What's the difference in
'ID4' sound formats?

By Burl Burlingame
Star-Bulletin



Aliens attack the Earth in "Independence Day," and blow everything up. Not only is the popular film a special-effects lollapalooza that fills the eyes, it has plenty of sound effects that assault the ears as well. And audiences have their choice of listening formats.

Check out the ad listings for "Independence Day." The movie is showing in "SRD Digital," "SDDS Digital" and "DTS Digital," often at the same multiplex.

The reason, according to Consolidated spokesperson Lynelle Hayase, is that different theaters are wired differently and distribution companies ship film prints with a variety of different sound formats. When a movie opens "wide," in as many theaters as possible, you wind up with a soundtrack smorgasbord.

Usually, this aspect is hidden from the audience, because, frankly, the audience doesn't care. But since "ID4" is a a technical tour-de-force, and hard-core cinephiles claim that you can actually hear differences in these recording formats, the "ID4" advertising lets you know which sound system is where.

For the record, SRD Digital is Dolby's trademark, SDDS Digital is Sony's trademark, and DTS Digital is Universal's trademarked house system.

It all gives you an excuse to see - or at least hear - "Independence Day" more than once.


PREVIEW

Star-Bulletin staff



The following films are scheduled to open at Hawaii theaters this week. See the Star-Bulletin in the next few days for reviews and theater locations.

Opening tomorrow

Harriet the Spy (PG) Based on Louise Fitzhugh's best-selling novel about a precocious girl who, aspiring to become a writer, spends most of her time spying on and recording her observations of her parents, neighbors and friends.

Opening Friday

Courage Under Fire (Rated R) Denzel Washington stars as Lt. Col. Nathaniel Serling, who leads an armored tank battalion in pursuit of fleeing Iraqis. "Friendly fire" kills several of Serling's own men and he's shuffled off behind a desk at the Pentagon. Also starring Meg Ryan, Michael Moriarty and Scott Glen.

I Shot Andy Warhol (R) Lili Taylor plays Valerie Solanas, who grabbed her 15 minutes of fame in 1968 by picking up a gun, pointing it at Andy Warhol and pulling the trigger. This film is a roaring, raging, raucous take on the life and times of the shooter.

Stealing Beauty (R) Liv Tyler as a virginal American Candide at large in the lust-ridden Italian countryside.

Sneak preview

Mutliplicity (PG-13, Sunday 7 p.m., Varsity and Kapolei theaters) Michael Keaton is Doug Kinney, a typical married guy with a good job at a construction firm, an attractive wife, Laura (Andie MacDowell), and two kids.

Where he diverges from the norm is in temperament: when he's backed to the wall, Doug explodes. As luck would have it, one of his current jobs is refurbishing the Gemini Institute, a center for genetic research. Its director, Dr. Owen Leeds (Harris Yulin), notices Doug's mood swings and tells him he can "perform miracles," and presents an exact duplicate of himself in shorts and a Hawaiian shirt. The prospect of having time for work, his family and himself is just too good for Doug to pass up.




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