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Thread: new 'Atlas Shrugged' movie to be released on April 15th

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    Default new 'Atlas Shrugged' movie to be released on April 15th

    the release date is obviously very germain to the movie's subject matter !



    This film appears to be a thoroughly updated version of Ayn Rand's classic book.

    The film was also independently produced on a semi-shoestring budget. The 'gold foil hat' crowd will tell you that the reason for this is that the 'message' of the film is anathema to the Hollywood establishment, to mainstream media, and to some elements of gov't. As a result, horrible reviews are expected from all mainstream quarters.

    However, IMHO at least, the 'message' of this film is worth listening to.

    ~
    Last edited by Melonie; 02-13-2011 at 08:55 AM.

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    Default Re: new 'Atlas Shrugged' movie to be released on April 15th

    It was people following the ideology of Ayn Rand that made the bailouts necessary. Alan Greenspan was part of Ayn Rand's inner circle.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Greenspan#Objectivism

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    Default Re: new 'Atlas Shrugged' movie to be released on April 15th

    Alan Greenspan was part of Ayn Rand's inner circle.
    ... until his views apparently changed radically after being awarded a director's chair on the Council of Foreign Relations in 1982 ! However, I'll leave further discussion of AG and the CFR for another thread !


    Back on topic ... this interesting comparison was just published ...

    !!! SPOILER WARNING : IF YOU HAVEN'T READ 'ATLAS SHRUGGED' THIS PIECE DEALS WITH MAJOR PLOT SPOILERS !!!!

    (snip)Ayn Rand's fiction is becoming America's reality

    Ayn Rand’s classic book “Atlas Shrugged” is set against the background of difficult economic times marked by collectivism and statism, not unlike the situation we see today. The government invokes the “too big to fail” and “national emergency” mantras to select the winners in industry, not based on their merits but on the basis of political influence and “national interest.” One of the first industries to be deemed as such is the railroad network and the result was government creation of the Railroad Unification Plan.

    One of the main antagonists is a man named Jim Taggart, president of Taggart Transcontinental Railroad. This railroad is one of the largest and serves many profitable areas of the country, specifically the oilfields of Colorado. Yet due to poor management, it is in financial trouble. Taggart is under considerable competitive pressure from the Phoenix-Durango Line simply because it provides better service and has invested in upgrading its rolling stock and rails. It is simply less costly, more efficient and better managed.

    Taggart uses his political influence in Washington to convince a collectivist-leaning government that this situation is unfair and it is really the “people” who are suffering and “something must be done” because it is a “crisis.” The result was the “Anti-Dog Eat Dog Act” preventing “destructive competition” and allowing the National Alliance of Railroads to ban competition in certain areas of the country.

    Taggart uses this act to drive Phoenix-Durango out of Colorado and resume his poor service to the oilfields. As a result of the regional monopoly and poor service, the oil company can’t get its product to market and the oil industry in Colorado quickly collapses.

    Killing off customers is never a strong calculus, but when collectivism replaces capitalism the answer is never allowing honest competition; it is always another commission, program or czar. In short order of the oil industry collapse, another national “crisis” was declared and the Railroad Unification Plan was born, a plan under which all railroads would operate as a team, pool their revenues and then receive payment in proportion to total miles of track owned, not necessarily for services rendered.

    Under this regime, Taggart’s profits swelled, mainly because the railroad was paid for owning miles of useless track that served no one. Of greater consequence was that the Director of Unification might cancel service at any time in order to lay on special trains to haul any cargo, not based on need but based on political influence.

    There is a telling quote taken from Friedrich Hayek’s book “The Road to Serfdom”:

    That hodgepodge of ill assembled and often inconsistent ideals which under the name of the Welfare State has largely replaced socialism as the goal of the reformers …This is not to say that some of its aims are not practicable and laudable. But there are many ways in which we can work together toward the same goal, and in the present state of opinion there is some danger that our impatience for quick results may lead us to choose instruments which, though perhaps more efficient for achieving the particular ends, are not compatible with the preservation of a free society.

    Hayek and Rand provide examples that are simplified views of our current times and the evolution of governmental control using collectivist policies in a “crisis” as an effective approach to problem resolution. A similar march toward a predictable endgame pitting the “looters” against the “producers” of value is clearly visible today.

    “Progressive” tax schemes that seek to “soak the rich” while absolving almost 50 percent of the population of the tax burden; a broken Social Security system created as a safety net yet has been raided for political largesse; welfare programs that disincentivize work; public and political contempt for productive industry (i.e., Big Tobacco, Big Oil, Big Pharma); subsidies to non-productive industries; de facto nationalization of our financial and auto industries; uncontrolled spending by our leadership; explosive growth in taxpayer-supported public employment; and the destruction of individual rights under the guise of “too big to fail” and “national crisis” — all are as evident in contemporary politics as they are in the pages of “Atlas Shrugged.”

    This is not specifically a Republican or Democratic issue. It is one critical to the future of our republic, a battle between collectivism and statism versus liberty, freedom and self-determination.(snip)

    from

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    Default Re: new 'Atlas Shrugged' movie to be released on April 15th

    -------
    Last edited by Athenathefabulous; 02-25-2011 at 03:18 AM.
    The best thing i have heard in a strip club to date:
    customer: we should get married right now! we should get a shotgun marriage!
    me: uhh... i think you are misunderstanding what a shotgun marriage means. A shotgun marriage means you knock me up and my daddy shows up at your door with a gun and forces you to marry me and raise the baby. You mean elope.
    customer: hmm... nah actually i will take the shotgun marriage. At least then we would be having sex.


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    Default Re: new 'Atlas Shrugged' movie to be released on April 15th

    Why oopsie ? She and her husband were forced to pay US SSI and income taxes for decades which funded those programs, and thus Ayn was arguably just 'getting her own money back' by participating in programs which her own efforts had previously paid for. A commenter at the very same link explains as follows ...

    (snip)" I wholeheartedly reject the notion that if you disagree with the system in place you can't participate.

    Ayn clearly believed health-care would be better if the government wasn't involved. The argument goes that it would be cheaper if people had to pay themselves, as they'd shop more carefully and doctors would need to charge what people can afford to have customers. And that the decline in tax she paid would have been enough to pay this herself. If she was in the upper half of the income scale at the time, that's almost certainly true: the health-care was paid somehow.

    However, there was no totally free market healthcare system in place, and she had been paying the taxes that supported the current program. Thus although there was an idealized system she preferred, it didn't exist in the real world. So she was left using the system that did exist. It's not really hypocritical to exist in the society you're arguing against, as long as the society you're arguing for doesn't yet exist.(snip)


    Either way, this issue is little more than 'sour grapes' considering that Ayn died in 1982 ! Her last work was completing the screenplay version of Atlas Shrugged ... which has also lain 'dead' for about the last 30 years !

    Ironically, Ayn expressed her position on socialized medicine fairly clearly in 'Atlas Shrugged' all the way back in 1957 ...

    !!!!! SPOILER ALERT #2 !!!!!

    (snip)"From Atlas Shrugged

    This is the explanation given by a distinguished brain surgeon of why he joined Galt’s strike.

    “I quit when medicine was placed under State control, some years ago,” said Dr. Hendricks. “Do you know what it takes to perform a brain operation? Do you know the kind of skill it demands, and the years of passionate, merciless, excruciating devotion that go to acquire that skill? That was what I would not place at the disposal of men whose sole qualification to rule me was their capacity to spout the fraudulent generalities that got them elected to the privilege of enforcing their wishes at the point of a gun. I would not let them dictate the purpose for which my years of study had been spent, or the conditions of my work, or my choice of patients, or the amount of my reward.

    I observe that in all the discussions that preceded the enslavement of medicine, men discussed everything – except the desires of the doctors. Men considered only the ‘welfare’ of the patients, with no thought to those who were to provide it. That a doctor should have any right, desire, or choice in the matter, was regarded as irrelevant selfishness; his is not to choose, they said, only ‘to serve.’ That a man who’s willing to work under compulsion is too dangerous a brute to entrust with a job in the stockyards – never occurred to those who proposed to help the sick by making life impossible for the healthy. I have often wondered at this smugness with which people assert their right to enslave me, to control my work, to force my will, to violate my conscience, to stifle my mind – yet what is it that they expect to depend on, when they lie on an operating table under my hands? Their moral code has taught them to believe that it is safe to rely on the virtue of their victims. Well, that is the virtue I have withdrawn. Let them discover the kinds of doctors that their system will now produce. Let them discover, in their operating rooms and hospital wards, that it is not safe to place their lives in the hands of a man whose life they have throttled. It is not safe, if he is the sort of man who resents it – and still less safe, if he is the sort who doesn’t.”(snip)

    ~
    Last edited by Melonie; 02-13-2011 at 03:52 PM.

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    Default Re: new 'Atlas Shrugged' movie to be released on April 15th

    Quote Originally Posted by Melonie View Post
    Why oopsie ? She and her husband were forced to pay US SSI and income taxes for decades which funded those programs, and thus Ayn was arguably just 'getting her own money back' by participating in programs which her own efforts had previously paid for. A commenter at the very same link explains as follows ...
    Ayn Rand was born in 1905. Medicare wasn't started until 1965, which means most of her life she did not pay taxes to fund Medicare. She is indeed a hypocrite.

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    Default Re: new 'Atlas Shrugged' movie to be released on April 15th

    Quote Originally Posted by Athenathefabulous View Post
    ugh, ayn rand. i dont know how anyone can idolize a woman who thinks that selfishness is a human being's best asset.

    i have not read Atlas Shrugged, but i have read Anthem and The Fountainhead. I think the fountainhead is the only book i have ever read where a female author describes a man raping a woman as a wonderful thing to do since it is selfish act. ugh.

    horrible woman.

    also, accepted government aid for health recently. http://boingboing.net/2011/01/28/ayn...ok-govern.html. oopsie!
    I am so with you on this one. I dislike Ayn Rand, her philosophy 'Objectivism' (ie: selfishness), and the fact that she touts her own bullshit philosophy in her best selling books. Most of my peers that have read Ayn Rand's novels - or even one of them - totally kiss her ass and feign agreeing to it's messages; reality is they didn't understand the books or the philosophy and just want to seem smart.

    I've read Fountian Head, Atlas Shrugged, and Anthem and I just don't think that Objectivism is practical or realistic.

    Anyway: about the movie....yeah, I'll probably go see it out of curiosity. Imma Hypocrite.

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    Default Re: new 'Atlas Shrugged' movie to be released on April 15th

    I'm trying to find out whether a Part 2 movie next year will finish the saga, or whether this will turn into a 3 Parter - as the novel was originally written. Probably the latter, given that the indy producers are probably dependent on revenues from Part 1 to finance production of Part 2.

    Also, besides 'Objectivism', the novel / film also raises other issues such as ...

    'Public Choice Theory'
    'Sanction of the Victim'
    Gov't backed 'Looting'

    ... which offer some interesting research / thoughts

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    Default Re: new 'Atlas Shrugged' movie to be released on April 15th

    Re: "Selfishness"

    Keep in mind that when Ayn Rand used the term "selfishness", she wasn't using it in the pejorative sense that it is generally used today. She chose the term "selfishness" for its shock value, and IMO the choice of term was unfortunate as it diminished the message she tried to convey.

    The sense in which she used "selfish" was closer to "self estime", "self-worth" and "self-reliance".

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    Default Re: new 'Atlas Shrugged' movie to be released on April 15th

    ^^^ indeed ... the Atlas Shrugged quote I posted earlier re Dr. Hendricks the brain surgeon places 'selfishness' in exactly the framework that Ayn Rand intended.


    Also, she spoke at length on the 'misinterpretation' of Objectivism / 'rational selfishness' in the book ' The Virtue of Selfishness ' see

    (snip)The Objectivist ethics holds that human good does not require human sacrifices and cannot be achieved by the sacrifice of anyone to anyone. It holds that the rational interests of men do not clash—that there is no conflict of interests among men who do not desire the unearned, who do not make sacrifices nor accept them, who deal with one another as traders, giving value for value.

    The meaning ascribed in popular usage to the word “selfishness” is not merely wrong: it represents a devastating intellectual “package-deal,” which is responsible, more than any other single factor, for the arrested moral development of mankind.

    In popular usage, the word “selfishness” is a synonym of evil; the image it conjures is of a murderous brute who tramples over piles of corpses to achieve his own ends, who cares for no living being and pursues nothing but the gratification of the mindless whims of any immediate moment.

    Yet the exact meaning and dictionary definition of the word “selfishness” is: concern with one’s own interests.(snip)

    (snip)There is a fundamental moral difference between a man who sees his self-interest in production and a man who sees it in robbery. The evil of a robber does not lie in the fact that he pursues his own interests, but in what he regards as to his own interest; not in the fact that he pursues his values, but in what he chose to value; not in the fact that he wants to live, but in the fact that he wants to live on a subhuman level (see “The Objectivist Ethics”).

    If it is true that what I mean by “selfishness” is not what is meant conventionally, then this is one of the worst indictments of altruism: it means that altruism permits no concept of a self-respecting, self-supporting man—a man who supports his life by his own effort and neither sacrifices himself nor others. It means that altruism permits no view of men except as sacrificial animals and profiteers-on-sacrifice, as victims and parasites—that it permits no concept of a benevolent co-existence among men—that it permits no concept of justice.(snip)

    ... and my personal 'favorite' explanation by Rand ...

    (snip)The moral purpose of a man’s life is the achievement of his own happiness. This does not mean that he is indifferent to all men, that human life is of no value to him and that he has no reason to help others in an emergency. But it does mean that he does not subordinate his life to the welfare of others, that he does not sacrifice himself to their needs, that the relief of their suffering is not his primary concern, that any help he gives is an exception, not a rule, an act of generosity, not of moral duty, that it is marginal and incidental—as disasters are marginal and incidental in the course of human existence—and that values, not disasters, are the goal, the first concern and the motive power of his life.(snip)

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    Default Re: new 'Atlas Shrugged' movie to be released on April 15th

    OK the producers are saying that this will be a two part effort.

    Also, Huffington Post published a very interesting 'update' ... including a 'making of' video clip

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    Default Re: new 'Atlas Shrugged' movie to be released on April 15th

    The commentary in some circles is that a cheaply-made version had to be put out already because while futzing around trying to get it made in a high-level scale, the property rights over the adaptation were running out (I can imagine the Rand estate also wanted absolute maximum control of what actually made it to the screen). If so, a very appropriate move. Too bad, it deserved a higher-quality production.

    But if they dare to actually film the whole Galt speech there's going to be some serious sleeping in the theaters, that thing is tedious as Purgatory...

    Interestingly what I find objectionable about Rand the writer is not the ideological content but the writing itself - damn, that is some wordy prose, and those are some thin-cardboard characters! Hard to believe she actually did screenwriting for a living. She made a good decision in giving up fiction for straight article writing in the 50s, a much better way to get her point across.

    About the philosopher aspect, I've always been squicked by the cultish tint that her following developed. Really, she had some interesting ideas but she is NOT the second coming of Western philosophy.

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    Default Re: new 'Atlas Shrugged' movie to be released on April 15th

    The Fountainhead was very inspiring to me when I read it. The real estate industry in the USA had just taken a nose dive to hell, and I was trying to make a living as an architectural illustrator in the crab-infested crotch of the nation, Daytona Beach.

    Though I was repelled by the rape of the heroine, I put it down to a possible rape fantasy on the part of Ayn Rand. Since it was a work of fiction, it was possible to do--but I was thrown off by it.

    Atlas Shrugged was pretty good for the first half, but then she got so far out into Cloud Coockoo Land, it was really a bit much. By the time I got to the part where the huge solid gold dollar sign sculpture was the centerpiece of her utopian enclave, I was regarding it as a work of Fantasy/Science Fiction.

    And the pirate character (Ragnar Danneskjöld) was pretty cool, until I found out he was engaging in piracy in order to give solid gold bars to people who were already filthy rich.

    It should be borne in mind that Rand was a refugee from the communist takeover of Russia, which no doubt has a great deal to do with her virtual worship of Capitalism as some sort of quasi-religion.
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    Default Re: new 'Atlas Shrugged' movie to be released on April 15th

    agreed that attempting to make a film version of any 'meaty' novel presents a ton of additional challenges in regard to keeping a 'visual' audience adequately entertained. Also, where so-called 'cult' material is concerned ( thinking back to the first Star Trek film ), the producers are faced with the additional challenge of satisfying an established fan base while at the same time appealing to a wider audience. This challenge reaches new levels for a novel that was written during the paradigm of the 1950's ... where American rail and oil played much larger societal / economic roles than is currently the case ... and where 'science fiction' expectations were far different than today as well.

    Hopefully the producers can still present the author's basic 'message' while side-stepping most of the novel to film pitfalls.


    The commentary in some circles is that a cheaply-made version had to be put out already because while futzing around trying to get it made in a high-level scale, the property rights over the adaptation were running out (I can imagine the Rand estate also wanted absolute maximum control of what actually made it to the screen). If so, a very appropriate move. Too bad, it deserved a higher-quality production.
    This is exactly what happened. Early efforts to organize this film project involved much higher profile acting and directing talent ( Angelina Jolie was approached re the role of Dagny ) kept falling through. The reason behind these failures is of course a whole 'nuther discussion. In the end, the owner of the film rights rushed to start film production on the very last day of his film rights contract ... using relatively unknown talent.

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    Default Re: new 'Atlas Shrugged' movie to be released on April 15th

    new trailer posted at

    This particular scene has prompted a ton of pointed discussions over the years since the book was published.

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    Default Re: new 'Atlas Shrugged' movie to be released on April 15th

    Pinkoes pay homage to Marx, so why can't others pay homage to Rand, even if not all of her ideas are palatable or proper-sounding?

    I don't agree with all of Objectivism but the idea is incredible. Wanting to do/be your best as a tribute to the world you live in is beyond reproach.

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    Default Re: new 'Atlas Shrugged' movie to be released on April 15th

    an unexpectedly non-negative advance review of the film ...


    (snip)"The movie adaptation of Atlas Shrugged remains faithful to Rand’s themes of capitalism and the evils of collectivism. One major change from the pages to the screen was the decision to change the setting from a future fictional country to America in 2016. It was a good decision, in this writer’s opinion, as it illustrates the slippery slope of socialism our nation is teetering on.

    It opens with America in decline. Fuel prices are through the roof, making air travel impossibly unaffordable and bringing back trains as the major mode of transportation for people and goods. Airplanes and buildings are in disrepair, businesses shut down, and successful citizens disappear after being sought out by a shadowy character calling himself John Galt.

    Taylor Schilling does a beautiful job portraying heroine Dagny Taggart, who fights tooth and nail against her annoying brother James (Mathew Marsden) and his political cronies in Washington to make Taggart Transcontinental a success. Poised, polished, and with an iron will, Dagny partners with Hank Rearden (Grant Bowler), an entrepreneur who has invented a new metal that is lighter, cheaper, and stronger than steel. Together, they battle oppressive government restrictions and sanctions to rebuild the Rio Norte line in Colorado. The Centennial state is one of the last prosperous states in the nation, thanks in large part to oil tycoon Ellis Wyatt (Graham Beckel). Once the newly christened John Galt line is completed, Wyatt will have a safe way to transport his product to consumers. That is real job creation.

    Dagny and Rearden hit roadblock after roadblock in their quest to build the John Galt line, but their determination to make a thing and see it work pushes them forward. Harry Reid-like politicians do all they can to destroy the business partners, while maintaining a public face of empathy and equality. They apply new taxes to steel mills, make it illegal to own more than one enterprise, and even get a government committee to testify that Rearden metal is untested and unsafe.

    In a scene that could have included former SEIU president Andy Stern, Dagny is warned that she cannot force the union members to work on her ‘dangerous’ train. Her response shows the grit required for business success: “You can do whatever you want with your men … but that train will run if I have to drive the damn thing myself.”

    Bravo to The Strike Productions for tackling this ambitious project and producing a wonderful film. Add it to your must-see list – it is definitely worth the price of a ticket."(snip)

    from

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    Default Re: new 'Atlas Shrugged' movie to be released on April 15th

    Quote Originally Posted by BringOnTheMen View Post
    I get too angry at the ideology to concentrate on the plot.
    You didn't miss much.

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    Default Re: new 'Atlas Shrugged' movie to be released on April 15th

    interesting visuals and soundtrack at


    also, some news coverage / discussion is starting to trickle out ...

    ~
    Last edited by Melonie; 03-10-2011 at 01:42 AM.

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    Default Re: new 'Atlas Shrugged' movie to be released on April 15th

    Quote Originally Posted by Melonie View Post
    an unexpectedly non-negative advance review of the film ...

    from http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/je...mely-must-see/
    Actually, from that site a positive review is not at all unexpected.

    [...]slippery slope of socialism our nation is teetering on
    [...]
    Harry Reid-like politicians
    [...]
    a scene that could have included former SEIU president Andy Stern[...]
    Really... the reviewer is weak at telling us if the film is technically well made and the writing and acting entertains and grabs attention for reasons other than ideological; the way he concentrates on bringing up digs about current politics, he's IMO ruining a favorable review by making it sound like a partisan cartoon.

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    Default Re: new 'Atlas Shrugged' movie to be released on April 15th

    well talk about a 'surprise' ...

    (snip)CULVER CITY, Calif., April 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Based on the film's recent fan-based grassroots uprising, "The Strike" Productions today announced it will be expanding the initial release of the Atlas Shrugged movie from 11 markets to over 50.

    "AMC called directly to report their online contact system was being hit too hard. They requested we direct traffic to a specific address just to handle the volume," said producer Harmon Kaslow.

    "While it's unusual for showtimes to be listed this early, the doors of the exhibitors have been thoroughly beaten down by Ayn's fans. Many of the theaters are now posting showtimes so tickets can be pre-purchased," continued Kaslow. "And, theaters and showtimes are now being reported as sold-out."

    Fandango.com lists the 7:00pm showing at Regal Cinema's Union Square Theater in New York City as "sold out."

    "Our online 'Demand Atlas!' service has been receiving an incredible amount of traffic since launch," said Scott DeSapio, Online Marketing Director of the film. "After toping the charts at another web site as the 'Hottest Demand Worldwide' for more than a week, we decided to build our own in-house 'Demand Atlas!' feature to better service Ayn Rand fans. We're completely blown away by the response."

    "Our fans have spoken, and we have directed our booking agents to expand the release of Atlas Shrugged into the major theaters located in more than 80 cities across America," announced Kaslow. "Of course, until we're locked down, fans still need to let us know where the movie should play by coming to our website and demanding Atlas to their city."

    "As a direct result of fans in Atlanta demanding Atlas, we immediately set about booking a theater. The current report is that the theater is already sold out for a number of shows on Friday, April 15, 2011 - opening day. We couldn't be more excited." concluded Kaslow.

    For up to date theater information, visit .

    Fans can "Demand Atlas!" at . (snip)

    from


    Wide release is suitably scheduled for April 15th

    Also, another new clip has been posted at

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    Default Re: new 'Atlas Shrugged' movie to be released on April 15th

    (snip)"In recent years Tax Day has become both a symbolic and literal focal point for the tea party. The day represents wasteful and irresponsible government spending habits, overreaching federal control of the economy, and a near system-wide disregard for the foundational values of individual responsibility and personal freedom. This Tax Day that connection is intensified with the release of “Atlas Shrugged Part 1,” the much-anticipated film adaptation of Ayn Rand’s seminal novel.

    The similarities between “Atlas Shrugged” and the tea party movement are far more significant than a shared date, however. “Atlas Shrugged” and another Rand novel, “The Fountainhead,” inspired me to get involved in the tea party movement, as they have inspired countless others to do the same. At its essence, the story of “Atlas Shrugged” reflects the ethos of the Tea Party.

    The book and the movement share a common faith in supremacy of individual liberty and the importance of limited government. Both recognize, as leaders like Ronald Reagan did, that great American thinkers and entrepreneurs–not government bureaucrats–are the driving forces of American exceptionalism.

    Rand painted a dark portrait of American decline with government intruding into virtually every aspect of business. Congress passes the “Anti-Dog Eat Dog Rule” to outlaw competition and the “Equalization of Opportunity Bill” to limit the number of businesses one person could own. Bureaucrats want to regulate how much product manufacturers can produce, whom the owners can hire as workers, and at what price they can sell their goods. Sound familiar?

    The public is perplexed and terrified. Uncertainty continues to spread as, in response to the increasing attacks, the nation’s best and brightest entrepreneurs start disappearing. They leave only one clue as to their whereabouts: a note that asks, “Who is John Galt?”

    The dystopian events and sentiments brought to life in Rand’s novel–and presented in chilling visuals in the film adaptation–were mirrored in the very beginnings of the tea party, which arose in response to concern about the growing role government was playing in business and the economy, suffocating innovation and freedom in the name of so-called fairness and equality. The irresistibly mysterious question–“Who is John Galt?”–has become a sort of rallying cry for tea partiers, appearing on signs and T-shirts at rallies across the country.

    Similarities exist even in the growth of the tea party and “Atlas Shrugged Part 1.” Just as the establishment parties have been scared off by the tea party’s unwavering dedication to real small-government principles, major movie studios have shunned adaptations of “Atlas Shrugged”–not just this incarnation, but countless past attempts to make the movie. And as the tea party was built through grassroots activism, so “Atlas Shrugged Part 1” relies largely on word-of-mouth promotion without the marketing budget of a major studio.

    In times of trial we look for guidance from thinkers and artists who possess the courage to be bold. Rand’s status among our greatest advocates of individual liberty is evidenced by the passionate response to her work. The book experienced a spike in sales in line with the rise of the tea party in response to the rush of new spending and government control. Originally slated for release in 11 markets, “Atlas Shrugged Part 1” is slated to open in 50 markets and counting as a direct result of fans demanding theaters show the movie.

    “Atlas Shrugged” is not a book or film about the tea party, but it could be. The similarities are striking and disconcerting. Since its publication in 1957 the book has served as a stark warning against Big Government. Similarly, the timely film adaptation presents a portrait of what could be if we neglect to rein in government and restore the freedom and entrepreneurial spirit that have made America great. The film will trouble any American who worries about the future of his or her country, but ultimately it will follow in the novel’s footsteps and serve as a call to action."(snip)

    from


    (snip)"Atlas might be the first feature marketed through the Tea Party, but it probably won’t be the last. “If there is a movie that connects with the ethos of the Tea Party, I’m going to push it out to them,” Kibbe says.

    The movie should connect, though it is devoid of the heavy-duty ideological speeches. Instead, there are one-liners that will jump out at Randians but could fall flat with the uninitiated, who might wonder why they invested 90 minutes in a mystery that doesn’t have much humor or action and ends on a cliff-hanger.

    As in the book, dishonest bureaucrats sell to gullible voters “The Anti-Dog-Eat-Dog Rule” and “The Equalization of Opportunity Bill” as altruistic pieces of legislation designed to even things out but which actually make things much worse. Those who back big labor unions and agitate for government handouts, bailouts and intervention are society’s moochers.

    The movie is set in 2016 as oil spills, pirates, high gas prices and a bad economy dominate headlines. The bad guys talk of “social progress” and businesses being made to “lend a helping hand.” One hero, in contrast, describes himself as “someone who knows what it’s like to work for himself and not let others feed off the profits of his energy.”

    But while there’s lots to whet the appetite of Tea Partiers, getting them in theaters is another matter. The film will open Tax Day — not chosen at random — on 200 screens, unless the distributor sees a sudden surge in early bookings.

    Beyond e-mails to Tea Partiers, producers have sent the film to conservative commentators John Stossel, Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity, hoping they’ll mention it favorably on their TV and radio shows and prompt consumers to ask their local theaters to book the movie. It’s working. Radio host Neal Boortz, for example, recently tweeted: “You want Atlas Shrugged shown in your city? Here’s the website to make your wishes known.

    The film was directed by Paul Johansson. Some might find it off-putting that the director, known for his work in television, voted for Barack Obama. But John Aglialoro, the businessman who financed, co-wrote and co-produced the movie, didn’t ask Johansson about his politics.

    “I read it when I was 17, and it changed my life,” says Johansson, who also appears as the shadowy John Galt in the film. “It gave me permission to be who I am. It taught me that it’s OK to stand alone and not be part of a group.”

    Lots of Americans might agree: A 1991 survey by the Library of Congress and the Book-of-the-Month Club determined that Atlas Shrugged was the second-most-influential book in history behind the Bible. The next three works of fiction on that list — To Kill a Mockingbird, The Lord of the Rings and Gone With the Wind — have already become Hollywood blockbusters. Don’t expect Atlas to replicate that sort of success, though. Aglialoro needs only to make some money with it, or the subsequent two installments will be scrapped and the novice filmmaker will abandon other projects on which he’s working.

    “If it bombs, I will not make another movie,” he says.

    The first installment of Atlas was 44 years in the making because Rand and Hollywood couldn’t agree on how to bring the book’s 1,168 pages to the screen.

    Through the years, big names have attached themselves to film or TV versions, but the film was made without A-listers and is being distributed by a Utah-based indie with an affinity for political and religious themes.

    “Talent agencies were not sending us many of their top people,” Kaslow says. “I don’t think it was political. We just suffered a credibility issue because everyone knew that a lot of well-known people had already tried to get this movie made.”

    Aglialoro, who paid Rand’s heir Leonard Peikoff $1.1 million for rights to Atlas in 1992, ended up rushing it into production to prevent them from reverting. He beat the deadline by two days; Peikoff lost faith in the filmmakers over 19 years and said through a colleague that he fears the film doesn’t sufficiently reflect Rand’s philosophy."(snip)

    from


    It will be curious to see what actually happens now that the film's opening day has arrived ...

    ~
    Last edited by Melonie; 04-14-2011 at 10:27 PM.

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    Default Re: new 'Atlas Shrugged' movie to be released on April 15th

    The movie will actually be shown here in ultra-liberal RI because some local radio personalities organized a petition to have it brought in. I intend to see it this weekend because i doubt it will last more than a week given the political climate around here, which does however show signs of change.
    "never trust a big butt and a smile"-- Bell Biv DeVoe

    If you're in your twenties and aren't a liberal, you have no heart. If you're in you're forties and aren't a conservative, you have no brain - Winston Churchill

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    Default Re: new 'Atlas Shrugged' movie to be released on April 15th

    I heard all the critics agree it's boring and sucks. It sure sounded that way to me before I heard what the critics said. Sounds like the type of movie greedy pompous people might like

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    Default Re: new 'Atlas Shrugged' movie to be released on April 15th


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