Strange Days- opening scene is possibly the best use of discrete surround ever. (I have the DTS laserdisc and it has a commentary on the analog tracks, so I've never heard how the matrix surround mix of this sounds.)
Toy Story 2 from the Ultimate Collection. The THX intro with the can of cows plus the first five minutes of the movie show it all off - bass, directionality, real heavy bass, and subtle cues as well.
Any of the Star Wars movies Any of the LOTR movies Any of the Harry Potter movies Any of the Matrix movies The Incredibles House of Flying Daggers Hero Kung Fu Hustle Saving Private Ryan Blackhawk Down Gladiator Bad Boys 2
Easy scenes would be the jungle chase scene in The Incredibles, lobby fight scene or heli rescue in Matrix, drum dance scene in House of Flying Daggers, opening of Saving Private Ryan, pod race in Star Wars 1, etc. etc.
For sheer overwhelming intensity and clarity, I like the opening battle scene sound from Master and Commander (dts ES).
For directionality and way high cool factor, I like the first gun-kata scene sound in Equilibrium. I won't spoil this by saying much about it, but there ain't much to see, it's practically all aural, and I just about guarantee it's a "scene" you'll love to throw on for your friends (and yourself).
Pearl Harbor DTS definately. Put in Disc 2, and show them the plane crash and the Japanese taking them prisoner. Gunshots are EVERYWHERE and lots of deep bass in this scene. Then, just for kicks, when that scene is over, play the Faith Hill music video to show off music! That song is 5.1 and mixed well.
Hey Adam, all those movies posted by other members are the way to go for room shaking results. But you should include Se7en for the subtle details and ambiance the DTS track is known for.
Heck, any action film that is mixed in Dolby Digital Surround EX is bound to be a show-off disc. That doesn't mean recent Dolby Digital tracks aren't as good (or even better). Take, for example, the Batman Begins and the 2005 War of the Worlds DVDs. Those have reference quality audio tracks that are just as good as their DD EX counterparts (too bad BB doesn't have a DTS track), if not a bit better.
My favorite DD EX demos are:
- The Incredibles - LOTR: The Return of the King (either theatrical or extended) - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - Master and Commander (chapter 4 in particular sounds amazing).
My favorite DD demos:
See above for Batman Begins and War of the Worlds.