Top Picks For Best Home Theater Movies

If you’ve invested in all the bells and whistles of a complete home theater system; the widescreen high-definition television, surround sound speakers and the latest in DVD technology, the last thing you want to do is watch movies that don’t give your system the workout it deserves. Here are some of the best DVD movies to give you the ultimate home theater experience.

Without questions, action and adventure films were made for the home theater screen as well as the “big screen”. There is nothing that gives a home theater owner a better experience than a film where the action is intricate, graphic, and frequent. Unfortunately, a lot of action films made today are seriously lacking when it comes to being worth the time to watch on home theater. There are a few gems, however.

At the top of the list is the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. The three movies blew audiences away in the theaters with their stunning graphics and uncompromising sound, and the experience is not lost on the special edition DVDs. Programmed with the gold standard in surround sound (Dolby) the shriek of the Nazgul will have you looking towards your ceiling in fear. No one can bring an epic adventure to the screen like Peter Jackson; and his King Kong is true to the original screenplay as well as the incredible scenery, special effects and sound quality of his Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Batman Begins is a must-have in the collection of the true home theater junkie. Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1, this enhanced-for-widescreen transfer is mighty impressive, to say the least. Colors were refined – slightly subdued and somewhat cool looking no doubt due to use of various filters. Saturation levels are never an issue. Flesh tones also looked real and spot on. Black levels were as deep as imaginable allowing shadow detail to be shown off nicely and never becoming murky or ill-defined – especially considering how dark some of the film can be. On top of the dark appearance, there’s plenty of smoke and fog throughout the film’s entirety. Sky Captain, World of Tomorrow is another highly stylized visual treat with amazing sound throughout.

Another genre that is great on the home theater system is the computer animated movie. You don’t want to make your little one’s ears bleed every time they watch A Bug’s Life, but the visual qualities of these films when viewed close up on the home theater screen is amazing in its detail and quality. A high water mark is the incredible underwater animation of Finding Nemo. Dazzling colors and realistic water tones will have you thinking you are on the Great Barrier Reef yourself.

A good rule of thumb when looking for a DVD addition that will be great for your home theater system is that if it wowed you in the theater, it will probably blow you away at home. DVD programmers are well aware that in today’s market, quality of sound is just as important (and sometimes trumps) the quality of the actual film. Many films that would never be sold for personal collections ten years ago become best sellers, simply because of the technology invested in them.

Related Information of Interest:

Celebrity Gossip: What's The Attraction?
Have you ever found yourself enthralled by what goes on in the personal lives of celebrities? Well, you aren’t alone. A huge percentage of people all over the world look forward to opening up their magazine of choice and reading about what the famous are up to. In what new ways has Tom Cruise embarrassed himself? Has Britney Spears given birth yet? Are Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie sleeping in separate beds? For some reason, many humans find these things to be interesting.

But you have to ask yourself, why is it that people are entertained hearing about celebrity gossip? If Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes are having marital troubles, what makes it more interesting than your neighbors regular fights? Is it because the celebrities have more money, and therefore anything that happens to them is more important? After all, if I want to hear about marital troubles, I don’t have to look very far.

Celebrity gossip is a huge business. The photographers can earn literally thousands of dollars just for taking a picture of a celebrity. The magazines scrape together every little bit of info the can to come up with the newest rumors. The magazines are released to grocery store checkouts across the nation, and are quickly snapped up by shoppers eager to hear the latest.

The Celebrity is really an interesting phenomenon. Society has idolized people who are hardly more good-looking or charismatic than the average person. And individuals have followed this trend, and begun to be interested by the celebrity gossip that is everywhere. But when put into perspective, few people can come up with the true reason they are interested by it. So, ask yourself why you really enjoy reading the gossip magazines. If you can’t come up with any valid reason, perhaps it’s time to rethink your priorities.

We know that it doesn't make any sense, but Celebrity Gossip is still fun, right? So visit our Celebrity Gossip Forum ;-)

Who Wrote the Best Love Poem?
Who Wrote the Best Love Poem?

Love poems have long been a way for men and women to express their feelings for one another in a unique and romantic way. They range from structured, formal works such as those by William Shakespeare to free verse works by modern greats such as e.e. cummings. But of all the love poems ever written, who wrote the best love poem ever?

Of course this question may have a different answer depending on who you ask. But for the sake of argument, let’s say that the poet who created the poem that is most often quoted and most recognizable is the one who wrote the best love poem of all time. If these are the criteria, then the poem How Do I Love Thee? by the poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning would win hands down.

Browning wrote this poem to her husband. She and Robert Browning, also a poet, wrote countless love letters to one another over the period of several years. Today, these love letters and the poems that accompany them are treasured parts of American literature. Here is Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s finest and most recognizable work:

How Do I Love Thee?

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.

I love thee to the level of everyday's
Most quiet need, by sun and candlelight.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.

I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints, I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life! and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.

When people think of love poems, they usually think of this one, especially of the first line. It has inspired many other poems in its time and is a great source of imitation. As the best love poem ever written, it has all the elements of a great work: elegant structure, classic rhyme scheme, and beautiful imagery.

Visit to find more of the best love poems.

Art Hill is an internet poet who operates an independant poetry publishing company.

Traditional Jamaican Recipes & Food
The flavors of Jamaica are the product of the island's history combined with a verdant, lush climate. The Spanish, British, African and East Indian have all had an influence over what is today a unique island cuisine made colorful by the many tropical fruits that thrive here.

The waters off Jamaica have always teemed with fish and seafood is the primary protein source for islanders. Snapper, grouper, sea bass and other reef a deep sea fish are caught daily by the many fishermen whose boats line the beaches. Spiny lobster, shrimp and freshwater crustaceans are readily available and cooked usually in a thick sauce. Chicken and goats are well suited to the small mountainous island and are kept by many families but cattle are rare and beef is not the predominant meat.

Many of Jamaica's fruits, including pineapple, mango, banana and avocado were brought to the region by slave traders and plantation owners experimenting with crops. What were once sugar cane fields are now being used to grow fruits and ackee for export and domestic use.

Few other cuisines mix such a range of spices and tastes - sweet, hot and savory - as Jamaican cooking. Jamaican food wouldn't be the same without the spices, seasonings and colors from: Allspice, the pimento berry.

Among many of the spices grown in Jamaica are nutmeg, ginger, thyme, scotch bonnet peppers, which are integral distinct flavors of Jamaican cooking. The pungent thyme grows rampantly on the island and is found in the majority of Jamaican foods.

Favourite Jamaican foods are those for coconut cake, rum punch & beef jerky recipies.

Real Jamaican food, when cooked with feeling, is a soul-satisfying experience.

For further tips and ideas for cooking great and traditional food from around the world, visit rel="nofollow">a href="http://www.worldwide-recipes.com/jamaican-recipes.html" target="_blank">Jamaican Recipes

This article was submitted by Jen Carter, owner of the World Recipes website. Jen has travelled around the world and enjoys collecting and sharing recipes from other countries.