Lady Ballers Trailer

[Still_Small_Voice]

I am for positive media and messages.  Two more days and The Oath movie is released in about 650 theatres across America.  It is a movie about Moroni directed by Darin Scott.  The website is here.  The movie trailer for this film is here:

 

Edited December 6, 2023 by Still_Small_Voice

[The Folk Prophet]

6 hours ago, Still_Small_Voice said:

I am for positive media and messages.  Two more days and The Oath movie is released in about 650 theatres across America.  It is a movie about Moroni directed by Darin Scott.  The website is here.  The movie trailer for this film is here:

 

I saw this a while back, and I can I just say for the record that the "special message" from the director totally turned me off here.

[LDSGator]

11 minutes ago, The Folk Prophet said:

pecial message" from the director totally turned me off here.

Wow, we agree on something artistically! It came across as very fake to me, like he was telling me about a used car I should buy. 

[The Folk Prophet]

3 hours ago, LDSGator said:

Wow, we agree on something artistically! It came across as very fake to me, like he was telling me about a used car I should buy. 

Well, I suspect he's sincere. Just... I dunno. Likely deluded, IMHO. I could be wrong. I just don't think this movie was his purpose and why he was saved, etc. 

You know I'm a musician and write musical theater. I have severe delusions of grandeur and ambition. And yet I have never once allowed myself to think it's my "purpose" or some sort of holy calling. 

If God uses me that way then that's His purview. But as soon as I start getting all high and mighty about it like I've been ordained to that end.... That just feels off.

My purpose is to be a father, a husband, a humble servant in the church, and to try to be like my Savior as much as possible, repenting when failing. 

Anything else is all fine and dandy. My job. My recreation. My dreams and ambitions.  But they are NOT my purpose.

[LDSGator]

7 hours ago, The Folk Prophet said:

Well, I suspect he's sincere. Just... I dunno. Likely deluded

It’s just an opinion of course but I didn’t get the delusion, I just felt dirty. Like I want to make sure I still have my wallet and then go take a bath.

7 hours ago, The Folk Prophet said:

. I have severe delusions of grandeur and ambition.

I had those about my martial arts career then I participated in a bigger tournament and got promptly shown where my talents would lead me. Once you step into a bigger pond you learn quickly that your delusions are just that.  

Edited December 7, 2023 by LDSGator

[NeuroTypical]

21 hours ago, Still_Small_Voice said:

I am for positive media and messages.  Two more days and The Oath movie is released in about 650 theatres across America.  It is a movie about Moroni directed by Darin Scott. 

15 hours ago, The Folk Prophet said:

I saw this a while back, and I can I just say for the record that the "special message" from the director totally turned me off here.

Ok, I watched the director comments, and I also watched his 14 minute long "open letter to the church" video, which basically gripes and complains and accuses our church of not doing right by his video.  Whining about how the church has supported other endeavors but not his.  Grousing about Stake Lagoon days and how the church has celebrities come sing with the Tabernacle Choir, but they refuse to endorse his movie.  He's so shocked.  Does the church not care?  Boo-hoo-hoo.  

I'm officially not a fan.  Don't care about his stupid movie.  And I bet ten bucks he'll probably have left the church and be one of it's critics within 5 years.

 

[Still_Small_Voice]

Do not know why Darin Scott decided to post those comments about the Church right before the release of The Oath movie.  But I agree that if he does not turn from his fear and humble himself it may lead him out of the Gospel of Christ.  I would pray for him.

[NeuroTypical]

3 hours ago, NeuroTypical said:

I bet ten bucks he'll probably have left the church

6 minutes ago, Still_Small_Voice said:

I would pray for him.

Yeah, that 2nd one is probably better. 

[The Folk Prophet]

6 hours ago, NeuroTypical said:

Ok, I watched the director comments, and I also watched his 14 minute long "open letter to the church" video, which basically gripes and complains and accuses our church of not doing right by his video.  Whining about how the church has supported other endeavors but not his.  Grousing about Stake Lagoon days and how the church has celebrities come sing with the Tabernacle Choir, but they refuse to endorse his movie.  He's so shocked.  Does the church not care?  Boo-hoo-hoo.  

I'm officially not a fan.  Don't care about his stupid movie.  And I bet ten bucks he'll probably have left the church and be one of it's critics within 5 years.

 

I didn't even come across all that and....yeah. That's about exactly how I expect things would be.

On another note re the movie trailer. What on earth is up with Zane's accent?

[The Folk Prophet]

6 hours ago, NeuroTypical said:

I also watched his 14 minute long "open letter to the church" video

Argh...just the first 10 seconds and I'm disgusted!

 

Edit: Okay I watched it all. And.... I'm still disgusted. But.... there are some interesting points he made. Particularly, I have never understood the Church's support for LoveLoud. And similar matters. Some of his points are ridiculous though. The church's ads in The Book of Mormon musical wasn't support for or endorsement of the musical.

I don't think the Church should support his movie. He's being a whiney baby man about that. And complaining about the church publicly, particularly from a position like his, is just terrible. But I do understand how he would feel frustrated at the some of the things he points out.

 

It is an interesting thing to consider. I was telling @LDSGator in a pm earlier how I used to write exclusively church related stuff for my musicals. I always struggled a bit with that on the commercial balance side of things. One side of me thinks that profiting off of "spiritual" things in any way feels an awful lot like Priestcraft. But the other side of me thinks what better way to profit than by also sharing spiritual messages that might benefit the world. I'm still torn on the idea. I really dislike a lot of "spiritual" artists like Michael McLean and the like because it feels so much like they're selling spirituality. It bugs me. And yet...I have had some of my greatest spiritual moments in life with music from Kenneth Cope. So I'm so very torn on the matter.

Either way, the "open letter to the church" video is a big thumbs down from me.

Edited December 7, 2023 by The Folk Prophet

[LDSGator]

27 minutes ago, The Folk Prophet said:

But the other side of me thinks what better way to profit than by also sharing spiritual messages that might benefit the world

I fall squarely in this category. 

I’ve been kicking around our conversation a bit as well. I feel sorry for LDS artists of all types. Even in Utah, I’m not sure there are enough LDS who are willing to pay money for your comic book, music, or movie. Are there some? Absolutely, but in order to make a living off it you have to appeal to a mass audience. 

[NeuroTypical]

17 hours ago, The Folk Prophet said:

I really dislike a lot of "spiritual" artists like Michael McLean and the like because it feels so much like they're selling spirituality. It bugs me.

Yay, Michael McLean!  His name rhymes with "America's emotion soda pop machine".  I dated a girl who just seemed to absorb energy, worth, healing, and purpose from his songs.  I thought they were ok. I mean, I saw what she saw in it, but it seemed to me the stuff that brought those good things were just plain old gospel principles we learn at church.   A co-worker lady went to one of his concerts and was so totally turned off by him, she ranted about it for at least 2 years.   She was offended at his song Homeless:

Quote

Michael McLean's touching Christmas tale has become a timeless classic. It tells the story of a nurse whose empty life is changed by her patient, John, who expands her understanding of Christmas.

She felt the production turned Jesus into a glorified Oscar the Grouch.  I didn't see the production, but I gather it involved singers dressed as homeless folks, maybe?  She was quite angry for a long time.

Anyway, 30 years later, I revisited a few of the songs, and gotta say, what little magic I saw just wasn't there any more. 

Gotta be careful mixing religion and pop art.

Edited December 8, 2023 by NeuroTypical

[Ironhold]

18 hours ago, LDSGator said:

I fall squarely in this category. 

I’ve been kicking around our conversation a bit as well. I feel sorry for LDS artists of all types. Even in Utah, I’m not sure there are enough LDS who are willing to pay money for your comic book, music, or movie. Are there some? Absolutely, but in order to make a living off it you have to appeal to a mass audience. 

The key is to make your overall product appealing enough to the mainstream while still having church-friendly messages and content. 

I mean...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Aquabats

How many people even within the church known that MC Bat Commander, Crash, and Eaglebones are members? 

[LDSGator]

Just now, Ironhold said:

The key is to make your overall product appealing enough to the mainstream while still having church-friendly messages and content. 

I mean...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Aquabats

How many people even within the church known that MC Bat Commander, Crash, and Eaglebones are members? 

Sure, you can name one band that a few people know about it. The Aquabats are not a household name, either. 
 

What you aren’t naming are the thousands of comic writers, authors and bands who have tried and failed. 

[LDSGator]

@Ironhold, you just proved my point. In 16 years these guys have about 270,000 album sales. In sixteen years. You might like them, but that’s peanuts. 

[Ironhold]

9 minutes ago, LDSGator said:

Sure, you can name one band that a few people know about it. The Aquabats are not a household name, either. 
 

What you aren’t naming are the thousands of comic writers, authors and bands who have tried and failed. 

You're forgetting something: 

They created Yo Gabba Gabba - 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yo_Gabba_Gabba!

That's right: MC Bat Commander, Crash, and former band member Prince Adam were the "Hollywood Dads" who created the franchise, which is still available for syndication via Wildbrain, the successor to DiC and Cookie Jar.

[LDSGator]

1 minute ago, Ironhold said:

You're forgetting something: 

They created Yo Gabba Gabba - 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yo_Gabba_Gabba!

That's right: MC Bat Commander, Crash, and former band member Prince Adam were the "Hollywood Dads" who created the franchise, which is still available for syndication via Wildbrain, the successor to DiC and Cookie Jar.

That’ll make them some money, but even with all that they are still the extremely rare exception. Also, everything I said about their band is still true.
 

If it was so easy, guys with talent like @The Folk Prophet would have figured out the formula twenty years ago. 

[LDSGator]

And again, you proved my point. Their record sales were awful so they had to create something else. And oh yeah, these guys created “Gabba Gabba”  

[Ironhold]

Just now, LDSGator said:

That’ll make them some money, but even with all that they are still the extremely rare exception. Also, everything I said about their band is still true.
 

If it was so easy, guys with talent like @The Folk Prophet would have figured out the formula twenty years ago. 

Are there high-profile members of the faith in entertainment? Yes. Just look at people like Don Bluth, Glen Larson, or the Osmonds. 

However, there are *far more* members of the church who command respect for their various contributions & level of influence within their respective spheres but who the mainstream may not be aware of. This is where we have folks like Ken Sansom, The Aquabats, Sandy Peterson, and so forth. 

Remember, I'm functionally a nobody from nowhere as far as being an entertainment writer goes, yet I've got everyone from Movie Bob to Tim Seeley to Joe Glass to Ava DuVernay blowing gaskets on a weekly basis, if not daily, while rubbing shoulders with some pretty prominent indie creators and commentators. 

That's my point. 

[The Folk Prophet]

It's easy! Just be the Osmonds, right!?

[The Folk Prophet]

24 minutes ago, Ironhold said:

The key is to make your overall product appealing enough to the mainstream while still having church-friendly messages and content. 

The key is never, and will never be, to chase trends or stats or philosophies when it comes to making art and entertainment.

[LDSGator]

4 minutes ago, The Folk Prophet said:

It's easy! Just be the Osmonds, right!?

I know this sounds gross, but everyone has to remember that I didn’t grow up LDS, or in 70’s. Up until I joined the church, I thought Donny and Marie were husband and wife, and even then I didn’t think about them much 

[Ironhold]

2 minutes ago, The Folk Prophet said:

The key is never, and will never be, to chase trends or stats or philosophies when it comes to making art and entertainment.

Battlestar Galactica was inspired by the journey to Utah. 

An original draft of the concept *literally* referred to the Galactica and the other survivors as "Space Mormons". 

That's what I'm getting at. 

[Ironhold]

2 minutes ago, LDSGator said:

I know this sounds gross, but everyone has to remember that I didn’t grow up LDS, or in 70’s. Up until I joined the church, I thought Donny and Marie were husband and wife, and even then I didn’t think about them much 

Donny himself has talked about that on various TV shows and magazine interviews. 

And speaking of the Osmonds...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wonderama

Classic kids' variety show Wonderama got another revival in 2016, and David Osmond has been hosting it ever since. 

Yes, I could tell he was an Osmond just by looking at him. He is *very* reminiscent of his father Alan. 

[LDSGator]

1 minute ago, Ironhold said:

Donny himself has talked about that on various TV shows and magazine interviews. 

Yeah, it’s gross to think of, that’s for sure.