# best DVDs to show off my new home theater? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 12, 2002, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-dvds-to-show-off-my-new-home-theater/136462 "2002-11-12T18:53:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Kalashnikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/2bfe46/32.png) [@Kalashnikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalashnikov)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2002, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-dvds-to-show-off-my-new-home-theater/136462/1 "2002-11-12T18:53:16Z")
So I just got a 32" flat screen tv, a progressive scan DVD player, and a surround sound system. What discs should I get to show it off to my friends on turkey day? I’m particularly interested in movies that make good use of the DTS sound. I’m planning on getting the new LOTR discs anyway. What else? ---
**Author:** ![fatmac98](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3ec8ea/32.png) [@fatmac98](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fatmac98)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2002, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-dvds-to-show-off-my-new-home-theater/136462/2 "2002-11-12T19:00:16Z")
Spy Game Saving Private Ryan Snatch Se7en Just to name a few. Anything with DTS will sound really good. ---
**Author:** ![Canyon\_Surfer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Canyon\_Surfer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canyon_Surfer)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2002, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-dvds-to-show-off-my-new-home-theater/136462/3 "2002-11-12T19:20:44Z")
The Rock - Sean Connery, Nicholas Cage, Ed Harris. The music is great and the surround sound terrific. The Collectors Edition has DTS. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2002, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-dvds-to-show-off-my-new-home-theater/136462/4 "2002-11-12T21:16:26Z")
Black Hawk down had really good sound, but my fav for showing off is a really crappy movie: **The Fast & The Furious** starring Vin Diesel. It’s really a terribly bad movie. ut the engines rev-rev-rev-v-ving and the sound of the cars driving down the streets in the races is just… mind blowing… or ear blowing. This is also a movie you guys have to sit down and watch. Check it out beforehand and notice which scenes give the best value for your money. It’ll move your couch around your living room and make your socks roll up and down. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2002, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-dvds-to-show-off-my-new-home-theater/136462/5 "2002-11-12T21:19:17Z")
Black Hawk down had really good sound, but my fav for showing off is a really crappy movie: **The Fast & The Furious** starring Vin Diesel. It’s really a terribly bad movie. But the engines rev-rev-rev-v-ving and the sound of the cars driving down the streets in the races is just… mind blowing… or ear blowing. This is also a movie you guys don’t have to sit down and watch. Check it out beforehand and notice which scenes give the best value for your money. It’ll move your couch around your living room and make your socks roll up and down. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2002, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-dvds-to-show-off-my-new-home-theater/136462/6 "2002-11-12T21:20:27Z")
??? WTF 😕 The first post is the previes, the 2nd is after correcting some minor things. Not a double post… Damned hamsters. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2002, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-dvds-to-show-off-my-new-home-theater/136462/7 "2002-11-12T23:30:53Z")
Fantasia II has a great THX surroundsound demo at the beginning, and the rest of the film is basically great music in surround sound with animation…you can watch or listen or just talk while it is playing in the background. I only have surroundsound, NOT the DTS, so that might be a different case for you. It just came out today, but reports are the the new Star Wars: Attack Of The Clones DVD might be exactly what you are looking for in picture, sound, quality and entertainment for a bunch a folks with bellies full of turkey and beers in their hands. On a slight hijack, over the weekend I saw a huge stack of DVD players at WallMart for only $58 each…hard to believe… ---
**Author:** ![Raygun99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Raygun99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raygun99)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2002, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-dvds-to-show-off-my-new-home-theater/136462/8 "2002-11-12T23:42:23Z")
The bank robbery scene of Heat is a terrific workout for speakers. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2002, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-dvds-to-show-off-my-new-home-theater/136462/9 "2002-11-13T00:22:59Z")
_**[KOYAANISQATSI](http://www.koyaanisqatsi.org/films/koyaanisqatsi.php)**_!!! Fantastic visuals, wonderful music, and a “story line” (you have to see the film to understand why I put it in quotes) that you’ll never, ever forget. You can now get a great DVD version of it for less than $30. I, and a few other Dopers, paid $180 for ours. That fact alone should tell you something about the impact the film has on people. But don’t take my word for it, look at what other Dopers have said about it: [Here.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=136028) [Here.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=105167) [Here.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=130635) [Here.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=124104&highlight=KOYAANISQATSI) [Here.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=93552&highlight=KOYAANISQATSI) [Here.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=91752) And finally, [here.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=86176&highlight=KOYAANISQATSI) ---
**Author:** ![Rhum\_Runner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rhum\_Runner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhum_Runner)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2002, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-dvds-to-show-off-my-new-home-theater/136462/10 "2002-11-13T00:50:34Z")
go to [www.hometheaterforum.com](http://www.hometheaterforum.com) Classic ‘show off’ DVDs Pod Race scene from Phantom Menace Toy Story 1&2 Ice scene from Titan AE etc… ---
**Author:** ![Sigmundex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e19adc/32.png) [@Sigmundex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmundex)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2002, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-dvds-to-show-off-my-new-home-theater/136462/11 "2002-11-13T02:46:55Z")
When I got my surround sound stuff all installed, the first thing I did was grab my newly purchased copy of Gladiator and go right to the first battle scene. The arrows fly from one side of the room to the other, and then impact. The sounds are awesome. I recommend that one. ---
**Author:** ![Mockingbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c68b51/32.png) [@Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mockingbird)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2002, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-dvds-to-show-off-my-new-home-theater/136462/12 "2002-11-13T03:04:36Z")
Bring It On is very impressive in DTS. ---
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2002, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-dvds-to-show-off-my-new-home-theater/136462/13 "2002-11-13T03:07:35Z")
Lord of Illusions is an excellent movie for showing off how your speakers handle directional effects. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2002, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-dvds-to-show-off-my-new-home-theater/136462/14 "2002-11-13T06:16:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Hastur \* > \*\*Bring It On is very impressive in DTS. \*\* Whoa, whoa, whoa. Now I’ve heard DTS is good stuff, but making **Bring It On** _impressive_?! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![zen101](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c68b51/32.png) [@zen101](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zen101)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2002, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-dvds-to-show-off-my-new-home-theater/136462/15 "2002-11-13T06:35:14Z")
The Cell is visually stunning and incredibly scored with no pesky plot to bog you down. Lawrence of Arabia is just frickin’ terrific. Buttslammers #16 with Dru Barrymore and Johnnie Blakk is outrageously terrific. ---
**Author:** ![Kaitlyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/73ab20/32.png) [@Kaitlyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaitlyn)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2002, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-dvds-to-show-off-my-new-home-theater/136462/16 "2002-11-13T07:48:21Z")
DTS isn’t always better than DD, especially once you adjust for the volume difference. The care with which the surround sound is encoded matters more than the codec used to encode it. On to the OP: For showing off the picture: Color: Toy Story 2 The Fifth Element (Superbit) Tarzan (SE) Pleasantville Seven Dark City Singin in the Rain Suspiria The Emperor and the Assassin Black and White Citizen Kane The Third Man Notorious (Criterion) Rebecca (Criterion) For showing off the sound system: Saving Private Ryan Unforgiven SE (for the thunderstorm) Amadeus SE Das Boot (Director’s Cut)