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Objectivist Values In Popular Movies?

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7 hours ago, JASKN said:

I just watched Arrival a couple of weeks ago. I almost skipped it, because an Objectivist on Facebook dismissed it as "greater good" propaganda. But it was the best option in a crop of afternoon cable pay-per-view movies, so I watched. I'm glad I did. To that Objectivist, you see what you want to see?

I agree, her decision wasn't self sacrificial at all. I would've still loved the movie if there was some altruism in it, but there wasn't, the movie wasn't trying to push any kind of ideology.

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3 hours ago, Nicky said:

The incredible originality of both the plot and the structure of the movie (with the clever lie by omission at the start) are the cherry on top. But what really matters is how Adams' performance makes you feel. How strong and real the admiration and sadness feels as you're watching.

Take Jeremy Renner's inconspicuous, almost expressionless acting, for instance: a conscious choice (on the director's part), along with many, many other similar, brilliant choices, to allow Amy Adams to keep the viewer's undivided attention for the full length of the movie...and it was a compelling performance, that made me grateful that I was able to enjoy her soulful presence without distractions. It felt like she was in the room, next to me.

I had picked up the DVD when it came out. It had been marked on my calender almost from when the release date had been announced. After zeroing in on the hype of the language and the interpretation thereof, I probably created an expectation in my own mind that did not get fulfilled, hence the disappointment. I will put it back in the queue and give it another go, sans expectation.

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A mix of some good and bad, is Queen Katwe. As a biographical film, I always end up wondering what was specifically biographical and what might have been embellished, but was not motivated enough to pursue the specific concretes. If you're familiar with the game of chess, the specifics are not expounded upon in the film, but familiarity with the game is counted upon to create a framework of reference. Phiona and Robert's roles set up the major context and ultimately carry the film to its climax. Otherwise, I found much of the detail provided of the day to day living superfluous.

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  • 5 weeks later...
On 7/11/2017 at 0:03 AM, dream_weaver said:

I will put it back in the queue and give it another go, sans expectation.

"Now that's a proper introduction."

Easily, now, my favorite scene of this movie; the moments leading up to and ultimately including that statement.

There was at least on other thing that was not communicated well in the movie that came up again the second time: Hannah's relationship to Louise and Ian.

I don't know if one would have had to read the book (if there was one, . . . ["Story of Your Life" by Ted Chiang]) or have access to behind the scenes notes, or if others can actually just read this off the silver screen. With a standard disclaimer "Caution: This article contains MASSIVE spoilers for all parts of the film Arrival, so we recommend you don't read until you've seen the film.", Amy Adams' Arrival Complicates Morality and Motherhood in a Way We've Never Seen Before

Perhaps this is the "lie by omission" you mention, and if so, perhaps this is a case of "third times a charm", should I watch this film again. If I do, it could become another member of a slowly growing cadre utilizing film to be ranked in with (no particular order intended) Locke, Groundhog's Day, The Matrix, etc.

Edited by dream_weaver
added "Story of Your Life" by Ted Chiang
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9 hours ago, dream_weaver said:

"Now that's a proper introduction."

Easily, now, my favorite scene of this movie; the moments leading up to and ultimately including that statement.

There was at least on other thing that was not communicated well in the movie that came up again the second time: Hannah's relationship to Louise and Ian.

I don't know if one would have had to read the book (if there was one, . . . ["Story of Your Life" by Ted Chiang]) or have access to behind the scenes notes, or if others can actually just read this off the silver screen. With a standard disclaimer "Caution: This article contains MASSIVE spoilers for all parts of the film Arrival, so we recommend you don't read until you've seen the film.", Amy Adams' Arrival Complicates Morality and Motherhood in a Way We've Never Seen Before

Perhaps this is the "lie by omission" you mention, and if so, perhaps this is a case of "third times a charm", should I watch this film again. If I do, it could become another member of a slowly growing cadre utilizing film to be ranked in with (no particular order intended) Locke, Groundhog's Day, The Matrix, etc.

That article is wrong on so many levels...

the choice she makes (apparently continually and recursively) is one of profound self-interest and profound love.  To avoid spoilers the following needs to be parsed carefully: 

What she creates from nothing is everything and no thing is forever, none of the things ever were forever, each was only ever for the time it was, but that time is its own eternity. 

I think the film marries the idea of a profound love of life with the idea of rejecting irrational or incorrect regret.

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9 hours ago, StrictlyLogical said:

What she creates from nothing is everything and no thing is forever, none of the things ever were forever, each was only ever for the time it was, but that time is its own eternity. 

I like how you put this.

In retrospect, the main reason I linked to that article was how it identified that the "reminiscing' of a child that had not been born yet. I should have picked up on that. The phone call took place after she 'reminisced' about talking to the Chinese General. The idea is just so strange to me, and even after parsing it, it is still difficult to wrap my mind around it.

 

Edited by dream_weaver
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  • 1 month later...
32 minutes ago, Harrison Danneskjold said:

A Knight's Tale is the medieval story of a peasant boy who wants to be a knight. It's theme is underscored periodically with the recurring question: "can a man change his stars?"

I don't know how I would see it in 2017, but when Knight's Tale came out, and I saw it in the theater, I came out thrilled and inspired. Loved that movie.

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