Linkness

• Vulture Marcia Gay Harden answers all the questions about her awesome Oscar win for Pollock on its 20th anniversary
• MNPP Josh O'Connor to make a queer horror film with Francis Lee (God's Own Country, Ammonite)
• Deadline very interesting (if way too complimentary) report on dubbing films into other languages. Daniel Brühl is among the top actors who dub their own performances into multiple languages rather than letting other actors do it and change the performance. It helps that he's fluent in multiple languages of course. 

More after the jump including Pose, Regé-Jean Page, Killers of the Moon, a new adaptation of Blindness, and recent showbiz deaths...

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Lusty Linkage

• MNPP is celebrating Jake Gyllenhaal this week all week. Here's a list of his best nude scenes
• MNPP... and the best Jake Gyllenhaal costumes
• Pajiba drools all over Dev Patel. It was supposed to be his year
• Vulture looks at 8 Christmas-themed horror films including Gremlins and Black Christmas

Tom Cruise, Sir Ian McKellen, Regina King, Josh O'Connor and year in review mania after the jump...

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Look back: "God's Own Country"

by Matt St Clair

The beauty in God’s Own Country, the marvelous directorial debut from Francis Lee whose newest film Ammonite has hit VOD, is not just in the luscious landscapes. It's also in the silence. The two lead actors use their facial glances and body language to confess their infatuation. Minus the ending, there’s no cathartic monologue spoken by either John (Josh O’Connor) or Gheorghe (Alec Secareanu). No 'I love you's because the words aren’t needed. Nor is this a typical “coming out” narrative present within the realm of queer cinema where the characters come to a gradual realization about their sexualities.

It’s clear when God’s Own Country begins that John is already aware of his sexuality. He engages in hedonistic hook ups for minor fulfillment.  He acts out sexually but without intimacy and definitely without kissing. When Gheorghe arrives to help John and his family on their Yorkshire farm, their bond initially starts with wrestling in the mountains...

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"The Crown" S4: An(other) Acting Showcase

by Cláudio Alves

As a staunch antimonarchist and someone who despises Thatcher and her legacy, watching The Crown's fourth season was an oft-frustrating, sometimes fascinating, exercise. Peter Morgan and his team haven't shied away from looking at the dark side of British history and this latest series is no different. However, time constraints, an episodic structure, and attempts at historical ambivalence often result in a lackluster, superficial, occasionally rushed, experience.

Still, the production values are always immaculate, and the dramatization of the 80s features some of the best costumes the program has ever shown. Nevertheless, what always brings me back to The Crown isn't its analysis of politics, its melodrama, or pretty clothes. The show's greatest strength is its cast, with the actors excelling even when their material is lacking. When faced with some of the royal family's most tumultuous years, the performers upped their game and delivered a masterclass in screen acting…

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Our Links Are Sealed

• AV Club Steve Martin and Schitt's Creek cast pay tribute to Eugene Levy
• MNPP Josh O'Connor six times
• Variety uh oh trouble on the new live action adaptation of Avatar The Last Airbender. The original creators are leaving. That's a pity because the last adaptation was widely considered to be horrendous and the animated show is so fun.

After the jump The Go-Gos, Madonna and Diablo Cody, AMC reopening, the musical Diana and more... 

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