Arts & Culture

The Jungle Book: Interspecies Empathy

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It would be remiss of me to not acknowledge my initial cynicism upon being told that The Jungle Book was being remade yet again. Not only by Disney, but also by Warner Brothers now that the copyright protections which safeguarded Rudyard Kipling’s novel have lapsed. While Warner Brothers has postponed the release of its own film until 2018, Disney’s latest effort has landed in theaters with notable aplomb. I openly admit that my original cynicism was unfounded: Jon Favreau’s direction has imbued what could have been an otherwise cold exhibition of studio machinery with an invigorating earnestness. Here we have a film that passionately encourages us to embrace our core essence while simultaneously recognizing it as an accidental feature that doesn’t reflect our true character.

Arts & Culture

The Witch Casts a Disturbing Spell

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Until it goes off the rails in its third act, The Witch maintains an unnerving, tense aura of creepiness and dread. The dread comes not from gore or bloodshed, but from the overwhelming threat of violence that seems inevitable in a 1630s Puritan setting. That is Puritan, not puritanical. These folks in bonnets and heavy cloth seem like the real witches; they would be willing to sacrifice their children if commanded to do so. The Witch occurs in an environment where religious devotion and the desire to avoid the hot place approach insanity.

Uncategorized

Ignoring Our Country’s Most Vulnerable Population

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While most take for granted obtaining a high school education without cost, some are deprived of this opportunity. In Mississippi, children attending alternative schools face abusive treatment and fail to receive an adequate education regardless of the fact that they are among the country’s most vulnerable population. Most of the children attending alternative schools have special needs and are African Americans, neither of which are justifiable reasons for mistreatment or discriminatory action.