Party Monster (movie)
"I think it's so important to start with a bang, don't you?. Let them know something horrible is going to happen, and then 'poof', you're suddenly elsewhere!"
Party Monster is a fabulous mix of fucked-up-drug-movie and documentary. It's the true story of the K-addled rise and dope-addled fall of nineties Club Kid, Michael Alig and his cohort, James St. James. There is no description of Alig's story anywhere that does not use some variation of 'rise and fall'. It's unavoidable, but I apologize for being somewhat unoriginal. Michael is all about originality, a real person who was just this year relseased from prison in New York. For murder. Yeah... it's the story of how he became an incredibly popular club/party promoter in the NYC club scene, then 86ed his super-star drug dealer when things got a little tangy. Sour, you see.
I myself was for many years unaware of the real club kid culture beyond liking to see shit that isn't there, glitter and a lot of bracelets. Drugs, dancing, and bright colors. The lines between the movie and reality can get quite blurry, so I am only going to focus on the film. For now.
Seth Green. Macaulay Culkin. Chloë Sevigny. Dylan McDermott. Marilyn Manson. Wilson Cruz. Wilmer Valderrama. I have not listed these actors in order or fablulousness, the order is meaningless, pay no attention to the order. The cast is fucking ridiculous. Like, ridiculous in an amazing way. They tend to look fairly close to the real people they portray, and the acting is phenomenal. They're not easy roles by any means, and every single actor in this movie nails the desperation and delriousness with grace and humor. Uhhhmygod it's so fucking good.
The costuming is also the good kind of ridiculous. Inspired by the outfits of the real club kids who inspired the movie, sometimes actual pieces from the real people, the clothes are wild. Chicken costumes, BDSM angels, what appears to be robots?, bloody nurses, bloody brides, so much glitter and eye lashes eye lashes! Where whatever you want, be whoever you want, do whatever you want.
Hedonism at it's most glamorous.
Even my older brother, who is a clear authority on everything cool, and quite heterosexual, enjoys this movie and considers it a worthwhile film. He is not bothered by how incredibly gay it is. Gay, as in boys in tights and men kissing men, like actually homosexual, super gay gay.
It really gives the audience a bold look at the life of the drug addicts who are fabulous, who have the kind of fun and bizarre adventures you simply can not have sober. It's funny, heart-wrenching, terrifying, undeniably entertaining. And it really happened.
Talk Show Host: Is it true your son Michael turned you on to the pill ecstacy?
Elke: He told me it was a headache pill.
Talk Show Host: And what happened when you took it?
Elke: Well, my headache went away.
The filmography is brilliant. It is really really wonderful to look at. A lot of the shots are inventive and creative, edgy without being irritating. I've always loved this scene of Michael and Gitsy in a hotel bath tub.
And, the above shot from inside the crack/rat hole (perhaps from the eyes of Tiresius the rat) looking out at Freeze and Michael is different and quite adorable.
Party Monster was made in 1993 by writer/directors Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato, pretty much based off of James St. James novel, Disco Bloodbath.
Also the soundtrack is fucking spectacular and I love it.
I am tempted to list dozens of quotes and post dozens of pictures, but it just won't do it justice, I don't think...
So, I think it's pretty obvious to say it's one of my favorite movies. I would watch it over and over forever, very happily. You should probably watch it right now.