Rating: 
Summary: A humbling experience
Review: I now own this DVD and I must say it was one of the best ways I could have spent my money. The directing and adaptation from the book are both the best I've ever seen. The movie tells the tale of four characters slowly destroying their dreams by the thing they need most. Jared Leto has never stood out in my mind as a big actor, but after seeing what he is capable of doing in this movie he is definatly a good actor in my mind. Marlon Wayans surprises me with his oustanding ability to play a serious part in a movie, and shows that he can really act. Jennifer Connelly did a good job in acting her part as the addicted lover to Leto. Ellen Burstyn is by far the best in the movie when it comes to acting. Burstyn's character is an addict to TV and speed throughout the film, and Burstyn plays the part perfectly. The film moves your emotions along with the characters right up until the very end. Not for the squeemish, easily disturbed, people who like happy movies, or inconsiderate arrogant cold hearted people. This movie is by far one of the best movies I have ever seen.
Rating:
Summary: The penultimate examination of drug addiction
Review: REQUIEM FOR A DREAM is disturbing, strange, emotionally riveting, and ultimately devasting. All of those adjectives would seem like a redlight to NOT view this film, but the brilliance of this creation by Darren Aronofsky after Hubert Selby, Jr.'s book does what few films do - it makes a gut-wrenching learning experience. From the hardcore heroin addiction to the even more terrifying addiction to doctor-prescribed "medication" drugs we are shown the gamut of how cruel this disease of addiction is to the victi's body, to loved ones, to the world. The performances by each of the cast members are superb - Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly and Marlon Wayans - and the supporting cast (especially the elderly friends of Burstyn's 'Sara')is very strong. But is is the directorial decision to use split screen techniques, rapid motion repetions of popping pills or preparing to shoot up and the middle-of-the-target musical score tha makes this film alomost unbearably real. A terrifying movie that should be recommended viewing for everyone to get a take on the drug problem this country faces.
Rating:
Summary: excellent drama filled film
Review: THIS MOVIE IS PHENOMINAL.I LOVED THIS MOVIE BECAUSE IT WAS VERY REAL.IT SHOWS WHAT SUBSTANCE ABUSE CAN DO TO AN EVERYDAY PERSON.
Rating:
Summary: Very Real
Review: It was weird reading everyone else's reviews to this especially the fellow that was comparing it to movies like LOTR and Aliens and how horrible the movie is in comparison to those movies. I have lived the experience of the people in the movie/book being a former junkie myself. Hearing people say it it is sensationalist and overbearing and unrealistic...well that is complete ... I have never seen a movie or read a book that protrays addiction so realisticly as Requiem For a Dream. It also makes out the people to be real people with hopes and dreams and then the addiction crushes all of there hopes. When I read the book I wondered how Selby was able to know exactly what it feels like. I couldn't explain the emotions I felt. The movie made me sick, made me think of my former friends many of them who ended up like the charcters in the movie. I was depressed for a long time after watching this. The situations in the movie may be 'stereotypical' as some reviews say but that is only because addiction is 'stereotypical'. So for those of you who would like a movie where eveyrone ends up happy or you would like some unrealistic glorification of people that become junkies then go rent a Hollywood movie becuase you won't like this one. Sure the movie may be a little harsh on drug use since drug use does not always lead to addiction but for those that do become addicted this movie tells many of there stories. I've only found a few things in the book/movie that were far-fetched.
Rating:
Summary: Emotionally Ravaging
Review: I cry about twice a year on average, and I cried through most of this film. From the hard first scene to the despairing end, this movie is the most depressing and one of the best movies I have ever seen. The film focuses on two inter-related stories involving four main characters and follows them from their initial hopes and dreams to the horrible, despairing end that awaits all four of them. One of the characters, Mrs. Goldfarb, eventually becomes insane through her use of diet pills which stemmed from her obsession with appearing fit and trim on a tv show. Her son, Harry, in an attempt to go somewhere with his and his girlfiend's life, gets the not-so-brilliant idea of becoming a drug-dealer, and his friend Tyrone also helps out in this scheme. Harry's girlfriend, Marion, is an addict and when Harry can't provide drugs for her, she turns to prostitution. Harry and Tyrone both end up in nightmarish ends, but Marion's end is far worse. The music is amazing and the cinematography is stunning as the movie grabs you and brutally forces you into this nightmarish plunge. Caution though, if you are planning to watch the director's cut, watch out for the graphic group and lesbian sex scene. It caught me off guard, but the scene is necessary to grasp just how far Marion had fallen and just how horrible it is what she is doing to herself. This is a very disturbing and depressing movie, but it is also very powerful and will change the way you view addicts and prostitutes. It will impact you.
Rating: 
Summary: overated
Review: i bought this movie after friends told me to watch it because it was "my kind of movie"...after reading the reviews here, i decided to buy it because they didn't have it for me to rent at any of the video stores in my area. i really tried to like it, but i didn't. there are many other movies about this subject that make this movie pale in comparison. it's overated..rent it before you buy it if you can
Rating:
Summary: REWARDING IF YOU'RE GAME....
Review: I don't know what all the "love it"/"hate it" stuff's about. This is an engrossing and galvanizing film. Director Darren Aronosfky has achieved deserved recognition for this morality fable about the destruction of four lives by drug addiction. Wonderful performances put this tale right in your face. The stuff dreams are made of is heroin and diet pills. The characters write their own requiem as they descend into hell. Not for the faint-hearted or weak-stomached but well worth watching for the performances---especially Ellen Burstyn who was Oscar nominated for her work here. Jared Leto as her son, Marlon Wayans as his buddy and Jennifer Connelly as Leto's girlfriend all turn in fine jobs as the doomed souls who sell out for the "Dream". Sad, depressing but fascinating viewing if a bit heavy-handed at times. A damn fine film nonetheless.
Rating: 
Summary: Movie: 5/5, DVD: 4/5, Average: 4.5/5.
Review: REQUIEM FOR A DREAM THE MOVIE: This movie is not really a 'movie'. I would prefer to call it an experience. What you sit through in this movie affects the people on the screen just as much as it affects the audience. We are put through emotional turmoil watching these characters' dreams slip away from them, we go through the horrors of addiction and experience every emotion that the actors on the screen display. On the subject of acting this movie shows some of the best performances ever in a movie, especially from Ellen Burstyn, who gives a truly indescribable performance. Overall, there is no movie I have ever seen to better the quality seen in REQUIEM FOR A DREAM. THE SPECIAL FEATURES: I would buy this movie on DVD if it had zero special features. It is an essential film for me. It's just a bonus that it has some really cool special features. The best of these is an involving and amazing making of feature that has commentary from Darren Aronofsky. It's stunning to see how much effort and heart went into this production. The Anatomy of a Scene is also very interesting, showing how Aronofsky did many of the camera tricks. We also get quite a few deleted scenes that don't do much to make the DVD better but they don't ruin it either. It's hilarious to see Marlon Wayans mocking JarJar Binks! In Memories, Dreams and Addictions Ellen Burstyn interviews Hubert Selby Jr. about his life. This is a very long interview that doesn't always intrigue the viewer and it was kind of confusing because you don't know if Hubert is being serious or kidding with us. We also get 2 theatrical trailers, a B-roll and audio commentaries from Aronofsky and Matthew Libatique, director of photography.
Rating:
Summary: Most Intense Movie Ever
Review: I spent the second half of this movie wishing I could take my eyes off the screen. Impossible. Not only was I unable to take my eyes off the screen, I was unable to get this movie out of my head. While you can question the over-the-top shock techniques employed by the director, you can't question their effectiveness. The movie puts you in a paradox. Our eyes are glued to it like they are glued to a car wreck on the side of the road. We can't help but watch as these souls slide downward in an inevitable spiral. But the characters are so well defined and seem so real and sympathetic, that we become totally invested in their welfare. As each addict descends into his or her respective hell, we want to help them, to advise them, to offer them unconditional support. That is why the inevitability of their fates is so frustrating and why watching this movie is, as the amazon[.com] reviewer above puts it, masochistic. We know things are going to end badly, but we spend the entire movie praying that they don't. And how the director punishes us for our sympathy. The lives of our "protagonists" unravel in an intensely disturbing and visceral appearance. The movie builds up, or I should say, descends into, a climatic montage where the director cuts quickly between disturbing images of Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly, Ellen Burstyn and Marlon Wayans, as each hits a drug "induced" bottom. Highly stylized and marked by lightning quick cuts, this scene plays like a music video from hell as it by Clint Mansell's haunting soundtrack (you will never get his high string theme out of your head). I think everyone should see this movie once. It will disturb you, shock you, and make you sad, but it will forever change the way you look at drug addiction.
Rating:
Summary: A masterpiece of a visual opera!
Review: Have you ever seen a trailer that looks so cool that it gets your heart pumping, but when you see the film, it's a let down? Requiem for a Dream is just like one of those fast paced trailers, all the way through the film! Of course this is a very depressing, upsetting film about addiction, be it to heroin, diet pills, or television. If you like your films upbeat, stay clear from this film. You'll hate it and curse all those who told you it was great. But if you are a film lover looking for a movie that is masterful and powerful in whatever message it gives, no matter what negative emotions it can create, this one is for you. It takes you right along for the ride as the film's central characters begin to have hope for the good life, then forces you to hold on as their lives take the wrong turn and hopelessly spin out of control into utter despair. The beautiful stylistic choices in this film are endless. From the quick editing to simulate the rush of getting high or the characters insanity, to the heart-pumping music adding to the editing, to the symbolic use of fades, cuts and dissolves to pack in layer upon layer of meaning, this film is a complete masterpiece. It was one of those rare films that gave me the chills of amazement all the way through, the thought "My God, this is an awesome film" running through my mind non-stop. I found it so amazing; I could watch it over and over despite its despair-filling mood. Its genius is enough to distract my emotions away from the doom. There's so much to find in Requiem for a Dream! To any film buff, this one demands multiple viewings to appreciate all the layers of ingenuity. Look past the so-called "gimmicky" editing... it has a reason it's fast paced and stylized, and it's not so it "looks cool" to the MTV crowd. This gets my highest recommendation. A masterpiece on all levels!
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