5AM StoryTalk Coffee Reading: Issue 17
A compilation of new and older arts-related articles that you might've missed
On the second Friday of every month, I share a list of arts-related articles (and occasionally podcasts) I’ve recently read that I think you might find illuminating/challenging/inspiring, too. I don’t necessarily agree with everything in each article/episode, but I don’t need to entirely agree with something to think it’s worthy of my time - and, when it comes to art, I encourage you to embrace the same philosophy.
Today’s links come to you in two different sections: Screen & Screen Industry and Fine Art, Music & Page. There aren’t as many as usual, as I was on vacation/holiday in the States for much of July. These articles are capped off with some recommendations about arts newsletters to read here on Substack.
Thanks for being part of this conversation!
Cole
SCREEN & SCREEN INDUSTRY
‘There is an incredible hunger for it’: why classic films are making a comeback in cinemas
By Andrew Pulver; The Guardian
Martin Scorsese and Edgar Wright on British Cinema
By James Bell; Sight and Sound
When Wright wrote to Scorsese during the pandemic, asking for tips on lesser-known British films, Scorsese responded with a list of 50 of his personal favourites. As a season of films selected from that list kicks off at BFI Southbank, the pair sit down to discuss these critically neglected classics and the defining influence they have had on his 60-year career in film.
Demi Moore’s Gory Glory
By Michelle Yeoh; Interview
M. Night Shyamalan’s Fears and Redemptions
By Adam Nayman; The New Yorker
For a time, the director’s name was a pop-cultural punch line. With the release of his new film, “Knock at the Cabin,” he says, “You know, things are going well for me, and it makes me scared.”
Mark Kermode on… director Hayao Miyazaki, who speaks to the child in all of us
By Mark Kermode; The Guardian
Early Scenes
By Al Pacino; The New Yorker
Remembering a childhood in the South Bronx.
How ‘Boyz n the Hood’ and the Explosion of Black Cinema Became a Double-Edged Sword for Black Creatives
By Chris O’Felt; IndieWire
"Hollywood Black" director Justin Simien looks back at the '90s, when Black creatives telling Black stories went mainstream.
Unspooled Podcast: Armageddon
By
and Amy NicholsonI love this episode of Unspooled. It coincided with my work on an upcoming essay about the film Armageddon, in which I’ll be covering some of what Paul and Amy discuss from a slightly different, but overlapping perspective.
“Noon on Doomsday” (1956) Reviewed
By Tony Albarella; The Rod Serling Memorial Foundation
Paramount shutters television studio, begins major layoffs ahead of Skydance merger
By Meg James; Los Angeles Times
Christ, everything is so terrible.
Paramount Board Special Committee Confirms Skydance Merger Will Close In First Half Of 2025, Says “Go-Shop” Period Has “Concluded”
By Dade Hayes; Deadline
Okay, yes, everything is terrible…and I know this will result in a lot of casualties during the transition (like Paramount TV)…I believe David Ellison loves cinema down to his bones. This is a good thing for Hollywood.
FINE ART, MUSIC & PAGE
The big idea: are we all beginning to have the same taste?
By Rebecca Nicholson; The Guardian
Music seems to be at the forefront of a rush to uniformity. It’s time to rebel.
The View from Inside Beatlemania
By Jill Lepore; The New Yorker
In 1964, on the band’s first world tour, Paul McCartney took pictures that have only recently been discovered. What do they show us?
My wife and I got to visit this exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum a couple of months ago. It’s extraordinary.
Why Nobody Sang the Beatles Like Aretha
By Rob Sheffield; Rolling Stone
From singing “Eleanor Rigby” in the first person to why “The Long and Winding Road" is the best Beatles cover of all time.
This one’s a bit of an oldie, but it spoke to me so much I had to share it here.
Live Music Is Coming Back!
By
;Is this the first stirring of a backlash against sanitized, algorithmic digital culture?
"Writer's Writer" versus "Reader's Writer"
By
;I loved this piece.
Bookshops are bucking the high street trend. There are lots of reasons why
By Samantha Rayner; The Conversation
The Bubble
By
;Living in my own little world is my job.
SUBSTACK RECOMMENDATIONS
I enjoy reading the following Substack newsletters about art. Maybe you will, too. I try to change these up every “reading list”, so there is always something new here.
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If this article added anything to your life but you’re not up for a paid subscription, consider buying me a “coffee” so I can keep as much of this newsletter free as possible for the dreamers who couldn’t afford it otherwise.
My debut novel PSALMS FOR THE END OF THE WORLD is available from Headline Books, Hachette Australia, and more. You can order it here no matter where you are in the world.
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Some great links here, thank you! I’ve just been catching up. I thought the M. Night Shyamalan article was interesting as I’ve found his films a bit of a mixed bag tbh and I didn’t really enjoy A Knock at the Cabin. I also liked the Guardian piece on convergence of taste although I’m not sure how much I agree with it. I LOVED the Armageddon podcast. It articulated well what it is that I love about that film and why it really doesn’t matter that it’s chock full of plot holes. I also thought there were some interesting parallels with your piece on Die Hard.
Sadly, by the time I got to reading, the Elif Shafak article had gone behind the paywall which is a shame. I’ll have to be quicker next time!
Thanks for all those links! Where do you get the time to follow all that? I'm impressed and jealous at the same time.