ZooScope

Tag: HAR: Military

  • Project X. Dir. Jonathan Kaplan . Twentieth Century Fox. 1987.

    Project X explores the journey of a chimpanzee named Virgil, taking him from the safety of his home with psychologist Teri Macdonald to an Air Force base where he participates in a secret experiment named Project X that trains chimps as pilots.  We learn that Teri has taught Virgil to communicate with humans via American Sign…

  • Outbreak. Dir. Wolfgang Peterson. Warner Bros. 1995.

    Outbreak forewarns of the devastating consequences of animal exploitation, encapsulating them in the scene where Jimbo delivers Betsy, host monkey for the deadly Motaba virus, to a pet shop where she will be sold illegally. The camera employs an establishing shot of Jimbo’s car on a road surrounded by a forest, juxtaposing road and forest in…

  • Avatar. Dir. James Cameron. 20th Century Fox. 2009.

    Set in the year 2154, Avatar (Dir. James Cameron, 2009) follows Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), a paraplegic ex-marine who is given the opportunity to take part in a program on the distant moon Pandora. Pandora is inhabited by a wealth of creatures and biodiversity, as well as the desirable mineral ‘unobtanium’ which the humans are attempting to…

  • The Cat From Outer Space. Dir. Norman Tokar. Buena Vista Distribution. 1978.

    As we see a feline descend from the tongue-like walkway of a cat-shaped spaceship, Disney’s 1978 film The Cat From Outer Space opens, invoking a science-fiction both familiar and alien. It is difficult to not subscribe to the film’s endearing nature of a developed animal companionship as a bond forms between human and cat that goes beyond…

  • A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence. Dir. Roy Andersson. Curzon Film World. 2015.

    A man dies whilst trying to open a bottle of wine. Shots of aquavit are handed out in a bar in exchange for kisses. A young couple lie together on a beach, accompanied by a dog. The owner of a delicatessen addresses the camera from the steps to his shop as his co-worker ridicules him…

  • How to Train Your Dragon 2. Dir. Dean DeBlois. 20th Century Fox. 2014.

    Five years after Hiccup successfully ended the war between humans and dragons, he faces many new conflicts. He and his village of both species are living happily until they learn that the cruel and brutal Drago Bludvist is building a dragon army and will soon come to take them over. While rushing out to stop him, Hiccup…

  • Max. Dir. Boaz Yakin. Warner Bros. 2015.

    Max follows the journey of a fallen Marine, Kyle, and his dog, Max, who is brought to his hometown in Lufkin, Texas following his death. Military dog relationships are usually inseparable; Kyle’s death devastated Max resulting in being unresponsive to any new Marine handler and was forced to either be put down, or taken in…

  • The Plague Dogs. Dir. Martin Rosen. United Artists Corporation. 1982.

    The Plague Dogs – Revival of a Masterpiece* By Loredana Loy Based on the book with the same title by Richard Adams, The Plague Dogs (1982) is a one of a kind movie. Snitter and Rowf are two dogs who escape from an animal experimentation facility only to find that the outside world is just as cruel.  They try to survive…

  • Pan’s Labyrinth. Dir. Guillermo del Toro. Warner Bros. Pictures. 2006.

    Pan’s Labyrinth (Original Title: El laberinto del fauno) Guillermo del Toro’s visually arresting Pan’s Labyrinth is set in 1944 against the backdrop of post civil-war Spain. It follows the story of the young Ofelia, whose heavily pregnant mother has transported her across the country to live with her fascist stepfather, Captain Vidal, as he carries out Franco’s…

  • War Horse. Dir. Steven Spielberg. DreamWorks. 2011.

    Steven Spielberg’s War Horse (2011) tells the story of teenager Albert Narracott and his horse Joey, tracing their journey from rural Devonshire farm to the Western Front. Joey is the dominant character within the film with the plot line tied directly to his experience rather than Albert’s. Throughout the course of the film Joey encounters…