anyone planning to see this?
I’ve been wanting to read for years…
Read the book, and the movie looks like a typical “change a lot of the book” type of movie. Not sure if I’ll see it.
No I think I will pass on this, Ann Rand is not one of my favorite authors, her ultra-libertarian viewpoints are a tad too much for me. She sees things in too stark a contrast, everything is either ultra-black or ultra-white, no inbetween. In “The Fountainhead” she portrayed architects as either spineless weasels who could only blindly copy the past or as super-egomegalamaniacs who would rather blow-up their projects when they are not carried out 100% to their vision, it was such an unrealistic idioticly ridiculus viewpoint that no one in my business takes her anywhere near seriously, we consider the Gary Cooper movie version to be high comedy, akin to Mel Brookes.
The basis of “Atlas Shrugged” is lunatical, that only the ultra-wealthy industrialist’s can save America by eliminating unions and government oversight of any kind and insisting on no-holds-barred laissez-faire free-market economics? WTF??? The basic problem is that the post-WW2 Communist-threatened world Rand was railling against no longer exists but some still think it does and are trying to ressurrect the McCarthy Era anti-socialist paranoia reflected in this book. This movie is being financed by the ultra-right libertarians in the Tea-Party because it reflects their mindset, but excus me but didnt we end up in this current recession because of laissez-faire no government oversight of a bunch of ultra-wealthy bankers, investors and business leaders playing craps with the American economy and losing??? Are any of them apologizing for the worst economic downturn since the Depression? Didnt think so…
Alternate suggested veiwing: “Inside Job”, or “Enron, The Smartest Guys In The Room”, which had me literally yelling at the TV in disgust and anger at the BS these guys Ann Rand would admire get away with…
The problem with making a movie of this is that this book is only a “novel” in the broadest possible sense of the term. Yeah, there’s a story, sort of, but the “characters” only exist to be mouthpieces for Rand’s sociopathic ramblings, and the setting is a strawman in itself, a completely ludicrous and wholly preposterous set of circumstances that you’d have to be a total moron to believe could possibly come to pass.
Victor Smith said:
No I think I will pass on this, Ann Rand is not one of my favorite authors, her ultra-libertarian viewpoints are a tad too much for me. She sees things in too stark a contrast, everything is either ultra-black or ultra-white, no inbetween. In "The Fountainhead" she portrayed architects as either spineless weasels who could only blindly copy the past or as super-egomegalamaniacs who would rather blow-up their projects when they are not carried out 100% to their vision, it was such an unrealistic idioticly ridiculus viewpoint that no one in my business takes her anywhere near seriously, we consider the Gary Cooper movie version to be high comedy, akin to Mel Brookes.The basis of “Atlas Shrugged” is lunatical, that only the ultra-wealthy industrialist’s can save America by eliminating unions and government oversight of any kind and insisting on no-holds-barred laissez-faire free-market economics? WTF??? The basic problem is that the post-WW2 Communist-threatened world Rand was railling against no longer exists but some still think it does and are trying to ressurrect the McCarthy Era anti-socialist paranoia reflected in this book. This movie is being financed by the ultra-right libertarians in the Tea-Party because it reflects their mindset, but excus me but didnt we end up in this current recession because of laissez-faire no government oversight of a bunch of ultra-wealthy bankers, investors and business leaders playing craps with the American economy and losing??? Are any of them apologizing for the worst economic downturn since the Depression? Didnt think so…
Alternate suggested veiwing: “Inside Job”, or “Enron, The Smartest Guys In The Room”, which had me literally yelling at the TV in disgust and anger at the BS these guys Ann Rand would admire get away with…
Grrrrr.
Vic, Bob won’t let me call you a moron, anymore, so I won’t. :lol:
Just replace the commies with George Soros, and the story still works.
BTW, the ChiComs are still out there.
One other thing, I haven’t heard any apologies from Barney and Dodd. “Fannie and Freddie are fine, no problem,” as the previous administration tried to reign in Fannie and Freddie.
And another thing, none of the critics thought it was a good movie, which means that it probably will be.
At least the movie has trains in it. Go, enjoy it for that. 
Bro in Law and I are working on our permission slips now…if we make it I’ll let you know!
Bob, I’ll be good and keep it above board, however as you said it is a novel so it is a story to be played with by the boobs in Holly weird. However there is a need for the RRs and maybe the government get off their collective backsides and start building HIGH speed rail lines for Passenger trains only. THat is they want to get us out of our Car! No, I will not take a bus to TOC’s, it would require a two and a half (2 1/2) day trip!!We do need less Government Regulation and what get needs to be intelligent!
Mr. Victor Smith, since you live in a major Liberial Bastion and I’m sorry to say my brith place, I would expect you to say just what you have said. Why don’t you check out the New DOJ web site header on line, see what your elected government is doing to the country you may or may not love is doing to the freedoms that are loosing!
Paul
I think I’ll pass…on the discussion 
The movie, maybe free on satellite or Netflix.
I’ll save my cash.
Ralph
The book bored me goofy. So the movie will be?
Let’s see - Christine? Great book = pretty crappy movie. Dune? Fabulous book = totally turkey movie. Hitchhikers Guide to the Universe? Don’t ask… So a long winded, 1 dimensional, preachy book = blockbuster movie? Only if every Tea Party member, Libertarian and ultra-con sees it 28 times ala Star Wars.
At least they won’t have the whiney hiney bullsh-- excuse of “Hollywood won’t let us make it” anymore. It COULD have been made before -AT ANY TIME… But nobody with any sense wanted to fund such a money losing proposition. IMO the best we can hope for is maybe they’ll bring back the Mystery Science Theatre bots just to lampoon it.
As for high speed rail? I was going along with this article right up to the point where they said computers could replace engineers… no thanks.
http://www.cnn.com/2011/POLITICS/04/13/high.speed.rail.fact.check/index.html?hpt=T2
Ralph Berg said:Agree.
I think I'll pass.............on the discussion ;) The movie, maybe free on satellite or Netflix. I'll save my cash. Ralph
Geoff George said:I also agree, but that is because I don't want to sit in a theater and spend the extra cash. Time is precious.Ralph Berg said:Agree.
I think I'll pass.............on the discussion ;) The movie, maybe free on satellite or Netflix. I'll save my cash. Ralph
Steve, they say it takes one to know one
Have you seen either of the two movies I referred to? just wondering…
BTW the critics also hated the independantly produced “Left Behind” series of films and “China Cry” which were also favorites of the far-right social cons, I’ve seen them, OMG B-A-D B-A-D B-A-D acting editing everything! So bad they are funny! MST3K material. So I expect the critical pummeling may have alot more to do with this being a very very low budget production than with the actual subject matter, but “Fountainhead” is ludicruisly funny, if you’ve ever seen the infamous jackhammer scene you’d know what I am talking about :lol:
Ayn Rand has never been accused of being a good writer. Her storyline in Atlas Shrugged is constructed to make a political point, actually a philosophical point - that none of us is responsible for, nor owes anyone else anything. The individual should be free to do anything his abilities will allow him to do with absolutely no responsibility to the society he lives in. Her story is gross exaggeration and shouldn’t be taken literally but it epitomizes the free market philosophy. BTW, Ayn Rand was Ronald Reagan’s favorite author and Reagan was a “free marketeer” if ever there was one. Arguably, that philosophy is probably what made America the most prosperous country in history. But since globalization, it may no longer be the best system to serve the needs of all Americans, particularly the worker bees.
So, in my opinion a film based on the that particular book will probably be painful to watch.
I just heard a local movie review show discuss this film, they pretty much summed it up in the way I was expecting, that its a bad film because its a badly made film, as in amatuerish acting and poor film making standards, the reveiwer said that if it was in the hands of a creative director, a competent film company and good cast something interesting could have been made but as is, its pretty much unwatchable.
Good luck Cale, sounds like a snorer, I’ll wait for Netflix and have an MST3K night
E. Paul Austin said:
However there is a need for the RRs and maybe the government get off their collective backsides and start building HIGH speed rail lines for Passenger trains only.Paul
Maybe this will work: When gas gets up to $8.00 per gallon, we build the rail lines where there’s enough population to support them. At each terminal we have small electric cars with a 50-60 mile range waiting, part of the fare. When you’re done you return the car and go home where your own car is waiting for you in the free lot. And if you need to spend a couple days in that town there will surely be a 120 volt power source to charge up your car overnight. A 200 mile round trip could be cost competitive compared to a car trip when you factor in gas, tolls, parking, wear-and-tear, etc.
guys, fellas, buds, friends, pals, etc…
this simple post is reflective of how they (The Powers That Be) have us. Everything is black/white…right/left…Elephant/Donkey…etc…
We ,the citizens, of These United States have allowed ourselves to be painted into the corner in which we reside. We continue to elect the same ole boys with the same ole ideas (tell lies/spend money/retire) and bitch on both sides why we’re in the tank. I am a recovering Hawk, who now sees that Personal Freedom is much more important than Anything Else. period.
Take the blinders off-It was screwed when GW took office, and it was screwed up when Obama went in…the change has to come from within each of us, or we’ll lose what this Nation has for so long held dear-Freedom…April 19th is coming up, go google that…and see what a like minded populace can do.
Today I celebrated the Birthday of my best friend. Captain Josh Byers who was killed in action 7/23/03 in Iraq (GWB). I have yet to determine why he was there and why he was killed. Today I’m sure we lost good men and women over there in some desert, for what…no one can tell me…(BHO)
Sorry Bob, feel free to lock-delete. I just had to get that off the bird chest.
off to see this bad movie-
cale
I have read the book twice and really like it. My wife is re-reading it right now. I think I may read it again, been about 20 years since I last read it. Darned good read.
Cale, let us know what you think of it and the movie’s production standards, I for one would be curious to get a regular guys perspective. As I said, I wont go see it but I might Netflix it, I got Netfixed “Get Low” and “The China Syndrome” to get thru this weekend
I thought it was pretty swell. The high speed rail and subsequent bridge build were all CGI and upto 1999 standards-looked ‘real’, but not as real as the aliens in Battle LA. Lots of real trains too!
The story flow took a while to get rolling, but by the end, you were left very intrigued with ‘what happens next?’.
I thought the actors did a good job with most coming in around an 8 outta 10. This seems to be a VERY complex story, and the groundwork was laid very nicely for the following installments.
Interesting note: as the credits began, Bro In Law leans over and states something to the effect of “you know it’s kinda scary thinking that the .gov would enact a tax on a state just because it was prosperous and others weren’t”…I’ll forgo the lessons in Liberty, Entitlements and Taxation we shared from then on.
I’d recommend-it’s a Drama, don’t expect any huge explosions or fast paced chases. See it now or later…
******* 7/10
I’m waiting on Amazon to ship me the novel.
According to a website about the book and movie, this novel has been attempted to be made into a film for decades now, but when Ayn was still alive she demanded it be filmed as written before she granted the rights to the story. The same restriction is supposed to be imposed on this story.
Rand promoted self reliance and railed against the leeches living off the industrious. Case in point Rearden’s brother-in-law being a welfare case off Rearden’s wealth.
Fantasy movies are not unusual. Not all have to be historically accurate representations. Since I read the book about a year ago, I look forward to seeing the movie.