The Joy of Hate-Watching ‘Atlas Shrugged’

[marmar]

from In These Times:


The Joy of Hate-Watching ‘Atlas Shrugged’
A Kickstarter campaign to raise money for the trilogy’s final installment is just the icing on the cake.

BY SADY DOYLE

The Atlas Shrugged movies are over-long, stilted, bizarre, and unconvincing—in other words, they're perfect representations of Ayn Rand's philosophy.

Ladies and gentlemen, start your gloating: The producers of Atlas Shrugged, the critically derided, out-of-work-sitcom-actor-infested film “trilogy” based on Ayn Rand's iconic Libertarian doorstopper, are begging in public. This Monday, the A.V. Club broke the news that they've started a Kickstarter campaign aimed at amping up the budget for the third and final installment of the series, and are hoping to raise $250,000 in donations.

On the surface, it might seem that Atlas Shrugged has been deemed as objectively lacking in value by the glorious Free Market, where Man comes to engage with Man in free and uncoerced value-for-value exchange, in a demonstration of Man's transcendent spirit of Individualism and Production through the ultimate form of self-expression that is The Dollar. (Also, maybe Man should pick up some more coffee. You know, while Man is out.) But the producers of Atlas Shrugged assure us that it is much, much more than that. And indeed, your humble columnist agrees. This Kickstarter campaign may be a sign that Atlas Shrugged is at long last embracing its true place in history—not to mention the Glorious Free Market.

But first, some exposition. The Atlas Shrugged project has a long history, full of travail, but the shortest way to sum up that history is: These movies have bombed audaciously. The first installment of Atlas Shrugged, released in 2011—dull and ambitious, with the feel of a very poorly-thought-out made-for-TV movie—cost $20 million to produce. It recouped a little over $4.6 million in theaters. The second installment—for which funds were raised via “private debt sale,” in which every single member of the original cast was replaced by a new actor, and to which many CGI explosions were added—had an estimated production budget of $10 million. It made just $3.3 million in return. So, at this point, what with Atlas Shrugged-mastermind/fitness-equipment-entrepreneur John Aglialoro having lost more than $20 million trying to make the public embrace a movie franchise in which Oswald from The Drew Carey Show plays a brilliant Libertarian scientist, you might assume that they just plain need the cash.

And yet, according to the Kickstarter page, they don't: “The movie is actually already funded and is now headed into production this October,” we are assured. “The Atlas Shrugged Movie Kickstarter campaign is not so much about money though as it is about marketing.” ..............................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://inthesetimes.com/article/15670/atlas_shrugged_producers_promote_third_installment_aim_to_enrage_haters_wit/

[NuclearDem]

1. I wonder when RiffTrax is going to do Atlas Shrugged.

It'd be worth it.

[dipsydoodle]

2. I assume you've watched the films.

Notwithstanding the subject matter are they worth watching - well made and acted ?

[marmar]

3. I haven't seen them.....I just saw this article and posted it.

[ret5hd]

4. "The Atlas Shrugged movies are over-long, stilted, bizarre, and unconvincing..."

[Marrah_G]

5. I watched about 15 minutes and turned it off

I thought it was horrible and dull.

[xchrom]

6. a trilogy of crap -- they really do have a lot of nerve to do this again. nt

[Buns_of_Fire]

7. The FREE MARKET has spoken! Huzzah!

Installment 1: Production costs, $20 million; recouped $4.6 million.

Installment 2: Production costs, $10 million; recouped $3.3 million.

Installment 3: Production costs, not as much as before; recouped, even less.

Epilogue: Production costs, a couple of six-packs for the guys who own the cameras; recouped, maybe enough to pay for the six-packs (if they're smart and go for the cheap stuff).

[HappyMe]

8. It's a snooze fest.

I made it through maybe 15 minutes of it. I can think of other things to waste time on.

[MyshkinCommaPrince]

9. There are some amusing videos out there...

There are some amusing videos out there, in which cast members are being interviewed about the second film. The RW interviewer asks each of them what they think of Rand and her philosophy. It's funny to see how they had to edit some of the responses, to try to make each performer seem as supportive of Objectivism as possible.