Atlas Shrugged Movie

[Zor]

Damn Tea Partiers...

Zor

[Srelex]

I can imagine anyone who's not a drooling Ayndroid or familiar with lolberterianism being perplexed at what the fuck all that was about.

[Stofsk]

WHO IS JOHN GALT?

[Mayabird]

Why is it set in the present day, instead of some decaying trapped-in-Art-Deco-for-decades alternate reality? For one thing, it takes away the shock value of OMG woman president of a giant company that Dagny was apparently supposed to have. A woman CEO or whatever? Nobody's going to blink unless she's, I dunno, a black atheist lesbian woman, and that would be more because of the atheism and lesbianism with a little black. Also, there's not a hint of the whole "everything is breaking and civilization is slowly dying" tension that went through the entire novel. When there was a giant train wreck, it showed that the infrastructure was falling apart and wasn't getting replaced. Here? Eh. Whatever. Shit happens.

If I hadn't read that terrible novel, I'd think this was some piece to glorify a bunch of rich asshole CEOs and poor, poor, guys, might have to pay a tax or some shit. I have even less sympathy for the shitheads on screen than I did for the shitheads in the book since there's not even a hint of "by author fiat they are totally right." But that's because I'm looking at this trailer thinking as someone who wasn't unfortunate enough to be triple-dog dared by an English teacher to read it. Apparently this thing was put together entirely for people who have read it like eighty times and know John Galt's entire several hour long speech by heart so they can go "oh, that's in there, yay!" Because unless you know ahead of time what the plot is, this doesn't make any sense. At all. It's some assholes yelling and there are trains and some blond lady. Also something about taxes so Teabaggers can go "yay!"

Was this thing funded by the railroad lobbies? It has more glamour shots of trains than the Transformers movies do of cars.

That building that is apparently supposed to be Rearden Steel looks so fake, so crappy CGI.

This is a crappy trailer.

Also the worst part is that this could make people actually start saying "Who is John Galt" in real life. The back cover of the copy I read claimed that it was some epic question that people were using all the time every day even though no one ever went around saying it. I hope I don't need to punch some people in the face in a year or so.

[Guardsman Bass]

They were probably on a very limited budget, but I think Atlas Shrugged ought to be done in a 1950s-style decor. The elements - titans of industry (particularly railroads and steel), world-wide socialism, importance of railroads - feel oddly placed in a modern setting.

The whole book, in fact, has a kind of anachronistic feel to it, helped by the vagueness of the back-story and setting elements (like referring to the President as the "head of state" and Congress as the "national legislature").

EDIT: Mayabird beat me to it.

[Darksider]

The only way I would ever watch this movie is if in the end, they show a scene where society has collapsed due to the actions (or rather inaction) of the NOBLE TITANS OF INDUSTRYtm, and then they all die because none of them know how to hunt, farm, or really do anything other than sit in a gaudy office chair and sign checks to people who actually do.

[Purple]

I can imagine anyone who's not a drooling Ayndroid or familiar with lolberterianism being perplexed at what the fuck all that was about.

You imagine correctly. And I am the living example of that.

[Guardsman Bass]

The only way I would ever watch this movie is if in the end, they show a scene where society has collapsed due to the actions (or rather inaction) of the NOBLE TITANS OF INDUSTRYtm, and then they all die because none of them know how to hunt, farm, or really do anything other than sit in a gaudy office chair and sign checks to people who actually do.

The Bob the Angry Flower ending.

More seriously, the whole setting is going to seem extremely odd. In the book, pretty much the entire world outside of the US had turned into "People's States" (socialist dictatorships), which likely had much more impact for Cold War Era readers than modern readers.

[Purple]

So the entire world became a paradise while the book is set in a hell hole of Randism? Alright... I see how that might be a bit lame.

This said, what is the general consensus on that book. Should I go pick it up at the local library or dream of a book burning party?

[Srelex]

Unless you regard anyone without a gun as mindless sheep, it's probably going to come across as a 1300-plus page whine on having to pay taxes.

[Purple]

Torches and pitchforks it is than.

[adam_grif]

WHO IS JOHN GALT?

WHEN WILL JOHN GALT SHUT UP?

[Purple]

WHO IS JOHN GALT?

That is not a question. It is a cheat code for Age of Empires II. Or was that Age of Empires I?

[Pelranius]

WHO IS JOHN GALT?

WHEN WILL JOHN GALT SHUT UP?

When we outsource his job.

[FaxModem1]

So, were the people smoking cigars supposed to be the villains for taking down a company? Because I thought they weren't portrayed evil enough here.

[Big Orange]

Armin Shimmerman in the last ten years is looking more and more like his Ferengi character.

'We can't afford the expansion of a company that makes too much.' *Da-dum-daaah*

Anyway here is Galt's infamous, long-winded speech supposedly around the end of the book when he and other industrialists decided to band together to condemn hundreds of millions to their deaths, because they were a tax drain:

[Aaron]

Why is it set in the present day, instead of some decaying trapped-in-Art-Deco-for-decades alternate reality? For one thing, it takes away the shock value of OMG woman president of a giant company that Dagny was apparently supposed to have. A woman CEO or whatever? Nobody's going to blink unless she's, I dunno, a black atheist lesbian woman, and that would be more because of the atheism and lesbianism with a little black. Also, there's not a hint of the whole "everything is breaking and civilization is slowly dying" tension that went through the entire novel. When there was a giant train wreck, it showed that the infrastructure was falling apart and wasn't getting replaced. Here? Eh. Whatever. Shit happens.

If I hadn't read that terrible novel, I'd think this was some piece to glorify a bunch of rich asshole CEOs and poor, poor, guys, might have to pay a tax or some shit. I have even less sympathy for the shitheads on screen than I did for the shitheads in the book since there's not even a hint of "by author fiat they are totally right." But that's because I'm looking at this trailer thinking as someone who wasn't unfortunate enough to be triple-dog dared by an English teacher to read it. Apparently this thing was put together entirely for people who have read it like eighty times and know John Galt's entire several hour long speech by heart so they can go "oh, that's in there, yay!" Because unless you know ahead of time what the plot is, this doesn't make any sense. At all. It's some assholes yelling and there are trains and some blond lady. Also something about taxes so Teabaggers can go "yay!"

Was this thing funded by the railroad lobbies? It has more glamour shots of trains than the Transformers movies do of cars.

That building that is apparently supposed to be Rearden Steel looks so fake, so crappy CGI.

This is a crappy trailer.

Also the worst part is that this could make people actually start saying "Who is John Galt" in real life. The back cover of the copy I read claimed that it was some epic question that people were using all the time every day even though no one ever went around saying it. I hope I don't need to punch some people in the face in a year or so.

Should have just made a Bioshock movie.

[Purple]

You know, that movie with the ninja actually makes a lot of sense. However I don't think that a society can work like that.

[xerex]

oh HELLL


this is atlas shrugged part one!!!!

theyre making it a a triloogy.

[takemeout_totheblack]

Should have just made a Bioshock movie.

No no, see, Bioshock was taking the piss out of Objectivism and how and why it can't work (long story short, a room full of sharks will eat each other)
No, this movie will take itself seriously and will, with lengthy subtle-as-bricks soapbox speeches and comical stereotypes, strawmen, and cardboard cutouts as characters, extol the virtues of sociopathic self interest and egotism-bordering-on-megalomania.

Ahhh...this is going to hurt.

[Purple]

You know, a part of me wants to see it actually.

[Phantasee]

Apparently this thing was put together entirely for people who have read it like eighty times and know John Galt's entire several hour long speech by heart so they can go "oh, that's in there, yay!"

No, that's Part 2.

[Thanas]

This is going to suck and it is going to suck so hard.

I can't imagine people thinking of this as anything but the latest attempt to cash in on the teapartiers. Yes, let us all consume more and help giant movie companies.

[Mayabird]

Should have just made a Bioshock movie.

No no, see, Bioshock was taking the piss out of Objectivism and how and why it can't work (long story short, a room full of sharks will eat each other)
No, this movie will take itself seriously and will, with lengthy subtle-as-bricks soapbox speeches and comical stereotypes, strawmen, and cardboard cutouts as characters, extol the virtues of sociopathic self interest and egotism-bordering-on-megalomania.

Ahhh...this is going to hurt.

I wonder if the people who made that movie had even heard of the game. It would be hilarious if they did decide to set it in the current day because "hey guys there's this super-popular video game that mocks us in every sort of way AND uses the art styles we're going to use so we have to do something different," but they probably just did it to be cheap. And/or possibly it's some lame-ass attempt to be "relevant."

On the general topic of trailers, is there any theory or rule on how they're supposed to be made for maximum effect? For instance, the emotion has to build to the end, cuts need to be so long, the antagonists need to be inserted at this point, etc? And is it then possible that someone can learn those rules and follow them while completely forgetting the basic rule that trailers are supposed to make people interested in watching the movie?


So is this 'trilogy' already being made, or are they waiting to see if anybody actually watches part one to see if they'll fund part II and part capitalist atheist Jesus John Galt Talks for Several Hours?

[Thanas]

To be honest, the cinematography does not look that bad. It might even be a decent movie if they do not closely follow the retarded subject matter (but I guess they do). And long speeches are not that bad when done in the right way.

So I think this will be a technically proficient movie which will be doomed by the illogical story.



As for why they chose the current day - because the movie audience they aim for does not care about the fifties.