I almost always see movies at Harkins downtown, but due to time constraints and the desire to see Star Trek, I caught the movie with my wife and father-in-law this week at AMC Quail.
Let me start off by saying it's been a while. I'm not a mall guy, so the idea of walking through Quail Springs to see a movie is not very appealing to me. And this may be a shocker to suburbanites, but it's easier to find close parking at Harkins in Bricktown than at Quail Springs.
Since were were running late and hadn't had lunch, we figured we would grab hot dogs at the theater. Mistake. Big mistake. The guy at the snack counter was no ordinary teen working for the summer, oh no. Instead, we got stuck with a guy in his late-20s or even early-30s who made me fondly recall the last time I had to go car shopping. We were totally unprepared for this confusing, high-pressure con job that resulted in the three of us spending $40 for drinks larger than we wanted and food that tasted terrible and made us sick later.
And the theater? Shabby compared to Harkins.
That's my last visit to AMC.

Never, never, never buy food at a movie theatre. It is overpriced to where you are basically paying even more for a ticket.

I like the quality of Quail Springs auditoriums more than Harkins but when it is a movie I really want to see, it comes down to ticket price, location, and which movie time fits my schedule better. I tend to go to the Penn Square one more than others for first run movies.

Warren!
Everything there is overpriced though. I don't blame them. That place is amazing.

I second Warren... The balcony is an awesome expierence and well worth the $50 I spent on tickets and diinner for date night.

The Warren has spoiled me, I've been to nothing but the Warren for movies for about a year and went to AMC / Quail last week to see Up! I forgot just how horrible film projections are. The hissing and crackling and screen flicker, compared to the Warren's all digital screens is just night and day.

I don't mind paying for snacks and drinks at the movie theater, only when I occassionaly visit to see a movie. If it is all the time, then yeah, watch the spending, but every once in a while, it isn't that bad to treat yourself.

The last time I've been to a movie theater was when Passion of the Christ and Dawn of the Dead came out. That was the last time I ever been to a movie theater, since then, my hearing went shot.

I can't stand AMC QSM. Their food is horrible, the audio/video is not really that great, and usually the place is packed with annoying teens that think it is funny to scream random things out during the movie.

Steve you should check out the Warren Theatre if you haven't already. The audio/video is the best in the state by an order of magnitude, the staff is very professional, and the food is on par with Chili's or someplace like that.

If you go to a theater that isn't named the Warren you get no sympathy from me. And I don't wanna hear "I live too far away" or "it's just a movie theater" because you don't and it isn't.

It's worth the drive, it's worth any cost they charge, and any place else is not worth your time or money.

I don't believe I can state it any more clearly than that.

I just saw Star Trek at the QS AMC last weekend and had no problems whatsoever. I've never been to a Warren theater so my movie-theater ignorance is apparently bliss. I do like the the concept of their balcony though. There was a place in Dallas I've been to that did something similar (this was a few years back). It was the whole theater thought, not just the balcony. I thought it was a great idea.

I don't mind paying for snacks and drinks at the movie theater, only when I occassionaly visit to see a movie. If it is all the time, then yeah, watch the spending, but every once in a while, it isn't that bad to treat yourself.

The last time I've been to a movie theater was when Passion of the Christ and Dawn of the Dead came out. That was the last time I ever been to a movie theater, since then, my hearing went shot.

Thunder, pardon my ignorance, but what did happen to your hearing?

I think it's ridiculous that the Warren makes you pay fifty or twenty five cents for about a tablespoon or two of their "real" butter. When Harkins has machines where you can literally flood and soak your popcorn.

Thunder, pardon my ignorance, but what did happen to your hearing?

I've already explained it on here, somewhere.

The bone in the ear canal closed again and this time, it's inoperable due to risks.

I've already explained it on here, somewhere, several times to Karrie.

The bone in the ear canal closed again and this time, it's inoperable due to risks.

Sorry to hear that....so I take it Cochlear Implants are not even an option.

Sorry to hear that....so I take it Cochlear Implants are not even an option.

Got the news last month, they reviewed my case and decided aganist it.

Because the structure is too complicated, the skull he said was several inches thick, and the bone is still growing, slowly, and that in a few years, if successfull, will only mess up the implant.

It's slowly crushing everything in the ear.

I've been going to Tinsel Town almost religiously for the last few years. I've never had a bad experience there. I've been to Warren and Harkins, but I'm not too big on the crowd and the prices.

I hit Quail at least 3-4 times a month.. before Noon on Fri-Sun and Holidays .. it's only $5 bucks.

Walk through Macys.... get in a few steps of exercise to burn off the calories from the popcorn. Popcorn and Large Soda, Free Refills... get a Drink Tray, pour the popcorn in that, get a few water cups and share with the kids.

Family of Four - Just Released Movies and Popcorn/Soda approx $30 bucks.

Never buy food there. There are so many food options in the food court and if we are starving, we can bring the food in from there. They've never said we couldn't.

Not to mention, hundreds of restaurants in every direction within 10 minutes of the theater.

If I've had problems with the theater experience, management has always take care of it and of us with a Free Pass for another time.

When the Warren comes here to NW OKC, then I'll check it out.. for now, I'm content with Quail Springs.

Did a calculation on how the counter/manager rung things up through "specials" and everything .. it looks like we overcharged by $10.

I've been going to Tinsel Town almost religiously for the last few years. I've never had a bad experience there.

I dont go out to movies much anymore, and when I do I take my own bago m&m's. I'd sneak in popcorn if I thought I could get away with it. The last two times I went to tinsel town my only complaint was that the bathroom floor was so slippery you could not stand up in there. And thats (public bathroom) not the place to slip and fall. ewww. Its like they mopped the floor with butter.

Mistake we made was deciding to catch the movie at the last minute (we rarely get to see movies as adults anymore because of kids and we found ourselves free to do so on the day we had to pick this showing at Quail)

> Its like they mopped the floor with butter.

That ain't butter.

When the Warren comes here to NW OKC, then I'll check it out.. for now, I'm content with Quail Springs.

spoken like someone who hasn't been there yet.... lol

ha,ha... well, I guess it's not all that important to me. And, I have teenage boys...none of us are all that picky.

Plus, the money I save from Not going to the Warren ($50 a bucks for two people?) goes into our Vacation fund .. so it all works out for us in the long run.

I'll check it out one day if it's convenient, but I'm not really concerned about it. But for those who are, have fun and enjoy the movie!

spoken like someone who hasn't been there yet.... lol


I've been to Warren twice. Tropic Thunder and the new Bond movie. I honestly don't see what's so great about it. It might be a more upscale crowd, but parking is a pain and all you're really paying extra for is fancy music and a big curtain.

Just my opinion though.

Never buy food there. There are so many food options in the food court and if we are starving, we can bring the food in from there. They've never said we couldn't.


I've never tried that before. Thanks for the tip.

The last time I've been to a movie theater was when Passion of the Christ and Dawn of the Dead came out. That was the last time I ever been to a movie theater, since then, my hearing went shot.

Sounds like a bloody big screen experience...

I've been going to Tinsel Town almost religiously for the last few years. I've never had a bad experience there. I've been to Warren and Harkins, but I'm not too big on the crowd and the prices.

I don't go to the Warren unless they're showing something in the balcony I want to see. I won't go there just to sit in the regular section. For that, I'm with you - Tinseltown all the way.

I'm also all about the early matinee. No crowds, no fuss. But that's what I love about the balconies at the Warren. What crowd? The person next to you is WAAAY over there.

Never, never, never buy food at a movie theatre. It is overpriced to where you are basically paying even more for a ticket.

I like the quality of Quail Springs auditoriums more than Harkins but when it is a movie I really want to see, it comes down to ticket price, location, and which movie time fits my schedule better. I tend to go to the Penn Square one more than others for first run movies.


Why would you prefer Quail's auditoriums? The seats are poor, the projection is never adequate, they have top down masking, they're generally much smaller, etc. The only reason I ever go to Quail is because they get more limited release movie due to their greater quantity of auditoriums.

Tinseltown its the place for annoying people with loud cell phones loud talking on cell phones, annoying talking in the movie,bad behavior.
I would rather just wait and buy the damn movie or do netflix.
The Warren i am intrested in that place.
I like Harkins but whew the parking, if you dont park under the crumbling crosstown lol

Why would you prefer Quail's auditoriums? The seats are poor, the projection is never adequate, they have top down masking, they're generally much smaller, etc. The only reason I ever go to Quail is because they get more limited release movie due to their greater quantity of auditoriums.
Their seats seem fine to me. Did you ever go to an old theater before the big comfy seats became the standard? That was poor my friend!

How is the projection inadequate? I've never had a problem with anything I've seen there.

What is top down masking and why should I care? Am I missing parts of the screen or something?

It sounds like you are an aficionado of movie theaters. Please educate the rest of us. Coming from someone who's been going to movie theaters since the early '70s, things have certainly improved. I'm interested in what could be so much better. I've never been to Tinsletown because I've heard nothing but bad things about the place (dirty, loud patrons, etc.) plus, it's farther away from me than Quail. Harkins was a good experience too. I can't knock anything about that place. I really need to get down to Moore and see a movie at the Warren. From what I've read here, its a life-changing experience. :wink:

Little known fact: AMC Quail has no policy against bringing in food from the food court. They just don't advertise this fact. You can walk right in with a giant Chick-fil-a sack (as I often do) and they won't say a thing.

Their seats seem fine to me. Did you ever go to an old theater before the big comfy seats became the standard? That was poor my friend!

How is the projection inadequate? I've never had a problem with anything I've seen there.

What is top down masking and why should I care? Am I missing parts of the screen or something?

It sounds like you are an aficionado of movie theaters. Please educate the rest of us. Coming from someone who's been going to movie theaters since the early '70s, things have certainly improved. I'm interested in what could be so much better. I've never been to Tinsletown because I've heard nothing but bad things about the place (dirty, loud patrons, etc.) plus, it's farther away from me than Quail. Harkins was a good experience too. I can't knock anything about that place. I really need to get down to Moore and see a movie at the Warren. From what I've read here, its a life-changing experience. :wink:


Before I explain masking I have to explain aspect ratios. Movies are released in two different aspect ratios: scope and flat. A scope movie is projected at a ratio of 2.39:1. Basically its 2.39 feet wide for every 1 foot tall. A flat movie is 1.85:1; or 1.85 feet wide for every 1 foot tall. Because of the difference in size of different movie, theatres use masking to cover up any extra bits of screen that aren't used.

What Harkins and Warren (probably) have are screens that are built for the wider aspect ratio: scope. When they play flat movies the masking come in from the sizes reducing the width to the flat ratio. This way as much of the screen as possible is used regardless of the aspect ratio. What Quail Springs has are screens that are built with the flat format in mind. When they play a scope movie rather than widening the screen for the wider picture, they have top down masking that lowers the height of the screen. So you're getting less screen for what should be a bigger picture. Bothers me to no end.

Plus, when I go there the movies are generally not as focused as they could be. They always start a couple minutes late at least. One time the movie started out of frame and didn't get fixed until I said something, which indicates that they weren't paying attention to the framing and focus at all.

Plus, the seats are better and the sound is better at Harkins. I just couldn't see how someone could think Quail auditoriums > Harkins auditoriums.

The only thing really better at AMC (besides being the theatre that gets all the limited releases) is the popcorn.

It irks me to have to go to AMC to see something because it is not playing anywhere else. When that happens I go to a weekend before noon feature. When we go there we eat in the Food Court beforehand. There is a Sonic whose hot dogs are cheaper and a lot better than the theaters. I love Tinseltown's $3.75 matinees but as was mentioned you do put up with a lot of cell phone conversations and texting. Lately I have been mostly going to the Warren. I think it is worth the trip. And so far anyway their service is still top notch. I'm anxious for them to put the new one on the north side. I haven't been to Harkins in a long while. I don't care for Dickinson in Penn Square. I wasn't happy with the way they redid it. I personally think the best popcorn is at Tinseltown. AMC makes theirs and fills the bags ahead of time so when you order some they just throw some fresh on top and give it to you. Warren makes pretty good popcorn too and it's cheaper if you buy one of their deals. Lg popcorn and two lg drinks is $2.00 cheaper than Tinseltown. And it includes a refill on both.

which indicates that they weren't paying attention to the framing and focus at all.

Apparently, they don't pay attention to anything once the film starts. My wife went with some friends to see Harry Potter Friday morning. Late in the movie, the film stopped and BURNED on the projector. She said you could see the picture "melt" off the screen. No one did anything until one of her friends tracked down an employee, who apparently took some convincing that there was even a problem.

In AMC's favor, though, they did give everyone free passes for one future movie.

>
In AMC's favor, though, they did give everyone free passes for one future movie.

5 points for the friend from Hufflepuff for recognizing it wasn't just a spell gone terribly wrong.

and no clothes, yet again, for the house elf who needed convincing


Stuff like that is why I took a year off from the movie houses. I avoided most reivews and water cooler talk, and well, when they hit HBO, with my bad memory on what little I do hear, it's dang near like a first run anyway. And my popcorn beats their popcorn hands down, as do my steaks when i wants them. But best of all, no freaking cell chatter and no big arse parking lot walks in the rain or as of late, the dust.

Apparently, they don't pay attention to anything once the film starts. My wife went with some friends to see Harry Potter Friday morning. Late in the movie, the film stopped and BURNED on the projector. She said you could see the picture "melt" off the screen. No one did anything until one of her friends tracked down an employee, who apparently took some convincing that there was even a problem.

In AMC's favor, though, they did give everyone free passes for one future movie.



Sorry to disillusion anyone, but no movie theatre has a projectionist sit by the projector for the entire movie. Every since movie theatres grew from single auditoriums to the multi and megaplexes of today, there has generally been two or three projectionists at most running 8-30 projectors all at once. All a projectionist does and is thread the movie, start the movie, (hopefully) make sure it is focused and framed right, and then that's it.

Most theatres, I believe, have an alarm/failsafe system if something does happen. If the film goes off of the film path the failsafe shuts down the projector to minimize damage, and then alarms to let management know that something is wrong. In addition, Harkins' management does presentation checks t ensure everything is good.

[QUOTE=dismayed;230780]I can't stand AMC QSM. usually the place is packed with annoying teens that think it is funny to scream random things out during the movie.

QUOTE]

....and laser light pens making red dots all over the screen...you forgot to mention those!

Don't forget the sound and smell of constant farts.

I would surely encourage everyone who *hasn't* been to Warren to make the effort to try it *at least once*. Its worth the effort. Even the screens and auditoriums for the "off-premiere" films are better than most I've seen in town. The balcony service - and, yes, you will pay a premium for it - is a VERY nice special treat once in a while. For heavens sake, there's personal heating/cooling per seat in that balcony in addition to table-service food.

Yeah, there are a few nitpicky things about Warren - charging for butter irks me, but I'm not that big on popcorn - but in general they make it about as nice a viewing/theater experience as you could hope for. We used to drive downtown for the Harkins, but I must admit to being spoiled after having gone to the Warren. I *love* the fact that they tell you to turn off your cell phones, and those caught texting/using during the movie will be asked to leave the theater! People are warned up-front about the cell policy.

I understand that the marginal benefit of the goodies goes down proportionally with the distance driven, which is why I essentially never visit AMC QS anymore, Tinseltown not at all, and the Harkins now only rarely. Warren is maybe 10 minutes from my front door. We avoid food costs by grabbing some Chick-Fil-A or a burger before going. I've tried the Warren cafe a couple of times, and the food is really quite good - miles beyond what most of the movie houses offer. Price would prevent you from making a habit of it, but it is a nice treat. As I recall, they have a $9 burger platter, which compares favorably to (for example) a Chili's $8 burger platter....if I've missed on the details, please forgive...the point is that they're more comparable than you might imagine.

I can't imagine why someone would complain about parking at Warren. At worst, when its most crowded, you've got a modest walk - but considering how frequently shows are letting out, I've rarely had trouble getting a decent parking space - and I was there for Star Trek's early opening night AND the next night, and UP's opening night. Heck, I complain as much as anyone about Bricktown's horrendous parking situation, but not even I can complain about Warren's parking.

The key is this - Warren wants to make the theater experience special again, like it was "back in the day," to give you a reason to make the trip to a theater rather than just wait for a DVD (or, now, BluRay). In that vein, they succeed marvelously. Their sound and projection systems are top-notch, the theaters are clean, and it seems like they are truly interested in making the movie a special event for their customers. This isn't to run down all the other theaters, but to point out that Warren just sets the bar higher, that's all.

I hope the economy recovers to the point where they reconsider the expansion of the Moore Warren soon.

That sounds great and something I'd love to experience. I'll make an effort the next time I have a chance to go to a movie. If they'd open one on the north side, I'm sure it would become the place I'd go to by default.