ZooScope

  • The Lighthouse. Dir. Robert Eggers. A24. 2019.

    “𝑩𝒆𝒔𝒕 π’šβ€™π’π’†π’‚π’—π’† 𝒕𝒉𝒆 π’ˆπ’–π’π’π’” 𝒃𝒆. 𝑰𝒏 β€™π’†π’Žπ’” 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒔 𝒐𝒇 π’”π’‚π’Šπ’π’π’“π’” π’˜π’‰π’‚π’• π’Žπ’†π’• π’•π’‰π’†π’Šπ’“ π’Žπ’‚π’Œπ’†π’“.” The Lighthouse is a film about madness and evil. The film uses the arrival and death of a seagull, at the hands of Thomas, to explore the threshold between sanity and madness, and our capacity for evil. Thomas’ sanity is questioned…

  • The Fox and the Hound. Dir Ted Berman, Richard Rich and Art Stevens. Walt Disney Productions. 1981.

    The Fox and the Hound (1981) revolves around an orphaned red fox named Tod (Mickey Rooney) who befriends a young hound puppy, Copper (Kurt Russell). The two grow very fond of one another, despite their natural born differences, although their human owners Slade (Jack Albertson) and Tweed (Jeanette Nolan) do not share the same friendliness.…

  • The Grand Budapest Hotel. Dir Wes Anderson. Fox Searchlight Pictures. 2014

    “Did he just throw my cat out the window?” The Grand Budapest Hotel (Wes Anderson, 2014) uses the death of a domestic animal to drive the dark comedic elements within the film, without accentuating sinister undertones that the audience would expect to accompany the death of a beloved animal. Anderson transforms the cat into a…

  • The Watchmen. Dir. Zach Snyder. Warner Bros. 2009.

    What can dogs tell us about criminality? With regards to Zach Snyder’s Watchmen, the answer is β€˜quite a lot.’ Dogs are used within the film to align the binaries of legality and criminality with humanity and animality. There is a particular focus on the possibilities of transgression, as both the anti-hero and the villain commit…

  • Annie. Dir. John Huston. Columbia Pictures. 1982.

    John Huston’s musical comedy-drama Annie follows the life of an orphan and her trusty adopted dog Sandy. The film repeatedly draws parallels between orphaned children with caged animals, inciting audiences to acknowledge the ways in which the children are treated alike abandoned animals. Huston’s shot of the bustling environment surrounding the unconcerned caged chickens works…

  • It: Chapter Two. Dir. Andy Muschietti. Warner Brothers. 2019

    Following this scene, we see the characters of Richie (Bill Hader) and Eddie (James Ransone) petrified by Pennywise, a shape-shifting creature known as a Glamour, following them; they open a door and are greeted by a cute Pomeranian dog, creating an air of bathos. Here, we have a conflict of genres as the primary classification…

  • A Street Cat Named Bob. Dir. Roger Spottiswoode. Sony Pictures Releasing. 2016.

    [1]A Street Cat Named Bob is a 2016 biographical drama directed by Roger Spottiswoode. The film is based on an memoir of the same name, which narrates the true story of James Bowen, a British man who struggled with homelessness and heroin addiction, who attributes his recovery to a stray cat he named Bob. According…

  • Captain Fantastic. Dir. Matt Ross. eOne Entertainment. 2016

    When Ben’s world is turned upside down by the death of his wife, Leslie Captain Fantastic [1] sets out to explore the question – what does it mean to be a father? At first, Ben’s parenting methods are, let’s say, unconventional. In an off-the-grid settlement deep in the forestland of Washington State, Ben strives to…

  • Cujo. Dir. Lewis Teague, Warner Bros. pictures. 1983.

    St. Bernards. Aren’t they adorable? Slobbering bundles of joy that get up to all sorts of mischief. This loveable breed of dog has certainly enjoyed its share of the Hollywood spotlight, therefore, there’s no other option but to discuss everyone’s favourite troublemaker. No, not Beethoven (Figure 1) I am, of course, talking about Cujo, family…

  • Guardians of the Galaxy. Dir. James Gunn. Marvel Studios. 2014.

    Set in a parallel science- fiction universe, Guardians of the Galaxy[1] parodies Marvel’s usual ‘superhero’ film, by casting five criminal anti- heroes as the protagonists. The film follows five intergalactic – outlaw – anti- heroes as they are brought together by being arrested, over a bounty hunt on a mysterious orb. Previously individuals just working…

Got any book recommendations?

Get In Touch