Rating: 
Summary: Mortifyingly enjoyable
Review: Watching this movie is one of the most harrowing film experiences I've ever had. If you watch this and are not moved in some way by either disgust or sympathy, you have no soul. I was going to call this a cautionary tale, but after some thought, I don't want to. A cautionary tale is an after-school special in which Johnny the star quarterback is caught smoking pot and mom & dad won't let him play in the big game. This is a morbid and graphic film in which four people's lives come to utter, utter ruin via their narcotic habits. And I'm not talking about pot, which is not a narcotic. We have Sara, an old widow who just wants to lose weight and look nice so she can get on television. She becomes addicted to the speed in her diet pills. We have her son Harry, his girlfriend Marion, and his buddy Tyrone, three raving heroin addicts. At first, all four characters seem to have their using under control but everything goes horribly wrong. Without giving away too much, each of these characters ends up in a state of extreme suffering and their lives are destroyed. "Requiem for a Dream" is just that; the dream is that of the better life these drugs will supposedly give you. Let's face it, we all did some experimenting in high school and college, but few of us ever make a lifestyle of it. Those of us that do end up dead or in rehab, or worse, like the people in this film. Shocking, disgusting, and so well-put-together it's unreal. This film must be seen.
Rating:
Summary: outstanding
Review: Hi folks around the globe! I saw this movie in the cinema immediately it came out and was at once enthralled by it. I just love the cinematography, the unrellenting pace of the movie and the actors' performances, each one of them is worth a big big hand. I was particularly surprised at J. Connelly's acting skills, she's so much more than a pretty face. The subjects brought up the film (addiction, the crave for love, fate, responsibility) resonate deeply within you, allowing reflexions and debate. Summing up, I am delighted to have the DVD at home, as it gives you access to previously unseen footage, interviews and so forth. Just one thing, and if anyone has an answer I'm all ears...well, English is not my mother tongue and even if I do get 90% of the dialogues, there's the occasional slang word or phrase that I miss, that's why I count on English subtitles as something to turn to now and then. This DVD is supposed to include close captioning. There's no way I could decode it, though. Could someone tell me if they were able to? And if so, how? Last but not least, buy the director's cut, there's already enough fascism about so as to foster censorship. Down with censorship, up with quality Art. And no doubt Requiem for a Dream is cinema at its summit.
Rating:
Summary: Well....
Review: I can say little that others before me have not said, but I need to write a review anyway. I think this is a great movie. I especially like the music. I like dark films and this fits me, well...perfectly. Excellent movie, nice dvd with good extra features. At what it costs now ($11?) why not buy it?
Rating: 
Summary: a sick twisted movie
Review: when I saw this, I really got really bored. um, yeah ok shes taking a lot of pills and shes becoming addictive. stuff like that, and basically its a stinker of a movie and I did not like it one bit but it had some powerful moments and some disturbing images that can keep locked in your head after its done, but primarily I just got sick of it in the middle. Though Leto and especially Connelley give great performances
Rating:
Summary: a beautifully tragic film with stunning visuals
Review: Wow. I just saw Requiem For A Dream for the first time. I don't really know what to say about it. What a stunning film. Gorgeously filmed, beautiful visuals...wholly depressing...crystal clear filmmaking. Excellent performances by the cast. The story almost seems inconsequential somehow (even though it's not)...mostly, I felt like I was was watching a moving painting. Ellen Burstyn's performance as the mother, a lonely widow whose hope of being on TV (so that her loser son and deceased husband would be proud of her) leads to an addiction to diet pills and a severe case of dementia, was one of the finest moments of acting I believe I've ever seen. The film style itself employs a variety of different camera angles, split screens, and some truly beautiful juxtapositions. The scenes become darker, more jagged and frantic, as the movie progresses and the four main characters spiral steadily downward. The music and the sound in this film is also extremely powerful. The popping of pill bottles, the quitly mocking laughter of the empty mailbox...those are the two sounds that really stick out for me. Then the music, the haunting background theme that plays nearly constantly over much of the film, will stick in your mind and haunt you long after the movie has ended. I believe everyone I know that has seen this movie has loved it, and I have to say that despite its disturbing content, I really loved it too. That said, this is definitely one of those films that people will either love or hate...it's really not a middle-ground type of movie. It's truly an example of movies as an art form. As you can see from my first impressions of it there, first viewings of it seem to lend themselves more to the art of the filmmaking itself rather than the actual content of the movie...it was so clear cut that I don't think there's a lot left to 'understand', but at the same time, repeated viewings will likely be necessary just to let it sink in. I resisted watching it for a very long time because no one could tell me why they loved it so much and I had it in my head that it was going to be 'just another of those stupid drug movies'. I understand now why they couldn't explain it, and I only wish I could explain it myself. :) Unfortunately, I think I'm going to fall short of that wish tonight.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing...
Review: That's what I thought when I first saw this movie - it is amazing. The movie is at times a little hard to follow, and watching it more than once, I understood it a little more and was able to catch a lot of things that I did not catch the first time around. The characters were very well done. They all tried to remain together in their struggle to make money in the drug world, but all it did was pull them further apart and deeper into addiction. Whether by accident or on purpose, the drug use and its affects makes a person seriously rethink any thought of taking diet pills or, worse, more addictive and illegal substances. The soundtrack is equally as chilling, setting a beautiful background to the character's ultimate attachments. This movies is a thinker, recommended to anyone who wants to have a movie to talk about and recommend to people for months and years to come. Definitely a "YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS" kind of movie!
Rating:
Summary: Pi good, Requiem [stink]
Review: I liked the mother character. She was the only interesting, new perspective. You felt sorry for her, for her loneliness as an elderly woman with a lousy son and no true friends. Her story was the only thing going for the movie. However, the unrealistic portrayl of everything grawed at my brain. How come a lawyer didn't JUMP on the chance to sue the doctor for not treating the arm, instead of just reporting it to the cops? Or the prison authorities for not, during the absolutely REQUIRED medical exam prior to incarceration treat the arm? That made absolutely no sense. And, uhm, when was their trial? Their court-appointed lawyers? Even strung out "yankees" don't get thrown into jail in the South without evidence - where was that? Or was our perspective too drugged to preceive any of that?
I'm also more inclined to believe the other poster about the inaccurate portrayl of the old woman's treatment in the psych center, as the movie, possibly the author, was just trying to go for the most shocking scenario, rather than the most realistic. Oh, yeah, drugs are bad. Addiction R bad. Remember that, kids - heroin is not good for your system.
Rating:
Summary: Most well directed movie of all time
Review: "Requiem For a Dream" was the most frightening film I have ever seen. There were some parts that stayed with me for weeks, and I doubt I will want to watch it again. Not that I can say the movie wasn't written, directed, and acted very effectively. I most definitely think this was one of the best films I've seen. Although, I wouldn't suggest to anyone to watch this movie if they are in the least sensitive, because it will not be something you can easily forget.
Rating:
Summary: A powerhouse with thrills and chills
Review: I read about it on the back of Scary Movie 2, so I read up on it, and herd it was a movie about 4 drug addicts with a scary message, so I decided to buy it. I was really hoping to see a good movie, with messagaes shoved down my throat, well the movie was outstanding, and the messages were sure tough to swallow. Ellen Burstien did a fabulas performance as Sara Goldfarb, a old woman on diet pills; Jared Leto did a great job as well, as Sara's son Harry, who was just a plain drug addict; Jennifer Connelly did a good job of playing Harry's girlfriend, Marion, who had money, but no attention, so she's on drugs; and Marlon Waynes, at his more serious, less funny roles, does very good job of playing Tyrone, just like Harry, a plain drug addict. That's pretty much all I'm gonna say about the movie, well at the end, that's where the big messages come in. But to those who really want a more clear enjoyable reason to say no to drugs, then this is it. I dunno if it will work or not, but it did for me. peace
Rating:
Summary: This film is not a cautionary tale
Review: Requiem for a Dream is one of the best, and least understood, movies about drugs ever made. It is not a cautionary tale about the evils of heroin and diet pill abuse. It is about people who refuse to let go of their dreams, amd when those dreams fall the characters fall with them, hard. It is about how American society and the media twist our desires to the point where we must become drug addicts and criminals to make our little lives seem meaningful. It is about how we are then demonized and destroyed because we dare to dream.
this is not a movie for the faint of heart. it contains some of the most shocking images i have ever seen on film. not shocking in a Pink Flamingoes way but shocking because you care about the characters, and so the things that happen to them are that much more horrific. Aronofsky is a visual stylist almost without equal, and no matter what you think of the film, you cannot help but be affected by its visual language, the world doesn't look quite the same when you're done watching it. it is both a dream and a nightmare, and will affect the way you look at both.
of course, what brings it all home is the performances, especially Ellen Burstyn's, who deserves every award in existence. in a movie like this it would have been easy for the actors to go over the top, but it is because they stayed grounded in real human desires that the film resonates as deeply as it does. every member of the cast approaches their role with a heroic level of commitment and intensity.
anyone who cares about film should not miss Requiem for a Dream. it shows us the best and worst of love, drugs, and the desire to live life passionately. it does not ask that you feel sorry for its characters, only that you recognize that they are a part of you. and it does it in a way that will continually shock and amaze you.
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