Where to Watch Dunkirk

ImitationHam

Hi there,

Just wondering where would be the best place to watch Dunkirk. There's a showing in Omniplex MAXX Cinemascope in Dundalk, but I was considering going to the 70mm showing in the IFI.

I am wondering, which screen would be larger primarily, because though 70mm the IFI screen from what I've seen doesn't look as large as a MAXX screen. Of course the added bonus of 70mm means better detail, but would the size and ratio be the same in both cinemas or does IFI win on all accounts?

Thanks,
ImitationHam

johnny_ultimate

In Ireland? IFI. 70mm trumps all other considerations.

That said, if you have a good screen nearby and it's a big trek to Dublin you'll still more than get the essence of the film. 70mm is always a welcome treat though

ImitationHam

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

In Ireland? IFI. 70mm trumps all other considerations.

That said, if you have a good screen nearby and it's a big trek to Dublin you'll still more than get the essence of the film. 70mm is always a welcome treat though

Well then that might be it settled, but would 70mm be bigger than the MAXX aswell?

Many thanks!

tommythecat

Well I would watch it in Dundalk as the Sound will be in Dolby Atmos which for a movie like this will be amazing.The IFI sound is pretty poor. I find the Maxx screens to be great and to be honest the detail on a digital print is so amazing anyway you would be better going for the far superior sound experience.

ImitationHam

I suppose my main issue is, I don't really know if 70mm makes the image bigger, or if 70mm is just a matter of better resolution plus wider ratio?

If the MAXX Cinemascope is the same as IMAX Digital 70mm I would choose that, but the distinction is made unclear because isn't Cinemascope meant to be 35mm?

johnny_ultimate

70mm film has a noticeably different aesthetic and feel to digital. Colours in particular are richer and more distinct. Not everyone will notice, and it's partly a purist thing for sure. But imo it's massively noticeable, and a big leap over either digital or 35mm.

The MAXX stuff is mostly just marketing nonsense tbh for a pretty good digital screen.

eviltimeban

This isn't showing in 48 fps is it? If so then I'm not going!

johnny_ultimate

eviltimeban wrote: »

This isn't showing in 48 fps is it? If so then I'm not going!

No, Christopher Nolan doesn't hate cinema like Peter Jackson and James Cameron do

ImitationHam

Mr.S wrote: »

Saw this on reddit today:



Explains all the different formats.

Though Ireland doesn't have proper IMAX, we just have Digital IMAX with a slightly bigger screen and then other big screens like iSense in the Odeon.

So from what you're saying, it isn't true IMAX but it is still using the Digital IMAX 70mm (when it says MAXX Cinemascope) as the film was shot with? So the image size will be the same (or in fact bigger) as 70mm in the IFI, just the aesthetic and colour will be different. If that is the case, I will choose MAXX Cinemascope, as the trek to Dublin for the day is quite expensive and I do like better sound quality and a bigger, more captivating screen.

Many thanks for the help everybody!

Sad Professor

ImitationHam wrote: »

So from what you're saying, it isn't true IMAX but it is still using the Digital IMAX 70mm (when it says MAXX Cinemascope) as the film was shot with? So the image size will be the same (or in fact bigger) as 70mm in the IFI, just the aesthetic and colour will be different. If that is the case, I will choose MAXX Cinemascope, as the trek to Dublin for the day is quite expensive and I do like better sound quality and a bigger, more captivating screen.

Many thanks for the help everybody!

You can't see the film in 70mm IMAX in Ireland. The closest place would be the UK. "MAXX" is just a standard digital, nothing special about it.

From best to worst:
- IFI 70mm
- Lighthouse 35mm
- Cineworld fake IMAX
- everywhere else

ImitationHam

Decision made and tickets purchased.

IFI wins out. Just had an email back from IFI saying that the equivalent digital image of 70mm would be 10/12K in resolution. I honestly don't think I've seen such a resolution before, I haven't even seen 4K. The Omniplex MAXX in Dundalk in Cinemascope, the email informs me, is only in 2K resolution, so a little more powerful than a standard 1080p television and the resolution I seen The Force Awakens in Cinemascope in the Omniplex in Cork. Also, the email confirmed that IFI is displaying it in 2.20:1 ratio, the ratio Nolan intended for it to be seen.

The Cinemascope technique Omniplex uses brings the screen forward with a curve making it 21m, which makes the screen feel like it is encompassing your entire vision. Though the screen in IFI is probably a bit bigger than the standard cinema screen, the image quality of 70mm definitely has won me over, and checking out the actual screen in images (what I was looking at before was a Dunkirk poster in front of the screen with the curtains, that were hard to make out, still covering the outer edges of the screen). I did contact Omniplex, but they just said the film was shot in "Cinema Scope" and that's what they're showcasing it in... which doesn't really sound right because the film was shot in IMAX Digital 70mm as well as analogue 70mm film, so I take it Omniplex are imitating to the best of their ability whilst trying not to say "yeah... it's not the real thing." So I would rather the still pretty large, wide screen of IFI (Seems like it may be 15 feet (or bigger); standard MAXX flat screen. Not as tall as a MAXX screen, but I suppose height isn't what we're looking for with a 2.20:1 ratio.

Also on audio quality, I imagine that given the 65mm being visual imprint and the other 5mm being pure audio that would make the audio (despite the sound system of IFI) be portrayed as Nolan/Zimmer would have intended, like hearing a vinyl record (I am a bit of a snob for analogue sound myself). The email would also seem to suggest that the 70mm would have better audio quality, perhaps the reason why it did not sound as good before was due to it not being a 70mm film, that said I do hope the speaker systems have improved since what I'm hearing from people's previous experiences.

Plus the seating looks actually pretty nice, I thought the seating looked very uncomfortable and drab (image has grey seats, found in google search), but on their Facebook page (where I also found the actual screen size) the seats look far better than some cinema seats I've sat in before.

That impact on colouration and aesthetic mentioned by johnny_ultimate I would also appreciate, I imagine it would be far better than that of the current standard for HDR in 4K TVs we hear about today.

Plus, I imagine, no one will talk or eat loudly at this screening.

So, pros to IFI;
- The 2.20:1 ratio
- 10/12K resolution
- Sound quality
- Nice wide screen
- And an affinity to see something displayed like Lawrence of Arabia, only ever seen it on the TV.

Cons;
Money money money moooooooooooooney... money.

That settled, myself and the girlfriend appreciate your help in cinema deciding!
Many thanks.

Catcher7791

Sound in IFI Cinema Two might not be the best, but the sound in One, where all the 70mm screenings take place, is excellent, so I'm surprised to see it faulted for that.

it's also a strange situation where 35mm is the third best choice of ways to see it (after Imax, but ahead of DCP), so it's doubtful that the Lighthouse is the best place to experience it.

ImitationHam

Catcher7791 wrote: »

Sound in IFI Cinema Two might not be the best, but the sound in One, where all the 70mm screenings take place, is excellent, so I'm surprised to see it faulted for that.

Well, that is the sound situation cleared up!

horse7

ImitationHam wrote: »

Well, that is the sound situation cleared up!

I liked the trailer,but it's really a boring well acted well filmed movie.