'WAR HORSE' has been discussed before & I finally got around to watching it last night. I'm not a horse person but I love being around them when the opportunity arises - simply magnificent beasts.

I thoroughly enjoyed this film. The sequences in England both in the period villages & out in the country side were visually stunning. Furthermore, it was nice to have a cast of largely unknown actors (non Hollywood types) that did a great job of pulling this movie off. Spielberg is to congratulated for his choices here.

The WWI battle scenes are probably the best that I've ever seen portrayed on the screen. The battle sounds were brutally heavy & accurate easily shaking my house on my modest system. I was most impressed with my pair of rear QS4s that shouldered a huge load of persistent & continuous surround sounds. They sounded much bigger & fuller than they are.

Thankfully, closeups of blood & gore were absolutely minimal - way too much of that stuff these days.

I never look at the 'Bonus Features' of my discs; however, this movie moved me enough to watch them - most interesting & well worth taking the time to watch.

BTW, along with the human carnage, it is estimated that 10 million horses were killed in WWI - insane, shameful & mostly unnecessary...

TAM

TAM, thanks so much for the post. I hadn't really put a high priority on seeing this movie until reading your review. I appreciate your time and thoughtfulness.

One thing that I forgot to mention about 'WAR HORSE' is the absolute minimal use of CGI throughout the movie.

In the 'Bonus Features' Spielberg mentions that it was only used sparingly in 3 sequences where horses or the cast might have been adversely affected if real special effects were used.

Nice touch IMHO...

TAM

I enjoyed Oz the Great and Powerful in IMAX 3D in Spokane yesterday. The 3D seemed better than what I'd seen locally, though still with the eye strain. The audio was a lot of fun, too, with plenty of utilization of the surround channels. The movie itself was pretty decent. Not a home run, but more entertaining than I really thought it would be. I probably got more out of it since I'm a Sam Raimi fan, as there were nods to his previous work.

The Intouchables was a pleasant movie with well-drawn characters. It's nice to see their friendship develop.

I tried out the first episodes of Nashville and The New Normal, and I have to give them big fat NOs.

The Mindy Project, on the other hand, was better than I'd anticipated.

The Life & Times of Tim is hilarious so far. I started watching while visiting a friend, though, and now I'm at a standstill until I receive the seasons I ordered.

Thanks, Charles, for your efforts.

This one's for Tom:

'The Big Lebowski': Arriving To The Party 15 Years Too Late.

Worth it mainly for the tale of "Tay Duday".

Very good! Thanks!

However, I must admit that - on the first viewing - my reaction was not unlike the author's. In a phenomenon that also applies to "Napoleon Dynamite" and other movies, repeated viewings revealed the joy and the genius for me. Once on an iPad is not enough to "get it".

We're watching and really enjoying both "Suits" and "The Americans".

So you're telling me that I not only have to watch The Big Lebowski a first time, but multiple times after the fact?

I suppose that applies to most of the other movies you guys are always worked up over....like The Princess Bride?

Yeah, I have to agree. Would like to hear his take on a second or third viewing on a big screen.

Suites might be my favorite show currently on TV and The American's has been pretty decent so far. I think overall USA and FX have the best collection of TV shows going.

You find gems of video or audio in some of the most unexpected places. This time it's the audio quality of a mostly unknown movie called Beasts of the Southern Wild from 2012. I can't say much for the story, but the audio is excellent.