Did I write a movie review that really pissed you off? If so, and you want your revenge, tomorrow morning might be a good time to exact it. Paramount and AMC are celebrating the release of “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” and the new IMAX screen in Kansas City for a pre-opening event called “Transformers Tuesday!” I’m not sure how that relates to me being in a dunk tank, but that’s where I’ll be tomorrow morning at Independence Commons 20 (19200 E 39th St. Independence, MO) between 7 - 9:30am.

Come by before you go to work and get revenge on me for hating the new “Wolverine” and “Terminator” movies! I’ve been stopped in public and taken to task for reviews before, but never like this. Another film critic who you will be able to dunk is fellow KC Film Critic’s Circle member Russ Simmons of Fox 4’s Screening Room. Who could pass up this chance? Here’s a press release that has some more details about the other stuff happening too, including “Transfromers” cars and robots, etc…

• WHO: Paramount Pictures is partnering up with AMC Independence Commons 20 to celebrate the release of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and the opening of the new IMAX screen in Kansas City for a pre-opening event dubbed as “Transformers Tuesday!”
  

• WHAT: Mix 93.3 will be on site at AMC Independence Commons on “Transformers Tuesday” and Kansas City residents are encouraged to come out to win prizes by dunking local personalities in a dunk tank, and will even have a chance to destroy a sheetrock Decepticon from Smash-n-Shatter! Independence students from First Bots of Independence (the “FBI”) will also be present to show off their award-winning robotic designs, and Cable Dahmer Chevrolet will be on-site to display “Transformers” cars like the ones featured in the film. To officially celebrate the opening of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and the new IMAX screen at AMC Independence Commons 20, a proclamation will be read recognizing “Transformers Tuesday” and AMC/IMAX Day on behalf of Mayor Reimal.

• WHEN: Tuesday, June 23

• 7:00 – 9:30 AM

• WHERE: AMC Independence Commons 20

• 19200 E. 39^th St. South Independence, MO 64057

COOL FACTS ABOUT TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN

• Optimus Prime will be life-size on IMAX screens in many forest fight shots.
• Select scenes were filmed using IMAX technology.
• 14 robots last time, 46 robots this time
• If you had all the gold ever mined in the history of man, you could build a little more than half of Devastator.
• Devastator’s hand is traveling 390 miles per hour when he punches the pyramid.
• The pyramid destruction simulation was 8 times bigger than the old rigid simulation all-time record holder at ILM.
• All robot parts laid out end to end would stretch from one side of California to the other, about 180 miles
• Devastator’s parts stacked tip to tip would be as tall as 58 empire state buildings.
• If all the texture maps on the show were printed on 1 square yard sheets, they would cover 13 football fields.
• Devastator has more than 10 times the number of individual parts found in an average car.
• Laid out end to end, Devastator’s parts would be almost 14 miles long.

Tags: amc, commons, critic, dunk, eric, film, independence, melin, transfromers, tuesday

What is IMAX? The “fake IMAX” controversy and boycott. IMAX facts on retrofit for theaters. How big is the screen? The sound?

It’s a huge Twitter trend as I write this. Comedian Aziz Ansari (from NBC’s Parks and Recreation) published this tirade about paying an extra $5 to see and IMAX showing of “Star Trek” (which shattered box office IMAX records) that wasn’t much bigger than a normal screen. By the end of the day, he had caused such a stink that IMAX CEO Richard Gelfond responded on MainStreet.com:

“The overwhelming majority of comments on that guy’s blog this morning, more than 90% of them, are vehemently disagreeing with him. And consumers are confirming this with their continued purchases of tickets.”

Aziz says this is not true on a post later that day.

Why is this a big deal and what are the facts?

I guess I’m just used to seeing IMAX in local movie theaters on screens that are not as big as the ones I saw at the zoo when I was younger. And I also know that most Hollywood movies are upconverted, rather than filmed in the actual IMAX format or a hybrid of both (like “The Dark Knight” which had about 20 minutes actually filmed in IMAX during production*), so I’ve come to accept it and just enjoy that it’s a little bigger and a lot louder. Aziz feels gypped because this is the first time he’s gone to one and he didn’t appreciate the extra charge.

Gizmodo says: “IMAX used to build their own massive theaters in their own buildings. But now, in order to expand, the company has made a deals with major theater chains like AMC in which they’ll provide and install their proprietary mix of projectors, screens, speakers and hardware if the theater will foot the bill for the necessary structural renovations.”

Wikipedia says: “The resolution of the picture is much lower than normal IMAX. The screens used by digital IMAX installations are also much smaller (28×58 feet) than those found in traditional IMAX cinemas. Despite these facts, the digital installations are marketed simply as IMAX, drawing no distinction to the traditional 15/70 IMAX – much to the dismay of 15/70 IMAX cinema owners.”

A digital version of IMAX started rolling out in 2008. The new system is a projection standard only. About this new system, IMAX mentions no size standards or picture standards, just generalizations: “With crystal clear images, laser-aligned digital sound and maximized field of view, IMAX provides the world’s most immersive movie experience.”

What is the difference in this digital IMAX retrofit?

1. The screen is bigger (although sometimes as little as 10 ft.).

2. The seats are closer, making the screen more imposing.

3. Acoustic paneling to absorb sound and remove echo.

4. A specifically non-THX-certified sound system featuring uncompressed digital sound without distortion that removes the center-only “sweet spot” and improves the surround experience.

5. Two digital 2K Christie projectors that work together.

Here’s the bottom line: Theaters just don’t have the room or the money to build standalone houses just for IMAX purposes. If you sit 30 ft. closer and the screen is bigger and the sound is amazing, you’ll notice a difference. You may not feel that the picture is enveloping you like it does at the nature documentaries at theme parks, but you’ll notice a difference. (Besides, with all of the fast Hollywood editing most action pics have these days, true IMAX might create a pretty bad headache.)

If you see a movie filmed with IMAX cameras, you’ll really notice. Unfortunately, not that many movies are filmed that way (”Star Trek” and most everything else was upconverted). With the numbers it posted this weekend though, I’ll bet more will.

It would be nice, however, for theaters to designate an IMAX-D for the digital IMAX retrofits.

Figure it out for yourself: If your multiplex can’t house a 70+ ft. screen, it’s a digital IMAX retrofit.

* “The Dark Knight” used high-res IMAX cameras in the 15/70 film format. When the scenes shot on IMAX cameras were shown in IMAX theatres, the aspect ratio morphed to 1.43 to 1, expanding the image to fill the entire screen and magnifying the overall effect. Regular 35mm upconverts like “Star Trek” have the letterboxed look throughout the entire movie.

Tags: amc, Ansari, Aziz, boycott, controversy, facts, fake, IMAX, regal, retrofit, screen, size, sound, star, theaters, trek, What

AMC is restoring and re-opening the Mainstreet Theatre (1400 Main St.) in the Power & Light District and the Kansas City-based theater chain is celebrating with Free Movie Day on Tuesday, April 28. We have 25 ‘admit-two’ passes for the first 25 people to sign up using the entry form below.

photo by Eric Bowers of MadnessMatrix.com

The Mainstreet originally opened in October 1921 as a vaudeville and movie house. Having closed in the mid 1980s, it will have its grand opening on May 1, 2009, and now features an all-digital projection, six-screen movie theater. There are three traditional auditoriums and three Cinema Suites (for the plush in-theater dining experience), plus The Marquee Bar & Grill for drinks before and after the show. This is a true historical gem in downtown Kansas City. Back in its heyday, the theater hosted live performers such as Cab Calloway, Charlie Chaplin, and the Marx Brothers.

There are six screens at the theater, and AMC is showing “Twilight,” “Tropic Thunder,” “Quantum of Solace,” “Seven Pounds,” “Valkyrie,” and “Last Chance Harvey.”

Passholders will have the option to see any one of the movies mentioned.

Quantum of Solace, 7:30

Last Chance Harvey, 7:45

Twilight, 8:00

Tropic Thunder, 8:30

The first 25 people to sign up below will receive an email with instructions on how to print off their passes!

Tags: amc, cinema suites, district, Free Movie Day, giveaway, historical, kansas city, KC, Mainstreet, marquee, power & light, theater, theatre

Okay, everybody, we’re going to do this one a little differently. I’m assuming a lot of you will want tickets to this movie, and we only have 50 to give away, so rather than doing the first 50 signed up, we’ll do a random drawing on Wed., Dec. 3 to determine the 50 lucky winners, who will then receive an email and instructions on how to print out their ‘admit-two’ pass!

The screening for Jim Carrey’s new movie “The Yes Man” is set for December 15 at the Olathe Studio 30 (119th & Strang Line) at 7:30pm. If you’ve won, you will receive an email on Wed., Dec. 3 with instructions on how to print off your ‘admit-two’ pass online. No need to wait for a pass in the mail! Please bring it to the screening, and remember to get there early. These screenings are overbooked to ensure a full house. Good luck!

Winners were selected at random this morning and emailed already. We had lots of entries, so congrats to the winners, and to everyone else– we’ll have more giveaways! Stay tuned! 

cforms contact form by delicious:days

Tags: 30, advance, amc, free, kansas city, olathe, passes, studio, The Yes Man, to

That’s right. My band is playing in front of the AMC Olathe Studio 30 (119th & Strang Line Rd.) for free on Saturday night at 6:30pm to celebrate the opening on their Fork & Screen wing of full-service theaters. I got an early peek at them on Tuesday, and this weekend is the first chance for the public to check ‘em out for themselves! 

Now this is a loose tie-in for sure, but I’ll attempt to figure out why The Dead Girls are playing for free in the veranda outside the theater: “RocknRolla,” despite being about dumb British gangsters and not about rock n’ roll, is opening today. AMC Olathe 30 is showing it. They also have food and alcohol. We like movies, food, and alcohol. Therefore, we must rock.

We’re on at 6:30 and Pompous Jack is opening. Bring the family! Did I mention it’s free?

Tags: &, 30, amc, dead, fork, free, girls, olathe, rock, screen, studio, the

Last night was the big press event for locally-based theater chain AMC to show off their newest theater experience, which they’ve titled Fork & Screen. It’s pretty self-explanatory, but there’s a lot more to getting it right than you might think. All I can say is that, considering the high price of concession stand food anyway, why would you not want to eat real food for basically the same price and never have to leave your seat?

The grand opening is this weekend and these first three photos are from the AMC site. Here is a link to all the events, including a free live rock show by The Dead Girls and Pompous Jack on Saturday night. And here is a videoblog from Spiral16’s Whitney Mathews featuring a guest appearance by me!

The Alamo Drafthouse is a great Texas theater chain that’s already doing this restaurant/movie concept (and a boatload of special events and cult movies), but AMC has tweaked it a little bit for the Kansas City market, and I like the changes. Maybe the programming will get more niche as the concept grows to include midnight movies, live send-ups, sing-alongs, etc. It would be cool for KC to support something like that, but you never know…

Here’s the deal: Fork & Screen is one whole wing of the AMC Olathe Studio 30. Eight screens are for Fork & Screen theaters, which offer seat-side service from a waiter/waitress, who delivers you a full dinner menu and beer or mixed drinks. You order before the movie, it arrives soon thereafter, you eat on a table in front of you, and get your bill before its over. The ticket price is exactly the same as a regular theater. You must be 18 or over, or accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Cinema Suites comprise the other three theaters, and they cost a little more. The screens are still huge, but the theater only seats 32, and you can reserve a specific seat (unlike Southwest Airlines) by paying beforehand. You get reclining chairs, a swivel table in your lap, and eight feet to stretch out in.

I saw “RocknRolla” in a Fork & Screen theater and all I can say is I wish the movie would have been as good as the experience. There is a bar inside the wing called MacGuffins (named after the infamous object that everyone desires in a movie, usually something that has no value other than what’s placed on it by all the film’s characters) that any ticketholder 18 and over (or accompanied by a parent or guardian) can visit before and after the movie. Besides having a full menu of food and drinks, the space itself is pretty swank. The prices aren’t really any pricier than any normal bar either. I particularly liked the displays of macguffins on the corrider in from famous movies like “Pulp Fiction” (the glowing briefcase) and “The Maltese Falcon.” Ironically, “RocknRolla” had a b-i-i-i-g macguffin: a painting that drives the entire plot (and we never get to see), and it still sucked.

The big tweak, the biggest difference in the service that I noticed from the Alamo Drafthouse to Fork & Screen was how quickly your food came out. Since each server has a digital touchscreen, the moment your order comes out of your mouth, the kitchen gets it and starts making it. My mushroom & swiss burger was out in 10 minutes; no kidding. Now if F&S could just start booking live event/movie combos and really thinking of creative ways to use the space, that’d be amazing. People should be able to rent an F&S theater out for a night (like we are tonight at the Screenland) to show whatever they want. That would be really cool.

If I’m paying 12 bucks for a combo popcorn meal anyway, I might as well have a real dinner, y’know? This is especially perfect for me because I often go to screenings straight from work and rarely have time for dinner. Popcorn does not a dinner make, unless you happen to like that sick feeling you get after devouring a medium corn all by yourself.

Kudos to AMC for trying something different and taking a big gamble on people like me who enjoy an entire night out at the movies. It was also really cool for them to have so many free screenings this week so all the locals could see what they are all so proud of. What did you all think? I know we gave away lots of passes for last night on the site …

photo by Ramsey Mohsen

Tags: &, 30, amc, and, cinema, fork, ks, macguffins, olathe, screen, studio, suites