Requiem For A Dream

[Kotowboy]

Just watched it again and if anything it's even more harrowing the second time.

Any fans in ?

Mrs. Jared Leto Ellen Burstyn totally steals the whole film.

[Sigz]

https://thebeerbarrel.net/threads/stanley-herman-the-ass-to-ass-guy.2640/

Great Moments in Film

The most memorable part of Darren Aronofsky’s 2000 film “Requiem for a Dream” is the fast-paced, soul-scrapingly disturbing, epilepsy-inducing climax where the lives of the main characters go completely and irreversibly to shit. And while there are many images that forcibly wedge themselves in the audience’s mind, there’s one that always stands out above all of them: ASS-TO-ASS!

It takes a special character to pull off introducing a sex act involving a huge black double dildo simultaneously anally penetrating two girls on a coffee table, and The Ass-to-Ass Guy doesn’t disappoint. In the credits of “Requiem,” there is no “Ass-to-Ass” Guy listed, however we think that he is the character listed as Uncle Hank played by Stanley B. Herman. I’m not sure how he got cast to be the Ass-to-Ass guy, but from what I can tell it was the role he was born to play. I’m pretty sure he doesn’t want to be forever remembered as the Ass-to-Ass Guy, but sometimes we can’t dictate how we want to be remembered to others. Like how most people will always remember Geraldo Rivera for finding nothing in Al Capone’s vault or getting hit in the face with a chair on his talk show.

Not since Boba Fett in the original Star Wars trilogy has a character so intrigued the masses with a bare minimum of screen time. First of all, how did this old guy get invited to Big Tim’s party? What does he do during the day when he’s not watching deviant sex acts? What’s his job? Does he have a wife? Does he make her do ass-to-ass? How did he figure out that he likes to watch two girls doing ass-to-ass? Does he have offspring? Do they like watching ass-to-ass too? You may think it’s rather crazy to think of these questions, but every good actor asks these questions so they can get into their character. I wish James Lipton would have this guy on his show on Bravo so we could learn the answers to these questions (or maybe they already have and I missed it because they didn’t hype it as having the ass-to-ass guy from “Requiem” on). That would be the greatest interview since the time Opie and Anthony had Tommy Lee on their show and Opie called Tommy Lee a pussy.

“Requiem for a Dream” teaches us that doing heroin leads to jail time, amputation, and being a whore. What it also teaches us is that if you apply yourself and get rich, you can get invited to these classy parties where heroin-addicted whores will do all sorts of crazy shit on a coffee table right in front of you. And they take requests too. Sure, Big Tim may be a drug dealer, but he’s not making any money off it. He’s only selling heroin for pussy so obviously he has a damn good day job. How else would he be able to pay for his swanky place and be able to throw these kick-ass parties? So I think what “Requiem” is ultimately telling us is that if you don’t do drugs and get a good-paying job you can get poor drug-addicted girls to fuck on your coffee table in front of twenty of your friends. That’s the American dream right there.

Why did they call the character Uncle Hank in the credits? Is that something they address in the Hubert Selby Jr. book “Requiem” was based on? I always hear about the book being better than the movie when it comes to films based on books. Could there be an entire chapter devoted to the Ass-to-Ass Guy? And why do they call him Uncle Hank instead of just Hank? My guess is because since he looks like the oldest person at this party, he’s like that uncle everyone has in their family who will drink with you and hook you up with stuff like illegal fireworks or heroin-addicted whores. I can see him coming to a Fourth of July family barbeque and the kids cheering: “Hey, Uncle Hank’s here and he’s brought the M-80’s and whores! Yay! We love our Uncle Hank.” Or I can see Uncle Hank pulling a nephew aside and saying, “Don’t tell your mom about this, but I scored you some government-grade pot and a teenage runaway who will blow you for a sandwich.” Uncle Hank’s the coolest!

And so we recognize Uncle Hank as a Timeless Movie Character, because we will never forget the Ass-to-Ass scene in “Requiem” and we will never forget the man who so joyously requested it.

[Mindflux]

The A2A steals the show.

[Kotowboy]

YER DATS MI FAVRIT PART IS WHEN DEY R LEIK AZZ 2 ZZZ LOL I TOTALLEEE WAS WAIN 4 IT AND IT DIDN DIZPONT LOL!!!!!!!11 HOO CAREZ ABOUT DER ALLL DEAD N DAT OLD LADY IS A PSYCHO LOLOLO I JUS WAN DA ASZZ 2 AZZZ NAOOO LOL

[Prog Snob]

Jennifer Connelly.   

All that aside, I think it's a great film. I watched it quite a few times a few years ago and could go for another viewing.   Jennifer Connelly. 

[robwebster]

YER DATS MI FAVRIT PART IS WHEN DEY R LEIK AZZ 2 ZZZ LOL I TOTALLEEE WAS WAIN 4 IT AND IT DIDN DIZPONT LOL!!!!!!!11 HOO CAREZ ABOUT DER ALLL DEAD N DAT OLD LADY IS A PSYCHO LOLOLO I JUS WAN DA ASZZ 2 AZZZ NAOOO LOL

Don't you think that's a slightly immature outlook? Don't get me wrong, I'm really glad you're so enthusiastic about the, er, "ass-to-ass" scene, it's a perfectly normal thing to enjoy, I just don't think it's the most salient message Aronofsky was trying to convey.

DISCLAIMER: Yes, I got the sarcasm. q:

[Kotowboy]

^  Now I *actually* don't know whether you're just playing along.

[robwebster]

^  Now I *actually* don't know whether you're just playing along.

Quote the post - there's small print! Not to spoil it, but yes, don't worry, I'm playing along. q:

[Kotowboy]

Jennifer Connelly.   

All that aside, I think it's a great film. I watched it quite a few times a few years ago and could go for another viewing.   Jennifer Connelly. 

I think her character ends up the best off. She's not in jail or disfigured or in a mental home.

She's the only one who is actually smiling at the end. Even so it's still a sad state of affairs.

That montage at the end of everyone's fate is almost too hard to watch.

[Kotowboy]

^  Now I *actually* don't know whether you're just playing along.

Quote the post - there's small print! Not to spoil it, but yes, don't worry, I'm playing along. q:

Touché !! Sorry - i'm not in the best of moods tonight - maybe you should get online and cheer me up

[Phoenix87x]

Refrigerator coming to life is classic. And now every time I hear Maid Marian...

[Kotowboy]

I bet that there is some group of people somewhere who tried to ban this film for glamourising drug use 

In the same way that Trainspotting glamourised drug use.. " Cot-Death ! Alright ! High Five ! "

And in the same way that Life Of Brian was blasphemous despite having nothing to do with Jesus and the whole point of the film was that he wasn't Jesus and they make it very clear 

Sometimes I think people hear a brief synopsis of a film and start protesting instantly.

[robwebster]

^  Now I *actually* don't know whether you're just playing along.

Quote the post - there's small print! Not to spoil it, but yes, don't worry, I'm playing along. q:

Touché !! Sorry - i'm not in the best of moods tonight - maybe you should get online and cheer me up

While I am happy to pop on MSN for a moment, "cheer me up" with a wink is a sentence I'm afraid I'm going to have to distance myself from, particularly when it appears in the same thread as an essay about ass-to-ass.

I hope we can still be friends.

[senecadawg2]

What a depressing movie! I'm not denying it's worth, but it's incredibly hard for me to watch once, let alone twice.

[bout to crash]

I've seen this more than most movies, and I always pick up on more stuff. Beautiful and depressing. For me Sara is the hardest to watch deteriorate...

and lol Ian

[tjanuranus]

It's a modern masterpiece.

[Prog Snob]

Jennifer Connelly.   

All that aside, I think it's a great film. I watched it quite a few times a few years ago and could go for another viewing.   Jennifer Connelly. 

I think her character ends up the best off. She's not in jail or disfigured or in a mental home.

She's the only one who is actually smiling at the end. Even so it's still a sad state of affairs.

That montage at the end of everyone's fate is almost too hard to watch.

I agree.  She wound up getting the money they needed, but I don't think she knows about the state of her boyfriend.  I haven't seen it in quite a while so I am trying to remember the situation. 

[Ben_Jamin]

I'm Walking across the stage

[bout to crash]

[Zantera]

I think it's a great movie, but it's not among my all time favorites. I don't think I could see it again to be honest.

I like "The Fountain" and "Black Swan" more, if we're talking Aronofsky-movies.

[MajorMatt]

Great movie, amongst my all time favorites for sure!

[Kotowboy]

I can't believe Ellen Burstyn lost the Oscar to Julia Fuckin Roberts.

[Prog Snob]

I can't believe Ellen Burstyn lost the Oscar to Julia Fuckin Roberts.

[Kotowboy]

Julia " Gets Angry And Shouts At People In Every Movie " Roberts.

[Prog Snob]

Julia " Gets Angry And Shouts At People In Every Movie " Roberts.

I am really not a fan of hers at all.  I don't quite get what people see. Every movie I have seen her in, I could name a better actress for the part she played.