Purdie Distribution and the Problem of Toxic Mopologetics
- Doctor Scratch
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Purdie Distribution and the Problem of Toxic Mopologetics
The world of moviemaking is, unsurprisingly, extremely image-conscious. Anyone paying attention probably remembers how much press the Will Smith/Chris Rock slap received--and the consequences. Smith wound up resigning from the Academy and the Academy banned him from attending the Oscars event for 10 years. Meanwhile, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which hosts the Golden Globes, has been accused of racism and chastised publicly for lack of diversity amongst its members.
Given this, one can't help but wonder what impact--if any--the recent "Richard Nygren" shakeup might have on the Interpreter Foundation's moviemaking ambitions. A generous reading of the whole affair is that Mike Parker and Robert Boylan are guilty of some pretty tasteless behavior. Meanwhile, the fact that Parker's "Neville-Neville Land" has been devoted for some four years to trashing other Latter-day Saints is arguably problematic. Are some aspects of the Heartlanders deserving of criticism? Most definitely. Their own antisemitism and racism absolutely deserves condemnation.
But I cannot help but wonder what Brandon Purdie--the head of the LDS movie distributor, Purdie Distribution, which handled the "Witnesses" film--would think about all of this.
If one accepts that the primary audience for Purdie films consists of Latter-day Saints, then you sort of have to conclude that working with filmmakers who are openly and aggressively trying to alienate--if not excommunicate!--significant factions of Mormons is, well, not going to be good for business. But who knows? It may be that Purdie is a fan of aggressive Mopologetics. But I'm willing to bet that it's more likely that he's unaware of it.
Meanwhile, over the past couple of years, Dr. Petersonh has described "Neville-Neville Land" as "sadly necessary," "invaluable and health-promoting" (!), "urgently needed," "excellent," "useful," and "unfortunately necessary but generally entertaining." Would he change his tune, though, if the issue were raised with Purdie? Boylan and Parker have very arguably been engaged in some deeply problematic racist antics, and Dr. Peterson has been enthusiastically promoting the blog for years. To his credit, he rather firmly denied that he had any knowledge about or connection to the whole "Richard Nygren" deception, but he can't escape the clear evidence that he has been showering Parker with superlatives practically from day one.
Is this the kind of thing that Brandon Purdie believes in? The website from the company asserts that it's all about "FILMS THAT ELEVATE AND INSPIRE THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE." And it's true that an argument can be made that one should separate the artist from the "art." Perhaps the fact that Executive Producer Peterson is neck-deep in his connection to "Neville-Neville Land" should be overlooked when it comes to 6 Days in August? At the end of the day, one has to assume that Purdie's chief concern--one of them anyways--is profitability, and, it goes without saying, "image" is a key aspect of that. Witnesses was a bomb at the box office which is already a strike against the Interpreter moviemaking team. Will Executive Producer Peterson's involvement with "Neville-Neville Land" spell doom for his new film's prospects? We will have to wait and see.
Given this, one can't help but wonder what impact--if any--the recent "Richard Nygren" shakeup might have on the Interpreter Foundation's moviemaking ambitions. A generous reading of the whole affair is that Mike Parker and Robert Boylan are guilty of some pretty tasteless behavior. Meanwhile, the fact that Parker's "Neville-Neville Land" has been devoted for some four years to trashing other Latter-day Saints is arguably problematic. Are some aspects of the Heartlanders deserving of criticism? Most definitely. Their own antisemitism and racism absolutely deserves condemnation.
But I cannot help but wonder what Brandon Purdie--the head of the LDS movie distributor, Purdie Distribution, which handled the "Witnesses" film--would think about all of this.
If one accepts that the primary audience for Purdie films consists of Latter-day Saints, then you sort of have to conclude that working with filmmakers who are openly and aggressively trying to alienate--if not excommunicate!--significant factions of Mormons is, well, not going to be good for business. But who knows? It may be that Purdie is a fan of aggressive Mopologetics. But I'm willing to bet that it's more likely that he's unaware of it.
Meanwhile, over the past couple of years, Dr. Petersonh has described "Neville-Neville Land" as "sadly necessary," "invaluable and health-promoting" (!), "urgently needed," "excellent," "useful," and "unfortunately necessary but generally entertaining." Would he change his tune, though, if the issue were raised with Purdie? Boylan and Parker have very arguably been engaged in some deeply problematic racist antics, and Dr. Peterson has been enthusiastically promoting the blog for years. To his credit, he rather firmly denied that he had any knowledge about or connection to the whole "Richard Nygren" deception, but he can't escape the clear evidence that he has been showering Parker with superlatives practically from day one.
Is this the kind of thing that Brandon Purdie believes in? The website from the company asserts that it's all about "FILMS THAT ELEVATE AND INSPIRE THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE." And it's true that an argument can be made that one should separate the artist from the "art." Perhaps the fact that Executive Producer Peterson is neck-deep in his connection to "Neville-Neville Land" should be overlooked when it comes to 6 Days in August? At the end of the day, one has to assume that Purdie's chief concern--one of them anyways--is profitability, and, it goes without saying, "image" is a key aspect of that. Witnesses was a bomb at the box office which is already a strike against the Interpreter moviemaking team. Will Executive Producer Peterson's involvement with "Neville-Neville Land" spell doom for his new film's prospects? We will have to wait and see.
"If, while hoping that everybody else will be honest and so forth, I can personally prosper through unethical and immoral acts without being detected and without risk, why should I not?." --Daniel Peterson, 6/4/14
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Re: Purdie Distribution and the Problem of Toxic Mopologetics
Is there any sign yet of any Mopes being humbled, changing their ways since old Nellie upbraided them this past weekend?
"I'm not crazy about reality, but it's still the only place to get a decent meal." Groucho Marx
"The truth has no defense against a fool determined to believe a lie." Mark Twain
The best lack all conviction, while the worst//Are full of passionate intensity." Yeats
"The truth has no defense against a fool determined to believe a lie." Mark Twain
The best lack all conviction, while the worst//Are full of passionate intensity." Yeats
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Re: Purdie Distribution and the Problem of Toxic Mopologetics
Yes, Boylan, right out of the gate, just two days later went right into bulldog attack mode. Obviously the Covenant Path means little to him, just as "follow the prophet" does... I suppose Boylan could argue that Nelson was only speaking as a man and expressing his opinion. There is always that to fall back on when one doesn't like what prophets say, or do the Lou Midgley strategic shuffle and just wait for the old codger to die and kick off...sock puppet wrote: ↑Tue Apr 04, 2023 8:47 pmIs there any sign yet of any Mopes being humbled, changing their ways since old Nellie upbraided them this past weekend?
Re: Purdie Distribution and the Problem of Toxic Mopologetics
Dr. Peterson will argue that he did not put on any blackface and so the Interpreter Production Studios should not be given a black eye.
Cry Heaven and let loose the Penguins of Peace
- Doctor Scratch
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Re: Purdie Distribution and the Problem of Toxic Mopologetics
Not that I know of, but I can guarantee you that you would see a quick change of behavior if DCP's film project were put in jeopardy. He cares more about his own vanity projects than he does about the Brethren's counsel.sock puppet wrote: ↑Tue Apr 04, 2023 8:47 pmIs there any sign yet of any Mopes being humbled, changing their ways since old Nellie upbraided them this past weekend?
"If, while hoping that everybody else will be honest and so forth, I can personally prosper through unethical and immoral acts without being detected and without risk, why should I not?." --Daniel Peterson, 6/4/14
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Re: Purdie Distribution and the Problem of Toxic Mopologetics
Contention is of the Devil when other people are contentious.Doctor Scratch wrote: ↑Wed Apr 05, 2023 4:05 pmNot that I know of, but I can guarantee you that you would see a quick change of behavior if DCP's film project were put in jeopardy. He cares more about his own vanity projects than he does about the Brethren's counsel.sock puppet wrote: ↑Tue Apr 04, 2023 8:47 pmIs there any sign yet of any Mopes being humbled, changing their ways since old Nellie upbraided them this past weekend?
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Hugh Nibley claimed he bumped into Adolf Hitler, Albert Einstein, Winston Churchill, Gertrude Stein, and the Grand Duke Vladimir Romanoff. Dishonesty is baked into Mormonism.
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Re: Purdie Distribution and the Problem of Toxic Mopologetics
It will be interesting to see whether DCP's aggressive mopologetics and involvement with "Neville-Neville Land" will spell doom for his new film's prospects. I have considerable doubt if DCP's new project will even get off the ground. It's starting to look like any project DCP gets involved with is guaranteed box office poison.
I know DCP was very disappointed that less than 1% of Mormons in the United States saw Witnesses. But, DCP only has himself to blame for making such a piece of crap. Witnesses is one of the lowest rated Mormon themed films of all time (according to IMDB).
I was also disappointed that Witnesses was such a box office bomb. I know DCP had plans to use all of the money he was going to make with Witnesses to fund several different film projects in exotic locales. One of which was called Teancum. The screenplay for Teancum was written by Mark Parker and it would have been a shot across the bow of the Heartlanders as the entire movie would have taken place in meso-America.
If you want to learn more about Teancum: https://www.Facebook.com/TeancumBookand ... aOD7BKdy4e
I would have loved for DCP to have made a good movie that we can all be proud of. I would have loved to see DCP become the Orson Welles of Mormon cinema. Unfortunately, DCP has become the Mormon version of Tommy Wiseau.
I know DCP was very disappointed that less than 1% of Mormons in the United States saw Witnesses. But, DCP only has himself to blame for making such a piece of crap. Witnesses is one of the lowest rated Mormon themed films of all time (according to IMDB).
I was also disappointed that Witnesses was such a box office bomb. I know DCP had plans to use all of the money he was going to make with Witnesses to fund several different film projects in exotic locales. One of which was called Teancum. The screenplay for Teancum was written by Mark Parker and it would have been a shot across the bow of the Heartlanders as the entire movie would have taken place in meso-America.
If you want to learn more about Teancum: https://www.Facebook.com/TeancumBookand ... aOD7BKdy4e
I would have loved for DCP to have made a good movie that we can all be proud of. I would have loved to see DCP become the Orson Welles of Mormon cinema. Unfortunately, DCP has become the Mormon version of Tommy Wiseau.
"I'm on paid sabbatical from BYU in exchange for my promise to use this time to finish two books."
Daniel C. Peterson, 2014
Daniel C. Peterson, 2014
Re: Purdie Distribution and the Problem of Toxic Mopologetics
I don't know. You kinda have to have a sizable number of customers who would really care about that thing you did.
In Hollywood you need to pay lip service to the liberal gods and you don't want to mouth off about LRH.
But this audience?
In Hollywood you need to pay lip service to the liberal gods and you don't want to mouth off about LRH.
But this audience?
“If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don’t have to worry about the answers.”~Thomas Pynchon, Gravity’s Rainbow
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Re: Purdie Distribution and the Problem of Toxic Mopologetics
Over on a predominantly Mormon blog, the proprietor has just informed his small but aggressive audience that he and his wife are just putting the final touches on the screenplay for 6 Days in August.
Just some friendly advice to the proprietor, please get a professional screenwriter to review the screenplay. The dialogue/screenplay for Witnesses was very one-dimensional, boring, wooden and confusing. I think a professional screenwriter would do wonders.
Just some friendly advice to the proprietor, please get a professional screenwriter to review the screenplay. The dialogue/screenplay for Witnesses was very one-dimensional, boring, wooden and confusing. I think a professional screenwriter would do wonders.
"I'm on paid sabbatical from BYU in exchange for my promise to use this time to finish two books."
Daniel C. Peterson, 2014
Daniel C. Peterson, 2014
Re: Purdie Distribution and the Problem of Toxic Mopologetics
Why even mention L. Ron Hubbard? Wait till they move into the new Temple with its thetan defense shields.
Cry Heaven and let loose the Penguins of Peace