RSS
June 7, 2007
Building the ArcLight-Killer: Part the Second
Could it be? Did someone finally out ArcLight the ArcLight?
If one of The Standard hotels built a theater, it would look like the new Landmark. The most accurate way of describing it is “boutique”. The Landmark is all about the visual angles; sloping fixtures light the theaters and give a completely different feeling of space than you would expect for a “mall theater”. Angled walls line the hallways, and an angled ceiling compliments the wine bar. Subtle touches like the blue floor-lighting and illuminated theater thresholds give the place a high-end feel. Clean lines and empty space give the floor plan an open feeling. The over-all experience will have me giving them my ticket dollars.
You can tell this place is built to compete with the ArcLight. It has the same luxury appeal and roster of indie films. Landmark Theatres Chief Operating Officer Ted Mundorf is optimistic:
We have every expectation that the Landmark will succeed in its own right. It's not about "competing" against the ArcLight. Convenience is the real issue -- getting across town is sometimes impossible so having a superior theatre serving the entire west side of LA is going to be extremely well received by a lot of moviegoers.
I caught a film at the new Landmark on Tuesday night and the theater lives up to the hype. A lengthy review of damn near every inch of the new Landmark after the jump…
The Lobby –
Vast and well lit (maybe too well, I found myself squinting a bit), the Landmark greets you with a barrage of flat-screens displaying the movies playing. A stylish reed-lined desk houses the ticketing counter. And If there’s a huge line you can grab your tickets at one of the several electronic kiosks doled out around the lobby and skyway. From the second you step in you feel like you’re in a more adult space, this isn't for bratty little kids. Unlike other theaters, this was built almost solely with grown-ups in mind. The lobby isn’t cluttered with posters and cardboard cutouts, it's sparse and clean. The only thing blocking your path to the theaters is the concession counter. Lets talk about that for a second….
Concessions –
Drool…really, they have EVERYTHING. I don’t know if I have the energy or the space to list it here, so I’ll hit the highlights. Dark chocolate M&M’s, Haribo Gummi Bears (from Germany), soy snacks, POM tea, Peet’s coffee…everything. 
Seriously, you could spend an hour documenting the plethora of edibles that seems to stretch for a solid 100 meters. The employees are still getting used to the ordering system, it might take a few seconds to confirm your order, but they’re all in high spirits and eager to help.
Wine Bar –
Just before you reach the hallway to the screens, a glass-lined room sits to your left. It takes your mind a second to process: “What is this? There’s a long wood table. There are couches, there’s a giant flat screen…oh crap! Its definitely a bar!” and there was much rejoicing. Beautiful design and lush couches make the Landmark wine bar an upscale yet comfortable place to kill time before a screening. 
To be honest, you might want to show up 45 minutes early just to watch the Dodger game on the massive flat-screen while enjoying a drink. The gentle lighting is sure to compliment anyone’s features, a key factor in picking a place to grab a drink with a date. An impressive list of California and Oregon wines will make a connoisseur feel at home, but the relatively reasonable prices (for the quality) will convince the casual drinker to try something new. Wine Manager Nino Chaddah is eager to help you select something to match your taste. His demeanor is informed without being pedantic and the man loves his wine. In a city where good customer service can be hard to come by, he represents a bit of the old school. He’ll be the first to tell you he’s happy with the wine list as it is now, but he’s looking to bring in some of the California cult wines to beef up the top end. One brand he’ll be showcasing in a few months, Screaming Eagle, is known for being one of the best, and most expensive (a 2003 Cab-Sav goes for $1600 online) California has to offer. For a movie theater bar, these people are serious about quality.
My one complaint about the otherwise excellent wine bar is the beer. Though the list is decent, it’s a little pricey. Six bucks for a Coors Light? First of all, that shouldn’t even be on the menu. Secondly, six bucks, really?
Main Screen – It’s big. Not earth-shatteringly large, but the right size to catch a film with an enthused audience. I got to sneak in for about 2 minutes during Mr. Brooks to check it out. The screen and image quality are top of the line and the sound was everything you’d expect. But where this theater is REALLY going to make a name for itself is in the seating. Wow. The leather seats recline slightly, just to the point of comfort, not so far you feel like you’ll tip over. It’s like riding in a BMW. Enough support to stay awake, but soft enough to be comfortable. And right now it has that amazing “new car leather” smell.
Living Room Theater –
I’ve never been to Quentin Tarantino’s screening room, but this is how I envision it must be. Massive leather couches and coach chairs slope towards the back of the theater, facing the screen. I have never been more comfortable while seeing a film. Instead of armrest cup-holders they have small end tables next to each seat, a great place to put your drink and popcorn. If you’re seeing a film alone, try for the living room theater and snag yourself one of the coach chairs, it’s a feeling I hadn’t experienced before. You have to try it at least once (and with two-person love-seats and Paris Je T’aime screening now, the living room theater + the wine bar might just be the most sure-fire way to get laid ever).
Film Selection – With a sked that screams “Indie” and goes light on the studio blockbusters, the Landmark is obviously marketing to an audience that loves their art house. On opening weekend, the only big studio movie out was Mr. Brooks. After speaking with some employees I came to learn that they don’t look at it as being indie-exclusive so much as giving their demographic what they want. It sounds like they’ll show the occasional studio picture, but only if it fits their audience’s taste.
Customer Service - It’s nice to be looked at as a valued customer and not a nuisance for a change. You can tell that the managers at this place were big on hiring people who like film. The employees seem genuinely enthused to be there. They’re happy to help with any questions and quick to correct any wrongdoing. They do run the standard spiel at the beginning of a screening (like the ArcLight) which is nice because I can’t stand seeing those “turn off your cell phone” previews anymore. Seriously, they make me angry. Another upside, no commercials, just previews for upcoming indie films.
On the whole, the Landmark is going to be a destination theater for anyone living on the Westside. It still has some kinks to work out (mounting flatscreens, rewiring the lobby, etc) but for the most part its good-to-go. Be sure to check it out the next time you're looking for a good film in a fun setting.
Westside Pavilion at Westwood and Pico Boulevards
(310) 281-8233
| 
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
email this
add to facebook
add to del.icio.us
[ report this ]
Great review-
[ report this ]
Man, this theatre has it ALL! I can't wait to try the living room theatre. Great write up!
[ report this ]
agreed, well done
but what's this 100 meters stuff?
the only people i know who use the metric system are canadians and drug dealers.
just kidding - great review
[ report this ]
Now instead of all jumping on the Landmark bandwagon lets take a step back and look at this...
OK heres the negative review....this isn't really a review but a long list of disagreements and problems I had in my recent visits.
"Clean lines and empty space give the floor plan an open feeling. The over-all experience will have me giving them my ticket dollars."
Obviously you didn't go on a weekend. I've been several times in different times of the day on different days(including viewings of paprika twice and paris je'taime). The lines get pretty bad, especially in concessions. They aren't really good with listing prices (unless you can see every screen at once [only possible if you have over 20/20 vision]) so you stand in line behind people asking "How much is this?" for 50 items until they pick and choose. Sometimes having that much choice isn't a great thing...although I do love my Tim Tams and Fizzy Lizzy/other nice drinks. Most of the items they have here that they have at the Arclight are 25 to 50 cents cheaper. Popcorn/drink free refills are nice since the large popcorns are so small. The trays at Landmark and the Arclight they give are both crap so no one wins there.
"Seriously, you could spend an hour documenting the plethora of edibles that seems to stretch for a solid 100 meters" And most people do seem to take that long to order.
The whole comment about bratty little kids...I'm pretty sure those kids don't spend 14 dollars to go watch movies at the Arclight either...and there are many more kids roaming the Landmark than the Arclight (except during Shrek I'd think) just because the Landmark is just cheaper to go to.
I do really like the flat screens at the box office though....but if you are saying the lobby is "vast and lit" compared to the lobby at the arclight (which has the Union Station feel) i'm going to have to strongly disagree (in comparison). Come on! The box office and snack bar are like 50 feet away at the most. On weekends those lines will end up mingling and just cause a huge clutter. If only that middle wasn't taken by that elevator! On each visit i tried several of the concessions items (if one of their specialty items were bad one time I got them the other time to make sure it wasn't an isolated incident)...the hot dogs are prepackaged/wrapped and taste stale/a little soggy (the pretzels just taste stale)..they do a great disservice by touting the products from La Brea Bakery...relish was nothing special and you have to put the condiments on yourself! From small packaets (the thing I have a problem with...it's just a hassle)!
Most of their items are imported...which makes me question how important the "environmentalism" theme really is (which they stressed in an LA Times article as one of the top3) just from the huge carbon footprint of importing those items (that's a lot to offset!). Nothing in the bathroom suggests (no low flow toilets/faucet aerators) they had kept environmentalism in mind...unless they were talking about the cramped feeling you get on weekends, or even in the bathroom (you could support yourself on both walls with your arms easily) which are not so clean to begin with.
All in all they just don't have much room to begin with...they can have those 3,000 parking spaces but in order to accommodate all those they are going to have to expand to the other side of the Pavilion. Also the Westwood/Pico area is DEVOID of any nightlife so getting a quick bite to eat or going to a club after isn't so easy to do...unless you want to hang out with all the teenagers/kids in Westwood...the very thing you were trying to avoid at the Landmark.
Yes the Wine Bar is very impressive and has improved over the Arclight. Although the Arclight does have fun themes at the restaurant/bar occasionally for special events (remember the Ozmopolitan for Wicked?). The Wine Bar has a much more refined/relaxed feel though and I would chose to hang their over the Arclights crappy confessional booths. But the Arclight does have nice galleries (mostly photographic) that support our local artists which is very nice of them. Great exposure for them and the LA art scene as well.
It looks like they (the Landmark) use the same crappy AMC projectors except for the digital projection (which is in 2kdigital) in Mr Brooks. The same digital projection you find at the Arclight, at Manns Chinese, the Grove and a few other places. The other screens tend to look a a little fuzzy/hazy, and during one of my Paprika showings the screen was tilted slightly because someone wasn't paying attention. It usually wouldn't be noticeable except for the fact that half the subtitles were going off the screen. Several people complained about it.
The walkways to the theatres themselves were a very nice touch, but the seating not so much. Maybe they were trying to be different from the Arclight in some ways but this was not a good way to go. About 90% of the patrons needed help to find their seat since their numbering system is kind of fucked up (well I got it the first time but it was annoying for people who kept moving through all the rows looking for their numbers). Numerical order is the way to go. The ushers only help when you ask (and disappear unlike the Arclight ushers) and the little introduction in the beginning of the show is not refined and way more boring/mumbled than some of the greeters at the Arclight (where they make jokes instead of apologizing about everything being crap). The foam/memory/NASA seats are VERY comfortable but in order to lean back you have to dig in your feet to maintain it which is kind of annoying. And if you move your feet on the floor in the theatre it squeaks. WHICH IS ANNOYING if you are trying to watch a movie. The other noise is caused by the billions of plastic wraps on all the concessions items that they have which you hear for the first twenty minutes or so of the film. The arclight and even a few pacific theatres have a more black-box approach (everything dark but the screen) so you can focus on the screen is much better than the blue-tinged lights on the walkways during the movie where you can see EVERYTHING. It is MUCH more distracting to watch a movie when someone walks in late like that...and to avoid watching those walkways you have to sit in the front rows.
And the front rows are like five feet from the screen. It's ridiculous. It is also not economically feasible to have those small 50seat theatres when one can buy every ticket for one theatre to "rent it out" for only 500 bucks or so instead of a couple thousand...I'm sure people will take advantage of that. I'm even thinking about it.
The retail store I didn't ask about. If the wall display of items is their retail store I'm very disappointed. Not that the selection is bad (Movie-related things at a movie retail store! Genius! Those Arclight guys need to catch up on that, although they have some entertaining/grossly overpriced items).
Now I'm not an arclight lover, there are many problems at that theatre too, but they aren't the ones being scrutinized here. They are just being left behind by their husband for the younger perkier blonde known as the Landmark.
All in all with 20 million dollars and Mark Cuban backing the investment, the Landmark is very underwhelming.
The shirts are an ugly color and unappealing to look at (mostly in the box office...when you have a brown, orange and white shirt all next to each other...it doesn't gel, especially with the ugly landmark stitching). The arclights nice dressy blue shirts just look better.
Those are just my 300+ cents...take it or leave it.
[ report this ]
i went to the new landmark theater at the westside paviliion on tuesday night to see "paprika." i'm not in a rush to return.
the guy who sold us the tickets was very friendly and helpful. i give him major props.
however, in our screening room, i felt the lights in the hall and stairway were much too bright. (these lights were kept on during the film.) also, they did not have a double-door on the entrance door to the screening room, so whenever someone entered or exited during the film, we saw a huge light interfere with the screening.
also, i sat in the back row for my screening. the projector is supposed to be kept in a sound-proof booth so no matter how close i sit to it in the screening room, i should not be able to hear it. well, the sound of the projector was loud and clear. thumbs down.
[ report this ]
I was pleased with the Landmark but not blown away. The design of the place was beautiful, to be sure, and it's hard to argue with free parking. However, a number of disappointments arose.
1. The bar is wine and beer only, no full bar, and the manager of the bar informed us he has no plans to make it such. He did, however, promise to expand the beer list, which was rather dismal.
2. No café. Sure, there are a number of fine eateries across the street (shameless shout-out for The Apple Pan), but one of the pleasures of the ArcLight is to be able to gather for a meal directly before or after the movie, in the theater environment itself.
3. The theater where we saw "Away from Her" was painfully small. I've been in larger bathrooms. The sofas in the front rows were a nice touch, but the short throw demanded that those front rows be way too close to the screen.
4. The upstairs screening rooms must be directly below the roof parking, because throughout the entire movie, loud rumbling and shaking would occur, presumably from some Westsider's H3 passing overhead. This was the biggest negative of all, and frankly seems irreparable.
Not a bad place over all, although I will have to avoid the upper theaters. Still, the ArcLight remains my theater of choice.
[ report this ]
I'll stick with the Arclight. There wasn't anything specifically bad about The Landmark...though the seat numbering is pretty bizarre and also it was hard for me to concentrate because of the smell of the new leather seats (though I suppose that will wear off), but there definitely wasn't anything better about The Landmark than the Arclight. I found the design of The Landmark pretty boring and what's up with selling DVDs for $30? Who would go to this place and buy overpriced DVDs? That's pretty weird. I can't comment on the concessions because I never buy food at theaters no matter where I go. Arclight still dominates!!