Reviews

I found both the writing and the acting on this show to be excellent. It keeps me guessing all the time and there are so many hints, clues and probably red herrings, that I hope it will keep you guessing too. As far as I am concerned, there is no fault to be found in this show. It's fun to be kept guessing and wondering.

You could stop this picture on any frame and have a beautiful photograph suitable for framing. That is the only good thing I can say about it. The acting is generally horrible (although I did like Mr. Gomez) and the former reviewer's description of the hilarity of Hugh Grant howling in a boat is spot on. I blame the writing and directing. Most of these actors are capable of much better when given decent direction and decent dialogue to speak. The female characters are not shown to have any talent of their own, as we know at least Mrs. Shelley surely did. On the other hand, the men don't display much talent, either! This whole film is a bit like a soap opera on TV, but the acting doesn't rise to that quality. Turn the sound off and enjoy its visual beauty.

As one who survived the sixties, but not without a 20-year addiction encouraged by the medical community, I applaud Requiem. It is definitely one of the most harrowing movies through which I have ever sat. And I say that as a former reviewer who sat through many movies. The camera work, yes, is a bit arty at times. But it serves to induce the skewered vision of the addicted. I especially related to, and appreciated, the physician-encouraged addiction of Sarah Goldfarb (Burstyn). Poor Sarah is an innocent, naively trusting in what her doctor tells her - after all, he knows what he is doing! She winds up as a total psychotic - but at least, a THIN psycho, which is what is important for women! There are undertones of sexism in America, along with many others, in this film. Marlon Wayans is a delight and so is the rest of the cast. If this is a low budget movie, it surely doesn't look like it. Writing, acting, directing, editing, scoring - all well above average. For women, the end scene of Harry's girlfriend's descent into the hades particular to females is so terrifying, mortifying and hellacious that it will be a long time before we get it out of our minds - if ever. The comparisons to Trainspotting are inevitable. Trainspotting was excellent in its own right. But Requiem is the one I think I'll never forget. Congratulations to Burstyn for going from "Same Time, Next Year" to "Requiem for a Dream." What a range!

Sean Penn proves himself a first-rate director who gets moving, deep performances out of all his actors. And what a supporting cast - in addition to Nicholson (at his most subtle, something he doesn't always do), there's Harry Dean Stanton, Benecio Del Toro, Tom Noonan, Vanessa Redgrave, Robin Wright Penn, the list goes on and on with the best charactor actors around. Del Toro does something completely different once again. The story is very moving and almost at the level of a Greek tragedy. Beautifully shot and edited with good use of score. The best drama I've seen in quite a while.

What a disappointment - with such good actors like D'Onofrio and director - Cox - we were all primed for, if not a great thriller, at least a decent gambling, Vegas movie. It was hard to maintain any interest in the insipid and one-dimensional characters and uninvolving story line. It looks like it was adapted from a play by the author and perhaps she needed more help structuring it. The actors try but seem to be directing themselves. Give it a miss.