Rating: 
Summary: So True -- From a Circuit Boy
Review: The reviews for the movie, state that its terrible and projects the wrong image for the gay community. The truth is the circuit community is a LARGE part of the gay community, at least the gay male community. The images shown in Circuit as by and large truthful and unvarnished. Thousands upon Thousands of gay boys flock the parties all over the country. And while Circuit may show an extreme version of the events, they are nevertheless valid and accurate. I have literally seen people drop dead next to me from overdose of GHB and the other boys look and then keep dancing. The extensive 'partying' that surrounds those events is sad but its a fact that can not be overlooked not matter how much we might wish it to be otherwise. This film should be taken for what it is a non-judgmental honest portrait of the circuit party lifestyle. Its not for everyone but its factual and true to life. Its part of our culture and we should not be afraid or ashamed of it.
Rating: 
Summary: Valley of the Dopes
Review: This film does exactly what it intends to do for the like-minded viewer, pisses off those that disagree, and updates Valley of the Dolls for those of us that love the obvious morality tales about self-destruction, beauty, and life in the fast line. That being said - Valley of the Dolls is still popular for a reason. This is a little more heavy-handed, longer and poorly made. Pluses are that it is more fleshy, better music (well almost - no Dionne W.), and boys, boys. boys. Worth a spin to decide which camp you're in.
Rating: 
Summary: "Showgirls" Meets West Hollywood/Chelsea
Review: What do you get when you cross realism with an ultra-campy script and lots of dancing, half-naked people? Well, the answer to this question is "Circuit," but if you also said "Glitter," and/or "Showgirls" you are also correct. "Circuit" is the sophomore effort of former Playgirl Man-of-the Year turned film director, Dirk Shafer, who previously directed a small 'mockumentary' called "Man of the Year," which discussed his trials and tribulations of being the object of desire among Playgirl's women readers, although he is gay.
Covering a series of 'circuit' parties in Southern California, "Circuit" covers the life of a small-town gay cop named John (played by Jonathan Wade-Drahos, who looks amazingly like Pierce Brosnan) who moves to Los Angeles in order to live a much more open life. Moving to Los Angeles, John meets up with his cousin Tad, an amateur filmmaker who is filming a documentary on attitudes and life on the circuit party scene. While in Los Angeles, John finds himself delving in the decadent lifestyle common among many in the circuit scene. From drug use to hustling, John gets acquainted with the help of new found friend and hustler Hector (Andre Khabbazi) which allows the viewer to see changes in his character. With a slew of other forgettable characters, the film progresses somewhat like a crash and burn sequence where we see the principle character try to discover himself through the means of reinvention only to begin a recovery of his former self in order to live a more meaningful life with someone who can love him for himself and not for his appearance. While many characters such as Bobby (Paul Lekakis) an HIV+ dancer who has little ambition in life and Gino (played by William Katt of the television cult classic "The Greatest American Hero") do add some substance to this film, "Circuit" fails in many attempts to capture many aspects that makes it a stand out as a realistic film. Due to a small budget, a cast of mainly amateur actors, and a very campy, and a predictable script, "Circuit" succumbs to these factors. I must admit that Shafer does a good job of covering drug use (the close-up, rotational views of a Special K bottle reminds me of Spanish director Pedro Almodovar's internal close-ups of normal, everyday objects in his films), but the film's overall art direction, the poor quality of the film used, the sappy selection of dance songs used throughout the film (except for Taylor Dayne's song, where are club legends such as Victor Calderone, Junior Vasquez, Thunderpuss, and Peter Rauhofer on this soundtrack?) and the short coverage of the actual party circuit causes the film to fizzle before its' time is up. Although most of the actors are not Oscar-calibre thespians, four performances stand out in the film. Veteran actors William Katt and Nancy Allen (they had previously worked together in the horror classic "Carrie") are always great together, especially Katt who plays a seedy circuit party organizer/drug dealer. Paul Lekakis' character of Bobby does have some highpoints in the film, however the true standout in this film is Andre Khabbazi. As Hector, Khabbazi truly has a wide range of emotions that indicate that he has had some extensive dramatic training, and his overall appearance validates the film's message that in the 'circuit' beauty is everything. The 'circuit' might be considered the "Superbowl for gay men," but due to the above factors, "Circuit" the film is like the "Showgirls for gay men." Campy, predictable, weak script, and plenty of overacting, especially by Daniel Kucan ("Tad"), "Circuit" is a film that hits and misses not only when it comes to quality, independent filmmaking, but also when covering today's party/circuit scene. Again, I give the director and his team credit for some creative camera angles, some accuracy in covering the theme, and providing viewers with a morale, but "Circuit" falls short of what many encounter after a weekend of hard partying.
Rating: 
Summary: Circuit Parties Continue Looking Bad
Review: When it comes to "Circuit," nothing could be worse than showcasing a film to deprave the gay community. Stereotyping steroid-bound, drug-taking, shirtless, muscled dancing boys as periodic sources of amusement is one thing (like in a comedy), but to see a full-blown celebration of their "partying" antics on the big-screen is another . . . Never has the gay community been more divided (while projecting a unified front in most mainstream gay magazines and organizations) than you see it in "Circuit." The characters are so inundated with themselves, only the most attractive men (there's nothing wrong with looking at goodlooking guys, but when they're extremely shallow and popping drugs, its another perspective of self-depravation that is conjured and un-sexy) are shown together with no other real, or "regular-looking", guys to congregate with. Again, this mirrors the mentality of all circuit revelers where the technically unattractive are shunned and mistreated; better yet, not shown. There's almost no other angle to their meaningless and pathetic lives, but to attend the latest circuit events. Its entirely ironic how some of these beautifully-physiqued guys can "counter-balance" their health with poppers, crystal, ecstacy pills, and other forms of illegal narcotics for a singular night of partying. This film is a shameful entry into the gay film genre, emitting no merits or morals to speak of. On the technical aspect, just because the film was destined for an independent release, this should have not been an excuse for the lack of audio and visual presentation. The film is choppy, at times under-saturated in colors and skin tones (no, this is not a symbolic extention of on-screen drug taking and a character's lightening epidermis), where at other times the film stock appears grainy and poor. Definitely not a colorful presentation to showcase the vibrancy of circuit party environs. The acoustics of the music is cheap and low-rate; reverberating like it was recorded from a radio broadcast before it was applied to the soundtrack. Though the music is typical (speedy techno-trance, along with some Taylor Dayne song) for the diagetic content, the visuals could have been juxtaposed more tightly with the constant, edgy, multi-framed cutting to match with the music's beat and rhythm. (MTV wouldn't be proud of the film's editing, I'm sure.) Instead, a cheap, almost lazy, production was evidentally sacrificed with belief the male imagery would compensate to its targetted audience. Truly awful. The film was written and directed by none other than Dirk Schafer, a former Playgirl centerfold, who even made a little independent film about -- gasp -- himself and his experience during the magazine run...a superficial feature as a follow-up. "Circuit" is a horrible movie that doesn't praise the image for the gay community, but defiles it with its socially destructive imagery of lascivious and drugged-out gay men.
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