"Atlas Shrugged" out on Friday!

[pennausamike]

Okay, first off, who exactly are you debating this with? Cause as far as I can tell, no one else cares that they changed the setting of the story to modern day. It's like debating King Kong 1933 vs King Kong 1976. Doesn't mattere because it's still a story about a giant monkey.

Edit: Oh wait, never mind. I just scrolled up and saw the posts. Guess it just didn't register the first time.

That's cool.
I forgot to post this one, which clarifies where I was going;

Atlas Shrugged would have been better served as a kind of period piece I think. Trains just don't have the same "life-blood" meaning in today's society like they did when the book was written.

SNIP

And secondly, I really want to answer that whole 'redistribution of wealth' thing, because it's blatantly a staw man arguement that has no basis in fact.... But I can't because that's veering into politics again and for the sake of civility I think we all need to steer back to philosphy and stay there.

:angry Very frustrated right now.

I think the "battle" between those who generate wealth and those who redistribute wealth was a major theme of Ayn Rand's books.
I don't really see what there is to "answer".
Certainly many folks would come down in many places on all sides of the issue.
I wasn't debating that argument, so much as saying that Atlas Shrugged will work as a film regardless of where in history it is placed.

Sorry for not making that clear,
Mike

 

[IndyFanChuck]

Between my hatred for her ideas and my hatred for Attack of the Clones, it actually cancels out and becomes love for my Mom.

Which is probably why I need therapy.

Poison? Wow.. that's some hate you are feeling there. You should probably talk to someone about it.

 

[pennausamike]

Why can't we just all agree that Attack of the Clones was the worst movie ever and talk about that?

Because I've seen worse movies... Your saying that is poison! :lol

As long as we live in a world where the movie
"Hot Rods to Hell" was made,
we can never "all agree that Attack of the Clones was the worst movie ever".

Mike

 

[IndyFanChuck]

PS: I am half kidding by the way. Hope you know that.

 

[pennausamike]

PS: I am half kidding by the way. Hope you know that.

So, you're willing to admit that "Hot Rods to Hell" is worse than AOTC?

Mike

 

[Michael Bergeron]

Between my hatred for her ideas and my hatred for Attack of the Clones, it actually cancels out and becomes love for my Mom.

Which is probably why I need therapy.

lol:lol

PS: I am half kidding by the way. Hope you know that.

I assumed so but you never know here.

 

[pennausamike]

SNIP
Whether redistribution happens in a totalitarian dictatorship,
or a western nannystate doesn't change the ability of a filmmaker to tell the story of Atlas Shrugged.

Mike

SNIP
I don't disagree with that at all, actually
(although I would argue that use of the term "nanny state" betrays your own attitudes on the subject ).
SNIP

Not my intention; only meant to present extremes.
Secret police and gulags or smothering safety nets and overbearing safety regulation
are two extremes of the same wealth re-distributing classes of government.
I don't personally WANT to live in any extreme, but hopefully live in something in the middle.

Mike

 

[Solo4114]

Not my intention; only meant to present extremes.
Secret police and gulags or smothering safety nets and overbearing safety regulation
are two extremes of the same wealth re-distributing classes of government.
I don't personally WANT to live in any extreme, but hopefully live in something in the middle.

Mike

Gotcha. My misunderstanding. For what it's worth, even if you do believe that the modern welfare state is a "nanny state", that's your business, man. Anyway, thanks for the clarification.

 

[corranhornjje]

Just came home from seeing it. Good movie, looking forward to the next 2 parts. Bridge scene and music was great.

 

[TheDoctor]

Ugh. I saw it last night and it was the most boring movie I've seen in a loooooong time. They could have edited the whole movie down to about 20 minutes.

Also, from a story perspective, they never answered the question: "Why should I care?"

 

[Kerr Avon]

I liked it! The movie was really faithful to the book. It really setup and showed the problems in the world, setting the players on the board. It's just unfortunate it couldn't be longer to really start getting into the meat of the book. I was hoping we'd get to hear Francisco's speech at the dinner about money and the 'root of all evil.' They changed how the motor was found a little, but I'm cool with that. I'm actually a little surprised they left the sexual aspects of the book in the movie, but it looks like they're being faithful to the material. There's nothing after the credits though, I was hoping for a little something filmed for the next movie.

 

[Kerr Avon]

Ugh. I saw it last night and it was the most boring movie I've seen in a loooooong time. They could have edited the whole movie down to about 20 minutes.

Also, from a story perspective, they never answered the question: "Why should I care?"

Have you read the book? I could see how it would be a little unapproachable by someone who never had. Much like "Lord of the Rings" the meat of the story isn't until later though.

 

[Kerr Avon]

Yep. But nothing like they did when the book was written. If the railways shut down it would certainly be felt but in the 50's if the rails shut down the country would have stopped almost completely.

Oh, and the film addressed your concern in a round about way. In the movie, oil has become scarce and gasoline prices have risen to $37.40 a gallon. Because of that, rail became the only cost effective transportation method and another Great Depression had set in. Unfortunately the rail systems hadn't been upkept, etc, just like in the book and things went from there.

 

[Guri]

I just saw the movie and while I thought it was a great "The Emperor Has No Clothes" kind of story, it lacked heart and really does a disservice to the benefits of the everyday person to volunteerism.

Spoiler

It clearly identifies the damage to the economy that comes with the corruption innate in the cronyism that exists between politicians and lazy CEO's.

And I did really like the portrayal of the media as selling opinions that have been politically motivated so that the politicians can then pass the laws that protect them from the imagined fears while getting rich in the process.

But it doesn't show clearly enough how the every day hard working blue collar worker benefits from a limited state with better products and more jobs.

The closest it came were 1) The factory that closed down completely when it tried to level all pay and lost the talented engineers and 2) When the union boss came in and almost cost the jobs of the people he was supposed to represent.

Dagny's a rant about 'stupid altruism' was so awful and completely misdirected what was happening - that it's not actually beneficial or charitable to, for a few months of equal pay, ultimately cost the jobs of everyone in the company and rob the public of a great technology.

It comes off as only the hardworking super rich and super powerful hold the country together and should thus be rewarded with extravagant lifestyles, rather than a much more sympathetic position of limited state, that we all benefit from being able to make our own decisions about our futures.

But maybe that's what Ayn thought...

I'm looking forward to the next two.

 

[KnightAsylum]

Saw it Friday in a packed theater (almost all which gave applause at the end.) Loved the film myself, they did a great job with everything - looking forward to Part 2!!

 

[Ozymandius]

It comes off as only the hardworking super rich and super powerful hold the country together and should thus be rewarded with extravagant lifestyles, rather than a much more sympathetic position of limited state, that we all benefit from being able to make our own decisions about our futures.

Sounds like it's a pretty faithfull adaptation of the book and Rand's ideas. :unsure

There's no joke here. For those of you who haven't read the book, that's actually what it's about.

 

[Ozymandius]

Sorry to be so late getting back to this thread, but...

I think the "battle" between those who generate wealth and those who redistribute wealth was a major theme of Ayn Rand's books.
I don't really see what there is to "answer".
Certainly many folks would come down in many places on all sides of the issue.
I wasn't debating that argument, so much as saying that Atlas Shrugged will work as a film regardless of where in history it is placed.

I think we crossed wires here.

The theme of the book is patently obvious to anyone that's read it, so no questions there. Rather what I took issue with was the implication in your previous post that her 'foretold' :rolleyes redistribution of wealth was happening now. Unfortunately to discuss that would then be getting into current politics and I don't think the mods would be willing to let us go that far.

So as much as I really, really, really want to debate that topic and find out what you meant by all that, I can't.

 

[Laffo]

If you are a Randian you'll like this "Movie." Folks that admire her work are unshakable in their arguments in support of her virtues.
If you dislike her politics, philosophy and find her work dull, you'll find the Movie the same.
I don't believe we'll see Parts 2 and 3, and the Acting is some of the worst I've seen since Troll 2.
Laffo.

 

[Michael Bergeron]

Sounds like it's a pretty faithfull adaptation of the book and Rand's ideas. :unsure

There's no joke here. For those of you who haven't read the book, that's actually what it's about.

Not really actually... It's not the "super rich" or the "super powerful" that hold everything together in the book, it's the hard working and innovative.

Her philosophy is full of flaws but she never suggests that being rich is good, rather that if one earns it they shouldn't have to feel guilty for their accomplishments.

Her biggest folly is the assumption that those who reach that status are pure in their drive. Free market is far from the answer to everything.

 

[Laffo]

Saw it Friday in a packed theater (almost all which gave applause at the end.) Loved the film myself, they did a great job with everything - looking forward to Part 2!!

As it opened in only 300 Theatres, packing the House isn't hard.
300 Houses x 300 Seats (being generous) x 6 showtimes (also generous) = 540,000 Patrons.

540,000 Patrons @ $12.00 (National average) = $6.4 million opening weekend IF EVERY TICKET is sold for EVERY SHOW. With the scathing reviews anyone without an interest in Rand will be staying away, so the second week is going to be tough on this film. It will have some organized support from Groups mobilizing people to see it, so the fall off won't be as quick as normal. (In the business we call this having legs, this Movie had none out of the Gate)

Without a Political Patron we won't see Parts 2 and 3.

Laffo.