Escape to the Movies: Atlas Shrugged

[ace_of_something]

Here's what I don't get. So many people are okay with objectivism but also love being a liberal.
One is about not controlling things. The other IS about MORE regulation.

 

[Redd the Sock]

You really hit my feelings on Rand's work: a nice idea that would work better with some humility behind it. I wish she'd lived long enough to deal with Scott Adams' Dilbert cartoons portraying her "enlightened ones" as bumbling idiots keeping the real workers from being productive. It's like I say when someone blames Bill Gates for problems with windows: what part of the software do you really think he worked on in the last 15 - 20 years? She at least would claim she'd ask no one to make a sacrifice for her, but that requires far more humility and self awareness than is possessed byt he average human.

Didn't expect much from the movie beyond, yes, her more "out there" ideas would be left out in favor of the teenage angst level corporate diatride about how "everyone's being mean to me".

 

[PlasticTree]

Whether you agree with Rand or not (I do partly), but the book was a master piece. Which is also the reason why a movie like this is doomed; making a movie about Harry Potter is one thing, because you don't need to know the subtleties to get it, but making a movie based on a book like this simply hás to result in a caricature of the original.

 

[Redem]

Anyone find kinda strange Ayn Rand would pick a heiress as main protagonist?

I mean the very mechanic of inheritance kinda throw a big wrench in her obsession with self-made man?

Power, wealth, influence and title can all be given to someone through the wealth of someone else solely because that person died (apparently its bad when its taxation, but when its inheritence there's not problem about it) Its pretty damn clear Dagny Taggart wouldn't have been in the position she was, had the oppornity she had if she had not been in a family.

(althoguh since her brother is shown as being unable to turn the compagny around and that she romance an actual self-made man, I suppose we are ought to see a difference)

 

[Spiny Norman]

Liberal generally refers to lack of social control with economic control. Objectivism is no social or economic control. They're not really opposites of each other. Many kinds of liberal could be seen as objectivism with some governmental economic control.

 

[Worgen]

You really hit my feelings on Rand's work: a nice idea that would work better with some humility behind it. I wish she'd lived long enough to deal with Scott Adams' Dilbert cartoons portraying her "enlightened ones" as bumbling idiots keeping the real workers from being productive. It's like I say when someone blames Bill Gates for problems with windows: what part of the software do you really think he worked on in the last 15 - 20 years? She at least would claim she'd ask no one to make a sacrifice for her, but that requires far more humility and self awareness than is possessed byt he average human.

Didn't expect much from the movie beyond, yes, her more "out there" ideas would be left out in favor of the teenage angst level corporate diatride about how "everyone's being mean to me".

I would have liked to see her live long enough to see enron and a bunch of people who pretty much devoted themselfs to her end up self destructing because they werent as smart as they thought

 

[crimsonshrouds]

Is it odd that i made popcorn then remembered this was going to be on today? om nom nom

Hey bob, if u want a truly awful movie, watch alice in murderland. I just rented it and it is truly the worst movie i have ever watched.

 

[gigastrike]

...I will watch Moviebob's next video...

 

[Blue_vision]

Here's what I don't get. So many people are okay with objectivism but also love being a liberal.
One is about not controlling things. The other IS about that.

Just coming out here and saying that I hate objectivism with a passion. The world can be managed by the more visionary populace, but it has to be controlled by everyone.

That said, an actual good movie on Atlas Shrugged would've been something I'd seriously consider watching. Unfortunate that it apparently isn't.

 

[brinvixen]

I didn't even know this movie was coming out ... and I guess it was better this way.

I kinda thought you were going to review Water For Elephants. And yes, I saw the snippet at the end - i.e. do not watch - but I was looking forward to hearing you talk about specific elements of the movie. Like is the acting any good. Or even more specifically, is Robert Pattinson's acting any good. Oh well.

 

[vxicepickxv]

I'm glad you went ahead and did your homework on how to properly pronounce her name.

I wasn't planning on watching the movie anyway, but I guess I can warn my roommate about it.


I'm waiting for your review in two weeks that I know is coming. I wonder what kind of hammer you're going to bring to it.

 

[scarab7]

Not surprised that this was a disappointment and that so few people knew this was coming out.

 

[Aiddon_v1legacy]

Anyone find kinda strange Ayn Rand would pick a heiress as main protagonist?

I mean the very mechanic of inheritance kinda throw a big wrench in her obsession with self-made man?

Power, wealth, influence and title can all be given to someone through the wealth of someone else solely because that person died (apparently its bad when its taxation, but when its inheritence there's not problem about it) Its pretty damn clear Dagny Taggart wouldn't have been in the position she was, had the oppornity she had if she had not been in a family.

(althoguh since her brother is shown as being unable to turn the compagny around and that she romance an actual self-made man, I suppose we are ought to see a difference)

No one ever said Ayn Rand wasn't highly selective about things. In her personal life, for example, she got mad over a lover for getting married to the point where she completely disowned him. The punchline? SHE WAS CHEATING ON HER HUSBAND WITH HIM. Plus she was highly uncomfortable with evolution since it would mean that at least SOME things are out of the control of human hands and have to be left up to nature. Which, to her probably, was about as good as mentioning GOD

 

[Shjade]

I like how apparently Bioshock, a videogame, captured Rand's philosophy better than a movie dedicated to her work.

Go games I guess.

The game has the luxury of having longer than two hours to run its story.

 

[Agospy]

Anyone find kinda strange Ayn Rand would pick a heiress as main protagonist?

I mean the very mechanic of inheritance kinda throw a big wrench in her obsession with self-made man?

Power, wealth, influence and title can all be given to someone through the wealth of someone else solely because that person died (apparently its bad when its taxation, but when its inheritence there's not problem about it) Its pretty damn clear Dagny Taggart wouldn't have been in the position she was, had the oppornity she had if she had not been in a family.

(althoguh since her brother is shown as being unable to turn the compagny around and that she romance an actual self-made man, I suppose we are ought to see a difference)

I'm not neccesarly an objectivist. More of a libertarian actually, but I think I can answer that.

The difference here is that when it comes to inheritance someone is choosing to pass their legacy onto another individual. If I lived my life well, amassed wealth, then willingly gave that wealth to my children after death it isn't a violation of objectivist principles per say. Objectivism is about ruling your own life, and if your desire is to leave your fortune to your heirs then that's fine.

Taxation on the other hand is the forceful confiscation of wealth for the purpose of funding the state.

 

[Escapefromwhatever]

I've read Anthem and [/i]The Fountainhead[/i]. I admire Ayn Rand, though I disagree with her. She would likely despise this film for spoiling the integrity of her work. Removing the sex from Ayn Rand is like taking the gore out of Mortal Kombat.

 

[CosmicCommander]

I entered thinking Bob would blast Rand and Objectivism, and say anyone who ever liked her work or the premise behind it was an arsehole.

I left rather happy that Bob and I agree.

I knew from the trailers this film would suck, and although my social/economic/political philosophy was heavily inspired by Rand's work, I was holding Bob's stance on the film needs to be judged on it's own merits.

It's good to know that I haven't been shockingly cut down today.

 

[RJ Dalton]

I never really liked Ayn Rand. I mean, her philosophies are definitely worth examination for their complexity and thought provoking ideas, but I always found her books overwritten and preachy. I don't see any reason to expect any movies based on her books to be any better, based on what I've heard from the people who like her books.

 

[The Wooster]

Oh, god. Rand. I'm not touching that one with a barge pole. Well...except to link this comic [http://www.angryflower.com/atlass.gif] featuring a different Bob.

Credits, however, for the Visionaries references. KNIGHTS OF THE MAGICAL LIGHT! etc