The Review of Constantine and Super Size Me Movies - Assignment Example

7. Constantine (2005), directed by Francis Lawrence, starring famous actors such as Keanu Reeves, Rachel Weisz and Shia LaBeouf is a movie about an occult detective whose mocking and uncouth character has been, through a series of equally mocking events, sent to Hell and back. His name is John Constantine and his everyday life revolves around being an exorcist, whose soul is damned to hell, thus his unabashed methods of deporting demons back to hell to get on the good side of God. A supernatural of her own, Angela Dodson relentlessly attempts to reason out and to solve the uncanny suicide of her twin sister, a devout catholic, who cannot be given a Christian funeral because of the sinfulness of the actual cause of her death. Angela tries to prove that her sister could not commit suicide, thus teaming her up with John Constantine who then reveals to her the truth about the world of angels and demons that exists in a parallel state of reality, smacked right into the city of Los Angeles. This film fervently holds a myriad of religious beliefs that complies with the requisites of classical cinema- that is, being in the middle of teaching a lesson in a didactic way and providing pleasure through the use of abstraction (448). The movie’s degree of ideological explicitness can be categorized as implicit in which the protagonist and antagonist represent conflicting values (449) and the most distinct and overarching value system portrayed in this film is the idea of good and evil. However, John Constantine is not a simple defender of the good in this movie. His character here is a fusion of contradictory sentiments in which his purpose might be all for the good yet his actions show otherwise. In an early scene we see Constantine trying his best to relieve a young resident of a Los Angeles apartment of the suffering that plagues her from a demonic possession. Constantine, without refinement, dispels the demon of its possession of the girl which is objectively good. Yet in a much later scene, after his death is narrated as a cause of his elusive way of ridding his own suffering as a paranormal, he still continues to smoke and throw away his life through the little things he does in life. Thus, it seems most pertinent that the film shows the values of good and evil as a pair, and always as a pair- opposite yet existing at the same time. In support of this value system, in a later scene, Constantine narrates how heaven and hell is interwoven with our own world, but most especially how angels and demons work through human beings: “Heaven and Hell- behind every wall, every window, a world behind a world… and we’re in the middle. Angels and demons can’t crossover, so instead (there are) half-breeds… They can only whisper in our ears- and a single word can give you courage or turn your favorite pleasure into your worst nightmare. Those are the demon’s touch and that part angel- living along beside us. They call it balance”. It then shows that in everything, there exists a world of good and of evil, and in every person there lies both good in which all virtues stems forth and evil in which pain and misery orients itself with. John Constantine is the epitome of this contradiction. While being played by personality star, Keanu Reeves, Constantine with his subtle sex appeal and his charm attracts others with a mysterious aura, a thematic expression of the film as a whole. The film has obvious leftist ideologies in relation to religion. One of the clearest deviations from church tradition is the fact that Constantine himself exorcises demons from men- a power which is founded on the theological notion of apostolic succession, a continuous transmission of ministry from the time of Jesus until today. This means only a priest can expel a demon through the power of Christ. This is in stark contrast with the techniques of Constantine in where he traps soldier demons in mirrors, punishes a demonic overlord with holy brass knuckles and destroys demons with guns ablaze. There is however one peculiar right leaning detail in the movie that is made to be realized in the end and that is the road to salvation is always through sacrifice. If asked whether the film is believable or not, a subjective connotation of one owns spirituality comes in. Angels and demons can be subjectively believed in, as reason can sometimes prove and disprove them, while empirical methods might only lean towards the latter. The details of the movie, after all, has its roots on the supernatural and the occult world of mystic relics and holy water shedding the facade of demons, bloodstained spears that let loose the son of Satan, and arcane incantations and markings that call forth the darkest of demons himself, Lucifer. It is then what John Constantine would call “A leap of faith”. The concepts portrayed in the film are only believable in as much as faith is a virtue of one’s own reason. In retrospect, John Constantine is both a critic of the world around him and the subject of the criticism that the world of the movie imposes on its audience. Constantine himself finds the idea of balance through good and evil as “hypocritical” and finds solace in sending demons back to hell and continuing his life of vice- yet at any rate still hoping that God would receive him in his kingdom. It is only at the end when he chooses to sacrifice his life for the soul of an innocent person does he receive grace and worthiness of heaven. In the widest sense, the film asks its audience to find an alternative life- change and be ready to sacrifice just as Constantine did for another person. Only then can we be worthy of heaven ourselves. 9. Like most saucy lead roles played by men who deserve a balance in outlook and attitude, the film Constantine also has an emerging feministic genre to support its own story. Although in some movies where a woman’s role was to support their men, seldom leading a fulfilling life of their own (477), Constantine, just like many contemporary movies, breaks this stereotype. In this movie, Angela Dodson, the seeming love interest of John Constantine has a career as a detective. This job and role emphasizes certain characteristics as intrinsically masculine such as intellect, ambition, independence and professionalism- traits that were generally seen as inappropriate and unseemly in women (477). This portrayal of an “emancipated” woman is characteristic of the current trends emerging in our society today where woman can perform and sometimes even be outstanding in career paths thought to be fit only for men. The genre of a love story and the role of women in this particular movie however were still underplayed however. Although the woman depicted in this film is headstrong and seems to be driven by a just cause, as the plot unfolds, it is revealed that she was to be the instrument of the birth son of Satan into this world. In the last few scenes, Angela was possessed and in her belly, the supposed son of Satan was trying to break free by ripping it out from the inside. Later, as a twist to the story, when an archangel plans to teach man a lesson by freeing the son of Satan and in a scene where time a stop, this archangel holds a dagger on top of Angela’s belly ready to sacrifice her for a demented and divine cause. This scene is reminiscent of the cultural “purifying” practices in many tribes and the reduction of women as mere objects, a view not entirely foreign in the west (477). When asked if the film is in any way offensive to women’s role in society, the more apparent answer would be no since this movie is fictional anyway. Aside from this, Constantine veers towards the bizarre and thus most of these perceptions about women in general have no logical basis- or at least most would think so. There lies the beauty of incorporating the fictional and observable, an ambiguity that makes the film neither fair, nor objective. Finally, the only crass representation of this movie is the initial attitude of John Constantine towards Angela Dodson, in which Constantine mocks her efforts, demeaning her personality and character. 10. Super Size Me is a documentary directed by Morgan Spurlock that takes a look at the effect of a fast food diet on American lifestyle by actually eating something on the McDonald’s menu every single meal time. At the same time of this incredible feat, he visits a few doctors to keep track of the changes that are occurring in his body and at the end of the documentary, he effectively gives a whole new meaning to the saying “you are what you eat”. A documentary such as Super Size Me deals with real people, places and events rather than invented ones but like fiction filmmakers, they shape their raw materials through their selection of details (387). In the beginning of his documentary is the lull in which kids chant over and over again “A Pizza Hut” “Kentucky Fried Chicken” and “McDonalds”. He then narrates how everything big can now be seen in America, including the biggest people- a fact that truly hits home for many Americans. What is being said and a picturesque scene of what is being said is heard and seen in one frame altogether- a modern use of technology in which a portable tape recorder allows a technician to record sound directly in automatic synchronization with the visuals (389). The key point in the effectiveness of the narrative in Super Size Me, and in most persuasive documentaries for that matter, is the combination of art through the employment of visually interesting shots and depictions and science through the use of hard figures most often backed by statistics or medical reports with a precise timing. After a short narrative of America being the fattest nation in the world, a geographic analysis is shown of the emerging development of fat people in some of the states. This graphic illustration, coupled with statistics with big numbers and ideas such as “Since 1980, the number of obese Americans have doubled…” and “this hunger for fast food… is happening on a global basis” all in all make the documentary effective. Super Size Me because of this is very convincing especially with the testament of the doctors and the visible change that we can see in Morgan Spurlock, as well as the more subtle changes in his relationship with his girlfriend. It all seems genuine and honest and that is what makes the documentary convincing. Read More