Rating: 
Summary: Aronofsky's a genius...just ask him.
Review: Another overrated entry in the Quickly Becoming Tiresome "junkie chic" genre. A lonely widow (Ellen Burstyn) gets strung out on a "Mother's Little Helper" regimen of diet and sleeping pills prescibed by her quack physician. Meanwhile, her son (Jared Leto),his girlfriend (Jennifer Connelly) and his buddy (Marlon Wayans) are busy destroying thier lives with heroin. And that's our "plot"...Drugs Are Bad (ho-hum). With neither a compelling central narrative nor sympathetic character in sight, be prepared for a VERY long 2 hours. I was roped in by the hype surrounding Burstyn's performance, and while she is excellent as always, this is nowhere near her best work (check out "King Of Marvin Gardens" just for starters). Director Darren Aronofsky appears to be more determined to showcase his own visual technique over performances, so any subtle acting nuances are bludgeoned by annoying camera/editing tricks. There are far too many gross-out scenes (unless your idea of a good time at the movies includes watching beautiful Jennifer Connelly vomit into the camera, or a lingering close-up of a needle spiking into a pus-swollen abcess). The "What...that's IT?!" ending really puts the capper on an alltogether unpleasant movie experience.
Rating: 
Summary: Creative cinematography, weak story
Review: First off, let me say that Aronofsky is a talented director. He employs an impressive arsenal of camera shots, and he uses sound in interesting ways. These devices, however, aren't enough to conceal what is essentially a weak, flimsy story. I'll refrain from giving a synopsis, suffice it to say that the movie contains two narratives, both of which are propelled by causal relationships between events-- there are no twists, nor do the parallel stories ever really intersect. The action is very linear: the mother character wishes to lose weight, starts taking speed pills, is ruined. The youngsters use drugs, attempt to run a lucrative drug business, fail, are ruined. A leads to B. I think the attempt here is try to attribute causes to the story's developments. We're to believe that media has something to do with Burstyn's desires-- or is the television spot a means for her to regain the attention formerly given to her by her husband and son? It's hard to figure how these themes converge and what message the director is trying to instill.One reviewer here interprets the film as a discourse on the ways people, numbed by the trappings of modern living, try to find meaning and feeling in their lives. Agreed, but there was another film in the past few years, Fight Club, that did a better job with that material. Aronofsky attempts to heighten the dramatic impact of mundane scenes with an intense, driven violin score. Again, this was done better, in my opinion, by another recent film, Anderson's Magnolia, which, granted, had better scenes and a more intricate plot to work with. The upsides: great acting all around. The biggest surprise was Marlon Wayans, who peremptorily dispels any notion that he's only capable of second-rate, sophmoric schtick acting. In sum, Aronofsky is a talented director with a sense of scene and visual cunning. He's sure to do well in the future, though I think this film missed the mark. PS-- I refuse to moralize about the movie. I didn't find anything nihilistic or gratuitous about it, and I think that drug use is a completely valid topic for a film, despite the entreaties of fellow reviewers. My only question is: did anyone else find this film's perspective on the medical establishment totally over the top? (Ellen B's character being force-fed, ECTed; *not* sedated and fed IV; initially prescribed speed pills by a seemingly aloof, disinterested doctor; Leto's character being discharged from the hospital to prison before his arm's healed...)
Rating:
Summary: I can see how some would rate this a 5! Very Depressing!!!
Review: I could easily give this film 5 stars. I didn't hate it and I didn't like it. I love horror and comedy. I never liked serious movies about the tragedies of life and I despise depressing. This movie was DEPRESSING! I am talking...it grabs you by the eyeballs and drags you 150mph into a world you'd rather not ever visit and leaves you there. It was also just a plain old damn good movie too. The actors were believable and the filmwork was superb. I felt like I was thrust into the minds of the druggies and it wasn't fun. Ellen Burstyn...my god...what an actress. I loved/hated seeing the deterioration of that poor woman. Bottom line...I had to watch the Exorcist right after this just to feel clean!
Rating: 
Summary: A pretentious hack job convincing the world that its "art"
Review: Ten billion cuts with the same in-your-face imagery, possibly the worst acting job of all time (Leto, et al), and a self-indulgent sense of its own alleged "brilliance," this worthless tripe was possibly the biggest scam in cinema over the past several years.
I have never finished watching a movie in a such a state of anger at having been duped, conned, and beaten with the pretentious stick so mercilessly. Many have hailed this monstrosity as "compelling" and "disturbing." The only thing that is disturbing is the fact that this crap is considered cutting edge independent "art."
Why people? Why??? Why have you been convinced that if you just hack away in the editing room, show drug usage, and go for pointless shock value that that somehow qualifies as deep, meaningful art? There are so many great alternative and independent films out there, and this is not one of them. This is a colossal work of crap.
Rating:
Summary: Requiem for empty, but well composed stylistic moodyness
Review: Well, to be fair, Mr. Arnofsky has a decent sense of compositional flow, and he's makes interesting, and fairly effective use of lots of neat-o camera/visual effects. Also, Ellen Burstyn puts on a great performance showing us the visceral, compulsive and paranoid world of a lonely substance abuser. But that's just about it. This film is no more than a downward-spiral portrait of sad individuals who don't have the presence of mind to rise above their self-destructive habits ... There is not much articulation, subtle or othewise, nothing beyond stylistic moodyness (which it does at least succeed at) ... There are times when you'll be gritting your teeth at some of the more miserable scenes in the film ... I personally walked away with a light case of nausea and a pain in my arm, but ultimately, it's not very fulfilling, poignant or innovative. There are already a number of junkie films to be had out there, this one does little to stand out ... but there is the soundtrack, which by itsself, deserves good four stars (can't go wrong with the Kronos Quartet & now I can't wait to hear more from Clint Mansell ... FYI he should have a solo album coming out under Nothing records sometime in the near future).
Rating: 
Summary: masterpiece!
Review: This is one of the greatest american movies of the last ten years.However,it was robbed by the Academy.I believe that 'Requiem' deserved atleast oscars for magnificent music by Clint Mansell,film editing which bring inovations to american cinema,Libatique's cinematography,at least a nomination for directing,and finally....how could they even think not to give the golden statue to Ellen Burstyn for one of the greatest performances i've ever seen!!
Her performance is perfect...breathe-taking and heart-breaking...Mrs. Burstyn,Julia is amateur compared to you!
Rating:
Summary: Art Maybe, Disturbing Certainly
Review: I saw this film on the recommendation of a friend, and I admit that it does relay an extremely strong messege but it is not worth enduring the 102 minutes of disturbance. The frightening and often grotesque images combined with haunting music does more than simply relay the director's message, it forces you to come to a relization of general disgust for society. If you enjoyed "Pie" then you will probably enjoy "Requiem" but if you are not familiar with either movie or the director then I would advise you to take caution when choosing to watch this movie, especially around children.
Rating:
Summary: Magnificent!
Review: I don't think there's anything more I can add to the already great reviews given to this film, but I just can't recommend it enough. Everyone I know who's watched it has been affected by it in some way, so it is much more than your usual film. Do yourself a favor and watch this!
Rating:
Summary: Behind the Scenes
Review: Most reviews have already told you the story, how three heroin addicts and one diet drug maven spin out of control and self destruct. I was clued into this film by my college son as the ultimate anti-drug movie out there. I totally agree. I see most movies and was thorougly impressed with the superior editing of this film. Everything about the pacing of camera work, along with the wonderful Kronos Quartet interpretations, not only kept me on edge, but easily conveyed the actual rush of drug use, and the desperation of the next hit. Pretty cool.
Rating:
Summary: look at all the lonely people
Review: People in the business of movies have a firm grasp of the fact that we, the consumers of such huge quantities of mass entertainment, are getting very hard to shock. It's hard to make us feel much by showing us any sort of shocking underbelly, exposive any kind of meloncholy truth. This movie made me, a jaded college kid, cry so hard i almost vomited. It seems that in order to be moved by something fake it must strongly, creepily resemble something real. This little shard of reality which the movie slices you with is not "the horrors,the perils of drug addiction." I don't think this is purely a drug movie by any means. In my mind anyway it is one of those movies that will enter the canon I will pretentiously call "movies that expose the deep patheticness inherent in modern american life" Was anyone else yelling "God Harry, go visit your lonely lonely mother for christssake." How can human lives be so devoid of meaning that people lust after cupcakes, adoring tv audiences, empty girls gyrating on tables. No wonder they use chemicals to get at least a burst of feeling. Drugs don't kill people who are already dead. That having been said, the scenes with the frighteningly good Ellen Burstyn seem like they were from a completely different movie that was cut with the pretty mediocre movie the young people starred in. She was the only thing popping out of an otherwise two-dimensional pop-up book.
|
