Religion and Film 2020

The key takeaway from Thin Red Line is that nature is indifferent to war. Man lives and dies but nature simply exists in time. Nature has no higher calling as it only exists in the present and objectively only does what is necessary in an effort to survive. Despite the war that is transpiring in the film nature slowly returns to normalcy as the smog of war settles. Man on the other hand never fully returns to normal after a conflict such as war. Man simply has to move on with life and reflect on how their actions impact their inner selves while nature is able to simply return to itself.   Within the context of the film nature represents the sublime as a whole. The wide panning shots of the hill particularly before the conflict begins command a sense of awe. The calmness and peace experienced within the shot of the grass rolling over the hill is quickly juxtaposed by explosions, gunfire, and death all around once man becomes involved with nature. Throughout the film the shots of nat...

Most people cannot function without their phones or the internet. Speaking from personal experience limiting internet access and phone usage for a week can really make a difference in how much the awareness of your surroundings heightens when you aren’t buried in a phone. My family has a home in the blue ridge mountains with limited cellular service and no internet access. It’s strange in this day and age to actually have to have knowledge of where  you are going and not rely on gps. In my personal opinion deprivation of these modern conveniences actually helps reduce mindlessness.

The director's choice of automobile in a film can have a major impact on how a character develops. Cars can be an object to show status or success such as the Porsche 928 in Scarface signifying how Tony Montana has made it in the world. In other cases, the vehicle which transports the main character in a film can help the character grow and develop within themselves. In Cold Fever, the fact that the Citroen DS even starts when the psychic sells him the car is symbolically a testament to how journeys through Iceland toughen things that wouldn’t otherwise hold up under less stressful circumstances. The Citroen DS has a notoriously complicated hydraulic lift system which realistically shouldn’t be functioning but, this specific car is “special” as if it has been toughened by the years in Iceland. With almost a herbie esque charm the DS pushes Hirata past his breaking point with its stuck radio. By challenging Hirata’s sanity the Citroen DS introduces Hirata to the brutality of the...

Big Fish explores the relationship between a father and son and their journey to reconciliation. Edward, a charismatic traveling salesman with a fantastic sense of humor constantly tells the story of his life with a bit of embellishment and never really seems to take anything too seriously. Edward’s world is viewed through a lens of optimism that is infectious to almost everyone around him. His son Will, on the other hand is a wealthy businessman who seemingly can’t take a joke. Will constantly feels that his father’s tall tales are a means to hide his true self when in reality it is Will who refuses to acknowledge who his father really is. Will eventually learns that his father’s stories are slightly embellished for entertainment purposes but the people Edward met along his life journey are all real as are the lessons he learned. Bloom first meets Jenny in the town of Spectre when she is only 8 years old. When Bloom returns to Spectre the second time Jenny is 18 and tries to make a p...

       Growing up on a farm is something that has taught me many life lessons, from when I was young death was taught to me from how calves and mother cows would die from childbirth. I learned that even adults cry when my mother lost her childhood horse Licorice when I was seven. When my old yellow tabby cat died when I was thirteen, that was the first time I had ever felt true heart ache. Animals are what taught me about love and the sacred. They taught me their language and from that I learned my passion of devoting my life to preserving these wonders of life. Growing up on a farm, a child will grow up fast and learn life lessons that haven’t been learned by some adults. I never realized until my freshman year of college just how much people will judge you based on where you come from. I was always judged in high school because of how urban I was compared to my friends with deep southern accents and now being at a university surrounded by people from...

      I have a cow named Buddy on my farm. He’s a two ton steer who could sell for hundreds if not thousands for his size. When he was born he was separated from his mother and when we found him that morning I picked him up and carried him to his mother. By that time, however, his mother would not let him take to her bag and we were forced to bottle feed him until he was old enough to eat hay and grass. My grandfather really wanted to sell him after the first year given he got to be the size of a young bull but I told him he better sell me to the slaughter house as well if he wanted to sell buddy. Although Pappy likes to complain about Buddy all the time, he loves to brag and take the neighbors out to see our gentle giant that loves chin scratches. Buddy is great to have when we have out of town visitors,  who aren’t used to seeing cows on their daily commutes to work. Most of our cows will run away like crazy because of how timid they are and Buddy wi...

  I find it very surreal that I just finished my last semester of my first half of college, while I know I have grown tremendously as a person being at CNU I worry that in my striving to achieve something better for myself than this small town life I’ve grown up in, I threw my social life out the door. Coming into college I had the mindset of “I’m not here to make friends” because I realize how much my parents are working to help me stay at this university that’s twice as big and fifty times as nice as I ever would have imagined achieving. Coming from a high school that had only three hallways, and a graduating class of just barely over 200 people, the amount of kids that didn’t just decide to cut their losses there and join the workforce were slim to none. While I admit, I partied hard in high school, the amount of people I meet at college who haven’t seen even one third of the amount of things I’ve seen in the backwoods of southwest Virginia, I did not expect for people to b...

  A few past times I believe have helped me in order to remain sane during my time in quarantine have to do with remaining grounded in my daily thoughts. Performing yogic sun salutations and doing 50 push-ups daily are my ritualistic patterns and on Fridays I grant myself two white claws in order to celebrate my week. Living on a farm, it’s not very hard to find something to do, the only issue is knowing the right time to do them. Given that I’ve been in school for the past two months I’ve practically had to perform my expected duties the same as if I were on campus. It was hard at first, I will admit, to remind myself daily that this at home schooling was not an extended summer vacation. I’m very weary about next semester if we are expected to continue online because this semester I think that the college was told to take it sort of easy on us given the fact we were all struggling to quickly adjust. Next semester, however, I feel like the college will have figured out ...

 As I have found myself locked away in my house for almost two months straight now, I have had much time to reflect on the anxieties that had so harshly been impending upon me in the everyday life I lead before this unexpected lock down. I had no idea that my returning home would be the last time I would drive my car for a while or that the last time I hugged my friends would be the last time I welcomed someone's touch. During my time at home I have found myself reflecting much on the idea of sacred time and what we are quarantined people could do in order to allow for this quarantine to yield wholly fulfillment. Some things that I have taken part in to aid in my feeling of purpose while locked away; various types of meditations and payer. Most times when I pray I find myself apologizing for what had been so taken for granted during my freedom and finding myself more so thankful for what the time in solitude has helped me realize for myself. I believe that this time is no coi...

 Another Disney movie that can thoroughly represent ideas of religious themes has to do with sacred time and how one found purpose through aiding and helping others during her times of sorrow. Cinderella is a story told universally that highlights the themes of fulfillment through selflessness and kindness. As she was left an orphan with no power over her situation, Cinderella found herself at the disposal of her evil stepmother who sought to reduce Cinderella's spirit to nothing but ash. As Cinderella grew the torment from her step mother and step sisters worsened, much to the point of Cinderella only having time to mend to her chores. As the story goes, Cinderella finds herself not believing in kindness anymore due to her stepmother and stepsisters actions yet still finds it in her heart to show kindness to an elderly lady who reveals herself to be Cinderella’s fairy godmother who helps her to go to the ball in hopes of finding a man she had ran into on her outing one day...

As I spoke about “The Hero’s Journey” having underlying religious tone of a sacred call I recalled the new Frozen2 movie and how Elsa receives a literal call of which she denies over and over again in order to remain her ritualistic comfort zone. “I can hear you, but I won’t”, is a quote from the character Elsa’s song “ Into The Unknown ” which symbolizes the denial of her call. Ultimately Elsa makes the decision to answer the call and venture into the unknown with her sister and friends where she faces trials and tribulations before her calling is fulfilled and she finds her purpose ultimately through the fulfillment of her call. As she and her sister cross into the sacred domain, the sacred is represented through a misty blockade where no one is said to be allowed to enter or exit. However, because Elsa and Anna are born of both the sacred and profane domains they were allowed to pass unharmed. Throughout the movie tremendum is also represented through the usage of element...

One particular element found within our semester that can be compared to outside sources in the idea of fulfilling a call. This call fulfillment is a theme that is presented within countless types of heroic films given that it is presented through the “Hero’s Journey”. Within the first stages of “The Hero’s Journey” a hero is supposed to hear a call, deny the call, and then answer the call which forces him to break through the stage of profanity. Therefore, the “Hero’s Journey” though it is not meant to be religious, has an underlying tone of religious themes given that, overall, the hero is meant to be fulfilling a call of which his logic is telling him not to. This also presents a tone of faith over logic given that, in the “Hero’s Journey”, after the denial of the call a hero gives in and goes on an entire journey in order to reach fulfillment. 

Another Ghibli movie I can reference when talking about religious themes would be “Nausica and the Valley of the Wind”. This Ghibli film is one that can give representation to the sacred and profane religious themes. Given that Nausica is a princess who lives in a Valley that is kept safe from the post-Apocalyptic world of deadly spores and giant bugs, the sacred become represented through the deadly lands that are beyond the safe haven of the windy valley. And the profane is represented through the mortal people who have proclaimed war against the sacred or “toxic jungle”. This movie is one I would very much compare to the film we watched in class “Apocalypse Now” given the representation of the sacred and profane through the usage of post apocalyptic themes representing the sacred. Naussica, the princess, ends up fighting against those people who have proclaimed war against the toxic jungle and fights for the giant bugs' right to live. In the end  Naussica saves the land...

A film that I would tie into the religious themes found within our Religion and Film class would be “My Neighbor Totoro” this film is a Ghibli film like that of spirited away and gives the audience representation for mysterium and tremendum through the presentation of a forest spirit called Totoro. When a small family moves into a rural house in the country the young children find themselves captivated by the natural world around them that seems to hold more magic than what meets the adult eye. Totoro is found by the children within a few nights of inhabiting their new rural house and is found to be helpful when it comes to growing plants and protecting his giant tree. The mysterium of this character is represented when it comes to the fact that only children are able to see Totoro and the fact that after he aids the children he is thought to be just a dream until one day, May the younger sister goes missing and the big sister must run and pray to Totoro for his help. When Sa...

Today we again touched on the notion of Tremendum and how it ties into the notion of the holy. Through viewing our film “ Apocalypse Now ” the themes of profane and sacred are represented through the immense and powerful themes of a Godly figure. As we watched the movie the theme of the sacred was presented to us through the Jungle. I was confused at first about why the rogue general Kurts had to die in the end by I found that given that Kurts was the product of the profane civilization, he must be purged from the sacred space. Kurts no longer belonged anywhere given he had gone against his purpose and became the representation of a Godly figure by belonging to both sides, therefore he must die. That gives representation to the overarching theme of tremendous given that there may not be any other Godly figure but the true holy divinity itself. 

On this day our topic had to do with the idea of mysterium and how it ties into the notion of ominous. Our film today was “The Seventh Seal” and had to do with a man named Antonious Block who is under the impression his entire life has been believed to have been hijacked by bad omens. The entire notion of mysterium and ominous goes along with the idea of choosing logic over faith. Given that logic seems to hold the more concrete answers. These concrete answers are what give the notion of mysterium purpose given that it is a characteristic of the wholly to be unfathomable. Mysterium is a characteristic of the holy given that the notion of death and what comes after death is something that mortal humans are simply unable to comprehend. The faith of what’s meant to be will be through the mysterious acts of the holy are meant to be represented through our particular topic of Antonius Block.

On this day we talked about the idea of the Holy and compared our idea to the Tolkien Character Aslan. Aslan, being a lion, is representative of what we talked about in class to have the religious characteristics of tremendum and mysterium . Tremendum is represented through the presentation of Aslan via the fact that he is a mighty and ferocious lion who, if he willed it, could take down any foes who crossed him. The mysterium is represented through Aslan given that throughout the series he is seen to come and go without explanation and would act without explanation. I remember as a child when I would watch the Chronicles of Narnia I would ponder about how I would rather my God be Aslan. Aslan was always kind to the younger children in the series as they were representation of purity, he forgave the boy who acted against him and was resurrected from death after being beaten in order to preserve his people. However, when it came to battles he was ferocious and had immense st...

Joel and Clementine's relationship has many layers to it. It illustrates two people who are destined to meet, fall in love, erase each other from their minds, and then eventually meet again. This cycle shows that you will never forget someone, especially who meant that much to you. That person will always be in your subconscious, no matter how hard you try to forget them. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless mind is a dark film that questions the nature of relationships. Although they love each other, Joel and Clementine's relationship will forever fall apart because of the clash between their personalities. However, they both accept this and will forever continue to be in this loop. I think the director is trying to convey that people only find happiness in things that are new to us, which is why this relationship is so vibrant when they initially meet yet so harsh once time has gone by. It is pretty depressing to think about but an interesting take on relationships. I would have ...

During my research on my term paper about The Godfather, I learned a lot about the representations of different organized crime groups in movies. Many of these films are actually made after real mob bosses such as Al Capone. Films like Scarface, The Public Enemy, and The Godfather have pathed way to many realistic takes on real life criminals. The various reiterations of mafias are realistic, despite popular opinion. It illustrates the suffering of consequences of their law-breaking way of life that goes outside the bounds of the tradition way to make a living. It is interesting to see how film has evolved based on different criminals that we hear about during our lives.

Invisible Man further portrays the evil that can come from the advancement of technology. The main character escapes her abusive boyfriend who finds his way back into her life with a suit that allows him to become invisible. Throughout the film, he messes with her and makes her seem crazy to those around her. After her life takes a turn for the worse due to his actions, she finds ways to expose him. Although I doubt an invisible suit is possible to create in the near future, the film exercises the idea of technology becoming too advanced for humans and the effect it could have on us. It is an epic thriller that I definitely recommend.

When signing up for this class, I imagined every film to be centered around certain religions. After learning about the various religious themes throughout the semester, I gained an appreciation for filmmaking and the deeper messages that many films portray. To dive deeper, I read an article about Religion and Film. It illustrates that although Hollywood movies have little in common with rituals of the church, films construct symbolic worlds that shape our understanding of the natural and cultural universes. Every film we focused on this semester has encompassed religion in a much deeper yet subtle way. Themes like the afterlife, social institutions, and war have all been portrayed in the films we studied.

We have talked about the advances of technology throughout the semester and what some of the outcomes are, like in Blade Runner. Although challenges arise from innovative technology, we should be thankful in times like this. Despite social distancing, technology and social media has allowed us to connect in a multitude of ways. Universities transitioned to online classes, allowing us to complete our credits from home. Many companies have been able to stay afloat and continue to hire as well as conduct business. Even though it is tough without the presence of your friends and family, we have maintained communication thanks to the advancement of technology.

This is an important time in our lives, one that no one will forget. Initially upset that the virus robbed by last few months of college, I became mad at the world. However, once the shock passed and I took a step back, I realized that everyone is going through this- not just me. It has been a humbling experience that shows we must move on and continue to live our lives, even if it is full of netflix and no gyms for the time being. Although times are tough, it is only temporary and I know we will come out of this with new perspectives on life.

One film I wish we went into more detail with during the semester is Groundhog Day. Not only is the film hilarious but it also provides some key life lessons. Bill Murray plays a TV weatherman who is trapped in the same day (Groundhog Day) over and over again. It represents the millions of people who are stuck in a repetitive lifestyle and mindset. To fix your unhealthy tendencies, it is important to take a step back and live your life to its fullest while appreciating those around you. I know whenever my life becomes repetitive, I make changes in order to stay creative and avoid getting stuck in a rut. Especially in a time like this, it is crucial to appreciate what we have until it is gone. This film has various religious themes that teach us there is more to life than merely following the norms.

Tyler Karol - Persuasion Persuasion is used by people every day in an attempt to affect other individual mindsets to conform to whatever the persuader wants. This technique is especially used in the business world between sellers and consumers. The film, Northfork, gives a different scenario where persuasion is used. This town is under pressure from being flooded, and six men attempt to persuade individuals in the town to evacuate. Some individuals in the town are stubborn and do not want to evacuate for many reasons. The six men come up with different ways to attempt to persuade the individuals. This exemplified the idea of persuasion and how it comes in various ways.

Tyler Karol - Inception Inception is a movie based on the concept of accessing different realities. Characters are sometimes unaware of their current reality and do not know if they are dreaming, or in real life. The idea of this is interesting to think about related to our current life. If characters in this film had no idea they were in a different reality, it raises the question of our current life and it's reality. Even with our dreams, they can feel so real at times supporting the idea that we could potentially have some technology eventually that will enable these different realities.

Tyler Karol - Back to the Future The film Back to the Future explores the concept of time travel. This concept has been investigated by many people however there is no way to access it. The closest we have gotten to changing time has been slowing it instead of reversing it. We have found through experimentation that time can be slowed at incredibly fast speeds however this has only been done in space. Back to the Future explore the concept of time travel using a car to transport individuals to different time periods. The idea of this is interesting because as they change things in the past, it has a butterfly effect on their present time. An example of this was when the main character traveled back in time and met his parents, causing them to not get married which resulted in the main character not being born.

Tyler Karol - Education One concept I like to think about is the importance of education. In society, having an education from a university has a connotation that it is necessary to living a successful life. Although I believe it is important to receive an education and its benefits individuals looking to go into a field of their desire, is it necessary to be successful? Some of the most successful people on earth either dropped out of college or did not attend at all. Examples of this would be Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates in the technology field, and Kobe Bryant and Lebron James in the sports field. I believe that depending on what your definition of success is to you, it can benefit you and most likely will, however, it is not always necessary.

Tyler Karol - Interstellar Interstellar has to be one of my favorite films of all time. The plotline of this movie dives into concepts of space and time which are very interesting to me. It helps the audience understand that space is such a different reality from what everyone knows and has a basic understanding of. The screenplay, as well as the actors, play into the plotline very well with the changing of ages as well as the perfect screenplay to fully capture the theme of this film. I would recommend this film to anyone with even a small interest in space.

Tyler Karol - Fate and The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind One thing I tend to think about frequently is fate and the existence of it. Are individuals on a set path for their life? Meaning specific things are bound to happen to them regardless of their actions just by human nature drawing us toward these events. The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind provides an accurate description of this myth with the relationship between the two main characters. No matter how much they try to erase each other from their mind as well as get away from each other, in the end, they end up together. Is fate, as seen in this film, present in real life?

Tyler Karol - Movies In my last blog, I discussed the value of food and it's underlying values as well. I believe Movies contain similar values, the main difference is that it's not necessary for survival. Movies also join people together as well as provide a key source of entertainment. Not only does this benefit the audience of the movie, but it also creates jobs for every worker producing the film.

Tyler Karol - Food Food is something every human must come across daily or periodically. The value of food is very significant as its necessary for survival, but there are many other underlying values to it that go overlooked. This is a way of joining people through a meal, as well as showing acts of kindness or love through giving or preparing meals for others. Babett's Feast exemplifies the value of this gesture by showing love through preparing a full meal specifically for the two sisters, but also all those around her who got to enjoy the meal.

Tyler Karol - 2020 The start of this new decade has been off to a rough, unexpected start most would say. The Coronavirus, the death of Kobe Bryant, the stock market crash, these are just a few things that have affected me personally. This year will be talked about in the future as one that had a big impact on the world. I mean, how many people get evacuated from school during their four short years at college?

Tyler Karol - Creativity and Big Fish Creativity is something that is unique to each individual. This characteristic is what gives meaning to some people and not so much to others. Big Fish is a prime example of this with the two main characters being opposites of each other in this sense. Will Bloom is a typical male who lives life day to day without feeding into creativity or mythical things. His father is the complete opposite, a man who is filled with creativity, and his life reflects how this characteristic has led him to an experience filled one.

Tyler Karol - Technology and Blade Runner The advancement of technology in society has really excelled in the past century and more so in the past two decades. This technology era has revolutionized today's world and it's advancement is continuing to grow exponentially. Blade Runner gives a preview of what our world has potential to become with this advancement into the future. It makes me wonder what new things will become incorporated and developed with technology as the driver.

Tyler Karol - Steve Jobs and Apple One thing that has always interested me was the way Steve Jobs creativity revolutionized the world. From the Macintosh and iPod to the iPhone, his creations had an impact on the world. Since his passing in 2011, his company Apple has continued to develop new products, but are they as revolutionary as Jobs' creations? It's a shame to lose one of the most significant inventors in history, and I'm curious as to what would be around today if he was still alive.

Tyler Karol - Quarentine The Coronavirus has really made an impact on everyone around the world and changed the living style of those as well. With everybody forced into quarentine, it makes me question a couple things. How long could we sustain work through quarentine? Could this be considered against our constitutional rights to force us to stay in quarentine? These are some questions that should be considered moving foward with future issues that arise. The Coronavirus will for sure be a moment in time that I will never forget especially due to the timing during my college career.