Movie Wars!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

**Frownland** · 10-15-2012, 06:16 PM

Requiem for a Dream was a great depiction of drug addiction and the mother's side story was fantastically horrific and the overall tone and such are terrific. However, Fight Club is one of those movies that I can always just throw on when I want to watch a movie but aren't sure what to pick (Trainspotting, The Big Lebowski, and The Hour of the Wolf are a few others in this category). The acting, the grittiness, the fantastic twist, it gets me every time. It's one of those rare cases where the film is better than the book, imo, and gets my vote.

Requiem For a Dream - 0
Fight Club - 1

Howard the Duck · 10-15-2012, 06:47 PM

haven't seen Requiem for a Dream and don't intend to

Rjinn · 10-15-2012, 10:11 PM

Argh, that's almost impossible to choose for me.

Requiem really shook me up tragically and in such a screwed up way. The supposed intention is to provoke the terror of consequences with a touch of a psychotic feel, which would turn anybody off heroin. The special effects are shattering, and really supported the idea and direction of the movie. One of my old friends used to be a heroin addict, and said "this movie turned me off heroin forever." It's not a movie you would have the urge to watch again, but I don't think that's a bad thing, only it was so disturbing it kind of sticks to you like a bug.

Fight club was also screwed up, in a more fun and an imaginative way. It had a great twist mentally, which went for and against, a battle in a sole mind of Tyler. The filming is definitely better quality. It's a very engaging movie, kind of suitably confusing, and action packed.

I'm going to go with Requiem just because of the impact. Sorry Fight Club, still love you.

Requim For a Dream - 1
Fight Club - 1

Quote:

Originally Posted by Howard the Duck

haven't seen Requiem for a Dream and don't intend to

Why not? It's a great film. :0

LoathsomePete · 10-15-2012, 10:33 PM

Hmm, a tough choice.

I'm a big fan of Darren Aronofsky fan and have pretty much enjoyed his entire filmography, including his 2006 film The Fountain which probably sits as his least favourite movie.

David Fincher is pretty much cemented in the American culture as the type of guy who could make Fight Club work so well. His filmography is also pretty memorable and critically acclaimed, which is saying a lot considering his first film is Alien 3.

So both movies are directed by probably two of the most potent big name Hollywood talents right now, and both come from novels also written by guys who have written a lot of stuff you and I really like, and I think that's a good place to start to judge these two movies.

So we'll start with Requiem for a Dream by Hubert Selby, Jr. which is a book I read at the exact same time as Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh, which both deal with the subjects of heroin addiction. I could understand where Selby Jr. was coming from by making a really dark book about the horrors of addiction, I mean that's a serious subject and should be taken seriously. Conversely, Trainspotting's take on addiction is just as tragic, but Welsh thankfully adds in some levity, albeit in incredibly dark ways, and I think there's a lot of really good social commentary. I was reading these two books at the same time and it was Trainspotting that came away the winner, I even ended up selling my copy of Requiem for a Dream because it depressed me that much.

Chuck Palahniuk is another talented writer of a lot of things and he too approaches social issues in a unique manner. With Fight Club being his debut novel, it really lit a lot of people up to have it made into a movie so fast that stays true to the nature of the novel. I happen to agree with many others when I say I prefer the movie's ending, but I can see why people also prefer the book's ending. It's been awhile since I've read the novel, and while I liked it, it didn't ever stay with me the way the movie did, so I also think this is one of those rare circumstances where the movie is better than the novel.

With some of that context, when putting Requiem for a Dream next to Fight Club and asking me which one I want to watch, I'll pick Fight Club every time. Like with the book, I can at least respect what Requiem for a Dream wants to do, but it's not something I think I need to see more than once. It's on close to the same level as The Deer Hunter for me on my list of movies I don't think I need to see more than once.

Fight Club - 2
Requiem for a Dream - 1

FRED HALE SR. · 10-16-2012, 09:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Howard the Duck

haven't seen Requiem for a Dream and don't intend to

You should check it out, its very well written. I guess i'm alone in not finding Fight Club all that memorable. RFAD however was very engaging with its character development. I found the story of Ellen Burstyn's character pretty tragic, the basic downfall of a woman struggling with her sanity to be pretty amazing. I also like the way they depicted the struggle with addiction. And who doesn't want to see Jennifer Connely go butt to butt with another chick.

Requiem For A Dream -2

Fight Club -2

Engine · 10-16-2012, 08:07 PM

Although I definitely enjoy a light-hearted, unrealistic fun film as much as anybody, I guess I'm going to stand up for artistry this time and go with Requiem For A Dream. I've certainly been emotionally touched by movies but Requiem is probably the one and only film that ruined my entire day even after walking out of the theater into the bright light.

That said, I'd rather watch Fight Club any day. But, really, no doctor in America wouldn't have given Ed Norton some sleep meds. And if he did: the Fight Club plot is ruined. The movie is just harmless fun.

Side note: Both have excellent soundtracks (The Dust Brothers for the fun one and Kronos Quartet for the serious one).

Also both are adapted from novels, and Hubert Selby Jr. destroys Chuck Palahniuk in this case.

Requiem for a Dream: 3
Fight Club: 2

Alfred · 10-18-2012, 02:00 PM

I see this one has run its course. Requiem For A Dream wins. The next one comes from Frownland: noir debuts.

Darren Aronofsky's PI

vs.

Christopher Nolan's FOLLOWING

LoathsomePete · 10-18-2012, 03:32 PM

As much as I love Christopher Nolan's work, I always thought Following was a pretty average debut feature. It has a cool twist and the style of it shows a lot of potential (kind of like Fincher's Alien 3), but it never really stayed with me, and it kind of seems to be more known now that Nolan is such a powerhouse in the Hollywood circuit.

It could be argued though that Pi is also riding on the coattails of Aronofsky's later material, and that could be true, but I also think it's a very enjoyable little film filmed in a very unique manner. The story did kind of take a bit of a weird twist with the Wall Street firm mafia fighting the Hasidic Jew secret society, but with Max being an unreliable narrator it's plausible that it was all in his mind, or severely exaggerated as a part of his paranoia. I really loved all the references to the ancient Chinese game Go too, mostly because it's such a simple game that is so insanely complicated.

I'm going to have to give this one to Pi because it has a lot more going for it on its own besides the fact that it's the debut feature of a visionary director who gained fame later on in their future. It's got a killer soundtrack too.

Pi - 1
Following - 0

Engine · 10-18-2012, 04:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LoathsomePete

It could be argued though that Pi is also riding on the coattails of Aronofsky's later material

Haha, what? I guess I get your meaning, but the above statement seems kind of weird. For the youngsters: Pi was incredibly popular among film enthusiasts well before Aronofsky made anything later. I've still got my VHS original, purchased in '99.

I haven't watched Following yet, but will do summarily.

LoathsomePete · 10-18-2012, 04:36 PM

The reason I chose that phrase was because whenever I went to Circuit City, Best Buy, or Future Shop to look for DVD's I always saw it bundled with Requiem for a Dream so I assumed it wasn't very popular and needed to be sold with the one people were more likely to buy in order to move units.

10-15-2012, 06:16 PM	#651 (permalink)
Frownland SOPHIE FOREVER Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: East of the Southern North American West Posts: 35,548	Requiem for a Dream was a great depiction of drug addiction and the mother's side story was fantastically horrific and the overall tone and such are terrific. However, Fight Club is one of those movies that I can always just throw on when I want to watch a movie but aren't sure what to pick (Trainspotting, The Big Lebowski, and The Hour of the Wolf are a few others in this category). The acting, the grittiness, the fantastic twist, it gets me every time. It's one of those rare cases where the film is better than the book, imo, and gets my vote. Requiem For a Dream - 0 Fight Club - 1 __________________ Studies show that when a given norm is changed in the face of the unchanging, the remaining contradictions will parallel the truth. d e a f b o x

10-15-2012, 10:33 PM	#654 (permalink)
LoathsomePete Cardboard Box Realtor Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Hobb's End Posts: 7,648	Hmm, a tough choice. I'm a big fan of Darren Aronofsky fan and have pretty much enjoyed his entire filmography, including his 2006 film The Fountain which probably sits as his least favourite movie. David Fincher is pretty much cemented in the American culture as the type of guy who could make Fight Club work so well. His filmography is also pretty memorable and critically acclaimed, which is saying a lot considering his first film is Alien 3. So both movies are directed by probably two of the most potent big name Hollywood talents right now, and both come from novels also written by guys who have written a lot of stuff you and I really like, and I think that's a good place to start to judge these two movies. So we'll start with Requiem for a Dream by Hubert Selby, Jr. which is a book I read at the exact same time as Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh, which both deal with the subjects of heroin addiction. I could understand where Selby Jr. was coming from by making a really dark book about the horrors of addiction, I mean that's a serious subject and should be taken seriously. Conversely, Trainspotting's take on addiction is just as tragic, but Welsh thankfully adds in some levity, albeit in incredibly dark ways, and I think there's a lot of really good social commentary. I was reading these two books at the same time and it was Trainspotting that came away the winner, I even ended up selling my copy of Requiem for a Dream because it depressed me that much. Chuck Palahniuk is another talented writer of a lot of things and he too approaches social issues in a unique manner. With Fight Club being his debut novel, it really lit a lot of people up to have it made into a movie so fast that stays true to the nature of the novel. I happen to agree with many others when I say I prefer the movie's ending, but I can see why people also prefer the book's ending. It's been awhile since I've read the novel, and while I liked it, it didn't ever stay with me the way the movie did, so I also think this is one of those rare circumstances where the movie is better than the novel. With some of that context, when putting Requiem for a Dream next to Fight Club and asking me which one I want to watch, I'll pick Fight Club every time. Like with the book, I can at least respect what Requiem for a Dream wants to do, but it's not something I think I need to see more than once. It's on close to the same level as The Deer Hunter for me on my list of movies I don't think I need to see more than once. Fight Club - 2 Requiem for a Dream - 1 __________________ Last.FM 101 Albums That May Not Change Your Life, But I Really Like And You Might Too

10-16-2012, 08:07 PM	#656 (permalink)
Engine air quote Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: pollen & mold Posts: 3,108	Although I definitely enjoy a light-hearted, unrealistic fun film as much as anybody, I guess I'm going to stand up for artistry this time and go with Requiem For A Dream. I've certainly been emotionally touched by movies but Requiem is probably the one and only film that ruined my entire day even after walking out of the theater into the bright light. That said, I'd rather watch Fight Club any day. But, really, no doctor in America wouldn't have given Ed Norton some sleep meds. And if he did: the Fight Club plot is ruined. The movie is just harmless fun. Side note: Both have excellent soundtracks (The Dust Brothers for the fun one and Kronos Quartet for the serious one). Also both are adapted from novels, and Hubert Selby Jr. destroys Chuck Palahniuk in this case. Requiem for a Dream: 3 Fight Club: 2 __________________ Like an arrow, I was only passing through.

10-18-2012, 03:32 PM	#658 (permalink)
LoathsomePete Cardboard Box Realtor Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Hobb's End Posts: 7,648	As much as I love Christopher Nolan's work, I always thought Following was a pretty average debut feature. It has a cool twist and the style of it shows a lot of potential (kind of like Fincher's Alien 3), but it never really stayed with me, and it kind of seems to be more known now that Nolan is such a powerhouse in the Hollywood circuit. It could be argued though that Pi is also riding on the coattails of Aronofsky's later material, and that could be true, but I also think it's a very enjoyable little film filmed in a very unique manner. The story did kind of take a bit of a weird twist with the Wall Street firm mafia fighting the Hasidic Jew secret society, but with Max being an unreliable narrator it's plausible that it was all in his mind, or severely exaggerated as a part of his paranoia. I really loved all the references to the ancient Chinese game Go too, mostly because it's such a simple game that is so insanely complicated. I'm going to have to give this one to Pi because it has a lot more going for it on its own besides the fact that it's the debut feature of a visionary director who gained fame later on in their future. It's got a killer soundtrack too. Pi - 1 Following - 0 __________________ Last.FM 101 Albums That May Not Change Your Life, But I Really Like And You Might Too

10-18-2012, 04:36 PM	#660 (permalink)
LoathsomePete Cardboard Box Realtor Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Hobb's End Posts: 7,648	The reason I chose that phrase was because whenever I went to Circuit City, Best Buy, or Future Shop to look for DVD's I always saw it bundled with Requiem for a Dream so I assumed it wasn't very popular and needed to be sold with the one people were more likely to buy in order to move units. __________________ Last.FM 101 Albums That May Not Change Your Life, But I Really Like And You Might Too

10-18-2012, 02:00 PM	#657 (permalink)
Alfred one big soul Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Canada Posts: 5,096	I see this one has run its course. Requiem For A Dream wins. The next one comes from Frownland: noir debuts. Darren Aronofsky's PI vs. Christopher Nolan's FOLLOWING