Across The Atlantic: Sixth Edition, 13th January 2011

So it is finally 2012…Happy New Year all! I hope everybody will have a fan-film-tastic year with plenty of brilliant releases set for the next twelve months. Now, next two-to-three month’s brings us the most anticipated and dreaded period in any producer’s calendar…the Award’s Season!

The Longlist for the upcoming BAFTA Awards ceremony has been released. Official nominations will be announced on the 17^th of January 2012. [BAFTA]

Not content with simply having a role in Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit, Benedict Cumberbatch (left) is now going to star in JJ Abrams Star Trek sequel, alongside fellow Brit’s Simon Pegg and Noel Clarke. [BBC]

NetFlix has finally launched in the UK. You can sign up for one month’s free trial, and if you wish to continue subscribing to the service it will cost £5.99 (6.99E in Ireland) per month from there on out. [BBC]

It is safe to say that the British Government know nothing (well, they might know who Michael Bay is…) when it comes to the British Industry. In response to Lord Smith’s review into the government’s film policy, Prime Minister David Cameron has responded that the industry should support “commercially successful pictures.” But, as expected a lot of backlash has come from the fact that, who can honestly designate a film as a success or not before it hits local cinema screens? [BBC]

Martin Scorsese will be awarded with the prestigious BAFTA Fellowship award at next month’s awards ceremony. Scorsese becomes the fifteenth American to receive the award alongside the likes of John Huston, Steven Spielberg, Colin Young, Billy Wilder, Woody Allen, Steven Bochco and Stanley Kubrick. [BBC]

To celebrate one hundred years of beautiful British cinematic censorship, the BBFC are resurrecting the historical black cards which have preceded theatrical films for over a century (see a replica of the original black card from 1913 above). [BBFC]

Jonathan Romney looks back at Stanley Kubrick’s controversial 1972 film  A Clockwork Orange in honour of its 40^th anniversary. [Independent]

The Guardian has the trailer for Mat Hodgson’s documentary The Four Year Plan which follows the rise and fall of the football club Queens Park Rangers as it gives the audience a startling insight into how a football club is run by the ‘men at the top‘. [Guardian]

Ralph Fiennes has announced that he will play a Government agent in the next Bond film entitled Skyfall. [TotalFilm]

Here is the first look at Emma Watson in her first feature role post-Harry Potter and her supporting role in My Week With Marilyn. The Perks of Being A Wallflower follows a high-school freshman Charlie (Logan Lerman) as he he shown the ropes by the beautiful and popular Sam (Emma Watson). [TotalFilm]

TotalFilm has a great little feature which looks at the production background of my favourite film of 2011: Ben Wheatley’s Kill List. Also, if you want to know what all the fuss is about, check out the  film now on Video-On-Demand. [TotalFilm]

Aww, Piranha 3DD won’t be getting a theatrical release in the UK… [TotalFilm]

BleedingCool has a little spoiler for the upcoming James Bond film Skyfall. If you wish to know more, please click the link to your right. [BleedingCool]

Last weekend the Iron Lady was released nationwide in the UK and despite the controversy the film’s subject cooked up, the film managed a respectable £2.1m on its opening weekend. [Metro]

For Your Consideration: Daniel Radcliffe? [Metro]

Chris O’Dowd, Tom Hiddleston, Adam Deacon and Eddie Redmayne are up for the BAFTA Rising Star Award. Previous winners include James McAvoy and Tom Hardy. [TheSun]

The man behind the famous lightsaber battles in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, Bob Anderson (right), has sadly passed away aged 89. [TheSun]

Something for the Weekend: The Sun takes a lighthearted look at the overlooked animal stars of last year and why they should be taking an award statuette back to Hollywood. [TheSun]