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Grindhouse

Once again Richard Dutcher shows that he's a competent
storyteller. "God's Army 2" is darker and grittier than
the first one, but also has a powerful message about
forgiveness and redemption. Solid acting and improved
cinematography and music. It's nice to know there are
many voices within the LDS film genre who can add their
own unique voice to the Mormon experience. Good job.

A standing ovation for Richard Dutcher and all who had a
part in this film, God's Army II.. I can't begin to tell
you how thought provoking, moving, and touching this film
was. Dutcher has proven himself a master storyteller.
He's not afraid to throw in a healthy dose of realism to
what is usually displayd as a text-book picture perfect
world. God's Army II takes you on an emotional (and
spiritual) roller coaster ride. Hats off to Ignacio
Serricchio and the rest of the actors for their wonderful
performances. One day, one of these films will break all
boundries and reach a world wide audience. I won't be
surprised if Richard Dutcher's name is attached.

This is no ordinary movie. It is far above the level of
most of the LDS-themed movies out there. Dutcher has an
uncanny ability to present religious paradoxes and ironies
without offending. Dutcher's movies make me think, and
they are therefore more than just entertainment. I can't
think of any reason why everyone shouldn't see this movie.

I just have to say "ditto" to what Dale and Sam said about
this movie. Everything they said I agree with. If I were
to sum up this movie with one word it would
be "powerful." This movie was amazing. Sometimes hard to
watch but nonetheless it was "powerful!"

Very powerful and emotionally rending. It throws some doubt
on cultural cliches that members of the Church perpetuate
among themselves, and especially throws a sympathetic light
on imperfect missionaries, when there's so little compassion
for such. Dutcher is brilliant, and probably the only one
who really knows what he's doing with the 'Mormon film'
genre. The actors really bring it home as well.

I was not expecting this movie to impact me so much. The
first Gods Army was good but this was great! The acting
was very real and the experiences told seemed true to how
life really can be. The messages were for everyone not
just members of the LDS faith. Thanks to Mr. Dutcher and I
look forward to your next movie.

Has Dutcher ever gone on a mission? Has he ever read a
Missionary handbook? Does he even go to church? He has
so misrepresented the material that it doesnÂt even mimic
the missionary program of the LDS church. I would put
this movie in the same category as a movie about the
titanic in which the ship doesnÂt sink, or a movie about
pearl harbor in which the Russians bomb the Mexican navy
in 1941. For those of you who are planning to view this
movie in order to learn more about the missionary
experience, be advised that it is a movie about a group of
missionaries who should be dishonorably released from
their missions.

As much as I agree that Richard Dutcher is a talented
Mormon genra film maker, I was very bothered by the movie,
God's Army: States of Grace. I understand that realizim
has become the thing that attracts most people, but in
this case, I believe it went a bit too far.

I am not a naieve Mormon that doesn't know worldy
temtations can and do have a negative effect on Latter
Day Saints and in the lives of some LDS Missionaries, but
as I sat in the theater with a persepective missionary who
is so looking forward to his mission, I was saddended at
the portrail of the immoral mishap of Elder Ferrell.
Granted, it may happen, to a very few I might add, but my
dear friend, and I were deeply bothered by the whole
event.

The coversion of Carl was amazing. I really do believe
that people can change. I was a bit lost at the resolve
after he and his buddies went back to shoot the offender
in his brothers death. Yes, he was tempted to shoot the
guy and refrained, but his "friend" did the job instead.
Carl was there. Were there no ramifications to his
presence in a gang shooting? This and some of the other
side stories were very disjointed.

All in all, we came home very depressed from a darker
Richard Dutcher than we have seen before. My hat is off
to the reality that mission life is not all converts
and "golden" contacts. I guess I feel that in our Mormon
culture, we don't need to mix so much of the "reality
show" mentality in with our entertainment. The Best Two
Years looks better and better to me now.

This is one of those movies that gets so hyped (reviews,
letters to the editor, etc), you just "gotta see it", and
then you're ultimately disappointed. It gets 3 stars in
the LDS genre, but certainly wouldn't when compared to a
Hollywood flick.
But to the LDS Pollyannas who want 8 cow movies....
they're all available on DVD at LDS Distribution where you
can get your warm fuzzies over and over. Afterwards, you
can read the Church News where "all is (always) well in
Zion".
Missionaries DO mess up, and they DO get sent home as a
result. The field is NOT always white and ready to
harvest. There's a lot of odd ducks out there with a lot
of baggage. But there's a LOT of wonderful people too, who
may not have the Gospel but live honorable lives. Deal
with it.
But aside from the "realism", take a look at the statement
that the movie makes about each of us. It doesn't matter
how we act, it's how we live! Covey used to say "there's a
difference between being active in church, and active in
the Gospel". In Utah it's a big gray area - oh, wait -
it's whited sepulchres.
Consider the illustration in the movie: Ferrell the junior
comp is too "righteous" to play a little ball on P-day,
quick to judge his comp on so many levels, preaches that
God loves the sinner (yet obviously doesn't believe it
himself, based on his actions) and ends up getting a
flight home early. That doesn't play well in Utah with so
many self-righteous Utah Mormons. No wonder some of you
didn't get it.
Dutcher went to Mexico on a mission, and it's clear that
he loves the Latino people. He also gets the grit of
SoCal. There are missionaries there who live "in the
world" but try not to be a part of it.
Maybe those of us in Utah ought to get out a little bit
more. Lighten up on your own spiritual superiority and bow
down to your Savior and Redeemer (like the script: King
Benjamin points out that we're ALL beggars). It'll do us
all some good.
Hint: pay attention to the part after the ending credits
start to roll. What's so important to Dutcher that he
wants us to hear it over and over? It's right there.
Great job Brother Dutcher! Very thought provoking stuff!

This movie is definitely the best "Mormon" movie I've ever
seen. I am surprised by individuals who could leave
depressed by the message, as I felt it was one of the most
uplifting movies I've ever seen. I think it speaks to
the "Mormon culture" in important ways and I can understand
those who will bristle at the portrayal of religious life
as complicated when for them it may be more simple to deal
in absolutes. The message that Christ's atonement is for
sinners (and those who pretend they aren't sinners) is one
I felt deeply affected by.

This is definitely a film you will not want to take
children under 12 to unless they already understand
concepts like pornography, murder, and fornication because
you may have a lot of family discussion about these
concepts prematurely. All in all, I look forward to more
from Dutcher and I will continue promoting this film to
everyone I know.

I just got off the mission about 1 week ago and i was
offended, i repeat offended by this crap Richard "anti-
Christ" dutcher calls a film. First of all I want to know
when god or an angle appeared to Richard Dutcher and told
him he could represent the church and the sacred
missionary program. What really makes me mad is the way
that he represented and showed what the mission is. if
Richard Dutchers mission experience was even close to how
he portrayed those missionaries it would have been better
if Mr. Dutcher never even served. Only once or twice in my
entire mission did i come across such worthless terrible
missionaries and dutcher makes it look like that rule
breaking is the norm for missionaries. In the mission i
knew and loved missionaries never let there comps alone
with hot girls to talk. Missionaries never let chicks in
their apartment to eat dinner, missionaries never broke
rules and justified it saying that its Christ
Like to break rules and the missionaries that did were
severely punished and completely untrusted by the mission
president.
I feel sorry for any future missionary who sees that film
and thinks that his mission will be anything like that
movie portrays. I think it was such crap when the mission
president tells Elder -- that it wasnÂt his fault. What
crap! Of course it was his fault, he sat there letting his
comp talk to the chick alone, when he woke up he didnÂt
try to stop his comp or call the president, He let the
chick eat dinner in there apartment. in my opinion both
missionaries should have been sent home dishonorably and
the worthless mission president said, its not your fault.
It was almost all his fault. but he got off guilt and
Scott free.
I was also disturbed to see porn (the chicks in bikinis)
in a movie made by a member of the church. in the book
true to the faith Pornography is defined by anything that
shows the human body in a way that stimulates sexual
desires. i think his almost naked chicks did the trick to
many men who saw the film.
finally the whole point of the movie was to teach about
repentance, but that stupid missionary kid didnÂt even
repent. he wasnÂt even truly sad about what he did he was
sad because his parents would be mad. and to show that he
didnÂt repent he decided to continue his relationship with
the porn star. in conclusion i think Richard Dutchers film
was terrible and his temple recommend should be revoked
for teaching apostasy. thatÂs all thank you

Don't miss the forest for the trees. This is a GREAT movie.
I don't think Richard Dutcher has ever tried to portray
himself as a church spokesman. This is a movie about
redemption, not about missionary work.

I'd rank it "5 stars" if I could!

I am recommending this movie to EVERYONE I know regardless
of religious background.

"States of Grace" is just a well-written and well-directed
movie that is awesome in its own right: powerful,
thought-provoking, intense and unforgettable.

Finally-- a serious movie that contributes to not only the
Christian genre but the movie industry as a whole!

I am a big fan of Dutchers work. I have to rate this movie
from two aspects, production and story.
Production: 4 stars, simply put it is a work of art, very
well done.
Story: 2 stars, Sorry Richard, it was two dark for me. I
understrand the message that you can't do anything to bad,
to be loved by God. An important message but I didn't expect
to get from a movie about missionaries.
I will see Richard's next movie and I hope it ia as good as
Brigham City.

Congratulations to Richard Dutcher on a thought
provoking movie. States of Grace is a perfect name for
this movie. I left the theater with my heart touched and
with the desire to discuss with my friends and family
what I had just experienced. This was the first time I
have seen a LDS movie (for the general public) that has
given me the opportunity to discuss things of value, of
relationships with our maker and our own state of
grace. It was powerful and moving and I recommend it
to anyone who is willing to "go with the flow" of the
movie. Let's have more of these adult movies to
balance the coming-of-age films that seem so
prominent in the LDS genre. There's is room for both
kinds.

"States of Grace" is a wonderful examination of, surprise,
the different states of grace we inhabit (just as the notes
posted here reflect our different states). It's not
perfect but it's thought-provoking and insightful. The
movie is a little like the Lord's spirit: Some people will
get it and others won't. Kudos to Richard Dutcher for
again making a movie that gives faithful Saints something
to think about.

I knew nothing about the film when I saw it except that
several Utah critics found it praiseworthy. Therefore, I
entered the theater with nothing more than a positive
expectation. (I didn't even know it was from Richard
Dutcher, who offended me with his G's Army's missionaries'
horseplay - especially the bathroom barge-in scene because
during my two years in Chile in 1971-73, I knew no such
morons, and was therefore surprised to hear my uncle Milo
LeBaron, who had just returned from being LA mission
president and now serves as MP for SLC Temple Square,
praise the film). "States of Grace" stunned me with his
understated acting and gospel message of redemption for
missionaries struggling with their humanity. I had to
chuckle at the just-returned missionary's denunciation of
the film. He missed it all. Yes, there were portions that
repulsed me, but, primarily speaking I found the film to
be profoundly poignant. My tears flowed freely at times
and I felt touched by the Spirit, which explains why I
have recommended the film to anyone who impresses me as
emotionally mature.

This film is rightfully deemed turkey as it may contain
elements that will aid to your sleepiness. The director
is taking an approach that we in the church try to stay
away from: "edgy" (daring, bold, pushing the envelope,
etc...) I agree that this may be a reality to some
missions, but the percentage is so rare; especially after
the "bar" was raised a few years back. There are a lot of
scenarios in the world that may be a reality for some, but
we don't need to make movies about them. More
importantly, we (mormons) are being viewed by many more
eyes than our own, so any cinema that would portray us in
a bad light is a bad idea. I would be ashamed to show
this movie to a non-member.

As far as the content goes, the timeline doesn't work in
the movie. Also, my biggest problem with the movie, is
that it spends the whole time developing the scenario in
which everyone falls from their "state of grace," but then
within a few minutes everyone is kneeling in front of a
hispanic pseudo baby-Jesus and all is well, or going to
be. Let's not forget that our gangster friend was just
responsible for and an accomplis to a murder, and will go
to jail for a while if he's caught, making him a felon and
in bad standing with the church. The missionary will now
most likely be excommunicated, but they glorify his
decision by giving him some sort of heroes farewell as he
departs his mission in dishonor and shame.

It is inappropriate to demonstrate the actual words of our
sacred ordinances, which the director seems not to show
any respect for. And to cap it off, the director switches
back and forth from a murder scene to a New Member
Confirmation, crystallizing his entire sacreligious theme.

All in all, the movie is un-realistic and leaves one with
a sense of emptiness at the end. It portrays Mormons in a
light that we already struggle to stay out of. I've had
so many co-workers tell me what hypocrits that mormons are
because they have all known someone who disobeyed their
own standards. We are the city on the hill whose light
can not be hid, the candle under the bushell; and we
musn't sell out to "Hollywood-ize" our religion.

Richard Dutcher is extremely talented and I have enjoyed
all his movies. I've never been as powerfully touched by
a movie scene as I was with the silent Sacrament at the
end of "Brigham City". "States of Grace" is definitely a
huge step-up in films about our LDS subculture. It had
good production values and some excellent actors in
Serrachio and the young lady who played the neighbor. I
agree that the young elder who fails only has read the box
directions on repentance, atonement and forgiveness...he's
never gone inside. When his moment comes and he falls, he
has no internal mechanism to help him get up again. He
has no real faith. As the mother of 3 honorably returned
missionaries I can tell you that missions are tougher than
many want to portray them. I offered myself as the human
conduit when my son's needed to vent to a "person". More
than one of their companions also wrote to me when they
found I was a "safe-place" as one put it. What they said
they could not/would not share with their mothers (she
would never understand, she would worry too much, etc.)
they told me. All I did was listen and out their names on
the Temple Roll so the collective church would be praying
for them. Richard Dutcher does provoke and touch the
tender nerve. Many artists do. Art in all it's forms is
subjective and he has every right to express what's in his
heart. If people don't like it then don't buy tickets.
Didn't we all fight a war for the right to choose? As for
me, I'm inlclined to buy his tickets/DVD's whether he's
walking the "straight and narrow" or wandering around
trying to find his way to truth. I can deal with
sunjective judgements of him as an artist but have no
interest in those who whould jude him as a person. I
don't have stewardship over him and neither does anyone
else who has reviewed this movie.

After watching "God's Army I" and "Brigham City" I was
looking forward to a thoughtful depiction of Mormon
culture to combat the nonsensical, "Halestorm" films.
However, "God's Army II-States of Grace" did not live up
to my expectations.

I wish to discuss a few points of criticism.

1)Negatvism.

The negative light shown on missions and missionaries was
unrealistic and degrading. The film focused on what could
go wrong on a mission instead of what good missions can
do. Being a member of the LDS Church, and a return
missionary, I was able to put the unlikely events and
unorthodox missionaries of the film in perspective.
However, a non-member without the same background, could
acquire a very skewed view of our missionary program.

I watched the film with my 17-year-old brother who, during
the film, told me "I don't want to go on a mission."
Although he said it in a joking tone, the negative
portrayal of what a mission is like was very real.

2)Misuse of the LDS Church

The LDS Church (like other churches) seeks to inspire and
uplift. I hate to see it so misrepresented in a non-
inspiring and depressing film. It seems that the
sacriligious use of ordinances (baptism, confirmation,
etc) is becoming a staple in Dutcher's movies.

3)Unrealistic

At times, the events that transpired in the film were
outlandish and hard to even watch. It was akin to the
novel "The Jungle" in which the author aimed for the heart
of his audience but instead affected their stomach.
Unfortunately, the terrible events that transpired in the
movie offset the spiritual message Dutcher was trying to
convey.