Party boys

I saw this movie with a title "Party Boys". For me, it was NOT about some circuit in L.A., or wherever. It reminded me of the feelings I had - in my party times - every weekend - in the middle of Europe - far away of the gay paradises of the west. This is why I dare to call this portrait more general. Forget about drugs, forget about time and place... the thing that remains is that next-day's "why?" and "nothing more?". All that love-is-in-the-air (that is just the text of the song, not what is present in the atmosphere), all that boys-good-in-bed (that are so bad actually in their imitating of the porn, thinking that THIS IS a sex), all that care-about-your-body that disguises the lack of purpose of the void corpse, all that rainbow-colourfulness (that is the dictate of one color actually - even if different every weekend).

Being myself...??? Come on! I loved and still love the parties, music, dancing, nice guys, feeling of something happening - but I don't wanna see just ones side, to get drunk by this "pure happiness"... After one gets drunk, the hangover comes... I like gay culture (subculture, pseudo-culture, whatever), the ideas of colours, unconstrained love, freedom, enjoying of life - but what there really is - is far from this ideal. Uniformity, sex as a sport (who experienced nothing else, will not understand), vogue, must-have-fun must-smile must-laugh for any price... Maybe this is what the director wanted to say.

Maybe it's not true about your L.A. circuit - but there's more to feel than to see.

I saw this at the Reel Pride festival last November (2001), and couldn't stop thinking about it for days afterward. While it's been called a "wake-up call" to some members of the gay community it doesn't come off as didactic as it could. Instead you find yourself caring about the characters and wondering what will happen to them after the movie ends.

The only thing wrong with the film is the intended main character, i.e., the cop who leaves the repressive and hostile smalltown life for the wildlife of West Hollywood. While his character is not a static one, the changes that take place in his life seem to come as a result of his passivity rather than any active move on his part. This isn't helped by the bland and vanilla acting of Jonathan Wade-Drahos. Andre Khabbazi as the jaded Hector on the other hand brings much to his character, and so Hector becomes the one your heart goes out to. Wade-Drahos acting aside, this is a well-told story, and one that merits a wide release. Check it out as soon as you can. As for me, I can't wait for the video.

A small town gay man move to big city for his inside dream. plot and story is not really important in this film. But Andre Khabazzi as Hector did great acting. He is only one character who can make this film worthy to see. But yes, if you want to see gay film, you can find this interesting. And some other characters just come and go and even unimportant scene we can see in this film. But I enjoy to see this film again, to see Andre Khabazzi or Hector play his role.

Director Dirk Shafer does his low-budget best to capture the vibe of cruising the California Gay Circuit. The rather bland soap opera device used to connect the party sequences is unaffecting. A much more prurient approach to the sex and drug culture here would have probably worked better. Needless to say, the acting is amateurish, but, for the most part, acceptable. The editing is fairly refined for an indie project, but the film is not as good as Shafer's MAN OF THE YEAR. The unrated DVD is the way to go for those interested, even though the soundtrack is rather poorly rendered for a film filled with pulsating rave tracks.

I'm glad I waited for the Director's Cut DVD to see "Circuit". From reading all the flames I've seen on the posts here, I dreaded seeing the movie. However, the "Director's Cut" is even longer with nearly 30 deleted scenes and very frankly, I could have watched another hour. I suppose the Circuit scene is all in the perspective of how you view it. To me, Dirk Shafer captured a true and accurate account of the entire Circuit. The acting is not all that bad. There are many notable performances. One scene in the deleted segments SHOULD have been left in...that of Hector taking an eyebrow pencil and marking the places on his face that he would like to have refurbished by plastic surgery to refurbish his youth. At this point he has a nervous breakdown. I think that would have helped explain a lot that was left out in the edited theatrical version. For those who have prurient interests, male frontal nudity and more explicit sex are also included. Locally, in my home town, Ft. Lauderdale, the drug scene in the Circuit is rampant. Maybe that's why we register more cases of HIV than any other city in the nation. The film can be brutal to watch. It's not preachy but there's a great lesson to learn and observe in this film if you're open-minded enough to accept the subjects at face value. I would suggest that that are too few good gay films being made and when one such as this is produced, "queens" (who are the most critical audience in the world) often deter new and better gay films by their over zealous comments. Give the uncut DVD a screening and make your own mind up! Don't be quick to excuse it by a few nasty comments. You might be as I, and find the film rewarding and enjoyable. As for Andre Khabbazi, this guy could make it big in movies. The character of the aging, AIDS infected, former porn star, played by Paul Lekakis, is one of the most honest portrayals I've ever seen. Kudos to William Katt, Jim Bullock, and Nancy Allen for offering their professional talents in helping to make this film first rate. Don't let me or other critics who have posted ruin you prospect of missing a good movie. See the Director's Cut on DVD and make up your own mind. I'm glad I did!