Macaulay Culkin is going to get a lot of ink thanks to his decent performance in this film. In his ballsy and edgy role as real-life King (or is it Queen?) of the New York club kids scene of the 1990s. These kids were even more vapid than Warhol's more artistically inclined crew. The Club Kids were about throwing and attending parties, doing drugs, and of course, looking fabulous. But Culkin's portrayal of Michael Alig will be focused upon because, well, it's freakin' Macaulay Culkin in full make-up, wacky clothes, and choosing sexual partners with equal opportunity for all. Culkin's acting work is good but not great. At times, he seems to be reading his lines off a teleprompter (I'm sure he wasn't, but it fells that way.) But it doesn't help that he's working next to the real star of the show, Seth Green as James St. James, on whose book ("Disco Bloodbath") the film's story is based, along with directors Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato's documentary PARTY MONSTER. Seth Green is astonishingly good here. His body language, vocal affectations, gestures, coy smirk, everything he says and does here is gloriously convincing. This is no prancing ninny (neither is Culkin for that matter); this is a fully realized glamour addict with barely veiled weaknesses and a rapier wit to cover them up. If you've ever thought Seth Green was one of America's most vastly underappreciated actors, prepare to be vindicated.

We know early on that Culkin's Alig has killed someone named Angel ("Party of Five's" Wilson Cruz), so wherever this film takes us will not be pretty in the end. He casually mentions this murder while lying in bed next to St. James as if he might be kidding, but the blood on his shoes tells the truth. Much of the film is told in flashback (with Alig and St. James humorously bickering over who should act as the film's narrator), as we learn how the two men met. Alig was a kid off the bus who practically had to beg St. James to teach him how to be glamorous. It didn't take Alig long to take the Club Kid scene to a new level thanks to some willing partners at the Limelight club run by Peter Gatien (Dylan McDermott, formerly of "The Practice"). The more that drugs became a part of the scene, the bigger the scene became, and Alig was at the heart of it. His parties were tasteless at times, vulgar, out of control, messy, and always packed to the rafters. But as the drugs began to take control of Alig and St. James' lives, the less they were able to focus on their party-planning craft. The directors do a terrific job re-creating the scene although it was a little tough to figure out exactly the scope of the phenomenon in New York. One indicator, however, is illustrated in a weird sequence involving a trip the kids take to Dallas to host a party. There, they run into Gitsie (Chloe Sevigny), who becomes Michael's girlfriend, and Brooke (Natasha Lyonne). Also keep an eye out for the nearly unrecognizable Marilyn Manson as Christine, a growling, howling freak of nature that seeks revenge on Michael.

PARTY MONSTER tries at times to make us feel sympathy for its leads, but I think the real Michael and James would resist such portrayals. These are damaged people for sure, even if they didn't start out that way. But Michael's crime was of his own making, and he deserves to be exactly where he is today. Where the film succeeds is in showing us the men behind the make-up and feather boas and sparkles, sometimes with words but often just through the powerful performances of Seth Green and others. Perhaps I would have felt sorrier for Michael if Culkin was a better actor, but I don't think so. These guys aren't supposed to be lovable or even likeable, just exceptional. And thanks to Seth Green, these characters and this movie are saved from being merely average. PARTY MONSTER opens in Chicago on September 5 at the Landmark Century Center Theatres.

DEMONLOVER

Intriguing doesn't even begin to describe this film. Think about it: a story involving the corporate takeover of a company that designs pornographic Japanese anime, including rape videos, and is about to launch a 3-D version of its product. DEMONLOVER (the name of one of the X-rated film production companies) is the product of director Olivier Assayas (IRMA VEP; LATE AUGUST, EARLY SEPTEMBER; LES DESTINEES SENTIMENTALES) who pulls together all the right elements to make as compelling and complicated films I've seen in a while. The movie's central figure is Diane (GLADIATOR's Connie Nielsen) who works for VolfGroup, the one of Europe's most powerful porn distributors, which desperately wants the exclusive rights to distribute films make by Japan's TokyoAnime. The only thing standing in the way is rival company Magnatronics, who wants to sabotage a deal VolfGroup is trying to make with Demonlover (represented by a sassy American played by Gina Gershon). Nielsen seems to be constantly at odds in her job with her boss (RIDICULE's Charles Berling) and an aggressive office assistant (Chloe Sevigny).

I realize a film about the internet and business deals sounds horribly boring, but DEMONLOVER is filled with a beautifully executed kidnapping plot as an opener, loads of Japanese porn (some unceremoniously blurred), torture web sites, murder attempts, sexual romps, and enough double-crossing to satisfy everyone. When all is finally revealed in the end, it's a bit shocking, a little confusing, but still wholly satisfying.

Nielsen portrays Diane as a ice queen executive who has been driven into an emotionless state by her male-dominated company and the field in which the company works. She cannot afford to appear to be shocked or bothered by the materials she's exposed to. I also really liked the way Assayas doesn't clue us into the nature of the business until we're well into the story. As far as we know, this is some kind of banking business for the first 45 minutes or so. The overall sense of the film is that of a tornado dropping into the middle of the corporate environment. Assayas and Co. have succeeded where few have in making the corporate world mildly sexy and exciting in a way many have tried to (and failed) in the past. All of the performers absolutely nail their roles, especially Nielsen and Berling who maneuver around each other like horny, angry cats. DEMONLOVER is a whirlwind of tension, emotion, and exploitation that should not be missed. It opens in Chicago on September 19 at the Landmark Century Center Theatres.

Capone

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