Theatrical re-releases are not a new phenomenon; after all, in the days before streaming and physical media, they used to be a common occurrence, as they were frequently the best way for the public to rewatch the classics. While other studios like Warner Bros. have occasionally taken advantage of the idea, especially in IMAX, this year marks the first partnership between A24 and IMAX for a series of re-releases, one every month for the next year, with each film optimized for projection in the format. This doesn’t mean that the films will be filling every bit of the 1.43:1 screens — they’ll retain their proper aspect ratio relative to the larger format — but it does mean that each film will feature improved picture clarity and sound.
I’ve been lucky enough to attend several of A24’s IMAX offerings, past and present, and each one has been a memorable experience. When I saw their re-release of Darren Aronofsky’s debut feature, “Pi,” it was a minor revelation to see such a famously gritty and grainy ’90s indie looking so impressive and large without losing its identity. Jonathan Demme’s immortal Talking Heads concert film, “Stop Making Sense,” blew the roof off of the theater as people jumped up, danced, and generally treated the experience like a real live concert without disrupting the film for those who didn’t want to get out of their seats.
But watching an Ari Aster film in IMAX is one of the most beautifully unsettling experiences you could hope to have. If you’re not on Aster’s provocative wavelength, you may be one of the several who saw “Beau Is Afraid” on its brief IMAX run last year and came away fuming. For me, that screening was a sick joy, as was watching his debut feature, “Hereditary,” at the Universal Cinema AMC at CityWalk Hollywood last night. “Hereditary” is a film where the devil is quite literally in the details, and not only was the bigger IMAX screen the best way to pick up on new details hidden in the film, but the audience I was with were all there to allow Aster’s work to get under their skin without any distractions. You could hear a pin drop in the theater; the better to let things like screams or an ominous “click” sound pounce upon you.
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