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Post by alece10 on Mar 20, 2023 19:13:43 GMT
I think there was perhaps something wrong at the cinema - I don’t recall thinking it was dark at all. Visually anyway! Thanks for confirming that. I had my suspicion as the adverts and trailers seemed the same and didn't think it was my eyesight. |
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Post by A.Ham on Mar 20, 2023 21:02:18 GMT
I think there was perhaps something wrong at the cinema - I don’t recall thinking it was dark at all. Visually anyway! Thanks for confirming that. I had my suspicion as the adverts and trailers seemed the same and didn't think it was my eyesight. I’d be getting onto them to request a refund or some comp tickets for next time at least! |
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Post by alicechallice on Mar 20, 2023 22:18:15 GMT
Just returned from watching this in my local Vue cinema. I'd seen it on stage and thought it transferred well. Some nice performances. Am I right in thinking that the very, very end was not in the play? (not to spoil it for anyone). The cinema kept the house lights off for the credits so everyone stayed in their seats. Thought this was good as it meant you could gather your thoughts before the lights came up. Can anyone who has seen it tell me if it was very dark? I mean in brightness rather than content. To me everything was really dark and hard to see so don't know if it was intentional or something wrong at the cinema. I think it’s a standard problem now, I don’t know the exact science but it’s to do with the films all being shot digitally and the projecting equipment not creating any light on the screen anymore i.e. the antithesis of the celluloid experience. It’s very bad at my local Odeon and marginally better at Cineworld but still not perfect. It does make for a frustrating experience. Particularly bad for this film, I agree, as it’s set in a gloomy, grey hospital. |
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Post by distantcousin on Mar 20, 2023 22:30:52 GMT
I enjoyed until {Spoiler - click to view}
the last five minutes when it went from gentle comedy to Dr Crippen to Party Political Broadcast in quick succession.
Was that in the play? Same. It was ghastly.
No, it was Richard Eyre's decision to crowbar that in, apparently.
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Post by Jon on Mar 21, 2023 0:45:32 GMT
I did enjoy Allelujah although I do think the revelation about Nurse Gilpin should have been revealed earlier in the film rather than at the end, wasn't keen on the new ending either |
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Post by mkb on Mar 22, 2023 0:41:30 GMT
I think there was perhaps something wrong at the cinema - I don’t recall thinking it was dark at all. Visually anyway! Thanks for confirming that. I had my suspicion as the adverts and trailers seemed the same and didn't think it was my eyesight. The ads will have been flat (1.85 ratio), the movie scope (i.e. 2.39), so, assuming you weren't in one of those dreadful auditoria with scope films shown letter-boxed, the same light is projected anamorphically over a bigger area resulting in a less bright image. The brightness of the image from digital projectors degrades over time, and some cinemas allow this to reach an unacceptable level before replacing light sources. Definitely complain loudly and often to senior staff, as that's the only way to stop this happening. According to the following article, some in the industry recommend a minimum brightness of 14 footlamberts (a quaint US unit of measure). It also covers many of my bugbears about cinema exhibition. www.vulture.com/2023/03/movie-theater-projector-amc-regal.html |
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Post by mkb on Mar 22, 2023 0:44:53 GMT
Loved the play; loved the movie. Quite different in many ways, but both excellent.
Imdb seems to be full of people who were disappointed they didn't get a romcom. Another failure of marketing.
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Post by alece10 on Mar 22, 2023 17:55:33 GMT
No luck from Vue customer services. They said that I should have complained at the time to the cinema staff and that customer services are mainly there foe online booking issues.
Told them I didn't complain at the time as I wasn't sure if it was just filmed that way and wasn't until I spoke to others who have seen the film that it wasn't the case.
Never mind it was only £7.99 and I only go to the cinema about once a year anyway.
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Post by theatregoer22 on Mar 22, 2023 19:11:29 GMT
Saw a preview screening last year and other than the scenes between David Bradley and Russell Tovey, I thought it was quite poor. Also, the ending seemed to undermine the rest of the story.
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Post by mkb on Mar 22, 2023 23:38:22 GMT
No luck from Vue customer services. They said that I should have complained at the time to the cinema staff and that customer services are mainly there foe online booking issues. Told them I didn't complain at the time as I wasn't sure if it was just filmed that way and wasn't until I spoke to others who have seen the film that it wasn't the case. Never mind it was only £7.99 and I only go to the cinema about once a year anyway. Of all the cinema chains, Vue has by far the worst customer service. Complaining to the onsite manager achieves nothing in my experience. They are instructed to refer you to the online people, who send you cut-and-paste unrelated responses and then ignore you after that. The best bet with Vue is to do a chargeback on your credit card if you didn't get what you paid for. |
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Post by alece10 on Mar 23, 2023 2:09:29 GMT
No luck from Vue customer services. They said that I should have complained at the time to the cinema staff and that customer services are mainly there foe online booking issues. Told them I didn't complain at the time as I wasn't sure if it was just filmed that way and wasn't until I spoke to others who have seen the film that it wasn't the case. Never mind it was only £7.99 and I only go to the cinema about once a year anyway. Of all the cinema chains, Vue has by far the worst customer service. Complaining to the onsite manager achieves nothing in my experience. They are instructed to refer you to the online people, who send you cut-and-paste unrelated responses and then ignore you after that. The best bet with Vue is to do a chargeback on your credit card if you didn't get what you paid for. Funny you should say that as in my initial communication I made it very clear what the issue was but they replied as if I was talking about the house lighting and said that it was dimmed for adverts and then turned off for the film and that there.was strip lighting on the floor if I needed to leave the cinema during the film. I politely told them to re-read my complaint. |
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Post by showgirl on Mar 23, 2023 4:28:09 GMT
Re Vue in general: another issue with all their sites is that because they are multi-screen venues with minimal staffing - beyond the initial refreshment sales & ticket checkpoint - not only can your particular screen be a long distance from the foyer but possibly up or down several flights of stairs, eg in Croydon. As I always arrive early, then, if there is any issue, eg sound, lighting etc, wait to see if it's resolved, I'd probably risk missing the start of the film itself if I then had to go in search of a staff member.
Also, having been to their Croydon and Islington sites several times recently, I've been disturbed and annoyed to have someone charging into the auditorium mid-film (twice on one occasion) and marching around with a clipboard before leaving just as abruptly and with no apology or explanation. Presumably a member of staff and I haven't yet got round to contacting Vue about it but it shows complete contempt and disregard for their customers - any who actually attend to see the film that is, rather than chat, scoff and socialise with friends.
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Post by jgblunners on Mar 23, 2023 6:33:26 GMT
Also, having been to their Croydon and Islington sites several times recently, I've been disturbed and annoyed to have someone charging into the auditorium mid-film (twice on one occasion) and marching around with a clipboard before leaving just as abruptly and with no apology or explanation. Presumably a member of staff and I haven't yet got round to contacting Vue about it but it shows complete contempt and disregard for their customers - any who actually attend to see the film that is, rather than chat, scoff and socialise with friends. This is something called screen check. I am not sure about policies for other chains, but at Vue each screening must be checked 3 times - during adverts, shortly after the film starts, and in the middle of the film. It is the duty of the screen checker to look out for problems with the picture, sound, or lighting, as well as checking that the correct film is playing and that no-one in the auditorium is recording in any way. Official policy is that the screen checker has to enter the screen and walk all the way up one of the aisles to do these checks. However, as you say this is often distracting to audience members so lots of screen checkers just stand by the entrance to do the checks in order to minimise disruption. |
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Post by mkb on Mar 23, 2023 12:11:35 GMT
Also, having been to their Croydon and Islington sites several times recently, I've been disturbed and annoyed to have someone charging into the auditorium mid-film (twice on one occasion) and marching around with a clipboard before leaving just as abruptly and with no apology or explanation. Presumably a member of staff and I haven't yet got round to contacting Vue about it but it shows complete contempt and disregard for their customers - any who actually attend to see the film that is, rather than chat, scoff and socialise with friends. This is something called screen check. I am not sure about policies for other chains, but at Vue each screening must be checked 3 times - during adverts, shortly after the film starts, and in the middle of the film. It is the duty of the screen checker to look out for problems with the picture, sound, or lighting, as well as checking that the correct film is playing and that no-one in the auditorium is recording in any way. Official policy is that the screen checker has to enter the screen and walk all the way up one of the aisles to do these checks. However, as you say this is often distracting to audience members so lots of screen checkers just stand by the entrance to do the checks in order to minimise disruption. All the technical checks were things a projectionist used to be able to do unobtrusively from his/her box. At my local Odeon, the scope image alignment with the scope screen in one auditorium has been out since last summer, but it has been impossible to get anyone to fix it. |
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Post by A.Ham on Mar 23, 2023 13:00:15 GMT
Thanks for explaining what these people are for - I assumed it was to check people weren’t filming but it’s incredibly annoying as inevitably it’s distracting and you can guarantee their check will coincide with an emotional or pivotal moment.
I had to laugh at a free screening I went to recently, where an usher came in at least twice during the film, marched down the centre aisle then stood in the corner at the front holding up a device, which I assume was to help him spot anyone recording the film. A sensible precaution for a preview of an upcoming blockbuster perhaps… but the film was Love Actually!
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Post by distantcousin on Mar 23, 2023 13:23:50 GMT
ooh, I've seen some comments on Facebook to a posting advertising the film with a trailer. Lots of women very disappointed it's not a gentle comedy, and realising what a terrible idea it was to take their ageing mothers to see it.
I will say, based on this trailer alone the edit is rather misleading and you have to wonder why film companies do this (deliberately mask "elements" of a film - see also Sweeney Todd being a musical!!)
The trailer gives no hint to the darkness of Allelujah at all.
They can't know Bennett's work/reputation that well. One poor lady was expecting another "Lady In The Van"
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