The most disappointing aspect of Darren Aronofsky's film ‘
Requiem for a Dream' is that for some viewers, the story's extreme visuals will be overwhelming, and cause them to either turn it off or tune it out. It is a brutally honest and emotionally intensive film that pulls no punches while delivering two stories of self- degradation through addiction. Still, it represents one of the finer films ever made and is at the top of the list for today's Blu-ray releases.
Two friends, Harry (Jared Leto) and Tyrone (Marlon Wayans) are heroin addicts that hope a brief stint as drug dealers will help finance their dreams (and their addiction). Harry's mother Sara (Ellen Burstyn) hopes that diet pills will help her lose the weight keeping her out of her favorite dress. All three discover that their addictions will cost them much more than they first bargained for.
Watching Darren Aronofsky's ‘Requiem for a Dream' is the equivalent of running an emotional marathon. As soon as the viewer forms a connection with the characters, the story quickly descends, feeding on viewers' emotions as each character is pulled down into their own black hole. The result will leave you emotionally exhaust, providing an experience rarely found out of Hollywood's big studios.
Staff Reviewer Martin Liebman comments in his review, “Not a movie for the timid but exactly the sort of film that needs to be seen, Requiem for a Dream is the stuff of nightmares, but better to see it on-screen and in a safe environment than to learn its lessons the hard way. Lionsgate's Blu-ray release of this disturbing modern classic impresses. Featuring a sound 1080p transfer, a somewhat better lossless soundtrack, and a solid array of bonus materials, Requiem for a Dream comes highly recommended despite its limited replay value.”
While I don't agree with the “limited replay value” (I'll be sitting down to my fourth viewing later this week), the technical description is right on. Even better, this title can be had for
under $10 right now, something that is almost unheard of for a film ranked in the Top 100 films of all time at IMDB.com.
Warner is releasing 11 catalog titles on Blu-ray today, including the absolutely hilarious comedy ‘
Friday' and the great coming-of-age story ‘
Menace II Society'. There are still many catalog titles on my DVD shelf awaiting their time to be replaced, so I applaud Warner for digging deep into their catalog for some great releases (even if we are left scratching our heads on how ‘
Over the Top' and ‘
Catwoman' made the cut).
Sony releases two westerns in ‘
Silverado' and ‘
The Quick and the Dead', while TV fans gets their chance to own ‘
Fringe: The Complete First Season' and ‘
The Office: Season 5'.
For a complete listing of all the Blu-ray titles released today,
click here.