Rating: 
Summary: Hyperbole Galore with MTV Video style director
Review: This is a midly entertaining film that explores addiction. It also shares the same downfall as "Magnolia". Requiem for a Dream is a much better film than Magnolia however in the sense that there is purpose and a statement in the film. Magnolia OTOH, was a beautifully directed terrible film with characters that nobody can hopefully identify with ("Magnolia" had no real meaning or plot to anybody but the self-serving director and a few others who managed to hallucinate some meaning out of "Magnolia". Traffic was an outstanding movie on addiction, while Requiem for a dream relied on too much hyperbole and SHOCK effect, as if it were an MTV video. I think it was worth watching once, perhaps, but it is does not have a lot to offer. Traffic OTOH was either 4 or 5 stars out of 5. This film does not deserve more than 2 to 3 stars.
Rating: 
Summary: a real kick in the teeth
Review: With only his second feature film, director Darren Aronofsky proves he's a force to be reckoned with. In the world of modern film, it's difficult to find movies that are shocking, uncompromising, and remorseless in their pursuit of characters hitting a constant series of dead ends. Which is why "Requiem for a Dream" is such a shot of cinematic napalm, a work of art more intensely mind-boggling than David Fincher's "Seven" or David Cronenberg's "Crash." The story follows the generally nihilistic lives of drug addicts (including a diet-pill addicted Ellen Burstyn) in search of their next fix, and the experience is amazingly visceral. There's not much plot, but the illustration that the highs of the addict will eventually spiral out of control and into desperation and depravity is delivered without being preachy or making the characters sympathetic. On top of this, Aronofsky's visual style is stunning; as opposed to utilizing obscure camera angles, sped-up images, and peephole effects for style alone, he makes it the perfect all-seeing eye into lives clouded by chemical means. The last ten minutes of "Requiem for a Dream" is probably the most intense string of images ever committed to celluloid.On a different note, the soundtrack--by Pop Will Eat Itself refugee Clint Mansell--is the best bit of scoring I've heard since the Dust Brothers handled "Fight Club."
Rating:
Summary: A Movie Lush with Reality
Review: After seeing this movie on DVD at home, I was glad I didn't see it for the first time in a theater, I don't know what I would have done. What I mean is, after I saw this, I was physically ill. I felt as though someone had punched me in the stomach and pounded me over the head with a baseball bat. That's how good this movie is, it struck a physical reaction within me, and I began to connect with each of the 4 main characters and their different addictions. This isn't a movie soley about addiction to herion, its a movie about addictions to different things. Ellen Burstyn's character was addicted to losing weight and being beautiful again, therefore she got hooked on diet pills. Jared Leto's character was hooked on his love for Marion Silver (Jennifer Connely). She needed the dope, he would supply, and they would be happy and in love. Marlon Wayans's character was addicted to the images of his deceased mother, and needed the drugs to soothe his internal pain. Overall, this movie is not for the sensitive, or the easily offended. There are many traumatizing scenes that will leave an impact on you for a very long time. Darren Aronofsky is going to be legend.
Rating: 
Summary: Pointless Shock Trash
Review: This movie is lame. It does not provoke thought, provide insight, or tell a good story. If you find ghastly wounds and sexual abuse to be entertaining and worth your time, enjoy! Aronofsky's earlier film, PI, was similarly clever is its execution and hollow at its core. This movie is just a relentless barrage of shock tactics masquerading as a meaningful cautionary tale. Ugh.
Rating:
Summary: Wrenching
Review: I'm a great admirer of Pi, the director's first film. Requiem is simply remarkable. So many (too many) books and films try (and ultimately fail) to give us a sense of our drug culture, but this film succeeds on every level. Its take on the insidious presence of drugs, of one sort of another, in all our lives, sounds a loud cautionary note. And Hubert Selby, the author, has always taken a very hard, penetrating look at the views around him. This time (perhaps because of the film desecretion of his fine book Last Exit to Brooklyn) perhaps his involvement played a significant part in keeping the film so on track. With stunning performances by the entire cast, especially Ellen Burstyn and Jared Leto, this is a scarily accurate view of how drugs, of whatever kind, can creep in and overtake our lives. A film about desperation, loss, and illusions, you must see Requiem if you have any interest in (a) an outstanding bit of filmmaking and (b) how all-too-easy it is to follow the rabbit down the hole.
Rating:
Summary: A Masterpiece but Not For Everyone
Review: Requiem for a Dream will appeal to fans of such spirit-breakers as "Magnolia" and "Happiness", and it does sport a similarly bleak assault on its main characters. This movie, however, lacks the distinctly misanthropic snarl of those two films. It requires empathy and, it is, after all, a requiem for the lost dreams, not only of the characters in the film but of every person who has destroyed their lives with drug abuse. Having personally seen drugs decimate lives around me, I can tell you that these characters are archetypes of stories which have been played out again and again. Taken literally, this film is unbelievable. As amalgamations of the lives of real drug users, however, they're terrifyingly realistic. Heroin users can and do develop gangrene. Heavy amphetamine users do develop psychosis. Women who are addicted to heroin do get desperate enough to sell their bodies for the stuff and people who get caught do go to jail. While being a horror story about the dangers of drug use, this movie takes care to be believable in its portrayals not only of the effects of the drugs themselves but also the effects of those drugs on the relationships of the people involved and, more subtly on the reasons that people abuse drugs to begin with. This film IS a cautionary tale and a masterful one at that. By building hope in the beginning of the film, the director draws drug users in to understanding and empathy. By his exquisite detail he lets them know that he's no clueless Nancy Reagan shouting "Just Say No" at a captive audience. Then, once they fully relate to the characters he leads them down into the spiralling nightmares of their possible futures. ...Ellen Burstyn is unforgettable and Marlon Wayans deserves mention for a remarkably mature performance. Also important is the Kronos Quartet for putting the real Requiem into the dream. Praise aside, this film isn't for everyone. It is a fulfilling but not necessarily enjoyable cinematic experience. My viewing companion ditched out 45 minutes into the movie screaming "I can't take this!" and he LIKES "Happiness."
Rating:
Summary: I'm shocked
Review: You will be totally numbed with shock when you finish this movie. I don't know what more to write about the movie that hasn't already been written. You will be horrified by Requiem for a Dream but you absolutely must see it.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best movies ever!
Review: Darren Arnofsky made a great movie with PI, but he truly exelled in his latest one. "Requiem for a dream" is an incredible movie, actually, more than a movie, its a masterpiece! The photography work is incredible, the transition to scenes is exellent, the music gives it a great feel, and let us not forget the acting. The acting by Ellen Burstyn is amazing, she completly transforms herself for the role. Seeing this movie makes you realize how badly this movie got jipped at the oscars. Julia Roberts doesnt deserve to have been in the same category as this amazing actress. Marlon Wayans suprises anyone who sees this movie with his incredible perfomance and seriousness. Jared Leno does an incredible job at showing his desperation throughout the movie, and Jennifer Connelly did a super job. The movie is a must buy, not a rent!
Rating:
Summary: Forget 'Traffic'...
Review: while I respect Soderberg's work and found Traffic to be a relatively compelling piece, it can't hold a candle to Requiem in terms of truly conveying the highs and lows of drug addiction. This film is NOT for everyone, but those looking for a truly complete, original movie experience can't go wrong here. Ellen Burstyn gives the performance of three lifetimes, Chris McDonald is great as always in a small role, and I'll never look at my refrigerator in quite the same way again. HIGHLY recommended.
Rating:
Summary: A Pure Work of Art
Review: I made me queesy, it made me sick, it made me think. This was a simply brilliant film. Powerful and never holding back on its message, Darren Aronofsky's second film was a transluscent and horrific film that made me never want to go near any type of drug. Aronofsky has followed "Pi" with another work of art that should become a fast classic. Ellen Burstyn is astonishing in a brilliantly edited film that made my best of the year list.
|
