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Topic: Lighthouse

Terry Monohan
Master Film Handler

Posts: 379
From: San Francisco CA USA
Registered: May 2014

posted 10-27-2019 11:44 AM

We saw the new b&w 1.2 image Lighthouse movie yesterday at the Balboa Theatre in San Francisco CA.
The stereo surround and stage fog horns all during this film will pull you in to this dark story. Many segments have a dream type part added also to keep you interested.

Some of our group had to cover their eyes during three segments of the feature. Most did not enjoy the animal cruelty segment shown. I enjoyed most of the movie but It was too bad the independent Balboa Theatre in SF has no masking so the entire movie just showed in a tiny middle spot with white screen on the sides. They have one of the smallest screens In SF. To me the Balboa Theatre at least in the semi larger space does not have the surrounds turned up as well as their other cinema showing 'Joker' on the left.

A few of my projection friends have told me that there are no notes for projectionists or managers about this special aspect ratio of Lighthouse. Some customers have complained about what they think is the wrong size projected on the screen. Two art cinema friends have told me a few movie theatres even tried to project the image in wide screen scope, that looked so bad. They complained and the image was fixed.

The movie starts off very slow, good thing they filmed in b&w as the cold look of the old lighthouse along with the rough ocean plus storms added to the classic look. Both actors did a great job stuck on this lonely lighthouse island for more then 4 weeks plus. You will see them both up at Oscar® time.

The Balboa Theatre in SF needs to start a fund for new rugs. The old thin one is so patched up in the lobby, we saw a old tug boat looking lady trip and fall on one of the tape patch held together sections on her way to see the 'Lighthouse'. Her husband helped her up so I think she was ok. She may have had a few rum drinks before seeing the film?

The art house crowd will enjoy the movie but It is not for everybody, very slow but intense in places.

If It was a foggy day we would have heard real fog horns coming out on the street of the Balboa Theatre as It is not that far from the ocean.

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Mike Croaro
Master Film Handler

Posts: 394
From: Millbrae, CA
Registered: Apr 2005

posted 10-30-2019 03:01 PM

I really wish filmakers would just stick to 1:66, 1:85, or 2:35.

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Marcel Birgelen
Film God

Posts: 3357
From: Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands
Registered: Feb 2012

posted 10-30-2019 03:38 PM

The movie is on very limited release around here, currently just some film festivals. I guess it will hit rental/streaming before it hits the arthouse...

quote: Terry Monohan
Most did not enjoy the animal cruelty segment shown.

It's probably the reason why I can't motivate the wife to go see it... But I guess, enjoying it wasn't entirely the point either. [Wink]

quote: Mike Croaro
I really wish filmakers would just stick to 1:66, 1:85, or 2:35.

Nowadays, they can't even stick to a single aspect ratio for the runtime of the movie...

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Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."

Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 10-30-2019 11:09 PM

quote: Terry Monohan
Most did not enjoy the animal cruelty segment shown.

Any movie production really has to be careful about including scenes of animal cruelty these days, even if it's just a simulated put-on that isn't for real. Lots of people are really touchy about animal cruelty. That even goes for some who hunt and/or fish regularly. My dad falls into that camp. Cruelty to animals, particularly animals that can be pets, really bothers the shit out of a wide variety of people. I remember getting upset by a sub plot involving a dog in the bad sequel to the 80's version of The Fly, I hated the movie only that much more because the sub plot seemed like a very obscene form of manipulation. I mean, seriously, fuck that movie.

40-50 years ago a director could get away with killing animals for real on screen. At least a few westerns have had scenes of real snakes getting shot by the "hero." Dead real donkeys were tossed off a bridge in a scene from Patton. An explicit ritual slaughter of a water buffalo was part of the climax in Apocalypse Now. I don't think either scene could be shot that way today without dummy animals or CGI. And even those scenes would have to be edited down pretty heavily. Documentaries and movies that have a documentary element to them can still get away with it to some degree, but even they are taking their chances at completely repulsing (and even abusing) audience members. The end of Fast Food Nation takes viewers into a real cattle processing plant. And you get to see real living cattle get killed and butchered in an assembly line process. Not easy to watch at all. I'm sure any warnings about that scene would convince many people to avoid watching the movie at all.

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Carl Martin
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1424
From: Oakland, CA, USA
Registered: Feb 2002

posted 12-12-2019 05:16 AM

quote: Mike Croaro
I really wish filmakers would just stick to 1:66, 1:85, or 2:35.

there doesn't seem to be a standard for 1.66. we have presets for 1.78, 1.85, and 2.39 scope (though we've had a couple 2.35's come through, which of course are narrower than 2.39, not taller, because everything has to be different with digital). any other ratio dcp plays through our custom channel that is tweaked on a movie by movie basis. it's bothersome, but not unusual, when we have more than one oddball movie any given week.

quote: Terry Monohan
It was too bad the independent Balboa Theatre in SF has no masking so the entire movie just showed in a tiny middle spot with white screen on the sides.

by the time we got the movie a 1.85 short had been added to the beginning. all baked into the same cpl. so 7-something minutes in we have to go down to the screen and pull the rope to bring in the manual masking. on the small screen we can get it in far enough. on the big screen close will have to do.

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