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.