I received both my Atlas Shrugged I & II yesterday. The cast in I was excellent. They had vitality; however, the cast in II was changed and seemed to be bland compared to the cast in I. I did a marathon and watched both last night. And in spite of the apparent poorer acting, i still enjoyed seeing Ayn Rands work in motion. At the rate the movie is progressing, it appears there will be at least two more parts.

He really did a great job. I totally connected. He should be commended for such a natural and believable performance. One of the best scenes.
O.A.

I noticed a bit of incongruity in the film due to changes from the book. James Taggart appoints eager but inexperienced Dave Mitchum to be the COO. In the book Mitchum is a political appointee and is a division superintendent. In the movie Eddie Willers has become competent and reliable. Taggart would more likely have quickly appointed Eddie as new COO. But that's the trouble with making Eddie too competent -- if he was in charge follow on events in the story would have been blamed on him. So there are story congruity problems due to making Eddie too strong a personality.

Taylor schilling as dagny...and everything else as well

I got to hang out with Arye a little bit the day we shot that scene and he really had a solid grip on Danagger. At lunch, he was drawing parallels between Ken and himself - you could tell he really got it.

Or in a d'Anconia Copper case. :)

Send that message in to support. You won't regret it.

Thanks for the offer of assistance. As I said, I didn't mean to whine, and after all, it's not the packaging that's important, it's what's inside that matters! I will, however, put the discs in jewel cases to protect them.

Sorry to hear of your disappointment DragonLady. The personalized DVDs were purposely packaged in a special "DigiPak" case to be used as an optional desktop display - which the standard packaging would not permit. Do me a favor and send a message to support@atlasshruggedmovie.com, with your comments regarding the case, and I'm SURE we'll be able to make you happy. Make sure to identify yourself as DragonLady from the Gulch.

I will, of course. I know the blu-ray had the amazing case (my son loves it), but the HD case shown was considerably more substantial than what I received. This is what I'd expect if I purchased a dvd from a bargain bin at a dollar store. Sorry if I'm whining (I do it so well!)

Hello DragonLady,

We received ours Monday afternoon. It was the D’anconia copper jacketed blu-ray. The packaging is very nice. If I were you, I would pick up a jewel case for the disc.
Regards,
O.A.

My dvd FINALLY arrived!!! Can't wait to get home tonight to watch it. However, I do have a fairly minor issue, the packaging. I ordered the personalized discs, blu-ray for my son, HD for me. His came beautifully packaged, mine is enclosed in flimsy cardboard. I'm so disappointed in the packaging. I know the important thing are the discs inside, but this packaging will last about a month, if that. Part One had a very nice case, what happened here? Anyone else get this packaging?

DragonLady,
I thank you for your service and rational approach. It seems in today’s world many in the legal profession seem to think that words have flexible meanings and the spirit of the law is not adhered to any more than the letter. Subjectivity seems to reign.

Today people think because we have a more technologically advanced society that they are somehow superior adjudicators of what is just than those who established our system. Nothing could be further from the truth in my opinion. Two plus centuries ago the minds of the founders were more astute and reasoned than the whims of the progressives of today. The basic principles are timeless and no amount of technology can replace the considerable edification the founders possessed. They had no calculators to do their math, no radios or TVs to tell them what to think. They had books to read and several millennia of history to guide them. When I read their words and the words of their influences, I recognize the superior level of their thought and consideration and find the notions of today’s politicians (many who are lawyers) to be greatly inferior.

These same people greatly influence the education and indoctrination of this “touchy/ feely” amorphous, nebulous thinking that is imparted en masse. A is A. There is right and there is wrong. Some may be able to evade it, but not indefinitely.

Perhaps these words from a former president are apropos:
"It is often asserted that the world has made a great deal of progress since 1776, that we have had new thoughts and new experiences which have given us a great advance over the people of that day, and that we may therefore very well discard their conclusions for something more modern. But that reasoning cannot be applied to this great charter. If all men are created equal, that is final. If they are endowed with inalienable rights, that is final. If governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, that is final. No advance, no progress can be made beyond these propositions. If anyone wishes to deny their truth or their soundness, the only direction in which he can proceed historically is not forward, but backward toward the time when there was no equality, no rights of the individual, no rule of the people. Those who wish to proceed in that direction cannot lay claim to progress. They are reactionary. Their ideas are not more modern, but more ancient, than those of the Revolutionary fathers." Calvin Coolidge

Again, thank you for doing your part to stem the tide of tyranny.
Respectfully,
O.A.

You're quite welcome, and it would be my pleasure. :-)
And I also wanted to extend a welcome to the Gulch! I see you've changed your staus to producer.

Yeah, I agree with your points regarding Dagny and Francisco, although I don't think they killed the film.

I thought Taylor Schilling was perfect as Dagny, and looked and behaved just as I'd pictured while reading the book. Whereas I thought Samantha Mathis' demeanor was actually more suited to a portrayal of Eddie Willers than of Dagny. And I thought Mathis had the sincerity, humility, and down-to-earth practicality that Richard Jones seemed to lack.

I agree that Esai Morales didn't quite carry the playboy. Too serious and not cheeky enough, especially at Jim's wedding.

I thought the rest of the cast of ASII did a pretty good job though.

Glad to hear there are good attorneys fighting hard for our second amendment rights. Thank you and please thank your husband for me

Your opinion is appreciated both on law and kids

I wish my points were a year of significance..

Hey, my points are the year the colonists shrugged GB! Cool. :-)

Having a forum like this one makes it easier for all of us to continue the fight (at least until we shrug).

Hello DragonLady,
My husband is a lawyer, and he feels as you do. The whole litigious aspect of it appalls him. He, too, worked in large firms in DC and NYC, and was very happy to leave them behind. He went in house with a chemical company here in CT, bringing them through bankruptcy, and was sought out by the company where he now works. I cannot say where that it is in this forum, but he is the GC of a firearms mfg. co. To say that things are intense for him in this present climate would be a very gross understatement. I applaud your efforts, and hope you continue the good fight.
NMA

In some instances, lawyers shouldn't be trusted. It saddens me to think about what has happened to a once admirable profession. I've worked with lawyers for over 40 years and seen many changes, very few for the better. Not sure exactly what happened, it was all so gradual. It seemed to begin when law schools began lowering their standards to attract a more "diverse" student body, rather than the best minds. Gradually, ethnic origin, gender, etc. became more important to law school admission than a good mind, ethics and a genuine belief that our legal system, even with its faults, was the best in the world. I worked for large law firms (150 or more lawyers) for most of my working life until I burned out...hard to deal with 20-something "lawyers" who just passed the bar exam and think they have all the answers to every question ever asked. If I didn't work at the court, I probably would have gone into a completely different line of work. However, at the 7th Circuit we are fortunate to have some of the best legal minds (our circuit is considered the best in the country). We were fortunate to have Judge Posner and Judge Flaum on the panel in the NRA lawsuits. I attended the oral arguments in the 2nd Amendment suits, and was impressed with their objective questions to the lawyers and the almost total lack of any impression of bias toward either one side or the other (although it was fun to watch the City of Chicago corporation counsel floundering on occasion to answer one or two of their questions regarding the constitutional ramifications of Chicago's gun laws). I say "almost total lack of bias because the third judge on the panel was EXTREMELY biased in favor of Chicago's draconian gun laws. The biggest problem, I believe, is that our kids aren't being taught to think, but merely being indoctrinated with a touchy/feely way of thinking, that there is neither good nor bad, right or wrong, everything is relative kind of education. I fear it will be our undoing.

In part two when Dagny was talking to Hugh Akston (I think it was Hugh)- and he lit a cigarette, you can see the dollar sign insigna on it

It is rather sad that working for a living is not held in higher esteem these days. With your reply, you just gained stature in my eyes. Tell me about your sense of the level of objectivity in your profession. It seems no one trusts any attorney, except their own.

At least your disc is on the way and you didn’t have to order “capias ad satisfaciendum.”
I can smell the popcorn.
Enjoy!
O.A.

"Honorable" doesn't fit, OA, I work for a living :-) Blu-Ray should be delivered today (ordered for my son), my disc, on Wednesday....Anticipation is half the fun!!!

Good morning DragonLady,

I get the impression that you run a tight ship; that one might expect objective justice n your court, but to address you as the “Honorable DragonLady” in such a venue could be hazardous… :)
Here I feel privileged to be allowed such a courtesy.
In the gulch “we don’t have much government, just a few courthouses…”
I hope you received your DVD and enjoyed the show. I am still waiting…
Respectfully,
O.A.