Movies projected digitally are bright, and blemish-free. Yet they feel … odd.

Digital projection supplies a different experience than

photochemistry-based projection. The image is clear — eeriely so. But

it’s also less dense, less nuanced, and far less sensual than a

good-quality traditional film image. Digital projection seems to suit

thwacky-slammy pictures just fine. Action-adventure pix,

computer-animated films, blockbusters, and dumbo comedies should do

fine projected digitally. But quieter films, and especially films that

deal in mood, poetry, and tactility — movies like " Swimming Pool "

and "Last Tango in Paris" — would lose a lot. As far as I’ve been able

to tell, movies projected digitally don’t feel like what they’re sold

as: movies perfected. They feel like ultrabigscreen TV.