Requiem for a Dream

If you want to be disturbed to the core of your soul, Requiem for a Dream is definitely the movie for you. I could hardly watch the entire film. I had to detach myself from the plot entirely to stomach it all. Almost guaranteed, the last 40 minutes will shock anyone.

The film shows the absolute low of human existence as brought on by drug abuse. It does not hide the facts of addiction. It deals with them in a disturbing and realistic manner. All characters become addicted to substances that ruin their lives. Whether accidental or not, the drugs tear their lives apart. While the short-term effects might seem fantastic at the time, the long-lasting consequences are horrific. Basically, this movie drives in the point: with drug addiction comes dire consequences. Do not use drugs. Ever.

On a positive note, the cinematography is fantastic. The shots are wonderfully captured. I'm guessing they make you feel how the addicts feel: slightly shaky, slightly unreal, slightly foggy, slightly still. Things move fast or slow, sounds are enhanced or dulled. It brings the viewer into the movie (even if they don't want to be there!!).

This is not a movie for the light-hearted. I give it 2 1/2 potatoes because I believe a good movie is one that you would want to watch again. This one I want to forget. Forever.
1/2

Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark

Ok, I know Indiana Jones has been out FOREVER, but I just watched it again on DVD and was surprised to find how exciting it still is. This is definitely one of the best action movies ever made. It proves that a good adventure film does not have to be rated R!! It keeps the viewer enraptured the entire time without resorting to the use of foul language or sex. In addition, the plot twists are well-contrived, and the hero is quite lovable; it's a great all-American movie.

While watching it again, I gave the situation behind the movie a little more thought. It's pure genius. The creators took a seemingly boring man (an archaelogist) and turned him into a whip-toting, one-man army. He fights Nazis, and single-handedly brings their most top-secret plan to a hault. And, of course, he wins the girl in the whole process. How many archaelogists are capable of such feats?

The creates a mysterious atmosphere around the study of archaelogy. Will archaeologists ever find such artifacts as the Ark of the Covenant? What would happen if they did?

The DVD is fantastic, Harrison Ford is fantastic... I give this movie 4 potatoes.

Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room

Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room is a smartly-created documentary about the upheaval at Enron. It shows the grim reality of power and corruption and further instills the need for tighter controls on corporate America.

The viewer is shocked at the extent to which the CEOs and leaders of Enron trifled in the workings of illegitimate business. Their geniusness led them to seek loopholes never realized by government or law. They bent the numbers to create ever-increasing revenue without ever having to prove actual profit. Based on fake numbers, the company's stock price raised steadily and seemingly without end. As the corruption continued, they found more and more ways of creating money from nothing. They even had a hand in the California rolling blackouts of the early 2000's. Here's an article written in 2001 about these events. At the time, a "population boom" was to blame. However, the movie shows that these blackouts were unneccessary and merely contrived by Enron. By randomly shutting down power plants, Enron increased the price of energy so the company could sell it back to California at this new, higher price. Being a California resident, this hits close to home. I am appalled, especially since such blackouts cost the state millions of dollars.

There are so many interesting facts given in this documentary. Definitely rent the movie. It will make you think twice about big business and question its honesty. Any company could be the next Enron.

I give this movie 4 potatoes.