Mann Village theater continues its dominance in LA

The Mann Village has been my favorite theater in LA ever since I arrived here almost four years ago. It's huge, beautiful, and consistently has the best film projection I have ever seen. The sound system is equally impressive, though I'm far less qualified to report on that front.

The theater itself is located in Westwood Village, the cozy well-maintained town surrounding UCLA. Westwood Village, according to one friend, was built for the expressed purpose of hosting major Hollywood movie premieres and it's quite easy to believe that's true. About half of all Hollywood premieres do occur in Westwood Village (though supposed "news" outlets that cover such events always describe the location as Hollywood). The location also has the added bonus of filling the theater with college kids every weekend. If you enjoy the energy of a packed theater on opening night, this is the place to be.

Add to all that a state-of-the-art DLP digital projection system for those (few) movies available in digital. It was installed about four years ago and cemented the Mann Village's status as the best theater in LA - and therefore among the tops in the world ("best" includes not only technical aspects but all the aforementioned as well).

And now there's this tidbit of information - they are one of the few theaters in the country to have upgraded to a 2k projector (a digital projector that matches the resolution of the most demanding high-def standard - 1080p). Just in time to host the LA premiere of Episode III.

This weekend I'll be seeing Episode III again, but for the first time at the Mann Village with its brand new 2k projector. The movie is good, but I expect the projector to be spectacular.

Runner-Up:To its credit, the Arclight Cinemas in Hollywood (where I originally saw Episode III in digital) are also quite excellent and well-worth the extra expense (though perhaps not the drive). But the Arclight is more appropriate for high-quality everyday viewings. Event films still deserve the Mann Village treatment.

Link: Ultimate AV: At the Premier: Star Wars Episode III

I wonder how often this happens...

So the point of this post is not that I subscribed to Match.com (which I did, but let's not talk about that just yet), but rather their amusing legal mumbo-jumbo:

You may resign your Match.com subscription at any time. ...you will not receive a refund unless: 1) you resign within three days of your initial term; 2) you become disabled before the end of your subscription period (such that you are unable to use the services of Match.com); or 3) you die before the end of your subscription period.

Is it just me or does "3) you die before the end of your subscription service" seem a little, I dunno, ineloquent?

Word of the day: Chawbacon

chawbacon, n

1. Not very intelligent or interested in culture [syn: yokel, rube, hick, yahoo, hayseed, bumpkin]

Oddly similar to Chewbacca, yes?

Link: Dictionary.com/chawbacon

Banzai's review of Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith

Now posted at banzaifilms.com

http://www.banzaifilms.com/ViewReview.do?rid=423

Americans with Idol Disabilities Act

Link: Anthony Federov Knocked Off 'Idol' - Yahoo! News

This AP story is pointless "news" about the latest American Idol developments. What's more noteable is this snippet:

The show, broadcast live from Los Angeles, has been racked by controversy as it winds down to a May 24-25 finale. The latest snafu came after Tuesday's show continued previous "Idol" voting problems.

The dial-in phone number for Underwood was displayed on the closed-captioning for all the contestants, possibly aiding her survival. The correct numbers, however, were shown with on-screen graphics and announced by Seacrest.

A statement issued Wednesday by Fox read, "the producers and network apologize to our hearing-impaired viewers for any confusion..."

Let me get this straight. A show that is ostensibly focused on singing talent has to issue a press release apologizing to hearing-impaired viewers who were trying to call-in?