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Happythankyoumoreplease (Blu-ray) Official AVSForum Review

4K views 6 replies 4 participants last post by  Lee Weber 
#1 ·


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

Film:


Extras:


Audio/Video total rating:

( Max score: 100 )

79






Studio and Year: Anchor Bay Entertainment - 2010
MPAA Rating: R
Feature running time: 94 minutes
Genre: Comedy, Romance


Disc Format: BD-25
Encoding: AVC (MPEG-4)
Video Aspect: 2.40:1
Resolution: 1080p/24


Audio Format(s): English Dolby TrueHD 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
Starring: Malin Akerman, Josh Radnor, Tony Hale, Pablo Schreiber, Kate Mara, Zoe Kazan
Directed by: Josh Radnor
Music by: Jaymay
Written by: Josh Radnor
Region Code: A

Blu-ray Disc release Date: June 21, 2011







"Go get yourself loved."



Film Synopsis:


Happythankyoumoreplease is a sharp comedy centered on a group of 20-something New Yorkers struggling to figure out themselves, their lives and their loves. Featuring a brilliant young cast and music from breaking indie musicians, happythankyoumoreplease deftly captures the uncertainty and angst of what it is to be young, vulnerable, and desperate to find out who you are - or perhaps more importantly, who you want to be.




My Take:


'Happythankyoumoreplease' (yes thats not a typo) is the debut film from Josh Radnor (“How I Met Your Mother”). He wrote, directed and stars in this look at the lives of 6 lost New York 30 somethings. On the way to a meet with a publisher, Sam Wexler (Radnor) meets Rasheen, a young boy who has run away from his foster family. After being guilted, he lets Rahseen stay with him for a couple days. From here we follow Sam's story as he courts Mississippi (Kate Mara), an aspiring singer who challenges his fear of commitment while his connection with Rasheen develops. As Sam does everything in the most unconventional of ways, he begins to realize he has been sabotaginf himself out of fear and is now longing to love and be loved. We also meet Sam’s crew of friends and follow their paths as they also stumble upon life changing moments. There is Annie (Malin Akerman) who seems to fall for the wrong guys until she meets Sam #2 (Tony Hale). In one of the films funnier moments she calls her sponsor and leaves him a message that she is about to go off the wagon; She then goes and hooks-up with her ex. Was it her Sexoholics Anonymous Sponsor? Then there is Mary-Catherine (Zoe Kazan) and Charlie (Pablo Schreiber) whose relationship is challenged with a possible cross country move and a pregnancy.


This sounds pretty heavy but the film has a nice sense of levity as it shows a look into the world of the cynical 30 somethings who try and try to make things happen, and almost miss the moments that define who they are. Josh Radnor’s script and direction flow with ease, making you care about these characters and hope things work out. He reminds me of a combination of Josh Krazinski and Zach Braff, just a little less annoying. His choice of supporting cast worked quite well, with Pablo Schreiber (The Wire) being the stand out.


Within its genre (Garden State, Singles, Reality Bites…), 'Happythankyoumoreplease' certainly is clichéd, having some questionable dialogue and some unrealistic choices by the characters. Even with these faults I found the film and characters engaging and I never looked at my watch during its 90 minute runtime. This film has me interested to see whats next for Radnor.








Parental Guide:


Rated R for 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: 82


  • Dynamics:

  • Low frequency extension:

  • Surround Sound presentation:

  • Clarity/Detail:

  • Dialogue Reproduction:




Video: 76


  • Resolution/Clarity:

  • Black level/Shadow detail:

  • Color reproduction:

  • Fleshtones:

  • Compression:
'Happythankyoumoreplease' comes to on Blu-ray Disc from Anchor Bay Entertainment featuring 1080p AVC encoded video that has an average bitrate of 22.1 mbps and Dolby TrueHD 5.1 Surround Sound that has an average bitrate of 2.9 mbps.

'Happythankyoumoreplease' was shot in HD, and surprisingly didn't look too "digital". Fine details were impressive and most of the time the image was incredibly sharp. Long shots did tend to be softer and I noticed times where the image seemed slightly out of focus. The video also had some blown out whites, but its major fault was that blacks did crush, losing definition in darker scenes. Audio-wise, this Dolby TrueHD 5.1 Surround Sound does its job well. Dialogue, which is the films main focus, comes across clear and positioned correctly in the sound-stage. The films indie-rock soundtrack was dynamic, with a nice tight low end. The surround channels had natural ambiance, but I had to focus to hear that activity. This track does a nice job with the films audio design but will not knock anyones socks off.



Bonus Features:


  • Audio Commentary with Producer/Writer/Director/Actor Josh Radnor and Producer Jesse Hara

  • (HD) Happythankyoumoreplease - Music Featuring Jaymay

  • (HD)Trailer

  • (HD)Previews: Beautiful Boy, Kill The Irishman, Daydream Nation




Final Thoughts:

Full of clichés, 'Happythankyoumoreplease' kept its head above water due to some great performances. This debut from writer/actor/director Josh Radnor shows promise, as he seems to do all three well. Anchor Bay's presentation is worthy of Blu-ray, thanks to a sharp and detailed transfer and lossless audio track. You wont find a great set of extras here, which lends me to recommend a rental if slightly pretentious indie dramedys are your thing.












Lee Weber
AVS Forum Blu-ray Reviews




Reference Review System:



JVC DLA-X3 3D 1080p 3D High Definition Front Projector

Screen Innovations Solar HD 1.3 120" 2.40:1 CinemaScope Screen

Marantz AV7005 Pre/Pro

Sunfire Cinema Grand 5 200 Amplifier

Sony PS3 Slim Blu-ray Player (HDMI Audio/Video)

Sunfire Cinema Ribbon Trio On-Wall (5.1)

Sunfire True Subwoofer EQ Solitaire 10"
 
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#3 ·
Ralph gets .. The Lord Of The Rings Motion Picture Trilogy: Extended Edition (Blu-ray)


Lee gets .. Happythankyoumoreplease (Blu-ray)


There is no justice ..
 
#4 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by mgkdragn /forum/post/20599081


Ralph gets .. The Lord Of The Rings Motion Picture Trilogy: Extended Edition (Blu-ray)


Lee gets .. Happythankyoumoreplease (Blu-ray)


There is no justice ..

Greetings,


Trust me I would gladly have switched with him. LOTR was LOTS of work..



Regards,
 
#6 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ralph Potts /forum/post/20599343


Greetings,


Trust me I would gladly have switched with him. LOTR was LOTS of work..



Regards,

We tend to think of the reviewers job as fun .. when, as you correctly reminded me, it is work .. sorry for the faux pas
 
#7 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by mgkdragn /forum/post/20599081


Ralph gets .. The Lord Of The Rings Motion Picture Trilogy: Extended Edition (Blu-ray)


Lee gets .. Happythankyoumoreplease (Blu-ray)


There is no justice ..

I am glad actually for a few reasons.


1. I have seen it before, and have yet to see happythankyoumoreplease. I prefer films I have yet to see.


2. People might not like what I have to say about LOTR, and I know how fanatical fanboys can be. Look at the comments I got with American Graffiti
 
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