Criticism: Fall Mormon Movie Preview

Entertainment Weekly has released its Fall Movie Preview, so I think it’s a good time for a Fall Mormon Movie Preview, especially since a quarter of the lineup will already be out this Friday. Film titles lead to their trailers.

Mobsters and Mormons. Sept. 9.

Written by John Moyer, who wrote three previous Halestorm films (Singles Ward, RM, and Home Teachers), but this one is also directed by Moyer; the other three were directed by Kurt Hale. There’s already one positive review out, but the trailer doesn’t look promising. It looks to me as if it will be very much along the same lines of the previous Halestorm pictures – simply a scenario that allows for a lot of hit and miss jokes about Mormon culture. But who knows, perhaps by directing it himself, Moyer will be able to better execute his ideas on the screen.

God's Army 2: States of Grace. September?

Word on the street was that it’s supposed to come out in September, but if that were the case, you’d think we’d have heard an official release date by now. We’ve already had some discussion on the trailer. It seems a bit melodramatic – but then that’s the nature of trailers. I really like what I see in strong themes of understanding others and coping with a dark past. I expect another powerful film from Dutcher.

The Work and the Glory: American Zion. Oct. 21.

I’m not a big fan of the books, even though I read them all for some reason, but I was pleasantly surprised by the first film. Considering the material it had to work with, I think it did just about as good a job as it could do. Interestingly, there’s a new director at the helm: Sterling Van Wagenen, who is perhaps best known for his 1992 film, Alan and Naomi, which I have never heard of in my life. The trailer does look handsome though. The screenplay is written by Matt Whitaker, who previously penned Saints and Soldiers. Allegedly it’s set for a national release in October, but I’m not sure how many theaters it’s actually going to reach. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see how national it really is. And does anyone else think Joseph looks constipated in this picture?

Stalking Santa. Holiday Season.

A mockumentary of sorts about “sightings” of Santa Claus, much in the style of a documentary about Bigfoot. Made by Daryn Tufts (Eldon of The Singles Ward) and Greg Kiefer. I'm actually not sure if there’s anything Mormon in content. The trailer looks like fun, but if it doesn’t keep fresh, it could get old fast. Supposedly it’s going to be a theatrical release, but I wonder if it won’t just come direct to video like Tufts’ other recent documentary, American Mormon. Everyone loves a Christmas movie at Christmastime, but is it seriously going to try to compete with Harry Potter, Aeon Flux, Chronicles of Narnia and King Kong all at the same time?