England
Overall Score: Mediocre
Movie/Location: HP7 Part II, Odeon on Magdellan, Oxford
Seating: Average/slightly below average. Not much of leg room, not very comfortable, and I kept having to lean on my buddies Joe and Laura (like a pendulum going back and forth) to avoid watching the head of person sitting in front of me.
Screen: Tiny, the fact made worse by a balcony seating above which constricted the view of the screen for those sitting below.
Sound: Absolutely horrible. If you can imagine the entire cinema full of kids being quiet then you might catch what the actors are saying. It was the quietest sound system I've ever heard - my t.v. can get louder than that.
General atmosphere: Less than satisfactory. Too many lights were on - I wouldn't mind the small screen as much if there weren't two bright lights shining from the back directly on the screen.
Joe tells me that this was a horrible example of a British cinema though, so I'm willing to give it a second chance in future.
India
Overall Score: Has a character, but I don't think I like it.
Movie/Location: Mere Brother Ki Dulhan, Nadiad
Seating: Really nice for an average theater. Plenty of leg room, seating is all going up so no one's heads are in the way, and you can recline! I *have seen fully reclining seats in India too. Much better than what it used to be 10 years ago.
Screen: Decent size. Not extraordinary but definitely satisfactory.
Sound: Terrifying. I hadn't been prewarned and my heart and brain nearly exploded at the first note. It's SO LOUD. You couldn't hear your own scream if you tried. It's nice for watching movies with people who talk too much, but STILL. It might kill my eardrums if I watch enough movies there.
General Atmosphere: Entertaining for an outsider. It's completely dark, it's loud as a rock concert, and then all of a sudden lights go out and the movie stops. Twice. And you suddenly start to hear people's really funny conversations - people are talking to the screen and what not. Also, let's not forget the intermission when people come around asking if you want food.
Indian theaters have changed a lot in last ten years. Especially the seating and the sound system. The older cinemas still exist and sell cheaper tickets - I think the sound is mainly in response to the public talking at the screen. You make the movie so loud it doesn't matter. I guess it's better than the too-low-sound experience especially if you care about the movie.
Singapore
Okay, first of all, I last went to movie there 3 years ago. So memories are vague and review's not recent. But I thought I'd add it on the list.
Overall Score: Very Satisfactory
Movie/Location: Wanted (the English one), somewhere in Downtown Singapore
Seating: Decent. Not extraordinary but comfortable (could have used more leg room). I didn't have the problem of seeing people's heads in the way.
Screen: Big.<3
Sound: Okay, so it was unremarkable because I don't remember. I am guessing that means it was just about right volume with a lovely breakdown into a surround system. And it's Singapore so obviously everything's good quality.
General Atmosphere: Inside the theater, it was just about you and the movie. You could hear the dialogues but it wasn't so loud it could drive you crazy. People around behaved and didn't talk. It was perfect, maybe a bit too perfect if you didn't like the movie and were looking for other sort of entertainment. The seats were assigned and had different cost for different seats. I thought that was lame - I believe in socializing theater seating and leaving it up to luck. (I might be biased though because we got the last available seats and they weren't that great)
Outside the theater, there was a big mall and a nice seating/hanging out area. This pattern of mall/theater/hang out spots repeats throughout the downtown. Like I said, it's nice but maybe a bit too perfect.
United States
I've seen too many movies in a wide range of theaters here. So I'll make general statements.
You can get the street entertainment and see people selling drugs if you go to lovely theaters in some parts of Memphis. The seating's average but satisfying, so are the sound and the screen.
You can get the cozy feel by going to small town theaters in Maine where you sit on the couch and hope that maybe today Patrick Dempsey, who lives in the next town, will come here as well. Or you can just enjoy the show. The screen's small, but so is the theater so it's not a problem. You're close enough.
On a normal day you can go to the theater in Uptown NYC where the premiers are held and the screens are lined with lovely sculptures. The screen's alright sized (bit small for the theater but not so small you have trouble seeing) and the sound's just about right volume though not as much of a surround effect as you could get in Singapore.
The best part is that all over the cost of ticket is around the same (a little hiked in NY but it's NY), and the seating is first come first serve. Take your pick. You'll see a movie, maybe annoying people will talk but you'll still hear the dialogues. Tada.
xxx
I have lots of thoughts on religious intolerance in India right now that I'll write about when I get home
Overall Score: Mediocre
Movie/Location: HP7 Part II, Odeon on Magdellan, Oxford
Seating: Average/slightly below average. Not much of leg room, not very comfortable, and I kept having to lean on my buddies Joe and Laura (like a pendulum going back and forth) to avoid watching the head of person sitting in front of me.
Screen: Tiny, the fact made worse by a balcony seating above which constricted the view of the screen for those sitting below.
Sound: Absolutely horrible. If you can imagine the entire cinema full of kids being quiet then you might catch what the actors are saying. It was the quietest sound system I've ever heard - my t.v. can get louder than that.
General atmosphere: Less than satisfactory. Too many lights were on - I wouldn't mind the small screen as much if there weren't two bright lights shining from the back directly on the screen.
Joe tells me that this was a horrible example of a British cinema though, so I'm willing to give it a second chance in future.
India
Overall Score: Has a character, but I don't think I like it.
Movie/Location: Mere Brother Ki Dulhan, Nadiad
Seating: Really nice for an average theater. Plenty of leg room, seating is all going up so no one's heads are in the way, and you can recline! I *have seen fully reclining seats in India too. Much better than what it used to be 10 years ago.
Screen: Decent size. Not extraordinary but definitely satisfactory.
Sound: Terrifying. I hadn't been prewarned and my heart and brain nearly exploded at the first note. It's SO LOUD. You couldn't hear your own scream if you tried. It's nice for watching movies with people who talk too much, but STILL. It might kill my eardrums if I watch enough movies there.
General Atmosphere: Entertaining for an outsider. It's completely dark, it's loud as a rock concert, and then all of a sudden lights go out and the movie stops. Twice. And you suddenly start to hear people's really funny conversations - people are talking to the screen and what not. Also, let's not forget the intermission when people come around asking if you want food.
Indian theaters have changed a lot in last ten years. Especially the seating and the sound system. The older cinemas still exist and sell cheaper tickets - I think the sound is mainly in response to the public talking at the screen. You make the movie so loud it doesn't matter. I guess it's better than the too-low-sound experience especially if you care about the movie.
Singapore
Okay, first of all, I last went to movie there 3 years ago. So memories are vague and review's not recent. But I thought I'd add it on the list.
Overall Score: Very Satisfactory
Movie/Location: Wanted (the English one), somewhere in Downtown Singapore
Seating: Decent. Not extraordinary but comfortable (could have used more leg room). I didn't have the problem of seeing people's heads in the way.
Screen: Big.<3
Sound: Okay, so it was unremarkable because I don't remember. I am guessing that means it was just about right volume with a lovely breakdown into a surround system. And it's Singapore so obviously everything's good quality.
General Atmosphere: Inside the theater, it was just about you and the movie. You could hear the dialogues but it wasn't so loud it could drive you crazy. People around behaved and didn't talk. It was perfect, maybe a bit too perfect if you didn't like the movie and were looking for other sort of entertainment. The seats were assigned and had different cost for different seats. I thought that was lame - I believe in socializing theater seating and leaving it up to luck. (I might be biased though because we got the last available seats and they weren't that great)
Outside the theater, there was a big mall and a nice seating/hanging out area. This pattern of mall/theater/hang out spots repeats throughout the downtown. Like I said, it's nice but maybe a bit too perfect.
United States
I've seen too many movies in a wide range of theaters here. So I'll make general statements.
You can get the street entertainment and see people selling drugs if you go to lovely theaters in some parts of Memphis. The seating's average but satisfying, so are the sound and the screen.
You can get the cozy feel by going to small town theaters in Maine where you sit on the couch and hope that maybe today Patrick Dempsey, who lives in the next town, will come here as well. Or you can just enjoy the show. The screen's small, but so is the theater so it's not a problem. You're close enough.
On a normal day you can go to the theater in Uptown NYC where the premiers are held and the screens are lined with lovely sculptures. The screen's alright sized (bit small for the theater but not so small you have trouble seeing) and the sound's just about right volume though not as much of a surround effect as you could get in Singapore.
The best part is that all over the cost of ticket is around the same (a little hiked in NY but it's NY), and the seating is first come first serve. Take your pick. You'll see a movie, maybe annoying people will talk but you'll still hear the dialogues. Tada.
xxx
I have lots of thoughts on religious intolerance in India right now that I'll write about when I get home
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