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Summary: the MUST see movie
Review: amazing, too beautiful, the best film I've ever seen in my life. this movie is about true love...
Rating:
Summary: I didn't pick up a square for the duration of the flick!
Review: That right there is proof that this masterpiece goes beyond the realm of conventionalism. Pi was disturbing enough but this takes the cake. There isn't a positive "eighth-note throughout this tune!" Drugs, prescription or illegal, and the ignorance of self-inflicted deathwish and utopic pipedreams governs this mental mind-f**k from start to finish. Definitely, a keeper. Avant-garde at its best but still stands alone within the avalanche of Hollywood-made drug movies that infiltrate today's theaters. Excellent work from veteran actress Burstyn and Connelly who's addiction that's her to a new level. Not for your ignorant and/or conventional movie fan. My highest recommendation!
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Summary: Beautifully haunting look into the lives of drug users
Review: This should have gotten an award but was robbed due to the films depressingly realistic interpretation of drug addiction. This is an absolutely astonishing film that drew me in in the first 30 seconds. This should be viewed by anyone who is thinking of taking drugs, not as a "don't take drugs" message but as a "think about the consequences first" message. It's horrible to see the four main characters in the film go through so much pain. The leads all do fantastic. Marlon Wayans took me by surprise with his outstanding acting. Darren Aronofsky is an incredible director with skills that deserve recognition. This film is truly an amazing experience but it's not for the faint of heart due to it's graphic and depressing nature. Don't let the movie fool you though, it's not telling you not to do drugs, it's only showing you what could happen. Ingenious Film!!!!!
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Summary: Horrifying and Beautiful
Review: I saw 'Requiem for a Dream' in a very small theatre with about 20 strangers. During the entire film, i was fastened to my seat, my mind and body enraptured in it all. Ellen Burstyn deserves to snatch that Oscar away from Julia; her performance is one of the few rare ones that I've seen by a lead actor that is so hauntingly real and exhibits beauty and realism that few actors possess, especially nowadays. The refrigerator scene is marvelous, and brought me to tears. She is a beautiful woman, and very brave; not many actresses would throw themselves into a movie that requires them to look about 50 pounds heavier and 25 years older. I never thought Marlon Wayans would move me as he does in this movie. The story about his mother is heartbreaking. Both Ellen and Jared were willing to transform their bodies (Jared lost quite a lot of weight), and were not afraid to fall apart piece by piece, so realistically, so devoted to look for a way out that would destract them from what is lacking in their lives. Jennifer Collenny is also outstanding. She is a delicate beauty, surely not the 'ideal' picture of a junkie, yet she goes through an agonzing process to feed her habit, and like the rest of the actors; puts every blood cell and heartbeat into her role. The scene where she screams while in the bathtub made me jump out of my seat. It was also intresting to notice two actors from 'Happiness' having roles in this film. It's sad to notice the lack of recognition that this film has received, but critics and Hollywood usually miss the mark anyway. So open your third eye, take a deep breath, and enjoy the ride.
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Summary: Words can't explain this film....
Review: Sure, we've all seen Traffic. We've all seen Trainspotting. Even the books - Brothers and Keepers comes to mind. These films all show great addictions. But is that REALLY what its like? In Traffic, they don't show you precisely how bad it can really get. Don't get me wrong - Traffic is and excellent film. Bur Requiem For A Dream is possibly the greatest movie I have ever seen in my entire life. With the 1000+ movies I've see, this one has moved me the most. Sure, we all saw those cheesy 'Just Say No' videos back in grade school when we took D.A.R.E. Watching those videos compared to RFAD is like watching someone being shot on a made-for-TV mini, and then seeing the real thing - except the gun is in your best freinds hand and you're the one getting shot. Requiem For A Dream is so realistic I forgot I was watching a movie. This movie would stop ANYONE from taking drugs. Show it to Bambi, I don't care. If the government and the police and all those organiziations want kids off drugs, replace those stupid cheesy videos with THIS MOVIE. Those who say this movie is bad are probably drug users themselves, and they are too scared to admit how realistic this film is. I've never done drugs, and this film just assured me that I'm making a wise choice. The addictions in this movie may be extreme cases, but do you really want to end up like the people in this film? I've seen bums on the streets with gangrene in their arm, shooting up and not even caring anymore, as long as they have their drug. Its sick. Its a shame this film was rated the way it was, becasue kids who SHOULD see it aren't going to be able to. PARENTS - let your kid see this film!! It will scare him/her half to death and never even give them second thoughts of not taking drugs. I could go on all day, but this film is perfect in all aspects. The cinematography is BEAUTIFUL, the music is harrowing and the acting is top-rate. SEE THIS FILM.
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Summary: ELLEN IS AMAZING
Review: Ellen is brilliant. That about sums it up.
Rating:
Summary: breath taking
Review: This movie is so real. This movie shows how life really gets when you use drugs. Every situation in this movie is so real. I couldn't even sit up straight in the movie theatre becasue it was so real. I couldn't speak for two hours after the movie because I was in such shock about how real it was.
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Summary: I couldn't breathe......
Review: A friend of mine dragged me to see this after he had seen it the day before. He was completely ecstatic about it, saying it was his new favorite movie, and that I just HAD to see it. So I went in with next to NO expectations. What followed next was an hour and forty minutes of pure insanity. I knew I was in trouble when my friend said that they "should have installed seatbelts in the theatre for this movie". But that was an understatement. This movie starts with a bang, the score instantly drawing you in, and never lets up. The director applys UNHEARD OF tactics to this film that help make it the most jarring, disturbing film that I have ever witnessed. The message is mainly about addiction and the effects it has on the mind and body. There are four leads and they are all connected. We get to see what happens to them, over the course of a year, as they spiral downward into their own personal hell. At times, it is extremely difficult to watch and we get to know the characters so well that we actually feel their pain. It's like wathing this happen to your best friend. I just wanted to jump on the screen and do something to help. Like I said before, music plays a very large part and in the final fifteen minutes, you will be on the edge of your seat, in tears. The intensity is so real. When the final credits rolled, I was too devastated to move. Everyone just sat there, silent.
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Summary: Shock Therapy
Review: This is a film where the low-minded go in, joking about its "adult" nature, hoping to see some good skinny. When they come out, though, they shut their mouths and try to hold back the sobs.Yes, this film went unrated. Yes, there is an explicit sex scene. Now that that's out of the way, we move on. This is also easily the most disturbing movie I have ever seen, chronicling the downfall of a small group of Coney Island residents, due to their despairs and their addictions. Springboarding off of the novel by Hubert Selby Jr, director Darren Aronofski picks up where he left off with "Pi," using the camera to express the mental phases of it's characters. Consider a scene in which a character is dealing with the conflicting effects of taking uppers and downers at the same time. As we watch through a distorted lens, everyone around her speeds up and slows down at random, creating a disjointed effect. Playing with speed and sound may seem a bit gimmicky to some, but no one can possibly doubt the power of Ellen Burstyn's performance. As she plays out her characters descent, there were many times I forced myself to remember: "It's only an act. She's really just fine." Also of note is Marlon Wayons. Yes, *that* Marlon Wayons. This is his first truly serious role (please, don't tell me you count "Dungeons and Dragons" as serious!), and he does it with aplomb. I hope we see more of him! Oh, and that score! Clint Mansell ("Pi," "Resident Evil") along with the Kronos Quartet create a plodding, relentless, yet mesmerizing score, which only underlines the fact that this story can only go one direction. "Why would anyone want to see a film that's so effectively depressing," you may be asking by now. Easy: this is as bad as it gets. No matter where you are in life, if you can rent a video you most likely are not this bad off. Now, go out, and make the best of it!
Rating: 
Summary: Fatal Drug Attraction
Review: Just as FATAL ATTRACTION is required viewing for any person who has ever contemplated an "innocent" fling of infidelity, Darren Aronofsky's latest assault on the senses is required viewing for any person who has ever considered experimenting with drugs. The lessen here is so unsparing and so unglamorous, one wonders whether it should be part of every high school curriculum. Using every cinematic trick in the book, Aronofsky once again laces his images with the cinematic enthusiasm of an eager film school graduate anxious to show the world everything he has learned. But unlike in his other film PI, where his enthusiasm often crosses over into gratuitous overuse of cinematic gimmicks, his tricks here are much more suitable to the material. It's the tale of Harry Goldfarb (Jared Leto), a Brighton Beach youth who, along with his girlfriend Marion (Jennifer Connelly) and friend Tyrone (Marlon Wayans), is hopelessly addicted to drugs. Harry's widow mother on the other hand (Ellen Burstyn who is bound to be nominated for an Oscar for her performance) is addicted to food and TV, and to pathetic daydreams of appearing on TV in front of adoring masses. As the seasons pass from summer to fall, their lives quickly and irrevocably degrade. Dispensing with nearly all character development, Aronofsky and co-screenwriter Hubert Selby Jr. dive directly into the despicable addictions of the four main characters, visually and aurally bombarding the audience with an ever-increasing milieu of unpleasantness. And though the narrative starts off a bit slowly, once the pace picks up it never slows down, ultimately speeding to a stunning orgy of cross-cutting between the four downward spirals of the main characters, finally grinding to a halt when they hit rock bottom. Uncompromising from beginning to end, it's not the most entertaining film in theaters today, but it certainly teaches a sobering lesson.
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