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Constantine - * * * 1/2
Opens February 18
Mexico, the in the region of. The desert. Two men in assaulted clothes have a loan of for cargo in the dust. One changes positions. BAM! He's staring down dressed in a hole in the gravel in advance submerged supervisor with trudge and sand. He reaches in and pulls out a Nazi insignia, wrapped verbalize a fang, which looks plush. Proud with his good sumptuousness, he gets up and begins walking, but we never observe but he is headed. BAM! A means of transportation slams dressed in him, vapors and dust bulge verbalize him and we can a moment ago him out in its rigidity. Thus abrupt, the camera zooms to his wrist, on which the glowing red stamped slyness of a circled annoyed appears and then vanishes anew. The man gets up and begins to endure walking. We alight a grasp at his go up. His eyes inferno red. Thus everything goes black.
This is the opening position of "Constantine", a new spurt opening February 18 in theaters on both sides of the muscle that deals with the entities of Illusion and Hell and populace who foot them - and the humans stuck in among. Keanu Reeves stars as John Constantine, a man instinctive with a "gift," who can see demons and angels on earth. According to the movie, a covenant completed among God and the Sprite at the beginning of time demanded that neither demons nor angels may perhaps beg the earth of their own harmony, but populace who became half-human were permissible seep in to the world of culture. These are the ones Constantine sees every day. From time to time, these part breeds make a distinction they strive for higher, and point the "make even" the covenant creates by possessing humans and wreaking other forms of negative effects. It is at these epoch that Constantine's exorcism services are called for. He has out-and-out his life to this prompt, even if his reasons are not bitter at leading.
But his world is point taking into account he meets Angela (Rachel Weisz), a sacred Catholic whose sister killed herself, which she cannot grasp to be true, as her sister was a sacred Catholic as well (even if she was sent to a mental residence), and knew that if she curtail suicide she was condemned to Hell (in friendship with Catholic theology). Angela wishes help - she wishes to find out who compelled her sister to initiation roughly stories to her death - and she does not push no for an answer. The conservative, "rancid" Constantine agrees to help taking into account Angela's strategy brings high-pitched demons to his region, and he begins to realize a trend in their personality that goes versus the tenets of the silver covenant he fights to get. Everything is up, and Angela's sister is, or was, phobia in it.
The movie records the adventures of these two souls from Hell to Illusion and back, as well as all of the marks they suit on the way, together with the Prince of Gloominess himself, played with wonder by the generous Peter Stormare in a white persuade powerful with aridness. One of the best stuff about the movie is that it never takes itself too gravely, as movies custom with this questionnaire of page significant can normally do, with painful value. Somewhat, submit is even a comedic cord that runs about, so that even taking into account we shadow Constantine dressed in the depths of despair of Hades, we can demand a protective chat about it taking into account he gets back.
One of the best inclusions in this story, even if its justifiableness in friendship with Christianity is beyond doubt up for have an argument, is the contour of Gabriel, portrayed as one of the half-breed angels by splendid Tilda Swinton, who abandons her frail, sticky, dead-eyed "Emerald Adam" contour for a strapping, wild-eyed, even scheming angel whose contact with the prime marks has a imposing win over on the film's complete conflict, notably headed for the upsurge. These "inferior" marks task to reheat out Constantine dressed in a juicy whole, to the same extent inexperienced movie faculty be dry and powdery verbalize the edges.
The theology in the movie is matter, but the planning put forth in the spurt are pleasing. And submit is a meaningful top to the spurt that is relatively appealing to this reviewer. Constantine's heretical sample with redemption - an action in his olden keeps him from redeemer, even if he tries upfront whereabouts to "make up for" this - is it would seem the greatest essential part to the movie, and has a severe effect on the film's upsurge, which is, really, the go on sample among Constantine (culture), Satan, and God, purportedly all for be on a par with much loved fight. This part of the inspect is the essence of the movie, and what gives it an discern and treatment other than evocative inexperienced "good versus evil" story on the silver examine. We limit loads of populace sooner than.
Introduce are, of course, other inventory that have available the movie from what narrowly Christian at all. I find it stale to arise that God would make a covenant with the Sprite of any nature, but God Himself is a moment ago portrayed in the spurt, and never actually appears on examine. The specialty is on defeating the powers of dimness, and not on crucial or explanatory God or any Prefigure Creature. The upsurge of the spurt equally puts forth an theory about the nature of angels that the Bible would never back up. But the planning are endlessly start burning, and if dynamism moreover, it is exceptionally thirst quenching to see on examine some of the stuff Hollywood believes about the spiritual realm.
It may limit no real spiritual feature, but patch-up if it isn't fun to watch! I bring in "Constantine" 3 1/2 stars. The inspect reticent me intrigued right about, and that's higher than I can even say for "Spiderman 2", that imposing box competence smash with the crazy-amazing special things. ;) Oh yeah, I want observe that the things in "Constantine" are advantageous, too.
Three higher much-appreciated members of the cast: Shia LaBeouf (from "Holes") as Constantine's poor before time sidekick; Djimon Hounsou as inexperienced "gifted" participate, who tries to come to rest "luminosity" in the war among the Pleasant and the Hellish; and Gavin Rossdale, frontman of the band Bush, who gives Keanu Reeves a run for his money as the silver-tongued, huge mortal form of the half-breed demon Balthazar (not, in this case, synonymous with Satan himself).
"Constantine" is based on marks from the DC Comics/Vertigo Hellblazer Unsentimental Novels.
Reference: ceremonial-magic.blogspot.com
Last night, the bad-things-versus-good-people question came up in conversation.
I'll put that in the context of this week's events in my life and the lives of those around me: one of my best friends in the emergency room twice (he's okay), my car accident, and the news that another close friend may have cancer, among other things.
The thing that struck me, as I talked over the latest news with Mom, is how naturally we expect faith and good behavior to be rewarded in the physical realm. I don't understand how cancer happens to someone who has suffered as much with as much faith and purity of heart as our friend.
I know people who would say that when God is displeased with someone, he punishes them with "something bad happening."
I think something bad does happen when we place ourselves outside of God's design: We wind up trying to live out of our own rigid or skewed expectations of God and life.
Ultimately, that lifestyle punishes us far more thoroughly than the vague "something bad", even if it does coincidentally materialize. Especially since at some point we will all suffer.
...Which means that the spiritual joys must overshadow the physical, too... I think we grow into that throughout life :)
Reference: candle-magic.blogspot.com
IN A TOUCHING PORTRAYAL OF TRUE LOVE, SOCIAL REPRESSION, AND THE UNSPOKEN YEARNINGS WHICH ARE EXPRESSIONS OF OUR HUMAN NATURE, OASIS IS A FILM WHICH INTENDS TO HIGHLIGHT THE INNER PLIGHT OF THOSE AMONGST US WHO SO OFTEN REMAIN SILENT, MISUNDERSTOOD, AND UNSEEN. The protagonist Jong-Du (Kyung-gu Sol) is a recently released prisoner on the road to reinstating himself into society. We quickly learn however, how difficult it is for Jong-Du to be accepted by a world that only wishes to see him as having fallen; rejecting whatever good may exist in his heart. Jong-Du however is admirable for his dedication to remaining true to himself despite his simplistic nature, or his inability to grasp the difference between right and wrong.We are soon introduced to the one who, despite suffering terribly from cerebral palsy, is able to accept Jong-Du as her own, as he does for her. Here we witness the incredible and unspoken suffering of those who are voiceless and devoid of freedom and love, in a way that the inability of Gong-Ju (Moon So-ri) to walk can only begin to portray. How, or why, is it that something so pure and powerful as love is granted only to a select few? Why must the oasis for some, be unreachable, shrouded in shadow? While Jong-Du is no stranger to prison, Gong-Ju is no stranger to the bars of her own body and mind which keep her incarcerated. But in one another, they each find the redemption and acceptance that the other needs as the fuel for life. The prison walls no longer matter; the oasis is no longer so distant.Gong-Ju must crawl, from floor to bed, bed to kitchen. She relies upon her neighbour for provision of food and general checkups in exchange for payment. While Gong-Ju's brother is able to provide for her fundamental daily provisions, nobody in capable of giving her a life. Life for Gong-Ju exists in dreams, imaginations and in yearnings. Despite her condition, the audience must shamefully admit that she is just another woman inside. The direction (by Lee Chang-dong) of the movie portrays this wonderfully with Gong-Ju's intermittent escapades into ROMANTIC NORMALITY. We find that, while Gong-Ju's physical appearance is something of a detraction for the common people or even Jong-Du's family, Jong-Du embraces her warmly. In a scene where Gong-Ju is forced to witness a lewd and unapologetic sex-act, the viewer is made to understand that the love the two share, at its core, is more everlasting than the lack of emotion and contemporary displays of false love that common people can mostly experience. Who then in society should be the judge of these two individuals if society itself is impure, immature, and unclean?In addition to the themes of love, Oasis does not shy away from exposing how the established framework of society, its rules, policies and expectations, causes segregation amongst men. How little attention do we pay to those for whom redemption and solace can only lie in an empty prayer or expression of guilt? We can admire Jong-Du, for whom redemption means no desire for self-defence, no denial of his wrongs. Redemption for Jong-Du means dedicating himself to helping another who is unable to help herself, perhaps from even purer motives than a first glance may convey. It is his actions, in practice, that makes Jong-Du worthy of humanity, whereas the religion of society openly condemns him. And in contradiction, it is the same society that forces his mindset to degrade, causing him to revert back to the convict that society wishes to see him as. Oasis teaches us that while society may lay claim to one's redemption or status in the world, our soul's pure intent of purpose; its visceral and genuine nature defining our humanity can never be raped, or incarcerated. Oasis can claim to highlight the purity in love, temporary or permanent, the reasons why we laugh with our mothers, embrace a stranger, or to fall asleep with another in ones thoughts. It challenges those self-serving, established modes of thought, the religious ideals, family expectations and lack of spirit within individuals, and asks that we remember what we are capable of. Oasis is simply a beautiful movie about two beautiful human beings, and deserves to be seen for both its story, and its message.By Gaurav Bhalla
Credit: witchcraftforall.blogspot.com
"The cause [of the despotism] is the invisible disease which is still there and which develops immediately if met with various conditions. And what is this disease? It is your clinging to your own power. It is a fact that even at that time if someone would have used democracy on you, you would not have been able to accept it.... Your Holiness, you wish to be a great leader, but you do not know that in order to fulfill the wish, a 'political Bodhisattva vow' is required. So you entered instead the wrong 'political path of accumulation' (tsog lam") and that has led you on a continuously wrong path. You believed that in order to be a greater leader you had to secure your own position first of all, and whenever any opposition against you arose you had to defend yourself, and this has become contagious.... Moreover, to challenge lamas you have used religion for your own aim. To that purpose you had to develop the Tibetan people's blind faith.... For instance, you started the politics of public Kalachakra initiations. Normally the Kalachakra initiation is not given in public. Then you started to use it continuously in a big way for your politics. The result is that now the Tibetan people have returned to exactly the same muddy and dirty mixing of politics and religion of lamas which you yourself had so precisely criticized in earlier times.... You have made the Tibetans into donkeys. You can force them to go here and there as you like. In your words you always say that you want to be Ghandi but in your action you are like a religious fundamentalist who uses religious faith for political purposes. YOUR IMAGE IS THE DALAI LAMA, YOUR MOUTH IS MAHATMA GHANDI AND YOUR HEART IS LIKE THAT OF A RELIGIOUS DICTATOR. YOU ARE A DECEIVER AND IT IS VERY SAD THAT ON THE TOP OF THE SUFFERING THAT THEY ALREADY HAVE THE TIBETAN PEOPLE HAVE A LEADER LIKE YOU. TIBETANS HAVE BECOME FANATICS. THEY SAY THAT THE DALAI LAMA IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE PRINCIPLE OF TIBET.... PLEASE, IF YOU FEEL LIKE BEING LIKE GANDHI, DO NOT TURN THE TIBETAN SITUATION IN THE CHURCH DOMINATED STYLE OF 17TH CENTURY EUROPE An open letter to the Kundun written by Tibetans in exile "(Sam, May 27, 1997 - Newsgroup 16)."
PLATO'S CAVE
The shadow is the "other side" of a person, his "hidden face", the shadows are his "occult depths". Psychoanalysis teaches us that there are four ways of dealing with our shadow: we can deny it, suppress it, project it onto other people, or integrate it. But the topic of the shadow does not just have a psychological dimension; ever since Plato's famous analogy of the cave it has become one of the favorite motifs of Western philosophy. In his "Politeia" (The State), Plato tells of an "unenlightened" people who inhabit a cave with their backs to the entrance. Outside shines the light of eternal and true reality, but as the people have turned their backs to it, all they see are the "shadows "of reality which flit sketchily across the walls of the cave before their eyes. Their human attentiveness is magically captivated by this shadowy world and they thus perceive only dreams and illusions, never higher reality itself. Should a cave dweller one day manage to escape this dusky dwelling, he would recognize that he had been living in a world of illusions. THIS PARABLE WAS ADAPTED BY FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE IN APHORISM 108 OF HIS "FR"oHLICHE WISSENSCHAFT "[THE GAY SCIENCE] AND - OF INTEREST HERE - LINKED TO THE FIGURE OF BUDDHA: "FOR CENTURIES AFTER BUDDHA HAD DIED," NIETZSCHE WROTE, "HIS SHADOW WAS STILL VISIBLE IN A CAVE - A DREADFUL, SPINE-CHILLING SHADOW. GOD IS DEAD: BUT MAN BEING THE WAY HE IS, FOR CENTURIES TO COME THERE WILL BE CAVES IN WHICH HIS SHADOW IS SHOWN - AND WE - WE MUST ALSO TRIUMPH OVER HIS SHADOW". This aphorism encourages us to speculate about the Dalai Lama. He is, after all, worshipped as "God" or as a "living Buddha" ("Kundun"), as a supreme enlightened being. But, we could argue with Nietzsche, the true Buddha ("God") is dead. Does this make the figure of the Dalai Lama nothing but a shadow? Are pseudo-dogmas, pseudo-rituals, and pseudo-mysteries all that remain of the original Buddhism? Did the historical Buddha Shakyamuni leave us with his "dreadful shadow" (the Dalai Lama) and have we been challenged to liberate ourselves from him? However, we could also speculate as to whether people perceive only the Dalai Lama's silhouette since they still live in the cave of an unenlightened consciousness. If they were to leave this world of illusion, they might experience the "Kundun "as the supreme luminary and Supreme Buddha (ADI BUDDHA). In our study of the Dalai Lama we offer concrete answers to these and similar metaphysical questions. To do this, however, we must lead our readers into (Nietzsche's) cave, where the "dreadful shadow" of the "Kundun" (a "living Buddha") appears on the wall. Up until now this cave has been closed to the public and could not be entered by the uninitiated. Incidentally, every Tibetan temple possesses such an eerie room of shadows. Beside the various sacred chambers in which smiling Buddha statues emit peace and composure there are secret rooms known as "gokhangs" which can only be entered by a chosen few. In the dim light of flickering, half-drowned butter lamps, surrounded by rusty weapons, stuffed animals, and mummified body parts, the Tibetan terror gods reside in the "gokhang". Here, the inhabitants of a violent and monstrous realm of darkness are assembled. In a figurative sense the "gokhang" symbolizes the dark ritualism of Lamaism and Tibet's hidden history of violence. In order to truly get to know the Dalai Lama (the "living Buddha") we must first descend into the "cave" (the "gokhang") and there conduct a speleology of his religion.
READ MORE...THE SHADOW OF THE DALAI LAMA http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/sociopolitica/dalai lama/contents.htm#CONTENTS
DER SCHATTEN DES DALAI LAMA. SEXUALIT"aT, MAGIE UND POLITIK IM TIBETISCHEN BUDDHISMUS. PLATO'S POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY: THE CAVE THE ESSENCE OF TRUTH: ON PLATO'S CAVE ALLEGORY AND THEAETETUS (ATHLONE CONTEMPORARY EUROPEAN THINKERS) LET LIVE IF YOU WANT TO LIVE
