Preview of latest Dutcher movie on Sunstone blog

Richard Dutcher’s movies and personal situation have gotten some attention on this blog. I have linked to his personal web page, which indicates he has two new projects in the works. One is called “Falling,” which was previewed recently in a private screening at the Sunstone Symposium.

I’ll post a preview of the movie without major comment, except to say this is definitely a movie I don’t plan on seeing. It appears to be an R-rated blood fest with murders, an abortion, nudity, infidelity, etc.

SPOILER ALERT: the preview discusses the ending of the movie extensively.

His next project is called “Evil Angel,” according to his web page.

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About Geoff B.

Geoff B graduated from Stanford University (class of 1985) and worked in journalism for several years until about 1992, when he took up his second career in telecommunications sales. He has held many callings in the Church, but his favorite calling is father and husband. Geoff is active in martial arts and loves hiking and skiing. Geoff has five children and lives in Colorado.

15 thoughts on “Preview of latest Dutcher movie on Sunstone blog

  1. I think I’m with you on this one, Geoff. While, the storyline of spiritual desent is intriguing to me and there may be lessons to take away from it, the reviews I’ve read seem to suggest that this movie may be to gory for my taste. Thanks for the heads up.

  2. I’m going out on a limb and guessing he won’t market this so heavily to the LDS crowd like he did States of Grace.

  3. Sounds like a typical the evils of drugs/sex/hollywood will eventually lead to death.

    Boring, and not at all surprising to see Dutcher go from religious and LDS cliché to Hollywood cliché.

  4. Jjohnsen, the sad thing is that movies can be uplifting and positive (think “Groundhog Day” or “It’s a Wonderful Life” or “Family Man”), but instead Richard appears to be going the route of exploring evil and other depressing themes. As if it hasn’t been done before in hundreds of different ways. And what possible good can come out of it?

  5. Geoff,
    Evil and depressing themes can also be uplifting, and darkness can make for some truly inspiring art. That said, I don’t know anything about this movie, and it doesn’t call out to me in any way (actually, in all honesty, I don’t know enough about it to be attracted or repelled; I loved the two Dutcher movies I’ve seen—the two God’s Army movies—but the only director I’ll go see just because he’s the director is Tim Burton. Speaking of dark and uplifting.)

  6. As if it hasn’t been done before in hundreds of different ways.

    Like I said, cliche.

  7. I attended the private screening of Falling. I usually love artsy fartsy movies. I go for the gritty. I like movies most ‘mainstream’ people avoid. With that said, this movie was crap.

    You can see the last five minutes of the movie here:

    The movie lacked any real essence of ‘falling.’ Perhaps ‘Fallen’ would have been a better title. Personally (and I openly accused Dutcher of this), I think that Dutcher used the blood and gore to distance himself from his mantra of being an LDS filmmaker.

  8. Oh i’m feeling geoff. That is exactly why I will not go see falling either. ever. never, never, never. ever!

    And I will not be seeing harry potter either. witchcraft, ritualistic chants, violent killings, torturing, truancy, insubordination, racism, bigotry, sexism, and hedonistic practices. Can you believe all those parents out there who allow their children to watch and read this garbage?

    And why are we watching any movie with catholics in it? I mean, really! a religion that eats the flesh and blood of their hero every sunday? come on geoff! aren’t you with me? let us exploit these films for the true agenda their pushing, cannibalism.

    What about dora the explorer. parental abuse right before our eyes – and our children’s eyes. what are we telling our little ones geoff? “let your little girl wander around talking to strangers (who could be pedophiles) and speaking with animals” (this certainly can’t be the “gift of tongues”). its gotta have an evil undertone. don’t you think geoff?

    and what about those who are trying to do a movie about that book… book of… something ( sorry geoff, i can’t think of the name of it right now) that has the enemies feeding the flesh of their captors to women and children, then leaving their bodies to rot in fields and be eaten by dogs? or… or… or… in that same book has a story about a local leader whose son goes on assignment to another town as a representative, but ends up having sleazy, seedy sex, outside the bonds of matrimony I might add, with the local hooker – and the whole town finds out! and… and… how about those two brothers earlier in that same book who plot the gruesome beating and murder of their younger brother – in a cave of all places – because he tells them their going to hell because they won’t complete an assignment given to them by their dad. oh… oh… and then that younger brother escapes only to slash the head off of a government official in the most “daniel pearl” type manner – AND THEN PARADES AROUND TOWN IN THE OFFICIAL’S BLOODY CLOTHES saying that God made him do it?!?!? Don’t even get me started on all the rapes, the theft of virginity, adultery, idolatry and kidnappings that go on only a few chapters later.
    geoff, we’ve got to join forces in stopping richard dutcher. i mean, come on! murder? abortion? nudity? infidelity? I demand a stop to such fictionalizing of our society geoff.

  9. I am always fascinated by sarcastic, snarky comments like Mark L’s #9. Note that I never interfered with Mark L’s right or criticized his desire to see movies such as “Falling.” I stated a personal preference for ME. Yet stating that personal preference causes him to descend into a snarling, elitist tirade about how backward I must be. And of course we’re supposed to think that he, in contrast, is a sophisticate able to see value in things I am too much of a rube to understand or appreciate.

    I’ve always said that that Mark L’s of the world are the biggest danger of all — they have no respect for the desires of others to make their own choices. Only Mark L and his ilk are smart enough and — clearly — sophisticated enough to know what is good for us.

    Personally, I choose to believe that the modern-day prophets and apostles have repeatedly warned us away from movies that show gratuitous sex and violence, and I have made the personal choice not to see such things. Note, I never said anybody else is an idiot or decadent or immoral by making other choices. But in Mark L’s world we must all make choices HE agrees with. And by the way, I’m sure Mark L considers himself very tolerant in comparison to the idiots like me. And the irony of the situation never even occurs to him.

  10. The gospel doesn’t do so well at the movies. Either it has a shamanistic feel of generated emotion or it has the devil’s point of view — both cheap. Art and true religion have the narrowest of interfaces. The Spirit doesn’t stick to celluloid of other static surfaces.

  11. “Personally, I choose to believe that the modern-day prophets and apostles have repeatedly warned us away from movies that show gratuitous sex and violence, and I have made the personal choice not to see such things. Note, I never said anybody else is an idiot or decadent or immoral by making other choices.”

    Implicit in your comment here is that people who do not act as you do are not following the prophets. Which is a moral claim.

    Furthermore, why add the ‘gratuitous’ qualifier. According to the For the Strength of the Young Pamphlet, we should “not attend, view, or participate in entertainment that is vulgar, immoral, violent, or p0rnographic IN ANY WAY.” Of course that would ban Latter-day Saints from watching most church-produced movies. If I recall correctly, the recent (and poorly made) movie about Joseph Smith begins with a disclaimer about violence in the movie. What a dilemma.

  12. Loyd, you have not thought this through very well. If I say I don’t like strawberry ice cream, this does not mean that I think or I want anybody else to think that everybody else who does like strawberry ice cream is immoral or even wrong. It is a personal preference.

    My personal preference is to avoid most R-rated movies and certainly movies filled with the kind of material “Falling” apparently contains. One reason (not the only reason, but an important reason) is that modern-day prophets, seers and revelators have told us to avoid this type of “entertainment.” But the main reason is that it simply makes me feel bad, and I don’t want to pay money to go to the movies and feel bad.

    So, go see “Falling” if you want. I won’t. I hope you respect my right to choose what entertainment I go see.

  13. Geoff, I have thought this through. Your liking strawberry is not a moral claim. To assert that someone is not following the prophets is a moral claim (at least within Mormonism).

    I’m completely fine with you avoiding certain movies. I think it’s a great idea. I have seen Falling and don’t plan on seeing it again. Despite what some brown-nosing Dutcher fans want to claim, this movie uses gratuitous violence, not as a narrative device, but rather as a means for Dutcher to break free from being an LDS filmmaker. My only problem is your making a moral claim (which you are completely free to do), but pretending as if you were not calling those who did not subscribe to your moral view point ‘immoral’.

  14. Loyd, we’re just going to have to agree to disagree. If it makes you feel better, there are a lot of things I could have written if I wanted to make a moral claim, but I didn’t. Stay tuned, though. There may be times when I will do so.

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