The RP’s Weekly Web Gems: The Politics of Film

Kevin Smith, who directed films such as Chasing Amy, Clerks, Dogma, and Mallrats (and the guy who played Silent Bob in all those films), made a splash by opting to self-promote and distribute his new horror film, Red State. The gamble paid off for him, as the film has already turned a profit. [Film Junk]

Theater chain AMC has shown several films in theaters in anticipation of their Blu-Ray release dates.  They are doing it again, but this time, for all 3 extended versions of the Lord of the Rings trilogy.  I wish we had an AMC in my town. [/Film]

Jennifer Lawrence, who was nominated for an Academy Award for her role in Winter’s Bone has been cast in the upcoming adaptation of the Young Adult book series Hunger Games. It looks interesting.  [The Movie Blog]

The film Bang Bang Club is about South African journalists who risked their lives to cover the final days of apartheid in their country.  It is in limited release in the United States.  CNN has an interesting piece about how hard it is to make a film about difficult stories.  NPR had an interview with the subjects of the film a few days ago.  [CNN] [NPR]

Morgan Spurlock’s most recent project Pom Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, which tackles advertising culture, has convinced the town of Altoona, PA, to rename itself after the film for 60 days.  [City News]

Renting streams of films has become popular, with companies such as Apple iTunes and Amazon offering services.  Now, online video giant YouTube is getting in on some of the action.  It seems like YouTube doesn’t quite have the catalog wrapped up like Apple does, but they appear to be working on it.  [The Independent]