Richard’s Corner

Film Review: Requiem for a Dream

Posted on 27. Oct, 2005 by Richard.

To say that “Requiem for a Dream” is not a film for everyone would be an understatement. Darren Aronofsky, the acclaimed director of Pi, has given us a film that will repulse many with it’s explicit and brutal depictions of sex and drug abuse, yet somehow it does so without being distasteful. If you are able to stomach the extreme nature of this film, you will walk away with a very powerful message.

To effectively tell this story, it was necessary for Aronofsky to humanize his characters, which he does magnificently. Through the use of varying film speeds, extreme closeups and erratic film cuts, he successfully immerses the audience in a world of drug addiction. Through this form, Aronofsky is able to simulate the feeling of escape and relief that Harry (Jered Leto), Tyrone (Marlon Wayans) and Marion (Jennifer Connelly) feel when they finally get their beloved heroine fix. However, as the film progresses, we also see first-hand how quickly this lifestyle can spin out of control and into utter desperation and helplessness.

With the character of Sara (Ellen Burstyn), Hubert Selby Jr. (the writer) is making more of a statement about our society in general. While most people cannot relate with heroine addicts, they can empathize with Sara. Sara is addicted to sugar and television, and later obesses over regaining her youth and losing weight. When she is prescribed diet medication by an irresponsible doctor, she quickly becomes addicted and ends up trapped in a downward spiral that closely mirrors that of her heroine addicted son, Harry.

While the final montage is horribly difficult to watch, it is necessary for closure. It is in these final moments that we realize just how far these people have fallen. It is obvious that people who claim this movie “glorifies drug use” have not seen these final moments.

With “Pi” and “Requiem for a Dream” under his belt, Aronofsky has proven to be quite the auteur. His films are riveting , and beg repeated viewings despite their disturbing content.

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Film Review: American Beauty

Posted on 25. Jul, 2000 by Richard.

American Beauty is just that, a beautiful example of American cinema. To be quite frank, I have not been this pleased with a film since seeing Pulp Fiction back in ‘94, but that is beside the point. Sam Mendes has created a movie that makes us laugh, cringe, drop our jaws, and ultimately makes us cry, all during the course of two hours.

Perhaps the best thing about this movie is that it does not focus on any one character, but instead, takes us on a yearlong journey through each of the characters’ lives. Other movies have attempted this (Spike Lee’s Summer of Sam comes to mind), but American Beauty transcends our every expectation. The mistake that these other films make is that the plot becomes scattered, and the compassion we are supposed to feel for the characters is lost. In American Beauty however, our emotions pour out to each of the major characters.

Our story begins with a man named Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) who has reached what many people refer to as a midlife crisis. He feels his life has no purpose, his marriage is non-existent, his daughter hates him and his job is unfulfilling. All he wants a way out. A way to recapture his youth. In a way, everyone in this film is yearning for something. Next we have his wife Carolyn (Annette Benning). Carolyn is a woman who has become so engulfed in her work that it has taken over every aspect of her life. “You must project an image of success” becomes her motto, and spills over into her home life. Lester at one point mentions that her shears matching her shoes is no accident, and that she had not always been like that.

These two are not the only people looking for something more. Enter Jane (Thora Birch), Lester and Carolyn’s daughter. She is a young woman plagued by teenage self-esteem problems, who feels she is as ordinary as they come. As her friend Angela (Mina Suvari) tells her, “There’s nothing worse than being ordinary.” There are many other characters in this film, whose stories I will leave you to discover, that have equally compelling stories. One of these is sure to relate to you in one way or another. You may even find their methods of satisfying their needs familiar to your life (I hope not all of them though). That is what makes American Beauty so powerful.

When you do see this movie, if you haven’t already, be sure to watch for symbolism throughout. Perhaps the best example is near the end of the film. There is a moment of realization for Lester Burnham, where everything seems right, but the outcome exemplifies how many things end in life. There is also one line that Lester speaks that captures all of life with a few words. You have no idea what I am talking about now, but think about this again after you see the it. Just look beyond the actual events, and hopefully you will see the underlying meanings therein.

Overall, this is an excellent film that I recommend everyone see at least twice. I have seen it twice, and I still feel the need to view it again. The full essence of this beautiful American film can not be appreciated with a single viewing.

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