...but Rath, what the fuck is Mollywood?
I'm glad you asked! Mollywood is an independent film movement, primarily based in Utah, compromised of films/filmmakers who are also members of the Mormon Church. Thus, Mollywood.
For reasons passing understanding, my girlfriend really likes these movies, and so I've watched a number of them in the last year or so. The verdict? They actually don't entirely suck. There are some that are atrocious, but I've actually really enjoyed a couple of them. Many of them are produced for around 500 thousand dollars a piece, so while a lot of them look flat, they actually do some pretty nice things with colors, and, in particular, the credit sequences are very inventive. And the actors -- who pop up again and again, including Tony nominee/the next big thing Will Swenson (who wrote the best one I've seen, Sons of Provo, and makes The Singles Ward bearable) and the multi-talented star of The R.M. Kirby Heybourne -- are charming and fun to watch.
What I like most about these movies is how un-preachy they are. It's not like some Christian films I've seen where God is the point. God, and the faith, plays a big part in many of them, but for the most part, it's not a preachfest, just a given that all the characters are Mormons (and there are many, many injokes that I don't get). I've been told that the whole reason these films started getting made was because families wanted to see live-action PG movies for the whole family, that they wouldn't find offensive and would be able to watch. I know some folks might take offense to that, but I think there's something inspiring about it: Rather than bitching about the state of Hollywood, these obviously talented filmmakers went out and made their own movies.
And these are lighthearted movies that I've really come to enjoy.
Top 3 Mollywood movies:
1. Sons of Provo (Mormon mockumentary!)
2. Pride and Prejudice (Mormon lit adaptation!)
3. Brigham City (Mormon noir!)
I'm glad you asked! Mollywood is an independent film movement, primarily based in Utah, compromised of films/filmmakers who are also members of the Mormon Church. Thus, Mollywood.
For reasons passing understanding, my girlfriend really likes these movies, and so I've watched a number of them in the last year or so. The verdict? They actually don't entirely suck. There are some that are atrocious, but I've actually really enjoyed a couple of them. Many of them are produced for around 500 thousand dollars a piece, so while a lot of them look flat, they actually do some pretty nice things with colors, and, in particular, the credit sequences are very inventive. And the actors -- who pop up again and again, including Tony nominee/the next big thing Will Swenson (who wrote the best one I've seen, Sons of Provo, and makes The Singles Ward bearable) and the multi-talented star of The R.M. Kirby Heybourne -- are charming and fun to watch.
What I like most about these movies is how un-preachy they are. It's not like some Christian films I've seen where God is the point. God, and the faith, plays a big part in many of them, but for the most part, it's not a preachfest, just a given that all the characters are Mormons (and there are many, many injokes that I don't get). I've been told that the whole reason these films started getting made was because families wanted to see live-action PG movies for the whole family, that they wouldn't find offensive and would be able to watch. I know some folks might take offense to that, but I think there's something inspiring about it: Rather than bitching about the state of Hollywood, these obviously talented filmmakers went out and made their own movies.
And these are lighthearted movies that I've really come to enjoy.
Top 3 Mollywood movies:
1. Sons of Provo (Mormon mockumentary!)
2. Pride and Prejudice (Mormon lit adaptation!)
3. Brigham City (Mormon noir!)
