What would the world be like without Mormons? Thank God that the elders, clad in their sacred undergarments, are protecting us from evil.
A movie theater owned by Utah Jazz owner Larry Miller abruptly changed its screening plans and decided not to show the film “Brokeback Mountain.” The film, an R-rated Western gay romance story, was supposed to open Friday at the Megaplex at Jordan Commons in Sandy, a suburb of Salt Lake City. Instead it was pulled from the schedule.
A message posted at the ticket window read: “There has been a change in booking and we will not be showing ‘Brokeback Mountain.’ We apologize for any inconvenience.”
Cal Gunderson, manager of the Jordan Commons Megaplex, declined to comment.
The movie’s distributor, Focus Features, said that hours before opening, the theater management “reneged on their licensing agreement,” and refused to open the film.
Gayle Ruzicka, president of the conservative Utah Eagle Forum, said not showing the film set an example for the people of Utah.
“I just think (pulling the show) tells the young people especially that maybe there is something wrong with this show,” she said.
Thanks for telling us what’s right and wrong. (Mormons are all over Taipei, by the way – more than I’ve ever seen anywhere else in Asia. You ought to hear what the locals have to say about them.)
1
By lirelou
I suspect a financial motive. Any gay cowboy movie would flop in Sandy or Jordan. Proclaiming that you will not show the film for moral reasons raises your stock with the local community. Now, the real question is, does the owner sneak on down to the Westerner on Friday or Saturday nights to ogle local cowboys parading around in their underwear?
January 9, 2006 @ 12:36 am | Comment
2
By Thomas
Well, of course it would flop! Because we all know there are no gay mormons, so they probably could not identify with it. And even if there were gay mormons, it would be morally wrong to see the film because it might give young people ideas. Because nobody ever “crossed over” to the other side without seeing a gay movie first, right?
January 9, 2006 @ 6:25 am | Comment
3
By dishuiguanyin
Well don’t leave us hanging here like that Richard…what do the locals have to say about them?
January 9, 2006 @ 9:15 am | Comment
4
By Sam_S
Bunches of Mormons in Taipei? Sounds like a strange place to have ’em. Yes, what do the locals say about them, and do they still ride bikes with their neckties on?
January 9, 2006 @ 11:04 am | Comment
5
By Michael Turton
Locals find them comical and stupid for the most part. They usually stay on the right side of annoying, although they can occasionally be offensive, and sometimes downright threatening. They are usually pretty polite, being young, ignorant, and tightly-controlled. I make a point of always engaging them on their suicidal politics. I really don’t care if they wish to wear magic underwear and think that God wrote the surpassingly dull rip-off of the King James that is called the Book of Mormon. But I do care that they are allied with the Christian Reich in the US.
But Richard, blogging on Mormons means that you’ll get a slew of stupid posts from apologists who will tell you that living in their authoritarian cult is the most liberating thing in the world. They sound just like apologists for Beijing — same tune, different words, is all. You already have enough apologists for authoritarianism posting here….
Basically I understand why people might want power over others. What I don’t understand is why the dominated go along with it. Always a source of puzzlement to me, those who let others control their minds and bodies. It makes me think dark things about our benighted species.
Michael
January 9, 2006 @ 7:40 pm | Comment
6
By Michael Turton
Yes, Sam, they bike everywhere.
Michael
January 9, 2006 @ 7:44 pm | Comment
7
By richard
What Michael said, Sam and Dish.
The locals despise them and make all kinds of jokes about them. Have you ever read Bingfeng going on about the Falun Gong (or the Japanese)? That’s how Taiwanese talk about LDSers. And yes, they wear the white shirt and tie and the shiny black name tag, and for some reason they all seem to hang out on Yonkang Jie, probably because they know I live next door.
January 9, 2006 @ 8:07 pm | Comment
8
By Ivan
Mormons:
“Women, women everywhere, but not a drop to drink.”
January 9, 2006 @ 9:05 pm | Comment
9
By ACB
Not to throw a spanner in your argument or anything but isn’t this democracy at work. Or at least the will of the people. I would understand if it were banned by the state legislature, but this is different.
As I understood it, anybody in the US has the right to protest against something that they feel is morally or legally wrong. And since many mormons obviously feel that this film is wrong, then they have the right to do whatever they can (within legal bounds) to stop it.
If this film was a bloodsoaked horror fest and it the complainants were a bunch of outraged mothers, I’m sure that you would be celebrating their actions to uphold the moral compas of America.
This film is not on view in that theatre because the locals don’t like it, people can hop down to Arizona, where the people are more liberal, and see it.
January 10, 2006 @ 8:26 am | Comment
10
By Liu Yixi
I used to live right by the LDS mega-temple near Yongkang Jie. I was always frustrated by how overwhelmingly polite they were on a one-to-one basis, given how creepy their interaction with locals appeared to be.
January 10, 2006 @ 10:46 am | Comment
11
By richard
ACB, no one said they don’t have the right to do it. And I have the right to tell the to fuck themselves for doing it. Democracy in action.
January 10, 2006 @ 4:51 pm | Comment
12
By chester
Richard,
You know that a temple is built behind the CKS memorial off Jin-Shan Street, yeah?
Those biking LDSers, back in the late 80’s were once considered somekind of an eye candy sort by young women and closeted gay men. I don’t know that they are already despised now!
January 10, 2006 @ 10:01 pm | Comment
13
By richard
There’s no doubt some of them are kind of cute. In a creepy, android-ish sort of way. Didn’t know about the temple.
January 10, 2006 @ 10:04 pm | Comment
14
By chester
Heeheehee hee….- the cute cloned ‘droid army of later day.
January 10, 2006 @ 10:19 pm | Comment
15
By Liu Yixi
Stepford missionaries.
January 12, 2006 @ 10:05 am | Comment
16
By George
Guess it was banned because the storyline hit a little “too close to home”!!
They are probably afraid the gay Mormans that are stuck in the cliche hetro-world of Utah will realize their could be more to life than what they are taught to believe……..
January 13, 2006 @ 7:55 am | Comment
17
By tb
As a Utah resident it pisses me off to see the exaggerated claims everywhere about brokeback being “banned in Utah”. It was cancelled at one theatre. It is playing at just about every other theatre in the state. So no it wasn’t “Banned in Utah”. One rich decided he didn’t like it.
January 20, 2006 @ 4:44 pm | Comment
18
By Ernesto
I was one of those missionaries and I am Mormon. I am amazed by what people say about Mormon without having an idea of what they are talking about…quite sad, but funny!
February 22, 2006 @ 10:35 pm | Comment