Atlas Shrugged (1 star)

www.rogerebert.com ^ | 04/14/11 | Roger Ebert

[Borges]

I feel like my arm is all warmed up and I don

[EveningStar]

Ebert is one of the most knowledgable film writes in the country. He’s a good critic.

I agree.

[EveningStar]

Roger Ebert and wife Charlie "Chaz" Hammel-Smith. She's a trial lawyer and a divorced mother of two. They met in 1989 and married in 1992.

[maine-iac7]

This is a pretty evenhanded review - and from the wsj - (Bwarny Fwank won't like it though)

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704662604576256782014528702.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

[maine-iac7]

Actually, it's not just Detroit.

One of my sons is a long-hauler. “Detroit” is being replicated across the contry.

[maine-iac7]

What you said - ditto

[braf]

I had a bad feeling from the dialogue in the trailer.

I mean -- "If you double cross me, I will destroy you!"?? The voice actors playing the villains on Super Friends would have been too embarrassed to utter lines like that.

[Sto Zvirat]

Would it be too much to ask for actual actors and actresses, actual production values and passionate acting instead of wooden recitations. Seen the previews, seen the extended scenes, this looks like some cheap USA network film of the week.

Its a great book, its un filmable, unless you spend real money on talented directors and actors. It looks like a crappy, desperate low budget production.

[Impy]

Well yeah but I wanna see it. ;d

[CSM]

“It is. That is why I am a conservative. And, my problem with Rand is not with her political stance,...”

Then I am confused over your confusion as to why Conservatives are drawn to her political philosophy. I can understand the heated discussions among Conservatives about the rest of her philosophy, but her political stance is where I am in agreement with her. Her explanations of political consequences for continually increasing government are more clear to me than nearly every other author/pundit. (I’ll exclude Walter Williams and Thomas Sowell from that generality.)

That said, her morality is worth having discussions at a personal level. Howeer, I would separate her morality from her political stance. With that approach, I don’t see any disconnect from Constitutional Conservatism....

[CSM]

“I’m surprised no one has mentioned the Italian version of “We The Living”, a fine period film, and true to Rand’s emotional view, imo.”

I’ll add that this was an unauthorized production effort that was produced without her knowledge. It was an effort by a Fascist government to supposedly show the benefits of fascism. They completely missed the point and if I recall Ayn’s review of it was very positive. It was as if she was laughing at the fascists and said that she could not have done a better job producing the movie herself.

I may be messing up some of these as my memory could be failing at this stage of my life....I figure a FReeper will step up and make the appropriate connections.

;-)

[headsonpikes]

Yes, Mussolini(or his advisors) thought that a good anti-communist film would be helpful to their Fascist project. Once it was realized that “We The Living” worked as a statement against all political tyranny, the film was mothballed by Il Duce’s State. I saw it in Vancouver 20 years ago at the lefty and progressive VanEast Cinema on Commercial Drive. The irony of a commie theatre showing this film was certainly not lost on me! ;^)

It’s a film well worth seeing - a far better effort than the wooden The Fountainhead or this Atlas flick, apparently.

[CSM]

Wow, thank you very much for that clarification. I always wondered what they were thinking. I actually found a vcr tape of it on e-bay once, so I get to watch it whenever the mood strikes.

Thanks for the additional info.