Monday Links (07/05/12)

It has been a two week absence since my last 'Monday Links'. Last week I simply had too much to post to scheduled one in. Since then I have wrapped up Ghibli and Miyazaki, and links to all of my reviews (including a guest review - and there are several more to come this month) can be found in the Monthly Round-Up: April. I have watched some of the best films of the year to date in recent weeks - Cafe De Flore and Wish You Were Here - and continued reviewing films screening at Cinema on the Park with A Good Lawyer's Wife.

I have been watching some TV in the last couple of weeks. Game of Thrones, of course. While there have been a couple of stellar episodes and several WTF moments, this serious has not been quite as engaging as the first season, though I sense it is going to get real pretty soon. Peter Dinklage's Tyrion immediately makes every scene better, doesn't he?

This month I am taking a look at several female directors whom I feel I need to further familiarise myself with, so keep an eye out for reviews and articles addressing Sofia Coppola, Kelly Reichhardt, Jane Campion, Kathryn Bigelow, Lynne Ramsay and Claire Denis, and possibly a few more, time pending.

Courtesy of Caste Co-Op

The most exciting news of the day: Justin Kurzel, AACTA Award-winning director of Snowtown, is set to direct an adaptation of John Le Carre's Our Kind of Traitor. It is a contemporary espionage thriller from the author of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, and adapted by the screenwriter of Drive, Hossein Amini. Everything about this is awesome. Story courtesy of Castle Co-Op.

Now, on with the links:

Larry Taylor takes a look at The French Connection, a crime classic that continues to elude me.

Jessica takes a look at Female Superheroes of a Different Kind and discusses the Best Swedish Movie of 2011.

Be sure to stop by The Matinee for all of Ryan's extensive coverage of Hot Docs. Last year I was convinced to watch Senna and Project Nim at the Sydney Film Festival because of Ryan's recommendations.

C.S @ Big Thoughts From A Small Mind has also been covering Hot Docs.

Steven, for #11 in his Auteurs series, looks at Alfonso Cuaron, whose next film must be highly anticipated.

Tyler takes a closer look at Code Unknown, one of his favourite films, and one of my favourite by Michael Haneke.

One Chaplin film that has so far eluded me is Monsieur Verdoux. Simon analysed it this week. Also, Simon has just unveiled a new Podcast - The Prepared Podcast - and he looks at The Avengers in episode 1.

Phil reviews Elles and comes to similar conclusions as I, though it is conveyed much more eloquently.

John has been meticulously spotlighting the filmmakers with films at Cannes this year - Jacques Audiard,  Leos Carax, David Cronenberg, Lee Daniels and Andrew Dominic included.

Sam Fragoso @ Duke and the Movies has just proposed an awesome blog-a-thon: Extraterrestrial forces land on Earth. Unknowing of our planet and society, you can pick five films from the history of cinema that represent humanity. What titles would you choose and why? Articles are to be published this Friday, May 11th. For more information - check it out here.

Stevee checks out Tyrannosaur.

James really enjoyed The Kid With A Bike.

It wouldn't be a list of best articles of the week without mention of Alex @ And So It Begins. This week he lists his 11 Favourite Cinematographers. I really feel compelled to complete a list now, but there would so much overlap. He nails it. Deakins, Elswit, Lubezki, Nyqvist, Richardson, Conrad L. Hall. 

Hope everyone has a great week. Happy reading and viewing.