The documentary will be available on DVD and download beginning in April through Virgil Films (“Restrepo,”"Forks Over Knives”) complete with extra features.

Author/philosopher Rand began writing her last and most ambitious novel – “Atlas Shrugged” – in the years immediately following World War II. Her working title for the book was “The Strike.” It was about what would happen if all the productive people in America went on strike, leaving the entitlement recipients and governmental regulators she called “moochers” and “looters” without anyone to create value for them.

The result is chaos and ultimate disaster.

The post-war years and early ’50s are generally thought to be a relatively prosperous and benign period in twentieth century American history. Yet that’s the period through which Rand painstakingly crafted her novel. When it was published in 1957, “Atlas” was widely dismissed for its “preposterous” scenario. “Atlas” was science fiction. In no way, said the critics, did it depict the real America. Not yet, Rand said. In fact, she wrote the novel in the hope she might prevent it from coming true.

Despite the criticism, “Atlas Shrugged” became a bestseller and continued to sell through the decades. Tens of thousands of copies still fly off shelves, both digital and physical, each year. And though readers occasionally noticed similarities between “Atlas”’s plot and the way things were going in America, you didn’t hear the name Ayn Rand or the titles of her novels or subsequent philosophical essays spoken very often. But readers were noticing, and little by little, as the century turned, you began to see and hear Rand and “Atlas Shrugged” referenced in the media and public discourse.

By 2008, in the wake of one disastrous administration and on the threshold of another, people who had read “Atlas” were picking it up again. Events mirrored the novel’s plot.

An ever burgeoning government churned out upwards of 5,000 new federal regulations per year. The financial system was corrupt. Wall Street was rigged, the economy melting down even as the government stooges that had created or facilitated the mess called for wider powers.

Meanwhile, the new president talked about “redistribution of wealth” and Americans having to sacrifice and taxing the rich in a time of need. And – hold on a second – hadn’t all that happened in the book?

What did Rand know and how did she know it?

“Ayn Rand & the Prophecy of Atlas Shrugged” is the biography of a book and an idea. It provides a close examination of Rand’s controversial novel and the validity of its dire prediction for America.

Three hours later: “Whew. Sorry, guys, you wouldn’t believe it. I had to go to twelve stores to find it!”

Would they really miss me? Wife and mother of two… probably. Alas.

I am one of those boring domestic types who typically watches movies on Netflix when they are at least two years old. I see less than ten movies a year in the real cinema and almost never on opening day (don’t tell anyone at Big Hollywood; that might be a serious deal breaker).

But director Steven Spielberg’s “War Horse” has me very intrigued. I’ve viewed the trailer more times than I care to admit. I will tell you that this is because I’m using it as an example of a kick-ass movie trailer for my daughter’s Destination Imagination team, but that would not be entirely honest (and don’t worry, I didn’t use the word kick-ass with the middle schoolers).

The truth is I’ve been nurturing a hope that “War Horse” may be one of those epic films that stirs your soul and lives in your heart long after you leave the theater.

It might offer the perfect blend of fiction and history which compels the viewer to move beyond her safe little nook in the universe and into the arms of a gritty, poignant, beautiful period in the chronicles of humanity — a movie that reminds people to recognize the heroism of others and to count their own blessings.

Can you imagine flying over a war?

And you know you can never look down

You have to look forward

Or you’ll never get home

Perhaps that is why I’ll never pull the cranberry sauce ploy on my family. I do not take my safe little nook for granted, understanding implicitly that I am truly blessed, and I do not have to run through no man’s land to find my home.

On the other hand, if I buy everyone tickets…

Onetime stuntmen-turned-filmmakers Mike “Mouse” McCoy and Scott Waugh hope to recreate the real-life experience of Navy SEALs with extreme accuracy onscreen in Act of Valor, an upcoming war thriller that boasts a cast composed primarily of (appropriately) actual Navy SEALs.

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An official trailer has been released for Act of Valor – and while it doesn’t offer much insight into the film’s plot or characters, the footage on display certainly suggests this production will feature some of the more convincing battle sequences and practical tactical maneuvers (say that three times fast…) ever put to film.

Act of Valor originated as a military recruitment video before it was developed into a fully-realized fictional motion picture – one directed by McCoy and Waugh, based on a screenplay from Kurt Johnstad (300). Relativity Media acquired the screen rights to the project earlier this year.

Here’s an official description of the film:

‘Act of Valor’ follows a Navy SEAL squad on a covert mission to recover a kidnapped CIA agent, and in the process takes down a complex web of terrorist cells determined to strike America at all costs.

Please visit our friends at Screen Rant for full story.

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Screen Rant:

The wait is almost over for season 2 of AMC’s breakout hit The Walking Dead, and the promotion machine has gone into overdrive. The new trailer “Hope Survives” lets the characters shine and puts the undead on the back burner.

One of the things that makes The Walking Dead such a unique show is that it isn’t about a zombie apocalypse, it’s about people dealing with a zombie apocalypse. During the six episodes of the first season, most of the time was spent on conversations or transitional scenes – in other words, character development. The zombie attacks, while certainly awesome, are not the central focus of the series.

It appears that the focus on characters and storytelling is intact as the show enters its sophomore year. The theme of a small, tight-knit band of survivors trying to keep a hold on their sanity (in a world literally gone mad) remains, and the stress is getting to Rick Grimes and the people in his charge. After narrowly escaping the CDC in Atlanta, the convoy heads out of the city looking for a safe refuge. It appears that at least in the first few episodes, they aren’t successful in finding it.

Full article here.

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IMBD description:

A nine-year-old amateur inventor, jewelry designer, astrophysicist, tambourine player and pacifist, searches New York for the lock that matches a mysterious key left by his father when he was killed in the September 11 attacks.

But of course he’s a nine-year-old pacifist. And according to Wikipedia, he’s also a nine-year-old vegan. Why would he be anything else? So precious.

Hard to get behind a protagonist in desperate need of a good slap.

But maybe by the end of the flick, the kid sees the light…

… He joins the Marines, heads off to Afghanistan, and mows down jihadists with a fully automatic machine gun while chomping on a chicken leg.

Could happen.

We’ll find out January 20th. Or after it hits Redbox.

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I just watched this prequel trailer on my computer in broad daylight in my sunlit office with the windows open, the birds singing and the comforting sound of a lawnmower mowing somewhere off in the distance … and it still scared the hell out of me.

Can’t wait for October 21 … or for it to hit Redbox.

The two previous entries in this franchise were both outstanding at delivering the chills and his one looks to be just as good — maybe better. To see a simple concept executed so perfectly is a rare treat, especially in the horror genre. Furthermore, the production design looks terrific. The story is set in 1988 and filmdom has a habit of overdoing the 80’s in a way that screams THIS IS THE 80’s! — which of course takes you out of the story. Unless we’re talking “The Wedding Singer,” which ruled in every imaginable way.

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The biggest reason I’m pulling for the film is Andrew Niccol’s name. In a market full of adaptations, remakes, reboots, prequels, sequels, and any combination of those categories, Niccol remains committed to telling original stories through the medium of film. Both Gattaca and The Truman Show had all the qualities of great literature, yet video was an absolutely integral element of their storytelling. Barring Sucker Punch (haven’t seen it), the last time Hollywood offered a completely original blockbuster like this was Inception, and I welcome any attempts to make it the rule and no longer the exception.

The Brave New World-esque universe he’s created here is intriguing, and the concept of a world where every action you take temporarily staves off death shows he’s exploring weighty themes through speculative fiction, not just “ooh shiny future stuff!” sci-fi. It appears Niccol’s taken a far more action-oriented approach than his earlier films, so it’ll be interesting to see how well he does. He’s recruited cinematographer and longtime Coen brothers collaborator Roger Deakins, and most of the action shots appear wide and/or steady, so I’m not worried about the kind of shaky-cam anarchy common to untested action directors (I’m looking at you, Marc Forster).

I think Justin Timberlake has become a capable comedic performer, but I’m still not entirely sold on him in a role like this. Romantic interest Amanda Seyfried has proven herself wooden time and again, but here, it kind of works for her character… at least at the beginning of her arc. Though the supporting cast (Cillian Murphy, Vincent Kartheiser, Matthew Bomer, Johnny Galecki, and Olivia Wilde) all look solid, the whole thing will hinge on these two lead performances, so they’d better be a bit more compelling than they seem in this footage.

My main concern, however, is where Niccol may be going with the story. With an interesting concept like this, it will be sorely disappointing if it devolves into a mere “the rich have too much wealth–spread the wealth around!” screed, as the trailer suggests. I’m holding out hope that there’s more to it than that and one of the most exorbitantly rich industries on earth doesn’t end up lecturing me about evil rich bankers for two hours.

Hopefully Niccol will put my fears to rest and deliver an engrossing, cerebral thriller; we’ll find out when In Time opens October 28th.

MTV:

Based on what we see in the “Battleship” trailer, the film’s plot looks fairly clear: young naval officer Alex Hopper, played by Taylor Kitsch, is in a heated but secret relationship with a beautiful woman (Brooklyn Decker) who just so happens to be the daughter of Hopper’s superior officer Admiral Shane, played by the eternally badass Liam Neeson. To say that the admiral disapproves of his subordinate is an understatement, but maybe he’ll whistle a different tune when our young hero is forced to save the day from weird alien robot ships that emerge from the ocean and threaten to blow up, well, everything.

The only solution? According to Neeson: fire all of the weapons. That’s good advice for most alien invasion scenarios, really.

More here.

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This new trailer answers some of the questions about Steve Roger’s/Captain America’s motivations, which appear to be duty to his country. The more I see, the more I like. The production design is superb as are the effects creating “scrawny” Steve Rogers. Best of all, the film has a sense of humor about itself. Most refreshing is the character-testing of Rogers, the part about him being a “good man.” Old-fashioned ideas like self-sacrifice and a calling higher than one’s self make for memorable storytelling themes, the kind that stick with you long after you leave the theatre.

Stanley Tucci, Tommy Lee Jones, Hug Weaving, Toby Jones and Neal McDonough in supporting roles…?

Bring on July 22nd!

Mainstream Hollywood rarely tackles the subject of abortion, and when it does, it’s usually when a character quietly opts not to have one. But two new independently financed movies — a small-town mystery and a psychological thriller — are bringing an emphatically anti-abortion slant to the hot-button issue.

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“Doonby,” a $2-million film backed by an anonymous financier, tells the story of a mysterious drifter played by John Schneider (Bo Duke from “The Dukes of Hazzard”) who quickly makes himself indispensable to a small Texas town. The secret of Doonby’s past lies in the only person in town he doesn’t like — a gynecologist named Dr. Cyrus Reaper (Martin Sheen’s brother Joe Estevez).

Meanwhile, “The Life Zone,” a $1-million thriller written by New Jersey Republican State Senate candidate Kenneth Del Vecchio, follows three pregnant women who have been abducted from abortion clinics and are being forced to carry their babies to term by a shadowy jailer (Robert Loggia) and a barren female physician named Dr. Wise (Blanche Baker, perhaps best known as the older sister in “Sixteen Candles”).

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Both films have supernatural themes and a third-act twist that conveys an anti-abortion moral. Neither of them yet has theatrical distribution.

“The clear message I’m sending as the filmmaker is that abortion is evil,” said Del Vecchio, who is also a lawyer, former judge and an author of legal books and novels. “Generally speaking, filmmakers, executives and actors hold very liberal points of view and this isn’t a topic that’s of interest to them. But I don’t care what Hollywood thinks.” 

Read the full piece here.