An excerpt from my script review for Runner which will be available 11/09/26:
1.) Marketability of the Idea
Not to be confused with The Runner which was that bomb on Amazon starring Gal Gadot, that people argue was almost as bad as her Imagine stunt during Covid.
No this one was released by Angel Studios, the “family friendly” studio founded by good Mormon folk who just announced that their future features will have no nudity, no on-screen sex acts, no taking the Lord’s name in vain, no F-bombs, and no profanity at all in films for children under 12.
But guns and violence?
Game fucking on, because…LDS values, I guess?
(Seriously, it’s a very “relaxed” past when it comes to Mormons and firearms. Coffee and tea? Heavens no! Guns though…)
Anyway, I know some Angel subscribers and members were offended by this one because it didn’t fit the “family values” or religious trend that some of the other projects that target certain audiences, but that’s fine.
Most of it just felt like they were throwing shade at Alan Ritchson due to him openly admitting he leans liberal.
But Angel Studios is branching out.
I look at it like this…
In 2012 it became public knowledge that the owners of Chik-fil-A not only opposed same sex marriage, but donated to organizations that actively fought against it.
Folks in the LGBTQ+ community organized a boycott of the fast food chain which led to folks on the opposing side to organize a Chik-fil-A National Appreciation Day on August 1, 2012.
That day was huge for the chain! Record breaking sales. The problem though?
It was unsustainable, and sales started to decline over time, and between 2012 and 2019 the family owned company announced they were altering their donations.
(Personally, when gay friends asked me to support them in their boycott, I did, but it wasn’t a huge ask because I never saw the appeal of the chain’s chicken sandwich, fried or grilled.)
And why limit yourself to essentially 50% of any given population? It’s silly.
The same goes for Angel Studios.
It’s a business after all, and businesses are supposed to make money.
Increasing your customer base ups your chances of that.
And lastly, finishing out the “political” talk with what happened last Tuesday.
Yes, like everyone else, I was surprised by what happened.
What I will say about it though, is to urge caution on both sides.
Left, don’t get too optimistic. Right, the world isn’t burning anymore than it was the Monday before Election Day.
What should you expect? Two years of more of the same (since the Congress is one party and the White House the opposite), with little to no change happening aside from maybe gas prices going a bit lower.
Will the war in Iran be wrapped up? Maybe, but the world’s “moved on” so to speak, and the global oil game has changed since Feb. 28, 2026.
Will inflation be curbed? Probably not, because as President Trump learned, that takes time and doesn’t happen on “day one” for any president, let alone one who enjoys tariffs and starts a war in oil producing regions.
But I digress…
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