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Can't Hardly Wait (Blu-ray) Official AVSForum Review

6K views 14 replies 10 participants last post by  LEDme 
#1 ·


The Review at a Glance: (max score: 5 )

Film:


Extras:


Audio/Video total rating:

( Max score: 100 )

80






Studio and Year: Sony Pictures
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Feature running time: 100 Minutes
Genre: Comedy

Disc Format: BD-50
Encoding: AVC (MPEG-4)
Video Aspect: 1.85:1
Resolution: 1080p/24


Audio Format(s): English/French/Portuguese Dolby TrueHD 5.1, Thai Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Indonesian, Korean, Thai, Spanish, Chinese, Portuguese
Starring: Ethan Embry, Lauren Ambrose, Charlie Korsmo, Peter Facinelli, Seth Green, Jennifer Love Hewitt
Written & Directed by: Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elefont
Music by: David Kitay and Matthew Sweet
Region Code: A,B,C

Blu-ray Disc release Date: September 30, 2008







"The party starts now! "



Film Synopsis:


It's graduation day at Huntington Hills High-- a time for Pomp and Circumstance, tassels and mortarboards, and serious introspection about the future. But tonight, the seniors will leave all that behind for the things that really matter; romance, revenge and rock 'n' roll. Ethan Embry, Charlie Korsmo, Lauren Ambrose, Peter Facinelli, Seth Green and Jennifer Love Hewitt star in one raucous comedy about the ultimate teen party, a once-in-a-lifetime alternate universe where class nerds become class studs, super-jocks are humiliated, and freshman crushes blossom into grown-up romance. From prom queen to bimbo, meathead to misfit, everyone will be there for a hormone-charged bash tapped for out-of-control fun.



My Take:


The mid to late nineties saw a large influx of teen movies emerge from Hollywood. Its interesting looking at these films now to see who from the crowd of relative unknowns has caught on and become successful. For some reason I had never seen Can't hardly wait and until I saw it announced on Blu-ray never heard of it. The first teen party type comedy that caught my eye was American Pie. Looking at this film I was reminded of that movie. On its own I thought this movie was fun and had a great cast of young actors who have achieved varying levels of success and some who haven't done much since. The story follows a group of graduating high school seniors, and specifically focuses on Amanda, Preston, Mike, Kenny (Special K), William, and Denise. There is a huge party taking place at Molly's (Girl whose party it is) house and pretty much everyone is going. Preston has been in love with Amanda since freshman year but she has been dating Mike since then. Mike is your typical Jock type who is long on mouth and short on brains. The day before the party he decided to break up with Amanda because he doesn't want any ties when he goes off to college. Preston and Denise are best friends and he confides in her regarding his feelings for Amanda and has shown her a love letter that he has written and re-written to Amanda but has never given to her. Denise is sarcastic, intelligent, condescending and not overly friendly which is why she doesn't have many friends. She reluctantly goes along with Preston to the party. William is an overachieving nerd who has devised a rather complex plot of revenge to get even with Mike for an embarrassing prank he pulled on him during graduation. Last but certainly not least is Kenny, who prefers to be called Special K. He is white on the outside, likes to think he is black on the inside and has come to the party with one thing in mind which is hookin' up with a babe for a night of pleasure.

There are other characters with smaller roles that definitely add to the overall enjoyment of the film. The writing has a nice fresh appeal that probably inspired several of the films like the one I mentioned earlier. Today this would have less impact based upon been here and done that within the genre. At the time of its release that certainly wouldn't have been the case and it has built a loyal following. I couldn't help but look at the cast while watching the movie and saying, I know him, I've seen her, because there were so many young actors who today have appeared or are appearing in numerous movies/TV shows etc. Jenna Elfman (sister of composer Danny Elfman) from Darma and Greg fame had an uncredited cameo as an exotic dancer and looked really good in her angel costume. The music soundtrack rocks and definitely represents some of the best music of the time period and before. Can't hardly wait is not the best teen party movie I have seen but it is fun, has a solid cast of talented young (at the time) up and coming actors, and features a great music soundtrack.




Parental Guide:


The rating is for teen drinking, sexuality and language.





AUDIO/VIDEO - By The Numbers:
REFERENCE = 92-100 / EXCELLENT = 83-91 / GOOD = 74-82 / AVERAGE = 65-73 / BELOW AVERAGE = under 65

**My audio/video ratings are based upon a comparative made against other high definition media/blu-ray disc.**


(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)


Audio: 78


  • Dynamics:

  • Low frequency extension:

  • Surround Sound presentation:

  • Clarity/Detail:

  • Dialogue Reproduction:





Video: 82


(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)

  • Resolution/Clarity:

  • Black level/Shadow detail:

  • Color reproduction:

  • Fleshtones:

  • Compression:

Can't hardly wait comes to Blu-ray disc from Sony featuring 1080p AVC encoded video that has an average bitrate of 24 mbps and lossless Dolby TrueHD 5.1 channel audio that has an average bitrate of 1.5 mbps.

This catalog title release from Sony offered good overall audio/video performance. The video had a film like quality with visible grain and good high definition detail. Sharpness waned at times but on the whole produced resolute images. Colors were rendered cleanly with satisfying depth and natural tonality. Low light sequences had ample depth and good shadow detail which made them appear more dimensional. The soundtrack isn't such that it necessitates deep impact or wide dynamic range but should offer clear, concise audio reproduction, which it did. Dialogue is reproduced with crystal clarity and prominent tonal variation. Both ambient and discrete effects are mixed to both the front and rear channels to broaden the soundstage and help deliver off camera sounds that come from fixed points in the room. The music soundtrack sounds great and is responsible for the only real low frequency effects contained in the audio mix. I enjoyed the soundtrack and while it may not be the type that constantly drives the system and fills the room it was intelligently used to maximize the elements present in the recording.



Bonus Features:


  • Original Cast/Filmmaker commentary

  • Cast/Filmmaker commentary - 10 years later

  • (HD) Huntington Hills High: Class of '98 reunion

  • (HD) Can't hardly wait: The making of a teen classic

  • (HD) The life of the party

  • 6 Deleted scenes

  • Special K's 411 track yo'

  • (HD) You know your 90's if: Trivia Game

  • I can't get enough of you baby music video by Smash mouth

  • (HD) 3 BD Previews - Men in black, Don't mess with the Zohan, and Married life

  • BD-Live access - Spotlight Blu-ray discs and 9 downloaded BD trailers





Final Thoughts:




Can't hardly wait is an entertaining film that fans of the teen party genre should well remember. Its writing has a fresh feel that when combined with its good young cast and great music soundtrack makes for a fun movie. Sony has brought it to Blu-ray Disc featuring good quality audio/video and a great set of bonus supplements that fans are sure to appreciate.













Ralph Potts
AVS Forum Blu-ray Reviews





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14
#4 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by eYeKey /forum/post/14739450


why post that?

Because it's true?



Actually it was a mistake on my part. It was just the start of a much longer post, but I was at work and got called away whiile in the middle of it. I then returned to my desk when it was time to leave and just hit submit on more than one post in different forum sites without reviewing what I was in the middle of.


Anyway, I was going to say that I might catch the movie this time around. When it was first released, I refused to see it, because of the stupid title. I know "can't hardly wait' is a bastardised figure of speech that is based on ignorance of the meaning of words, just like "I could care less". Both of these phrases mean the opposite of what the speaker's intention is as any logical thought would reveal. When the movie was first released, I was a bit more uptight about things, and was disgusted that the title was lending legitimacy to a phrase with an implied double negative and would further propogate linguistic dysfunction in a new generation of American kids. Now, however, I more laid back and realise that the title doesn't make it a bad movie per se, and that it may be cool to compare it with later teen movies.

Apologies for the off-topic tangent. Thanks for the review, Ralph.
 
#5 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by fitbrit /forum/post/14741541


Because it's true?



Actually it was a mistake on my part. It was just the start of a much longer post, but I was at work and got called away whiile in the middle of it. I then returned to my desk when it was time to leave and just hit submit on more than one post in different forum sites without reviewing what I was in the middle of.


Anyway, I was going to say that I might catch the movie this time around. When it was first released, I refused to see it, because of the stupid title. I know "can't hardly wait' is a bastardised figure of speech that is based on ignorance of the meaning of words, just like "I could care less". Both of these phrases mean the opposite of what the speaker's intention is as any logical thought would reveal. When the movie was first released, I was a bit more uptight about things, and was disgusted that the title was lending legitimacy to a phrase with an implied double negative and would further propogate linguistic dysfunction in a new generation of American kids. Now, however, I more laid back and realise that the title doesn't make it a bad movie per se, and that it may be cool to compare it with later teen movies.

Apologies for the off-topic tangent. Thanks for the review, Ralph.
 
#6 ·
umm ok.... is Avsforum even checking grammatical errors on movies...


now idea what the hell the above paragraphs mean but this movie is a very underrated comedy....


it has alot of funny parts and some stuff we can all relate too. i hope the quality is great
 
#7 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by RAVEN56706 /forum/post/14742537


umm ok.... is Avsforum even checking grammatical errors on movies...


now idea what the hell the above paragraphs mean but this movie is a very underrated comedy....


it has alot of funny parts and some stuff we can all relate too. i hope the quality is great

Thanks for the mini review. I'll definitely check out the movie when I can. In fact, comments like, "it has a lot of funny parts and some stuff we can all relate to," make me look forward to it. I already apologised for the above paragraphs that you, ironically, have 'now idea' about, so I hope they don't need to be brought up again.



BTW, RAVEN56706, I'm British, living in Canada. We use 's' instead of 'z' for a lot of spellings e.g. 'realise', 'apologise' etc. in case you weren't aware of that.
 
#8 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by fitbrit /forum/post/14744041


Thanks for the mini review. I'll definitely check out the movie when I can. In fact, comments like, "it has a lot of funny parts and some stuff we can all relate to," make me look forward to it. I already apologised for the above paragraphs that you, ironically, have 'now idea' about, so I hope they don't need to be brought up again.

lol... umm ok... on the fly i dont check my grammar or spelling... sorry i am not up to par with your standards... hence why i dont review movies but i was just making light of what you put... oh and smart guy... apologised is spelled apologized...
 
#11 ·
there was a lot of different music in this movie... i hope the sound is in top notch form
 
#12 ·
This was a good movie, despite the double negative in the title.



But paying $20 when you can own the sd dvd for $2.45 is a tough call for me. It's not one of those action-packed or beautiful "must have HD" movies.
 
#13 ·
Just saw this movie a few weeks ago on one of the local HD channels. Is it a great movie? no. But it's the type of mindless entertainment that most of us need now and then. Most people can find his or herself in one of the characters and say 'that was how i was in high school'.


As for the title, it would have been great as a Gin Blossoms cd title, to go along with 'New Miserable Experience' and 'Congratulations I'm Sorry'.


-Jody
 
#14 ·
Did anyone who actually has this BD notice that the film is NEVER, EVER stable?


Right at the start of the film, even during the Columbia logo at the beginning, you'll notice that the film is constantly "bobbing" up and down throughout. I'm surprised the reviewer didn't mention this.


It becomes less noticeable once the movie starts, but the entire film moves up and down throughout. It drove me crazy and really detracted from my enjoyment of the film.


I saw this many times in the theatre (I think the film is pretty fun) and do have the SD DVD somewhere, but I haven't checked to see if the SD version exhibits the same issue.


Speaking of film cameos, the film also has:


Selma Blair

Jamie Pressly

Eric Balfour

Clea DuVall

Melissa Joan Hart

Breckin Meyer

Jerry O'Connell

Amber Benson


Some are blink and you'll miss them cameos, but there all in the movie.
 
#15 ·
Though off-topic, I thought fitbrit's first post was good comedy, and the ensuing conversation was amusing.
For me, incorrect grammar in a film title or tagline falls into the category of creative license.


I saw this movie when it was first released because I am a fan of its lead, Jennifer Love Hewitt, and also like Seth Green. The film is notable not only for its many now-more-recognizable stars, as Mr. Potts points out, but also because the script has heart, as do the characters. Jenna Elfman's Angel was a great bonus you don't expect from these kinds of "mindless" teen films.


The film's co-writer/directors, Harry Elfont and Deborah Kaplan went on to make another film that I believe is also underrated, Josie and the Pussycats, and (having checked IMDB just now) they also scripted Made of Honor.


Since I already have this on DVD I won't likely buy it on Blu-ray.
 
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