Before i carry on commenting on 2 movies i've watched recently, i would like to take this opportunity to apologise to Dhino for watching Constantine without him.(which i have to add was not done deliberately or with forethought) I understand, he has had some rough experiences with people recently. So, my careless act of neglecting him, especially when i had given him my solemn word that we would not be watching the movie without him was admittedly damaging.

Constantine

This is one of the few movies i had been looking forward to, regardless of the unfortunate little detail that it's starring Keanu "wooden"Reeves. It's based on the accalimed DC/Vertigo comic book known as Hellblazer, about an exorcist named John Constantine who's caught in the middle of a battle between heaven and hell. Rules forbid demons and angels to take their pure form on earth or to directly cause any form of harm to mortals. Constantine takes it upon himself to be the enforcer of these rules and to protect mortals. Ok,..anyone who's had a conversation with me regarding this movie would have heard this a few million times before, but i have to make my opinion known on this post as well. Well, for one, i strongly believe that though it wasn't a complete casting disaster,...that Johnny Depp should have been given this role which fits him like a glove. These are the kind of roles that he's made for. But alas, they see it fit to give it to Reeves who i must admit was tolerable, surprisingly. But i would think, Depp would have raised this movie a couple of notches. Ultimately, Constantine, isn't the "best" comic book movie ever made, nor is it amongst the best ever made. it matters not that the Constantine character (another thing i mentioned a thousand times before) in this movie isn't British or that he isn't blonde like in the comics. I haven't read the Hellblazer comics( a surprise considering i'm an avid comic book reader), but having come across this character on several other comics like Books of Magic, it's fair to say the essence of Consatantine wasn't effectively translated onto the big screen. Try as he may, Keanu Reeves doesn't convincingly nail the role of a cynical anti hero with a razor sharp sense of humour. It also dioesn't help that large chunks of the mid section of the movie ware draggy and run of the mill. The movie lacks the spark, kinetic energy and the brilliance to be placed among movies like Spiderman, Batman or X-men. in fact, it doesn't even measure up to Guillermo Del Toro's Hellboy, which was a far more satisfying movie.

Napoleon Dynamite

This is something i downloaded and watched during Chinese New year period. This movie was out in the states last year and it got some decent reviews. i can't remember if i had seen the trailer before, but i guremember being fascinated by the title of the movie which sounded like some weird zany independant film. Anyway,...this film is probably the ultimate geekfest. It's far geekier than Rushmore, which itself isn't a geek film at heart though the main chracter is one. Napoleon Dynamie is a loser, and perhaps the best part about the movie is that it makes no obvious attempt to make him a likeable loser. The movie settles for the audience to come to terms with this character and to accept him as he is. The movie isn't really laugh out loud funny either. It's more subtle, kind of oddball and dry. But there are occasional scenes where the utter ridiculousness and silliness of it all is capable of inducing uncontrollable laughter. The movie never moves into dumb teen comedy territory,..and keeps it as real as possible. The events that take place never seem contrived and seem to be plausible within the social settings and the kind of eccentric chracters that populate it. This movie is anything but mainstream. It will not draw crowds in droves,..but is sure to achieve cult status.