The past two days in Hollywood have been a rapturous vacation from San Diego multiplexes. Sunday night saw the sparkling presentation of a 60-year-old dye transfer, 35mm dual projector 3D print of Martin and Lewis' Money From Home. The screening was part of the 3rd World 3D Film Expo held at the Egyptian.
I slogged up the 405 this morning to make a 10:30 press screening of an IMAX 3D presentation of The Wizard of Oz at the gloriously refurbished TCL Chinese Theatre. I'll have more to say about the joyous experience in a later post, but for now I want to focus on the one thing San Diego screens have over anything on Hollywood Boulevard.
As tasty as the right-eye/left-eye presentation at The Egyptian was, the spongy pre-popped corn at the concession stand should have had Chester Cheetos' picture stamped on the bag. Even at the relatively low cost of $4 for a medium bag the stuff was borderline inedible.
http://www.sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/sep/16/53209/
Ditto for The Chinese. Not to sound like an ingrate -- TCL popped for the corn and soda -- but the Chinese has got to stop cooking the seed in sunflower oil. The second you walk in the theatre, the vaporous stench of the non-volatile oil explodes inside your nostrils. To make matters worse, instead of a sprinkling of pulverized popcorn salt, both theatres top the corn with what appears to be Kosher road salt.
San Diegans may have mundanely efficient cement bunkers in which to watch movies, but damn if we don't know how to pop corn. The packing material that passes for popcorn at AMC and Edwards goes down easier than Blvd. corn. And as far as Landmark's Ken Cinema goes, come for the popcorn, stay for the movie.
http://www.sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/sep/16/53217/
The past two days in Hollywood have been a rapturous vacation from San Diego multiplexes. Sunday night saw the sparkling presentation of a 60-year-old dye transfer, 35mm dual projector 3D print of Martin and Lewis' Money From Home. The screening was part of the 3rd World 3D Film Expo held at the Egyptian.
I slogged up the 405 this morning to make a 10:30 press screening of an IMAX 3D presentation of The Wizard of Oz at the gloriously refurbished TCL Chinese Theatre. I'll have more to say about the joyous experience in a later post, but for now I want to focus on the one thing San Diego screens have over anything on Hollywood Boulevard.
As tasty as the right-eye/left-eye presentation at The Egyptian was, the spongy pre-popped corn at the concession stand should have had Chester Cheetos' picture stamped on the bag. Even at the relatively low cost of $4 for a medium bag the stuff was borderline inedible.
http://www.sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/sep/16/53209/
Ditto for The Chinese. Not to sound like an ingrate -- TCL popped for the corn and soda -- but the Chinese has got to stop cooking the seed in sunflower oil. The second you walk in the theatre, the vaporous stench of the non-volatile oil explodes inside your nostrils. To make matters worse, instead of a sprinkling of pulverized popcorn salt, both theatres top the corn with what appears to be Kosher road salt.
San Diegans may have mundanely efficient cement bunkers in which to watch movies, but damn if we don't know how to pop corn. The packing material that passes for popcorn at AMC and Edwards goes down easier than Blvd. corn. And as far as Landmark's Ken Cinema goes, come for the popcorn, stay for the movie.
http://www.sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/sep/16/53217/