11 April 2008

"Shine a Light": To IMAX or not to IMAX

Buddy Guy (left) and Keith Richards trade licks in Shine A Light (2008)

I saw Martin Scorsese's Rolling Stones concert film Shine a Light last night, in IMAX format. I'll have more to say about this great rock film later. Right now I just want to get this news flash up.

Los Angeles Times film critic Glenn Whipp starts his review out just fine, but he and I part company on a technical point quickly. Whipp writes:
Martin Scorsese's Rolling Stones concert documentary "Shine a Light" is a blast of fresh air blowing through the staleness of what has been, up till now, an abysmal movie year. Powerful in its energy, sparkling in its intimacy, the film captures the self-proclaimed world's greatest rock 'n' roll band still at the height of its performance powers during a two-night stint at Manhattan's small Beacon Theater in late 2006. ....
Mr. Whipp and I agree that a big screen theater is the ideal format to see this film. Unlike Whipp, however, I recommend against seeing it in IMAX format. Almost everything Scorsese adds to the film is neutralized by the overly large display format. Scorsese shot it to be seen on a rectangular wide screen with a great sound system. See it that way. If you're an old fan like me, you'll fall in love with the Stones all over again.

I can't wait to see it again in a regular theater.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Opened yesterday at the London IMAX. I start a couple of weeks of single parenting tomrrow - think I'll pay a little extra tuition for Olivia...

Tnks for the tip, Disco. Look up BFI London sometime. It will make you nostalgic for the old film buffs institute. A dozen films a day.

Paco Malo said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Paco Malo said...

Thanks Gallute via Southhampton, UK, for your comment.

For an adequate review of the film, see Peter Travers' critique in at RollingStone.com