Atlas Winced

http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2011/04/atlas-winced/237405/

by mhb • 15 years ago

28 29 15 years ago

nhangen3• 15 years ago

I hope the OP isn't posting this simply because it's fun to bash Rand.

I'm a huge fan of the book (though I prefer the Fountainhead), but didn't expect much more from this movie. I haven't seen it yet, but with that cast, and a production team that can't even hire a logo designer (check the stock vector used for the signage logo), I'd expect nothing short of a disappointment.

sudonim• 15 years ago

I didn't get the sense that the article was critical of Rand. It seemed more like it was bashing the movie.

An Atlas Shrugged movie could be awesome. The book conjures such vivid images of grandeur and destruction. It's a shame this trilogy seems like it should be missed.

nhangen3• 15 years ago

I agree with you, but I've seen so many reviews use this bad movie as a chance to bash Rand that I was hoping to avoid that here.

This one has had a lot of troubles getting off the ground, and I'm guessing that the film reflects that, which as you say, is sad.

davidmathers• 15 years ago

I hope the OP isn't posting this simply because it's fun to bash Rand.

The OP is Jane Galt: http://www.janegalt.net/

simonsarris• 15 years ago

If you are looking for other reviews, Metacritic (27%):

http://www.metacritic.com/movie/atlas-shrugged-part-i

Rotten Tomatoes (10%):

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/atlas_shrugged_part_i/

omouse• 15 years ago

Does anyone here actually like Ayn Rand and her writings?

marknutter• 15 years ago

Although you're being condescending, I'll answer you honestly: yes.

nhangen3• 15 years ago

The Fountainhead is my favorite piece of fiction, and though Atlas Shrugged isn't it my top 5, I'm a huge fan of her philosophy. So yes.

maxharris2• 15 years ago

I love Ayn Rand! Atlas Shrugged had a huge, positive impact on my life, and it's still my favorite novel over a decade after I first read it. I love the way that Rand stylizes her characters because it makes for very clear mental images while reading. It also it creates the framework for all kinds of subtle things that you don't notice the first time through.

rbanffy2• 15 years ago

A little bit too preachy, but we need the extremist thinkers to keep the Overton window from sliding.

relic17• 15 years ago

Another honest answer - yes. I read her work only recently and was surprised to find out that she confirmed many of the conclusions I had reached, often quite painfully, myself. She provided the philosophical (theoretical) framework for those conclusions, which further helped me connect the outstanding dots.

She urges people to relentlessly ask the question why, to examine every premise for every important idea that guides our lives, to follow that premise to its roots, to look for contradictions. I put in the effort to do just that with her philosophy, and that effort matched the brainpower I had needed to build some of my most complex programs and models.

I am 30 now, but I really wish to have read her work when I was 20. If I could offer any advice, it is to read her books before you reach 30 and to think deeply about what she has to say until you are convinced (based on your best effort and knowledge to date) that you either agree or disagree with her. This would be much better than taking someone else's word for it.

wmeredith• 15 years ago

This is really too bad. I loved the book (in spite of it's heavy-handed preaching) and was always afraid this would happen in transition to the big screen.

blhack• 15 years ago

Oh come on, the movie wasn't that terrible. I saw it yesterday morning in a completely sold out theater (every showing has been sold out so far, with a line around the theater of people trying to get in).

My "exit polls" (overhearing people talk about it as we all shuffle out) indicate that most people enjoyed it.

Sure it wasn't transformers, it was slow (but somehow not slow enough), and not very nuanced (the dialog the article is talking about), but it was an alright way to spend 105 minutes.

If you're a fan of film, I think you should go see it, if for no reason other than to try and see how the producers are trying to translate the story to film. It's also pretty culturally significant.

Hopefully with enough interest (and money) the second one will be done properly.

gnosis7• 15 years ago

Ayn Rand was an admirer of child killer William Hickman, who dismembered a little girl.

http://michaelprescott.net/hickman.htm

rbanffy2• 15 years ago

Ad hominem fallacy this early in the morning?

I don't have to remind you one lapse of judgment doesn't invalidate all of one's ideas.

(and, to be fair, I think Ayn Rand's "wisdom" is highly overrated)

gnosis7• 15 years ago

It's not an ad hominem, since I wasn't trying to refute Rand's arguments (such as they are).

It's quite telling, however, that that was the sort of man she idolized.

daimyoyo• 15 years ago

There are several things to consider before seeing this movie. First and foremost, it's an ashcan project. The film had to be rushed into production to retain the film rights, so the writers didn't have the time to prune out lines like the one mentioned. Also, Atlas Shrugged and The Lord of the Rings are nearly the same length, yet this film is just over half the run time of The Fellowship. Finally, the budget of this film is not nearly what it needed to be, so don't go in expecting to see a visual masterpiece. It's a shame but maybe someday a Peter Jackson level director will give this story the proper treatment it deserves.

Atlas Winced

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