Director David Lynch wants you to experience movies the way films are meant to be seen. That would be on a big screen, not on a tiny telephone screen.
Lynch has even gone as far as insisting that DVDs of his movies have no chapter selections because he believes films must be experienced from beginning to end in one sitting.
If you are looking for a good film to project on your home screen, I recommend The Straight Story. It is a beautifully photographed film starring Sissy Spacek and Richard Farnsworth.
This one is not your typical David Lynch movie. It’s a G-rated film based on the true story of Alvin Straight who drove his riding lawnmower hundreds of miles to visit his estranged brother. Definitely do not try to view this movie on an iPhone.
Ioan Allen has woked at Dolby Labs since 1969. He helped develop Dolby’s digital surround sound technology for cinema.
In this video, he gives a great explanation of the surround sound formats used in movies throughout the years. He recounts how he developed a multi-track audio system called “Baby Boom” for the 70mm release of Star Wars in 1977.
The book chronicles the progression of theater design from the early nickelodeons to the huge movie palaces of the 1920s to the megaplexes of today. It is interesting to ponder how the movie going experience has evolved and how the setting of where we view our movies is so important.
Netflix is introducing a new feature that will allow subscibers to their DVD rental service to stream movies and television shows on their personal computers.
James Cameron, most famous for directing the blockbuster movie Titanic, is another visionary who sees 3D cinema as the catalyst to get viewers back into seats at the cineplex. He is considering a re-release of Titanic in 3D.
Cameron is no stranger to 3D digital cinema. He filmed an IMAX movie in 3D several years ago that I happened to see. He is joined by such big name directors as Peter Jackson, Robert Zemeckis and George Lucas who see three dimensional movies as the next frontier in movie making. Even Steven Spielberg has shown an intention to bring movies out of the flat screen.
I personally believe that the Cineplex is in a losing battle against Home Theater, DVDs, Internet downloads and other alternate modes of movie entertainment. Whether deserved or not, I think that 3D movies will always be perceived as a tacky gimmick that will never be accepted by the mainstream movie goer.
