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atlas shrugged

Film

10 Disappointing Film Adaptations of Classic American Novels

By Tyler Coates on

Not all great American novels make great American movies, and after three previous Gatsby movies, it’s surprising that Baz Luhrmann decided to try his hand at Fitzgerald’s novel. With the exception of John Steinbeck (and, depending on your taste, John Grisham), few American authors have produced a handful of novels fit for the cinema. This is not necessarily a bad thing — as far as artistic mediums go, film and novels are strikingly different. But while the literary world is a go-to for Hollywood executives hoping that popular novels will seamlessly transition to the screen (and achieve the same positive response), it isn’t exactly a reliable source of artistic or commercial hits. Among these ten adaptations are valiant efforts as well as unmitigated disasters, none of which successfully captured the charm of their source material. … Read More

Film

‘Atlas Shrugged’ DVDs Recalled Because of Ideology Error

By Emily Temple on

Well, we find this sort of hilarious. The first part of the film adaptation of Ayn Rand’s controversial 1957 novel Atlas Shrugged recently came out on DVD, to not much aplomb. However, the DVDs are now being recalled, and Atlas Productions LLC announced yesterday that they would  replace more than 100,000 title sheets from… Read More

Web

What’s on at Flavorpill: The Links That Made the Rounds in Our Office

By Caroline Stanley on

Today at Flavorpill, we saw what a 21st century version of Citizen Kane would look like. We questioned what American Apparel has against plucking your eyebrows and blow-drying your hair. We traveled back to 1999 with Surfer Blood and Pains of Being Pure at Heart’s cover of Lit’s “My Own Worst Enemy.”… Read More

Web

The Best April Fool's Internet Pranks

By Bethany Larson on

Alas, it’s April 1st — the day where we have to discern whether what we read, hear, and see on the Internet is true or a damn April Fool’s joke. We hand out awards for the funniest and meanest pranks we’ve come across today after the jump. Let us know what hilarity we’ve missed out on in comments. … Read More

Web

What’s on at Flavorpill: Links That Made the Rounds in Our Office

By Stelios Phili on

Today, we listened to the most organic music in the world. We learned French and then contemplated the future of reading. We rode the Google Wave. We laughed at George Clooney’s new ride, which looks like the Segway’s lesser-loved brother. We were slightly confused by Sufjan Stevens’ new hula-hoop movie.… Read More

Books

Why Kids Need Ayn Rand: Teaching the Virtue of Selfishness

By Stelios Phili on

Catcher in the Rye, To Kill a Mocking Bird, A Separate Piece, Great Expectations, 1984, The Red Badge of Courage, The Odyssey. Is your former high-school self weeping yet? The financial crisis has caused a new book to enter this esteemed rank of “books that we read as freshmen.” Ayn Rand’s magnum opus, Atlas Shrugged, is now being brought into the class room to stir the minds of the recession children.… Read More

Books

Big Brother Book Club: Book Snob Edition

By Kristen O'Toole on

We saw greatness this week. A mom reading one of these Superman & Wonder Woman books, personalized and starring your child, out loud to her son during morning rush hour. Atlas Shrugged and House of Cards next to each other on the F train (which doesn’t even go to Wall Street). And on our way into the bagel shop the other day, we spotted “A Small Good Thing” on a page over a shoulder, and awkwardly circled around the table to see which Raymond Carver collection was in the reader’s hands — Cathedral. Much like last week’s Kindle dude, it took us a great deal of self-control not to sit down and regale him with our knowledge and love of Carver. And look at this new edition! So much prettier than the old ones, with drawings of people with vague faces and a blocky font that felt unforgivably ’80s.

More of our favorite books popping up in public after the jump. … Read More