Rating: 
Summary: A wonderful occular rape
Review: I am in a film class and Ive never seen, Pi or Requiem and my professor showed us this movie and... this is the best movie in the world. Its so beautifuly edited like when they take the drugs its a repeditive thing to show how repeditive it is. Darren Arrenofski is probably one of my new favorite directors ...
Rating:
Summary: addiction
Review: This movie offers different perspectives of addiction...its a disturbing, but brilliant movie.
Rating:
Summary: The ultimate in the war against drugs crusade
Review: If you know anyone who is taking, thinking of using, or is experimenting with any sort of drug... show them this movie once and you can almost bet it will change their minds in a big hurry ! This has to be one of, if not the best, depiction of drug abuse ever to hit the screen. As mentioned by other viewers this movie follows the lives of four people and their struggle with addiction. What this film does so well is it demonstrates what people will do to themselves (as well as others) to satisfy a quick fix or obsession regardless of the consequences. Everything you can imagine from self humilation, (you will know what I mean when or if you watch this !) to self mutilation and simply watching several people going down hill faster than any roller coaster imagineable. I do not want to give too much away but I will say this. When I first started watching the film I thought to myself 'this is not too disturbing'. No sooner than I said that this film really switched gears ! Not to get too political but anyone who messes around with any of this garbage(drugs that is) is a fool and a gambler and this movie points that out and pulls no punches in doing so. Keep in mind this is not for the faint of heart but this film should be used as a 'scare tactic' (sort of like those drivers ed movies) to those claiming invincibility and the harmlessnes of drugs.
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Summary: Just saw it...
Review: Wowwww...
It is one of the most painfull, sad, dramatic movies I have ever seen. It is so potent. Everything in this movie including great cinematographic effects and haunting music drives to that painfull cathartic ending, which implodes in the end.
When you watch a movie about addiction and addicts you know you're in for no happy ending. Requiem For a Dream blows all the borders of bad ending into something not manny movies have managed to accomplish before.
Fall of the main characters is so dramatic, total, and sad. You can't avoid being touched and moved by their pain and hopeless demise.
Great movie.
Painfully sad but great.
Rating: 
Summary: requiem for a dream
Review: this movie is one of the most incredible films i've ever seen. It was completely shocking to me. The story is absolutely crazy and the end really tripped me out. Though terrifying and morbid, it is an amazing movie and will make you think.
Rating: 
Summary: fancy camera work
Review: This movie hits you over the head-repeatedly. After a while though, it gets fatiguing. It takes more than technique to make a story! The acting is great, the dialogue is less so, the method of getting you to feel like you are the addict is the best feature. A thrill ride to hell.The story is a non sequitur, it simply makes no sense for a large part of the film, particularly the ending. The ending was almost expected, more or less. Where is the story? I like a good story, I do not think this flick had one. Sort of like having an inside view of an addict's life, with some ridiculous improbabilities thrown in for shock effect. Worth watching once, after that forget it.
Rating:
Summary: Disturbing, but an important document of our modern times...
Review: 'Requiem for a Dream' illustrates what most movies fail to do - the devastating effects of drug addiction. Before watching this movie be warned that it is ultimately very depressing with shocking graphic imagery. The story revolves around young New Yorker Harry and the most important people in his life - his Mother, girlfriend and best friend. Whilst Harry, his girlfriend and best friend are addicted to drugs as a choice of escaping from their lives, his Mother is addicted through medication prescribed by 'health professionals' and because of this, it is the saddest story of all. Whilst for a short time the drugs increase the success of their lives, they soon fall into a downward spiral, though at no time does the film become preachy. The film depicts drug taking as a fast-edited series of shots that works brilliantly. The downfall of the characters produce some of the most realistically harrowing scenes I've seen on film, especially those featuring the girlfriend. The final scene of her sex performance is very disturbing. If you can handle the negativity of this film, watch it to see how drugs can severely affect life.
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Summary: Requiem for a Dream: The Ultimate Anti-Drug.
Review: I was flipping through the channels the other night, when I happened upon this movie. Within a second, I was hooked until the bitter end, just like the group of addicts this film is focused on. I couldn't take my eyes off the screen. Just like a drug, it was beautiful and terrifying at the same time. I CANNOT believe I haven't seen this movie until now. This is one of the few movies that left me stunned, deeply affected, and just plain disturbed afterwards (the only other movie to do that was "Bully"). Shock-value aside, this movie was simply great, multidimensional filmmaking - visually, musically, and acting-wise. It's one of the best films I've ever seen. In classical music, a requiem is a Mass for the dead. In the movie, we watch aspirations and relationships wither away when the characters are consumed by addiction. Overweight TV-addict Sara Goldfarb (portrayed amazingly by Ellen Burstyn) turns to speed for weight-loss when she believes she is chosen as a TV-show contestant. Her son Harry (Jared Leto) is a heroin addict, along with his girlfriend Marion (Jennifer Connelly) and his best friend Tyrone (Marlon Wayans). Harry and Marion dream of opening a store, and Tyrone wants to prove to the memory of his mother that he can be successful, so they get involved in drug dealing for some fast cash. Unfortunately, the road to hell is paved with good intentions, and the rest of a movie is a frightening trip down that path. When it all crashes in the end, all four characters are left rotting in their own personal hell, alone and tormented by their inner demons. Ellen Burstyn should've won the Academy Award over Julia Roberts. The deterioration Sara goes through is intense. By the last part of the movie, she's a loony speed junkie, barely recognizable from the beginning of the movie. Physically and emotionally, her change is a total 180°. Jared Leto is wonderful as well. His eyes alone express huge amounts of emotion. You can really feel the love he has for his girlfriend, and the concern he has for his mother. Marlon Wayans surprised me by not hamming it up in his usual comedic way. I almost wasn't sure if that was him at first, since he usually doesn't tackle such dramatic roles. He handled himself splendidly... it's nice to see he's got serious acting chops. He came off as very natural. Jennifer Connelly was amazing. As her character starts to self-degrade, you can totally feel what she's going through, especially when she hits rock bottom. Let's talk about the directing now. Darren Aronofsky, the director, is a genius. I have never seen a film utilize both visual and audio techniques to narrate a story as well as this movie did. Visually, the movie plays like a David Fincher flick on acid. Rapid cuts and edits, fisheye lenses, split screens, slow-mo and high-speed shots, swirling cameras... a whole array of MTV-like editing techniques are used. But, it never seems gratuitous, as if it were done just for the sake of looking cool and artsy. These techniques help enhance the storyline, making you feel like you're really in the characters' shoes. I felt like I was on drugs just watching this movie, experiencing both the highs and the lows (especially in the truly frightening final sequence). Moments of willpower in the film are shot very effectively as well; if you've ever been on a diet, you'll totally relate to the clock-watching, the beckoning fridge, and the quickly disappearing food. One technique I really loved was whenever a character used their addiction (whether it be smack, TV, coffee, coke, etc.), the camera would zoom-in up close and show syringes shooting, pupils dilating, lighters sparking, spoons bubbling, pill bottles popping open... all in rapid succession with sound effects going "pop, bubble, crackle, slurp, snap, suck!" This technique is repeated over and over, to give you a sense of the habitual nature of addiction. I can't even smoke a joint anymore without close-up images of lips inhaling and smoke swirling flashing through my brain. The beautiful musical score plays an integral role in the storytelling as well, aside from its obvious role as a requiem. Not since "Pink Floyd's The Wall" have I seen the music exactly match what you're witnessing visually, until now. The strings express such haunting sadness in the main overture, and frantic, Psycho-like melodies play as terrorizing images flash onscreen. The score is played by a string quartet, which can represent the four main characters. It is also divided up into three, very symbolic movements, just like the movie is: Summer, Fall, and Winter. I highly recommend you see this movie, especially if you like dark films like me. I just advise you watch it in a sober state, unless you want to get freaked out of your mind really badly. This movie will affect you by itself. I'm scared of even just thinking about heroin right now.
Rating:
Summary: Dont use drugs, drugs are bad, mmKay?
Review: Requiem for a Dream is an energetic and engaging melodramatic tradgedy with addiction as its theme, stylistically much like a ninety minute version of the film clip to Prodigy's "Fire Starter". A gradually accelerating descent into nightmare, both in narrative and imagery, Aronofsky creates a dark tale for our time with skillful and original use of camera and sound. It has resonances with 80's indie movie "Liquid Sky" (both subject and definitely soundtrack) and some of the imagery recalls Cronenberg's eXistenz. On this level it works and is a grimly entertaining and challenging film for those of us who like this sort of thing. But a cautionary tale? Yes, like the 1950's propaganda film "Reefer Madness" is a cautionary tale. Addiction is an ugly thing and its ugliness is well documented, but Requiem for a dream goes well beyond anything resembling a factual analysis of its subject matter. If you want to use this movie to scare your kids away from drugs, you may have some problems suspending disbelief. Not everyone who abuses drugs is doomed to drug abuse hell, and this film does not embrace the idea of rehabilitation (where "Trainspotting" did). Much of the story reinforces old stereotypes and myths about drug dealers and wildly exagerates certain risks. Prescription diet pills leading to electro-shock therapy? This is where my concerns about taking this film too seriously arise. Many points of this story sit uneasily with the issues surrounding our approach to drug abuse and harm minimisation. When Harry seeks treatment for a horribly infected and poisonous wound resulting from injection he is not only arrested but refused treatment. Refused treatment for a life threatening injury in a hospital. What is the take-home message here? Don't dare to seek medical treatment if you have consumed illegal drugs? Kids die that way. Watch it and be revolted Cronenberg style. But if you want to use this movie like a Grimm Brothers fairytale, tread very carefully indeed.
Rating:
Summary: Awe Inspiring
Review: This film functions on several levels, which adds to it's ability to convey a myriad of meanings. With that in mind this film can be taken a couple of ways. One way is to view it as a more intense cautionary tale of drug abuse. On this level nothing comes close. Take any anti-drug commercial out there and it won't hold a candle to this film. While watching it I didn't doubt that were this film to be shown to even the worst of junkies that they would certainly wish to quit their habit. The film is able to convey the message of drug abuse so easily due to superb imagery and an amazing soundtrack which I did not hesitate to buy. Another way to take this movie is a bit more depressing. The whole of the movie ends on a massive down note. It's basically a destruction of hope. And after watching this movie it's kind of hard not to be a little depressed or at least sorry for the characters who in the end, lose it all. And this brings me to another part of the movie which is excellent, is the ability for the actors to really draw the viewer in. These characters make you want to feel sorry for them, and you cannot help but emote with them. However this bond between the characters and viewer does make the end of the movie a little hard to take.
I'd have to agree with the other reviewers that this movie would be very hard to watch a second time, however I do plan to do so. Because even though the movie is more intense than anything else I've ever seen, it's also perhaps the best movie I've ever seen. I'd recommend this movie to just about anyone above the age of 16. The movie really makes you think, another major accomplishment of the film. So with that I'd advise you to watch this film, you won't regret it.
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