Noah (2014 film)

Directed by Darren Aronofsky and written by Aronofsky and Ari Handel, Noah is a dramatic re-telling of Noah’s Ark in which Noah sees an apocalyptic vision as he decides to build an ark with his family before a great flood emerges. The film is a grand vision of the Noah’s Ark story where it plays into a man trying to save his family and animals from a world that is being ravaged by terror and the fault of mankind. Starring Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Emma Watson, Logan Lerman, Douglas Booth, Ray Winstone, and Anthony Hopkins. Noah is an extravagant yet intense film from Darren Aronofsky.

The story of Noah and his ark is a story that’s been told for ages as this film is a dramatic interpretation of that story where Noah (Russell Crowe) builds an ark to save his family and animals. Yet, it’s a film that explores a world where humanity has taken advantage of the world they live in as Noah and his family try to live in peace until Noah sees a vision of a world where humanity is wiped out. Once Noah builds his ark with his family and a small group of fallen angels who became stone-like creatures called the Watchers. Noah has to contend with the presence of Tubal-cain (Ray Winstone) who only sees the cruelty of the Creator as he would try to sway Noah’s young son Ham (Logan Lerman) into giving in towards temptation. What Darren Aronofsky and Ari Handel do is tell the story in a dramatic form while playing into the myth of Noah and where he’s descended from.

The film begins with a story of Adam and Eve and the three sons they created in Cain, Abel, and Seth. Tubal-cain is a descendant of Cain while Noah is a descendant of Seth as the latter would seek guidance from his grandfather Methuselah (Anthony Hopkins) who would also help the rest of his family. While the screenplay does take some liberties into the story where it would only focus on Noah, his wife Naameh (Jennifer Connelly), their three sons, and adopted daughter Ila (Emma Watson). It would play into the internal struggles that Noah deals with as he becomes confused about whether to save the rest of humanity as those he had encountered including Tubal-cain are filled with sin and temptation that had destroyed the world and ravaged the things that the Creator has made.

Aronofsky’s direction is truly vast in not just its scope but also in the way he presents the world that is coming apart by temptation and cruelty where only Noah and his family are the few who have been good towards the Earth and its surroundings. With much of the location set in Iceland with scenes of the ark construction set in upstate New York, Aronofsky goes for something that could’ve been set anywhere in the world while he does utilize visual effects for some dazzling sequences where Noah plants a seed where trees are created for the wood he needed for the ark. Much of the direction has Aronofsky go for a lot of spectacular wide shots and massive scenes involving crowds and such to play into the dark world that Noah needed to protect his family from.

The direction also includes scenes where it is set on the ark as Aronofsky wanted the ark to look as realistic as possible where it’s a place where animals and plants can be salvaged while Noah’s family can be safe and look for some message of hope after the rain dies down. Yet, there’s also a sense of tension that occurs over Noah’s sense of hopelessness and doubt as the element of suspense and drama is raised where Naameh and Ila become much more prominent in trying to get Noah to see reason. Especially when he completes his task and deals with what was gained and what got lost. Overall, Aronofsky creates a very compelling yet glorious film about the story of Noah and his ark.

Cinematographer Matthew Libatique does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography with its use of natural lights for some of the exteriors with some usage of grey in the rainy scenes along with some low-key lighting schemes and sepia tones for the scenes inside the ark. Editor Andrew Weisblum does incredible work with the editing with its use of montages, jump-cuts, and other stylistic cuts to play into the suspense and drama that occurs in the film. Production designer Mark Friedberg, with supervising art director Dan Webster and set decorators Nicholas DiBlasio and Debra Schutt, does amazing work with the set pieces from the design of the ark in its interior and exteriors to the tents that Noah and his family lived in.

Costume designer Michael Wilkinson does nice work with the costumes as it plays the ragged look of the characters as it plays into a world that is in its infancy. Visual effects supervisors Ben Snow and Joe Takai do terrific work with the visual effects for the look of the flood and the design of the creatures and Watchers though some of it does look a bit wobbly at times. Sound editor Craig Henighan does superb work with the sound from the way some of the action in the locations sound to the sounds of people screaming during the flood where Noah and his family are listening from inside. The film’s music by Clint Mansell is fantastic for its bombastic orchestral score and serene pieces to play into the drama and sense of adventure as the soundtrack includes performances by the Kronos Quartet and a closing song sung by Patti Smith.

The casting by Lindsay Graham and Mary Vernieu is great as it features voice work from Mark Margolis and Kevin Durand as a couple of Watchers, Nick Nolte as the leader of the Watchers, and Frank Langella as the voice of a Watcher who immediately recognizes Noah as a human to trust. Other notable small roles include Gavin Casalegno, Nolan Goss, and Skylar Burke in their respective roles as the younger versions of Shem, Ham, and Ila along with appearances from Marton Csokas as Noah’s father Lamech, Madison Davenport as a refugee that Ham meets, and Dakota Goyo as the young Noah. Anthony Hopkins is superb as Noah’s grandfather Methuselah as a man who often gives Noah and his family some guidance while providing some bits of humor in his craving for berries. Leo McHugh Caroll is terrific as Noah and Naameh’s young son Japheth who watches over the birds he cares for.

Douglas Booth is excellent as Noah’s eldest son Shem who tries to deal with his love for Ila and watch over the family whenever Noah does other things. Logan Lerman is fantastic as Noah’s middle son Ham who becomes lost in the idea of being alone after the flood as he becomes tempted by Tubal-cain about the realities of humanity. Ray Winstone is amazing as the very cunning Tubal-cain as a man who tries to talk to the Creator as he deals with the chaos and despair of the world where he goes after Noah and later manipulates Ham. Emma Watson is brilliant as Noah’s adopted daughter Ila as a young woman who deals with the fact that she can’t have a child as she also would later cope with some of the decisions Noah would make.

Jennifer Connelly is remarkable as Naameh as the wife of Noah who is also the voice of reason as someone who tries to get Noah to look closer at his surroundings as she knows what he’s dealing with as she also thinks about her family and their future. Finally, there’s Russell Crowe in a marvelous performance as the titular character as a man who realizes what is going to happen as he tries to salvage all that is good in the world while becoming lost over his task and what it all means as it’s a performance that has Crowe being tough but also display a sensitivity that doesn’t get seen much from him.

Noah is a phenomenal film from Darren Aronofsky that features amazing performances from Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Emma Watson, and Ray Winstone. While it does have a few flaws, it is still an engrossing story that manages to bring a lot of humanity and stakes into a story that’s been told so many times. Especially as Aronofsky infuses it with a lot of visual spectacles and ideas that will captivate a wide audience as well as bring something to religious audiences. In the end, Noah is an incredible film from Darren Aronofsky.

Darren Aronofsky Films: Pi - Requiem for a Dream - The Fountain - The Wrestler - Black Swan - mother! - The Auteurs #2: Darren Aronofsky

© thevoid99 2014

Once Upon a Time in America

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 2/7/06 w/ Additioanl Edits & Revisions.

Based on Harry Grey's novel The Hoods, Once Upon a Time in America is the story of an aging gangster who looks back on his time as a young hood working with other Jewish boys in New York City as they later become top criminals during the days of Prohibition. Directed by Sergio Leone and screenplay by Leone, Franco Arcall, Franco Ferrini, Leonardo Benvenuti, Pierro De Bernardi, Enrico Medioli, and Ernesto Gastaldi with additional dialogue and translation by Stuart Kaminsky. The film explores the world of the gangster life during the era of Prohibition among four men as it leads to huge ambitions and betrayals as a man reflects on that time as he returns to finish an assignment. Starring Robert de Niro, James Woods, Elizabeth McGovern, Tuesday Weld, Joe Pesci, Burt Young, Treat Williams, William Forsythe, James Hayden, Danny Aiello, Larry Rapp, James Russo, Scott Tiler, Amy Ryder, Brian Bloom, and in her film debut, Jennifer Connelly. Once Upon a Time in America is a majestic yet harrowing film from Sergio Leone.

On the final night of Prohibition in 1933, David "Noodles" Aaronson is at a Chinese theater high on opium unaware of some startling news as his girlfriend Eve (Darlanne Fluegal) was killed while his friends Patrick "Patsy" Goldberg (James Hayden), Philip "Cockeye" Stein (William Forsythe), and Maximilian "Max" Bercovicz (James Wood) were also killed in a botched heist. After saving his friend and barkeeper Fate Moe Gelly (Larry Rapp) from the gangster Beefy (Frank Gio), Noodles decides to flee town with a key to a suitcase only to discover that it's empty. 35 years later, Noodles returns to New York City as he visits Fat Moe while getting a letter about the grave site of his friends having been moved. Staying at Moe's for a while, Noodles learns that Moe's sister Deborah (Elizabeth McGovern) has become a famous actress as Noodles recalls his time as a young man (Scott Tiler) who fell for the young Deborah (Jennifer Connelly) as she was practicing her ballet recital.

The young Noodles lived in the Jewish community in Brooklyn with his friends Patsy (Brian Bloom), Cockeye (Adrian Curran), and Dominic (Noah Moazezi) where they did small crimes as they also meet up with a new kid from the Bronx named Max (Rusty Jacobs). Noodles and Max become close as help blackmail a corrupt cop named "Fartface Whitey (Richard Foronjy) who was trying to have his time with an underage hooker named Peggy (Julie Cohen). Though Deborah offers him a life outside of crime, Noodles is still tempted as he and Max manage to get themselves in trouble with a local crime figure named Bugsy (James Russo). Noodles and Max decided to form their own gang with Patsy, Cockeye, and Dominic while helping out another local, older gang in the Capuono brothers that becomes profitable. With an agreement among the five boys over the money made, things seemed great until an encounter with Bugsy leads to trouble. Noodles retaliates by killing Bugsy and accidentally killing a cop as he's forced to serve time in prison. Many years later as an adult, Noodles resumes his life of crime with Max and the gang where Moe runs a speakeasy and Peggy (Amy Ryder) is a brothel madam while Deborah tries to work her way up as a dancer.

After stealing some diamonds for Joe (Burt Young) and Frankie Minaldi (Joe Pesci) while learning about its value, Noodles learn that the theft was a plan to kill Joe Minaldi in order to gain the diamonds for themselves. With Noodles trying to maintain his business as they later save a local union spokesman named Jimmy O'Donnell (Treat Williams) from Chicken Joe (Richard Bright), business begins to boom when Max's new girlfriend Carol (Tuesday Weld) joins the team. While Noodles tries to pursue Deborah by having a lavish dinner with her, she reveals that she's leaving for Hollywood leaving Noodles confused. With Max becoming more ambitious in his dealings just as Prohibition is about to end, Noodles remains unsure as Max decides to create a big heist. Many years later as Noodles reflects, he finds a key to a locker at the old train station he hung out as he's been given an assignment that has to do with a commerce secretary named Bailey. After meeting Carol in a foundation building to learn more about Bailey, he finally gets an answer in the last person he expects where he makes a troubling discovery.

What this film has in common with The Godfather series and Goodfellas is the mythology of the gangster/mob world. Unlike those two films, Leone goes for a study of ambition and morality through the viewpoint of one man consumed with guilt. Since Leone and his writers aimed for that approach of study, the result isn't just this absorbing epic of young boys who are entranced by a world of crime but how far they're willing to go to become successful. Now a near, 4-hour running time might seem long but Leone and his approach to narrative structure makes the experience to be amazing in how Noodles sees things and how he reacts to them. Especially in the end when he is summoned for a job where he realizes what he has to do. In the end, he becomes powerless but content to the point where for anyone wondering where has he been hiding what he's doing for those 35 years. It doesn't matter what he did, in fact that is an entirely different story. What matters is why he’s been contacted.

It's in Leone's script with his writers that the film's non-linear structure is unique. The first act being Noodles' reflection of his childhood, his first meeting with Max, and the tragedy that would shape his outlook on the world. The second act is Noodles seeing how his own crime operation has changed and his own ideas of how things should be done where he wanted to keep a low profile and remain in the streets. The third act is Noodles and Max's disagreement over ambitions and how it all fell apart when Noodles tries to save Max. Also in that third act is when Noodle is in 1968, he searches for all the clues to why he's been contacted only to learn some horrible truths. Then there's a strange sense of completion in how the film began and end in the Chinese theaters with Noodles, high on opium, is at. The result only leaves an open interpretation where he could be dreaming of all of these things.

If the script that Leone concocted is filled with amazing character study and a non-linear structure, his direction is just as potent and involving in every scene that he shoots. For the first act, especially with the young cast, Leone aims for an innocence in the idea of sex and crime where the boys are hoping to make something of themselves. Even Noodle's attraction to Deborah has this unique presence of first love. Then when it reaches that first moment of tragedy, that innocence ends where Leone definitely aims for this area of confusion in terms of sex and violence in its most graphic depiction. Particularly in the way Noodles treats women to the point that he doesn't know. Leone doesn't condemn or sympathize for his actions but only to reveal Noodles' major flaw. Especially in Leone's approach of rape where he reveals Noodles' action in graphic detail to the point that he aims for a level to make the audience uncomfortable.

Leone's epic-scope of direction where he uses wide, far away shots to cover the area and time of where his character in is absorbing to watch. Especially with the close-up of the characters where the audience sees how emotionally involved Leone is in with all of his characters. The close-ups he does comes from an emotional point for the characters of whatever reaction they're in. While it's an old technique that Leone has used in his great films, it's a technique that still works and imitated for many years. Another great technique Leone does with the structure of his script is how he moves from time period to time period, especially that first shift of time changing where the Noodle of 1933 is in a train station walking into a Coney Island attraction and then walking out as an old man in 1968. Overall, Leone's direction is a potent as ever in the way he creates and cares for the situations and characters around him.

Helping Leone in his epic, visual scope is cinematographer Tonino Delli Colli whose camera work creates the large canvas Leone wanted. Colli's cinematography is filled with enormous lighting schemes to convey the sense of loss and change throughout the characters. From the lush, interior settings where everything feels intimate to the evocative look in many of the film's exterior scenes as Colli does great work in the photography. Production designer Walter Massi and art directors Carlo Simi and James T. Singelis also do amazing work in the detail the contrast look of the drab 1920s look of the community the young boys in to the rich world they live by of the 1930s. Even the place of Fat Moe's has a change where early, it's a family restaurant filled with all of these old things that later becomes an underground speakeasy with all the works. Then when the film shifts to 1968, it becomes a former shell of itself as a regular old tavern with little of what was from the past to convey that loss.

Helping out in the costume design is Gabriella Pescucci whose design of the suits for the young characters and their older counterparts work well with time and how they shift, especially the look of the women. Doing some great work for the film's structure and leisurely pacing style is editor Nino Baragli whose use of long cuts and shifts from time to time really makes the audience aware of what’s happening and not lose its pace. For a film as epic like this, Baragli does amazing work with the editing and tightening up scenes that could've been too slow but slow enough for the audience to be aware of what's happening. The sound work of Jean-Pierre Ruh is also great for the sound effects, especially early on in the film with the constant ringing of the telephone that is heard to the point of deliberate annoyance that conveys the action of what's happening.

Then there is the music which features additional compositions used from the likes of Irving Berlin's God Bless America that is played early on in the film and towards the end along with an orchestral version of the Beatles' Yesterday as well as orchestral cuts of Joseph M. LaCalle and Gioacchino Rossini. The main music that is played throughout the entire film whether its hummed, whistled through a pipe or a mouth is the music of Ennio Morricone, a longtime collaborator of Leone. Morricone’s lush arrangements and dreamy textures conveys the loss of innocence and sense of fantasy that is shown through the mind of Noodles and Max. Morricone's score is distinct in its arrangements and use of windpipes that are played throughout to its connection with China where Noodles seems to escape to in their theater. It's probably one of the best musical scores ever done by the great Ennio Morricone.

Finally, we have the film's large ensemble cast that features great small performances from Richard Bright, Robert Harper, Frank Gio, Gerard Murphy, James Russo, Darlanne Fluegel, plus Clem Caserta, Frank Sisto, and Jerry Strivelli as the Capuano brothers who help the boys early on, and cameos from Sergio Leone as a ticket man, his daughter Francesca in a party scene late in the film, and producer Arnon Milchan as Noodles' chauffeur. In small yet memorable supporting roles, Burt Young, Joe Pesci, and Treat Williams all do excellent work in their performances while Amy Ryder does a good performance as the older Peggy while Julie Cohen does excellent work as the young Peggy. Richard Foronjy does hilarious work as the corrupt cop the boys get to mess with while Danny Aiello also plays a foil in a wonderful performance as a police chief who loses his cool. One of the best supporting performances goes to Tuesday Weld as Carol, a rare woman of sorts in Leone's films who has enough power and independence to do whatever she wants though later on, she sees trouble and in the aftermath, is filled with regret as she and Noodles make peace over what happen in a great performance.

The film's young cast features some wonderful performances from the likes of Brian Bloom, Adrian Curran, and Noah Moazezi as Dominic with standout scenes and performances. Bloom and Curran's respective counterparts in the late James Hayden (who died of a drug overdose months before the film’s release at the Cannes Film Festival) and great character actor William Forsythe have hilarious, memorable performances throughout the entire film. Mike Monetti is also excellent as the young Fat Moe whose friendship and loyalty is counted on as his older counterpart by Larry Rapp is also amazing for his companionship and sense of comfort to those around him, even with Noodles in the 1968 scenes. Rusty Jacobs does a great job in playing the young Max with his confident swagger and street-wise ambition as he does a great job living up to playing a young James Woods. Scott Tiler also is excellent in playing the young Noodles with his wide-eyed innocence and penchant for trouble as he does a great job in living up to playing the same stature in the character for de Niro.

In the role of Deborah, Elizabeth McGovern does a fine job in playing the older version whose sense of disappointment towards Noodles is conveyed well but doesn't carry a presence that was set early on through the film where McGovern doesn't really live up to her own flaws for the character. Jennifer Connelly though, does amazing work in playing the young Deborah where she ends up overshadowing McGovern despite being in the film for a short time early on. Connelly's performance is filled with a natural vibe where her presence is exhilarating to watch with her wide-eyed innocence and street smart knowing that she wants to get out but in the most honest way she can think of. While McGovern had to do more of the challenging stuff, her performance is weak in comparison to Connelly who just lights up the screen.

In a performance that can be described as one of the most overlooked of the 1980s, James Woods does great work in the role of Max. Playing an ambitious, confident man with big plans, Woods personifies the character with great wit and charm throughout the entire film. Doing great work, side-by-side with de Niro, Woods plays the perfect counterpart in a role Woods often says his one of his favorite and a performance he's most proud of. It's certainly one of his greatest performances of his great career.

Finally, there's Robert de Niro in one of his finest performances to date in a very complex, layered role as Noodles. Throughout the entire film, de Niro displays ranges of emotions by doing little as he acts throughout half the film in a silent manner revealing his sense of loss, regret, and wasted opportunity. In the 1930s scenes, de Niro reveals that he's a guy who wants to be in the streets and remain low key while being unsure of the things around him while refusing the idea of change around him. In those sequences, de Niro has great scenes with Weld, McGovern, and most of all, Woods. When de Niro plays the old version of Noodles in the 1968, de Niro sells all in his performance by not doing much and revealing the layered sense of melancholia in probably one of his finest and overlooked performances of his career.

In the Region 1, 2-disc DVD set released in 2003 by Warner Brothers comes the full 229-minute version that was presented at the 1984 Cannes Film Festival, uncut and uncensored. Presented in widescreen in a dual-layer format, the new digital transfer of the film with a remastered soundtrack in 5.1 Dolby Digital looks and sounds great overall for a film like this. The only problem with this restoration and remastering is that because the film is nearly four hours, it had to be split in two which is annoying and abrupt where discs had to be changed. Still, the quality of the movies in its original presentation with restored scenes that didn't make it to the American version (in its 2 1/2 hour botched studio cut and Leone's 3 hour, 49 minute cut).

The special features in the film that mostly appear in the second disc includes a wonderful photo gallery of the film on set with Leone directing all of his actors in several scenes while looking relaxed and having fun. Also shown are a cast/crew list of the people involved and the film's original theatrical trailer which doesn't have that kind of excitement or anticipation that is felt in today's trailers but an example of what they were at the time. One little feature is shown in the second disc of the DVD is an excerpt from the Turner Classic Movies documentary of Sergio Leone entitled Once Upon a Time: Sergio Leone where the focus is on Once Upon a Time in America. The documentary that features interviews with several of the writers involved with the film, Leone's wife Carla (who died shortly before the doc was finished in 2001), and his daughters Francesca and Raffaella plus composer Ennio Morricone and actors James Coburn, James Woods, Scott Tiler, and director Quentin Tarantino.

The discussion in the doc is focused on the film where Tarantino described his love for Leone's close-up and the years it took to develop the script which took nearly 10 before they went into production in 1982. James Woods talked about his own experience which he claimed was the greatest one he's ever lived and loved this film more than anything he's done. There was also the discussion of what happened when the film got released in America in its 2 1/2 hour cut in chronological sequence that got horrific reviews in the U.S. in 1984. James Coburn talked about how heartbreaking it was for Sergio who remained heartbroken till his death in 1989 when he was planning to do a film about the Russian Revolution. Woods also talked about how Sheila Benson from the L.A. Times called the film the worst movie of 1984 until she saw Leone's uncensored, uncut version in which she voted it as one of the best films of the 1980s. It's a wonderful excerpt about the film and the people involved.

Another special feature that is in both discs is a commentary from Times magazine film critic Richard Schickel. Schickel's commentary is filled with some insightful trivia on the film and Leone while he gives his own thoughts on several scenes including the ending. He also talks about the botched cut it got and the version that he's commenting in the film which he says is the definitive version. He does wonderful critique in praising the actors and technical detail, particularly on Leone's direction. He also interprets the film as not just a fantasy film of sorts but a heterosexual love story between Noodles and Max. Schickel also talks about Leone's original plan to make the film a 2-part, 6-hour cut which had several deleted scenes involving Noodles' last meeting with Carol and more of Noodles' relationship with Eve. Schickel said Leone decided not to and instead went for the near 4-hour cut which he was happy about.

While the DVD's lack of feature is a bit disappointing on some parts, probably some time in the future where the DVD will evolve to the point of getting this entire film into one disc without interruptions. It would be a great DVD release with the botched cut to give insight on what not to do and maybe some of those famous deleted scenes. Though it would be interesting to see the unseen 6-hour cut Leone had originally wanted but this original presentation in its 4-hour running time is probably and will always be the definitive version. In the end, this DVD is an excellent purchase for those who love the work of Sergio Leone.

Overall, Once Upon a Time in America is an amazing, intelligent, and heartbreaking gangster drama helmed by one of cinema's finest masters, Sergio Leone. With a great cast led by Robert de Niro and James Woods with a great supporting cast including Tuesday Weld, Jennifer Connelly, Rusty Jacobs, Scott Tiler, Larry Rapp, William Forsythe, Elizabeth McGovern, Treat Williams, and Joe Pesci. Fans of gangster films will indeed find this film to be definitive of the genre while it also has something to bring for epic film fans. While it's hard to tell if it'll top any of Leone's other films, it's clear that he can do more than just a western while the best thing now for him is that his classic has now found an audience. In the end, Once Upon a Time in America is a true cinema classic and a fond farewell from the great Sergio Leone.

Sergio Leone Films: The Last Days of Pompeii (1959 film) - The Colossus of Rhodes - A Fistful of Dollars - For a Few Dollars More - The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly - Once Upon a Time in the West - Duck, You Sucker!

Related: Once Upon a Time: Sergio Leone - The Auteurs #16: Sergio Leone

(C) thevoid99 2012

Labyrinth

Directed by Jim Henson and screenplay by Terry Jones from a story by Henson and Dennis Lee, Labyrinth is the story of a teenage girl who goes into a strange world to rescue her infant brother from an evil king. The film is a fantasy feature that features puppetry and animatronics to explore a world a young girl has to venture into. Starring David Bowie, Jennifer Connelly, Toby Froud, Christopher Malcolm, and Shelley Thompson. Labyrinth is an extraordinary film from Jim Henson.

Coming home late while reciting lines from a play, Sarah (Jennifer Connelly) has to take care of her baby brother Toby (Toby Froud) as she’s frustrated with her stepmother (Shelley Thompson). With her stepmother and father (Christopher Malcolm) out, Sarah learns that Toby has her teddy bear Lancelot as she wishes for Toby to be taken away by goblins and its king Jareth (David Bowie). Sarah’s wish comes true as Jareth appears to her saying he has Toby. Sarah decides she wants Toby back as Jareth makes a deal that if she reaches the Goblin castle through the labyrinth maze, he can give Toby back to her. Sarah enters the maze as she finds herself lost in this strange world as she meets a cowardly dwarf named Hoggle (the voice of Brian Henson) who reluctantly helps her.

While going on the maze, Sarah learns that the world she is surrounded by is a cruel place where rules often change as she has great difficulty trying to get to the Goblin City. After freeing a beast named Ludo (the voice of Ron Mueck), Ludo joins Sarah and Hoggle through the maze where they encounter strange forests and creatures including a brave fox-like knight named Sir Didymium (the voice of David Shaughnessy) and his sheep dog Ambrosius (the voice of Percy Edwards) who joins them on the quest. With Hoggle having Jareth appear to him, he reluctantly serves his part for Jareth where Sarah eats a peach that is poisoned where she goes into a trance-like state. Realizing what Jareth is trying to do, Sarah decides to forge ahead to save her brother from Jareth and the goblins.

The film is a fantasy story that revolves around this young teenage girl who is in love with the world of fantasy and dreams of escaping a life from her difficult stepmother and her spoiled baby brother. When she wishes for her brother to be taken away, she gets her wish only to realize that she is causing trouble as she hopes to retrieve him back from a goblin king. It’s a premise that is typical of fantasy films but it is one that manages to invest a lot of stakes involved for the audience to be invested in. Even as the story incorporates elements of humor and musical numbers to keep things interesting throughout the course of the story.

Terry Jones’ screenplay, that features additional work from George Lucas, Elaine May, and Laura Phillips, features a lot of humor that is very offbeat in terms of the characters that Sarah meets. Yet, Jones does manage to play up that sense of fantasy where the rules and stakes often change throughout as it would play to Sarah’s development in how she has to face the idea of both fantasy and reality. With the help of some creatures she meets along the way, she would go on this journey to save her brother while eventually making decisions that would impact the journey. While Sarah is a flawed character because she’s young, impulsive, and selfish at times, she eventually grows into a young woman who understands what is really important. While there’s not much development in the antagonist Jareth, the character is still compelling enough to understand his motivations as well as the fact that he’s just a villain that just wants a baby.

Jim Henson’s direction is truly a marvel to watch for the scenes he created in this very magical and offbeat fantasy world. Through some amazing wide shots of that world along with some stylistic ones including a climatic scene between Sarah and Jareth in this labyrinth room, Henson manages to find ways to make the action engaging as well as adding suspense to the scenes. There’s also moments where Henson creates unique compositions for the musical numbers including a scene where Sarah is at a party held by Jareth that is a truly enchanting moment. The humor is definitely inspired by the antics of Monty Python as it definitely plays to the whimsical world that Sarah encounters. Overall, Henson creates a very dazzling and exotic film that appeals to a wide audience as well as create a story that isn’t heavy-handed in its message.

Cinematographer Alex Thomson does superb work with the photography from the evocative lighting schemes for the fantasy world to array of dark lights in the junkyard scene. Editor John Grover does brilliant work with the editing to play up the suspense and energy of the film that includes some dizzying montages in the fantasy scene between Sarah and Jareth. Production designer Elliot Scott does spectacular work with the set pieces such as the Goblin castle and its city along with the design of the maze, forests, and stench of eternity river.

Costume designers Ellis Flyte and Brian Froud does some wonderful work with the costumes for the look of Jareth as well as the dress Sarah wears in her fantasy scene with Froud also providing many of the film‘s conceptual design work. Makeup artist Nick Dudman does some nice work with the look of Jareth from the big hair and makeup that the character sports. The visual effects work of David McCall is pretty good for some of the film‘s strange sequences like Sarah‘s encounters with the Fiery creatures despite the fact that some of the work is quite primitive for its time. Sound mixer Peter Sutton does terrific work with the sound to capture the atmosphere of the locations as well as the chaos in the climatic battle scene at Goblin city.

The film’s score by Trevor Jones is excellent for its mixture of 80s synth-pop with bombastic arrangements to play up the sense of adventure that occurs in the film as well as the suspenseful moments. The original songs by David Bowie are quite stellar as the songs are quite catchy and memorable as it plays to Bowie’s strength as an artist as it’s among some of his better work in the much-maligned period he had in the mid to late 1980s.

The casting by Jane Jenkins is amazing for the ensemble that is created as it features some notable small performances from Christopher Malcolm and Shelley Thompson as Sarah’s father and stepmother, respectively, as well as Toby Froud as Sarah’s baby brother Toby. Many of the film’s puppet work features several voice work from Brian Henson, Percy Edwards, David Shaughnessy, Ron Mueck, and Kevin Clash along with puppetry work by Clash, Frank Oz, and many others. Jennifer Connelly is superb as Sarah by exemplifying a lot of the angst and naivete of her character only to grow into a mature woman who realizes that she has to balance the real world with the fantasy world. Finally, there’s David Bowie in marvelous performance as Jareth by displaying a sense of charm and physicality as a villain while also proving to be a cunning manipulator as it’s definitely one of Bowie’s great performances.

Labyrinth is a spellbinding film from Jim Henson that features top-notch performances from David Bowie and Jennifer Connelly. The film is definitely among one of Henson’s best work that appeals to children and adults as well as fans of fantasy films. The film is also a very entertaining piece that blends fantasy with comedy, suspense, and musical numbers that are fun to watch. In the end, Labyrinth is a remarkable film from Jim Henson.

Jim Henson Films: (Hey, Cinderella!) - (The Frog Prince) - (The Muppet Musicians of Breman) - (Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas) - (The Great Muppet Caper) - The Dark Crystal - (The Tale of the Bunny Picnic) - (Muppet*Vision 3D)

Related: Labyrinth (soundtrack)

© thevoid99 2012

Hulk

Based on the Marvel comic by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, Hulk is the story of a scientist who turns into a huge, green monster whenever he gets angry as he fights off various enemies while wanting to calm the beast from within. Directed by Ang Lee and screenplay by James Schamus, Michael France, and John Turman, that is based on a story by James Schamus. The film is an origin story of how Bruce Banner became the Incredible Hulk as well as his troubled relationship with his father David. Starring Eric Bana, Jennifer Connelly, Sam Elliot, Josh Lucas, Celia Weston, Cara Buono, and Nick Nolte. Hulk is a dazzling and stylish comic-book action-drama from Ang Lee.

Bruce Banner (Eric Bana) is a young scientist working at Berkeley as he and ex-girlfriend Betty Ross (Jennifer Connelly) are experimenting with regeneration. Though the experiments are still a work in progress, it gets the attention of Major Glenn Talbot (Josh Lucas) who wants the two to work on the experiments for military reasons. Bruce refuses as an accident during a test has him save a scientist only to be exposed to gamma radiation. Though Bruce seems fine, he starts to have nightmares of strange images that he thinks are from a distant memory as a strange man (Nick Nolte) enters his room claiming to be his real father David. The encounter has Bruce unsure of who he is as the effects of the radiation has him dealing with his own emotions leading to him growing into a big monster.

After Betty learns what happens to Bruce, the incident gets the attention of her father in General Ross (Sam Elliot) who realizes what is happening. Wanting Betty to stay away from Bruce, things go bad when David sends his newly-mutated dogs to go after Betty until Bruce as this new monster saves her. Despite having little recollections about what happens to him as this monster, Bruce reveals to Betty about what it’s like as he’s later captured via tranquilizer by Betty’s father. Taken to a secret base, Bruce learns about his past as General Ross reveals that Bruce’s father conducted an experiment over mutating DNA that could heal wounds and injuries that later went out of control. Yet, David would experiment on himself as it was passed on to Bruce after his birth where things seemed fine. Yet, General Ross learns about the dangerous experiment where things go bad as it led all sorts of trouble.

After Bruce and Betty learn about what had happened those years ago, General Ross wants to do things right until an injured Talbot decides to take control in his desire to experiment on Bruce. With General Ross unable to take control and Betty forced to leave the secret lab, she later meets with David Banner who reveals what he had done as he asks to see Bruce one more time. Instead, Talbot’s attempt to experiment on Bruce goes wrong as the Hulk emerges once again to wreak havoc forcing General Ross and his soldiers to fight. Still, Bruce would later have another surprise in store for him from the man who created him.

The film is essentially an origin story of how Bruce Banner became the Incredible Hulk. Yet, it’s told in a very different style than most comic-book related pictures are presented as the film opens with a prologue of how David Banner created this experiment on mutant DNA regeneration and then pass it on to his son back in the early 1960s. Things eventually go wrong with the military authorities as it would lead to a young Bruce Banner losing his parents at an early age until he becomes a man who is unsure of his past only to discover who he really is and why he could be a threat.

Screenwriters James Schamus, Michael France, and John Turman explore Bruce Banner as a man who starts off as this calm and intelligent scientist that feels haunted by these dreams that he believes are from a distant memory. He’s also someone who doesn’t want to be involved in any kind of confrontation. He’s also a man that has a lot to give as he’s very close with his ex-girlfriend Betty who knows him better than anyone. Even as he becomes the Hulk, she is the one person that can get him to calm down and make him human again. Supporting characters like Betty Ross and her father do have depth as the latter expresses regret over how he handled things in his professional career as well as the estranged relationship he has with Betty.

The one character that adds to Bruce’s own internal conflict is his mysterious father David who is seen as this brilliant scientist who becomes paranoid and fearful over what Bruce might’ve become. Yet, he is later re-introduced as a haggard janitor wanting to finish the experiment he felt he hadn’t come close to finishing. The father-son dynamic of the film, which is a prominent theme to Ang Lee’s earlier work, adds to a dramatic layer rarely told in comic-book based action-blockbusters. It’s a unique element to the film that is well-executed until the third act where things become a bit ridiculous as it would also include a lot of exposition over the events that happened in the film’s prologue.

Ang Lee’s direction is definitely told in a stylish manner as if he wanted to create a cinematic comic book. Featuring arrays of multiple split-screens and dazzling editing styles, Lee aimed what he was looking for to play up some of the film’s action and intense dramatic moments. Yet, there’s parts of these montages that tend to overwhelm the story a bit though it’s part of the spirit Lee wanted to create a live-action comic book. While there’s lots of amazing compositions and styles in the way he will shoot scenes from multiple angles to play up the dramatic tension. Notably as he wants to emphasize on objects or things that will help build up the suspense.

For some of the film’s intense action moments that involve the Hulk, Lee goes for a lot of big scenes with wide depth of field shots set in parts of Utah and Arizona for Hulk’s chase scene. While some of the visual effects do look a bit wobbly, there is still an impressive element to the way they look as Hulk would fight off all sorts of things in the film. Including some of the fights with the exception of the film’s ridiculous climax between Bruce and David Banner. Despite some of the film’s flaws, Ang Lee does manage to create an engaging film that does more than what it is expected in its genre.

Cinematographer Frederick Elmes does excellent work with the film‘s very vibrant and colorful cinematography to play up the different locations of the film while setting dark colors for some of the film‘s nighttime interior and exterior scenes. Editor Tim Squyers does amazing work with the film‘s unique editing to play up varying cutting styles that manages to keep the film‘s brisk pace very while creating some wonderful montages for some of the film‘s dramatic and action moments. Production designer Rick Heinrichs, with art directors John Dexter and Greg Papalia and set decorator Cheryl Carasik, does nice work with the set pieces such as the secret lab that Ross runs to the old 60s home that the young Bruce lived in as a kid.

Costume designer Marit Allen does very good work with the costumes from the nerdy look that Bruce Banner has to the more haggard clothing of David Banner. Visual effects supervisors Dennis Muren and Bruce Holcomb do terrific work with the look of the Hulk, despite some flaws, to capture the hugeness of the monster. Sound designers Eugene Gearty and Gary Rydstrom, along with sound editor Richard Hymns, do superb work with the sound to capture the intensity of the Hulk‘s growls as well as the explosions and other sound effects to play up Banner‘s transformation into the Hulk. The film’s score by Danny Elfman is pretty good for its bombastic orchestral score that features elements Indian vocals in the mix to make it feel different while the soundtrack includes a song by Velvet Revolver in the film’s closing credits.

The casting by Avy Kaufman and Franklyn Warren is brilliant for the ensemble that is created as it includes small appearances from Paul Kersey as the young David Banner, Todd Tesen as the young Ross, Mike Erwin as the teenage Bruce, Rhiannon Leigh Wryn as the adolescent Betty, Michael and David Kronenberg as the young Bruce, Kevin Rankin as Bruce and Betty’s scientist friend Harper, Celia Weston as Bruce’s stepmother, Cara Buono as Bruce’s real mother in the film’s prologue, and as a couple of security guards early in the film, Stan Lee and the original Hulk in Lou Ferrigno, who also does the voice for the Hulk. Josh Lucas is terrible as the villainous Talbot as Lucas does nothing to a very typical villain as he ends up looking very smug and tries to be intimidating only for him to end up being a complete moron.

Sam Elliot is excellent as General Ross as a man that wants to keep Bruce under control in hopes to not the same mistakes that he did years ago though he has issues trying to do what is right as he is estranged from his daughter. Nick Nolte is pretty good as the mysterious David Banner who tries to help Bruce in finding a cure only to have regrets as it’s a very intense one from Nolte though he goes over-the-top late in the film. Jennifer Connelly is quite fine in her role as Betty Ross as she does present as the emotional calm for Bruce though her character at times is a bit underwritten. Finally, there’s Eric Bana as Bruce Banner where Bana definitely gets to show the conflict in Banner as well as a man who is consumed by fear only to give in to the anger as the Incredible Hulk where Bana manages to create a very compelling performance.

Though it’s flawed in terms of its presentation, Hulk is still an entertaining film from Ang Lee thanks in part to Eric Bana’s reserved performance. While it’s not one of the great films of the comic book origin films nor among one of Lee’s best work. It is still a film worth seeing for the way Lee chooses to present the film that does make it stand out from the rest. In the end, Hulk is a fun action-drama from Ang Lee.

Ang Lee Films: Pushing Hands - The Wedding Banquet - Eat Drink Man Woman - Sense & Sensibility (1995 film) - The Ice Storm - Ride with the Devil - Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - The Hire: Chosen - Brokeback Mountain - Lust, Caution - Taking Woodstock - Life of Pi - Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk - The Auteurs #19: Ang Lee

Related: Iron Man - The Incredible Hulk - Iron Man 2 - Thor - Captain America: The First Avenger - The Avengers (2012 film)

© thevoid99 2012

Requiem for a Dream

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 1/14/09 w/ Additional Edits & Expanded Content.

After the success of his 1998 debut film Pi, Darren Aronofsky had arrived as a new director on the rise. His debut film was a low-budget sci-fi thriller that captivated audiences for his high-octane, intelligent take on mathematics and the mysteries of life. Following the success of Pi, Aronofsky was approached to take over the Batman franchise following the poorly-received 1997 film Batman & Robin. Though he would go back and forth into the development through the years along with attached projects for Ronin and Watchmen. Aronofsky instead focused on a novel by Hubert Selby Jr. about addiction of all kinds that would become the basis for his 2000 based on the novel of the same name entitled Requiem for a Dream.

Directed by Darren Aronofsky with a script co-written with novelist Hubert Selby Jr., Requiem for a Dream tells various different stories of addiction from various characters. An elderly woman dealing with her addiction to pills that altered her state of reality while her son, his girlfriend, and a friend deal with their own escape through drugs that would collide with harsh realities. A study of addiction, the mind, and alternate realities, it's a film that explores the psyche of individuals dealing with drug addiction. Starring Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly, Marlon Wayans, Christopher McDonald, Keith David, Louise Lasser, and from Pi, Mark Margolis, Sean Gullette, and Ben Shenkman. Requiem for a Dream is a harrowing, surreal, and mesmerizing masterpiece from Darren Aronofsky and company.

It's summer in Brighton Beach as Sara Goldfarb (Ellen Burstyn) spends all day at her apartment watching an infomercial hosted by Tappy Tibbons (Christopher McDonald). Alone and widowed, her son Harry (Jared Leto) only visits to take her TV so he can sell it to Mr. Rabinowitz (Mark Margolis) who often gives the TV back to Sara. One day, Sara receives a phone call that she's going to be on TV as she is excited but needs to lose weight to wear a red dress. Harry meanwhile, is a dealer/heroin addict along with his friend Tyrone (Marlon Wayans) where they hope for some big scores. With Harry's girlfriend Marion (Jennifer Connelly), also an addict, the money made in the summer brings some hope as Harry and Marion hope to open a shop for Marion's fashion designs while Tyrone hopes to use the money to get out of the street and make his mother proud.

With Sara desperate to lose weight, she turns to her friend Ada (Louise Lasser) who suggests getting a prescription from a doctor. Sara takes prescription pills that allowed her to lose weight but her behavior has become strange as she starts to have weird imaginations of herself on TV. During a visit, Harry notices his mother's strange behavior and the pills she's been using as he is horrified by what happened. Then as the fall arrived, Tyrone gets caught by the police following a shootout between dealers as the money he and Harry made were spent on Tyrone's bail. With little money and dope for them to feed their addictions, Marion makes a move to get money from her family shrink Arnold (Sean Gullette) that would cause a rift between her and Harry.

With Sara's behavior becoming increasing erratic as she has weird visions in her head, her confusion between reality and fiction increases as she's desperate to be on TV with her pill dosage increasing. With Harry, Tyrone, and Marion desperate for dope as the winter arrives, Harry and Tyrone decide to go to Florida to get some dope in hopes to make some money again. With Marion left behind, she decides to engage in prostitution to feed her addiction as she has become a regular client for a rich man (Keith David). With Harry's health suddenly deteriorating and Sara's state of mind becoming increasingly troubled, it becomes clear that whatever hope they're all latching on seems far away.

The film can be described as an anti-drug film in terms of its message but that seems too easy to say. The film is really about people latching on to dreams and hopes through drugs only to be betrayed by them. With each main character hoping to reach for that goal, it becomes crippled by reality or an alternate reality in the case of Sara where their addiction to drugs, whether legal or illegal, takes a toll on all of them. The film's title alone is about the death of dreams through various states of substances. Novelist Hubert Selby Jr. and co-screenwriter Darren Aronofsky do an amazing job in exploring that theme of the lost dream as well as creating a unique structure for the film. The first act in the summer represents hope, the second act represents failure and the collision of harsh realities in the fall, and the third act in the winter is about the culmination of the downward spiral for all of the characters. The script overall is truly unique with its stylish dialogue and harrowing themes.

Aronofsky's direction is truly mesmerizing from start to finish as everything he had done in Pi has the director stepping up his game. Instead of going for the grainy, black-and-white minimalism of Pi, Aronofsky uses everything he's given to create a film that is truly atmospheric and haunting. With the use of split-screens, slow-motion shots, weird angles, spinning cameras, and striking compositions. It's clear that Aronofsky is trying to go into the mind of the characters as they deal with harsh realities or alternate realities with scenes that range from the bizarre to the harshest moments of realism that it's often ugly. Particularly some scenes with heavy sexual content, in its director's cut version of the film, that are very heavy to show the sense of desperation and struggle. Some of the scenes were Sara's state of mind becomes increasing troubled are done at times with very claustrophobic shots in its framing device. Overall, Aronofsky makes a film that is hard to watch yet engaging in its surrealism and harsh realities.

Cinematographer Matthew Libatique does an amazing job with the various colors he's given for the film's unique structure from the yellowish-look of the summer scenes in the first act from its exterior look to the a wonderful interior scene between Harry and Sara. For the second act, the look becomes more tinted with blue to display the mood of the characters while the third is darker, more intimate, and more surreal to display the grittiness and struggle of the characters. Libatique's work is truly phenomenal in its display of mood and atmosphere. Editor Jay Rabinowitz does superb work with the cutting to give the film a sense of repetition in the use of drugs along with some fast, rhythmic cutting and speedy moments for the film's atmospheric approach to what the characters are doing. With some jump-cuts on some sequences, Rabinowitz's editing is brilliant in creating speeds and slow movements to convey the sense of surrealism in the mind of Sara.

Production designer James Chinlund along with set decorator Ondine Karady and art director Judy Rhee do fantastic work with the looks of Sara's apartment and the place that Harry and Marion stays. One fantastic sequence involving the recreation of Sara's apartment as a set is wonderful for all of its bizarre qualities and movement of the refrigerator. Costume designer Laura Jean Shannon does wonderful work with the film's costumes from the street clothes that Harry, Tyrone, and Marion wear to the red dress that Sara wears for her TV appearance. Visual effects supervisors Jeremy Dawson and Dan Schrecker do an excellent job of creating the distorted looks of Tappy and Sara in one of Sara's weird, surreal dream sequences. Sound editor Nelson Ferreira and designer Brian Emrich do brilliant work with the film's sound for the banging of the refrigerator, location settings, and the use of objects to create an atmosphere about addiction and Sara's own surreal world.

The music by Clint Mansell with contributions from the Kronos Quartet is truly intense and atmospheric with Mansell's haunting arrangements of beats and electronics to convey the world of Harry's addiction and journey. The contributions of the Kronos Quartet features some dramatic, eerie pieces to convey the world of Sara and her surreal state with string scratches and stuff. Along with pieces from Paul Oakenfold and conga pieces remixed by James Murphy of the DFA label. The film's music and soundtrack is truly mesmerizing in its mix of electronic music and string quartet pieces.

The casting by Ann Goulder, Anne McCarthy, and Mary Vernieu is truly superb with cameo appearances from several actors from the film Pi like Ajay Naidu as a mailman, Samia Shoab as a nurse, Ben Shenkman as a doctor, Mark Margolis as a friend of Sara, and Sean Gullette as Marion's family shrink. Other appearances from Dylan Baker as a doctor, Denise Dowe as Tyrone's mother, Aliya Campbell as Tyrone's girlfriend, Darren Aronofsky as a man at a party, Keith David as a customer of Marion's, novelist Hubert Shelby Jr. as a prison guard, Aronofsky's parents in roles as a man on a train and a friend of Sara, and Louise Lasser as Ada, a close friend of Sara are truly excellent in their small roles. Christopher McDonald is great as Tappy Tibbons, a man from an infomercial who is trying to sell a product with a lot of gusto as McDonald's performance is truly memorable in every scene he's in.

Marlon Wayans is excellent as Tyrone, a young drug dealer with hopes to get a better life despite his addiction, shows Wayans in a rare dramatic role where he plays it straight and with a bit of optimism until he gets into trouble while dealing with Harry's deteriorating health. While Wayans get to say some funny lines, his dramatic performance proves that there's more to him than just being silly. Jennifer Connelly is brilliant as Marion, a young woman with hopes to her run her own fashion shop that is forced to succumb to prostitution. Connelly's performance is truly haunting as a woman whose addictions and desperation leads her into a downward spiral. Jared Leto is great as Harry, a young, irresponsible addict who has hopes for a life outside of drugs despite his use until he discovers what his mother is doing. It's a performance where Leto is restrained and engaging as he creates a sympathetic character who really cares for his mother and friends despite his own mistakes.

Finally, there's Ellen Burstyn in a phenomenal performance from the actress who, prior to this film, was relegated to TV movies and small film roles. Burstyn's unique, complex, and mesmerizing performance is really the highlight of the film. With her body language from being still to nerve-wracking as her character succumbs to erratic behaviors, Burstyn displays all of the troubles of a woman looking for a dream to be on TV. Yet, her surreal mind even has her playing a crazed, comical double with weird hair and make-up that proves how much range she can bring. It's a powerful performance from the veteran actress who got nominated for an Oscar for this role.

***Additional DVD Content Written on 12/2/10-12/7/10***

The 2001 Region 1 Director’s Cut DVD of Requiem for a Dream presents the film in the 1:85:1 widescreen theatrical aspect ratio for 16x9 widescreen televisions plus 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound. The DVD features two audio commentary tracks for this special director’s cut of the film. The first is from director Darren Aronofsky. Aronofsky talks about the novel and the changes he made with novelist Hubert Selby Jr. for the film. Notably the character of Tappy Tibbons which was a new character made for the film. Aronofsky reveals that a lot of the locations came from his own childhood memories growing up while revealing that some of those landmarks of Coney Island were destroyed after filming.

Aronofsky also goes into detail about the cast as he has a lot of praise towards Ellen Burstyn. Even as she had to put on some prosthetics to make herself look heavier while giving her all with the role. Aronofsky also praises Leto and Connelly, the latter of which he was a fan of since her debut in Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in America. Aronofsky also was surprised by Marlon Wayans who managed to play his role quite straightforward throughout. Aronofsky also goes into many of the film’s technical details and cameos, many of which were in Pi. He also goes into the issues the film had with the MPAA, notably scenes involving drugs and some sexual content in which he was forced to make cuts. The overall commentary is engrossing but also witty as Aronofsky tries to keep the viewer interested while adding some humor.

The second commentary track is from cinematographer Matthew Libatique. While it’s mostly a technical-driven commentary, Libatique reveals the numerous lenses and film stocks he used throughout the film. He also comments on why the film in three different palettes for the three seasons. Even with the lighting schemes while he credits production designer James Chinlund for helping him to create sets so he could move the camera around. Libatique also comments on the film and the performances while he had a hard time shooting Ellen Burstyn because of how good she was. The commentary is a relaxed yet informative in how the film looked the way it was.

The 35-minute making-of documentary shows an in-depth look into the creation of the film. Shot by Brian Costello with commentary by Darren Aronofsky, the documentary reveals how a few scenes are made including Sara cleaning her home in a speedy presentation and how it was shot which took 40 minutes in one entire take. Other scenes created were Sara’s nightmare scene, Marion having dinner with her shrink, and the stuff involving Harry’s arm. Aronofsky also showed scenes where both Ellen Burstyn and Marlon Wayans got to wear the Snorricam for their scenes. The latter of which was able to run very fast with 40 pounds of camera equipment, though he was out of breath. The last thing shown on the documentary is Clint Mansell and the Kronos Quartet working on the film’s score at Skywalker Ranch, which was a big deal to Aronofsky.

The deleted scenes section features nine deleted scenes and alternate takes which also feature optional commentary tracks. The first five deleted scenes revolve around Harry, Marion, and Tyrone all trying to stop using drugs. The first deleted scene is Marion suggesting they should stop using for a bit while the next two scenes are alternate takes of the three watching the Home Shopping Network as they try to resist as all three scenes use multiple split screens. The fourth scene is a very short clip of three multiple screens on top of another of the characters’ eyes. The fifth scene is the pay off where they all realize that stopping is not that big of a deal. The sixth deleted scene revolves around mothers as Tyrone confesses to Harry about his love for his own mother prompting Harry to call Sara. Yet, she is trapped in a closet afraid of the refrigerator as she pleads to come to the apartment but is unable to.

The seventh deleted scene is an outtake of Marlon Wayans doing Jar Jar Binks of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace where he says all sorts of funny shit. The last two deleted scenes involve the film’s original novelist Hubert Selby Jr. The first is him reading excerpts of the book to Ellen Burstyn in her hospital scenes while the second is an extended scene of Selby as the prison guard taunting the character of Tyrone. In the commentary tracks, Aronofsky reveals that the first five deleted scenes were all part of a sequence of Harry, Marion, and Tyrone trying to quit. The reason he cut those scenes was because he felt it slowed down the entire film. The sixth deleted scene was cut because of pacing issues while Marlon Wayans’ Jar Jar Binks impression scene was really Aronofsky allowing Wayans to be funny. The other two deleted scenes feature no commentary from Aronofsky.

The six-minute Anatomy of a Scene special from the Sundance Channel has Aronofsky talking about a few scenes where Harry wants to give his mother a present while it would go to a scene of her manically cleaning her apartment. Aronofsky reveals how long it took to shoot. The 20-minute Memories, Dreams, and Addictions featurette is an interview with Hubert Selby Jr. that is conducted by Ellen Burstyn. Selby talks about his experiences as a writer and meeting various famous people. Burstyn and Selby also talk about how much motherhood is important which was a key inspiration of Selby’s writing, notably in Requiem for a Dream. The interview is a very interesting piece where Selby brings some humor to his own experiences while talking about his writing process. Even as he wants to give readers something to experience when they read his writing.

The special features include a section of trailers including two theatrical trailers and two TV spots plus a look into the film’s website. Also included are cast and crew information for the people involved in the film and production notes where Aronofsky talks about the film and the book. A special Easter egg feature is the full infomercial of Tappy Tibbons. The DVD booklet includes two essays. One from Darren Aronofsky about Hubert Selby Jr., his book, and how it changed his life that would lead to him making the film. The second essay is from Ain’t It Cool News film critic Harry Knowles who gives the film a wild, glowing review while predicting that Ellen Burstyn would win the Oscar for Best Actress (Julia Roberts won that year for Erin Brokovich). The DVD is truly one of the best for its special features and presentation of the film itself.

***End of DVD Content***

Released in 2000, the film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival to rave reviews as it would later be released in the U.S. to a limited release that fall. The film would eventually become a modest hit as it gave Ellen Burstyn a comeback along with an Oscar nomination for Best Actress. The film also gave Darren Aronofsky some creative power as he was given the chance to do whatever he wanted while being attached to the development of the Batman re-boot franchise.

Requiem for a Dream is a haunting yet powerful film from Darren Aronofsky featuring a superb cast led by Ellen Burstyn's radiant performance. Fans of Aronofsky will no doubt consider this his best work as well as great place to start for his films. Along with great supporting work from Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly, Marlon Wayans, and Christopher McDonald. It's a film that has strong themes and messages that reveals something far more as it's a faithful yet unique adaptation to Herbert Selby Jr.'s acclaimed novel. In the end, for a film that is haunting yet intriguing to watch. Requiem for a Dream by Darren Aronofsky is the film to go see.

Darren Aronofsky Films: Pi - The Fountain - The Wrestler - Black Swan - Noah - mother!

Related Review: The Auteurs #2: Darren Aronofsky

© thevoid99 2010