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Thursday, October 7, 2004
I have my three meals right here.
Thanks to everyone who responded to my last update. I think I've cleared the confusion that I had about Donnie Darko's ending. I'm glad, too. It was playing on my mind a little. ~_^
Anyway, I haven't updated in recent days because I've been really busy. In fact, right now I'm writing a really late night/early morning update. But it's Friday and I don't have class in the morning; I'm going to the dentist. It's actually a welcome thing; I don't mind the dentist at all. In fact, I'm usually so relaxed that I start to fall asleep (which is no doubt frustrating for the dentist ~_^).
In unrelated news, I recently watched Requiem for a Dream for the very first time. It's the kind of movie that I had kept telling myself to watch, but I simply never did. I read a couple of reviews about it a week ago and that really made me decide to just go out and get it.
For the most part, the movie didn't shock me in the same way that it seems to have shocked the rest of the population. Seriously, many of the reviews say that it's really a horror film and that it's incredibly difficult to watch. Eh, I don't know, maybe I'm just used to movies with gruesome or depressing aspects...but Requiem for a Dream didn't really make me gasp in shock or anything.
But having said that, there's no doubting that it's as sad story. And I think it's definitely the type of movie to watch if you want to see a clear demonstration of how drugs can negatively impact your life.
Still, it was good, but not amazing. The "MTV" style cutting wasn't as frequent or as jarring as I'd been lead to believe; for the most part, it was done quite well and to good effect.
The main problem I had was really just that I was pretty disinterested in the overall story, or should I say, the characters. The big saving grace for me was Ellen Burstyn, who was amazing in the movie. I really felt bad for her character...there was something incredibly depressing about the fact that she lived alone and did nothing but watch game shows. I just felt really sorry for her. I know I'd hate to be in that situation when I'm old.
But in terms of the other characters, I just felt pretty indifferent. Not to say that the outcomes (and the downward spiral) of those characters wasn't at all upsetting, I just wasn't very affected by it. But perhaps that's simply because I'm so far removed from drugs (and drug abuse) that it's irrelevant to me.
All-in-all, I liked the movie, but primarily for Ellen Burstyn's performance. Had she not been in it, I'd not have really cared one way or the other. But I think it's worth watching if only for her story.
Although, it's kind of refreshing to see another film with a "bad ending". In that way, it really does reflect real life; these characters don't recover, they don't seek any help and they continue to pay for it as a result. Not only that, but the price gets higher and higher -- and their dignity erodes further and further. So many movies seem to be unwilling to simply make a statement like that, without prettying up the ending or making it somehow politically correct or acceptable.
The truth is, Requiem for a Dream probably isn't palatable for a mass audience. And that's probably a good thing, considering the subject that it deals with (and how prevalent that subject is in today's world).
If you're like me and you have gone for a long time without seeing the movie (it was released in 2000), I think I'd still recommend it. It's just one of those films I guess...it was very acclaimed when it was released and it certainly makes a strong statement. If you haven't got a strong stomach, you are especially ripe to see this movie. In all honesty, I think it's the type of movie that is really designed for people who haven't been exposed to that kind of material. If the movie doesn't really hit you and make you consider the issue of addiction more closely, then it really has little value, other than some of its artistic approaches to film.
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