The ONE thing that will help us draw closer to THE TRUE MOVIE THEATER EXPERIENCE (1 Viewer)

[Inspector Hammer!]

I don't understand why you don't just record all of the trailers off of E!'s 'Coming Attractions', edit out all of the commercials and play it back before you pop in a dvd!?

The trailers they show are all full length and they show like 5 or 6 per show.

Problem solved.

 

[Mark Fatow]

Wow, I see I am in the minority here. Well what can I say, I actually really enjoy trailers, and would love to have the opportunity to view movie trailers for upcoming movies, right before the movie starts. But it seems that if the majority are not in agreement than it will most likely not come to pass. But the least movie studios can do is to have either a Dolby Digital or DTS Trailer play before every movie, to me that would a good consolation prize.

 

[RaulR]

Here's a quick cheap way to replicate the true movie experience. Spill some soda in front of your couch a few hours before you plan to watch. Have your significant other yell out "Oh no he DIDN'T" at random times during the movie. And finally, leave your cell phone on.

Also:
Invite your sister over, the one who always asks "What did he say?" during scenes of intense, quiet dialogue. Heck, invite LOTS of people over, especially the types who simply have to read every word that appears on the screen OUT LOUD, and make sure there's lots of crackly munchies wrapped in crinkly, hard-to-open packages. Oh, and remind them to drink plenty of liquids and NOT to go to the bathroom before the movie starts.

 

[Inspector Hammer!]

Again, the answer your looking for is right their on your dial. They only show new trailers on that show.

 

[Ernesto Santos]

Like a few have already pointed out, you can get pretty close to the theater experience with an HTPC with a broadband Internet connection.

Here is my movie night routine:

Play music from DirecTV before the movie starts.

Then fire up your favorite browser and head over to Quicktime.com for some of the latest trailers.

Play one DD or DTS trailer and a THX trailer, stored on my hard drive.

Using TheaterTek DVD software player, start the movie at the opening instead of the intro menu.

After the movie go through the special features.

All done from a HTPC fed to my CRT projector and firing on a 123" diagonal 16:9 screen. A true movie theater experience!

 

[Dan Kaplan]

In many cases, sadly of course, the trailers were better than the movie.

Mark, might I suggest being more selective in the movies you go to see?
Dan

 

[Carl Johnson]

Ernesto, I used to be a projectionist and you do more to start a movie in your home than I did to start one in a cineplex.

 

[Ernesto Santos]

Carl,

That's interesting. I pretty much follow the routine of my local googleplex. The only deviation is that I occasionally throw in a classic cartoon, although there are very few quality discs of cartoons around.

OT: When are we going to get decent Tom & Jerry a WB toons in ORIGINAL ASPECT RATIO?

 

[Peter Apruzzese]

The ideal movie-theatre at home experience would be, for me, to replicate a "Roadshow" presentation (go here, Widescreen Museum, for Roadshow information.):
1. Curtains closed on the screen.
2. Quiet, appropriate, music playing (no vocals).
3. Curtains stay closed and the overture from the movie begins.
4. Halfway through the overture, lights begin to dim slowly, timed to be at full-off at conclusion of overture.
5. Curtain begins to open as the logo of the film first appears on the screen (audience should not see a blank screen).
6. Curtain completely open by time logo is finished.
7. At conclusion of film, lights stay down for end credits.
8. Curtains close and lights come up as credits end.
9. Exit music comes on as audience leaves.
No trailers or shorts before the movie. Of course, this type of home presentation is only suitable for "big" films. If you're just going to watch "Wild Wild West", then you might as well load up on trailers and shorts . I would show B-movies or vintage genre titles with trailers and shorts, though, to replicate the average drive-in or downtown theatre experience of viewing them.

 

[Chad R]

But when you go back to watching a movie you've owned for several months or years the Trailers become stale. So the scenarios you suggest would only be viable for when the movie is first released. Like someone said earlier the excitement among proeviews is the novelty of seeing footage for the first time. I have even been known to groan slightly when I see a preview numerous times (like when they ran the trailer for "Face/Off" endlessly).

It's a nice idea, but hardly manageable.