Requiem for a Dream (R)
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This is some of the most depressing shit I've ever seen (though there are some funny moments). It's a very well-made movie, but I don't think I ever want to watch it again. Um... I guess it came out in 2000, but I didn't see it til 2013. It was in a 2-DVD set I have that included Pi (both movies are by Darren Aronofsky). I think there are basically a few things that kept me sane while viewing the movie. One was drinking beer. Another was the fact that the music (by Clint Mansell) was already familiar to me from an awesome fan-made trailer for Avatar: The Last Airbender (which bears no resemblance to this movie). Also- and this kind of made me crazy at the same time that it kept me sane- there was the fact that the character Harry (played by Jared Leto) reminded me of this guy I used to work with named Matt (because I thought they look similar, not because Matt's a druggie, or anything). Oh, and of course there's the fact that Jennifer Connelly was in it. She pretty much makes anything watchable. (Even Ang Lee's "Hulk" movie. Sort of.) Anyways, I've been meaning to watch this movie for years now, and I'm glad I finally did. I kind of thought about putting my review in the "weird" category, which would have fit, and of course I previously put Pi in the "art films" category, which I guess this would fit, too. I decided to put it under "drama," which is maybe the best fit, though I dunno. Maybe "weird" would be best, after all, but whatever. It doesn't matter.

So... there's this woman named Sara Goldfarb, apparently a widow, with a son named Harry who I guess frequently steals her TV to pay for drugs. Harry and his friend Tyrone have a plan to start selling drugs, instead of just using them. And Harry has a girlfriend named Marion (Connelly), who also uses drugs. And um... Sara watches some inspirational self-help video all the time. And one day she gets a call saying she's been selected to appear on a TV show. So she wants to fit into an old dress she had worn to Harry's high school graduation. So she decides to start dieting. But a friend tells her about a doctor who prescribes diet pills. Of course, the doctor seems disreputable, and the pills end up having a very bad effect on Sara. (Even Harry was concerned about this, at one point.) Meanwhile, Harry, Tyrone, and Marion do a lot of drugs and as for selling... well, their fortunes rise and fall. And fall. And fall. Seriously, if this movie doesn't make you decide to NEVER do drugs, I'd say you're already beyond all hope. (Except beer, of course. Beer is a virtually essential drug that potentially won't ruin your life. I'm pretty sure.)

And I don't want to say any more about the plot. I'm probably forgetting things I did want to say, but I'm sure it doesn't matter. My head's getting a bit spinny, so I bid you good night.