Smokey
04-13-2006, 03:56 PM
From Sound&Vision magazine........
1 Master and Commander
http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/assets/image/2005/Q4/119200518463.jpg
The Picture: Director Peter Weir strives to faithfully recreate period detail in this nautical tale — an effort that’s reflected in the refreshingly natural color palette.
The Sound: Powerful surround sound and low-bass effects help to heighten the film’s action. The dialogue is consistently clear and natural, even as cannonballs rip through the ship’s starboard side and careen off the port side.
2 The Incredibles
http://www.armchairempire.com/images/Reviews/XBox/the-incredibles/the-incredibles-2.jpg
The Picture: This is the best-looking animated film ever made. Its hyper-expressive characters and familiar settings are rendered in sparkling detail, from the spotty shave that gets Bob a lecture by his boss to the cracked paint job of his laughably tiny car.
The Sound: Creating a convincing fantasy world calls for some intricate sound design, and nowhere does The Incredibles break the illusion.
3 The Return of the King
http://www.armchairempire.com/images/previews/multi-platform/lord-rings-two-towers/lord-rings-return-king-2.jpg
The Picture: Skies and backgrounds are clean and free of noise, and the colorful computer-generated beasts and nefarious characters are utterly convincing.
The Sound: The music score fills the room during the rousing battle scenes, giving way to the dynamic clash of armor against sword or the deep crunch of huge stones caving in the walls of Minas Tirith
4 The Empire Strikes Back
http://www.dvdork.com/uploads/empiresb_01.jpg
The Picture: The crystal-clear look of the restored film on DVD is even more impressive when you remember the laserdisc or VHS version. And everything from the hurtling asteroids to Yoda’s toad-like skin comes across with new vividness.
The Sound: John Williams’s timeless score plays throughout the action-packed two hours, complementing the splat-splat of the blasters during the battles and establishing the spooky atmosphere of Degobah.
5 Spider-Man 2
(Superbit, Sony)
http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/assets/image/2005/Q4/1192005184644.jpg
The Picture: The picture on the standard DVD often seems slightly washed out, like it was in movie theaters. But on a big screen, Sony’s Superbit version has a vividness that notches up the now-famous clashes between Doc Ock and Spidey.
The Sound: The movie got Oscar nominations for Sound and Sound Editing, no doubt because of the high-voltage action scenes, which contain myriad small sonic details placed convincingly in an equally dynamic surround mix.
6 The Bourne Supremacy
http://www.dailycollage.com/collages/bournesupremacy/tbs_01_thumb.jpg
The Picture: The old-world European architecture that serves as a background for much of the movie comes through with crisp highlights and rich shadow detail. And the surprisingly natural-looking skin tones are a good starting point for tweaking your TV’s color.
The Sound: Equal parts evocative ambience and dynamic slam, the excellent sonics help to drive the story and keep your adrenaline pumping.
7 Pirates of the Caribbean
http://www.the-reel-mccoy.com/movies/2003/images/PiratesOfTheCaribbean_3.jpg
The Picture: With the seagoing passages set mostly under sunny skies, the oceanic sparkle combines with deep natural shadows to produce unusually realistic images with fine details.
The Sound: Effects are placed in the Dolby Digital EX mix with unusual sensitivity. In Chapter 3 includes a terrific sequence of subtle and layered effects — from underwater bubbling to gunshots whizzing past your ears.
8 The Matrix Revolutions
http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/assets/image/2005/Q4/1192005184617.jpg
The Picture: While Revolutions has the stylized green and gray color palette featured throughout the Matrix series, the image quality is terrific. The disc features deep, deep blacks that still retain plenty of detail and definition.
The Sound: This DVD has everything you’d expect from a reference recording.
9 Hero
http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/assets/image/2005/Q4/1192005184516.jpg
The Picture: I’m not one to gush over cinematography, but the sumptuous visuals in Hero are a smorgasbord for the eyes, with deeply saturated colors establishing the mood in every scene.
The Sound: The surround channels are used engagingly throughout, either to create a sense of space or to convey thousands of arrows flying overhead.
10. I, Robot
http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/images/39912000/jpg/_39912096_i_robot_pa.jpg
The Picture: I, Robot relies heavily on computer-generated backgrounds to create its future world, but the pseudo-environments are painstakingly crafted and crammed with detail.
The Sound: Lots of action in the surround channels during even quiet scenes gives the movie a lively feel.
http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/article.asp?section_id=2&article_id=998&page_number=1
1 Master and Commander
http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/assets/image/2005/Q4/119200518463.jpg
The Picture: Director Peter Weir strives to faithfully recreate period detail in this nautical tale — an effort that’s reflected in the refreshingly natural color palette.
The Sound: Powerful surround sound and low-bass effects help to heighten the film’s action. The dialogue is consistently clear and natural, even as cannonballs rip through the ship’s starboard side and careen off the port side.
2 The Incredibles
http://www.armchairempire.com/images/Reviews/XBox/the-incredibles/the-incredibles-2.jpg
The Picture: This is the best-looking animated film ever made. Its hyper-expressive characters and familiar settings are rendered in sparkling detail, from the spotty shave that gets Bob a lecture by his boss to the cracked paint job of his laughably tiny car.
The Sound: Creating a convincing fantasy world calls for some intricate sound design, and nowhere does The Incredibles break the illusion.
3 The Return of the King
http://www.armchairempire.com/images/previews/multi-platform/lord-rings-two-towers/lord-rings-return-king-2.jpg
The Picture: Skies and backgrounds are clean and free of noise, and the colorful computer-generated beasts and nefarious characters are utterly convincing.
The Sound: The music score fills the room during the rousing battle scenes, giving way to the dynamic clash of armor against sword or the deep crunch of huge stones caving in the walls of Minas Tirith
4 The Empire Strikes Back
http://www.dvdork.com/uploads/empiresb_01.jpg
The Picture: The crystal-clear look of the restored film on DVD is even more impressive when you remember the laserdisc or VHS version. And everything from the hurtling asteroids to Yoda’s toad-like skin comes across with new vividness.
The Sound: John Williams’s timeless score plays throughout the action-packed two hours, complementing the splat-splat of the blasters during the battles and establishing the spooky atmosphere of Degobah.
5 Spider-Man 2
(Superbit, Sony)
http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/assets/image/2005/Q4/1192005184644.jpg
The Picture: The picture on the standard DVD often seems slightly washed out, like it was in movie theaters. But on a big screen, Sony’s Superbit version has a vividness that notches up the now-famous clashes between Doc Ock and Spidey.
The Sound: The movie got Oscar nominations for Sound and Sound Editing, no doubt because of the high-voltage action scenes, which contain myriad small sonic details placed convincingly in an equally dynamic surround mix.
6 The Bourne Supremacy
http://www.dailycollage.com/collages/bournesupremacy/tbs_01_thumb.jpg
The Picture: The old-world European architecture that serves as a background for much of the movie comes through with crisp highlights and rich shadow detail. And the surprisingly natural-looking skin tones are a good starting point for tweaking your TV’s color.
The Sound: Equal parts evocative ambience and dynamic slam, the excellent sonics help to drive the story and keep your adrenaline pumping.
7 Pirates of the Caribbean
http://www.the-reel-mccoy.com/movies/2003/images/PiratesOfTheCaribbean_3.jpg
The Picture: With the seagoing passages set mostly under sunny skies, the oceanic sparkle combines with deep natural shadows to produce unusually realistic images with fine details.
The Sound: Effects are placed in the Dolby Digital EX mix with unusual sensitivity. In Chapter 3 includes a terrific sequence of subtle and layered effects — from underwater bubbling to gunshots whizzing past your ears.
8 The Matrix Revolutions
http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/assets/image/2005/Q4/1192005184617.jpg
The Picture: While Revolutions has the stylized green and gray color palette featured throughout the Matrix series, the image quality is terrific. The disc features deep, deep blacks that still retain plenty of detail and definition.
The Sound: This DVD has everything you’d expect from a reference recording.
9 Hero
http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/assets/image/2005/Q4/1192005184516.jpg
The Picture: I’m not one to gush over cinematography, but the sumptuous visuals in Hero are a smorgasbord for the eyes, with deeply saturated colors establishing the mood in every scene.
The Sound: The surround channels are used engagingly throughout, either to create a sense of space or to convey thousands of arrows flying overhead.
10. I, Robot
http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/images/39912000/jpg/_39912096_i_robot_pa.jpg
The Picture: I, Robot relies heavily on computer-generated backgrounds to create its future world, but the pseudo-environments are painstakingly crafted and crammed with detail.
The Sound: Lots of action in the surround channels during even quiet scenes gives the movie a lively feel.
http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/article.asp?section_id=2&article_id=998&page_number=1