Focus on Focus

Has anyone recently visited a local multiplex only to sit through an out-of-focus film? Well, I smell a trend here. I recently started keeping a running tally of out-of-focus films I end up seeing in the theater. Here's my tally so far:

1. Minority Report - Waikiki Theater
* Reported fuzzy focus to manager during opening credits, and it was fixed immediately.

2. Troy - Restaurant Row
* Reported fuzzy focus to usher during opening scene, and it was fixed immediately.

3. Steamboy - Varsity Twin
* Reported fuzzy focus to usher during opening credits, and was met with resistance. I persisted in arguing my case and the focus was fixed. (There was an audible "Ahhh!" from a relieved audience when the picture snapped into focus.)

4. Sin City - Ward
* Reported fuzzy focus to manager during ads and trailers. Was told picture would clear up when film started. Focus still fuzzy at opening credits, got out of my seat again to complain. Projectionist finally sent to observe. Projectionist stood in booth for 20 minutes and didn't do anything. Film was left out of focus for rest of film. Asked for and got my money back.

It isn't just local theaters I've had issues with. When I watched Lost in Translation at the Chelsea Clearview in New York, the boom mike kept dropping into the frame. Roger Ebert has written extensively on this issue and blames it on incompetent projectionists.

Perhaps lame and out-of-focus projection is the reason why the U.S. box office continues to slide. No one likes paying $8-10 to ruin their vision by watching an unfocused film, or to have our disbelief continually unsuspended by a bobbing boom mike.

Listen up, theater owners and film distributors: help stop the box office slide by correcting projection problems! And theatergoers: please speak up when a film is out of focus (don't just leave it up to me)--it helps the entire audience.