Thread: 7/12 Encore HD Movies

The Problem with Encore HD is that you never know whether is going to be True HD, Widescreen or SD. It is very frustrating until you tune in and see what's going on. Their selection of movies has been very good. But what format is it?

Madhouse * (1990, Comedy)

Time 10:00pm EST

Aspect ratio 1.37 : 1

Summary: Mark and Jessie have finally achieved a coveted part of the American dream: home ownership. But no sooner do they move in and settle down when they are nearly unsettled and moved out by force. Down and out relatives descend upon them and they get a class "A" education on one of the greatest scourges of all time - the overnight houseguest

Days of Thunder **+ (1990, Action / Ad)

Time 8:00pm EST

Aspect ratio 2.35 : 1

Summary: With Days of Thunder, director Tony Scott tried to do for the Indy 500 what he did for the U.S. Air Force with Top Gun. But without Top Gun's go-go soundtrack and visual feats, Scott merely ends up with a Tom Cruise vehicle that's out of gas.
Cruise plays (what else?) a cocky, upstart stock-car racer who faces down ruthless racing opponents. Nicole Kidman, Robert Duvall, Cary Elwes, and Randy Quaid do the laps around this movie's tiresome track with Cruise, while director Scott attempts to propel the action along with his trademark visceral, gritty but glamorous visual style.

Days of Thunder is notable, however, as a turning point in Cruise's then one-dimensional career. After this film--having tired even his most devoted fans by playing a bartender, an air force pilot, and a stock-car driver--Cruise was forced to take on real character parts. --Ethan Brown