TVs
Samsung UNB5000 series
In the battle of the "8500" local-dimming, LED-based LCDs, the Samsung from 2009 comes up on top of the LG from 2010--just barely. It can't beat the LG's color accuracy or shadow detail, and falls short of its off-angle viewing, but surpasses its video processing and uniformity across the screen, and comes close enough in other areas to maintain dominance. But it's a close one.
Price: $5,599.00
Panasonic TC-PG20/25 series
Deep black levels, accurate color and the typical uniformity advantages of plasma over LCD--excellent off-angle fidelity, uniform brightness and color across the screen--will tempt videophiles. The only question, and it's a biggie, is whether those black levels stay dark. Time will tell, but at first glance this Panasonic is a clear winner.
Price: $1,224.00 - $1,499.95
LG LE8500 series
LG's 8500 is among the best LCDs we've ever tested, but if we had to choose one based on picture quality alone, it would be the Samsung. The LG gets the basics--black level and color--nearly perfect, but a couple of imperfections will give the most discerning videophiles pause. Still, No. 2 among LCDs isn't bad.
Price: $1,949.00 - $2,429.99
LG LH90 series
Speaking of LED-based LCDs, the LH90 might trail the 8500(s) in overall picture quality, but its color accuracy is better than any of the others on this list. Fans of matte screens, rejoice!
Price: $1,399.88 - $1,999.95
Vizio VF551XVT
Vizio? One of the best 5 HDTVs for picture quality? Believe it. The superb black levels and solid peripheral picture quality characteristics of the company's local dimming LED-based LCD are the real deal.
Price: $1,399.99 - $1,899.00
MOVIES
10. Spider Man 2 (2004)
Sure, the first Spider Man was necessary to give us the back story on Spidey, but it wasn’t really “action packed.” Part two is where we got to see what Peter Parker could really do when he put on the spandex. The subway chase high above the city, in which Spider Man duked it out with Doctor Octupus on an out-of-control train, showed what a bad ass our comic book hero really is.
9. Enter the Dragon (1973)
May not be a complex movie, but guys don’t really need all that emotional garbage in their cave. This flick is just Bruce Lee and other tough dudes on an island beating each other up for sport. Like you haven’t pictured yourself in the courtyard rumble or the hall of mirrors?
8. Robocop (1987)
Director Paul Verhoeven said, ‘’RoboCop is ahead of its time. I don’t think you could improve it by doing it digitally.’’ He’s right. The face-off between Robo and the panzer-guard-bot ED 209 is one for the ages and no CGI was involved. This is the movie you can pass on to the next generation of man-cavers in 20 years to show them what a real man movie is.
7. Gladiator (2000)
A down on his luck dude gets to beat the crap out of people in a coliseum. What’s not to love? Good thing writer David Franzoni is a persistent bastard. ‘’I pitched Gladiator a couple of places, and everybody thought I was demented — that it was the worst idea for a motion picture ever.’’
6. The Road Warrior (1982)
The movie starts with this narration: ‘’The gangs took over the highways, ready to wage war for a tank of juice. And in this maelstrom of decay, ordinary men were battered and smashed.’’ Mel makes the guys in the latest post-apoctolypic films look like total D-bags.
5. Predator (1987)
Actor Carl Weathers (Dillon in the movie) put it best: ‘’Predator was just unbridled testosterone — never having to worry about makeup or wardrobe because you’re just a bunch of sweaty guys in the jungle with fatigues on.’’
4. Lethal Weapon (1987)
You’ve got to love a film with a bunch of crazy people toting weapons. Gibson is a suicidal cop with a good aim and Danny Glover is the unlucky family man who gets to be his partner. Together, they get to chase down Hollywood’s ultimate weirdo, Gary Busey. Classic.
3. Die Hard (1988)
Bruce Willis’ John McClane is an average guy. He’s not thick with muscles, he’s often afraid, and he forgot his shoes. And that gives us hope that we too could take down terrorists and swing across skyscrapers, too.
2. Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Any movie where a cute little green booger puppet with dyslexia can fight people six times his size deserves to be near the top of any list.
1. The Matrix (1999)
Virtual reality + hackers + kung fu + groundbreaking effects equals a sci-fi-action-drama combo that will be hard to top anytime soon. The film’s main lady, Carrie Ann Moss, said it best: ‘’The Matrix just raised the bar in such a major way. There hadn’t been anything you wanted to line up for in a long time. I think The Matrix really inspired movies again, and I think actors started to really want to do their own stunts instead of having doubles.’’
The Top Ten Man Cave Movies and the Best TVs to Watch them On! 
