Rating: 
Summary: requiem for the AMERICAN dream
Review: this movie is astonishing on every level: screenplay, performances, soundtrack, cinematography, and editing. darren aronfsky is the single most important director working today. this is a work of unprecedented power and impact. i take issue with those who call this simply another cautionary tale on drug use. it has a far broader reach. this film is a cautionary tale on the pursuit of fame and fortune in america, and the often devastating effects of such a pursuit. sure, drug use and abuse play a large role in this film, but they are only the symptom. the true culprit is the american dream. harry and tyrone's problems are fueled by their dreams of scoring a pound of pure, cutting it up, selling it at a huge profit, and getting out of the drug biz. sara's problems begin when she begins to view being on television as the cure to her loneliness. and marion is the product of uncaring rich parents who wants to feel beautiful and loved. so the three driving forces behind these characters' addictions are those three great american pasttimes: greed, tv/star-worship, and materialism (the misguided belief that material objects can provide comfort). these characters are all victims of the unceasing onslaught from madison avenue. who wants to be a millionaire? survivor.... implants. behemoth suvs. brad and jennifer. palm pilots. lose weight now. limp bizkit. blah blah ad infinitum. this movie is hard to watch largely because it is such an unblinking and uncompromising critique of america's values. avoid it at your own peril.
Rating: 
Summary: True life addiction
Review: I really don't have a whole lot to be said that hasn't been previously stated but this is one powerful film. The director used a lot of really cool visual tricks including probably the only good use of split screen i've ever seen. And yes, Burstwyn is awesome and should have won an Oscar. But everyone else acting in the film is also excellant. Who would have thought that Marlon Wayans could actually act ? (Not me after watching Dungeons and Dragons) Even the DVD menu screen is innovative. At the very least, this film gives me high hopes for the upcoming Batman film.
Rating:
Summary: A grate movie about drug addiction
Review: i loved this movie and I also loved that they portrayed drugs as "Not good" and as something that can do harm to your life then and also your future. I liked that it was realistic and did not try to glamorise it as some movies try to do. But latley people have been showing the real side of things and i hope we keep that up because more and more kids are doing drugs these days and with movies like this it can show that they are "Not cool" and that they can seriously hurt you and your life.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Worth Your Time!
Review: If you enjoy watching people suffer then this movie is for you. I felt sickened after this movie because it exibited to real thought behind it. The drug scenes were creatively done but did not have any thing more than shock the viewer. This ended up being an overpriced, ridiculous, anti-drug commercial. If you want to see a real drug movie with a plot, watch Traffic or Blow instead.
Rating:
Summary: ORIGINAL, INTENSE, RELENTLESS...
Review: This is a wonderful, dark film about drug addiction, as well as the destruction of hope. It is marvelously cast with wonderful performances by Jared Leto, Marlon Wayans, and Jennifer Connelly. It is Ellen Burstyn's bravura performance, however, that blows the viewer away. Burstyn plays the role of Sara Goldfarb, a lonely, middle aged widow who lives in Brooklyn and has a handsome, though heroin addicted son, Harry, affectingly played by Jared Leto. Harry spends most of his time shooting up and dealing drugs with his buddy, Tyrone, deftly played by Marlon Wayans. Harry has a pretty, well to do girlfriend, Marian, played by Jennifer Connelly, who walks on the wild side with Harry and begins her own downward spiral with drugs. Sara is in denial about how serious her son's drug habit really is. She is, in fact, the great enabler when it comes to Harry. The concept of tough love never even enters her mind. After all, Harry is all she has. For her, hope springs eternal, when it comes to her beloved Harry. Sara spends her days glued to her tv set, watching her favorite game show or talking to other lonely, middle aged women who spend their time sitting in front of the multi-unit dwelling in which they all live. Her life is limited and stark, until she one day receives a call inviting her to be a contestant on that game show she watches. It is here that her life begins to unravel, as she goes on a diet in order to fit into her favorite red dress in preparation for her possible television debut. Fueled by diet pills provided by a so called "doctor", she begins to live a life that parallels that of her son. The director, Darren Aronofsky, inventively shows the viewer the experience of drug addiction in a novel way, through a montage of vivid sensory and imagery bursts that become more frequent and intense, as the drug use in the film becomes more pervasive and relentless. He takes the viewer through the personal downward spiral of each of the four main characters in the movie, as they hurl on a personal collision course fueled by each one's respective drug addiction. It is one of the most frightening and horrifying portrayals of drug addiction ever to grace the screen. Marvelously directed and acted, this is a film to remember. Bravo!
Rating:
Summary: This is the most amazing movie I have ever seen.
Review: I kid you not, this movie affected me more and hit harder than any movie I have ever seen before. Being a fan of PI, Aronofsky's other flick, I checked this out on a whim. I had no idea what I was in for-- this movie is simply incredible.
Rating:
Summary: Two thumbs down
Review: My life is the poorer for having watched this movie. Yes, there are good points- it was wonderfully acted and the screenplay and direction were beautiful. But overall there is no reason for the film's existence. Watching the film was like trying to wake up from a nightmare- I kept wanting it to be over. I felt no sympathy for the characters. In the end they received their due. It is a movie about the evils of drug addiction. Well, that has been done before- repeatedly. And much better. It added nothing new to the entire addiction debate. There was no unique viewpoint. I felt physically dirty after watching.
Rating:
Summary: Nightmarish Jaunt Into Despair
Review: From the visionary that brought you "Pi", a Sundance Film Festival winner about a mathematical genius trying to unlock the secrets of the world through numbers, comes a tail of misery and melancholy. For those that enjoy their vast library of romantic comedies, you're probably wondering, "If the movie's that depressing, why the HELL would I want to watch it?" Based on Hubert Selby's 1978 novel "Last Exit To Brooklyn", "Requiem For A Dream" follows the lives of four Coney Island natives as they succumb to their various vices. Ellen Burstyn is the star of the show and no doubt the best performance of all as Sara Goldfarb, a lonesome widow who day-in and day-out tunes in to her television, fixated by a self-help extremist named Tappy Tibbons (McDonald). Treasuring a red dress she wore to her son's high school graduation, she aspires to wear it again but she has one small problem - 50 lbs. She diets to no avail, unable to contain her cravings. Upon a friend's suggestion, she visits her doctor and receives a prescription for diet pills - her downward spiral begins. Meanwhile, Harry Goldfarb (Leto) is repeatedly pawning his mother's TV to support his smack habit, accompanied by his partner-in-crime and fellow addict Tyrone Love (Wayans). Besides his endeavors with Tyrone, Harry is involved with a coke-snorting beauty named Marion Silver (Connelly). The footloose trio begin a trafficking operation in the hopes that they will soon score the purest pound of heroin, earning them the higher living that they dream of. However, fate is misaligned for the three and a drug deal goes bad, landing Tyrone in jail and Harry and Marion desperate for a fix - their dance with depravity is inevitable. Make no mistake - "Requiem For A Dream" will literally heave you through the deepest, darkest vortex of anguish and despair. Take it from me - I was thoroughly distraught and emotionally drained when the end credits finally rolled. I even noticed how irritable I felt and how easy it was for me to get upset. The film so profoundly affected me that it put me in a completely different state of mind; it actually made me feel quite miserable. While this may be a filmmaker's vital objective, it is not necessarily the greatest thing to gain from it (as I found out for myself). Even the score is devoid of hope; it is neither beautiful nor enchanting in the least. In fact, listening to the score itself for a prolonged period is about as hard to take as the film. Built on an electronica foundation with intermittent segments by the Kronos String Quartet, composer Clint Mansell's compositions are hip and moody sonatas signaling impending doom. Director Darren Aronofsky has reappointed many of his collaborators from "Pi", including nearly half his producers, cinematographer Matthew Libatique and composer Clint Mansell. Aronofsky's vision is perfectly melded with Libatique's inimitable cinematography, providing a feast for the senses. Using techniques such as jump cuts, peephole magnification, mounted POV cameras and simultaneous uses of time-lapse film and slow-motion frames, Aronofsky gives the viewer a glimpse of the paranoia and euphoria of the characters' highs and lows. He even gives the time of day a distinct aura; daylight is calm and celestial, while evening is foreboding and dangerous. Most interesting are the rapid fragments of film we see as the addicts use their drug of choice. The jump cuts of a butane lighter, boiling heroin, rolled dollar bills, anthills of cocaine that abruptly disappear and the dilated pupils of the user lead to the all- consuming narcotic rapture. The only thing that becomes tiresome is the loud and embellished whooshing noise that accompanies each jump cut. Of course, this was probably added to convey the "rush" the addict is feeling. Jared Leto is undaunted and slightly disarming as Harry, but his character is hard to sympathize with since he does nothing to help himself or others. So goes it with Jennifer Connelly as the sleepwalking Marion, a bold beauty that lives only for the moment. She and Harry latch on to one other in a seemingly devotional manner, but the truth is that their only bond lies in their drive for perpetual sedation. Leto has been in a string of films (both TV and big screen), having made his biggest impression in 1999's "Fight Club" as a bleach-blonde devotee to Tyler Durden's detrimental campaign. Connelly has done much in the industry but her previous roles have left her undistinguished in the eyes of critics. Since projects such as "Dark City", "Higher Learning" and "Waking The Dead", Connelly has reemerged and proven to be a commanding presence onscreen. Sara's downfall is the most heartbreaking to witness for she is really the only character that can be sympathized with. As well as undergoing emotional overhauls for her character, Burstyn endured several physical transformations, all of which entailed four prosthetic necks, two fat suits and nine wigs. Her final scenes as a cadaverous and delusional Sara are a wonder to behold, Burstyn luminous in all of her character's madness. Aronofsky personally said of Burstyn's performance, "What can I say, she's unbelievable. I hope that audiences will feel they've been robbed by Hollywood, a business that has not hired this woman for twenty years. It's almost a crime on the world because of her abilities." I echo Aronofsky's sentiments and say that while Julia Roberts was impressive in Steven Soderbergh's little doozy "Erin Brockovich", Burstyn was SORELY UNDERRATED. "Requiem For A Dream" is not only to be appreciated for its artistry but for tackling an addiction that few of us really understand: FOOD. The floating mirages of cupcakes, sizzling steaks and such may be humorous to some people, but for others it is inexplicable torture. To tackle the obsession the world has with physical appearance is a topic that few have endeavored to render onto film and Aronofsky does a terrific job interpreting the anguish that obese people endure every minute of their lives. Here's some encouragement for those who question watching this dour ditty: Burstyn was nominated for Best Actress in twelve different festivals (including the Oscars and the Golden Globes) and Matthew Libatique won an Independent Spirit Award for his cinematography. Warning to those who expect an uplifting denouement: stray far from this film - it will take you down with it.
Rating:
Summary: Makes Trainspotting and Traffic look like Disney movies
Review: This was the most powerful film I've ever seen about drug addiction. If you look at films like Trainspotting (which had somewhat of a dark comic edge) and Traffic, the films at least gave the characters some sort of redemption. Well, there are too many drug addicts in this world who never get redemption; they just fall further and further into addiction and never get out. The world is filled with people who've killed themselves because they couldn't stop their addiction (Kurt Cobain for one and many others), or ended up in jail, or ended up in prostitution, or homeless, or murdered. Some people have the strength to recover, but a great many don't. The entire social and health structure of the US is not set up to help addicts recover, but to only arrest them and throw them in jail. What was amazing about this film was that not one of the characters was saved. There was no growth, no awareness, and no way out. The film was only 90 minutes long, and couldn't have been any longer (it just would have been too painful). This film is a great and brutal work of art, with impressive film techniques. Like all great works of art it deeply impacted me and I'm amazed that the filmakers didn't cop out to the normal Hollywood nonsense and wrap everything up with a happy ending. The fact that Ellen Burstyn didn't win an Oscar for this film is truly digusting. I guess the people in Hollywood felt that the movie violated too many commercial rules and passed on it (or else they didn't have the balls to even attempt to watch it because they heard it was depressing). Instead, they focused on the bland Traffic, which tells us nothing that we already know about drugs (but it had redemption).
Rating:
Summary: Beauty
Review: This is not a tale of chemical addiction. To not feel that you have been destroyed and resurrected after it is finished is to deny tragedy. The lives of these characters are absurd, but so was the mother's life before her drug addiction and therefore so is any life. Their destruction is our destruction by the woe of this world. This is not a warning against drug use, but a cry from within the abyss that we can only, like Hamlet, remain stoic in the face of creation's grand atrocity.Its public face will remain, despite arnofsky's brilliance, a sad tale of addiction, but its truth is art, a shadowed doubt over whatever hope any life may contain and an acknowledgement that few if any can deal with life's menace with open eyes.
|
