Latest Anti-Mormon Flick Bombs

[smac97]

Here:

MORMON-BASHING 'VIRGINIA' HITS THEATERS, CRITICS HIT BACK

Oscar-winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black ("Milk") got his first crack at directing a feature film two-plus years ago with "Virginia."

But the film has been sitting on the proverbial shelf ... until now.

The timing is interesting, no doubt, considering the story involves a philandering, kinky Mormon running for higher office.

The first public screening of the film, then dubbed, "What's Wrong with Virginia," drew withering responses, and back on the shelf it went.

Now, it's in limited theatrical release, and critics are treating the movie like a cinematic pinata. As of today, the film's RottenTomatoes.com score is 0 percent.

NPR's Scott Tobias echoed the views of his colleagues when he slammed the film for how it treats its characters:

Black shows little but contempt for the small-minded denizens of Oceana, Va., a beachside hick town rife with hypocrisy and dirty little secrets, including a whopper involving a Mormon sheriff in a long-standing S&M affair with a half-crazy Southern belle.

[Darren10]

LOL, I just read this article, like, 30 seconds before I clicked on this site. News travels fats, eh?

This isn't just "anti-mormon" bashing, this is a deeply disturbed (Freudian slip?) image of what Hollywood folks tend to see in religious poeple: strict, secretive, domineering, power hungry, etc. Mormons are no exception. Perhaps because religiously they're seen as obscure.

[volgadon]

I thought the thread was about a new sort of tiny hand grenades.

[Scott Lloyd]

Isn't Black the guy who's reportedly writing the script for the film Ron Howard is doing based on Krakauer's book? (Can't recall the title now, but it links Mormonism to violence, highlights Mountain Meadows, and goes into the Lafferty murders.)

I'd like to see that one die a quick death as well. In fact, what I really want is for it to be still-born, or better yet, aborted.

The title just occurred to me. It's "Under the Banner of Heaven."

Edited May 26, 2012 by Scott Lloyd

[Hamba Tuhan]

Poor DLB seems to be consumed by his hatred of the Church and his need to exact some kind of vengeance over Proposition 8. It must be spiritually exhausting.

[Senator]

How is this an anti-Mormon film?

Is it because one of the films characters is a bad-behaving Mormon?

[followerofemmanuel]

This movie, however one wants to catagorize it, is complete rubbish. Watching this movie would be a total waste of time. Sorry that there is offensive content in it. Someone once said there is no such thing as bad publicity, maybe that is true Hopefully something good can come out of it...

[busybee]

In my opinion, this type of portrayal goes to show that, whether they're willing to admit it or not, the people behind the making of this type of movie hold LDS to higher standards than they hold others to. If not, what is the big deal about the "badly behaved" character being identified as LDS. Would his behaviour be less scandalous if he were of another religion. If so, why???

P.S.Haven't seen or heard of the movie and, being outside the US, doubt if I will.

Edited May 26, 2012 by busybee

[Buzzard]

First "September Dawn", now this one. Nothing speaks louder in Hollywood than dollars. Another flick or two with virulent ant-LDS sentiment going down in flames should eliminate the genre for a while. It also says a lot that the writer and director is Dustin Lance Black, who apparently grew up LDS before deciding that gay activism was his life's calling and made a movie that critics fawned over (Milk) for it's adoring treatment of a gay city councilman. Can't think of anyone who would get more lathered up about Mormons than a gay ex-LDS with a bone to pick and someone else's money behind him.

OTOH, maybe this is Karma for "The RM" and "The Home Teachers".

Edited May 26, 2012 by Buzzard

[Hamba Tuhan]

Nothing speaks louder in Hollywood than dollars.

One would think, but you should check out film critic Michael Medved's book Hollywood vs. America, wherein he demonstrates that many entertainment types are ideologically driven to create films which lose millions of dollars.

[Calm]

How is this an anti-Mormon film?

Is it because one of the films characters is a bad-behaving Mormon?

It would likely depend on if he presented the character as a typical LDS who was seen as faithful by other LDS or not.

Not having read more than a brief summary, I couldn't tell myself, but some of the reviews seemed to see it as anti.

[KevinG]

I thought the thread was about a new sort of tiny hand grenades.

Or recent reports of boogers thrown at Saints.

[KevinG]

How is this an anti-Mormon film?

Is it because one of the films characters is a bad-behaving Mormon?

Since its only one character perhaps we should call it a "Mormon Critic" film?

[KevinG]

OTOH, maybe this is Karma for "The RM" and "The Home Teachers".

True. True. LDS should probably not be throwing rocks in the glass cinema.