-
Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.
-
We have made minor adjustments to how the search bar works on ResetEra. You can read about the changes here.
What is your favorite film from director Darren Aronofsky?
- Thread starter jack_package_200
- Start date
I find these results really surprising.
I thought that Requiem was considered his best film by a clear margin and The Fountain was considered an ambitious failure. I personally think The Fountain doesn't quite work. It is very pretty and has a great score though.
I thought that Requiem was considered his best film by a clear margin and The Fountain was considered an ambitious failure. I personally think The Fountain doesn't quite work. It is very pretty and has a great score though.
I wanted to vote for The Wrestler, but I ended up voting for mother! simply because it was an "experience" (that I have zero interest in watching a 2nd time, funnily enough).
The Wrestler is his best film though.
(Those 6 votes for Noah are destroying my brain.)
The Wrestler is his best film though.
(Those 6 votes for Noah are destroying my brain.)
I think The Wrestler is his best film, as in it's really well directed, has a great and consistent script and an amazing performance by Mickey Rourke. It's unquestionably an all-around great film.
But I can't help but love the audacity of Noah and mother!. Noah, for taking a biblical story and not sticking with it but using it as a template for the story, for which many people absolutely loathed it (especially for fallen angel designs, but generally for how it diverged from biblical narrative and focused on ecological message). It's also a pretty, pretty film with his best visual sequences by far. Creation of the world is a beautiful sequence and the flood looked great in cinema. mother!, because it's just absolutely insane and just bizarrely on the nose, it must be amongst the least subtle films I ever saw that thinks it is deep. It's not, but I loved it. Went two times to see it in a theater and loved how repulsed the audience was.
Voted for The Fountain because it made a huge impression on me, but I haven't seen the film in over a decade so I'm not sure it would hold up that well. But I still remember it having the greatest impression of all Aronofsky films on me.
But I can't help but love the audacity of Noah and mother!. Noah, for taking a biblical story and not sticking with it but using it as a template for the story, for which many people absolutely loathed it (especially for fallen angel designs, but generally for how it diverged from biblical narrative and focused on ecological message). It's also a pretty, pretty film with his best visual sequences by far. Creation of the world is a beautiful sequence and the flood looked great in cinema. mother!, because it's just absolutely insane and just bizarrely on the nose, it must be amongst the least subtle films I ever saw that thinks it is deep. It's not, but I loved it. Went two times to see it in a theater and loved how repulsed the audience was.
Voted for The Fountain because it made a huge impression on me, but I haven't seen the film in over a decade so I'm not sure it would hold up that well. But I still remember it having the greatest impression of all Aronofsky films on me.
I 100% agree with everything in this post. The Fountain's OST is also unforgettable.The Fountain is life affirming, and one of my favourite films of all time. It's a beautiful meditation on mortality and the all encompassing human experience within it.
I loved it so much I went out and bought the graphic novel based on the original screenplay, where all the frames are composed of pencil line work and paint.
I really like his output in general though. I saw Pi when I was 18 and still adore its grimy, high tension, high anxiety horror tone. Requiem is the most well rounded masterpiece. Black Swan is a bit on the nose but its executed very well. The Wrestler is legitimately fantastic and I always felt not near enough well revered (or recognised, maybe) as it deserved, as it's cripplingly raw, intimate, and human. Noah I haven't actually seen, I should get around to that, and I've only seen half of mother! I tried watching it when I was delirious with the flu and I just couldn't focus.
Aronofsky's biggest failing is his often clumsy scripts. He needs another pair of eyes with the right attunement to his vision to comb over and tighten them up.
EDIT: I'm absolutely baffled The Fountain is leading the poll. Nearly everyone I know fucking hated it. Black Swan and, especially, Requiem for a Dream are widely regarded as his best, most approachable, and widely digestible work.
I think Pi is the only one I've seen weirdly.
I watched that movie when I was really young, it was really impressive though.
I watched that movie when I was really young, it was really impressive though.
Wanted to cast my support for mother! for being the odd favourite but Black Swan and The Wrestler are both superior films. The Fountain is also fantastic. I guess I do like more than half of his output, I thought I didn't really care about his films but maybe that was just Noah being such a disappointment that it had a big effect on my overall view.
Probably Black Swan, maybe The Wrestler? I at least like all of his films except for Noah, which I still think is at least admirable.
I've only seen three of his films: Requiem, Black Swan, and mother! I thought Requiem was passable. I felt Black Swan was criminally overrated. It was just a barefaced rip-off of two better films by better directors: Michael Haneke's "Piano Teacher" and Roman Polanski's "Repulsion". And I found mother! borderline unwatchable. After a tight, unsettling first 20 minutes, it devolved into a shambolic exercise in self-gratification, something I would expect from a second-year university student. Maybe I should check out some of his other films before writing him off.
A review for The Fountain that I wrote in 2008:
This movie is very difficult to explain, so I'll just quote the Wikipedia summary.
"The Fountain takes place in three interweaving narratives that encompass the age of the Spanish conquistadors, the near-future period and a journey through deep space in an ecospheric starship."
Pretty vague, huh? Well, here's my description.
Hugh Jackman's wife, Rachel Weisz, has cancer and is dieing. Jackman happens to be a scientist studying tumor reduction. He's on the verge of breaking new ground and being able to save his wife. During her fight against her illness, Weisz has written a book based on the mythical/biblical/legendary Tree of Life that takes place during the age of the conquistadors. The movie flashes to these scenes from her book, the present, and the distant future.
(The future portion is open to interpretation. Who am I kidding? The entire fucking movie is open to interpretation. Anyway, I happen to think the future portion is Jackman's ending to the book.)
What the movie is really about: Life and death, beginning and ending, creation out of destruction, acceptance of our mortality, and the fact that we're all apart of something greater than ourselves. We're all connected in death and vital to the cycle of everything that exists, from flowers to the cosmos itself.
Yeah, pretty heavy stuff.
The genesis of this movie is said to have been when Darren Aronofsky saw the Matrix. He began thinking that anything is possible in cinema due to technology, so what if instead of big explosions and action, he took the genre in a different direction? He wanted his foray into Sci-Fi to break down barriers and redefine what the genre is capable of in much the same ways that Star Wars and the Matrix had done. While he flat out failed to achieve that goal, he most certainly succeeded in making one of the most ambitious Sci-Fi movies of all time, easily on par with 2001: A Space Odyssey. As a matter of fact, there is really no other movie to compare this to, other than 2001. Nothing else approaches the level of complex concepts that both movies try to convey. I say "try" because opinions are sharply divided on both films if they were able to get thier points across to the audience.
This movie was released on DVD 5/7/07. I've owned it for over a year, but just got around to watching it the other night.
My wife saw this in the theater with a friend of hers and they both hated it. They expected some sort of period piece romance with hopes of seeing a shirtless Hugh Jackman making sweet love to the stunning Rachel Weisz. What they got was more akin to 2001: A Space Odyssey, which is to say, the exact fucking opposite of anything they would ever want to see.
I still remember my wife's description of the movie from over a year ago.
"When Hugh Jackman started drinking paint from a tree, I was pretty much ready to walk out. But it's probably something you'd like because it was really weird".
I bought it the day of release last year, but never made time to watch it. I bought it for several reasons, chief amongst them is the fact that Darren Aronofsky (Pi, Requiem for a Dream, Below) wrote and directed the film. I happen to really enjoy his work and was eager to see his take on the Sci-Fi genre in much the same way I wanted to see Danny Boyle's "Sunshine". My wife's cryptic review also made me wonder what she meant by "weird" and also why she thought I would like it. I knew it was going to be a rather heavy film, and I tend to have to be in the mood to fully enjoy these types of movies. A year and lord knows how many movies later, I was finally in the mood.
Basically, if you couldn't stand 2001, then I don't think you'd be able to sit through The Fountain. If you did enjoy 2001, then you may find yourself with a new favorite movie to add to your collection. It's almost a companion to 2001 IMO. Even if you don't dig on the vast scope of the movie, anyone that loves art and cinema should find plenty to enjoy during the brief, 1.5 hour film. Once again, the same can be said of 2001. These are movies that were made by artists that almost seem to have been made for other artists.
Examples:
Each period in The Fountain is framed and defined by distinct design elements. During the conquistador period, triangles are the dominant shape. During the present, it's rectangles. In the future, it's circles and spheres. (I picked up on this element)
Hugh Jackman's character is always in darkness or shadow, while Rachel Weisz has a soft "glow" at almost all times. She seems angelic. (I noticed the glowing Weisz, but only picked up on the dark Jackman after reading about it in another review)
When confronting concepts so obtuse and vast, both Kubrik and Aranofsky chose to convey them in almost equally obtuse and vast ways. Remember the "Star Child" in 2001? Yeah, there are several of those moments in The Fountain.
The movie is almost more about the feeling it inspires, and less about the narrative that is actually happening on screen. Kind of like Donnie Darko? I guess my weird way of trying to explain this is comparing it to Tool's album, Lateralus. The concepts are far out and deep. Where a band like Tool uses music to evoke feelings and emotions, The Fountain uses imagery along with it's soundtrack and fantastic acting to dig into an almost subconscious level to convey very powerful concepts and ideas. IMO, Alex Grey's art is a great example of what The Fountain achieves. I am in no way a religious man, but I admit to times when looking at art, listening to music, or being with my daughter where I feel a very distinct sense of being part of something greater than myself, almost as if I see my place in all of this. It's probably the closest to being truely spiritual that I'm ever likely to become. The Fountian picked at the edges of these feelings and reminded me that I do have them from time to time.
This movie deserves to be seen and discussed. Forty years later, 2001 stands as an undeniable classic despite the fact that many people still debate it's true meaning and subtle undercurrents. I believe The Fountain will also withstand the test of time and be viewed as an equally rare movie that approaches the unapproachable, tries to explain the unexplainable, and takes it's audience to a place that very few movies or directors dare to tread.
10/10 - Brave and inspired film making
This movie is very difficult to explain, so I'll just quote the Wikipedia summary.
"The Fountain takes place in three interweaving narratives that encompass the age of the Spanish conquistadors, the near-future period and a journey through deep space in an ecospheric starship."
Pretty vague, huh? Well, here's my description.
Hugh Jackman's wife, Rachel Weisz, has cancer and is dieing. Jackman happens to be a scientist studying tumor reduction. He's on the verge of breaking new ground and being able to save his wife. During her fight against her illness, Weisz has written a book based on the mythical/biblical/legendary Tree of Life that takes place during the age of the conquistadors. The movie flashes to these scenes from her book, the present, and the distant future.
(The future portion is open to interpretation. Who am I kidding? The entire fucking movie is open to interpretation. Anyway, I happen to think the future portion is Jackman's ending to the book.)
What the movie is really about: Life and death, beginning and ending, creation out of destruction, acceptance of our mortality, and the fact that we're all apart of something greater than ourselves. We're all connected in death and vital to the cycle of everything that exists, from flowers to the cosmos itself.
Yeah, pretty heavy stuff.
The genesis of this movie is said to have been when Darren Aronofsky saw the Matrix. He began thinking that anything is possible in cinema due to technology, so what if instead of big explosions and action, he took the genre in a different direction? He wanted his foray into Sci-Fi to break down barriers and redefine what the genre is capable of in much the same ways that Star Wars and the Matrix had done. While he flat out failed to achieve that goal, he most certainly succeeded in making one of the most ambitious Sci-Fi movies of all time, easily on par with 2001: A Space Odyssey. As a matter of fact, there is really no other movie to compare this to, other than 2001. Nothing else approaches the level of complex concepts that both movies try to convey. I say "try" because opinions are sharply divided on both films if they were able to get thier points across to the audience.
This movie was released on DVD 5/7/07. I've owned it for over a year, but just got around to watching it the other night.
My wife saw this in the theater with a friend of hers and they both hated it. They expected some sort of period piece romance with hopes of seeing a shirtless Hugh Jackman making sweet love to the stunning Rachel Weisz. What they got was more akin to 2001: A Space Odyssey, which is to say, the exact fucking opposite of anything they would ever want to see.
I still remember my wife's description of the movie from over a year ago.
"When Hugh Jackman started drinking paint from a tree, I was pretty much ready to walk out. But it's probably something you'd like because it was really weird".
I bought it the day of release last year, but never made time to watch it. I bought it for several reasons, chief amongst them is the fact that Darren Aronofsky (Pi, Requiem for a Dream, Below) wrote and directed the film. I happen to really enjoy his work and was eager to see his take on the Sci-Fi genre in much the same way I wanted to see Danny Boyle's "Sunshine". My wife's cryptic review also made me wonder what she meant by "weird" and also why she thought I would like it. I knew it was going to be a rather heavy film, and I tend to have to be in the mood to fully enjoy these types of movies. A year and lord knows how many movies later, I was finally in the mood.
Basically, if you couldn't stand 2001, then I don't think you'd be able to sit through The Fountain. If you did enjoy 2001, then you may find yourself with a new favorite movie to add to your collection. It's almost a companion to 2001 IMO. Even if you don't dig on the vast scope of the movie, anyone that loves art and cinema should find plenty to enjoy during the brief, 1.5 hour film. Once again, the same can be said of 2001. These are movies that were made by artists that almost seem to have been made for other artists.
Examples:
Each period in The Fountain is framed and defined by distinct design elements. During the conquistador period, triangles are the dominant shape. During the present, it's rectangles. In the future, it's circles and spheres. (I picked up on this element)
Hugh Jackman's character is always in darkness or shadow, while Rachel Weisz has a soft "glow" at almost all times. She seems angelic. (I noticed the glowing Weisz, but only picked up on the dark Jackman after reading about it in another review)
When confronting concepts so obtuse and vast, both Kubrik and Aranofsky chose to convey them in almost equally obtuse and vast ways. Remember the "Star Child" in 2001? Yeah, there are several of those moments in The Fountain.
The movie is almost more about the feeling it inspires, and less about the narrative that is actually happening on screen. Kind of like Donnie Darko? I guess my weird way of trying to explain this is comparing it to Tool's album, Lateralus. The concepts are far out and deep. Where a band like Tool uses music to evoke feelings and emotions, The Fountain uses imagery along with it's soundtrack and fantastic acting to dig into an almost subconscious level to convey very powerful concepts and ideas. IMO, Alex Grey's art is a great example of what The Fountain achieves. I am in no way a religious man, but I admit to times when looking at art, listening to music, or being with my daughter where I feel a very distinct sense of being part of something greater than myself, almost as if I see my place in all of this. It's probably the closest to being truely spiritual that I'm ever likely to become. The Fountian picked at the edges of these feelings and reminded me that I do have them from time to time.
This movie deserves to be seen and discussed. Forty years later, 2001 stands as an undeniable classic despite the fact that many people still debate it's true meaning and subtle undercurrents. I believe The Fountain will also withstand the test of time and be viewed as an equally rare movie that approaches the unapproachable, tries to explain the unexplainable, and takes it's audience to a place that very few movies or directors dare to tread.
10/10 - Brave and inspired film making
The wrestler is one of the films I consider to be pitch perfect, in the sense that I believe that same script and same story couldn't be told and shown in a better way than it was. Such a brilliant film.
Requiem for a dream is a classic and a movie that I saw as a teen, contributed to my love for film and marked me forever. Some of the images are burnt in my mind.
Black Swan is also a great one.
Such an amazing director!
Requiem for a dream is a classic and a movie that I saw as a teen, contributed to my love for film and marked me forever. Some of the images are burnt in my mind.
Black Swan is also a great one.
Such an amazing director!
The Wrestler is his most complete movie top to bottom. Anyone who hasn't seen it owes it to themselves to give it a watch.
The only movie of his I haven't seen is Noah.
My pick is going strongly towards Requiem for a Dream, but it could be nostalgia/rose-tinted glasses.
Mother! was such a visceral experience for me, I legitimately had a nightmare based on it. As an overall package, I'd put it below the rest though.
Black Swan, The Fountain and The Wrestler are terrific films all around.
My pick is going strongly towards Requiem for a Dream, but it could be nostalgia/rose-tinted glasses.
Mother! was such a visceral experience for me, I legitimately had a nightmare based on it. As an overall package, I'd put it below the rest though.
Black Swan, The Fountain and The Wrestler are terrific films all around.
THat soundtrack always sends chills down my spine, it is amazing.
Love Requiem as a movie.
I gotta rewatch Requiem because I think it being tied to my high school days inclines me to dismiss it now, but that's probably unfair.
S tier: Fountain, Wrestler
A tier: Mother
B tier: Black Swan
That's video-game tier-listing, so B is still excellent.
Pi, Requiem, and Noah were just okay. I like Mother more than most probably, but it wasn't full-on crazy enough like The Fountain was.
A tier: Mother
B tier: Black Swan
That's video-game tier-listing, so B is still excellent.
Pi, Requiem, and Noah were just okay. I like Mother more than most probably, but it wasn't full-on crazy enough like The Fountain was.
Overall, The Wrestler is an immensely powerful film and Aronofsky's best.
But, The Fountain is his most inventive and unique film.
Pi is arthouse cinema, Requiem is too brutal to do more than one viewing, Noah is lol, and mother! is so completely batshit insane and Aronofsky at his fart-sniffing worst. Black Swan is a solid 7.5/10.
But, The Fountain is his most inventive and unique film.
Pi is arthouse cinema, Requiem is too brutal to do more than one viewing, Noah is lol, and mother! is so completely batshit insane and Aronofsky at his fart-sniffing worst. Black Swan is a solid 7.5/10.
Black Swan is one of my favorite horror movies. The Fountain is some of most self-indulgent crap I've ever seen and I can't believe it's winning this poll.
Requiem for a Dream is a really terrific movie and I can't ever watch it again. I have some family who have struggled with drug issues for a long time and it wrecked me.
Requiem for a Dream is a really terrific movie and I can't ever watch it again. I have some family who have struggled with drug issues for a long time and it wrecked me.
it should, it was absolutely one of the worst movies i've ever seen.
Requiem was his most affecting film. I went to it with a friend who has a sister who has struggled with addiction issues her whole life. It felt like I got kicked in the stomach when we left. Until that movie, I'd never had the experience of "needing to sit through the entirety of the credits to pull myself together" after a movie.
That said, Pi is the best and it's stuck with me since the first time I've watched it.
That said, Pi is the best and it's stuck with me since the first time I've watched it.
The Fountain is a flawed masterpiece that I do adore. But I think Requiem is a better and more rounded film.
Here's my opinion on mother!: No thanks!
Here's my opinion on mother!: No thanks!