Z/Web

Detailed documentary about the life of the famous author of The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. Much was familiar to me, but I wasn’t aware of some of Ayn’s early life, especially that she got her start in Hollywood acting as a extra while trying to become a screenwriter. She eventually got some plays stages, including one that was a hit on Broadway. Her first novel, We the Living, was a modest success, but her later novels established her as one of the 20th Century’s best. She was always controversial, however, and one of the neat things about this film is actual footage of her debating her ideas on TV shows from Mike Wallace in the 50’s to Donahue in the 70’s. It’s great to hear her in her own words. Unfortunately, the film never really gets too deep into her philosophy or the controversy, teaching us the mere facts about her life and giving us only a glimpse at what made her tick. Still, if you’re an Ayn Rand fan (I am), you’ll find it fascinating (though it is overlong at 2.5 hours).

I usually don’t review TV shows, but an HBO series rented on DVD isn’t regular TV, right? I’d heard something about this but had never seen it, so I rented the DVD. I’m very impressed. The series was created by Alan Ball (

Critics have been lambasting this movie, which upset me since I’ve been looking forward to it for months. Those critics must have seen a different film than I did. I have no real complaints. I mean, come on, I got exactly what I expected: a Bond spoof about a teenage CIA agent who saves the world using lots of teen spunk and high-tech gadgets. This isn’t going to win an Oscar, but who cares? It’s mindless fun and completely harmless. The plot’s thin (but not any worse than most) but the film even pokes fun at that. I’m sure kids will love it. Adults may not find it quite as fun, but at least it isn’t offensive. In short: if you like the trailer, you’ll like the film.