To witness the effect of technology on our society, all you have to do is sit in a restaurant and watch families spend more time texting on their smartphones instead of talking to each other. Surrogates takes this to the extreme as humans completely withdraw from society, but it's certainly thought-provoking. Nevertheless, the pulsating DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack is loaded with demo scenes featuring pinpoint discrete effects, multidimensional imaging, and some foundation-shaking bass.

The first two Terminator movies directed by James Cameron were excellent, but the franchise hasn't fared so well with the subsequent directors—especially the horrendous job by McG (yes, that's what he calls himself) with Terminator Salvation. Character development is neglected in lieu of nearly nonstop action, although the soundtrack is very impressive with superior dynamics, frequency response, and surround imaging. If you're looking for a new audio demo disc, this certainly fills the bill, but don't expect the story to captivate your imagination.

It's the early 1940s in London, and love is budding between Vera (Keira Knightley) and a handsome soldier, William (Cillian Murphy). Unfortunately, the film is a total bore, but it does offer some exceptional video and mind-blowing audio. The dialog is crystal clear, and the soundstage features realistic ambience, but it's the massive explosions that really set this track apart from many. The scenes listed below will transport you to another time and give the illusion that the Germans are coming after you.

Based on the book by Michael Connelly, The Lincoln Lawyer is one of the best thrillers I've seen in a while. The pacing and acting are both topnotch and l loved the twists and turns in the story. Furthermore, the video encode is picture perfect with razor-sharp detail, striking contrast, and inviting shadows.

As long as you check your brain at the door, The Losers provides a lot of entertainment, laughter, and adventure. It's based on a DC comic series, and while the plot is hardly original, the cast members never take things too seriously and seem to be enjoying themselves. Furthermore, the movie depicts a lot of violent action, but it doesn't spatter brain matter all over the screen, and I applaud the director's choice to aim for the PG-13 rating. I wouldn't call this a family-friendly picture, but it's not nearly has graphic as it could have been.

Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas is an unusual film that improves with multiple viewings. Burton cleverly mixes Halloween and Christmas with fabulous set designs and stop-motion photography, creating a whimsical world in which to tell his story. The film was rereleased to theaters in 2008 with a 3D conversion utilizing the talents of Don Hahn and ILM (Industrial Light and Magic). As explained on Mouseclubhouse.com, they used the original film for the left eye and they projected it onto a featureless piece of geometry that looks like a coffee cup. Then the camera was moved to the right three inches and re-photographed. Any gaps are then filled in via Photoshop and the resulting image is outstanding. I loved the original 2D release of the film for its fine visuals and enveloping soundtrack, but this 3D version takes it to a whole new level.