Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater The *Official* Reference DVD thread

Ok guys, I've my Axioms for a little over a week now and TOTALLY LOVE EM. All speakers are amazing! I got pics somewhere

So now I'm gonna have continue building my dvd collection and would like to know which DVDs are especially awesome in terms of visuals and of course sound. Gotta give those Axioms a good workout.

Here's a quick list of some movies that pop in my head:

The Incredibles and pretty much ANY Pixar movie (Toy story, monsters inc, finding nemo, etc)
Any Star Wars movies (Say what you want about George Lucas but the man knows his effects and sound)
Lord of the Rings Trilogy (Extended Editions)
Saving Private Ryan
Spiderman 1 and 2
Gladiator (DTS)
Terminator 2

Heard some people mention The Others have good surround and Master and Commander is very well done as well.

What other movies do yall recommend to give a good workout for my Axiom HT (M60s, VP150, QS8s and Velo HGS-10)?

Any DTS titles are preferred

BTW, just saw Ghost in the Shell Innocence and the graphics and sound are phenomenal! Movie is kinda slow but damn your jaws will hit the floor at certain moments...at least mine did).

I'd add X-Men (the first one only).

Bren R.

Awesome I have X-men, just havent had time to check it out my new speakers.

Blade II
Underworld

Daredevil has nice sound...the movie is blah...

U-571

The new director's cut of Daredevil is much better than the original. Still not the worlds best movie, but if you're going to watch it, the new version is the one to see.

pearl harbor

band of brothers

Second Band of Brothers. One of the best mastered things
I have seen in years. I need to revisit it now that the Axioms are in place;
Also, did not see anyone mention Das Boot. That'll give the sub a workout.
And The Abyss.
TjB

the whole 'Matrix' series sounds great. along with the redone 'Indiana Jones' series.

i saw 'Troy' a few weeks ago and thought it was really good too.

if you like westerns, 'Open Range' has some great sounds, and is a very beautiful movie to watch.

also, the 'Bourne Identity' and the 'Bourne Supremecy' have a surprisingly good use of surrounds.

and i am the one who suggested 'The Others'. it is a scary/creepy movie, and they have surround effects that just make you think you can feel fingers tickling your neck. i must have jerked my head around at least 2-3 times during that movie thinking someone was behind me. its VERY believable!!

bigjohn

Since a number of the movies I was going to suggest have already been mentioned, here are a couple that have not:

Jurassic Park (DTS): The visuals, the music and the sound.
Jurassic Park III (DTS): The battle between the T-Rex and the Spinosaurus will give your sub a workout.
A Bug's Life: Want to see how good your video is?

The Fifth Element.

Thats only a couple that come to mind...will have to look through my DVD collection tonight.

WhatFurrer

we forgot 'Saving Private Ryan' in DTS.. but, if you get the 'Band of Brothers', that is as good, or better.

bigjohn

I would like to submit 'Kill Bill' to the list.

It's not going to blow you away, and I wouldn't use it as a "demo" disc, but the sound in "Finding Neverland" was very natural and realistic. There's a scene where they are in the park and you can hear the soft russle of the leaves in the trees as a gentle breeze blows. It sounded VERY real.

Oh yeah...I forgot about Open Range. I'll second this movie in the nominations list.

Great movie..to me anyway. And the gunshot sounds...are awesome!

In reply to:

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There's a scene where they are in the park and you can hear the soft russle of the leaves in the trees as a gentle breeze blows. It sounded VERY real.

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Is that right before a news helicopter collides with a mountainside in a "Hollywood-size-it" ANFO explosion?

What? No explosions? Tsk... shame on you, Craig!

Bren R.

In reply to:

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What? No explosions?

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only cause it's not a michael bay flick!

The big noisy films are fun, but honestly well done surround sound in a quiet drama is really more impressive to me. It really sucks you in...makes it seem like you're right there in the room with someone. Love it.

Good Will Hunting was another dvd drama that sounded great.

Ladder 49 had very impressive effects - not just the explosions, either.

when we were at blockbuster last night, had 'ladder 49' and 'i, robot' in my hand to rent, cause i figured they would both have great sound effects.

ended up going with a comedy.

bigjohn

Have to second Ladder 49. Amazing DD track and a very good movie too, IMO.

All the other movies mentioned are also great demo material. I've also always liked the sound on Air Force One Superbit DVD too. The Pianist and LA Confidential get my vote for most realistic sound along with The Game. Also, don't forget T2 and T3.

There have been several threads over the last 1.5 years that have touched in this. This is one summary that was pulled together from a group of those threads.

I just purchased Last of the Mohicans (DTS) last weekend and was quite disappointed with sound. The surrounds were hardly used and were barely used throughout the movie (only time they seemed to be utilized was during the score). I totally dig the soundtrack/score but this movie just isn't up to par with most movies listed above. Fortunately it only cost $8 so I wasn't too pissed off

Without a doubt, The Fifth Element (Superbit) is an awesome display of what a DVD can do when done right.

Nine Inch Nails - And All That Could Have Been in DTS

Fight Club in DTS

Yeah, but this one is "official."

The Eagles - Hell Freezes Over (DTS)

Sean

I-Robot is a very good demo
Alaadin special edition is also nice
Lion King Hometheater Mix is out of this world
Fight Club
Gladiator

lets not forget Pirates of the Caribbean.

I'll second Pirates of the Caribbean.

Blackhawk Down
Dream Theater - Live at Budokan

U571 - DTS - Chapter 15
Awesome.

I finally watched Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence with my Axioms (only watched it once before, when I was using my Polks). Now I know what hashts and others were talking about when mentioning this movie. The audio is really good. Plenty of ear candy, and it gets low on numerous occasions. I love the music, too. Kenji Kawai is a badass. I got goosebumps on a few occasions during the movie.

Even if it's not your type of movie (animated sci-fi/philosophical action--the original movie was part of the inspiration for The Matrix, to give you an idea), you may want to try it out just for the audiovisual aspect. As a warning, it's in Japanese with English subtitles.

I still haven't watched any Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. Worthwhile?

Isn't Ghost in the Shell 2 only available in Japanese language with english subtitles for the hearing impaired? I have been waiting for another release of the film to correct this issue, but I don't think that there has been one yet.

- Nick

You are correct. Kind of annoying to see the sound cues, but still watchable.