Jackass

The Jackass series is the ultimate collection of stunts people would find funny to downright hysterical, but would never dare attempt them in real life. From skateboarding down a bowling lane to riding an explosive rocket, Johnny Knoxville and his gang to it all. Because the restrictive lines of movie censorship have grown thin over the years, Jackass is able to use this to its advantage and gets away with just about anything.

Although the majority of the movies provide its audiences with physical stunts that usually involve the cast with bruises and scars, occasionally they will play off other social norms. For instance, Johnny Knoxville dresses up as a senior citizen and pretends to share his alcohol and cigarette to his "grandson" while using foul language in public. The majority of the humor is not derived from the actual acts but in the reactions of the nearby people who state their mind at what seems like an atrociously irresponsible grandfather.

Playing on social norms is nto a new concept; it can be rewound all the way back to Allen Funt's Candid Camera (1948) and beyond. However, what may have seemed despicable in the 1940's, generates not only laughs but also large amounts of revenue in today's society. Thus, the Jackass crew makes a strong effort to see how far they can go, similarly to Sacha Baron Cohen's Borat and Bruno. And, while there may be organizations that are overtly against these films, as the Catholic League of Decency was in the past, the economics of the issue is not in their favor. While the saying, "money makes the world go round"may sound like a cliche', it still holds true today. Although, the Catholic League of Decency would probably prefer the saying, "money is the root of all evil."

Refusing to fit the mold

No Country for Old Men attempts to defy the stereotype by ultimately letting the "bad guy" win. The author cleverly uses unfortunate events of an "innocent" cowboy, Lewlyn Moss played by Josh Brolin to form his representation of language. This movie would derive a constructionist viewpoint, seeing as the author clearly intended to defy the norm, by letting the bad guy essentially win. While seeing the protagonist lie dead on the ground, the audience is forced to form their own conclusions.

Previous to watching the movie, I had painted a conceptual map in my head. It stated that the good guys win, usually get the girl, and the bad guy is left defeated. However, Lewlyn Moss constantly argues with his wife, Carla Jean Moss played by Kelly Macdonald. The author is content in revealing humanity in people's marriages. Worn thin from stress, Lewlyn Moss leaves his house to go back to an old pick up truck, where he had found a wounded man earlier. This causes him to go on a tedious chase with the villain, Anton Chigurh played by Javier Bardem.

The irony in Lewlyn Moss's death, is that it was not some epic firefight that ended with dramatic music. In fact, the movie doesn't even have music, which defies yet another norm in movie productions. But focusing in on Lewlyn's death, the author does not even show you a fight between him and the villain. Only Lewlyn's cold, lifeless body is revealed lying on the floor the next day found by the sheriff played by Tommy Lee Jones. This movie completely crashed my conceptual map I had put together in my mind, ending with me attempting to pick up its pieces.