Short and Sweet Atlas Shrugged Movie Review

Posted on April 18, 2011 by mirandabarzey

There are a bazillion reviews out there for Atlas Shrugged Part 1, so here’s a short review:

Book vs. Movie

Ayn Rand fans, you are not the first people to have loved a book and thought the movie didn’t do it justice. No movie ever will. Books can go into way more detail that a two and a half hour movie can. Take the movie for what it is, be glad Ayn Rand’s name was on the silver screen across the nation, and suck it up.

The Good

The casting for Hank was spot on
Same for Lillian
Francisco was smoking. Yes, he was shabby and not like the clean cut Francisco of the book, but playboys of the 50s looked much different than they do now. The modernization of him was done well.
There were some good zingers: “Oh, you’re done?”
The running of the John Galt Line
Setting up the story for modern circumstances: trains are relevant because airplanes can’t afford gas at $40 a gallon
Ellis Wyatt is so damn lovable
The very last scene with the burning Wyatt fields and the sign
There’s finally a movie about this. There’s been talk of it for decades.
The theater was packed

The Bad

The random freeze frames that typed out the info of the missing heros looked they were spliced from a bad spy movie
The utter cheesiness of John Galt when talking to people
John Galt should have been more of a mystery
All of Hank’s personal issues were left out, so no dramatic clash between Dagny and Lillian over the bracelet, guilt about wanting Dagny, or the speech after sex
The sex scene was way too sweet for people who had the hots for each other for years. The sex scene from The Notebook would have been more appropriate.
Hugh Akston and Stadler were all wrong
Where’s Cherryl?!
Dagny was softened up too much
The villains were much to direct about their real intentions

Overall

It was an decent movie, but not a great one. I think they were limited by a low budget and time constraints. The dialogue was pretty stale. But they did get the ideas right and I think it will do a good deal to promote Ayn Rand in the culture. I just hope the second and third movies will get produced. When we were leaving the theater, I heard a kid behind me say, “That was kind of cool.” His grandmother said, “Yep. When you get older you can read the book.”

Win!

Back from my Blogging Vacation

Posted on March 9, 2011 by mirandabarzey

Hi there. I took an impromptu blogging vacation. I started a new waitressing job on the weekends and it’s taken some time to get used to my new schedule. Here’s what I did while away:

Started a garden! I planted onions, garlic, lettuces, and spinach. The lettuce seedlings and one garlic are beginning to sprout, but no action yet from the other plants. I plan to add herbs, tomatoes, potatoes, and maybe a few flowers in hanging baskets. I’m really excited to turn my back porch into a green garden.
I modeled for my first and second sculptures. They look awesome. I’ve been working with artist Basil Watson for a while now and I really like his work. I also have been modeling for some painters and one student let me have his oil painting of me!
Read The Hunger Games series. OMG. I haven’t been so absorbed in a story for a long time. I love stories about future dystopias and how they work, so thee novels were right up my alley. I’m tempted to read them over again because they are that good. Thanks so much to Kelly for recommending it and to the Dragon*Con librarians who told her about it.
I did karaoke for the first time at a friend’s 40th birthday party. It’s a lot more fun than I expected and not as embarrassing. We had a crazy mix of songs from Johnny Cash to Kanye West to Iron Maiden. It was one of the best parties ever. It makes me really pumped for my 21st birthday next month!
I’ve been playing Miss Moderator for the Atlas Shrugged Reading Group for ATLOS. It’s been going well and another ASRG has sprung up. So my group will now be ASRG 1. I really look forward to getting farther into the novel and digging into deeper discussions about the characters’ psychology and overarching themes of the novel.
I completed teaching my second session at the local homeschool co-op. ASL class has been fabulous and I’m constantly surprised by the kids memory and ability to catch onto the language. Each class is energizing and fun. We have a great little group going. Next year I plan to break up the class into ASL 1 and 2, so I’ll spend the summer doing a lot of research on teaching higher level ASL.
Had an awesome idea that relates to the blog and might turn a profit in the long run. More on that later.

Atlanta Atlas Shrugged Reading Group

Posted on February 1, 2011 by mirandabarzey

I will be moderating the Atlas Shrugged Reading Group for the Atlanta Objectivist Society. Yay! Here’s the info:

ATLOS now has an Atlas Shrugged Reading Group! The group will meet
every 2nd and 4th Sunday of each month from 11 am-1pm at Ted’s by
Cumberland Mall. The first meeting will be on February 13. The group
will follow the 20 part outline set by Explore Atlas Shrugged by Diana
Hsieh. The outline contains specific reading sections (about 65 pages
each), discussion questions, and podcasts about an hour long. You can
view it here:

http://www.exploreaynrand.com/1957/

We ask that all members have read Atlas Shrugged at least once before;
we don’t want to spoil anyone’s first time! There will be a cap on the
number of people in the group and you might be put on a waiting list.

If interested, please send your name, email, and how often you think
you can go to meetings to the group leader Miranda Barzey at
mirandabarzey@gmail.com.

Please email me right this second if you want to be a part of this!

Atlanta Atlas Shrugged Reading Group Survey

Posted on January 14, 2011 by mirandabarzey

I plan to moderate an Atlas Shrugged reading group soon(ish) for the Atlanta Objectivist Society. To gauge interest and to figure out planning details, please take this survey to let me know if you’re interested. Thanks!

December Reading Update: His Dark Materials, The Fellowship of the Ring, The Not So Big House

Posted on January 3, 2011 by mirandabarzey

His Dark Materials trilogy by Phillip Pullman

Great series, especially the second book, The Subtle Knife. It’s full of mystery and nothing is fully revealed till the end. Objectivists will appreciate it’s explicit anti-religious sentiments and support for science. The characters are wonderfully interesting and complex and the series evokes just as many emotions from the reader. I really enjoyed it, even the super sad ending. I look forward to talking about it with Aaron and Kelly now that I’m finished. I also think I might dress up as one of the characters for Dragon*Con!

The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

Reid and I made a deal that if he read the Harry Potter series, I would get through The Lord of the Rings. I listened to this on audio book, read by Robert Inglis. I’m not sure I could have made it through otherwise. I’m not much for flowery descriptions, especially of landscapes, and Tolkien is chock full of ‘em. But the beauty of audiobooks is that I could tune out or just skip those parts. The book was okay. Having seen the movies, I wasn’t surprised by anything in the plot, other than the book moves much slower and less dramatically. I found it enjoyable to contrast the books and the movies, to get to know the characters better, and to hear more about hobbit life. I think I’ll enjoy the upcoming books more where there’s more action and more valiant acts by the characters. Because right now I’m a tad disappointed with Frodo. He’s not as heroic in the first book as he is in the movie. Though Reid tells me I will eat those words. (I hope so!) I am excited to move onto the next books so I can geek out with other LOTR nerds. Maybe I’ll attend a few sessions at Dragon*Con. I’d like to hear someone better than Robert Inglis sing the songs.

The Not So Big House by Sarah Susanka

I stumbled upon this book through a friend who values clothing and home like I do. She suggested the book and I devoured it. I’m still mulling over all the concepts and I will definitely be rereading parts as I put my apartment together, but the best way I’ve found to describe the book is “value dense”. The book is all about trading in the typical McMansion with thousands of unused and uncomfortable square footage and creating a home that is functional, cozy, and beautiful. Rather than mindlessly tacking on more space to a house, the author (who is also an architect) suggests really thinking about what you need in a house, consolidating to what’s necessary, and using that money for quality materials and accents instead of extra space. What I love about the book is the author takes into account how people live and she creates a house to match. A house for a family includes a fun playroom accessible by ship ladder for the kids and a quiet “away room” for parents. An entertaining area has large open areas for groups of people to gather, but also nooks and alcoves for one or two people to break away from the crowd. A house for an aging couple is located all on one floor and has doorways large enough for a wheelchair. In most of her houses, the living and dining areas are right next to the kitchen, because that’s where everyone ends up anyways. Everything in the book from floor plans to minute storage details are all very thought out and clever. I’m planning to apply many of the concepts to my apartment, such as creating double duty spaces and special private spaces to be alone and get away to.

I’m not sure what I’ll read next. Maybe something off my reading list or maybe I’ll just browse the library. I want to devote more time to reading this year. Updating and keeping track on my blog is a good way to encourage that in myself.

Any suggestions for my next read?

Ongoing Reading List

Posted on November 8, 2010 by mirandabarzey

This is an ongoing, constantly updating reading list. Check up occasionally to see what I’m reading, what I want to read, and maybe the occasional book review. (There will be a link in the sidebar.)

What I’m Reading Now: