ZooScope

Tag: HAR: Religion/Worship

  • The Banshees of Inisherin. Dir. Martin McDonagh. Searchlight Pictures. 2015

    The Banshees of Inisherin. Dir. Martin McDonagh. Searchlight Pictures. 2015

    “Do you think God gives a damn about miniature donkeys, Colm?”  “I fear he doesn’t. And I fear that’s where it’s all gone wrong.” Martin McDonagh’s, “The Banshees of Inisherin” (2022), is a Tolstoyan tragicomedy combined with macabre naturalism which works to present the asperity and invaluableness of life and friendship. One significant friendship occurs between…

  • Bird Box. Dir. Susanne Bier. Netflix. 2018.

    Bird Box. Dir. Susanne Bier. Netflix. 2018.

    Susanne Bier’s Bird Box follows Malorie Hayes as she navigates the events and aftermath of an outbreak of creatures, which seem to take on the form of a person’s worst fear, deepest sadness or greatest loss, and thereby drive humans to suicide when the people look at them. However, the monsters themselves are never seen…

  • Don’t Look Up, Adam McKay, 2021, Netflix

    “You’re going to die! You’re going to die!” Through a plot that follows the fight for a response to humanity’s impending doom when a comet is discovered to be heading for Earth, the message of Don’t Look Up is clear: unless those with power start listening to those calling for action against global disasters –…

  • Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island. Dir. Jim Stenstrum. Hanna-Barbera Cartoons. 1998.

    Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island[1] is subversive both in terms of subverting what you’d expect from a typical Scooby outing (substituting criminals in masks with genuine monsters) and subverting ideas of what it truly means to be villainous. Immortal werecats Simone and Lena (fig. 1) sacrificed their souls to their cat god to exact revenge against…

  • The Prince of Egypt. Dir. Brenda Chapman, Simon Wells, Steve Hickner. DreamWorks Pictures. 1998.

    Following the life of Moses, The Prince of Egypt tells an adaption of the story of the Book of Exodus. In the opening scene of this animated musical, the audience are introduced to Ancient Egyptian culture as a significant importance is placed on their religion through the enormous statues of their gods. These gods, specifically…

  • The Craft. Dir. Andrew Fleming. Columbia Pictures. 1996.

    ‘Big animals steal from little ones’ – Bonnie Harper (Neve Campbell) The Craft (1996) epitomises the intensity of teenage female friendships, and how quickly and violently these bonds can be broken. This kind of teenage sisterhood and its potential for moments of both great beauty and disaster is played out through the use of animals…

  • 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…

  • A Dog’s Journey. Dir. Gail Mancuso. Universal Pictures. 2019.

    They say that dogs are man’s best friend, but what if that best friend who with you from birth stayed longer than a lifetime? Two years after A Dog’s Purpose (2017), we follow again the paw prints of Bailey (voiced by Josh Gad), whose purpose in life is not yet over. In this sequel, Ethan…

  • Jungle Book. Dir. Wolfgang Reitherman. Walt Disney. 1967.

    The notorious Kaa was manipulated in the Jungle Book[1] (1967) to serve the role of an antagonist, an inversion on his portrayal from Kipling’s original books[2] (1894). Kaa is presented as the enchanting reptile that adheres to the stereotypes of an Indian Rock Python.Reitherman harnesses the trance-like song “Trust in Me”[3] to ironically expose his deceitful nature and…

  • The Road to El Dorado. Dir. Bibo Bergeron, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Don Paul. DreamWorks Pictures. 2000.

    The Road to El Dorado subverts humanity’s usual place at the apex of creation. In this scene the High Priest, Tzekel-Kan, explains to Tulio (whom he believes to be a God) the importance of human sacrifice in gaining the fear and worship of the people, thus placing humanity somewhere near the bottom of a divine…