Best movie to demonstrate surround sound system?

[Leeps]

Saw "Red Dog" last night, a lesser known Australian movie set in the 70's about a dog that becomes a legend in a mining town miles from anywhere. Apart from being a good chuckle with very strong characters, the sound and cinematography were first class. Wide sound stage with excellent steering effects. Fantastic golden red lighting in the arid dust of northern Australia.

Makes a refreshing change to have a movie that's a good work out for TV and surround system but ALSO has a well-crafted script and is character-driven. Recommended.

 

[Savingslowly]

I agree with someone earlier a lot of these movies don't really showcase a true high end home cinema. For example someone mentioned fast and furious which I would earmark as one of the worst I've heard. Number 5 I think it was. Scratchy vocals not properly eq'd and sounds heavily compressed throughout. Not space saving compression...dynamic compression at mixing.
Avitar is phenominally well mixed, one of the best.
There's a sceene in killing them softly where they are creeping through the halls about to rob the card game that sounds great. The rain sounds like its all around you and very clean and believable. Most if that movie is very well done. But the best I've ever heard is in Rite towards the end of the movie when Anthony Hopkins is possessed and there is like a whirlwind swirling sound with voices every where and a devil voice. It sounds like it moves up and down in the room not just around. Best surround sound effect I've heard to date....Period!

 

[Glacialpath]

I don't mean to knock your system but could it be that it doesn't quite fully unlock the full dynamic range of Fast 5? I'm pretty sure that film (I haven't seen it yet) would have taken on a much bigger budget the the first 4 though its not impossible they mest up the mix, it seems unlikely.

The reason I say this. As I have been upgrading my Hi-Fi and relistened to CDs that before had felt, flat and toneless. They now are more open and sound more musical. This has happened differently to different CDs. So where one flat disc opened up another that wal flat sounding doesn't quite open up as much.

 

[thx1138]

"Super 8" - the train crash scene .

The thunderous bass and enveloping surround sound mix, makes it my go to Blu-ray disc for demonstrations.
Everyone who experiences it, all have the same reaction: WOW!!!

In the Dolby Surround Pro-Logic days, "Heat" sounded amazing on LaserDisc, but for some reason, it just doesn't have the same effect on Blu-ray with discreate surround sound channels.

The T-Rex attack in "Jurassic Park" is still an excellent demo peice too - although again, it sounded better on LaserDisc!

Regards,

James.