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PLEASE NOTE: Michael D's is currently in READ ONLY MODE. Anything submitted will simply not be written to the database.
Lots of stuff is still broken, but at least reviews can now be looked up and read.
Can't Hardly Wait (Blu-ray) (1998)

Can't Hardly Wait (Blu-ray) (1998)

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Released 27-Oct-2008

Cover Art

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Details At A Glance

General Extras
Category Comedy Main Menu Audio & Animation
Featurette-Making Of
Featurette-10 Year Reunion
Featurette-The Life of the Party
Deleted Scenes
Music Video-Smashmouth "Can't Get Enough Of You Baby"
Audio Commentary-Original
Audio Commentary-10 Year Reunion
Trivia-BD Java Track
Web Links-BD Live Connectivity
Trivia-"You Know You're 90s If..." Trivia Game
Rating Rated M
Year Of Production 1998
Running Time 100:31
RSDL / Flipper No/No Cast & Crew
Start Up Menu
Region Coding 4 Directed By Harry Elfont
Deborah Kaplan
Studio
Distributor
Columbia Tristar F/D
Sony Pictures Home Entertain
Starring Jennifer Love Hewitt
Ethan Embry
Charlie Korsmo
Lauren Ambrose
Peter Facinelli
Seth Green
Case ?
RPI ? Music David Kitay


Video Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame None English Dolby TrueHD 5.1
Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 (640Kb/s)
English Audio Commentary Dolby Digital 5.1 (640Kb/s)
English Audio Commentary Dolby Digital 5.1 (640Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio 1.85:1
16x9 Enhancement
Not 16x9 Enhanced
Video Format 1080p
Original Aspect Ratio 1.85:1 Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures No
Subtitles English
Norwegian
Smoking Yes
Annoying Product Placement Yes
Action In or After Credits Yes

NOTE: The Profanity Filter is ON. Turn it off here.

Plot Synopsis

    Can't Harldly Wait is an unashamed attempt at doing a 90s John Hughes flick. It tells the story of THE graduation party. Prom queen Amanda (Jennifer Love Hewitt) has just broken up with head-jock Mike (Peter Facinelli). Average guy Preston (Ethan Embry), who has had a crush on Amanda since he first laid eyes on her, sees the party as his opportunity to make a move on her. King of the nerds William (Charlie Korsmo) sees the party as time to get revenge on Mike. Preston's best friend, the social outcast Denise (Lauren Ambrose), finds herself stuck with the white wannabe homeboy Kenny (Seth Green), who is desperate to get laid with anyone but her. Along the way, dozens of other plotlines intersect.

    10 years after its release it is better remembered as "that movie with everyone in it" than for its modest success when it was first released. The jokes have aged fairly well, but most viewers will get more of a kick from spotting the huge number of before-they-were-famous stars (mainly TV faces), some of whom wouldn't be anybody for years to come. The checklist for the trainspotters includes: Freddy Rodriguez, Eric Palladino, Jason Segel, Donald Faison, Selma Blair, Clea DuVall, Jaime Pressly, Eric Balfour, Marisol Nichols, Amber Benson, Jenna Elfman, Melissa Joan Hart, Jerry O'Connel, Breckin Meyer and dozens of other "that guy/girl" types. This is one to remember for Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon.

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Transfer Quality

Video

Disclaimer: Please note that this disc has a video resolution of 1080p. It has been reviewed on a display device with a maximum native resolution of 576i (PAL). More information can be found here.

    The film is presented in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio in 1080p.

    The video is certainly a bump up on the DVD image, which itself was pretty good for its day, and is very good for a catalogue release, but is certainly not reference material for the format.

    The image is sharp thoughout and features a mild level of grain, which gives a film-like appearance to the image. There is a very good level of shadow detail.

    The colours are bold an natural, with a good level of depth.

    The transfer is generally very clean and clear, though one or two minute specks of dust are present. Anyone watching on a very large dispay may notice mild edge enhancement halos in some of the shots, but this is really only a minor quibble. By and large, the video is free from distracting video artefacts.

    English subtitles are present for the feature. They appear to be accurate and well timed.

Video Ratings Summary
Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

    An English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 audio track and a Spanish Dolby Digital (640 Kbps) audio track are present for the film.

    The audio is crystal clear. Dialogue is easy to understand and at a good level in the mix. There are not audio sync problems.

    The movie features a wide range of appropriate mid-late 90s songs as well as a fitting score by David Kitay.

    The surrounds are put to good use for ambience throughout the movie. Likewise, the subwoofer channel does a good job of supporting the ambience and music without much need for anything else.

Audio Ratings Summary
Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Extras

    Sony have gone all-out on the special features for this 10th anniversary edition. As well as including the features from the original DVD release, there are Blu-ray trivia tracks, games and a host of commentaries and features form key cast (with one or two notable exceptions, particularly Jennifer Love Hewitt).

Main Menu Audio & Animation

            The disc opens with a fairly heavily animated menu featuring the theme from the film.

Original Audio Commentary

    A worthwhile audio commentary. The writer/director pair of Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont lead an amiably chatty commentary that alfo features a couple of producers and stars of the film (most notably Seth Green).

Reunion Audio Commentary

    Another entertaining commentary, though fairly similar, this time with four stars (Seth Green, Donald Faizon, Peter Facinelli and one of the geeks in the film) and the writer/directors. Worth a listen.

Can't Hardly Wait: The Making of a Teen Classic Making Of Featurette (14:28)

    Presented in standard 1080p. Recorded 10 years after the movie was released, this mainly consists of cast and crew reminiscing about the production. Entertaining stuff.

Huntington Hills High Class of '98 Reunion Featurette (26:43)

    Presented in standard 1080p. Random cast and crew members present a "where are they now" on characters and the actors that played them, including many of the dozens of bit parters who have gone on to have successful careers.

The Life of the Party Featurette (9:28)

    Presented in standard 1080p. The cast and crew explain to us why we like movies like this one. A waste of time.

Deleted Scenes (7:26)

    Presented in standard definition. 6 mildly amusing deleted scenes, one being an alternate for one of the last scenes of the movie.

Music Video - Smashmouth - I Can't Get Enough of You Baby (2:52)

    Presented in standard definition. A decent music video for a pleasant, yet painfully late 1990s, track. Appropriate, really.

1990s Trivia Game

    An extraordinarily lame quiz game about 90s pop culture. Not worth wasting your time on.

Trivia Track

    An entertaining, and nicely animated, trivia track that runs throughout the feature, popping up making-of trivia as well as 90s culture trivia.

BD Live

    Access to Sony's BD Live service. Currently it contains a selection of trailers for films and interactive features for other movies, but nothing specifically Can't Hardly Wait related (except for a trailer).

R4 vs R1

NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.

    This disc is identical to the US Region A edition.

Summary

    An unashamed attempt at doing a 90s John Hughes flick that holds up well 10 years down the track, but is more notable for the huge number of now recognisable faces in bit parts. Whoever cast this one deserves billing ahead of the cast.

    The video is excellent for a catalogue release, but a step down from reference quality. The audio is very good. The extras are impressive.

Ratings (out of 5)

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

© Adam Gould (Totally Biolicious!)
Monday, January 19, 2009
Review Equipment
DVDSony Playstation 3, using HDMI output
Display Samsung 116cm LA46M81BD. Calibrated with THX Optimizer. This display device is 16x9 capable. This display device has a maximum native resolution of 576i (PAL).
Audio DecoderPioneer VSX2016AVS. Calibrated with Video Essentials/Digital Video Essentials.
AmplificationPioneer VSX2016AVS
Speakers150W DTX front speakers, 100W centre and 4 surround/rear speakers, 12 inch PSB Image 6i powered sub

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