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

I hope you saw Katheryn Bigelow’s fantastic 2008 film The Hurt Locker. If you didn’t, rent it this weekend–it’s that good.  Her next project is about Osama Bin Laden, and it was started before he was killed.  After a bunch of rewrites, they are now casting people for the roles.  News recently has Joel Edgerton as a lead–who was fantastic in this year’s film Warrior (go see that one too). [The Guardian]

Netflix has had a rough time in the past several months.  After all that business about raising their rates and splitting into two services, and then going back and forth, changing what they are doing, people are quite down on their business.  Now comes news that HBO is now raising the rates they sell their shows DVDs to Netflix.  I am a Netflix subscriber and enjoy the service immensely.  I hope they turn things around soon. [/Film]

My absolute favorite thing that has been released in the past year has been the BBC series Sherlock, starring Benedict Cumberbatch.  Mr. Cumberbatch is very hot in Hollywood right now–he has a role in the Spielberg film War Horse out now and will be in next year’s The Hobbit.  Now news comes that he will be working with JJ Abrams on the new Star Trek film.  Exciting new for me, I think he is great. [Film Junk]

There might be an Elton John biopic.  If there is, Sir Elton wants Justin Timberlake for the lead role.  I have nothing else to say about this. [The Movie Blog]