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Massawyrm says D-BOX theaters seats just might be worth the extra $8 ticket price!
Hola all. Massawyrm here.
Will D-Box change the way you watch movies? Will it revolutionize the cinema experience? Will it convince people to rush out to theatres rather than waiting for DVD? No. No. And no. It is however one of the coolest, theme park style rides you can find without having to go to a theme park. For those of you unfamiliar, D-Box is the new theater chair technology that gives you a motion experience along with the visual/audio sensation of a theatrical film. The chair sputters, shakes, convulses and careens along with the movie and adds to the experience of immersing you in the film.
It’s a HELL of a lot of fun.
Is it worth the $8 bucks? Yes. Very much so. $14-20 (depending on your market) is well worth the kind of experience D-Box has to offer…that is if this kind of thing is for you. It’s a roller coaster ride, a gimmick, nothing else. I don’t think this is something that is going to spread to every theater for anywhere near every film, but I do think most theaters will want to have a theater with a couple of rows of these ready for big, earth-shaking blockbusters.
My experience with D-Box was with 15 minutes of TERMINATOR SALVATION. This was the middle section when Marcus and Kyle are fixing the car that leads to a chase, the gas station and then another chase. It was pretty representative of what these things can do. The seats do NOTHING during quiet moments. Dialog, camera movements, small moments – these don’t get the chair treatment. The idea is to let the film speak for itself and never get overly gimmicky. But as soon as Marcus gets the car running the seat rumbled to life. It was the reverberating hum of a churning truck engine. It was a nice start. For the record, this wasn’t experienced every time a scene had an engine running. Just when it was integral to the scene - like a long dormant engine roaring to life.
Then the chase began and we were tearing off down the hill.
The techs recommended that we begin in the middle position, and this gave a great experience. I tried all four settings, the fourth being completely off. At any time – if you’re feeling sick, uneasy or just sick and tired of the seat, you can completely turn it off. The next setting is the lowest which I call “the rumble feature”. The chair just rumbles like the rumble feature on a Playstation controller. No movement. No jerks. Just rumble during explosions and smashes. The middle setting moves you around a bit. There a jerks, swerves and bounces. This feature is quite a bit of fun and probably where many people will settle most of the time.
The final setting is the big bad dog of the chair and where I had the most fun personally. This part was the theme park ride. When the car rounded the corner, the chair swerved and tilted. When the road was bumpy it bounced you around. It was a full on experience. And I LOVED this setting.
The weirdest thing about the D-Box experience is that there is no center of action. The sensation switches to the point of view of whatever is most interesting on the screen at any given time. Rather that feeling like we were riding along in the car with Marcus and Kyle, we also swerved and crashed with the chase bikes, flew with planes and Hunter-Killer drones, swerved across the highway with the tow cable…so while you were participating in all the cool stuff on screen – which arguably is the point – there was no grounding sensation to make you feel like you were participating IN the movie. Just WITH the movie. Not that this is a bad thing – but I think we might see some stylistic choices in the future that might go one way or another.
The process of D-Boxing a film takes roughly 300 man hours and they carefully program the movements to go with each frame of the film. A D-Box seat, when not in motion, isn’t nearly as comfortable as a standard high grade riser seat, so I’m not certain people will ever want to sit in one without paying the extra $8 ticket price to activate it. But it will do the trick if the show sells out and no one wants D-box.
I was allowed to bring several friends in to the test screening to try it out and the whole slew of them returned this past weekend to check out TERMINATOR SALVATION in it. They HATED the movie (I got an earful), but they loved the seat experience and all said they couldn’t wait to try them out on a better movie. As a hardcore film lover I’m torn on these. I’m not sure whether I want my first time seeing a film to be in these seats or sitting in a standard seat (as the filmmaker PROBABLY intended.) I'm leaning towards the latter. However, I would definitely return to see a movie I loved in those seats. I would KILL to see STAR TREK in D-Box, and I might return to give T4 another shot in them. If you enjoy these kinds of gimmick experiences, or like a good theme park ride, this is great thing to try out and give a shot if a nearby theater has it.
Fellow Austinites can check out TERMINATOR SALVATION in D-Box at the Highland Galaxy Theater (which is all digital.) There are also home units available for killer home theater systems. You can find more information, demo videos and the like here at D-Box’s own site.
Until next time friends, smoke ‘em if ya got ‘em.
Massawyrm
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Readers Talkback
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Gimmicks are a last resort when something is struggling. Sometimes they work - like ZZ Top's keychain
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Feel-around movie experience. "And now for our next feature: Deep Throat."
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I've been on many. This isn't a new idea.
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and moving/vibrating movie chairs have been at theme parks forever. Kings Dominion has a Spongebob ride with this tech.
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May 25, 2009, 10:01 a.m. CST
Just imagine what this could do for the porn industry!
by Knuckleduster
Oh, the possibilities...
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William Castle wonders when he gets credit.
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May 25, 2009, 10:10 a.m. CST
Go and watch a film that Ignores Kirk's older brother and scats
by CGI_Blinking_Gorn
If youre not busy
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Now THAT I would pay top dollar for. Or even just real ushers that kick out talkers.
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A real pity this seat technology wasn't available for, say, My Dinner with Andre or Frost/Nixon.
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With 3-D, Imax and now D-Box, going to the movies will soon cost as much as a Yankee game.
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Besides that, I think I'll pass.
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Gimmick used only to get more money out of our pockets. I think I rather watch my movies in regular seats and keep my 8$. <p>Oh, and 3d can suck it also.
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I just cant see this taking off . Imagine if you will . Sitting in your regular , run of the mill seat . While the row behind you are having a whale of a time being thrown around every which way , laughing and shouting as if on a rollercoaster . Now imagine yourself losing the fucking plot and breaking somebody or something because , 1. you couldn't afford the new cool virbo seat and 2. cos they wouldn't shut the fuck up while the film was on . Also , these seats are bound to make some sort of mechanical noise while moving around . Surely .
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when was the past time you paid to see a movie? You can sit there and advocate how great this is all you want but youd get in for free being a reeiwer. For those of us who cant afford to go to a theater frequently do you honestly think people will pay a full 8 dollars the cost of another movie just to have their seat rattle and hum?
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A cute/gimmicky idea that yes, has been done before. But though similar seats have existed in theme park movie "rides" for years, now they want to put these in to regular movie theaters across the country. At the theme parks the seats are programmed for the moves that go along with one film that plays for years at the park. Now we are talking about filmmakers choosing whether or not to spend the extra money to have a seat program made for each film that comes out in a year. My concerns about D-box are: 1) I doubt we will see many romantic comedies getting this treatment, but who decides which films do? The directors, producers, the company execs? And then who oversees the process? Where and when to use it in the film and how much is too much? 2) If this catches on, how distracting is it to the other patrons in the theater not sitting in a D-box seat? I am just trying to enjoy my first time through the film and the seat in front of me is moving and shaking and that patron is commenting to their friend the whole time about "how cool is this dude!" 3) What is the "breakdown ratio" on these things. We all know that the more moving parts you put in something the greater potential rate for breakage. Will there be several with out of order signs on them at any given time in each theater? And many theater patrons don't treat movie theaters with as great a respect as they should anymore. Back when William Castle came up with his great gimmick, people still looked at going out to the movies as a treat. People overall were more polite about not talking during the film, not kicking the seat in front of them, not standing in the seat hollering to their friends in another row before the film (yes, I have seen that happen), etc. At a theme park the ride operators can see the patrons on the ride at all times and will shut the thing down mid-ride if they think necessary and remove anyone abusing the ride or becoming a safety hazard to themselves or other riders. Unless you are lucky enough to be sitting in one of the Alamo Drafthouses, you know that most theater employees won't say boo to a patron during a film anymore. How much abuse can these things take until we all have to start paying more admission (or concession prices) to cover the ongoing cost of repairs of those few seats whether we are the ones sitting in them or not? Just my thoughts/fears.
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D-Box sounds like an interesting concept. I wish I saw Trek in D-Box, because THAT was the best movie of the year. JJ Abrams should be canonized for making Trek what it is. But McG did exactly what I expected - he destroyed Cameron's masterwork and even made Jonathan Mostow's T3 look like a masterpiece. T4 fucking sucked the ass of a rhinoceros and McG should just go back to executive producing Chuck or something like that. Fuck you, McG - all of your movies suck ASS. Thanks for destroying one of the best franchises on the planet. D-box or no D-box.
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who remembers motion master? it was awesome, they had one in manchester at granada studios... the seats REALLY moved, as in on big hydralic pistons and you had a full harness on... the 2 movies in manchester were 15 minute versions of Aliens and Robocop (with some weird flying bike chase sequence.) this sounds like a similar, smaller technology.... could be fun, but id rather have it as a specialty thing, with custom made movies. im not sure anyone would turn down the possibility of a D-box enabled Imax 3d version of star wars, or a Micheal bay car chase.
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Now filmmakers don't have to worry about annoying things like plot and character, everything's a theme park ride!
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Just add a nice vibration everytime Matthew McConnehay is on screen.
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TERMINATOR SUCKED ASS!!!!
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May 25, 2009, 10:58 a.m. CST
If It's Movement in Your Seat You Want, Just Break Wind
by WriteFromLeft
Honestly, eat a tub of that greasy theater popcorn, guzzle down a big drink and let loose during the action scenes. The seat will vibrate like hell and send rude patrons sitting around you running for cover.
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They vibrated the whole floor of the theatre. Every time something happened in the movie it was like I was playing Star Fox 64. The people in the very back where those seats were stuck seemed to have a fine time, though.
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1) How this will affect those around the theater who aren't in those special seats? First off those D-box seats are BOUND to create more noise, either through the movements that sell the seat, or through unexpected noises such as gears squeaking and machine parts not working correctly. Plus there's the unwanted factor of the idiots talking about how cool it is that their chair is moving, and adding them with the idiots who already talk during the movie and we've got a problem. 2) How will the theater monitor who truly paid for which seat? Say there's 20 D-box seats in one room that are intermingled with regular seats and only 15 of them sell for the show. Does that mean then that the rest are freebies, and if so how pissed off will the patrons be who paid the extra amount if they see others getting it for free. I seriously doubt that theater chains will pay extra to have those seats constantly monitored, and I even more doubt that some $6.75 per hour kid will enforce any rules, so you're bound to see some fireworks at each showing between those who paid the extra and those who didn't.
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this is stupidest idea ever.
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May 25, 2009, 11:11 a.m. CST
If a movie doesn't do it on sound and visuals
by Grammaton Cleric Binks
then I'm not interested. There was an episode of Seaquest DSV where they saw Key Largo in Activision (or whatever they called it). You see them coming out of the theater dripping wet. Apparently there was a hurricane scene in the movie so.... Bottom line is we don't need these gimmicks. When I want that kind of stuff I'll go on Terminator the ride at Universal Studios or wherever it is.
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I'll take Stupid Technology for 1000, Alex.
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ladies like to sit on sub woofers but they dont tell you that.
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Dick-box
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I want to see some GOOD Action movies again, you know, with SOLID Storytelling, Characters you care for, without mindless explosions and headache enducing camera work!! Dammit!
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The Bob Bullock Museum in Austin has had this for 10 years, and there was something called "The Edge" at Lakeline Mall that did the same thing 15 years ago. Kudos to the genius who said hey, lets put that in a regular movie theater... I guess.
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no one in their right mind will go for this. and most people will feel dizzy and it will seem nauseating to many. especially to the people who just ate. expect vomit.
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omg you're like so old. i bet you got wrinkles.
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I will try it out this week. Nobody I know wants to see Terminator Salvation so I get to have fun all by myself.
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Actually I'm 35 years old, I'm thrice divorced, and I live in a van down by the river.
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She'll never wanna leave, and it will just be competiton for you.
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they took it all from you? thats okay at least you still got your van.
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are they allowed to do it? i know men cant but i think women can right? and no one really knows when they do it anyway.
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Juiced and ready to kill me.
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Oh man that is way old. They need to show more of that and less of the crap that passes for cartoons today.
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like jizz in his pants while watching a sex scene? is that allowed? how about if you hold your big pop corn thing and use it to stimulate ur penis? what if you make a hole under the pop corn thing and open ur zipper and stick ur cock inside the pop corn thing and place the pop corn thing on ur lap masking the zipper, and then put ur hand inside the pop corn thing pretending to grab some pop corn but in reality you are rubbing alittle. what if you let the girl next to you take some pop corn from you and let her rub a little too. is that okay?
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according to a friend, not only are women allowed, they can even have their male friends do it to them. i wasn't there so i cant say if she's lying but there ya go. :P
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May 25, 2009, 11:50 a.m. CST
Something tells me that James Cameron's follow up to Avatar...
by DerLanghaarige
...will be D-Box compatible.
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...the first movie that was made ONLY for IMAX 3D theatres with D-Box!
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at least thats something to look forward too. i want to finger women while watching AVATAR for the third time.
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According to the guy who did the "safety precautions" for this apparently very dangerous technology, the seats are pressure-sensitive and there's something somewhere in the theatre where they monitor which D-Box seats have sold (the tickets are for reserved seating), so if someone's sitting in an unsold seat, they don't get the good shit. Or something.
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this sounds like a less-fun version of the Days of Thunder ride they had at Paramount's Carowinds several years back. cool concept for an amusement park... not so much a movie theater.
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Seriously?<p> I have an amazingly clever theory: Kirk's brother is ok, but just wasn't mentioned. Wrap your mind around that one!
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castle came up with all this shit back in the 50s, and he did it smart<P> didnt waste millions on research and development,just had great marketing campaigns for great gimmicks<p> this is just star tours transfered to the home or regular theater....ill pass
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Watch a 2 1/2 hour long film and tell me if it gets old after a while.
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IT WAS AWESOME.<p> Actually, not.
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im not ready for this!
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as long as we can still watch "regular cinema", I could go to this for some movies.
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...that shocks the fuck out of you if you talk during the movie or kick the seat in front of you? That'll get more people into the theaters.
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Or let's say you go to see SHUTTER ISLAND at this place. How much say will Scorsese get in which part the chair wiggles left and in which part it vibrates? Will he get to choose the technicians who program the chair bouncing? And shouldn't he decide the intensity of the ass-bumping, not you with your vibrate/themepark/bigbaddog dial? What about his right to self expression? THINK OF THE ARTISTS.<p> In other news, this is the first and most likely last time I ever heard of this technology.
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how about a technology that prevents people from receiving cell phone calls while the movie is playing?
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you sound so sexy dammit
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I'll go...but only if MANT is playing.
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great for popcorn sales.
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I've heard of this many times. You have to listen with better ears than that, Bud.
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i was promised smell-o-vision and yet i still dont have it.
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interestig to see if these are picked up since people already have been saying No to the luxury theaters we have in the city
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FAIL!
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I don't know what they're called but we just call them "Rich people theaters," the ones you read about that are out in the suburbs and cost $35 for a ticket not including food. Clearly the theater chains have their fingers on the pulse of America.
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I have a TON of respect for Mr. Castle. He was a pitchman/huckster/showman. The catch is he did it all for his movies and didn't force it on movies made by others. They didn't keep the Tingler wiring in the seats after the show left town so that they were left uncomfortable for the next movie rolling in.
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but actual movement seems pretty cheap and I echo the sentiments of many above that A) there's really no way to monitor who uses them and B) the noise would seem pretty annoying to everyone else in the theater I'd imagine.
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I remember the old Days of Thunder movie-ride at Canada's Wonderland. Not only did you have the moving chairs, but there were at least two points during the ride where the "new car smell" in the room became more noticeable. It was clear that the "new car smell" was pumped in at critical points of the ride.<p> Now, that was well over 10 years ago. Surely today some company would be able to syncronize different smells to be pumped in to the theatre, synchronized with the D-Box chair.<p> Hey Wyrm! What do you think if a subtle hint of diesel fuel aroma had been pumped in to the theatre when then engine rumbled to life?
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That already exists, and I believe it is used in some theatres. However, it is not legal in all jurisdictions.<p> I've heard vague, unsubstantiated rumours that it's somewhat popular on political campaigns. Install one of these doohickeys on the roof of your opponent's campaign office the night before election day, so when they're working their "Get Out The Vote" effort nobody's cell phone will work unless they go outside and walk down the street.<p> You can buy 'em on eBay.
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Except they don't have salted popcorn and hotdogs at the opera. Or, for that matter, you don't get Tommy Lee Jones knife-fighting at the opera. Or Anthony Hopkins kicking a bear's ass. Or Nicholas Cage's luxuriant hair. So I guess I'm stuck with the movies and change in my pocket.
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I can see some idiot dumping his huge soda all over you from all the shaking of D-Box.
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He'll incorporate in-chair technology that will rape your childhood, saving annoyed talkbackers the hassle of having to post here after it.
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I'd rather watch a great movie in a shitty theater that hasn't been renovated since 1981 than a mediocre flick in an "immersive" experience. This is just another cop out like 3D that's gonna allow the studios to cover up their shitty product with flash and gimmicks.
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especially for the folks who aren't moving. Remember when you were riding the Back To the Future ride and you were having a blast, but then there was that one moment when you looked to the side and saw the other cars shaking around willy nilly? Really pulled you out of the experience huh? Now imagine that happening in the corner of your eye, for two fucking hours. I'll pass, not just on experiencing the D-box for myself, but also seeing a film in ANY theater with a D-box.
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The criticisms of how these seats could hurt the movie experience seem to fall wide of the mark. After all, these things are intended for the big, dumb movies like Terminator Salvation that are inches removed from being a glorified theme park ride already.<p>Noise from the chair? It's not going to drown out the sound of the friggin' EXPLOSIONS AND GUNFIRE! ("Aw man, I didn't hear the crucial esotheric and existential questions posed by the tone and pitch of that last explosion. DAMN THIS CHAIR!!!")<p> Presumedly, they're not going to turn the chairs on for movies that don't warrant it, if only because it costs so much to program the chair to synchronize with the movie. No point spending the money if there's a chance the movie isn't going to make a bazillion dollars.<p> Of course, that being said, I can't help but wonder how the chairs would work with a movie like The Girlfriend Experience. <p>Yes, I went there.<p>On another note, if directors are worried about having control over how the chairs are programmed they can insist that their contract includes editorial control over the chairs. Problem solved.<p> Clearly, obviously, patently, (ludicrously), it's a gimmick. But Terminator Salvation, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra are ALL FUCKIN' GIMMICKS ALREADY!<p> And, just cuz it's a gimmick doesn't mean it couldn't be used to great artistic effect in the hands of a good director, just like other technologies that could easily be dismissed as gimmicks have been used by great directors.<p> One Example That Comes to Mind: The thing I remember the MOST about the big-screen theatre experience for Saving Private Ryan was how they used Surround Sound technology to great artistic effect. There were at least two points during that movie where I involuntarily moved my head because it frikkin' sounded like there were bullets whizzing less than an inch past my head. SERIOUSLY, I couldn't stop my nerves from making my head move to get out of the way of the bullets!<p> With other movies, Surround Sound can be a gimmick. With Saving Private Ryan it was integral to the story. I can't imaging watching that movie anywhere that doesn't have seriously good sound, let alone at home on a television set.<p> Now, imagine a few years down the road if this D-Box technology gains any traction. A couple of summers have gone by and movie-goers have gotten used to it thanks to the magic of big, stupid, badly-written summer movies.<p> At that moment, Steven Spielberg re-releases Saving Private Ryan to theatres, taking advantage of the artistic potential for D-Box technology (not to mention fake IMAX and, lawd-willing, smell-o-vision).<p> Let's imagine it together, shall we?<p> You're in the darkened theatre. The landing craft are making their way across the English Channel. The chair sits motionless. Maybe there's a very slight hint of diesel exhaust in the air.<p> As the front door of the landing craft swings down and hits the beach, the chair jolts with a very well-tuned "thud". The Surround Sound puts German bullets right past your ears. The chair rumbled and tumbles and (most importantly) FUMBLES as the men very clumsily struggle to get out of the boat and find some friggin' cover. A pretty sharp tang of gunpowder hits your nostrils.<p>Then, as suddenly as it started, it stops, because the view from the camera has just gone underwater to show the soldiers who sank like rocks cuz their landing craft opened the door too soon.<p> BANG, the noise hits your ears again and the chair rumbles to life as the camera returns to the beach, the men falling over themselves to find cover, the artillery shells and mines blowing those amputee stuntmen into the air, and that singular moment where the soldier takes off his helmet to marvel at the two holes where a bullet had gone right through the helmet and missing his head entirely, only to have a bullet go right through his head. As his body hits the dirt the chair lurches with a very sickening "THUD"...<p> Gawd, the idea of the potential for this technology IF USED PROPERLY BY A MASTER, actually just sent chills up my spine. I shit you not.<p> Will it be used poorly? OF COURSE IT WILL! But the bad movies where it's used poorly were already BAD MOVIES. The chair won't make bad movies better, but it also won't make bad movies worse.<p> But if it's used to maximum, APPROPRIATE, artistic effect by a great director? Wow, just imagine...
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Just get one of those massage chairs. Put it in your house. Turn it on during the action scene.
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I'm now imagining The Phantom Menace: Special Edition re-release in ten years, shortly after the company that makes D-Box chairs has completed its merger with the company that makes the Symbian vibrator "chair" thing.<p> Ouch.
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I have no interest in this sort of gimmick in relation to movie-going, but I'd be all over it when it comes to certain kinds of games. Especially once you throw in some of that new glasses-free 3-D tech that's getting developed for home use.
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The New [go fuck yourself] American traditions!
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May 25, 2009, 4:29 p.m. CST
Chime in on the noise/disruption issue, Massawyrm.
by The Reluctant Austinite
I'm also curious as to how much noise the chairs make. I guess they only really get going when the sound is also pounding on the soundtrack. Like many of you, I've seen this technology used for years at theme parks across the country, but mostly for short films shot almost entirely in the first person perspective. Wouldn't this be cool if applied to sequences in "BRAINSTORM" and "DREAMSCAPE"? Ever since I saw a theater covered in smoke in "T2:3D" I've thought every movie with a big explosion should have that in the theater. I'm not against this type of technology, which should include special speakers and other effects in each chair, but I need a better description of how it may effect the rest of the audience not on the "ride."
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should be given jail time. I'm against capital punishment, but that doooochebag of a director should be executed for his crime.
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... they want their movie house gimmickry back.
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Feel sorry for anyone who thinks otherwise.
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May 25, 2009, 4:59 p.m. CST
Old technology: I edited a demo video for D-Box 10 years ago.
by NotVeryFunny
They made a VHS with timecode to synch the action with the chair. The tech is over ten years: it was too expensive and stupid then, as it is now. They sold a few chairs to rich baseball players but that's about it. Buy cheap Aura bass shakers and hook them to your couch like I did. They really enhance your subwoofer's effect without costing thousands.
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May 25, 2009, 5:08 p.m. CST
Buy a vibrator, stick it in your ass and get the same effect
by YackBacker
Or should I say "borrow" a vibrator. I wonder what the return policy is on one of those...
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Seriously. And if I can hear 14 year old girls talking behind me during loud scenes, you can bet your ass I'd be able to hear an entire row of shaking, rumbling seats. And that's when they're new. Imagine in two to three years what would sound like after all the spilled drinks, dust, and other crap that would eventually collect in there. Like I said before, a sub in the seats would give a pretty similar effect without all the time, money, and effort it would take to program these things.
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Hell, the theater I was at for TS the sound was up so damn loud, the seats rumbled anyway.
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Unless I'm at a theme park I really don't want my movie going experience to be that immersive. It's not how I grew up watching movies and it's a gimmick. <P> Now give us seats that detect when someone is talking for too long, using their cellphone, or texting on any type of device, and then subsequently stun those individuals follwed by a quick and silent extraction to the parking lot via a trap door under the seat. <P> That's the kind of seat I'd gladly pay a few bucks extra for.
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upgrade (along with the suggestion of vigilant ushers). A subwoofer would also be welcome. They turn the sound up too high now, threatening to make my tinnitus worse. I constantly have to cover my ears.
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a seat that lowers when excessively tall people sit in them? ;-)
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Damn You Michael Bay
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Highly recommended. I saw TS there, and when the hover ship flew over head everyone in the audience looked up.
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1) Um, what if I just vibrate myself in my chair and the theater cuts eight bucks off my ticket price? Or better yet, gives me a free popcorn and a coke? 2)Classic case of putting the cart before the horse. People will come out for the experience of seeing a good film. Witness the BOX OFFICE numbers for Dark Knight. That means asses in seats. And sure, there were the IMAX shots as kind of a gimmick, but still... 3)This technology is designed for big dumb popcorn action movies...which means my ticket price gets jacked up even more on stuff where CG fireworks take precedence over character and story? Don't get me wrong, I love my CG fireworks...I just hate watching Autobots pee on John Turturro. Esseentially, my point is that I would be paying MORE for things I already moderately enjoy and feel kinda guilty about liking. That means the actual value of the experience plunges: the amount of entertainment per dollar is less than ever. Sign me up! 4)In conclusion, *end snarkmission*
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A group of us got to try the D-box at Deluxe about 6 months ago. It was pretty cool. Of the group of us, most of us said we would pay more for a D-box seat depending on the movie. The interesting thing is that it should be coming on DVD/BluRay pretty soon. So for those guys who love to spend money on worhtless gadgets, you can buy one of these chairs for your home theater. And FYI, the D-Box does not get the girls off.
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and it doesn't matter if it's good or not. People hate Will Ferrell now.<p> This might be a career saver, but I doubt it.
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May 25, 2009, 7:47 p.m. CST
You people are aware that the Cannes Festival exists?
by one_guy_from_andromeda
The biggest film festival in the world and you guys report on vibrating chairs and video game trailers! What the fuck?
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I remember waiting 45 minutes to ride Days of Thunder at Paramount's Kings Dominion. I was so disappointed that the attraction was not a full-on simulator, for you could see things on the movie screen that you shouldn't be able to see from the driver's seat: tires being swapped, shots of the crowd cheering, even rear bumper shots. I have never seen the DAYS OF THUNDER, but on the ride I felt like all I was watching was outtakes from the movie, while sitting in rocking seats. LAME. I have a feeling watching a movie this way would produce the same effect. The most I would invest in technology like this would be subwoofers in my sofa.
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May 25, 2009, 7:54 p.m. CST
I wonder what "See You Next Wednesday" would be like...
by The Amazing G
in D-Box
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Just go to a theater in the ghetto...when they start kicking the seats and whooping, it's the same effect and eight bucks cheaper.
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Well, since Harry et al don't seem to care about movies in the slightest anymore and the only way to do this is in the talkbacks here are at least the jury decisions of Cannes 2009. <p> <p> Best Actor<p> Christoph Waltz, for Inglourious Basterds<p> Best Actress<p> Charlotte Gainsbourg, for Antichrist<p> Director<p> Brillante Mendoza, for Kinatay<p> Scenario<p> Spring Fever (Lou Ye)<p> Camera d'Or<p> Samson and Delilah (Warwick Thornton)<p> Short Film<p> Arena<p> Special Lifetime Achievement Prize<p> Alain Resnais<p> Prix Un Certain Regard<p> Dogtooth (Yorgos Lanthimos)<p> Jury Prize <p> Thirst (Park Chan-Wook) tied with Fish Tank (Andrea Arnold)<p> Grand Prix<p> Un Prophete (Jacques Audiard)<p> The Palme d'Orv The White Ribbon (Michael Haneke)<p> Maybe some of you care about this stuff. But probably not. News about state of the art theater chairs and trailers for videogames are much cooler i guess...
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Rather than ones that shake and vibrate in time to a truck engine.
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I certainly can't.
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That'd be totally awesome.
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Why the fuck are you moving your chair around? Ah-da-da-dah, like this in the background. What the fuck is it with you? What don't you fucking understand? You got any fucking idea about, hey, it's fucking distracting having somebody's chair spinning and vibrating in the middle of the fucking movie? Give me a fucking answer! What don't you get about it?
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Fast and Furious was incredible in Dbox when i experienced it back in april in Hollywood.
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Hey, I'm trying to watch my movie here, and your chair is fucking spinning aorund? I'm in a fucking sucky Terminator movie!!
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I whined about Cannes coverage in IG thread too. I think the ones who're interested already found it out. Still, thanks for sharing.
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It was only an extra 30 bucks, but it was the BEST MOVIE EVER!!
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Profits would increase by several orders of magnitude almost overnight.
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If I want fucking movie realism I'd just go see movie in a seedy part of town.
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May 26, 2009, 2:57 a.m. CST
finally i can experience movies the same way michael j. fox does
by TheBaxter
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My local theatres usually just have D-Bags.
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How is the fucking cannes winners not cool news? FFS AICN.
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So between this and the re-emergence of 3-D, I'm wondering when theaters are going to give away china sets away to the housewives again.
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... I definitely don't want to see Deliverance in a seat like that.
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May 26, 2009, 6:47 a.m. CST
twice as big, twice as loud, then 3d, now they include a vibrato
by ThePilgrim
William Castle is laughing his ass off. <P> I can see it now. A father and his little 7 year old son is leaving a 3d, dbox, imax version of the film. <P> <P> Dad: "What did you think about the movie?" <P> Son: "Daddy, I don't remember much about that movie. It was really big, and loud, and lots of stuff blew up, and things came out of the screen and almost hit me in my eyes, and the chair was tickling my butt and privates.. That's about all I can remember about that movie... Can we see it again?" <P> Daddy: "I'm afraid not, this movie cost your Daddy 70 bucks."<P> Son: "We sure didn't get that much popcorn and soda for 70 bucks..."
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Thats no dbox vibrating your chair.... It's a 40 something, sexual repressed mommas boy who likes to expose himself to children. Watch in wonder as this lifelike replica sits in the chair next to you, staring deep into your eyes while it furiously masturbates, and threatens to kill you if you tell anyone.
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May 26, 2009, 9:16 a.m. CST
THESE SEATS WILL MAGNIFY THE TWEENGASMS AT TWILIGHT 2
by BringingSexyBack
I'll be there to witness the splendor.
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What a retarded idea. God forbid that you actually pay attention to the movie and have yourself mentally engaged by the characters, storytelling, etc. No, instead we will turn cinema into a fucking Universal Studios motion ride. Have we become that retarded that we need our movie seats to shake us into being interested in the film? HAve movies sunk so low? Remember watching something like "Raiders of the Lost Ark" or "Terminator 2" on the big screen and being rocked by it, do stupid tricks and rumbling required. Fuck this shit, another notch in our cultural slide toward oblivion.
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May 26, 2009, 1:28 p.m. CST
Me thinks Massawyrm is angling for a free home D-Box
by The Reluctant Austinite
An "awesome" product review with links to the product's website without opinions about how such a product might affect non-product using patrons? Hmmm. I'm not slaggin' ya, Mass. In this economy I'd do the same thing. Honestly, I would. I'd love to have the setup in my house, but I'd never be able to afford in this lifetime.
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That's my only concern. Anything else is just an attempt to polish a turd. This D-Box shit sounds terrible. If this is the future of movies, I'm getting a different hobby. Going to see a movie in the theater becomes less appealing every year. I have absolutely zero interest in paying MORE money to be subjected to motorized whizbanging chairs in order to see completely underwhelming movies like that new Terminator. I can't believe how much money you guys voluntarily waste on subsidizing the cocaine/remake market like this. The first-run theater business model that's in place right now can't die a swift enough death, in my opinion. Pretty soon the market will consist solely of mouth-breathing tween texters and theater tech-nerds, and hopefully they wipe each other out in a bloody civil war, sooner rather than later.
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I can see this being marketed to little kids, though certain circles of adults (like Massawyrm) would dig it too.<p> Wait and see, I guess. That's what I'll do.
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I laughed my ass off at that post, well done
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