Ghostbusters is having its 30th Anniversary this year and for a week, it was re-released into theaters in advance of its upcoming Blu-Ray release, along with Ghostbusters 2.  I’m not sure about 2, but the original was remastered into a 4K transfer so this new Blu-Ray version should be pretty damn definitive.  Anyway, this release was definitely on our list of things to do but to add to the awesomeness, it was being shown at the Cinerama Dome.  As you can see in the pics below, it’s quite a unique venue.
The design is of course based on a Buckminster Fuller design and when it first opened, it would show movies in the Cinerama 3-projector fashion, giving a picture that was extreeeemely wide.  Eventually, Cinerama went to a  single-projector 70mm format before getting phased out entirely in lieu of other film formats.  The Dome eventually was close to getting torn down and redone in a more conventional manner, but through efforts by preservationists, they convinced Pacific Theaters to keep it and integrate it into its plans for the site.  Eventually it opened as part of the Arclight Hollywood theater complex, which kept the Dome up front while building a slick, modern and sophisticated multiplex in the back.  We saw This is the End in one of those modern screens and it was a fantastic experience.
As for seeing Ghostbusters in the Dome, that was quite the experience too.  First, the screen is quite large (not IMAX large, but damn close) and very very curved.  Apparently they still do show the occasional 3-projector movie there so the curve is necessary.  But watching a standard movie on it is quite cool, although if you’re up kind of close, the movie almost envelops you.  It’s not too distracting, but there is certainly a sense of the movie curving around you.  A very unique experience.  As for the movie itself, Ghostbusters has lost none of its appeal and to see it looking so fresh and new without being scrubbed clean was a treat.  The Dome had a great sound system so the music (“Who ya gonna call?  Ghostbusters!”) and sound were presented in a pristine fashion and the assembled crowd were all into it and laughed at everything.  A great experience!
