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 "The Ledge": an atheist movie
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Dave W.
Info Junkie

USA
26020 Posts

Posted - 06/26/2011 :  09:30:04   [Permalink]  Show Profile  Visit Dave W.'s Homepage Send Dave W. a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Coincidentally, I just started watching a British comedy series, The IT Crowd, in which one can regularly see Flying Spaghetti Monster posters in the background, which at least suggests something about the set designer's attitude towards theism.

Of course, if the posters are supposed to imply something about the IT guys whose office they decorate, then atheists are being portrayed as socially awkward (to say the least) computer geeks. But I'm ten episodes in, and they haven't explicitly mentioned anyone's religion yet.

- Dave W. (Private Msg, EMail)
Evidently, I rock!
Why not question something for a change?
Visit Dave's Psoriasis Info, too.
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Ebone4rock
SFN Regular

USA
894 Posts

Posted - 06/27/2011 :  11:04:55   [Permalink]  Show Profile Send Ebone4rock a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Are you guys advocating some sort of standardization for portraying atheists in the media?

Haole with heart, thats all I'll ever be. I'm not a part of the North Shore society. Stuck on the shoulder, that's where you'll find me. Digging for scraps with the kooks in line. -Offspring
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H. Humbert
SFN Die Hard

USA
4574 Posts

Posted - 06/27/2011 :  12:13:14   [Permalink]  Show Profile Send H. Humbert a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Originally posted by Ebone4rock

Are you guys advocating some sort of standardization for portraying atheists in the media?
No. The opposite. I'm hoping Hollywood screenwriters can learn to stop relying upon lazy stereotypes.


"A man is his own easiest dupe, for what he wishes to be true he generally believes to be true." --Demosthenes

"The first principle is that you must not fool yourself - and you are the easiest person to fool." --Richard P. Feynman

"Face facts with dignity." --found inside a fortune cookie
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Ebone4rock
SFN Regular

USA
894 Posts

Posted - 06/27/2011 :  12:24:39   [Permalink]  Show Profile Send Ebone4rock a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Originally posted by H. Humbert

Originally posted by Ebone4rock

Are you guys advocating some sort of standardization for portraying atheists in the media?
No. The opposite. I'm hoping Hollywood screenwriters can learn to stop relying upon lazy stereotypes.




Darn. I was going to vote for the really cool guitar playing and amazing sexual prowess image for atheists.

Haole with heart, thats all I'll ever be. I'm not a part of the North Shore society. Stuck on the shoulder, that's where you'll find me. Digging for scraps with the kooks in line. -Offspring
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Fripp
SFN Regular

USA
727 Posts

Posted - 06/28/2011 :  13:26:58   [Permalink]  Show Profile Send Fripp a Private Message  Reply with Quote
You guys need to read the book Contact. It is vastly superior to the movie and the relationship with her father is different, with a twist at the end. I found the movie too "questioning" of her atheistic viewpoints. For example, when Palmer asked her to "prove" that her father loved her, she should have come back with: "well he told me so countless times, he fed me, raised me, sent me to the best schools possible, etc". Instead, the movie had her speechless. BTW, in the novel, there was no romantic ties between her and Joss.

All in all, the movie wasn't bad, but could have been far better, up in the 2001: A Space Odyssey-level even.

And Kil, the Ralph Reed character was Rob Lowe's cameo, not Palmer Joss. Palmer in the movie was too "new age-seashell necklace", not as evangelical as the novel. But Palmer did lighten up at the end of the novel.

A definite must-read though.

"What the hell is an Aluminum Falcon?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I thought my Dark Lord of the Sith could protect a small thermal exhaust port that's only 2-meters wide! That thing wasn't even fully paid off yet! You have any idea what this is going to do to my credit?!?!"

"What? Oh, oh, 'just rebuild it'? Oh, real [bleep]ing original. And who's gonna give me a loan, jackhole? You? You got an ATM on that torso LiteBrite?"
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Maverick
Skeptic Friend

Sweden
385 Posts

Posted - 07/03/2011 :  13:33:17   [Permalink]  Show Profile Send Maverick a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Regarding Contact, I think it promoted atheism in a positive light and scepticism generally, and the scientific way of thinking. First it upsets you that no one would believe her fantastic story after the machine was activated, but then you realise that all the data they had indicated that nothing had happened. All Ellie had was 18 hours of static in the camera memory, and that some form of gravity field(?) had been generated near the machine. So really the only right thing to do is to be sceptical of her claims, especially since no one truly understands the machine.

Also, Ellie was portrayed as a good person even without divine morality. Meanwhile, the weasel Drumlin may or may not have been a Christian, but he did know how to play those who were, in order to get the seat in the machine, showing how religion can be used.

One of the best first contact movies I can think of.

Bit offtopic, but I haven't seen The Ledge, and one of my favourite movies, Contact, was brought up, so...

"Life is but a momentary glimpse of the wonder of this astonishing universe, and it is sad to see so many dreaming it away on spiritual fantasy." -- Carl Sagan
Edited by - Maverick on 07/03/2011 13:34:27
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Maverick
Skeptic Friend

Sweden
385 Posts

Posted - 07/03/2011 :  13:40:20   [Permalink]  Show Profile Send Maverick a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Originally posted by Fripp

You guys need to read the book Contact. It is vastly superior to the movie

I agree, the book is better. A movie that follows the novel would be very interesting to watch.

"Life is but a momentary glimpse of the wonder of this astonishing universe, and it is sad to see so many dreaming it away on spiritual fantasy." -- Carl Sagan
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the_ignored
SFN Addict

2562 Posts

Posted - 07/05/2011 :  10:22:33   [Permalink]  Show Profile Send the_ignored a Private Message  Reply with Quote
How's about this for an atheist movie?

>From: enuffenuff@fastmail.fm
(excerpt follows):
> I'm looking to teach these two bastards a lesson they'll never forget.
> Personal visit by mates of mine. No violence, just a wee little chat.
>
> **** has also committed more crimes than you can count with his
> incitement of hatred against a religion. That law came in about 2007
> much to ****'s ignorance. That is fact and his writing will become well
> know as well as him becoming a publicly known icon of hatred.
>
> Good luck with that fuckwit. And Reynold, fucking run, and don't stop.
> Disappear would be best as it was you who dared to attack me on my
> illness knowing nothing of the cause. You disgust me and you are top of
> the list boy. Again, no violence. Just regular reminders of who's there
> and visits to see you are behaving. Nothing scary in reality. But I'd
> still disappear if I was you.

What brought that on? this. Original posting here.

Another example of this guy's lunacy here.
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