Today I Saw "Ice Cream Man"

First came the trailers. As Ice Cream Man is a horror movie, I had to sit through around six horror trailers. By the time the feature started, I was already completely zonked out.

Now for the Feature Film – Ice Cream Man

This film was advertised as a slasher movie, and that's exactly what it delivered. I found myself covering my eyes on and off for about half of the running time. I can't really complain, because the film did exactly what it said on the tin—or perhaps I should say on the can, even though this was a DCP!

The Technical Presentation

From the theatre's point of view, it gives me no pleasure to say, "What EQ?"

The sound reproduction in my auditorium was well below standard. The playback level was far too low, which meant any bass that should have been there simply disappeared. I never heard the surround speakers being used at all, and the overall sound quality was very poor.

The Barco laser projector also failed to impress. Yes, the image was sharp, and the whites—such as the on-screen text—were genuinely white, so the colour alignment appeared to be correct. However, the picture had no body or richness to it. It lacked vibrancy and simply didn't have the depth I expect from a theatrical presentation.

Give me Xenon projection any day.

The Look of the Film

To my eyes, Ice Cream Man looked more like a made-for-TV movie than a theatrical release. The Director of Photography has built an excellent reputation creating television productions and music videos, but shooting for the cinema is a very different discipline. That difference was evident throughout the presentation

I haven't visited all sixteen screens at this multiplex, but I have experienced many of them, and unfortunately every auditorium I've visited so far has suffered from similar issues.

In my opinion, this cinema would benefit enormously from an experienced cinema engineer spending a week on site properly commissioning the sound and projection systems. Perhaps the existing amplifiers and loudspeakers simply aren't capable of reproducing modern film soundtracks as intended?

And Finally… Brian, The name I have given to the (OFF-SET)

Was Brian good or naughty today?

I'm delighted to report that he was 100% spot on.

The end credits are very large, colourful, and contain no further action. Brian brought the house lights up perfectly—on the third card of the closing credits.

Well done, Brian!

Scores

Horror Trailers: So boring I can't even remember a single title. 0/10

Sound Volume Level: 0/10

Surround Speakers: Never heard them at all. 0/10

Barco Laser Projector: 1/10 (at least it was in focus)

Look of the Film: Looked like a TV movie. 0/10

Brian: 10/10