On our
visit we enjoyed a wonderful dessert - and just admired the view
(and people) around us. You can look out over the expansive lobby...
...look up at the huge
glass walls that surround the Dome (which lights up an electric blue at
night)...
...or try to find your
favorites among the huge display of movie poster images on the wall over
the dining area.
The room reminded me of
the California Adventure Animation building lobby - a well designed
space that is a delight to the eye. Sadly it was the first thing that
got cut in the Paris version of the same building at the new Studios
park.
Adjacent to
the ArcLight Complex is the new home of San Francisco's Amoeba
Music. If you miss what Tower Records used to be, and what
Virgin never became (exciting) -- and you've wondered what happened to
salespeople who actually have some idea of what you are asking for in a
music purchase, this is the place for you.
Amoeba hosts bands on many
nights for free (I had the unique joy of seeing the Blind Boys of
Alabama here on the stage recently), and some rather good DJs fill in if
they don't have anyone booked. The product is a mix of both new (at list
pricing) and used (a much better value) music, DVD and video. Chances
are good that if it is out of print you'll find it here somewhere, the
selection is that extensive. As an ex-music guy, this place brings back
some of those feelings of fun I used to have when I used to walk into a
music store.
(By the way -
for you Disneyland fans - in the display case full of collectibles
you'll find a MINT copy of the Mattel "Musical Map: Your Trip to
Disneyland" picture disc set. Produced in 1955 the one copy they
have left (they originally had two) is in uncut condition. It is a six
page fold out with five one sided 7" cardboard cartoon picture
disc 78 RPM records. At the top of the sixth page are character
cut-outs, which could be placed on the record player tone arm. I won't
tell you how much it costs (it's one of those things that if you have
to ask, you cannot afford) but I've gone it to look at it a few times
to enjoy it.
Also across the street
from the complex are the Los Angeles Film School (which has taken over
the old RCA building - Elvis Presley's manager, Colonel Parker used to
keep offices here), and the animation house Klasky
Csupo (home to the RugRats) which includes a company store you can
visit.
Next to Klasky Csupo
you'll see what is now a construction site - this used to be the home of
Wallach's Music City, and the one building still standing is the old ABC
studios. Look closely at the photo below and you'll see what inspired
the ABC Soap Opera Bistro at California Adventure.
The building is being kept
as part of a new mixed retail and residential project that is being
constructed now. This new trend has people living over shopping malls
(in a way just like you do in New York and London over shops), and it
should be finished in the next year or so.
ArcLight is
one of a new breed of reserved seating, premium priced theaters
that are starting to show up in major markets. The idea is to make your
movie going a little less hectic, and to provide you with a destination
(as opposed to just one stop of many) on an evening out. By offering
reserved seats, you can stay and enjoy a drink, shop a little and spend
your money all in one place, instead of outside the complex. The idea is
to make things easier for you, this is a full service environment.
Admission is steep on
Friday nights through Sunday mornings ($14) and a reduced price of $11
is offered the rest of the week if you sign up as a member. One nice
thing is that you can purchase your tickets in advance at their website,
over the phone or at the automated kiosks in front of the theater free
of any service charges. (Just try that with 777-FILM.) Parking is
validated for three hours for a movie, or one hour for dining or
shopping. The 14 new theaters
are "black box" state of the art - even the front rows are set
back about double the length back than in normal theaters. (I have a
separate note below about the Dome itself and its unique problems.)
After
an usher welcomes you to the theater, they remind everyone not to
talk and to turn off their cell phones. You are guaranteed no ads before
the movie (just trailers), and there is no more seating allowed five
minutes into the film. The membership lets you accumulate points with
any purchase in the complex, which will then add up to free concession
items or admissions. Your membership also entitles you to advance notice
on special events, where you can meet screenwriters and directors before
a screening. Recent bookings included a retrospective of Milos Forman's
films, and a visit by Richard Rush, the director of the Stunt Man.
There are some minor
problems with the complex - which will be dealt with. Everything is
still new, so landscaping and signage are still being installed.
Staffers are still learning their jobs, so service can be a little iffy.
Exiting parking can be a long wait, since the booths are also still
learning what to do. And although Amoeba's opening next door has
made the neighborhood a little more pedestrian friendly, this is still a
part of town that warrants caution, especially late at night.
As for the
Dome itself... well, I'll be blunt here. The restoration only
locked in the problems this theater has, it didn't fix them. Not that
Pacific didn't try to improve things mind you - but a rather large group
of "preservationists" got involved and pushed them to retain
the original Dome configuration.
Since the Dome was
originally designed for a three projection system, the screen is
extremely curved. It is curved so much that films cannot be kept in
focus from the middle to the sides when projected with a single machine
upon it. Also the projection booth sits too high up - which means that
the film is somewhat projected down onto the screen from above - making
for sag in the middle of the picture. A line that is supposed to
be projected straight across the screen in other words, from side to
side, ends up looking like it curves down in the middle, then back up.
This can be a nightmare if you are looking at big horizon shots
("Lawrence of Arabia" comes to mind) as it just plain distorts
things on every movie.
The other problem is with
the Dome design itself and the sound quality. Yes, they can play it
loud, but most of the sound ends up bouncing around up in the ceiling
itself, and gets muddy.
When Disney
decided on using the Dome to premier and showcase Madonna's Evita,
director Alan Parker got so upset he insisted they retrofit the theater
inside to get a flat screen and block off the ceiling above to fix the
sound. Disney did a superb job in building another temporary theater for
him INSIDE the Dome, with a new sound system to boot.
The movie looked and
sounded spectacular (even if it wasn't very good) and Pacific was
considering the reconfiguration as a permanent change to the interior of
the theater. Alas, unless
another studio decides to do what Disney did for this one booking, we'll
continue to be stuck with the less than optimal conditions the Dome now
has.
What
impressed me so much about this complex was how ambitious it was
- they are trying new things and exploring new ways to present a film.
One reader wrote in, after I announced this was going to be the follow
up piece and said:
I really must
contest your holding up the ArcLight as an example of positive
architecture, theming, or pricing. Inside the building, there really
is no décor. It's most plain white walls with a poster here and
there. The architecture is sterile, like an elaborate office complex
that feels more in keeping with the City of Industry than Hollywood.
As for the pricing, it's a joke. All my friends and co-workers -
serious cinephiles working in the entertainment industry - scoff at
the $14 (or even $11) ticket price. As for the merchandise, the
overpriced gift shop fails to take advantage of the Cinerama Dome and
the small clutch of Cinerama films, instead selling generic film books
and knick-knacks to be found all over Los Angeles. All of this should
be no surprise as ArcLight is owned by Pacific Theatres, which are (if
my memory serves me correct) in turn owned by Disney.
Compare
ArcLight to the vastly superior Bridge Cinema de Lux. The Bridge is
easy to navigate, has a giant IMAX screen (the Cinerama Dome's deeply
curved screen is only ideal if one is sitting toward the front and
dead center), and it even features student discounts on the regular
screens, meaning one can see a film at half the cost of the ArcLight
at times. Moreover, The Bridge has a wonderful retro airport theme,
with its attendants in stewardess costumes and
"arrivals-and-departures" boards. ArcLight is the California
Adventure to The Bridge's Disneyland. (Ironically, news has come down
about ArcLight's having to cut its $14 prices, essentially foregoing
the membership requirements. Do such almost-instantaneous price cuts
at a new attraction remind you of anyplace else?)
I've been
to the Bridge complex, and while I agree with you some of the
theming details were a little better within the theater building itself
- the rest of the experience left a lot to be desired. The mall is
really not up to the same class as the theater (a Nordstrom's Rack and
Barnes & Nobel were the major tenants, plus lots of fast food
joints). It really isn't a destination since it is so far away from just
about anything else of a similar nature in the area. I had to pay
service charges on tickets purchased at the box office, and found the
help aloof. After paying a premium price (no matinee discounting was
allowed) overall I left disappointed - the bar was still closed, the
dining not open yet.
I do have the feeling once
the ArcLight complex fills in, and the mixed used shopping /
residential development across the street is finished, that this will be
a much more inviting environment than the Bridge complex. It's just more
interesting to look at if nothing else. And I think the pricing
situation is confusing at ArcLight, so that may be what they are
reacting to. The screening I attended was about half full by the way -
not bad for a reissue of an old film. (I suspect they were disappointed
with the E.T. debut - but that re-issue played poorly nationwide.) But
you are right in one key respect, the Dome itself is a problem, and will
continue to be so.
Meanwhile,
I still continue to get e-mail about the last installment on Hollywood
and Highland. One particular note from a kind soul helped explain
why I found this particular project so interesting, and worth comparing
to Disney parks:
Al... It's
interesting that you are profiling Hollywood and Highland. Are you
aware that the project was actually developed and designed
(preliminary) at Walt Disney Imagineering (WDI) as a proposal for
Disney to execute? The Walt Disney Co. (WDC) actually underwrote the
conceptual design of that project, decided not to move forward and the
project's developer (David Malmuth of Times Square fame) left the
company, lifted the concept and the consultants that were involved and
continued the process with an outside developer. WDI didn't get upset
about it either.
It was not
executed to the degree of the original vision, but owes a great debt
creatively to WDI and even to John De Cuir, the production designer
who while at Landmark entertainment, originally suggested doing the
Intolerance set on that corner as part of a mall in the mid eighties..
:) He got his wish! I bet you didn't know that...
Thank you for that note, I
knew some of the details, but not all. And it is obvious why I (and so
many others) have found this project so interesting.
Additional
information:
The
ArcLight Hollywood is located at 6360 Sunset Blvd. between Vine
and Ivar. Validated parking (3 hrs free for a film, 1 hr free if
shopping or dining) is available at the rear of the complex, accessible
via Ivar and DeLongpre.
Tickets may be purchased
sans service charges at the kiosks outside, via the website www.arclightcinemas.com,
or at (323) 464-4226.
Amoeba
Music is located next door at 6400 Sunset Blvd between Ivar and
Chauengha. (323) 245-6400. Their site is at www.amoebamusic.com
Klasky
Csupo is across the street, at 6353 Sunset Blvd, between Vine and
Ivar. www.klaskycsupo.com is
the company site - www.cooltoons.com/shows/store
is the store site - and the company presents a photo tour inside the
building at www.klaskycsupo.com/data/buildings.html
Ok, we
visited Hollywood and Highland, the ArcLight Cinema complex, and
now there is one other brand new development left. Next we'll take a
look at a place that has a Main Street full of shops and a double-decker
trolley...
...and no, it isn't
Disneyland, it's the Grove at
Farmer's Market.
Another new place that may
be just "More Disney Than Disney."
Al Lutz may be e-mailed at
al@mouseplanet.com - Keep in
mind the volume of e-mail he receives may not allow for a personal
response.
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