Rating: 
Summary: Dreams Of...Addiction
Review: REQUIEM FOR A DREAM is the second film from director Darren Aronofsky, and like PI before it, is an assault of images. Based on author Hubert Selby Jr.'s book of the same name, the story connects 4 people from Coney Island, as they search for their idea of happiness. Sara Goldfarb (Ellen Burstyn) becomes addicted to diet pills, after she tries to lose weight, falling for a self help guru's (Christopher MacDonald) false claims. While her son Harry (Jared Leto) and his best friend, Tyrone (Marlon Wayans) slowly become addicted to heroin and cocaine, as they try to make money selling those drugs. Soon after Harry's girlfriend, Marion Silver (Jennifer Connelly), falls victim as well. She thinks that the drugs will take the pain of her trouble filled experiences away. The movie was recommended to me by a member of my family and after seeing PI, and liking what I saw, I thought why not? Visually, the film grabs you, with multiple images and dual points of view sharing the screen at the same time. Quick edits and distorted images of reality heighten the unsettled feelings you get as each character spirals out control. Ellen Burstyn gives a great performance as a woman who loses control slowly. Leto trades in his clean cut good looks and is almost unrecognizable here. Wayans proves he is more than a comedic actor. He really surprised me. I had seen Connelly in A BEAUTIFUL MIND, therefore I knew she could handle this very unflattering role. Of course drug addiction in film is nothing new, but Aronofsky keeps everything so interesting, that you can see the film as another way of exploring those issues. Is it as good as PI? No. But the acting and narrative style still make this a reccommended film. The Director's Cut adds some more explicit sex scenes over the theatrical cut. The extras on the DVD include 2 audio commentaries. The first is from director Aronofsky. while the second features cinematographer Matthew Libatique. Of the 2 tracks, Aronofsky's is a bit better. The making of documentary is a home made handycam look at the film that's different, over some slickly produced by the studio documentary. I wish more DVDs would do it this way. It seems less "staged" this way. Ellen Burstyn interviews the author in a separate featurette, the deleted scenes, with optional comments by the director, are cool, but were wel chosen. Anatomy of a scene takes you inside how the unique POV shots were determined for a sequence. Rounding it out are the standard theatrical trailers/t.v. ads, production notes, and cast/crew information. The DVD also has some pretty thematically cool menus as well. Recommended film and DVD extras
Rating: 
Summary: The Most Important Film of 2000...a Harrowing Must-see.
Review: Requiem for a Dream is a harrowing book, written in 1978, by the great Hubert Selby, Jr. It follows the skewed ambitions and downfall of four people in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn from their various addictions, ranging from television to heroin. The story was brought to the screen in 2000, directed by Darren Aronofsky, one of a host of young, innovative (P.T. Anderson, Spike Jonze, etc.) American directors.
Using an extension of the innovative camera and editing techniques first glimpsed in his first feature, the black and white "Pi", Aronofsky, also co-writer (with Selby, who cameos late in the film as a taunting corrections officer), captures like no one before him, the utter self-inflicted hell of addiction.
Except for Tyrone's (Shawn Wayans) joints being smoked, the use of drugs are shown using a fast-edit technique backed by a short hip-hop barrage, leaving the viewer to wallow in the harrowing after-effects of these lives coming unravelled - with absolute zero glamorization.
The filmed story is told very much as Selby wrote it, in a powerful way rare to "book-to-film" translations with absolute respect to the author's vision. It is a hard, blunt vision to view and it's impossible not to be affected by the gripping tale.
The acting is phenominal. Ellen Burstyn, as Sarah Goldfarb, will break your heart. Jared Leto and Jennifer Conolley are mesmerizing as the drug-addicted Harry Goldfarb and Marion. The big surprise for me was Shawn Wayans, who broke out of his clownish WB persona to deliver a wonderful performance.
The film swallowed me whole, pure and simple. The film was rated NC-17 in theaters and I believe this was a mistake. If there was ever a true anti-drug statement than should be viewed by older children, this film is it...whether it strives to be or not.
Rating:
Summary: Disturbingly haunting and totally unforgettable
Review: Darren Aronofsky, coming off his chilling breakthrough Pi, managed to bring one of the most accurate portrayals of drug addiction to film with this nerve shattering film. Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto, Jenniffer Connolly, and Marlon Wayans give knockout performances as the doomed people who have one kind of addiction or another. For Sara (Burstyn in her Best Actress nominated role), her addiction is television. She watches an absurd self help infomercial with hopes that she will appear on it. When her hopes are elevated, she begins to down diet pills and coffee so she can look thin for the show, and then we watch her slowly deteriorate into madness. For her son Harry (Leto), his girlfriend Marion (Connolly, looking beautiful as ever), and his friend Tyrone (Wayans), their addictions are heroin and the hopes of making it big in the drug underworld, which they begin to do and then only find everything crashing around them. Requiem For a Dream is undoubtadly one of the most depressing and heart wrenching films that I have ever seen, and Aronofsky's uncompromising direction shows the viewer the way drug addiction really is: it's not humerous (such as portrayed in films like Trainspotting or even Drugstore Cowboy), and it can be incredibly euphoric, and utterly nightmarish. All in all, those looking for a different, creative film should give Requiem For a Dream a look, but don't expect to watch it more than once.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing
Review: Absolutely amazing. I've seen a lot of movies that supposedly are 'lifechanging', and this is the only so far to come close. I had to sit there in the darkness during the credits and soak in the amazing and epic story I had just watched. Buy this movie, everyone should view this film...it should be law.
Rating:
Summary: One long hallucination...
Review: I picked this film up having loved the director's prior film Pi. I had no idea what the film was about. I think that was why it had such an impact. Cinematically, it is brilliant. The camera angles, the way the film is edited, the movement of the camera in lucid dreaming fashion. The effects of the filming draws the viewer into the hallucinatory haze of the actors. Absolutely amazing. As for the story, it is one, long graphic portrayal of the descent into addiction. Viewer beware: it pulls no punches. It shows the worst that can happen (especially Jennifer Connelly's character -- horrifyingly brilliant) when your addiction rules your life. Ellen Burstyn is simply stunning in her role and reveals another facet of drug addiction we often overlook in our chemically laden society. The movie does not preach nor does it present a Pollyanna solution to affects of addiction. It merely lays out the stories with a gritty realism that left me stunned and disturbed, quite literally, for days. I can't say this is a bad thing but the movie affected me as few movies ever have.
Rating:
Summary: Not for the weak hearted
Review: This is by far the most depressing and disturbing movie I have ever seen. I honestly can't say that I liked Requiem for a Dream but at the same time it is a brilliant picture. Anyone who gets joy from watching this is insane. Period. Why is this a brilliant picture then? Because it does exactly what it was meant to do: Show the horrible downward spiral of substance abuse. The worst part is that you grow to like these characters and sympathize with them. In fact, the characters are so likable that its like watching one of your friends throw their lives away. Why anyone would want to experience something like that on film....I don't know...but like I said it's brilliant and will leave you more depressed than anything else you've ever seen on film.
Rating:
Summary: Requiem For A Dream...........I award you my Oscar!
Review: This film is too extraordinary for words. An outstanding performance by the cast especially Ellen Burstyn. My heart cried for her lonliness. I felt this movie in every part of my soul. One of the greatest films of all times not recieving an Academy Award............How disturbing!
Rating:
Summary: Requiem For A Dream = Gold
Review: A must see for every teenager in america, for everyone in america, and everywhere in the world. The best movie I have ever seen and its a shame how it was robbed out of Oscars by picks such as Traffic, and Erin Brocovich (wow.) Unofficial Best Picture winner over Gladiator and the best movie I've ever seen.
Rating:
Summary: The Triumph of Addiction
Review: This movie is one of those rarely-made movies that have created a paradigm shift in my day-to-day operations. Filmmaker Darren Aronofsky draws on the writings of Hubert Selby, Jr. to create a lasting image of the destructive effects addiction has on the human body and spirit, one that gest underneath the skin and stays with you. The movie chronicles the lives of four connected characters: Sara Goldfarb (Ellen Burstyn), her son Harry (Jared Leto), his girlfriend Marion (Jennifer Connelly), and Harry's best friend Tyrone (Marlon Wayans). Each of these people have their own visions of happiness that begins innocently enough in their minds the way hopes, wishes, and dreams do in all of us--little "what if"s and "It'd sure be nice to"s that usually die on the back burner where they were born. But in this movie, other factors come in that cruelly give this quartet the opportunity (some would say excuse) to pursue these dreams to the point where they become an unhealthy obsession from which there is no escape, only a temporary release from the pain by plunging further into their dreams, which by the film's ending, have mothered their own personal nightmares. Many people who reviewed this movie have made the error of stating that this is an anti-drug movie. While the connection is more than apparent in the film (all four characters are putting some kind of drug into their bodies) the real core message and point of the film is how addiction in general, to anything, had the ability and strength to overwhelm and subvert the human spirit. Take for example, movies. Going to the movies (or watching one at home) is a great way to "get away" from life for a while and momentarily forget about the things that make up the darker threads of the human tapestry. The problem arises, when one enjoys the escapist quotient of movies to the point where all other activites that make up real life are eschewed in favor of this quick fix. The same statement can be made about drugs, alcohol, video games, etc. The real tragedy in the movie is that all four characters flat-out admit that their willpower and perserverance have succumbed to their addictions. The most memorable is the pivotal scene at the end of the first act, when Sara, who has been told that she will appear on television, talks to Harry about the diet pills she's been taking so she can fit back into the red dress she had worn at Harry's graduation. Sara is no road scholar, so she is unaware what the diet pills could do to her if she ever overdoses, but she loves the feeling that she gets when she takes them. She never overtly admits that her taking the pills makes her happy, but that is the real truth she hides from herself. She doesn't want to stop taking them because the feeling she gets from them is better than life the way it was before she was perscribed them: boring, widowed, lonely Sara, sitting in front of the TV and nursing her box of chocolates. The movie is not about drugs. It is about addiction, and it shows us what addiction does to people with the stark honesty and brutality that no high school class or parental seminar or psychology professor could ever have hoped to achieve.
Rating:
Summary: "You should tell me when I'm going to be on television."
Review: "Requiem for a Dream" is 102 minutes of pure hell, torture, agony, sadness, and pain. And yet.... I loved every minute. This is filmmaking at its best. This is a film that wasn't made for the sole purpose of making money, hence why this is not a "Hollywood Movie." Directed by the man who brought you "Pi," Darren Aronofsky, "Requiem for a Dream" is about how the path to happiness and success isn't always the right one, and how some people are willing to do just about anything to get it. The main focus of this film is addiction. We are presented the day and life of addicts and what they go through when they either have their fix or don't. Harry, his girlfriend Marion, and his best friend Tyron, are drug addicts. They need their fix 24:7. And when they don't get it, the results are pretty bad. They come up with a scheme to sell cheaper drugs for more money so they can purchase more drugs and purer drugs. To them, this is how they can succeed. If they save enough money, they can purchase the better life. Well, that better life is going to come with a price tag, and the price isn't money. The more they use, the more they need. And the more they need, the more desperate they become, doing whatever it takes to get their next fix. The film isn't only about drug addiction. It's about addiction in general. Anything can become an addiction. Take for instance Sara Goldfarb, Harry's lonely mother. Her fix is chocolate, sugar, and television. When she gets a call that tells her she has been chosen to appear on television at a later date, she immediately runs for her red dress. Unfortunately, with the passing years that have endured her life, she doesn't quite fit into it anymore. So she goes to a doctor and gets a variety of diet pills. They make her peppy and hyper. But soon, she's adapted to them, and she wants more. The more she takes, the more brutal affect it has on her body and mind. For these characters, what seems to be the path to absolute happiness turns into a gut-wrenching nightmare. The last 15-20 minutes are the minutes you will NEVER get out of your head, no matter how hard you try and no matter how hard you want to forget them. I was so blown away by this movie. I had heard so many good things about it and after seeing "Pi," I knew that it was something I would have to see soon. The movie may be pure hell and torture to watch, but it is done in such a brilliant and enriching way. The camera movements, shots, and cuts are all so well-executed. Aronofsky uses his camera techniques to get you right inside of all of the characters' heads, allowing us to experience exactly what they are going through. People have complained about how all over the place the camera is during the movie, but the whole point is to make you go through exactly what the characters are going through. It also shows us how fast a fix can take place and how short it is lived. It wouldn't had been effective if it were done in any other way. The acting was great. Ellen Burstyn is so great in her role as Harry's mother. I don't think there's anyone else who could've gotten the job done. Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly, and Marlon Wayans are also terrific in their roles. You could tell that they were absolutely determined to get their characters down in order to make the story work. As disturbing and unsettling as this movie is, I feel it is an important one for people to see. Sure it's unrated, but this is something I think they should make mandatory viewing for junior highs and high schools. Anyone who is thinking of using or experimenting with drugs really needs to see this movie. I'm sure they'll have second thoughts. I myself have never done drugs, and seeing this movie reinforces the fact that I will never, ever do drugs. EVER. The DVD is great and really does the movie justice. (The menu's hilarious. It really had me fooled. I know some of the other reviews gave it away, but I'm not going to. You'll see what I mean when you get to it.) The picture and sound quality is sharp and breathtaking. Some of the extra features are commentary, making-of documentary, deleted scenes, "Anatomy of a Scene," trailers, and much more. I know I've said this before about some other movies, but I think this time it's going to stick: This is possibly the most disturbing movie I have ever seen in my entire life. Be warned, this is not a happy film to watch. You're going to go through hell and back. You're going to feel pain, sadness, and sickness. You're going to want to turn it off, but deep down something is keeping you from doing so. As disturbing as this movie is, it is an important one to watch. "Requiem Dream" is a beautiful nightmare, and a trip worth taking.
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