BEST FRIDAY NEWS EVER, courtesy of Slog tippers Matthew and Tom. Remember that bomb of an Atlas Shrugged movie that came out last year? I forgive you if you don’t; it was a real piece of shit, and nobody went to see it. (Except for me. And a couple of other people.) Well, it just came out on DVD. And now the Atlas Shrugged, Part 1 DVD is being recalled. Can you guess why? Oh my God. Oh, my God. This is so good. Are you ready?
It’s because the DVD packaging reads, “AYN RAND’s timeless novel of courage and self-sacrifice comes to life…”
Harmon Kaslow, CEO of Atlas Productions and Producer of the film stated “As we all well know, the ideas brought to life in Atlas Shrugged are entirely antithetical to the idea of ‘self-sacrifice’ as a virtue. Atlas is quite literally a story about the dangers of self-sacrifice. The error was an unfortunate one and fans of Ayn Rand and Atlas have every right to be upset… and we have every intention of making it right.”
So the company is recalling all the unsold copies and offering anyone who may have bought a copy of the DVD a new cover that reads, “AYN RAND’s timeless novel of rational self-interest comes to life…” The COO of Atlas Productions sounds like he’s still in shock:
“You can imagine how mortified we all were when we saw the DVD but, it was simply too late – the product was already on shelves all over the Country. It was certainly no surprise when the incredulous emails ensued. The irony is inescapable.”
That’s it. Shut down the internet. It’s time to celebrate the weekend, everybody!
Wow. Thank you for that.
Obvious attempt to recoup some cash by pushing up the collector aftermarket value.
For their next trick, how about a Criterion Collection edition with a commentary track by Schmader?
Paul Constant, will you be my second husband, someday?
No. That can’t be real? It CAN’T be.
I almost went to go see the movie. Just… because… for a laugh. But I have it on authority it’s not one of those it’s ‘so bad it’s good movies.’ Just so bad it’s very, very bad.
Is it bad to admit that the book is a guilty pleasure? Like L. Ron Hubbard, Rand delivers such awfulness in such an interesting way. I can’t help myself. I usually tear the cover off so nobody will throw rocks at me.
its funny cuz their dum
The funniest thing is that he capitalized “Country”. It’s that Germanic impulse that these people just can’t resist.
@2 – Schmader’s commentary (and a bottle of booze) would be the only way I’ll ever watch this movie.
@#6
I have to admit that I’m prone to similar acts of arbitrary capitalization when I’m writing political screeds. I don’t know if it’s effective, but it’s somehow satisfying. I speak a little German, but I think it’s more likely an effect of encountering similar capitalization-for-effect in old (19th-early-20th century?) political tracts in English.
While they’re correcting errors in that sentence on the DVD, how about also removing words like “timeless” and “comes to life”?
Holy Crap! That is FAAAAAANTASTIC!!!
Sweet Jumpin Jehoshaphat, that put a smile on my face………
😀
Well the good news for them is that it will be really easy to exchange copies for nobody.
This was all by design. They’ll repackage it and sales will be better because of the curiosity.
A true objectivist would make the customers themselves pay if they wanted the dvds recalled and reprinted.
“…already on shelf all over the Country.”
There. Fixed that for you.
I thought Rebecca Black pulled her video from Youtube? I had given up hope of ever seeing “Friday” again, so thanks a bunch.
Did all the smart Libertarians already “go Galt “, leaving the stupid ones behind?
@16: The smart libertarians who are under 25 or so can’t afford to go Galt and relocate to a mountain paradise. There are no smart libertarians over 25.
The only reason anyone would even consider watching this would be for noted New Zealander uber hunk Grant Bowler. But even then, you could just torrent episodes of Outrageous Fortune and, you know, actually be entertained.
Urgutha Forka @13 is correct. They’re doing it wrong.
Isn’t a recall against the libertarian ethos? I thought libertarians believed in caveat emptor. If a producer sells you shoddy goods, whether by accident or design, it’s your obligation to suck it up.
I went to see Atlas Shrugged and I was thinking about it yesterday…I guess because I was riding LINK from Tukwila to see a concert at Benaroya Hall.
I was thinking that if that really hot businesswoman was in that train and it crashed and she got disfigured and her legs got chopped off, then like a year later she would be calling for all sorts of government regulation on trains…right.
Liar. I wasn’t thinking that. I was thinking what a Crap Coaster LINK is when riding the elevated part to Rainier. That thing shimmies more than the wooden one I used ride as a kid at Playland at Rockaway Beach.
This is wonderful – you have made my weekend, Paul!!
“It’s not about courage and self-sacrifice, it’s about the triumph of the will! Unfortunately, that title was taken.”
Nietzsche defined “self-sacrifice” as “slave morality.” Ayn Rand’s novel, “Atlas Shrugged,” hardly promotes slave morality. This DVD cover incident is what happens when Madison Avenue copy writers haven’t read the books, and most people now prefer to rely on spell-check instead of proof-reading. But distilling a 1,168-page philosophical novel into a 97-minute movie probably wasn’t a good idea in the first place. The problem is that we who love her, love her too much.
I hope that this one massive mistake doesn’t make a mockery of the film, because it deserves to do really well on DVD. I saw it in theatres and ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT. Jsu Garcia was wonderful as Francisco D’Anconia and I thought they did just such a wonderful job with Ayn Rand’s classic. (I worked with Jsu Garcia on the feature film he did after Atlas Shrugged – The Wayshower) Atlas Shrugged has such a powerful message, so appropriate for today and the world we’re living in right now. Definitely feels like there are many wonderful movies coming out helping to lift consciousness. I mean Harry Potter, while they’re fantasy, they’re really bringing an incredible message for both young and old – about going within and finding your strength and being the change and goodness you want more of in your world. And Inception, Adjustment Bureau, and more.
Working on the movie ‘The Wayshower’, (inspired by the life of John-Roger) with Jsu Garcia, (and favorites Academy Award nominees Eric Roberts and Sally Kirkland) was incredible and I really hope it gets massive attention when it’s released next March. It’s so courageous and forward thinking in regards to a very metaphysical abstract portrayal of the journey we all take throughout life and the relationships we have with special mentors and teachers – special Wayshowers that enrich and change our lives forever. I loved this movie so much. So different and ground breaking. Check it out: http://thewayshower.com (sign up for free fanletter including free screening invites)
I hope that this one massive mistake doesn’t make a mockery of the film, because it deserves to do really well on DVD. I saw it in theatres and ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT. Jsu Garcia was wonderful as Francisco D’Anconia and I thought they did just such a wonderful job with Ayn Rand’s classic. (I worked with Jsu Garcia on the feature film he did after Atlas Shrugged – The Wayshower) Atlas Shrugged has such a powerful message, so appropriate for today and the world we’re living in right now. Definitely feels like there are many wonderful movies coming out helping to lift consciousness. I mean Harry Potter, while they’re fantasy, they’re really bringing an incredible message for both young and old – about going within and finding your strength and being the change and goodness you want more of in your world. And Inception, Adjustment Bureau, and more.
Working on the movie ‘The Wayshower’, (inspired by the life of John-Roger) with Jsu Garcia, (and favorites Academy Award nominees Eric Roberts and Sally Kirkland) was incredible and I really hope it gets massive attention when it’s released next March. It’s so courageous and forward thinking in regards to a very metaphysical abstract portrayal of the journey we all take throughout life and the relationships we have with special mentors and teachers – special Wayshowers that enrich and change our lives forever. I loved this movie so much. So different and ground breaking. Check it out: http://thewayshower.com (sign up for free fanletter including free screening invites)
I don’t see what is so knee-slappingly entertaining about this. Only a tiny sliver of America know what Objectivism is. Apparently this applies to the staff who handled the DVD release. the Maybe that’s why the packing screw-up is getting laughs??
@seattlestew: you forgot to misspell ‘funny’.
First!
I’ll bet some of the people who worked on that DVD release will one day apply for and receive Social Security and Medicare, just like Ayn Rand.
@30: Of course! It’s the virtue of selfishness to try and defund the same social programs that you’ll cling onto desperately in your twilight years.
the movie was good! the actors were good! it may have appeared to have bombed based from matthew and tom’s assessments (who are these shitheads pretending to be critics anyway) because the producers did not promote it well! they cut corners, they did not market it well, and when you do not market your product, who will know about it and, you fall on your face. thankfully, the actors and the director were good.
@32: If he failed, then your pleas of mercy are those of the Parasite. Us Captains of Industry spit upon you anonymous failures. May you crawl like the worms you are.
Only an ignorant sheep liberal democrat would comment on this movie, having never seen it! Pretty sure they haven’t read the book either… Scared of the truth?????? Educate yourselves before you open your pie holes.