From: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com (aml-list-digest) To: aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: aml-list-digest V1 #937 Reply-To: aml-list Sender: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Errors-To: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Precedence: bulk aml-list-digest Thursday, January 9 2003 Volume 01 : Number 937 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 31 Dec 2002 11:18:40 -0700 From: Christopher Bigelow Subject: [AML] Latest on My Memoir [MOD: Thanks very much to Christopher for sharing his experience on this. This touches very centrally on several key topics for AML-List.] I thought I'd update AML-Listers on what's going on with the missionary memoir proposal I've mentioned from time to time, and I need to ask for some more advice. Regardless of whether my specific project appeals to you, this situation should be interesting to anyone with any inclination toward writing or reading material on Mormon themes aimed at the national audience. The people at HarperSanFrancisco claim they don't have any trouble with the idea of publishing a book on Mormon themes, as far as the marketing goes. So if nothing else, let me just say that I believe the window is more open than ever for a new breed of Mormon books to break into the mainstream, and I think it will happen with memoirs before novels. I'm talking about stuff even more directly Mormon than _Refuge_ and _Expecting Adam_ and more friendly than _Secret Ceremonies_. I repeat my offer to share my list of agents who have shown openness to Mormon-related material (in other words, the 40 or so agents who said yes to my query letter and wanted to read the proposal), and I really hope I can help encourage anyone who has a project in mind along these lines to start writing more seriously or anyone who actually has completed part or all of a manuscript to get serious about marketing it nationally (and if it's a nonfiction memoir, you can sometimes sell it based on sample chapters and an outline rather than writing the whole book up front, which is what I'm trying to do. You can't do that with novels, especially not starting out). My particular proposal did make it all the way to the publication board at HSF, but I didn't get an offer. However, I did get some good feedback from the editor who is championing my project within the company. I'm going to post the relevant parts of her comments below. The main reason I am doing so is because I don't know where to go next. I'm casting about for advice wherever I can, and I'm hoping to pick up some magical suggestion from somebody that sets me off on the right path. If you are interested enough, I can e-mail you the current proposal (MS Word document, about 20,000 words) and you can give me any thoughts that occur to you on how I could approach writing new sample chapters and an outline that address the editor's concerns and criteria. So here's part of the editor's letter to my agent (and even if you're not interested in my particular project, it's still interesting to see what an editor's attitudes are toward Mormon material): <<< As mentioned, my colleagues felt that overall the material was too "surface" - - that ultimately it doesn't answer (or hint to) the big WHY - as in, why is Christopher still Mormon? While I know the sample chapters, being the early ones in the book, couldn't answer that completely, I do think we need to have some consciousness of the question - some more solid detail of the ambivalence. Currently these chapters don't lead me to believe that we will get the answer to the "why." These sorts of handrails are necessary throughout. - there need to be epiphanies in each chapter, not just a big shining light at the end. Mormonism seems to be, like Judaism, a culture and a religion. Those who are Jewish can be non-religious, yet still identify themselves as culturally Jewish. Is this the same for Mormons? If so, perhaps some more detail on Mormon culture can be incorporated. Christopher does this occasionally - the scenes with his parents especially resonate - yet there can be more. The trick is to make sure this is insider enough so readers can vicariously experience, while also being open enough to allow those not familiar with Mormon ways a clear and precise understanding of them. As I was reading, I felt distanced, outsider - and this is a larger problem, since this should appeal to readers of all stripes, not just Mormons. While I enjoyed thesugarbeet.com, I did feel that its appeal and humor was primarily insider and The Missionary Position's success will have a lot to do with whether or not the religion is made accessible. The challenge here is to portray the religion and culture soundly, smartly - while also recognizing its, for lack of a better word, absurdities, its idiosyncrasies. Might there be a way to organize this around basic tenets of the faith - each chapter could take on a basic belief and then dissect it - - its truths and its absurdities - while also maintaining the missionary experience thread? Since I don't know Mormonism and therefore can't really come up with a fitting example from that faith, I'll take a cue from the religion of my childhood. I can see a Catholic memoir structured by the seven deadly sins (imagine that in the hands of David Sedaris...), or, say, a chapter on the validity and absurdity of the virgin birth. If Christopher uses this model and applies to the Mormon faith, I am betting he'll really succeed in bridging the gap between those in the know, and those who don't know. By taking basic tenets, he would tap into a common parlance for those readers who are Mormon; by dissecting the truths and the questions, he would explain the faith for non-Mormons, and hopefully give those of the flock something new to consider. If done well (and I'm confident Christopher can do it), this sort of critical, humorous analysis will simultaneously recognize the idiosyncrasies of the faith - while also celebrating them. Also in regard to the narrative threads and the structure of the book, Heather as "narrative device" is good - to a point. While the relationship with Heather is one of the main drives, I feel that it overwhelms. Heather is a good entrance into the questions about faith - but my concern is that this doesn't take readers anywhere. As is, the outline follows the rollercoaster of their relationship - but I don't get the sense that Christopher grows spiritually as much as he grows, well, carnally. Again, this needs to be explored so that the faith is the main current. Heather does indeed need to be in the book, but the relationship with her should lead to other epiphanies as well. The Missionary Position has enormous potential to be a seminal bildungsroman - - and not just for Mormons. I do hope these notes help Christopher in revising - he is talented, has a great sense of humor and I believe with a fresh attempt at this, he will really shine. I look forward to seeing the revised material. >>> It sounds like the main thing I need is some kind of organizing device instead of a chronological narrative. They want a topical memoir, not a novelistic one (but she uses the word "bildingsroman," which is a certain kind of novel). What should I organize it around, the 13 articles of faith, perhaps rearranged and with one or two left out? The 6 missionary discussions? The 7 habits of highly effective people? I really just wanted to tell the story of a mission, but I don't want to neglect giving a more topical approach a chance, if that's what it will take. But it leaves me at much more of a loss of how to proceed. I may not even be the right person to write such a book as she is describing. I'll tell you what, this whole writing and publishing thing is a real mixed bag. Thanks in advance for any help, and good luck with your own projects. Contact me directly at chris.bigelow@unicitynetwork.com unless your comments are intended for AML-List. Chris Bigelow - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 31 Dec 2002 15:59:47 -0600 From: "kumiko" Subject: [AML] Box Office Report Dec. 27 02 Feature Films by LDS/Mormon Filmmakers and Actors Weekend Box Office Report (U.S. Domestic Box Office Gross) Weekend of December 27, 2002 Report compiled by: LDSFilm.com [If table below doesn't line up properly, try looking at them with a mono-spaced font, such as Courier - Ed.] Natl Film Title Weekend Gross Rank LDS/Mormon Filmmaker/Actor Total Gross Theaters Days - --- ----------------------------- ----------- ----- ---- 14 The Santa Clause 2 2,070,255 1,511 59 Ken Daurio (screenwriter) 135,459,771 Cinco Paul (screenwriter) 60 Shackleton's Antarctic Adventure 19,531 7 689 Scott Swofford (producer) 13,774,679 Reed Smoot (cinematographer) Sam Cardon (composer) Stephen L. Johnson (film editor) 65 Cirque du Soleil: Journey of Man 12,289 5 969 Reed Smoot (cinematographer) 14,523,592 70 Jack Weyland's Charly 7,461 8 94 Adam Anderegg (director) 577,143 Jack Weyland (book author) Janine Gilbert (screenwriter) Lance Williams (producer) Micah Merrill (producer, film editor) Tip Boxell (co-producer) Bengt Jan Jonsson (cinematographer) Aaron Merrill (composer) Actors: Heather Beers, Jeremy Elliott, Adam Johnson, Jackie Winterrose Fullmer, Diana Dunkley, Gary Neilson, Lisa McCammon, Randy King, Bernie Diamond, etc. 83 China: The Panda Adventure 2,226 4 521 Reed Smoot (cinematographer) 2,988,199 86 Galapagos 1,590 1 1158 Reed Smoot (cinematographer) 13,863,764 HALESTORM GREENLIGHTS NEW MOYER FEATURE: Screenwriter and stand-up comedian John E. Moyer informed us that his latest script, a feature comedy about home teachers, has been greenlit by HaleStorm Entertainment for production beginning in Summer 2003. Moyer is the writer of the hit LDS-themed feature film "The Singles Ward" (based loosely on his own life), and the upcoming comedy "The R.M." (opening on January 31st, 2003 in Utah). This latest script is described as "'Planes, Trains and Automobiles' meets home teaching on the very last day of the month." Kirby Heyborne and Michael J. Birkeland (both of whom had starring or supporting roles in "The Singles Ward" and "The R.M.") are tentatively attached to star. DANSIE ANNOUNCES HIS 1ST FEATURE: On 31 December 2002, Tucker T. Dansie announced he will soon begin work on his first feature film as a director, a romantic comedy titled "Love Logs On." The Salt Lake City-based Latter-day Saint film director previously made the documentary "Colors: Up Close & Personal" (1999, available on video at Desert Book stores), as well as many short films, and was the Director of Photography for the upcoming missionary comedy "Suddenly Unexpected." The script for the cyberspace love story was written by Dansie, who will also serve as his own Director of Photography and producer. The film's other producer will be his mother, Judy Dansie, who previously produced his short film "Two Dimes & A Nickel" (2002). The director says that the movie is not necessarily an LDS-themed film: "'Love Logs On' is about 'local' things and local culture and so there is a lot of humor that is about LDS things and LDS culture. Even the characters, although we never come out and say it, are most likely LDS. I just don't find it necessary to sit and talk about religion." Auditions will be held in January. Those interested in camera, digital sound, continuity/script supervising, non-linear edit assisting or other crew positions should visit the official website at http://www.lovelogson.com. All positions are non-pay/non-union. The director says: "we WILL work around YOUR schedule." SUDDENLY UNEXPECTED - The movie trailer for the upcoming Latter-day Saint-themed feature film "Suddenly Unexpected" is now online at the movie's official website (http://www.suddenlyunexpected.com). Flash 6.0 is required to load and view the trailer. PAUL AND DAURIO PASS TAYLOR - On Christmas Eve, appropriately enough, additional ticket sales for "Santa Clause 2" pushed the career domestic box office total of Latter-day Saint screenwriter Cinco Paul's movies higher (by about $400,000) than that of the late, great Samuel W. Taylor. Both were at about $140 million. This puts Paul in 3rd place on our list of top-grossing Latter-day Saint screenwriters. Paul's writing partner, Ken Daurio, is only slightly behind Paul, and surpassed Taylor by the end of the week. PAUL AND DAURIO KEEP WRITING - "Let It Rain," written by Latter-day Saint writers Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio, is in development by Walt Disney/Jim Henson Films production. Paul and Daurio will also executive produce. Henson's Lisa Henson (daughter of the late famed puppeteer Jim Henson) and Kristine Belson (executive producer of "Muppets in Space") will produce. The live action movie features singing dogs and stars a canine grifter who convinces a barnyard full of animals that they can trigger rainfall if they develop their singing abilities. Something like that. Think of it as "Moulin Rouge!" meets "All Dogs Go To Heaven" mixed with "Sister Act." MORE ON ABAGNALE - Like the Salt Lake Tribune before it, but now in more depth, the Deseret News has published an article about Frank W. Abagnale Jr.'s claims that he was a BYU professor. Abagnale is the subject of the new Steven Spielberg/Tom Hanks movie, "Catch Me If You Can", which finished the weekend in the #2 spot (behind "Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers"), grossing $30 million dollars. BYU claims that Abagnale never taught there. "Catch Me If You Can" is rated PG-13. So under BYU guidelines, it could be used in teaching history classes. See: http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,450022954,00.html? WALKER'S NEXT MOVIES - Latter-day Saint actor Paul Walker's next movie, "Timeline", is set for an 11 April 2003 release. The movie was directed by Richard Donner and is an adaptation of Michael Crichton's best-selling time travel to medieval times novel. Walker receives top-billing as a graduate student who travels to the past to rescue his professor. After that, Walker will be appearing on screens as the star of "The Fast and the Furious 2," the follow up to last year's surprise racing hit. Walker received a $2 million paycheck for "The Fast and the Furious," but managed to get $7 million for the sequel. BOOK OF MORMON MOVIE CASTING UPDATE - [Quoting official site:] At this time we have not yet completed casting. We will be making our final selections for the vast majority of the principle roles by the end of December and notifying the actors. However, a few roles may not be cast until a later date. We would like to thank everyone who has auditioned so far. Your talents and excitement for this project are greatly appreciated! We will be holding a casting session in Los Angeles ONLY for the part of Nephi. This will NOT be an open casting session. If you would like to be considered for this part, please send a headhsot and resume. [END QUOTE] OSC ON SCREENPLAY ADAPTATIONS OF HIS BOOKS - Here is a very, very detailed interview with Orson Scott Card, primarily about his writing of the screenplay for an adaptation of his novel Ender's Game. He also mentions the screenplay adaptation of his novel "Pastwatch: The Redemption of Christopher Columbus." The adaptation was written by his son Geoffrey. See: http://www.americanalien.net/OSC.html BAGGALEY ON CHRISTMAS MOVIES - Meridian Magazine has an article about Christmas videos written by LDSFilm.com co-webmaster Thomas C. Baggaley at: http://www.meridianmagazine.com/videos/021224holiday.html THE OTHER SIDE OF HEAVEN IS A SANGUINE VISION - In its recap of the year in film, the Orange County Register calls "The Other Side of Heaven" a "sanguine vision." See: http://www2.ocregister.com/ocrweb/ocr/article.do?id=18139§ion=SHOW&year= 2002&month=12&day=29 LaBUTE AND ECKHART'S "POSSESSION" CITED BY MOVIE CRITICS AS ONE OF TOP 10 MOVIES OF THE YEAR: At least four movie reviewers have included Neil Labute's feature film "Possession" on their lists of the Top 10 best movies of 2002. The movie was directed by controversial but critically successful Latter-day Saint filmmaker Neil LaBute, who co-wrote the screenplay based on the same-titled novel by A.S. Byatt. The lead actor in the movie is Aaron Eckhart, also a Latter-day Saint and LaBute's fellow graduate from BYU. The following critics included "Possession" in their Top 10 movies of the year lists: - - Jim Verniere, Boston Herald - - Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com (ranked 9th) - - Charles Taylor, Salon.com (ranked 10th) - - Chuck Schwartz, CrankyCritic.com We could also point out that celebrated movie critic Roger Ebert listed "Possession" in "11th place" in his "Top 10 write-up" column. But Ebert listed 57 other movies in "11th place" as well. A more exclusive list was Chuck Rudolph's top movies list for Slant Magazine, which included "Possession" among only 11 movies cited for "honorable mention." Also, the New York Online Film Critics named "Possession" (co-written by LaBute) as the one runner-up for their Best Screenplay Award. (They gave the award to "Adaptation," which is the overwhelming favorite for Best Screenplay competitions and lists this year.) MINORITY REPORT ON DOZENS OF TOP 10 LISTS: "Minority Report," the science fiction thriller directed by Steven Spielberg and produced by Latter-day Saint producer Gerald R. Molen (who also produced last year's "The Other Side of Heaven") has appeared on dozens of lists of the "Top 10" movies of 2002. In fact, the "Top Films in Critics' Top 10 Lists" website ranks "Minority Report" at #12 on the list of movies included on the most lists written by the country's 45 most popular movie critics, and at #16 on a list culled from 129 separate Top 10 lists. Here are a few of the lists ranking "Minority Report" in the Top 10 movies of 2002: (NUMBERS IN PARENTHESES ARE THE MOVIE'S RANK WITHIN THE TOP 10 LIST. SOME LISTS ARE NOT RANKED.) The Chicago Sun-Times, Roger Ebert (1) The Chicago Sun-Times, Richard Roeper (3) People Magazine NOW Magazine, John Harkness (3) The News Tribune (Tacoma, Washington), Soren Andersen (3) USA Today, Mike Clark (4) Seattle Post-Intelligencer, William Arnold (4) Time Magazine, Richard Corliss (5) Boston Phoenix, Peter Keough (5) Boston Herald, Jim Verniere The Beacon Journal (Akron, Ohio), George M. Thomas (5) ScreenDaily.com / Screen International (5) Movie City News, Gary Dretzka (6) USA Today, Claudia Puig (8) Chicago Tribune, Mark Caro (8) The Age (Australia) (8) Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Philip Martin (8) Chicago Tribune, Michael Wilmington (9) Orlando Sentinel, Jay Boyar (9) Gannett News Service/The Desert Sun, Jack Garner (9) Lifetimes.com, Geoffrey Himes (9) Charlotte Observer, Lawrence Topman (10) The Mercury News (California), Bruce Newman (10) Los Angeles Times, Manohla Dargis IndieWire, Howard Feinstein IndieWire, Peter Brunette St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Joe Williams The Mercury News, Glenn Lovell (runner-up) The Plain Dealer (Cleveland), Joanna Connors (runner-up) Las Vegas Mercury, Bob Grimm (runner-up) The Toronto Star, Geoff Pevere (runner-up) Slant Magazine, Ed Gonzalez (runner-up) The Hot Button, David Poland (runner-up) In his Top 10 list Roger Ebert (the country's most prominent movie critic) picked "Minority Report" the best movie of the year. He said about the film: [QUOTE] "Minority Report" Steven Spielberg's movie starred Tom Cruise as a policeman of the future, a man in charge of a program that uses three "precogs," who can foresee the future, allowing them to predict crimes so they can be prevented before they happen. Based on a 1956 story by Philip K. Dick, the movie combined a classic murder plot with sensational futuristic effects and a strong human story. The Cruise character, still devastated over the disappearance of his young son years earlier, is endangered by an apparent loophole in the precog system. In one of the most extraordinary chase sequences ever filmed, he flees from police while guided by one of the precognatives (Samantha Morton), who gives him instructions based on what is about to happen. The movie is visually dazzling. A sequence involving computer-generated "spiders" who search for Cruise within the elaborate set of a boarding house, is one of the most impressive displays of technical mastery I have ever seen. It also works as pure moviemaking. The whole movie does. "Minority Report" is mainstream moviemaking at its most sublime. [END QUOTE] PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE ON NUMEROUS TOP 10 LISTS: Many Top 10 movies of the year lists include "Punch-Drunk Love," which features four Latter-day Saint actors -- the Stevens brothers -- playing Mormon brothers from Provo, Utah who try to encourage Adam Sandler to pay his debts to the Provo-based company that they represent. The "Top Films in Critics' Top 10 Lists" website ranks "Punch-Drunk Love" at #17 on the list of movies included on the most lists by the country's most popular movie critics, and at #12 on a list culled from 129 separate Top 10 lists. Lists by movie critics which include "Punch-Drunk Love" in their Top 10 best movies of 2002 include: (NUMBERS IN PARENTHESES ARE THE MOVIE'S RANK WITHIN THE TOP 10 LIST. SOME LISTS ARE NOT RANKED.) New York Times, A.O. Scott Wall Street Journal, Joe Morgenstern Christian Science Monitor, David Sterritt Toronto Star, Geoff Pevere The Globe & Mail (Toronto), Rick Groen and Liam Nacey Philadelphia City Paper, Cindy Fuchs Artforum, Chrissie Iles (1) The Oregonaian, Kim Morgan (2) The Vancouver Sun, Katherine Monk (3) MSN, Dave McCoy (3) New York Times, Dave Kehr (4) Boston Phoenix, Peter Keough (4) Boston Phoenix, Gerald Peary (4) Weekend Handicapper (HSX.Com), Michael O'Rorke (5) Orlando Sentinel, Jay Boyar (6) The Mercury News (California), Bruce Newman (6) Beacon Journal (Ohio), George M. Thomas (6) Artforum, Ian Birnie (7) MacLeans (Canada), Brian D. Johnson (8) Toronto Star, Peter Howell (8) The Mercury News, Glenn Lovell (8) E!Online (9) Premiere, Anne Thompson (9) ScreenDaily.com (10) EYE Magazine, Kim Linekin Ella Taylor, LA Weekly Ron Stringer, LA Weekly Paul Malcolm, LA Weekly Mark Olsen, LA Weekly John Powers, LA Weekly IndieWire.com, Anthony Kaufman IndieWire.com, Eddie Cockrell Indiewire.com, Howard Feinstein Rolling Stone, Peter Travers (runner-up) IndieWire.com, Matthew Ross (runner-up) Also, "Punch-Drunk Love" was the runner-up (after "Adaptation") for both the Best Picure and the Best Screenplay awards given by the Toronto Film Critics. THE BELIEVER ON TOP 10 LISTS: "The Believer," starring Latter-day Saint actor Ryan Gosling as an Orthodox Jew involved in the neo-Nazi movement, was also included in a number of Top 10 lists: Christian Science Monitor, David Sterrit Santa Cruz Sentinel, Wallace Baine (7) The Oregonian, Shawn Levy (4) Catherine Tunnacliffe, EYE Magazine EYE Magazine, Kim Linekin IndieWire, David Steritt and Mikita Brottman MOVIES DIRECTED BY LATTER-DAY SAINTS MOSTLY NOT IN NATION'S TOP 10 LISTS: "Minority Report" with Molen as producer and "Punch-Drunk Love" with Latter-day Saint characters and actors were the movies we track that were included on the most Top 10 lists by movie critics. And "The Believer" is on a few lists, largely for Ryan Gosling's tour de force performance. But what about movies DIRECTED by Latter-day Saints? (After all, auteur theory holds that it is the director who is ultimately the creative "author," of a film.) Well... There's not much to mention. As noted above, Neil LaBute's "Possession" was a Top 10 pick by a small number of critics. Also, "Cremaster 3," directed by Matthew Barney, was #8 on the Top 10 list of Artforum's Chrissie Iles, was ranked #10 by Scott Foundas (IndieWire), and was on the honorable mention list of Slant Magazine's Ed Gonzelez. Matthew Barney is a non-churchgoing Mormon who has repeatedly used Utah and Mormon motifs, characters and images in his "Cremaster" series of art films. Four "LDS cinema" movies (theatrically-released feature films made by Latter-day Saint filmmakers with Latter-day Saint characters) were released in 2002: Kurt Hale's "The Singles Ward", Ryan Little's "Out of Step", Kels Goodman's "Handcart" and "Jack Weyland's Charly," directed by Adam Anderegg. To nobody's surprise, none of these movies -- all low-budget productions by first-time directors -- were in the Top 10 lists of the nation's movie critics. (But many enthusiastic Latter-day Saint moviegoers -- who see far fewer movies than film critics and who place more weight on values and thematic content -- would include one or more or these LDS-themed movies on their personal Top 10 lists.) Mark Swan's animated "The Princess and the Pea" was on nobody's list. Even if it was better than Miyazaki's "Spirited Away" (which it wasn't), how could it be on anybody's list? Although it was seen at a couple of festivals and apparently had a brief Los Angeles release making it eligible for Academy Award consideration, it has not been distributed in U.S. theaters and hardly anybody has seen it. Blair Treu's theatrical debut "Little Secrets" is a great family movie and is easily one of the best films of the year to feature a violinist as the lead character, but it made nobody's Top 10 list. The good news is that "Little Secrets" will be available on video and DVD within a few weeks, so if you missed it in theaters you can finally check it out for yourself. Finally, "The Master of Disguise" was on more "Worst 10" lists than we care to think about. Silver lining: At least it was memorable. DESERET NEWS BEST/WORST MOVIES OF THE YEAR: Deseret News movie critic Jeff Vice published lists of his 10 favorite and least favorite movies of the year. His "Top 10 Best Movies" of 2002 list: 1. Spirited Away; 2. Spider-Man; 3. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers; 4. I Am Trying to Break Your Heart; 5. The Hours; 6. About a Boy; 7. Catch Me If You Can; 8. Punch-Drunk Love; 9/10. (tie) Adaptation; Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. "Punch-Drunk Love," which was filmed partially in Utah, stars Adam Sandler. Sandler's nemesis in the movie is a matress business owner based in Provo, Utah who sends four Mormon henchmen (played by Latter-day Saint actors) after Sandler. On his "10 Worst Movies of the Year" list Vice named: 1. The Master of Disguise; 2. Adam Sandler's Eight Crazy Nights; 3. Pluto Nash; 4. Kung Pow: Enter th First; 5. The Truth About Charlie; 6; XXX; 7. The Tuxedo; 8. Sorority Boys; 9. Sim0ne; 10. Star Trek: Nemesis. About "The Master of Disguise" Vice said: "This painfully unfunny, supposed family comedy was, hands-down, the worst movie I saw all year. (And I used to be a huge Dana Carvey fan.)" "The Master of Disguise" was directed by Perry Andelin Blake. Interestingly enough, Blake was also the production designer for Adam Sandler's animated "Eight Crazy Nights," also on Vice's list. Blake is considered one of the most talented production designers in the industry and has been the production designer for nearly all of Adam Sandler's movies. Blake's directorial debut, "The Master of Disguise," did not please critics, but many mentioned that the movie's production design was impressive. In criticizing "The Master of Disguise," critics usually blamed Dana Carvey, the movie's writer and star, rather than Blake. SALT LAKE TRIBUNE'S TOP 10/BOTTOM 10 MOVIES OF THE YEAR LIST: Sean P. Means, movie critic for the Salt Lake Tribune, named his 10 favorite and 10 least favorite movies of the year. He notes: "Some of my fellow critics have told me that because I took off most of the summer, I am unqualified to rate the year's" movies. Means "Top 10" list for 2002 did not include any movies made in Utah or made by Latter-day Saint filmmakers: 1. Far From Heaven; 2. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers; 3. Spirited Away; 4. Rabbit-Proof Fence; 5. The Rookie; 6. About Schmidt; 7. The Hours; 8. Kissing Jessica Stein; 9. Nine Queens; 10. The Kid Stays in the Picture. But in his "Second 10" -- a list of movies he would rank in places 11 through 20 among his favorites of the year -- he includes "Minority Report," produced by Jerry Molen, the Latter-day Saint producer also known for "The Other Side of Heaven," "Jurassic Park" and "Schindler's List." "Minority Report" was directed by Steven Spielberg and starred Tom Cruise. In Means' "Bottom 10" list, those movies he liked least this year, he named: Scooby-Doo; Adam Sandler's Eight Crazy Nights; Stealing Harvard; Trapped; The New Guy; Formula 51; All About the Benjamins; Jason X; Bad Company; and The Singles Ward. Because he took the summer off, Means admits that some reportedly bad movies do not appear on his list: "How could I tally the year's turkeys without having seen 'Juwanna Mann', 'The Master of Disguise' or 'The Adventures of Pluto Nash'? Don't worry -- there were enough awful movies to go around." Means mentioned Latter-day Saint kidnapping victim Elizabeth Smart in his comments about the movie "Trapped": "Even if the Elizabeth Smart case and subsequent kidnappings nationwide had not been fresh in our minds, this manipulative button-pusher of a thriller would still be crass and cruel." Another of Means' least favorite movies, "The New Guy," stars non-churchgoing Latter-day Saint actress Eliza Dushku in the lead female role. Finally, about the Latter-day Saint-themed feature film "The Singles Ward," Means said: "This is how far, and how quickly, the 'Mormon Cinema' genre has devolved: recycled fireside one-liners, coupled with a smug 'if you don't get it, you're not one of us' attitude. (Send your angry e-mails -- I'm ready.)" Although "The Singles Ward" received mostly positive reviews from critics outside of Utah, it did not please critics at the following Utah newspapers: Deseret News; Salt Lake City Weekly; Daily Herald (Utah County); Salt Lake Tribune. QUOTING FROM DESERET NEWS FEATURE WRITER CHRIS HICKS' YEAR END MEDIA WRAP-UP, which was published on December 27, 2002: Among the year's biggest box-office bombs were Eddie Murphy's "The Adventures of Pluto Nash," Dana Carvey's comeback film "The Master of Disguise" [directed by Perry Andelin Blake] and Madonna's remake of "Swept Away"... [Latter-day Saint inventor] Philo Farnsworth, whose concept of televison celebrated its 75th anniversary in September, was pretty much overlooked nationally... a number of actors... [died, including]... Utah native Keene Curtis. SL TRIBUNE ON LDS FILM 2002 - Salt Lake Tribune has a great article about major events in the world of LDS film during year 2002. The article heralds "The Singles Ward" as the box office champ among "LDS cinema" movies released this year. Also mentions: Charly, The Other Side of Heaven, Handcart, and Out of Step, and mentions upcoming movies "The Work and the Story," "The R.M." and "The Prophet." It also mentions such things as the Latter-day Saint actors who played the "Mormon thugs" in the critical hit "Punch-Drunk Love." Many people think the movie stars Adam Sandler, but the real stars of course are the Stevens brothers. The passing of non-churchgoing Mormon actor Keene Curtis is mentioned, along with some other items. BEST UTAH STAGE PERFORMANCES OF 2002: Deseret News theater editor Ivan M. Lincoln wrote a list of the top 10 best stage performances in Utah in 2002, included in his year-end review article published 27 December 2002: 1. Robert Peterson (USF's "Man of La Mancha") 2. Anne Stewart Mark (SLAC's "Going to St. Ives") 3. JaceSon Parker Barrus (in HCT's "Music Man") 4. Jayne Luke (SLAC's "Big Love") 5. Betsy West (Plan-B's "My Left Breast") 6. Max Robinson (in PTC's "Peter Pan") 7. Jennie Whitlock (RMT's "Man of La Mancha") 8. David Spencer (ETC's "Ruthless" and "The Mystery of Irma Vep") 9. Sean Michael Hunt (WSU's "Floyd Collins") 10. Sam Stewart (USF's "Harvey") - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 8 Jan 2003 15:35:27 -0800 From: "gtaggart" Subject: RE: [AML] Boyd Jay PETERSEN, _Hugh Nibley: A Consecrated Life_ (Review) Jeffrey Needle wrote, "Who is willing to accept my first-born for a review copy of this book?" I'd consider your offer, but I already have my own first born, and my wife brought another first born into out marriage. First borns become 16 year olds eventually, you know. I'll pass. Talk to Boyd; he has only one first born. Greg Taggart - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 8 Jan 2003 15:45:53 -0700 From: Jennifer Vaughn Subject: RE: [AML] R-Rated Movies Here are some of my favorites, and why (in no particular order): 1. _Changing Lanes_--a story of integrity, morality, and character all in a day in the life of two strangers whose lives intersect in a fender-bender. Revenge is not sweet, it is sickening. Forgiveness is cleaner and better, even if you get punished for doing the right thing. Rated R for language and some violence (a fistfight that leaves a man with a bloody forehead). 2. _Boogie Nights_ --one of my favorite films, this is the story of the hollowness of excess, the pathetic lives of people consumed by immorality (cocaine, sex, etc.). It is the story of a 1970's porn star's rise to fame, then his downfall when videotape technology eats up the film industry. Rated R for sex, violence, language, scenes of drug use, and even more sex. It was not spiritual in the sense that I felt uplifted, but that I learned how hellish evil is. 3. _The Ice Storm_-- a brilliant look at a New England family in the 1970's where morality changed from day to day. Each family member, children and parents, are affected when the moral compass is tossed. The scene that is still with me is the one where the father is at a loss explaining to his son just *why* premarital sex is bad. A chilling look at where any one of us would be, without our knowledge. Rated R for language, sex, nudity, drug use, etc. 4. _The Full Monty_--(to be fair, I can't remember if this is rated R or not). On the surface, it's a tale of guys taking off their clothes for some extra scratch. But go deeper and you'll find statements about male friendships, father-son relationships, the economy's impact on the male psyche, body image and men, male-female relationships, class/social structure and so on. A terrific film, and Mark Addy (one of the stars) deserves better than that ABC crapfest he's on now. All these films left me *thinking* for days, weeks after seeing them. They changed me and made me a more complete person. I think that is pretty spiritual. - --Jennifer Breinholt - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 08 Jan 2003 15:07:13 -0800 From: Kathy and Jerry Tyner Subject: Re: [AML] R-Rated Movies For myself, I would put "Schindler's List" in that category. As a general rule, I don't usually see R-Rated movies having sometimes felt a lot of gratuitous stuff was added that didn't really add to the plot or move the story along, sort of a sophomoric "let's see what we can get away with", sort of attitude. But I have found that there are some movies where the content may have deserved an 'R', may not have, but that the content fit the story and told a moral truth in the process. I didn't originally see the movie in the theatre, trying to keep "the rule" as so many seem to define it and was bummed about it. I waited until it came on network TV. Steven Spielberg did come on before the movie and warn that it was not for children. If it was edited, there wasn't much taken out of it. What I saw was a gut-wrenching movie about a terrible time and how different people handled it. That even a materialistic ladies man like Oskar Schindler could find enough humanity in himself to do his best to save a number of people under his care and supervision. That even the horrible nazi Ralph Finnes played had a miniscule dot of decency concerning the jewish maid serving him that he lusted after. They left in nudity that even the older jews were treated to having to be in the presence of the opposite sex while being sorted out by their nazi handlers. Some might be offended by such nudity. That was the point. The humilation these people were treated to was offensive beyond words to describe, so the filmaker showed it to us. But the most moving scene for me was when Schindler knew he would still be regarded as a nazi sympathizer and considered a war criminal, so he needed to escape before the allies arrived. As he was leaving, he began to cry and said, "I could have done more! What did I need this gold pin for? That could have saved two more!" The Jews he saved assured him he did a good thing, but he was weighed down by the realization of there being more he could have done, more he could have saved if not for his own creature comforts. I wept. It was and is one of the most moving scenes I have ever witnessed on screen. It made me want to do more, to be a better person. It still does. There are some more that fall into this category for me, but I want to finish this post. I still don't usually see R-Rated movies, but I don't have a hard and fast rule about that anymore. I judge it by the content and message it might contain and the feelings of that inner voice. I found out later that Sis. Cheiko Okazaki, then a counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency, went and saw "Schindler's List" while it was in the theaters and was quite moved by it. Kathy Tyner Orange County, CA - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 08 Jan 2003 16:27:26 -0700 From: "Eric R. Samuelsen" Subject: RE: [AML] R-Rated Movies Rebecca Talley wrote:=20 >By the way, it's been interesting to note that no one >has defended X-Rated movies as being "art." Why? Why >skip an X-Rated movie? Why the debate over R-Rated >movies, but not X-Rated movies? This is because X-rated movies no longer exist. The X rating is not part = of the rating system, and it wasn't part of it for very long. If you see = videos that have 'rated X' on the box, that's just advertising. Nobody = looked at it and rated it X. You'll also sometimes see XXX as a rating, = and that's also just advertising. There never was an XX or XXX rating. = =20 So, when we see counsel from the prophets urging us to avoid X rated = movies, does that mean that we should only avoid those movies that the = MPAA rated X? If so, then we'd not have to avoid many films, since there = weren't many given that rating. But no, we understand perfectly well that = 'X-rated movie' has nothing to do with the rating system; it's just a kind = of verbal shorthand meaning 'pornography.' So, once again, the rating = system fails us, and we find ourselves obeying the spirit, and not the = letter of whatever counsel we've received in this regard. So, using 'X rated movie' generically, to mean pornography, you're right, = those of us who watch R rated movies (or in my case, those of us who = simply ignore the rating system entirely) aren't defending porn. That's = because we're able to make reasonable distinctions between art and = something that's best described as a kind of delivery system for a = particular addiction. A Botticelli nude=3DArt. Miss January=3DNot Art. = And for every single person on this List, including Rebecca, that line, = between Art and Not Art, is fuzzy, grey and undefined, though we all of us = may well draw it differently. Eric Samuelsen - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ End of aml-list-digest V1 #937 ******************************