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For my Moviegoing Public -- Party Monster
Feb. 14th, 2004 11:47 pmTery is so sweet. She rented "Party Monster" for us this weekend, not so much as a Valentine's Day offering as simply because it has Marilyn Manson in it. I had never heard of it until I saw the picture of Macauley Culkin in drag on the menu, then remembered seeing an article on it in some gay magazine or other.
This movie is so bizarre I don't even know how to describe the plot. Basically it is the tale of Michael Alig (Culkin), a nobody who became somebody on the 80s club scene by creating the "club kids," doing lots of drugs, and ultimately murdering his dealer, a crime which made national headlines (though I don't remember it. Must have been all the drugs I was doing in the 80s).
The first scene of the movie raised the hackles on my neck; I couldn't decide who was more offensive as a poncey drag queen, Macauley or Seth Green. I kind of got used to Seth as the movie went on, because he is much prettier, but Macauley continued to grate on my nerves. Unfortunately, he was the star, so he had ample opportunity. What annoyed me the most was his horrible acting. I asked Tery when he forgot how to act, then remembered I've never actually seen him act (no, "Home Alones" don't qualify as acting). His speech seemed forced and artificial, kind of like David Bowie trying to do Andy Warhol in "Basquiat." It wasn't until the end when we watched some of the bonus material that it became apparent he was only emulating the real Michael Alig, who has an equally annoying manner of speech. So I guess this makes him an outstanding actor.
As for Marilyn, he appeared as Christina, and was virtually unrecognizable (though very attractive as a woman) until about his third scene. He had no lines, but a very funny scene when he is being frisked by a cop. Then his character died about halfway through, to my immense disappointment. In the extras, Macauley told the story of buying Marilyn a pack of cigarettes for the film and how weird it was doing something so normal with "the Antichrist."
Marilyn was a definite plus. The soundtrack was ace with lots of techno and 80s dance remixes. The costumes were eye-popping, rivaling even "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" or "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" (you gotta love Seth Green dressed as a troll doll, complete with 3-foot high green wig, for example). It certainly had a big cast, with Dylan McDermott, Chloe Sevigny, Natasha Lyonne, even a brief cameo from John Stamos. I still can't decide if I like this film or not, but I have a feeling it might be destined for underground cult status.
My rating: 3 out of 5. Would have been better without Macauley, I'm guessing.
Also, hooray for Photobucket. I just finished transferring all my photos over to my new free account from Angelfire. Now if only I could decide what to do with that extra $5 every month *rubbing hands gleefully at the possibilities*
This movie is so bizarre I don't even know how to describe the plot. Basically it is the tale of Michael Alig (Culkin), a nobody who became somebody on the 80s club scene by creating the "club kids," doing lots of drugs, and ultimately murdering his dealer, a crime which made national headlines (though I don't remember it. Must have been all the drugs I was doing in the 80s).
The first scene of the movie raised the hackles on my neck; I couldn't decide who was more offensive as a poncey drag queen, Macauley or Seth Green. I kind of got used to Seth as the movie went on, because he is much prettier, but Macauley continued to grate on my nerves. Unfortunately, he was the star, so he had ample opportunity. What annoyed me the most was his horrible acting. I asked Tery when he forgot how to act, then remembered I've never actually seen him act (no, "Home Alones" don't qualify as acting). His speech seemed forced and artificial, kind of like David Bowie trying to do Andy Warhol in "Basquiat." It wasn't until the end when we watched some of the bonus material that it became apparent he was only emulating the real Michael Alig, who has an equally annoying manner of speech. So I guess this makes him an outstanding actor.
As for Marilyn, he appeared as Christina, and was virtually unrecognizable (though very attractive as a woman) until about his third scene. He had no lines, but a very funny scene when he is being frisked by a cop. Then his character died about halfway through, to my immense disappointment. In the extras, Macauley told the story of buying Marilyn a pack of cigarettes for the film and how weird it was doing something so normal with "the Antichrist."
Marilyn was a definite plus. The soundtrack was ace with lots of techno and 80s dance remixes. The costumes were eye-popping, rivaling even "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" or "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" (you gotta love Seth Green dressed as a troll doll, complete with 3-foot high green wig, for example). It certainly had a big cast, with Dylan McDermott, Chloe Sevigny, Natasha Lyonne, even a brief cameo from John Stamos. I still can't decide if I like this film or not, but I have a feeling it might be destined for underground cult status.
My rating: 3 out of 5. Would have been better without Macauley, I'm guessing.
Also, hooray for Photobucket. I just finished transferring all my photos over to my new free account from Angelfire. Now if only I could decide what to do with that extra $5 every month *rubbing hands gleefully at the possibilities*
