thoughts on 70mm presentation of 'West Side Story'

My impressions of the recent 70mm presentation of 'West Side Story' at the AFI Silver was greatly impacted by the print and the five across sound channel sound mix.  The print looked great albeit a few instances where the image's lumience bloomed (at the beginning of the gym dance scene)- the colours had that 'pop' and conveyed a wonderful dimensionality.  The sound though took center stage and specifically the singing and orchestra sounded full and aggressive, since five across sound is unreplicable in home theater system setups, the chance to hear this as it had been originally recorded was a rare fantastic experience. 

'ETX' screen debuting at Tysons!

AMC's version of IMAX - 12 speakers with major ampage, large wall to wall, ceiling to floor screen is expected to open this Friday (March 18th)  at AMC Tysons on their largest screen: auditorium 11.  For some reason I thought the screen that features IMAX (digital) presentations was the largest auditorium, oh well, guess I was wrong.  I will post back my thoughts on the system.

Aardman Animations plan new Shaun the Sheep film

From BBC News:

Aardman Animations, the Oscar-winning company behind Shaun the Sheep, has started work on a new feature film starring the character.

Writers at Aardman's Bristol HQ have begun developing a script for the film, which is hoped to be ready by 2013/14.
The company won an Oscar in 1993 for the Wallace Gromit film "The Wrong Trousers" and then again in 1995 for "A Close Shave".
The first TV episode of Shaun the Sheep was shown on the BBC in March 2007.

'Slapstick films'
Aardman creative director Richard Goleszowski, 51, said one of the inspirations behind Shaun the Sheep was the 1920s silent movie star Buster Keaton.
Mr Goleszowski said: "My goal is to make a modern day silent movie starring Shaun. When we started writing the television series we stuck a picture of Buster Keaton on the studio door.
"I grew up watching slapstick films and some of the jokes have become embedded in my psyche."
He said that the senior team at Aardman had been thinking about running screenings of silent films to help the newer animators develop their skills.

'Remain silent'
He said one of the reasons he had originally developed Shaun the Sheep as a non-speaking character was because animation with dialogue is time consuming and expensive.
He said: "I thought making him silent would make it cheaper and easier but it makes life more difficult.
"Telling a story through pictures means you can't cut corners. It's very cinematic and involved."

Richard Goleszowski will be speaking at the Silent Comedy Festival in Bristol on 30 January at 1400 GMT at the Watershed.

70mm presentation of 'West Side Story' at the AFI Silver in February!

Just a head's up that there will be three showings of 'West Side Story' in glorious 70mm for the film's 50th Anniversary at the AFI/Silver next month:

 Friday February 11: 8:30pm
Saturday (12th): 9:30pm
Sunday (13th): 5:30pm

Museum of the Moving Image reopens (Astoria, New York)

excerpted from cinespect.com:

The Museum of the Moving Image, previously known as the American Museum of the Moving Image, will open its doors to the public tomorrow, January 15^th, after what seemed like a wait that would never end, though, it looks like the wait may have been worth it. The revamped museum will include a new 267-seat theater, a 68-seat screening room, new galleries, and screening spaces for video art.
For six weeks after the opening the museum will have inaugural programs under the umbrella title “Celebrating the Moving Image,” in honor of both the museum and cinema itself.
According to David Schwarz, chief curator at the museum, the programs “…reflect the Museum’s wide scope of programming, encompassing silent films with live music, classic Hollywood cinema, avant-garde film, television, contemporary world cinema, and more…”
The new main theater where the majority of films in the inaugural programs will screen has been designed to be a complementary part of the spectator’s experience; vibrant Yves Klein blue woven felt surfaces will be found over and under the viewer and to the sides. This design of the ceiling, walls and space under the stadium seating is meant to “give the audience a sensation of floating.” Projection equipment capabilities include: 16mm, 70mm, and high-definition digital 3-D.

http://www.movingimage.us/

more detail on the reopening here:

http://www.queensbuzz.com/museum-of-the-moving-image---astoria-queens-cms-503

the real treat in my opinion is that opening day, the museum will show 70mm prints of '2001: A Space Odyssey' and 'Playtime'

New Music purchases

Albums:

- Boo Radleys: Kingsize (expanded) (Amazon.co.uk: £6.66)
- Amorphous Androgynous: A Monstrous Psychedelic Bubble Exploding in Your Mind Volume 3: The 3rd Ear (Amazon.co.uk: £7.49)
- Various Artists: Rough Trade Shops: Synth Wave 2010 (Amazon.co.uk: £8.33)

Single Tracks:

- Vitalic: Flashmob (Popoff mix) (Itunes: .99)
- Felix Da Housecat: Thee Anthem (Eric Prydz mix) (Itunes: .99)
- Deadmau5 + Wolfgang Gartner: Animal Rights (Itunes: .99)
- Dennis Ferrer: Hey, Hey (DF Attention's Vocal Mix) (Itunes: .99)

Washington Post Top 25 Singles of 2010

according to writer Allison Stewart

1. Cee Lo Green - "[expletive] You"

2. Sleigh Bells - "Rill Rill"

3. Kid Cudi Featuring Mary J. Blige - "These Worries"

4. Sharon Van Etten - "Don't Do It"

5. Cults - " Go Outside"

6. Kings, Go Forth - "High On Your Love"

7. Kanye West featuring Pusha T - "Runaway"

8. Taylor Swift - "Mine"

9. Titan Andronicus - "A More Perfect Union"

10. Jamey Johnson - "Can't Cash My Checks"

11. Peter Gabrile - "Flume" (Bon Iver cover)

12. Freddie Gibbs featuring Bun B. Chuck Inglish, Chip Tha Ripper and Dan Auerbach - "Oil Money"

13. Tabi Bonney Featuring Pusha T - "Make a Killin"

14. Sia - "The Fight"

15. Phosphorescent - "It's Hard to be Humble (When Your From Alabama)"

16. Brian Eno - "2 Forms of Anger"

17. Kylesa - "Tired Climb"

18. Paramore - "The Only Exception"

19. Yesayer - "Ambling Alp"

20. Robyn - "Cry When You Get Older"

21. Dierks Bentley featuring Alison Krauss - "Draw Me A Map"

22. Pantha Du Prince featuring Panda Bear - "Stick to My Side"

23. Rihanna featuring Drake - "What's My Name?"

24. jj - "My Life"

25. Chiddy Bang - "Opposite of Adults"