September 26, 2013

  • "Atlas Shrugged" (Part 3 in production)

    Politics makes strange bedfellows, as they say.  I loathe the fact that I'm in bed with Paul Ryan, Sean Hannity, Harmon Kaslow, and other fans of Ayn Rand's classic novel, "Atlas Shrugged."

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    Before going any further, let me refer you to this latest item I found at BuzzFeed.com.  Whoever wrote the text hates us John Galt-ers, and loves to make fun of the irony that filmers of Atlas Shrugged, Parts 1, 2, and 3, are begging for money on Kickstarter.com because they are too incompetent to make a movie that shows a profit.

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    If I were a millionaire businessman like Harmon Kaslow, I'd produce the movie, sure, but I'd find some Hollywood pros who knew what they were doing, instead of throwing money away on amateurish productions that so far are what have been put on the screen.

    Part 1 wasn't too bad, but the marketing was pitiful and they were too chintzy in the production and it showed.  (Stock footage of trains rolling into stations, etc.  It didn't bother ME, but I heard groans from the audience.  You have to spend money to make money.  At least in the movie business.)

    Part 2 was closer to dreadful, and I'm not too sanguine about the upcoming Part 3.

    Someday, probably long after I'm dead, somebody willing to hire the best writers and the best actors and best marketers of movies will decide to do justice to my favorite novel.

Comments (5)

  • I am a fan of the book myself... I don't believe in all Rand says, but I enjoyed the read. The questions she brought up helped me to define my own values. I was really disappointed in the films so far. It'll be hard to watch the last one I fear.

    • I actually liked Part 1. While they did it on the cheap (reference the groans that I heard in reaction to the stock railroad footage), the acting was high-quality. The script could have been written better in the sense that viewers unfamiliar with the book were at the risk of being confused. (My wife is an example of one such viewer.)

      Part 2, I agree, was very disappointing. The casting changes were misguided -- especially not rehiring Taylor Schilling to play Dagny -- and overall, the film frankly stunk.

      While I have no reason to be optimistic about Part 3, I'm forcing myself to be just that. Low expectations run the risk of being a self-fulfilling prophecy. But, in view of the amateurishness of Part 2, it will be easy enough to go into the theater without raising my sights to an unrealistically high level. Neutral is a good place for my head to be.

  • Haven't read the book, and didn't see the movie. Doubt if I will. Your reviews always tell me what I should do.

  • Glad to be here, visiting your site again! You are right about spending money to make money. If I am going to fork over plenty of good money to be entertained, I had better be entertained! :-p

    Kathi

    • Hi, Kathi!

      Much as I disparage the movie-making efforts of Harmon Kaslow and John Aglioro (sp?), my heart reaches out to them because I am POSITIVE that they love the book "Atlas Shrugged" even more than I do and just want to share their passion with the world.

      I picture them as millionaires who got their way because they're focused on how to make money and how not to throw money away needlessly. They just don't understand (shocking, I know!) that if you cheat your customer by providing a less-than-quality product, they won't buy your product and you won't make the money you wanted to make because you failed to invest your resources wisely.

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