video counterpart to Bose.

People are drawn to it because of the name. They hear that it's bigger, louder, and more expensive, therefore they deduce that it's better. Those of us that know better, get frustrated that so many people get "suckered" in, thereby fueling the fire.
While I have long argued that the digital IMAX needs to be a differientiated brand from the full-scale 65mm IMAX, this isn't a psychological thing. The IMAX lite theaters actually are a substantial improvement over standard digital and the vast majority of conventional film theaters. In markets where there are no full IMAX theaters, the digital IMAX is probably the largest screen showing commercial films. And the sound is the full 20,000-watt IMAX sound.

So yes, it is a ripoff compared to the full-size original IMAX. But for event movies, it still probably the best experience in town for a lot of places where there would otherwise not be anything approaching IMAX picture or sound.
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post #12 of 17
5/12/09 at 9:33pm

Re: Aziz Ansari freaks out over fake Imax

Got to go with Adam. No it's not 65mm IMAX, but it's well worth the price premium to me vs most any 35mm theater I've been in over the last decade and a step up from the normal DLP Digital. The sound itself is worth the extra couple bucks for me. The 3D Film presentation there was great, ST was more than worth the premium, TDK last summer was also more than worth it at a different IMAX Lite. Maybe it's a Making Lemonade self delusion, but I'll accept it for what it is compared to the alternatives.

The only local Analog IMAX is a Omnimax Dome which is nearly worthless to me for non-Omnimax films. The closest Flat analog IMAX is at least 3 hours away. I'd love to see certain films on IMAX MAX, but realistically that;s not going to happen very often.
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post #13 of 17
5/13/09 at 4:28am

Re: Aziz Ansari freaks out over fake Imax

But to label it as an "IMAX" leads people to beleive they are getting a 60 foot tall screen. It might be better, but it's deceptive. I'm glad there are three choices in Denver...the REAL IMAX, The Continental, and The Cine-Capri. All three are truly large screen formats with great sound.
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post #14 of 17
5/13/09 at 11:46am

Re: Aziz Ansari freaks out over fake Imax

Apple needs to sue iMax about their name, anyway.

Until then, call the small iMax screens MaxMini.
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post #15 of 17
5/13/09 at 10:22pm

Re: Aziz Ansari freaks out over fake Imax

Quote:
Originally Posted by Will_B
Apple needs to sue iMax about their name, anyway.

IMAX had the name first, though.
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post #16 of 17
5/13/09 at 10:44pm

Re: Aziz Ansari freaks out over fake Imax

What is the big deal with IMAX showings of Hollywood movies? I saw POSEIDON in Calgary a few years back. Not only did the movie totally blow, it also felt like watching a home movie being projected on a wall because of all of the unused screen space above and below the image area.

I, for one, would never again pay the extra premium to watch a H'wood movie on an IMAX screen of any kind. The experience isn't worth the extra scratch.
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post #17 of 17
5/14/09 at 5:43am

Re: Aziz Ansari freaks out over fake Imax

Quote:
Originally Posted by Edwin-S
What is the big deal with IMAX showings of Hollywood movies? I saw POSEIDON in Calgary a few years back. Not only did the movie totally blow, it also felt like watching a home movie being projected on a wall because of all of the unused screen space above and below the image area.

I, for one, would never again pay the extra premium to watch a H'wood movie on an IMAX screen of any kind. The experience isn't worth the extra scratch.

Because no mainstream movie (apart from the Dark Knight and Transformers 2) is shot in IMAX and so doesn't have the quality or the same aspect ratio. You could cut off image information, but that would diminish the impact as well as the quality of the picture.
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