Straw Dogs
Offline A few years ago, I made a thread called "Atheist films" - i.e. Movies that show atheism in a positive light. I'd add the "Straw Dogs" remake to that list for this scene alone -
The scene itself is actually much longer. Anyhow, I enjoyed this movie because I can relate to it - I'm originally from a small southern town, and even when I moved to a bigger city, it was still the South, and the area I am in (while not as bad as a small town), it still has some of the same vibe. The film is pretty much correct about everything - The way they overhype high school football, hunting, and church yet sin like Satan. The way they gossip, the way the men have an obsession with being macho, as well as the lynch mob that exists if you're an outsider. Yup. For those of you who are curious to know what we redneck Atheists have to go through, this is the film to see. 
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Here's that old thread: http://www.rationalresponders.com/atheism_movies
Do you want to compile a list of atheist movies from what you learned and I'll edit your first post with the list? If someone seeks the list out in the future, it'll make it easy on them.
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Sure, that's a good idea. I've seen a few other films since then. I have some time to kill here at work, so I'll work on that now. Here's a list of ones that really grabbed my attention on the topic over the years:
Inherit the Wind - A school teacher gets arrested, and must stand trail for teaching the theory of evolution in school.
Straw Dogs (the remake) - An open Atheist and his wife from L.A. move to a small southern town in the bible belt and face harassment.
The God Who Wasn't There - A documentary about religion
Religulous - Bill Maher explores religion around the world.
Planet of the Apes (The original) - Turns the scopes monkey trial upside down, and explores the relationship between man and ape in a very dark and twisted way. Makes subtle references to religion and evolution.
Red State - A fanatic group of Christians kidnap some local teenage boys. (Not sure if this could be consider an Atheist film, but it does show how crazy religion can make some people)
Question to an old thread: is the new Straw Dogs similar to the rape-revenge exploitation flick it was during the early 70s? Cuz if it is...
“A meritocratic society is one in which inequalities of wealth and social position solely reflect the unequal distribution of merit or skills amongst human beings, or are based upon factors beyond human control, for example luck or chance. Such a society is socially just because individuals are judged not by their gender, the colour of their skin or their religion, but according to their talents and willingness to work, or on what Martin Luther King called 'the content of their character'. By extension, social equality is unjust because it treats unequal individuals equally.” "Political Ideologies" by Andrew Heywood (2003)
It's a lot like the original, yes. Only it's set in modern times, and in the deep South, and has a few other things that are it's own. It takes some of the scenes from the original, and puts it's on spin on it.
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I will add a few to the list:
Blade Runner – The replicants come to earth to seek out their creator.
The Crucible – Dramatic retelling of the Salem witch trials.
Deliver us From Evil – A documentary about a pedophile priest from California.
Elmer Gantry-- Tells the story of a fast talking salesman turned into a con man preacher.
The Handmaid's Tale – Following a war where WMD have rendered most women sterile, the USA has become the theistic Republic of Gilead. The few women believed to be fertile are forced into sexual slavery for the nation's elite in an attempt to restart the population.
The Truman Show – The director will go to any length, including impersonating god to keep the protagonist in the dark over what is really going on.
The Wicker Man – A police officer goes to a remote island to investigate a case of a missing girl. When he gets there he finds that the island has reinvented an ancient religion. Do not get the Nic Cage version. Watch the 1973 version starring Christopher Lee.
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I have adjusted the initial post by Zeeboe and found a nice Amazon list for the movies as well.
Let's make this page the new home for an extensive atheist movie list: http://www.rationalresponders.com/atheism_movies
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Support our activism efforts by making your Amazon purchases via this link.