How to Talk to Girls at Parties appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 1.85:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. Though not great, the image seemed largely positive.
For the most part, the movie came with appropriate delineation. Occasional instances of mild softness materialized – usually during interiors – but most of the flick seemed pretty accurate and concise. I saw no shimmering or jaggies, and both edge haloes and print flaws remain absent.
Colors tended toward a mix of heavy teal, orange and red. A few other hues showed up as well, but these remained the major tones, and the colors appeared fine given those choices.
Blacks were reasonably deep and dense, and shadows were decent. Low-light elements could be a smidgen thick but not to a problematic degree. Ultimately, the movie offered more than satisfactory visuals.
Similar thoughts came with the movie’s DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack. As expected, music dominated the mix, as songs and score came from all five channels. That was a logical choice that added involved to the proceedings.
Effects usage appeared more limited. Much of the track went with environmental information, so outside of the music, I’d be hard-pressed to come up with dynamic usage of the soundfield. Crowd scenes added a little pep but music ruled this roost.
Audio quality seemed appropriate. Speech appeared natural and concise, without edginess or other issues.
Effects were accurate and full, while music sounded lively and full. The soundtrack made sense for the movie.
The disc’s extras open with an audio commentary from writer/director John Cameron Mitchell and actors Elle Fanning and Alex Sharp. All three sit together for a running, screen-specific look at story/characters, influences, music, cast and performances, sets and locations, and connected domains.
Mitchell carries the load here, as the actors offer little substance. Mitchell doesn’t excel as a commentator, but he manages to give us enough information to turn this into a decent chat. The actors’ lack of positive involvement knocks it down a notch, though.
Making an Other Worldly Production lasts 12 minutes, 22 seconds and presents notes from Mitchell, Fanning, Sharp, short story writer/producer Neil Gaiman, producers Iain Canning and Howard Gertler, costume designer Sandy Powell, and actors Nicole Kidman, AJ Lewis, Matt Lucas, Martin Tomlinson, and Ethan Lawrence.
We learn about the original text and its adaptation, story/character areas, cast and performances, costumes, and music. It offers a decent recap of various production areas, even if it never becomes especially substantial.
Four Deleted Scenes fill a total of seven minutes, 43 seconds. Three tend toward material about secondary characters, whereas the fourth shows a stage performance by the Discords.
That last one feels more like a music video than a movie scene, while the other three don’t add much. Nonetheless, I’m surprised two of them got the boot simply because they give Nicole Kidman more screen time, and I’d think the film would want to take advantage of her presence.
The disc opens with ads for The Disaster Artist, Under the Silver Lake, Lady Bird, Lean on Pete and The Killing of a Sacred Deer. No trailer for Parties appears here.
A mushy melange of influences without much direction of its own, How to Talk to Girls at Parties lacks momentum or purpose. It cobbles together a sluggish combination of sequences that sort of manage an A to B story by the end, but the journey seems disjointed and pointless. The Blu-ray offers generally positive picture and audio along with decent supplements. Parties ends up as a meandering mess.