Rating: 
Summary: Story too wild to believe
Review: Goood movie. It got trashed by most reviewers, but aside from the completely made up parts, it was a pretty cool portrayal of the real events. Gitsie and michael were NEVER lovers. Michael was completely gay. Also you get the feeling they crammed 10 years into a few months. Christina was long dead by the time angel came into the scene. There also were the obvious club kids missing. Lahoma and Jennytalia were both interviewed in the documentary and Jennytalia in particular was a huge part of the book, yet both are mysteriously absent from the film. Seth Green had James's mannerisms down pat and in particular, his laugh. He does an incredible job of playing James. Wilmer Valderrama is drop dead gorgeous. I wish we could have seen "more" of him, LoL. Culkin brought a human side to Michael never seen before, although you still get the feeling it's Macaulay Culkin playing Michael Alig. The addition of real club kids like Amanda Lepore and Richie Rich added authenticity to the film, although I wish they would have gotten at least a few lines. Overall, I recommend reading the book or seeing the shockumentary first, as they are more accurate depictions of the story, although I still highly recommend the movie. Also to "get into it", you would probably need to be a girly girl or a gay guy as I am.
Rating:
Summary: Dark Humor + A killer performance by Seth Green
Review: This movie is all glamour, drugs, attitude and murder. It's a dark comedy in my opinion. Seth Green turns in a winning performance as James St. James. Macaulay Culkin does alright as Michael Alig. I must admit I don't know the history of events involving the New York Club Kids. This movie is all I have to go on. I do plan to see the Shockumentary on the subject, if nothing else this movie inspired me to see more... For those that gave this film one star, Seth Green's performance is worth much more than that. Now for the disappointments involving the DVD. There are no chapters & no insert. So if you want to watch a certain scene you may have liked or want to skip around. Forget it. The only way to do so is by rewinding and fast fowarding. Party Monster on DVD brings back VCR standards. Remember "Mulholland Dr." had no chapters either. What's the point? To whom it may concern.. STOP doing that, it's dumb. I expect my DVD's to come complete with hours of extras, chapters, an insert and what ever else you might be able to squeeze in. A free t-shirt would be nice. ~Thanks
Rating:
Summary: party hard
Review: a deliciously debaucherous but tragic tale of lust, power, fame and "search for something more" that many of us can relate to. This movie is a largely expertly acted and amusingly shot film that reminds one of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - with lots of color and realistic hallucinogenic forays.Hilarious, thought-provoking and very sad...all in one fell swoop, capturing the essence of a subculture that ended up changing an entire culture. A thoroughly amusing film in many ways.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Film!
Review: Macaulay is amazing and Chloe is also amazing. The music, colors and costumes are great! I saw this film and bought it the next day. It can't believe it is a true story!This film is very well done.
Rating:
Summary: EVIL MUST BE BAKED AT 650 DEGREES
Review: Well hello all you lovely people you! Party Monster is a great film sweetie-everyone did a grand job-including my Seth Green-who is amazing as James st.James! This movie is simply amazing darling! This movie is like a drug-once you watch it you cant stop! I for sure love this movie-its so entertaning sugar-so watch this movie-you wont be dissapointed cupcake!
Rating:
Summary: I thought this film was FABULOUS! Loved the drugs!
Review: .
Well, despite all the reviews that TRASHED this film, I happened to LOVE it! (I haven't seen the original documentary that came before the movie.) I think the first half is FABULOUS! The glamour of the 1980's club scene makes the era seem almost as glitzy and glamorous as the disco days of the 70's. Years from now, the film could potentially become a cult favorite in the same league as "Valley of the Dolls". The costumes are FABULOUS! Seth Green steals the show! He is HYSTERICAL as a drug-and-drag-empowered club kiddy. Culkin is not quite as fabulous, but he manages to float through the story with a certain charismatic something. Unfortunately the second half of the film (the heavy drugs and murder scenario) takes a turn down a road that becomes a little less like an adventure ride at the amusement park of life, and becomes more like a thrill ride in which you find yourself holding on for dear life (and maybe not surviving)! I know it's a true story and the dark side was inevitable... but while the first half of the film is fabulous fun, the second half is un-fabulous reality that BITES. (Like a rat.) Marilyn Manson (whom I've never cared for personally) surprised me with his incredible portrayel of Christina. He was a scene-stealer. I'd definitely see this film several more times, although with repeated viewings I might find myself stopping the film before the darkness comes. Oh what a great time we all had during this era... shame about the drugs ruining the party. On my personal FAB-O-METER, this one rates 5 hits of E and 6 hits of K.
Rating: 
Summary: the party's over
Review: Why did these filmmakers think it was necessary to make a fictionalized account of the same club-kid murder they covered much more compellingly in their same-named documentary of a few years ago? Yes, Macauley Caulkin is all grown up now but it's becoming painfully clear that any acting ability he might have had disappeared way back around puberty. And although the picture is loaded with drugs, there's scarely a hint of the uninhibited sexual shenanigans that were allegedly part of killer Michael Alig's world. On the meager plus side of the ledger, the wild club clothes are some of the most bizarre screen get-ups since "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert," an unrecognizable Marilyn Manson is amusing as a drug-addled transsexual and Seth Green easily steals what little there is to be lifted as the acerbic James St. James. Otherwise, stick to the documentary.
Rating: 
Summary: When club kids go bad
Review: "Party Monster" has been touted as Macaulay Culkin's comeback vehicle, his first movie since 1994's "Richie Rich." Perhaps he should have stayed in retirement. Even without his saggy performance, the film is a mess of bad filming, poorly-used actors and a floppy script. Club scenes of the 1980s and early 1990s were wild, weird and sometimes deadly. Bisexual, party-boy organizer Michael Alig (Macaulay Culkin) was originally a Midwestern kid, but he became a New York underground legend. Drugs, clubbing and wild, reckless behavior were what he and his pals indulged in. He seemed to be on top of the world -- he had his own label, magazine, girlfriend Gitsie (Chloë Sevigny) and he was the host of a major club night. But his drug addictions were increasingly controlling his life, twisting it in until it imploded. That implosion came when he not only murdered his roommate and drug dealer Angel Melendez (Wilson Cruz) with Drano and a hammer, but told the world on live television. Biopics of murderers -- especially addicted, unpleasant, arrogant ones -- are never easy to pull off. The movie failed to make me feel any real interest in Alig's motivations, his inner deterioration, or really anything except "So, this is what the 80s/90s club scene was like." The grotesquely fascinating whirl of color and drugs was both repulsive and fascinating. Despite being released in theatres, "Party Monster" just screams "college film." Camerawork is fuzzy and wobbling, and the script brims over with idiot cliches. Lines like "We don't do, we just are!" and "I'm not addicted to drugs, I'm addicted to glamour" are apparently supposed to pass for wit, but they merely made me groan instead. Unlike some of his contemporaries such as Elijah Wood and Anna Paquin (or even his little bro Kieran Culkin), Macaulay Culkin can't carry films like this. There's one simple reason: He isn't a good enough actor. Throughout "Party Monster, he seems to barely emote when it's called for, and overacts on the rare occasions where he seems to be giving it a shot. Cruz has a certain poignant appeal, Wilmer Vanderrama exhibits plenty of charm and Seth Green is clearly giving his flamboyant, balanced character his best, but they're all bogged down by this putrid film's poor writing. The rest of the characters melt into the colorful backdrop, like decorations. If this sort of sloppy, unappealing film is what lured Culkin out of retirement, maybe he should consider a new agent. "You'll love me, I promise," Alig announces at one point. Wanna bet, club kid?
Rating:
Summary: See the Documentary FIRST.
Review: Man, this movie would have been somewhat OK if I had ABSOLUTELY NO PRIOR KNOWLEDGE of Michael Alig. Unfortunately this is not the case. I have many many tapes from talk shows where the "club kids" made appearances on including one rare Donahue appearance and scores of their appearances on Geraldo, including the ones (I believe there were 2) where "Angel" made an appearance. Plus I've also seen the documentary version of Party Monster where James St. James recreated the times and follies of Alig with the help of the same directors who made the newer release. Frankly the documentary is MILES better than the Culkin movie, but the extra actor interviews and Alig interviews make both movies must-rentals, preferably at the same time so you can compare the differences. Some of the finer points:
1. James St. James is portrayed brilliantly in the documentary, but appears as some sort of vemonous faggot in the new film... This is obviously helped along by James' terrible screenplay himself who from what I can gather is a trust fund kiddie who just happened to be in the right place at the right time.
2. Culkin can obviously act, but sometimes it seems like he's STILL using the same Home Alone type of overacting in order to portray Alig. Granted that Alig was himself over-the-top, but the difference is noticeable in the first 10 minutes enough to get on any historical buff's nerves.
3. Wilmer Valderrama plays Superstar DJ Keoki incredibly well, but the rest of the major star cast is somewhat limited... possibly since the real people were sort of lackluster in comparison to Alig and James in real life... Chloe Sevigny shows only a limited sense of the tragic Gitsie's real persona, Natasha Lyonne seems like she was put there for comic relief in her portrayal of Brooke, and Dylan McDermott's portrayal of Peter Gaitan is stilted. KUDOS TO:
1. Marilyn Manson as Christina, plays the part beautifully... One has to wonder if he actually knew the long-deceased drag queen in his early days of east coast exploration.
2. Diana Scarwid as Elke Alig, is virtually indistinguishable from Alig's natural mother.
3. Wilson Cruz as Angel Melendez, so why does Cruz always play the tragic gay? People want to know. Final thoughts...
While I recommend the movie, I would much rather reccommend the documentary first for the real story (and better portrayal)... If you like that, then rent the movie itself for the brilliant extras. The extras for the movie alone made waiting for this DVD's release well worth the wait.
Rating:
Summary: So much better than I thought it was going to be!!!
Review: This is the movie that stars Macaulay Culkin as Michael Alig, the Midwestern boy who moved to New York City with big dreams of stardom. It all ended horribly in debauchery, drugs, and death. (Not his, though.) Macaulay Culkin got horrible reviews for his portrayal as Alig, but I seriously believe that anyone that gave him a bad review obviously is not familiar with the real story at all. I've seen countless interviews with Michael Alig and I think Mac nailed his personality dead-on. Alig had a larger-than-life persona, very fake, superficial, and selfish. He helped create a bizarre late 80's phenomenon called The Club Kids. The Club Kids were a group of twenty-somethings that dressed up in homemade costumes, plastered themselves with make-up (some of who looked like they stepped right out of Kabuki Theater by way of a major acid trip), and spent their nights clubbing. They became known on a national level when their frequent appearances on talk shows like Geraldo, Phil Donahue, and Sally Jessy Raphael became some of the highest rated episodes ever for those shows. The movie is based on the book "Disco Bloodbath" which was written by Alig's co-Club Kid James St. James (brilliantly portrayed by Seth Green in the movie). The directors of the movie, Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato, directed a 1998 documentary about Michael Alig which was also called "Party Monster." Anyone that watches the movie should watch the documentary (which is also out on DVD) first. The movie also stars Chloe Sevigny, Wilson Cruz (from one of my all time favorite TV shows, "My So-Called Life"), Wilmer Valderrama, Natasha Lyonne, Diana Scarwid (from "Mommie Dearest"!!!), Dylan McDermott, and Marilyn Manson (whose part really is just a glorified cameo). I guess the reason why I was so interested in this movie is because I was always completely glued to the TV whenever The Club Kids were on a talk show. They were this huge train wreck that was just SO entertaining to watch. Michael Alig wound up murdering, out of self defense, fellow Club Kid Angel over drug money. He chopped up Angel's body, stuck it all in a TV box, and dropped it in a river. There's even footage on the documentary where Michael admits to killing Angel before he was ever accused or arrested, not thinking that anyone would ever take him seriously. He was so zonked out on drugs, it was just impossible for him to think clearly. The movie is by no means a GREAT movie, but it is good- and certainly doesn't deserve the horrible reviews that it received. I suppose that in order to be a great movie, it should be able to stand on its own. "Party Monster" probably won't do that for every single person that watches it. If you like the actors or are interested in and/or remember The Club Kids, you'll more than likely enjoy this dark movie. Like I said, you need to be familiar with the back story and the documentary to probably really appreciate it. It's also rather low budget, but I think they did a pretty good job with the set design and costumes. A lot of the original Club Kids are extras in the flick, so that adds a certain amount of authenticity. Anyone that only thinks of "Home Alone" when they think of Macaulay Culkin will be surprised by his performance. I give his perfomance two big thumbs up.
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