'Party' binges on pop culture

If you're not having an epileptic seizure by the end of the credit sequence to Michael Winterbottom's new film, "24 Hour Party People," you're in for a journey through the beginnings of punk and into the birth of the rave scene.\nFueled and filmed by the three staples of any respectable rock star -- drugs, sex and sex on drugs -- "Party People" is the story of Tom Wilson (Steve Coogan) and the Manchester revolution of pop culture. And Winterbottom's portrayal of this period is as addled as its title implies, barging through the evolution of pop and the people it consumed with nothing less than sheer passion. In the end, this unapologetic approach plays out like any whole-hearted drug binge: there are ups and downs.\nIt is 1976 in Manchester, England, and Wilson is a news journalist for Granada TV. But on June 4, at the Lesser Free Trade Hall, his life and the lives of those around him are about to take a drastic turn when a little-known group plays its first gig to a humbling crowd of maybe 40 people. The group is the Sex Pistols, and this is the beginning of the punk movement and the start of a complete overhaul of the face of popular culture worldwide. Wilson can feel it, and he's getting on for the ride. With the help of a few friends, a few illegal substances and a few hookers, Wilson goes on to found Factory Records and create one of the most infamous club scenes in the modern world, rivaling Studio 54.\nWith the movie spanning from 1976 until 1992, Winterbottom isn't trying to give you information on anything. He's placing you directly in the moment, and either you know it or you don't. This is what makes the film both fun and aggravating at times. Perpetually moving through the revolution like a time machine on crank, Winterbottom keeps it fun, keeps it real, and at times, this whacked-out realism is what keeps it overbearing.\nFor the uninitiated in the history of pop culture, you may leave with more of a hangover than a high. This is a film for the music guru; Winterbottom wickedly acknowledges this, and he's saying, "Keep up, if you can." For this reason, I would generally recommend that you wait to rent this wild ride. But for those who think they're ready, well, the engine's running and the door's open.