Subwoofer movies that DON'T suck?

edster922 · 03-15-06, 01:55 PM

Just saw "War of the Worlds" yesterday, mainly to hear how the S12 would do with the LFE. I was quite happy...with the Mirage that is. The movie absolutely sucks. Now I remember why I usually DON'T watch this kind of big-budget Hollywood FX crapola.

Lousy acting (pretty pathetic when a little 11 year old girl upstages the entire cast

), moronic dialogue/script, ugh I could barely sit through it. Suddenly made me wish I had some good leaf even though I haven't lit up in years and years.

So, am looking for suggestions of subwoofer-intensive flicks that have more than a half dozen brain cells to them.

The last good LFE flick I saw was "Master and Commander," "Lord of the Rings," "The Incredibles" and "Hero." Surely there must be more?

====

Edited to add: for newcomers to this now-humongous thread, one of the posters has graciously compiled a list of subwoofer movies---which, however, he declines to describe as "sucking" or "non-sucking."

You can see it by going to post #607:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...&&#post8391074

thebland · 03-15-06, 02:13 PM

LOTR trilogy...

As a general rule, as bass in a DVD approaches reference extension, the movie's story line concomitantly falls to the lowest of lows as well.....

sethwas · 03-15-06, 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thebland

concomitanty

I had to look that up. I think you skipped an 'L'.

Seth

thebland · 03-15-06, 02:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sethwas

I had to look that up. I think you skipped an 'L'.

Seth

OOOPS!

Thanks....and fixed!

noah katz · 03-15-06, 02:34 PM

Serenity.

Maybe not that great a sub movie, but it has its moments and the surround track is great; good flick, too

Mark Seaton · 03-15-06, 02:47 PM

Here are a few other possibilities... depending on your tastes:

Das Boot
U-571 (some like it, some don't)
Saving Private Ryan
Incredibles
Finding Nemo
Master & Commander
Spider-Man 2
Open Range

Add to or clip from the above list as suits your tastes...

RMK! · 03-15-06, 02:53 PM

I have found that as my audio systems power and capability increased, there was a concomitant

reduction in my quality control of the material I played on the system. Actually, I kind of liked WOTW and found it (like most Spielberg films) entertaining but I will admit to an over all reduced level of QC. For me the rule of thumb is, if it sounds good, I will attempt to watch it. For example, I am really looking forward to the DVD release of King Kong. Do I believe that this is going to be a good movie? Probably not but I bet it will sound great and be fun to watch.

bsheldon · 03-15-06, 03:19 PM

master and commander--you've seen.
U-571--I really enjoyed it on my regular tv--loved it with my new system.
You mentioned LOTR trilogy--awesome.
If you liked hero you must watch "house of flying daggers", highly recommend
Nemo--surprising good bass, great movie
Saving Private Ryan--One of the absolute best movies and soundtracks
tears of the sun--if you can tolerate the constant bruce willis close up stares--its a good movie
Black Hawk Down--award winning sound, great true story
Behind enemy lines--some FX stuff, but not at all overdone.
The haunting has unbelievable bass, ok as a movie--doesn't totally suck
the Matrix trilogy--I haven't seen all 3, not really a fan but many people love them, good bass scenes
Star Wars trilogy--the new ones episode 1-3, I have seen all three, not a huge fan, but the originator of THX does know how to make a soundtrack that impresses
BladeII is supposed to have great bass, if you liked the first one it might be worth a shot
Apollo 13--good movie, not astounding bass--really only the take off scene and it is only ok
jurassic parks--3 and 1. The original is the best movie, the 3rd has better bass
Rundown--a movie I thought I would hate, but actually enjoyed--good sound, despite the Rock

The other end of the spectrum--War of the Worlds is probably the king of bass movies, but it does suck as a movie.
The absolute worst movies I have forced myself to stomach my way through--solely for the bass:

Godzilla (matthew broderick version)--unbelievably bad movie--can't believe they made it. It took three sittings to get through
Fantastic four--good sound, TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE movie, fell asleep despite the shaking
Superman 2--I know tons of people love it, I barely made it through
Pearl harbor--really only one scene has good bass, the rest of the movie blows
Hellboy--probably the best on this list, but still bad--good bass though
and my #1 stinkfest movie with impressive bass....The Hulk. Holy S#@* what a peice of garbage that thing is. It is almost worth forcing yourself to sit through it just for the shear enjoyment of just how bad it is--It is so bad. That is the only thing making almost watchable--the fact that they actually made such a hunk of stinking dung. As much as I have tried I can't get through it. Still never seen every scene of it. Good bass and jennifer connelly--that is it.

cschang · 03-15-06, 03:28 PM

So, what I think we are saying is, subwoofer/bass enthusiasts are not necessarily good movie critics.

Jack Gilvey · 03-15-06, 03:33 PM

One movie I enjoyed quite a bit and which you don't expect would be a big-bass flick is "Open Range". There's some cool thunder in the opening, but the shotgun stuff near the end is what really surprizes you, quite percussive.

ransac · 03-15-06, 03:37 PM

I put my HT system together so I can enjoy mindless entertainment without going to the movie house and being surrounded by the mindless. My work requires me to be "On" all the time. It is nice to be able to shut down and watch something with good visuals and sound. If it isn't up to snuff in the dialog department or the situations are preposterous, well that can be entertaining as well for its humor. In contrast, watch Pride & Prejudice. Good dialog, boring as hell. It would have been just as satisfying to watch it on an iPod.

One of my favorites for sound is The Fifth Element. I understand the SuperBit version is better than the commercial release. There are some good explosions and when the evil entity speaks, good deep rumble.

manufanatic · 03-15-06, 03:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jack Gilvey

One movie I enjoyed quite a bit and which you don't expect would be a big-bass flick is "Open Range". There's some cool thunder in the opening, but the shotgun stuff near the end is what really surprizes you, quite percussive.

second that,

also try 7 any of the matrix movies and there was one other animated movie damn cant think of it i remember them going through ice asteriods that had some serious bass

OvalNut · 03-15-06, 03:57 PM

Quote:

and there was one other animated movie damn cant think of it i remember them going through ice asteriods that had some serious bass

Titan A.E.

Tim

samandnoah · 03-15-06, 04:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by manufanatic

second that,

also try 7 any of the matrix movies and there was one other animated movie damn cant think of it i remember them going through ice asteriods that had some serious bass

That would be Titan A.E. I agree that it is a pretty good movie.

dirtraven1 · 03-15-06, 04:11 PM

Iron Giant: Decent movie, good bass.

Polar Express: wrong time of the year, good movie, good sound FX

Adult Flix (non-porno):

Batman Begins
Patriots (Superbit Version)

DeepBass · 03-15-06, 04:52 PM

AirForce One had some decent bass in it. It was a pretty good flick, not the best but I have not seen many Academy award winning movies (as far as story and content) that has the type of bass talked about here. Save for the likes of movies like Saving Private Ryan, there are very few.

edster922 · 03-15-06, 05:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark Seaton

Here are a few other possibilities... depending on your tastes:

Das Boot
U-571 (some like it, some don't)
Saving Private Ryan
Incredibles
Finding Nemo
Master & Commander
Spider-Man 2
Open Range

Add to or clip from the above list as suits your tastes...

Will have to try Open Range...isn't that a Western? I usually don't associate that genre with major LFE.

Spiderman 2...hope it's better than the first one, that was awful.

Private Ryan...first 20 minutes rocked, but all downhill from there.

U571 and Das Boot I'll have to try, though Das Boot is a pretty old film isn't it? Did they remaster it with dedicated sub channel output or what?

J_Palmer_Cass · 03-15-06, 05:08 PM

This thread reminded me why I only needed to go so far in the infrasonic bass department. Not that much for good films with a lot of infrasonic source material is out there.

Now, getting the bass even throughout the listening area by use of multiple subwoofers is another matter!

DeepBass · 03-15-06, 05:10 PM

The Perfect Storm was a pretty good movie (based on a true story). I can't remember if it had a ton a bass though. I do know it had good special effects.

Jack Gilvey · 03-15-06, 05:16 PM

Quote:

Will have to try Open Range...isn't that a Western? I usually don't associate that genre with major LFE.

Yeah, it's a Western, not what you'd expect much bass from. Worth watching, there just happens to be some good LFE there.

rynberg · 03-15-06, 06:04 PM

Das Boot is an amazing movie experience, period. Far, far better movie than U-571 IMO. The storm sequence and depth charges have content down below 15 Hz....

Bigsmith · 03-15-06, 06:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by edster922

U571 and Das Boot I'll have to try, though Das Boot is a pretty old film isn't it? Did they remaster it with dedicated sub channel output or what?

Das Boot was originally filmed in the early 1980's for German TV. It was remastered in DD 5.1 in 1995 (approximately) for theatrical release. It is an AWESOME movie, definitely the best submarine movie ever made and IMHO one of the best war movies of any kind.

U571 has more bass effects but isn't 1/10th of the movie.

cherry ghost · 03-15-06, 06:16 PM

Dark City

Maximum7 · 03-15-06, 06:52 PM

Sky Captain
Unbreakable

You probably won't like those though either.

DeepBass · 03-15-06, 06:59 PM

Ladder 49 was a pretty good one I thought. Great bass in the opening scenes especially.

Rijax · 03-15-06, 07:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jack Gilvey

One movie I enjoyed quite a bit and which you don't expect would be a big-bass flick is "Open Range". There's some cool thunder in the opening, but the shotgun stuff near the end is what really surprizes you, quite percussive.

Amen. While the opening rain scene isn't a boomer, it is most realistic. Not one person I've played this scene for has failed to turn and look around behind them. I think it is a relatively unique experience to be watching a rain scene in a movie, and really have the sound of the rain all around you. It is a startling experience. Good gun battle, and pretty good flick.

Tnilsson · 03-15-06, 07:23 PM

As the OP and some others have noted, there are not all that many good movies with great bass. Some that come to mind (many already mentioned):

Iron Giant
Das Boot
Blackhawk Down
Master and Commander
From the Earth to the Moom (HBO Miniseries)
Aliens
Contact
Sinbad Legend of the Seven Seas
Band of Brothers

Bone215 · 03-15-06, 07:28 PM

best two movies I have seen so far this year, along with a good sound track are
Serenity and the new batman movie. I watched Serentiy twice. Best Batman movie I have seen so far.

Big Bri · 03-15-06, 07:34 PM

Don't know how it qualifies for pure LFE, but the all time greatest testosterone moment in cinema was when Jesse the Body got capped in Predator and Bill Duke picks up his gatlin gun and all hell breaks loose. HELL YEAH! I'm going to go cue it up right now for some good alone time. Excuse me.

sethwas · 03-15-06, 07:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cschang

So, what I think we are saying is, subwoofer/bass enthusiasts are not necessarily good movie critics.

Yup.

Seth

03-15-06, 01:55 PM	#1 \| Link	<a href='http://rev.avsforum.com/phpAdsNew/adclick.php?n=a4ac4393' target='_blank'><img src='http://rev.avsforum.com/phpAdsNew/adview.php?what=zone:30&n=a4ac4393' border='0' alt=''></a>
edster922 AVS Special Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Tejas Posts: 2,303	Subwoofer movies that DON'T suck? Just saw "War of the Worlds" yesterday, mainly to hear how the S12 would do with the LFE. I was quite happy...with the Mirage that is. The movie absolutely sucks. Now I remember why I usually DON'T watch this kind of big-budget Hollywood FX crapola. Lousy acting (pretty pathetic when a little 11 year old girl upstages the entire cast ), moronic dialogue/script, ugh I could barely sit through it. Suddenly made me wish I had some good leaf even though I haven't lit up in years and years. So, am looking for suggestions of subwoofer-intensive flicks that have more than a half dozen brain cells to them. The last good LFE flick I saw was "Master and Commander," "Lord of the Rings," "The Incredibles" and "Hero." Surely there must be more? ==== Edited to add: for newcomers to this now-humongous thread, one of the posters has graciously compiled a list of subwoofer movies---which, however, he declines to describe as "sucking" or "non-sucking." You can see it by going to post #607: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...&&#post8391074 Last edited by edster922; 09-25-06 at 11:26 PM..

03-15-06, 02:13 PM	#2 \| Link
thebland Nostradamus of HT AVS CLUB MEMBER Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Detroit, Michigan USA Posts: 19,579 Classified Rating: 100% (3)	LOTR trilogy... As a general rule, as bass in a DVD approaches reference extension, the movie's story line concomitantly falls to the lowest of lows as well..... __________________ Jeff Last edited by thebland; 03-15-06 at 02:27 PM..

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noah katz AVS Addicted Member Join Date: Apr 1999 Location: Mountain View, CA USA Posts: 14,108	Serenity. Maybe not that great a sub movie, but it has its moments and the surround track is great; good flick, too __________________ Noah

03-15-06, 02:47 PM	#6 \| Link
Mark Seaton AVS Special Member AVS CLUB MEMBER Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Chicago, IL, USA Posts: 4,576	Here are a few other possibilities... depending on your tastes: Das Boot U-571 (some like it, some don't) Saving Private Ryan Incredibles Finding Nemo Master & Commander Spider-Man 2 Open Range Add to or clip from the above list as suits your tastes... __________________ Mark Seaton Seaton Sound, Inc. "Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men's blood..." Daniel H. Burnham

03-15-06, 02:53 PM	#7 \| Link
RMK! Señor Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: 95608 Posts: 1,804 Classified Rating: 100% (2)	Sucking is Subjective (but can be nice in the right circumstance) I have found that as my audio systems power and capability increased, there was a concomitant reduction in my quality control of the material I played on the system. Actually, I kind of liked WOTW and found it (like most Spielberg films) entertaining but I will admit to an over all reduced level of QC. For me the rule of thumb is, if it sounds good, I will attempt to watch it. For example, I am really looking forward to the DVD release of King Kong. Do I believe that this is going to be a good movie? Probably not but I bet it will sound great and be fun to watch.

03-15-06, 03:19 PM	#8 \| Link
bsheldon Double Secret Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Saint Louis, MO Posts: 993	master and commander--you've seen. U-571--I really enjoyed it on my regular tv--loved it with my new system. You mentioned LOTR trilogy--awesome. If you liked hero you must watch "house of flying daggers", highly recommend Nemo--surprising good bass, great movie Saving Private Ryan--One of the absolute best movies and soundtracks tears of the sun--if you can tolerate the constant bruce willis close up stares--its a good movie Black Hawk Down--award winning sound, great true story Behind enemy lines--some FX stuff, but not at all overdone. The haunting has unbelievable bass, ok as a movie--doesn't totally suck the Matrix trilogy--I haven't seen all 3, not really a fan but many people love them, good bass scenes Star Wars trilogy--the new ones episode 1-3, I have seen all three, not a huge fan, but the originator of THX does know how to make a soundtrack that impresses BladeII is supposed to have great bass, if you liked the first one it might be worth a shot Apollo 13--good movie, not astounding bass--really only the take off scene and it is only ok jurassic parks--3 and 1. The original is the best movie, the 3rd has better bass Rundown--a movie I thought I would hate, but actually enjoyed--good sound, despite the Rock The other end of the spectrum--War of the Worlds is probably the king of bass movies, but it does suck as a movie. The absolute worst movies I have forced myself to stomach my way through--solely for the bass: Godzilla (matthew broderick version)--unbelievably bad movie--can't believe they made it. It took three sittings to get through Fantastic four--good sound, TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE movie, fell asleep despite the shaking Superman 2--I know tons of people love it, I barely made it through Pearl harbor--really only one scene has good bass, the rest of the movie blows Hellboy--probably the best on this list, but still bad--good bass though and my #1 stinkfest movie with impressive bass....The Hulk. Holy S#@* what a peice of garbage that thing is. It is almost worth forcing yourself to sit through it just for the shear enjoyment of just how bad it is--It is so bad. That is the only thing making almost watchable--the fact that they actually made such a hunk of stinking dung. As much as I have tried I can't get through it. Still never seen every scene of it. Good bass and jennifer connelly--that is it. __________________ Above all, enjoy the sound. You gotta love the internet.

03-15-06, 03:28 PM	#9 \| Link
cschang listen for yourself Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Manhattan Beach, CA Posts: 11,220	So, what I think we are saying is, subwoofer/bass enthusiasts are not necessarily good movie critics. __________________ -curtis Volunteer Mod at the A s c e n d A c o u s t i c s Forum Somewhere between what someone posts and what I think, is the truth.

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Jack Gilvey AVS Special Member Join Date: Jan 2000 Location: Jersey,USA Posts: 6,152	One movie I enjoyed quite a bit and which you don't expect would be a big-bass flick is "Open Range". There's some cool thunder in the opening, but the shotgun stuff near the end is what really surprizes you, quite percussive. __________________ Jack Gilvey SVS Customer Service

03-15-06, 03:37 PM	#11 \| Link
ransac Knows more than you? Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Sacramento, CA Posts: 3,522	I put my HT system together so I can enjoy mindless entertainment without going to the movie house and being surrounded by the mindless. My work requires me to be "On" all the time. It is nice to be able to shut down and watch something with good visuals and sound. If it isn't up to snuff in the dialog department or the situations are preposterous, well that can be entertaining as well for its humor. In contrast, watch Pride & Prejudice. Good dialog, boring as hell. It would have been just as satisfying to watch it on an iPod. One of my favorites for sound is The Fifth Element. I understand the SuperBit version is better than the commercial release. There are some good explosions and when the evil entity speaks, good deep rumble.

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dirtraven1 Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: NY Posts: 142	Kids Movie Iron Giant: Decent movie, good bass. Polar Express: wrong time of the year, good movie, good sound FX Adult Flix (non-porno): Batman Begins Patriots (Superbit Version)

03-15-06, 04:52 PM	#16 \| Link
DeepBass Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 283	AirForce One had some decent bass in it. It was a pretty good flick, not the best but I have not seen many Academy award winning movies (as far as story and content) that has the type of bass talked about here. Save for the likes of movies like Saving Private Ryan, there are very few.

03-15-06, 05:08 PM	#18 \| Link
J_Palmer_Cass AVS Special Member Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 3,673	This thread reminded me why I only needed to go so far in the infrasonic bass department. Not that much for good films with a lot of infrasonic source material is out there. Now, getting the bass even throughout the listening area by use of multiple subwoofers is another matter!

03-15-06, 05:10 PM	#19 \| Link
DeepBass Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 283	The Perfect Storm was a pretty good movie (based on a true story). I can't remember if it had a ton a bass though. I do know it had good special effects.

03-15-06, 06:04 PM	#21 \| Link
rynberg Unbeliever Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: California Posts: 2,747	Das Boot is an amazing movie experience, period. Far, far better movie than U-571 IMO. The storm sequence and depth charges have content down below 15 Hz....

03-15-06, 06:16 PM	#23 \| Link
cherry ghost Advanced Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Chicago Posts: 821	Dark City

03-15-06, 06:52 PM	#24 \| Link
Maximum7 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Vancouver, Wa. Posts: 450	Sky Captain Unbreakable You probably won't like those though either.

03-15-06, 06:59 PM	#25 \| Link
DeepBass Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 283	Ladder 49 was a pretty good one I thought. Great bass in the opening scenes especially.

03-15-06, 07:23 PM	#27 \| Link
Tnilsson AVS Special Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Northern California Posts: 1,565	As the OP and some others have noted, there are not all that many good movies with great bass. Some that come to mind (many already mentioned): Iron Giant Das Boot Blackhawk Down Master and Commander From the Earth to the Moom (HBO Miniseries) Aliens Contact Sinbad Legend of the Seven Seas Band of Brothers

03-15-06, 07:28 PM	#28 \| Link
Bone215 Advanced Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Cherry Hill NJ Posts: 550	best two movies I have seen so far this year, along with a good sound track are Serenity and the new batman movie. I watched Serentiy twice. Best Batman movie I have seen so far. __________________ deeper than the deepest ocean

03-15-06, 07:34 PM	#29 \| Link
Big Bri Firefighting Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Dunedin, FL Posts: 189	Don't know how it qualifies for pure LFE, but the all time greatest testosterone moment in cinema was when Jesse the Body got capped in Predator and Bill Duke picks up his gatlin gun and all hell breaks loose. HELL YEAH! I'm going to go cue it up right now for some good alone time. Excuse me. __________________ Strong men also cry.