the audience applauded

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

CIRCUIT Aspect ratio: 1.85:1Sound format: MonoA gay police officer (Jonathan Wade Drahos) is outed at work and subsequently relocates to LA where he becomes involved in the 'circuit party' lifestyle and is almost destroyed by its worst excesses...Filmed in digital video format by director/co-writer (and former 'Playgirl' centerfold) Dirk Shafer, CIRCUIT casts an uncritical eye over the circuit party scene, exposing the highs and lows of a subculture driven by sexual excess. Drahos toplines a relatively unknown cast as the wide-eyed innocent torn asunder by corrupting influences, though he's upstaged by former soap actor Andre Khabazzi ("The Young and the Restless", "Sunset Beach") as a pumped-up party boy who refuses to have sex with anyone unless they pay for it, and is obsessed with growing old and losing his beauty (there are moments in the film when Shafer's camera lingers on Khabbazi's sculpted body, culminating in a memorable sequence where Khabazzi indulges his characters' narcissism in front of a full-length mirror). Equally impressive is Daniel Kucan as an aspiring filmmaker who records a series of video interviews with his circuit party friends (including Drahos, in a beautifully acted sequence where he's so spaced-out he can barely speak). Further down the cast list, veterans William Katt and Nancy Allen are reunited on-screen for the first time since CARRIE (1976), and while they both appear to enjoy playing against type, their roles seem pretty superfluous. Kiersten Warren and Brian Lane Green are solid as the only true friends in Drahos' life, and 80's pop sensation Paul Lekakis makes his screen debut as an erotic performance artist whose acts of self-mutilation will horrify all but the most hardened masochists. You have been warned! Director Shafer revels in the beautiful gym-buffed bodies which form a crucial aspect of the circuit party scene, and he also includes a number of relatively chaste sexual encounters, mostly tender, sometimes dark and disturbing, always credible. The movie's production values are OK, and Shafer demonstrates a genuine cinematic awareness, helped by solid technical support all round. Look quickly for brief cameos by Craig Chester (SWOON), writer/comedian Bruce Vilanch (GET BRUCE) and director Randal Kleiser (THE BLUE LAGOON). Sensitive viewers are advised that the climactic party sequence contains prolonged flashing-light effects.

I was very anxious about seeing this movie for all the wrong reasons--the excitement of the circuit scene, incredibly good-looking guys, a film about my community, and a chance to experience something unique. But after I got into the first 30 minutes of Circuit, I began to realize what an incredibly brilliant film I was watching.The artistic-design is amazing; and the camera-work and cinematography incredible--especially remembering that the filming was completed with a digital camcorder. But the heart of this movie is the story. The main characters John and Hector have a dangerous love for one-another and both yearn to experience the true intimacy between them; but the shallow and tumultuous world of the Circuit keeps them tragically separated.The film begins with an all-too familar example of intolerance and ignorance that forces John to relocate to LA, where he meets hustler Hector and is seduced into the provocative world of the Circuit. Serving as both Co-Writer and Director of the film, Shafer displays the rise and fall of the main characters flawlessly and the audience quickly grows emotionally-attached. With one heart-wrenching scene after another, we are drawn to these characters and as we watch their demise, we feel the pain in our hearts as if we were experiencing the heartbreaking events ourselves.Overall, this movie is a definite A with plot twists and turns, excellent characterization, and a portrayal of a world seldom experienced by most. This film will not only impress you, it will pull your heartstrings and force you to appreciate film-making and the entire cinematic experience at its finest.Those who criticize Circuit for its raw, edgy approach and glitz and glamor with sexy actors playing men without care have missed its salient point. At its heart, Circuit is a tragic love-story intertwined with a glimpse that examines the harsh reality of a world filled with seductive life-endangering drugs and anonymous sex presented in a way only a filmmaker with true talent could present. Circuit won't be recognized for awards and praise because of its low budget and independent release. But after seeing it, you will realize it truly is worthy of many...

I guess you had to be there, and I was. Most people will not have enough or the wrong kind of baggage to understand this movie. Its a chronicle of a lifestyle, and if you are on the outside looking in half of it will zoom right over your head. Go see it for yourself and try not to listen to others. The music alone is worth the six bucks and Tony Moran doesn't let a minute pass without some bumper music. A visual feast - thats entertainment !!!

I thought this movie was going to be bad, but I just didn't know how bad! As a gay man, I was shaking my head at the stereotypes and the stupid characters. The acting was horrid, the lightening of the film even worse. the only saving grace was seeing Nancy Allen. She still lights up the screen! My friend and I laughed through the whole thing because it was so bad. in the movie a character calls the circuit the superbowl for gay men. As a movie the circuit the glitter of this year.