Shrug

Given my rant-like post on Mandeville (see below) I was thinking today about the question: "Will I go see Atlas Shrugged?": There are several reasons for me to avoid the movie. Obviously I can't abide the anti-Christian message of Rand and Objectivism. I also thought that Atlas Shrugged was pretty much a joke as a novel. However, all things considered, I think I probably will go see the movie. Here are my Top Ten Reasons For Me To See Atlas Shrugged Even Though I Don't Like Ayn Rand:

10 ) For my entire life, I've gone to movies, concerts, etc. and told myself: I know that this person is committed to just about every left-wing cause I disagree with, but I still think that they are a great actor/singer/musician/songwriter. It's time to bring some balance into my life.

9 ) It's clear from that trailer that the writers have brought the movie into contemporary time. It will be fun to watch the debates among the Rand True Believers as to whether Nothing That She Wrote Can In Any Way Be Altered (think Howard Roark in The Fountainhead).

8 ) Watching the audience will be a spectacle beyond anything on the screen.

7 ) Memo to Rand Fans: The idea that if the government taxes or regulates something, less of it will be produced is neither original with, exclusive too, or even best represented by Atlas Shrugged. However, if it brings in even 100 people who somehow aren't aware of this basic fact, the movie will have a certain kind of success.

6 ) I like trains.

5 ) I am a complete social outcast in my family because I have no interest in long boring fantasy series like The Rings Trilogy or the Harry Potter series. As very few other people want to talk about real movies like North by Northwest, Marnie, Goldfinger, The Last Picture Show, or Bottle Rocket, maybe the fact that I go see this long, boring fantasy series can keep our conversations going.

4 ) Or at the very least, if I say "But have you seen Atlas Shrugged?" and complete silence follows, maybe people will then, as a compromise, want to talk about North By Northwest, Marnie, Goldfinger, the Last Picture Show, or Bottle Rocket.

3 ) I'm certain that Ayn Rand would say that I am not intelligent enough not to believe in God. Here's what I believe: "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven." (Matthew 18:3)

2 ) Did I mention that I like trains?

1 ) Gary Cooper was a great actor, but his performance in the courtroom scene in The Fountainhead makes this oak desk I'm sitting at seem animated by comparison. I am hoping against hope that, given all of the wooden dialog in Atlas Shrugged, somebody will emerge to erase this stain from Coop's legend.