SolarSystem wrote:

Tinks, I agree with you that "there must be roles out there that he'd love and that don't have to be delayed for months." We'll probably never know why it seems to be more complicated for him than, let's say, for Martin to do stuff almost back-to-back. But maybe it really is of Benedict's own choice... and maybe he is very picky and takes his time to find the perfect role in the perfect movie.

My thoughts exactly.. he certainly seems to be picky about the productions he´ll be involved in. Plus I think -with my limited knowledge of film industry- that really big and professional productions which will run smoothly, are solidly financed and still offer a challenging and intriguing lead role for an actor like Benedict are hard to find. His exquisite looks might be a disadvantage here, you can´t cast him as the ordinary guy who gets sucked into adventure/action like Martin. It has to be someone extraordinary who still offers something to identify with for the masses, like Sherlock or Khan. But this is probably really not something that´s done every year. (Pity..)

SolarSystem wrote:

And since you've mentioned "Atonement": I might be weird that way, but it's actually more difficult for me to watch a movie like this than an anti-war movie. I mean, both types of films often are difficult to bear, but for different reasons. Both types of films deal with the human condition to a certain extent, and as perverted as conduct of war certainly is... what we see in a film like "Atonement" to me feels even more perverted and unbearable, because you just don't expect things like these to happen in such an environment.
Does that make sense?

Makes perfect sense to me, you watch a peaceful domestic environment with your defences down and then such horrible things happen.. dreadful. (I haven´t watched Atonement and don´t think I ever will)

Tinks wrote:

Zatoichi, you and I seem to have similar sensitivities when it comes to Movies

 And tastes when it comes to S3, Ben´s outfits, Johnlock etc.. *high fives Tinks* 
 

There is nothing of Paul Marshall's sexual creepiness in this character. 

Sterling is basically a soldier, rough, hardened by his experience in the war. He swears, visits brothels, kills people. But he uses his experience to protect his men. You can see that there is nothing he would not do to them. The army is his world and he cannot exist out of it. 

But there is another side to him, a deep understanding of people. He can read his men and sometimes predict their fate as in the case of Murph. 

At one point before an attack he walks around the base spilling salt everywhere on the ground and talking to himself. The soldiers observe him and wonder what to make of this, if he has lost his mind. We do not get to know the purpose of this ceremony. It might be a gesture of defiance as spilling salt has been regarded a bad sign. On the other hand it might be an allusion to the Middle Eastern tradition of salting the earth of a conquered city. 

The author also draws our attention to the fact that this is the very place we call the cradle of humanity, the land of Euphrates and Tigris, which has been reduced to a bleak battlefield of modern warfare. 

Sorry for ranting but this is really quite a gripping book. 

SusiGo wrote:

Warning - this post contains spoilers.
"He was harsh, but fair, adn there was a kind of evolutionary beauty in his competence. (...) The way he'd remove his helmet slowly, showing his cropped blond hair, his blue eyes scanning the brush at the wood line."

And I love this passage:

"Thinking about him now, I've come to realize that Sergeant Sterling was not one of those people for whom the existence of others was an incomprehensible abstraction. He was not a sociopath, not a man who cared only for himself, seeing the lives of others as shadows on a thinly lit window. (...) The truth is he cared nothing for himself. I'm not even sure he would have realized he was permitted to have his own desires and preferences."

 

Oh this character sounds like something Ben would be drawn to. The writing of the book sounds pretty good, I hope to get my hands on a copy! Been itching for a good book lately. And did I read blond hair? 

Yes, it is and there is lots of it in the book. 

No, I have not but I will put it on my list. 
There are many excellent anti-war novels and films. This novel belongs in this category and I hope the film will live up to it.

SusiGo wrote:

No, I have not but I will put it on my list. 

Great idea. I'd offer you the DVD, but it belongs to my boyfriend and he's quite... anxious when it comes to lending his films. Jäger und Sammler, you know.


 

Yes, men. 
Thanks anyway, I will surely find it somewhere else. 

After having read the book I can imagine why he wants to play in the film. And the fact that he considered/considers "Blood Mountain" shows his interest in the subject matter. I think if he has to choose between the projects I would prefer him to play in "The Yellow Birds" because the story seems to me far more profound and poetic than the little bit I read about the other project. 

Just those two passages from the book makes me want to see Benedict in it.

Read the book last week.  This will be an excellent part for Benedict.  Not the "lead" but vital to the story.