Atlas Shrugged and Idiocracy
My golf buddy once said, as we strolled up the 18th fairway at our local course, that if you read Atlas Shrugged and watched Idiocracy you pretty-much have total clarity. That stuck with me because it is true. Very true. Just this morning here in my office the conversation turned to south San Francisco. Within a block of each other you have a very tall, new sky scraper that's leaning over and may fall over. You also have the train station that can't be used because the Feds won't pay for it. So, of course there's been talk of running diesel trains in there (hazard). I immediately started laughing this morning when it hit me. In Idiocaracy, Joe comes to his senses in the hospital, looks out the window and screams "OH MY GOD!!!" when he sees a big sky scraper leaning against another one, duct-taped to it for support. In Atlas Shrugged you have the train incident with the diesel engine. I thought it was funny (even though it's sad).
I think my favorite scene is when Joe is standing at the table at the white house with the staff and asks them (about electrolytes) "Do you even know what that means!" That is an amazing scene because I have had very, very similar conversations with people. This gives me heartache...
Native Ecuadoran Mike Judge writes and directs a political satire based in the future. MJ is best known for comedy and primarily as an actor doing voice overs for shows like "Beavis and Butthead", "King of the Hill", "The Simpsons" and films like "Austin Powers, etc". and "Spy Kids". In this case he has fashioned a movie that's a cross between The Marx Bros., Monty Python and Woody Allen (specifically WA's film "Sleeper" from 1973). Luke Wilson plays a soldier in the US Military who is very "average". His job is about to be eliminated and he agrees to a hibernation experiment which is to last 24 hours. Maya Rudolph plays a lady of the evening who is forced to volunteer for the same program in order to get certain charges dropped. The experiment goes awry and the kids wake up a thousand years in the future following an immense garbage avalanche. Seems that the lowest levels of society, the dumb ones, turned out to be the most successful at reproducing and the future is populated with moron's. LW is now the smartest person on earth which he proves with his knowledge of how to water crops. Lots of funny scenes ensue. Only a few companies still exist. Costco is now a store which covers the landscape for miles in every direction. Everyone drinks the same energy drink. Starbucks has turned into a seller of certain unmentionable favors. The White House is in disrepair and people party regularly on the front lawn. The President is a Black former wrestler and his cabinet are all total fools. Garbage is everywhere since no one quite understands how to clean it up. This leads to the garbage avalanche mentioned earlier. The most popular TV show is "Ow, My B----'s". It is the future version of Jerry Springer and Maury Povich combined with the sight gag that 13 year old boys find to be the most amusing gag on earth. The legal system is a real joke. Actually not that much different than it is today. Dax Shepard (the astronaut in last years "Zathura") is LW's attorney and gets caught up in the intrigue. The prison system appears actually to have improved as the prisoners are actually being punished. They are all so dumb they just don't realize it. LW who ends up in prison for a very short stay hatches a most ingenious escape plot. While being incarcerated he tells the jailer he is supposed to be in the line to be let out. They send him to that line. On opening day of it's limited release (9/1/06) I was the only one sitting in the theater until midway through the previews when another family joined the party. They had small kids with them. Big Mistake. This film has lots of crude humor and bad language. Their embarassment must have been extreme. Don't make the same error. This film is lots of fun. For adults only. The length is short at under 90 minutes. Take a short nap then check it out.
Rated 2.9 out of 4 which is more than half but less than more than that. I didn't go to High School 7 years for Nuthin'.