best movie to showcase your home theater

[MatrixDweller]

What's your opinion of the best movie out there to showcase your home theater? I had a bunch of good ones for my old DVD set up until some thief thought my house looked tasty. There are always certain scenes that really show off your gear.

My Favourites:

Star Wars Episode 3: Opening battle scene
LOTR The Fellowship of the Rings: The Bridge of Kazadoom
U571: Depth Charges
T2: The Mini-Gun
The Matrix: Lobby all the way to the helicopter crash

[brandonnash]

A good movie start to finish is Rush Hour 2. Great sound, Great video, DTS ES, really a good flick all the way around. Band of Brothers should be on the list. It's video is intentionally grainy, but the sound is awesome and the video cleans up in the last episode. This list could be dozens and dozens of movies btw.

[wbassett]

For both the 55" SXRD and the 106" screen I use a variety, definitely High Def sources too if at all possible.

King King- The T-Rex fight scene and then the end on top of the Empire State Building. When the Bi-Planes come into scene it's nothing short of incredible looking.

Star Wars and Serenity- Any battle or space scene! Many people don't like Serenity (I do) but all agree the FX are outstanding eye candy.

Chonicles of Riddick- I especially like the shots on Creamatoria. There are also some closeup shots of Riddick that have lots of detail.

Batman Begins- Again lots of favorite scenes, but towards the end when the water mains are being blown there is an over head view of the city that looks 3D with the right setup.

Kingdom of Heaven and Walk in the Clouds- Both have some stunning panning shots of the country side, and the main battle in Kingdom is riviting. The vineyards in Walk in the Clouds is almost beyond words.

I also usually show off anything from Pixar. Animation always looks fantastic on these new High Def sets and for projectors they really show it off in the best possible way.

[jvc]

The first movie I always put in, to demo my system, is "Saving Private Ryan". When they land on Normandy Beach, at the first of the movie, you'll be dodging bullets, on your couch! Flyboys (dogfight scenes) is very good also.

There are so many, I can't list them all.............

[nova]

I'd say one of my favorites is Star Trek - Nemesis.
While maybe not one of the better films in the series, it is visually stunning (especially the opening scene in the Romulan Senate). And the sound is excellent as well (the battle in Bassen Rift, very dynamic).

[salvasol]

If you want to showcase your HT .... any movie will do it

Specially if your guests only watch a regular TV without surrounds (or maybe a small system) ..... and if you have a nice set up system they will love it

(I had some relatives visiting me one day, I invited them and I played U571 ... imagine their faces with all the sounds and specially my buttkickers working .....

[SteveCallas]

If I want to show off picture quality, surround activity, bass, and a captivating film all at once, it's gotta be The Incredibles. I've yet to experience anything that can top it in those categories combined.

[ccdoggy]

Next, the boom scene.

Sword Fish, large claymore mines.

M&C