Mega Movies

Some CDs beg to be turned up on the stereo (conversely, some awful ones need to be turned down). Here's one that you'll keep cranking up. Conductor Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra tackle some of movie music's most familiar themes from the late 1990s, including The Mummy, The Mask of Zorro, Star Wars: Episode I, The Phantom Menace, and, of course, Titanic. Lovers of soundtracks might already own music from many of these films, and, truth be told, Kunzel doesn't come close to the power of the original versions of The Phantom Menace and Zorro. So why buy this disc? Simply put, the sound. Telarc's Direct Stream Digital sound starts out thundering and never lets up. You can close your eyes and imagine the Cincinnati Pops playing in your living room. Six bonus sound-effect tracks accurately document the sounds of helicopters, humming bees, even a sword fight. This is a fun disc; just be careful not to wake up the neighbors. --Jason Verlinde