Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion The Water Cooler First DVD suggestions...

OK,

So the home theater will be set up eventually and will have great sound, video, ambiance, etc.

But what movie should I watch first?

Nevermind the wife and kid, I'm talking about me here!

Its a once and a lifetime opportunity of course and I am taking suggestions and wanting experiences!

Thanks,
Ben

Wow....I think I could answer home theater questions all day and night. But this question...now this one has me stumped. I wouldnt even know what to recommend.

Starwars, T2, The Matrix Trilogy, Dead Man Walking (gunshots), ......

You got me thinking. I too am about to re-setup a new system and dont know what I will indulge myself with....forgetting the kids and wife, of course!

-Tarun

I think I would go for Saving Private Ryan if I wanted something intense or Finding Nemo if I wanted something fun. Both will show off your system!

U-571

Let me suggest the Titanic.

That will ensure that any other movie you watch will be a very significant improvement.

lol

Master and Commander

Lord of the Rings Trilogy Extended versions in DTS.

A bit of everything in these movies. Great surround effects, tons of LFE, great pans, good center test with dialog as well as action coming out of the center, etc etc. . .that is if you are at all a fan of this kind of movie.

Yeah, but then you have to watch Master and Commander.

j/k, haven't seen it, just don't like Mr. Crowe.

Wait until Start Wars III comes out on DVD. If it’s half as good as the movie was, It’ll be a dandy.

If ya just can’t wait that long, for sound effects, I think Assault on Precinct 19 was pretty intense. Bogyman was cool too. We just watched that a couple nights ago. Scarred the piss out me a few times, and I’m not afraid of anything with hair on it.

A few that I've seen lately and have enjoyed are 'Collateral' with Tom Cruise, the bullets sound very real! 'Master & Commander', seems like you either hate it or you like it, I really liked it. 'U-571', almost seems as though you are on the sub with the crew. 'Air America', the scenes of that PC-6 flying in and out of those remote mountain-top airstrips is worth the price of the DVD...to me. As mentioned in another post, 'Flight Of The Phoenix' (new) has the coolest opening scene and whenever Dennis Quaid is putting the chocks under the landing gear of the C-119 after landing, the sound of the Wright 3350 cracking and popping while cooling off is absolutely dead on...take it from me!

'Shawshank Redemption', 'Top Gun', 'Saving Private Ryan' and a host of others...even if it's old, enjoy!

Oh, another neat little DVD we've watched recently that was cool beans is 'The Complex Rock Tour Live' by The Blue Man Group...very entertaining!

Anything Stevie Ray Vaughn, Los Lonely Boys and Eric Clapton's 'Crossroads Guitar Fest' are some good music DVDs...along with the Eagles 'Hell Freezes Over', which is very good.

The Incredibles will satisfy the whole Fam. Great sound too

Oh...and I hear...if you are looking to make sure that center channel works then VIVID makes some good dvd's.

OK...its a cheap shot...but I thought it was a chuckler.

The first movies you should watch are the Extended versions of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Since the movies are spread over 2 disks, they were able to up the video bitrates (at least it seems that way to me!) and the DTS-ES sound is PHENOMENAL!

Also, if you are looking for something you haven't seen I highly recommend Appleseed (anime). The visuals will have your jaw on the floor and so far this makes more use of the surrounds than any movie I have seen.

Either way, you will have tons of fun with a good home theater.

1) Gladiator
2) Lord of the Rings, any one
3) Saving Private Ryan
4) Finding Nemo / Ice Age
5) U-571
6) The Matrix 1 0r 2

In reply to:

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So the home theater will be set up eventually and will have great sound, video, ambiance, etc.

But what movie should I watch first?

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The question is about the first movie you should watch but the question behind the question is, “What is the correct ritual for bringing my new HT into this world.”

Ahhh, my friend, each culture, religious sect, and genotype has their own specific ways of celebrating new life but the most elaborate of these is the celebration of the birth of sound by the mute pygmy tribes of North Florida. A little known group of inbred short folk with extremely bad teeth (no relation to the Brits) are absolutely gaa gaa over sounds. Through an extremely unfortunate compulsion to follow the old adage, “If you don’t have anything nice to say…,” they have completely bred out their ability to speak and therefore must beat on garbage can lids, old bass modules, and paper cones to communicate. They can often be found behind Sound Advice! and other big box stores looking for discarded speaker parts upon which to communicate.

Once a year, during the summer Equinox, they celebrate what they call, “Bam, chicka, bam, bam” (remember, they communicated by beating on things) or “The night the sound was born”. First, they break into the nearest department store and steal any speakers that have a 3.5” or smaller “woofer” and burn them in reverence to Amie, the bringer of kick-butt speakers and yet to be named components, and to Alan, the bringer of the flat response. Next, they mark their bodies with the ashes with A’s (which sometimes look like x’s, i’s, o’s, or m’s because they don’t write so good and them ashes is hot) and begin the ritualistic dancing and eating of popcorn.

Lastly (and this ties more closely into you question), they all gather around the box of light, connected to the giver of watts, connected to the holder of that which for the rest of the year was used as a coaster, connected to a really long extension cord tied directly into my backyard (for some reason). There they sit, transfixed, illumined by the box, and in the end refreshed and rejuvenated, ready for another year. What movie did they watch? Under Siege 2: Dark Territory. Hey, I didn’t say they had good taste in movies. You may want to go with The Incredibles. I would.

I nominate the above post for Post of the Year.

and i nominate that we all drink what he's drinking!

Thanks for all the suggestions. The problem that arises is this: I have seen all of these movies since I am nothing but a movie watching nut. (Well, I have not seen the aformentioned anime flick).

The question then becomes, do I watch a classic that I have seen or risk something new.

There is one action flick that I have never seen for some reason even though I'm a big Ridley Scott fan, Black Hawk Down. Should it be the one? Or is the Extended LOTR collection over the weekend just tooooo good to pass up?

Ben

Personally, I always go with a classic that I know will give my new system a workout. This gives me a chance to hear the differences in the upgrade(s). I'd also hate to pop in something I don't know and wonder if it is the movie or the system that is lacking.