Whether John Galt is a person or merely a legend is a mystery as the 1957 novel begins. His presence in the film will be equally shadowy, leaving the door open for a major star to step into the sequels should the first film be successful.

After initial reports that Angelina Jolie or Charlize Theron would play heroine Dagny Taggart, and Brad Pitt rumored for the John Galt role, the movie’s relatively low budget and cast of little-known actors have raised eyebrows. Lionsgate had once been involved in larger-budget attempts to film the novel, all of which hit dead ends. Aglialoro was faced with either beginning principal photography by June 15 and financing it himself as an independent, or permanently losing the rights. Shooting began on June 13. Aglialoro and co-producer Harmon Kaslow plan at least two sequels to cover the novel’s three parts.

Paul Johansson replaced Stephen Polk as director just nine days before filming began. Polk, fired perhaps due to his budget and casting demands, has hired a lawyer and may sue the producers.

Johannson played Dan Scott on One Tree Hill and directed several episodes. He won an Emmy for writing and was nominated for directing the TV-movie The Incredible Mrs. Ritchie starring Gena Rowlands and James Caan.

Aglialoro, a novice, teamed with horror film writer Brian Patrick O’Toole to write the Atlas Shrugged screenplay. Aglialoro is the CEO of fitness product manufacturer Cybex.

Behind-the-scenes clips show an opening scene not found in the novel, a CNN-style TV debate with oil magnate Ellis Wyatt saying “because of…backroom deals, we are still addicted to foreign oil.” Fans of the classic novel may cringe at this use of a current political cliché. An Ayn Rand expert hired as script consultant, David Kelley, is a philosopher who has strayed from a strict interpretation of Ayn Rand’s principles in his writings.

Aglialoro says the theme of the film, hammered home again and again, is that “we are entitled to our own lives” and that cannot be yielded to a government. He adds, “We’ve got many lines directly translated from the book to the movie…and there’s plenty of other things we’ve done to have a very creative [film].”

Atlas Shrugged stars Taylor Schilling of NBC’s cancelled hospital drama Mercy, as railroad executive Dagny Taggart. Dagny’s assistant Eddie Willers is played by Kenyan-born actor Edi Gathegi, who plays Laurent in the Twilight films. Grant Bowler (Connor Owens on Ugly Betty) plays steel maker Henry Rearden. Oscar-nominated actor Michael Lerner plays bad guy Wesley Mouch.

Aglialoro expects editing to take six months and aims for a March 2011 release. A potential exists for at least one sequel to be released prior to the 2012 presidential election, which may have a political impact, especially if it increases readership of the novel. In it, Ayn Rand offers a moral defense of laissez faire capitalism and indicts all forms of statism.

At Tea Party rallies today, the phrase “Who is John Galt?” often pops up on signs pointing to the novel’s theme of individual rights vs. government coercion.

Instead, we get to see the same old non-stop action formula that this genre of film depends upon, but with a female character. Based on Phillip Noyce’s thriller, Salt stars Angelina Jolie. She’s the hero of the movie that rests entirely on her shoulders.

In the film, Evelyn Salt (Angelina Jolie) is a CIA agent who interrogates a Russian defector named Orlov (Daniel Olbrychski). The man tells her about the Russian government’s plans of “Day X” that could mean the end of U.S. and Russian relations.

Salt undertakes the task she was trained for since childhood. In flashbacks, we see the early days of Salt in the U.S.S.R., where the KGB brainwashed her and others with ideology. Young Salt has a goal: to go to the U.S. and work for the CIA.

That’s some of the back-story that you will need to know for this movie to keep making sense. Unfortunately, there is a lot more where that came from. And it doesn’t really matter what information you remember as the story twists and turns (and careens out of control) over the 90 minutes it takes – there are so many layers of story development that it gets harder and harder to care about any of the characters.

But wherever this movie is going, Angelina Jolie takes us there with as much violence and glamor as possible, proving that it is possible to kick butt while maintaining supermodel looks. She does all her own stunts, and even in skirts and pants, in heels and bare feet, as a blonde and a brunette. Then there are those lips…. You know, the lips that sort of scream at you the whole time: “You are not watching an actual character at all… This is Angelina Jolie!” With her growing list of action figure portrayals, Jolie is almost the entire female action genre all by herself.

Still, there is some degree of fun in watching an over-the-top ridiculous modern day James Bond or Matthew Bourne-like movie. At least Angelina Jolie isn’t just another Bond girl; she is Bond herself.

On the other hand, how lame is it to see that the evil force in Salt is Russia? As if we haven’t already seen that antagonism exhausted during the length of the Cold War. I’m almost scared to think of the number of ignorant moviegoers that might actually believe the theory put forth in this story that the Lee Harvey Oswald that returned from the U.S.S.R. in 1962 was actually a Soviet lookalike.

In fact, the entire treatment of the White House, the President, and the U.S. government structure in this film seemed dated and incredibly bland. Is Hollywood really that out of touch with what’s going on in the world of the C.I.A. that the best they can come up with is something that feels like it comes from a 1980’s TV movie of the week?

Salt is one miraculous rescue after another and in the end, of course, she saves the world from nuclear armageddon. And when the movie ended and I sat there letting my eyes stop rolling, I pondered the sequel that is sure to come. With those lips in 3-D, no doubt.

Jolie, the most notable Hollywood “do-gooder,” who seems to collect children from far off lands, has been a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Ambassador since 2001. She has made prior humanitarian trips to Haiti, Syria and Kenya, and helped with some of the projects of the agency that deals with the 117,000 refugees in Bosnia whose homes were destroyed or lack adequate infrastructure in their villages due to the war 15 years ago.

The war, which lasted from 1991 until America stepped in, as President Clinton said, “make the United States the catalyst for a collective stand against aggression,” calling an end to the mass rapes and genocide.

Jolie says,”[I am] so inspired by these families. Despite the grim realities of their unsettled existence, they have an incredible determination to make a better future for their children. I hope we can find solutions for the remaining tens of thousands of displaced people… only then can we really close one of the most tragic chapters in modern history.”

“[I hope] to return to this beautiful country soon and meet with political representatives to further discuss the solutions that are so badly required.”

I have to applaud Jolie for using her stardom for good. So many don’t. I don’t know if I would. I think she is a great example. There are those who protest, this is merely a publicity stunt. So what? It doesn’t matter what the reasons behind her actions are, it just matters that she is doing something.

** ½ (out of 4)

Directors: Albert and Allen Hughes
Rated: R (strong language, brutal violence)

Shouldn’t it be enough for a movie to have a decent storyline, a cool star, adequate acting, and an admirable sense of purpose? Or should I actually feel something about the storyline, the star, and that sense of purpose too? No matter how much I wanted to like this movie (and I did want to like this movie), I have to report that I had absolutely no idea how I felt about it as I walked out of the theater. Was it a great action flick/morality tale or just a ridiculously hyper-violent missed opportunity? Alas, if that question has to be asked, then we know the answer. Sorry, but “The Book of Eli” will probably be more satisfying if it comes out in a computer game form eventually.

If your idea of The Bible is pretty much the Book of Revelations, then this is the post-apocalyptic action film for you. It takes itself very seriously with a mix of slow motion psychology and sped-up violence and mayhem. Oh yeah, in case you didn’t know that this is a serious movie the cinematographer has chosen to drown it in sepia tones and sand-storm haze. Constantly. Think of it as the anti-“Avatar,” but with twice the plot and half the imagination.

“The Book of Eli” is merely the latest arrival in the endless line of end-of-the-world type films. It is a genre that the Hughes Brothers (“Menace II Society” and “Dead Presidents”) seem right at home with. Once more,they have made a film where violence is central to the story.

Denzel Washington plays the generic survivor of a “flash” that devastated the Earth years ago. He is named Eli Walker (Get it?) He’s been walking to the west coast for 30 years, carrying the last copy of a certain book. (Yes, this movie is that obvious and simplistic, while pretending to be that important and symbolic.)

Denzel Washington is one of those actors that are always enjoyable to see up on the screen. If you’re going to make a futuristic Clint Eastwood film, Denzel is the hero that you are going to want to see. He has a natural dignity and charisma that creates an instant rapport with the audience… and that can go a long way in a star vehicle. But only so far. It cannot go all the way across the post-nuclear wasteland, no matter how many bad guy’s hands he slices off along the way.

Along the way, our cool action hero Denzel runs into the hyper-cool supermodel Mila Kunis. For a film set in an America where people kill each other for a Chapstick, I couldn’t help but wonder where she got her perfectly blended makeup and mascara.

Once the movie descends into Wild West melodrama, there are two performances that are successfully over-the-top: Michael Gambon, and Frances de la Tour as an old couple, George and Martha (Once again, yes – this movie is that obvious), whose farmhouse becomes the sight of a pretty spectacular shootout. (Of course, it made me wonder about the lack of bullets left in the world that the script kept referring to for the previous hour and a half).

Another great performance comes from Gary Oldman, who is a scene-stealer, as usual. He plays Carnegie, a bad guy who controls the local water supply. He relishes every moment as the evil guy trying to get his hands on the “book” that our hero is protecting in his backpack.

Speaking of that “book,” I found it almost ludicrous the way that no one called it The Bible until well into the movie. Either, it was meant to create suspense, or it was meant to maintain a sense of abstractness. In either case, it failed. By the time we hear the actual word “Bible” it is preceded by the words “King James.” So is there some sort of not so hidden agenda here that I just don’t really care enough to think about too hard? And let’s not forget the sinister reference that this book may have been the cause of the great “flash” that nearly ended life as we know it.

When I got really bored watching “The Book of Eli,” I began to do the math. If it took Denzel 30 years to reach the West Coast, from, say, New York City… that’s 2800 miles or so, divided by 30… equals 93.33 miles per year. That’s just a little over a quarter-mile per day. Really? Come on. This guy doesn’t seem that committed to God after all.

Considering how many people Eli kills along the way, as he protects “the book,” and considering his inability to understand or communicate the meaning of “the book,” I can’t help but question what this movie has to do with religion in any way. The way that the film focuses on violence, rather than make any bold statement on the subject of religious tolerance and protection is disappointing. Here was a chance for Hollywood to make some progress, in that it had a message worth delivering, and it had the cast and budget to do it in epic fashion. But the movie ends up being wishy-washy and almost apologetic, when it could have been an important film.

In the beginning, there was the challenge to decide just what kind of film “The Book of Eli” should be. Unfortunately, the directors couldn’t decide if it should be a post-apocalyptic action/Western in the style of “Mad Max,” or a serious tale of one man’s mission to protect good from evil. In the end, there was only the revelation that Hollywood needs more practice in creating good films that respect even a very slight religious theme. In the meantime, at least it’s good to see Denzel Washington back in the saddle again.

Mistakenly, Angelina Jolie has assumed Obama is a man and would stand up for human rights. We have our odds on “a study committee.”

Read Jolie’s editorial here.

Remember Angelina, “Assumptions are the mother of all f*ckups.”

Credit: Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images; Lee Yong-Ho-pool/Getty Images

US Weekly reports that Angelina Jolie “hates” Obama!? Wow, a celebrity with a brain?

“She’s into education and rehabilitation and thinks Obama is all about welfare and handouts. She thinks Obama is really a socialist in disguise,” adds the US Weekly source.

Per US Weekly:

Barack Obama does not have Angelina Jolie’s seal of approval.

“She hates him,” a source close to the U.N. goodwill ambassador, 34, tells the new issue of Us Weekly (on newsstands now).

“She’s into education and rehabilitation and thinks Obama is all about welfare and handouts. She thinks Obama is really a socialist in disguise,” adds the source.

But don’t expect to see the Salt actress rally against Democrats on Fox News like her staunch Republican father, Jon Voight.

“Angie isn’t Republican, but she thinks Obama is all smoke and mirrors,” the source says.

And those political views are putting her at odds with Brad Pitt, 45, who is a big fan of the president and even went solo to the 2008 election party in Chicago.

“They get in nasty arguments all the time about it,” says the source. “She doesn’t respect Brad when it comes to politics, but, in the end, this won’t tear them apart.”

Kristen Stewart is cool with being a well-known actress, but she doesn’t want to get any more famous than she is now. In a new interview with Blackbook Magazine magazine, she says becoming a superstar is not what she wants.

“I don’t want to be a movie star like Angelina Jolie,” Kristen said. “Nothing about being a celebrity is desirable. I’m an actor. It’s bizarre to me that everybody’s so obsessive.”

These days, it seem acting and being a celebrity go hand-in-hand. And here’s what Kristen thinks it’s like to be a household name. “I had no idea it would turn out like this when I signed up for the movie,” she said. “And I am glad I didn’t because it would’ve tripped me out.”

Being A Celeb: Who Cares?

Is Brad Pitt is a little too self righteous, painting himself as a smart mature man? Now he’s openly lying about his pot smoking ways.

From DListed:

Last week, Brad Pitt told Bill Maher that he put his pot smoking days behind him when he became a father to the child army. Well, Quentin Tarantino says otherwise!

Yesterday on The Howard Stern Show, Quentin told a little tale about how Saint Brad of the Good Doers gave him a sliver of hash when he was hanging out his house in France last year. Brad also likes to smoke his good shit “8th-grade-style,” because when Quentin asked for a pipe, he was given a Coke can. Yes, one of the richest dudes around is smoking hash out of a Coke can. I’m sure if Brad asked, one of the twin messiahs could just touch that Coke can and turn it into a solid gold bong.

Why so lie-telly, Brad? Is dude afraid that if he sings to the world that he’s a proud stoner everyone will think he’s the next Amy Wino? Please, the crazed Brangaloonies would still worship him even if it’s uncovered that he’s running a hash factory in France. Hmmm…that would explain why he has so many kiddies.

And Brad should not only embrace his stoner-ness, but he should also demand that every Brangaloonie needs to smoke a bowl every once and a while. Seriously, maybe that will calm the crazy a bit.

Skip on over to TMZ to listen Quentin on Howard.

Full pictures here.