Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Recommended Movies for Surround Effects?

I did a search and came up null so my apologies if I'm starting a whole new thread. If you know of a different one please link it here.

I just wanted to ask everyone what movies they would recommend that offer a great surround experience. I mean the kind that makes you say "wow" even if no one else is in the room.

To start:

Phantom Menace
Attack of the Clones
The plot and acting in both of these are crap (no fanboy flames please, I have a starwars tattoo on my arm), but the action and surround mixes are fantastic. The pod race, and the lightsaber battle scenes are great.

Bourne Identity
Listen to Alan the Axiom Expert. He is right. I just got this movie and the surround mix is stunning in both DD and DTS. I looked (with confusion since I live in the middle of San Francisco) out my apartment window to find the crow that was kawing (during the forest shootout) because the mix was so well done and realistic (the QS8s help)

Ghost in the Shell
Titan AE

Saving Private Ryan
(also good for finding out your DVD player has the CUE bug--- boohoo)

I have more, but I'd really like to hear from everyone else so I can fill out my personal library.

jr

Could we possibly go on in this forum without mentioning both Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers (Extended Edition of course).

i like gladiator's surround effects

The Matrix

I just watched S.W.A.T. and it has some good surround effects with gunshots and helicoptors flying around. Also Independence Day is a good surround workout.

Bourne Identity and Saving Private Ryan DTS are two of the movies that I always try and show my system off with. Very well done. The first time I watched Bourne Identity, I didn't have surround speakers, and I kept thinking, why does Alan keep reccomending this movie for its surround, where could there be that great of surround mixing.

Needless to say, now I know.


Not to get off topic, where do you live in SF James?

Some of my favs include:

U-571 - (depth charges) - great scene for both visual and audio demo.

Requiem for a Dream - The whole soundtrack adds so much to the experience of the film. The surrounds are super active, with both music and effects coming from the surruodn stage. It really adds to the disorienting, manic, surrealistic feel of the movie.

Signs, Exorcist and The Others - All three are great for scaring you with the surrounds. They use the rears so effectively to get you to jump or just to creep you out. It's like a new version of the "open door - have something jump out and scare you gag" for frights sake alone. Now, by using the surruonds, the mixers are able to really immerse the audience in the scene, making you feel like you are there - it truly is scarier to hear what goes bump in the night as opposed to what you see (which is usually much less menacing).

SeaBiscuit - This movie should have won the award for best sound, IMHO. The sound of the horses feet as they came barreling down the stretch was so thunderous and powerful - it really allows the viewer to better comprehend the strength that the horses have - not to mention the fact that its pretty awesome, hearing a dozen or so horses stampeding through your living room.

Big fan of both the LORT and Star Wars discs, for obvious reasons.

The new version of the Lion King is pretty awesome too... real huge sound - when the opening sequence is done, and the final drum beat hits, and echoes in the room - it sets the mood so well. You can tell right off teh bat that this movie is going to be epic.

I also like to demo my system using some of the THX intros on the Disney Pixar discs - the one with the cow stampede is great. Really detailed and well positioned use of surround, along with the thunderous bass and the wall shaking THX "dial-in." Very Cool.

Of course, this list is no-where near exhaustive.

Air Force One also has a pretty cool scene (I forget which chapter, but it starts at the beginning on one) where an F16 or F15 comes flying out from the surround (back) right onto the screen (front) to escort the Air Force One jet. Pretty cool moment in surround sound.

just released about a month ago on DVD is 'OPEN RANGE'.. really awesome on surround HT's.. there are several scenes when it is storming, and you can hear the thunder actually 'roll' thru the living room.. and the sound of boots thumping hollow on an old wood floor.. and if you arent impressed by then, the final 'shoot-out' at the end is very impressive. sounds like you are sitting in the middle of the OK corral at high noon..

i think the surround on the 'PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN' is really good also.

i'll echo BigJohn's sentiments...Open Range made fantastic use of the surrounds, and I mean fantastic (can I say that one more time - fantastic). It was no Oscar winner so it should be an easy rent or a cheap buy too.

X2 (X Men)
Fifth Element superbit edition

The Fish Flick - finding Nemo or whatever

Dreamworks version of the Time Machine (blew up my old Kenwood subwoofer - I'm still finding pieces of rubber in odd places)

2 already mentioned - Saving Private Ryan and Matrix.

The Italian Job - I use the intro music to demo my system, sounds so pure!

THX version of Dancing with Wolves
THX version of Titanic

Terminator 2 THX version

Last of the Mohicans THX version

That should get ya goin'

I've never heard the DVD version, but if it's as good as the Laser Disc (yeah, I owned one) version, then yes, Last of the Mohicans is great!

So Open Range isn't any good as a movie? I was going to get it other night, glad I didn't.

Also, is the "THX" version of Titanic presented in widescreen or is it still the 4:3 version?

I just saw Open Range....it is not bad as a movie, but the sound is pretty good.

Another good sound movie is Underworld.....and Kate Beckinsdale ain't bad to look at either.

Another movie that has good sound in general, good LFE and makes decent use of surrounds is Blue Crush.

Laugh now, but it really is a good sounding movie.

some that I didn't see mentioned:

Amadeus (Mozart is good, what can you say?, the axioms sound sweet)

Fast and the Furious (call it my dirty secret or gulty pleasure, but it's loud and it rocks... good demo scene is race scene where manifold comes off -- feels like it flys right through your head)

Gone in 60 seconds (classic chase scene at end)

What lies beneath (another one of those subtle, well mastered DTS jobs...lot of water dripping kind of stuff, pretty good modern day Hitchcock too, great flick).

A bug's life (great for when kids are over, VERY good sound... surprising)

Thomas Crown Affair (demo scenes: sailing scene, glider scene)

Concerts:
Peter Gabriel, Growing Up Live (DTS)

Eagles, Hell freezes over (DTS)

I only laughed because I thought it was good too (want a bigger laugh -- I bought it). You should try Point Break, (DTS) Very impressive surfing scenes.