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CIRCUIT

Aspect ratio: 1.85:1

Sound format: Mono

A gay police officer (Jonathan Wade Drahos) is outed at work and subsequently relocates to LA where he becomes involved in the 'circuit party' lifestyle and is almost destroyed by its worst excesses...

Filmed in digital video format by director/co-writer (and former 'Playgirl' centerfold) Dirk Shafer, CIRCUIT casts an uncritical eye over the circuit party scene, exposing the highs and lows of a subculture driven by sexual excess. Drahos toplines a relatively unknown cast as the wide-eyed innocent torn asunder by corrupting influences, though he's upstaged by former soap actor Andre Khabazzi ("The Young and the Restless", "Sunset Beach") as a pumped-up party boy who refuses to have sex with anyone unless they pay for it, and is obsessed with growing old and losing his beauty (there are moments in the film when Shafer's camera lingers on Khabbazi's sculpted body, culminating in a memorable sequence where Khabazzi indulges his characters' narcissism in front of a full-length mirror). Equally impressive is Daniel Kucan as an aspiring filmmaker who records a series of video interviews with his circuit party friends (including Drahos, in a beautifully acted sequence where he's so spaced-out he can barely speak). Further down the cast list, veterans William Katt and Nancy Allen are reunited on-screen for the first time since CARRIE (1976), and while they both appear to enjoy playing against type, their roles seem pretty superfluous. Kiersten Warren and Brian Lane Green are solid as the only true friends in Drahos' life, and 80's pop sensation Paul Lekakis makes his screen debut as an erotic performance artist whose acts of self-mutilation will horrify all but the most hardened masochists. You have been warned!

Director Shafer revels in the beautiful gym-buffed bodies which form a crucial aspect of the circuit party scene, and he also includes a number of relatively chaste sexual encounters, mostly tender, sometimes dark and disturbing, always credible. The movie's production values are OK, and Shafer demonstrates a genuine cinematic awareness, helped by solid technical support all round. Look quickly for brief cameos by Craig Chester (SWOON), writer/comedian Bruce Vilanch (GET BRUCE) and director Randal Kleiser (THE BLUE LAGOON). Sensitive viewers are advised that the climactic party sequence contains prolonged flashing-light effects.

Well… almost. At its best, "Circuit" reminds one of the scope,

wit, and compelling nature of PT Anderson's "Boogie Nights" and

"Magnolia", or even Robert Altman's "Nashville", and one suspects

that had the director had more money, a better cast and crew, and

maybe the help of a script doctor, this film could have been as

great as those films. Despite uneven performances, dialog, and

plotting, "Circuit" does a good job of conveying the ambivalence

inherent it the contemporary American circuit scene. Yes, the

scene can seem both exciting and shallow at the same time…

dangerous and alluring, soulless and sexy, liberating and

destructive. There's no contradiction in conveying that, excepting

the very real contradictions in life about all things that have mixed

benefits and drawbacks. It's a sign of the filmmakers maturity that

they can show both sides of the many issues with a good deal of

complexity.

The biggest drawback, for me anyway, was the film's

melodramatic and contrived ending, murder plot and all. Still, my

boyfriend an I were always entertained, staying up till 3 a.m. to

finish this reasonably well-done effort.

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!

This is not a bad film at all and even though I have no clue I presume that it gives a pretty accurate picture of what the "circuit" is like.

The problem, though, is that you never really start to care for the anyone, except - maybe - towards the end for Hector Ray when he finally realizes that he loves John and that his life is really pretty empty. We never seem to get to know any of the characters well enough to care for them and thus the film becomes longish and at times boring.

If you have ever experienced Circuit life, you'll most probably agree after seeing this film that it is not about the Circuit, but rather about some unfortunate, poorly rendered caricatures whose lives take a turn for the worse due to their inability to control their drug use. Due to the lack of depth and character development, I felt as if the film were made after the filmmaker had had a bad experience at a dance club or had heard of someone who almost ended up on the street due to drug abuse. We never really get an accurate or fair representation of the Circuit, and even when it seems like we do, it appears as an afterthought. "See how horrible Circuit life is? Oh, here's an implication of people who seem to be doing ok with it."

I spent most of my time cringing from all the shots of needle injections (at no point in my experience of the Circuit have I EVER seen anyone with a needle), or rolling my eyes as a result of bad acting and writing. The one bright shining exception among all the dimensionless characters was the protagonist's (John's) ex-girlfriend, Nina. Not only did she have some depth, but she had most of the film's (few) good lines. And when it's funny it's really funny, intentionally or not.

Those who have spent the last couple of years expounding on the evils of the Circuit (without ever having attended a Circuit Party) will run around saying, "I told you so!" While the rest of us will shrug our shoulders and quietly know that this is a film masquerading as a film about the Circuit.

Dirk Shafer, Playgirl's man of the year a few years back has put together a little bit of heaven & hell in this nugget of gay club-life in the city of angels. Although the acting is only mediocre, the direction, script, and overall film is very good. Dirk uses just the right amount of music, drugs, sex, exploitation, and beefcake to hit the nail on the head. The story revolves around a smalltown Illinois former cop named John who moves to L.A. & discovers sex, drugs, and techno. What's also interesting is the supporting cast of William Katt, JM J. Bullock, Nancy Allen, andPaul Lekakis. The music is great as well with new cuts from Taylor Dayne, Lonnie Gordon, and a slow remake of E.G. Daily's Love in the Shadows. For those that love the circuit, for those now out of the circuit, and for those who are oblivious to the circuit, watch and learn.

Dirk Shafer made the delightful film "Man of the Year" so I eagerly awaited this fascinating-sounding film. Unfortunately, there is nothing to keep one interested until the end of the action in this movie. The characters are vapid and boring - surely all gorgeous gay men are not this pathetic and uninteresting, one hopes. Watch "Circuit" to see some beautiful men, but don't expect any kind of story or characters that you would care about. When Hunk #2 (you will never recall the names of any of these personality-free characters) dies near the end of the film, you will not only not care, you may even be relieved. We see no evidence of any kind of life for any of the characters. Shafer can do much better than this. I hope his next film gives us someone to care about, as "Man of the Year" did.

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.

I can't say I wasn't warned, BUT: boy does this movie suck. (Not a pun, but if it was, it would have more of a sense of humor than anything in this ham-handed melodrama.) Circuit can't quite make up its mind: is it a hard-hitting expose of or a celebration of the circuit scene? The moral seems to be, Don't let this happen to you, but: how pretty! Man, does the circuit life ruin you, yet: see how pretty they all are! Director Shafer just can't decide whether to be repulsed or turned on, and my guess is he's a bit of both, though this dichotomy isn't entertaining or thought-provoking. Not quite bad enough to be funny (except near the end when Hector is "floating" above his bed and I laughed REALLY LOUDLY, only to realize no one else was laughing along with me), and certainly not good enough to take even remotely seriously. I will say, on the plus side, that I liked Kiersten Warren as John's roommate Nina (though she isn't quite up to her big dramatic moment), and of course Nancy Allen is always a joy, even with a nothing role like what she's given here. Circuit doesn't have enough humor to give us a Kristine W. remake of "Theme from Valley of the Dolls." This is just a boring dud--but how pretty!

I thought that Circuit was an average movie. The plot was disjointed and at times confusing. It seems that this is another film with so much potential however, much of it gets lost in some oddly chosen actors and poor acting.

One of the things that DID stand out as a positive thing would be the films ability to catch the essence of the Circuit Party. The music (soundtrack is unavaiable as I serach now - I will continue the search though) is fantastic and really sets the stage. The climax of the film happens at the Palm Springs (CA) White Party.

For any who are into the (Gay) Circuit Party scene, you'll find this movie interesting but...just average.

I guess you had to be there, and I was. Most people will not have enough or the wrong kind of baggage to understand this movie. Its a chronicle of a lifestyle, and if you are on the outside looking in half of it will zoom right over your head. Go see it for yourself and try not to listen to others. The music alone is worth the six bucks and Tony Moran doesn't let a minute pass without some bumper music. A visual feast - thats entertainment !!!

A gay, small town cop John (Jonathan Wade Drahow), moves to LA and becomes involved with a high-priced prostitute Hector (Andre Khabbazi) who starts him on drugs and circuit parties. In no time, John is hooked on drugs and destroying his life. The message--drugs and circuit parties are bad. Gee...no kidding!!

Very obvious, overlong, boring, disjointed. The plot goes rambling all over the place. There are way too many characters and way too many obvious plots. It's also way too long (130 minutes).

As for the acting--boy oh boy! Drahow is horrible in the lead. He's too old for the role and his idea of acting is just grinning stupidly at everything. Even worse is Kiersten Warren as his best straight friend--God was she lousy! Everyone else was just as bad except for Khabbazi--he was very good. He's exceptionally handsome, has a great body and is one hell of an actor. His character is the only one I cared for.

There are plenty of handsome guys, great bodies, ample nudity (no frontals though) and fairly explict sex--but you have to put up with lousy acting and a horrible script. The film looks bad too. It's almost worth seeing for the guys--ALMOST! Sadly, this is a must miss.

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 read some of the comments here before I watched the movie, so I had an idea of what to expect. Basically, this movie is a Queer As Folk wannabe. Imagine QAF without the lesbians, the humor, and the full frontal nudity. Then, add lots of beefy guys, even more drug abuse, and lame club music, and you have Circuit. I didn't completely hate the movie, rather, I just thought it was mediocre. The eye candy makes it tolerable. From someone who listens to dance/club music all the time, I found the soundtrack to be over hyped. The movie walks a fine line between portraying gays in a positive/negative light. If you like this subject matter, try Go (1999) and Groove. They are a little more mainstream and gay-positive, and the soundtracks are better.

I was looking forward to seeing this movie based on content. When I got there, the cinematography, the screen play, the acting, and pretty much the whole concept really sucked. My friends and I thought that the acting was done by a bunch of failed porn stars. Basically, I was truely disappointed.

Sincerely, Alex

I really thought this film would never end. If they had managed to shave an hour off the jumbled, cliche-packed story and edit it together in a way that gave the film any sort of flow, it might have been bearable, but as-is it was all I could to not to walk out. The lead actor's entire emotional range consisted of grinning, not grinning, and a really brief bit of rage. Kiersten Warren's performance as the straight ex-girlfriend was the only remotely watchable bit, aside from the token Bruce Villanch cameo. The strange color shifts of the low-quality DV were tremendously annoying. Even all the hot beefcake eyecandy wasn't enough to save this from the hell of bad amateur filmmaking. I usually have a huge soft spot for any vaguely gay film, even something as depressing and nihilistic as this one, but this was just too much tripe.

I was very anxious about seeing this movie for all the wrong reasons--the excitement of the circuit scene, incredibly good-looking guys, a film about my community, and a chance to experience something unique. But after I got into the first 30 minutes of Circuit, I began to realize what an incredibly brilliant film I was watching.

The artistic-design is amazing; and the camera-work and cinematography incredible--especially remembering that the filming was completed with a digital camcorder. But the heart of this movie is the story. The main characters John and Hector have a dangerous love for one-another and both yearn to experience the true intimacy between them; but the shallow and tumultuous world of the Circuit keeps them tragically separated.

The film begins with an all-too familar example of intolerance and ignorance that forces John to relocate to LA, where he meets hustler Hector and is seduced into the provocative world of the Circuit. Serving as both Co-Writer and Director of the film, Shafer displays the rise and fall of the main characters flawlessly and the audience quickly grows emotionally-attached. With one heart-wrenching scene after another, we are drawn to these characters and as we watch their demise, we feel the pain in our hearts as if we were experiencing the heartbreaking events ourselves.

Overall, this movie is a definite A with plot twists and turns, excellent characterization, and a portrayal of a world seldom experienced by most. This film will not only impress you, it will pull your heartstrings and force you to appreciate film-making and the entire cinematic experience at its finest.

Those who criticize Circuit for its raw, edgy approach and glitz and glamor with sexy actors playing men without care have missed its salient point. At its heart, Circuit is a tragic love-story intertwined with a glimpse that examines the harsh reality of a world filled with seductive life-endangering drugs and anonymous sex presented in a way only a filmmaker with true talent could present. Circuit won't be recognized for awards and praise because of its low budget and independent release. But after seeing it, you will realize it truly is worthy of many...

I have never been to any of the circuit parties mentioned in this film so I don't know how accurate the movie is. I did find it very entertaining though. I didn't get the impression that the movie was bashing the circuit, I think it was showing what can happen to those people who can't beat excess. Overall I enjoyed the movie and will buy the dvd when it is released.

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.

This film about a small town Gay man becoming entangled in the Circuit Party scene revels in the very thing it seems to decry. While something of an expose about the shallowness of this life and the soul-destroying involvement with steroids and drugs and outer beauty, it has its share of skin and glamour shots attracting the audience with the very thing its somewhat condemning.

The key to the film is the tearful admission by the filmmaker character toward the end of the movie that while he understands all of the negative aspects of the party scene, he is hooked. He is a party boy.

Personally I found the movie to be poignant and truthful and a reasonable presentation of both points of view. Yes, there is rampant drug abuse and yes, the scene does destroy some people, but there is a glamour to it as well that is not in and of itself harmful.