If it is not the movie, it is the theater that screws the experience.

As I have mentioned, I am cautious about the local ‘film festivals’ as the movie experience is usually a gamble but when I read about Cathay screening some Ghibli classics, I jumped in on the opportunity to see some good shows on the big screen. I also coaxed some of my friends to join in.

I managed to get tickets only for ‘Laputa’ and I was pleased as it fit my schedule.

My expectations were very high, I was expecting to see the animation in high res, beautiful colors and great details. The show is from the late 80’s but given Cathay promoted it as a Ghibli festial and a one screen only event, I was pretty much looking forward to a well remastered show.

My enthusiasm was crushed when the show started. Booming audio and pretty low res video is what was shown. Damn, I felt like watching my DVD on mega screen. When the end credits rolled, the cast mentioned ‘Anna Paquain’. I thought, when did she start speaking Japanese…

A quick search later I realized Anna Paquain voiced over in the Disney dub of the film. So essentially what I paid money to watch was a japanese soundtracked Disney dub of the film.

Not that I care, but when I Cathay promotes one screen only shows I expect better control over the quality of the audience experience. The so called festival seems like a schedule filler and a pretence to make a quick buck.

I am saddened by the lack of quality cinema experience and needless to say, the next time I checkout picturehouse it will be with a due sense of caution.

This entry was posted on Sunday, December 20th, 2009 at 11:46 am and is filed under general. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.