5AM StoryTalk Coffee Reading: Issue 20
A compilation of new and older arts-related articles that you might've missed
On the second Friday of every month for some eighteen months now, I’ve 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.
Unfortunately, this 5AM StoryTalk is winding down with this twentieth edition. They take considerable work to compile, and I would enjoy my Substack experience more if I applied that energy to other pursuits — such as the articles and essays I otherwise write here. Who knows, maybe it will return at some point in the future.
The articles/episodes I share today are capped off with some recommendations about arts newsletters to read here on Substack.
As always, thanks for being part of this arts conversation!
Cole
Marielle Heller Explores the Feral Side of Motherhood
By Emily Nussbaum; The New Yorker
With “Nightbitch”—in which Amy Adams turns into a dog—the director portrays parenting as a visceral transformation.
Jon Watts Explains Demise Of George Clooney & Brad Pitt ‘Wolfs’ Sequel After Streaming Pivot: “Apple Didn’t Cancel…I Did, Because I No Longer Trusted Them As A Creative Partner”
By Mike Fleming, Jr.; Deadline
Daniel Craig’s Masculine Constructs
By Isaac Chotiner; The New Yorker
The actor discusses making the new movie “Queer” and breaking out of his Bondian image.
TV Writers Found 139,000 of Their Scripts Trained AI. Hell Broke Loose
By
;It's 'organized crime,' says one, as scribes from Shonda Rhimes to Robert King face a system where studio policy and law remain murky.
Writers Guild Calls on Studios to Take “Immediate Legal Action” Against AI Companies
By Katie Kilkenny; The Hollywood Reporter
The union is arguing that tech companies "looted the studios’ intellectual property" while Hollywood's major companies stood by.
The Three Kinds of Scenes, According to Mike Nichols
By Dana Stevens; Slate
An oldie, but a goody.
‘A very poor idea’: Julia Roberts rejected Richard Curtis’s proposed Notting Hill divorce sequel
By Catherine Shoard; The Guardian
While Roberts put the kibosh on Richard Curtis’s proposal, Hugh Grant was happy to prove the lie of a happy ending for his ‘despicable’ character.
‘A very poor idea’ indeed. I can’t even believe this was proposed.
CORD JEFFERSON - Writer/Director
By Team Deakins
Wonderful podcast conversation between Roger and James Deakins and American Fiction screenwriter/director Cord Jefferson.
The new wave of female film-makers confronting Mexico’s violence against women
By Caitlin Quinlan; The Guardian
Another oldie, but goody.
The Shape of Water: A Touch of the Unknown
By Carlos Aguilar; The Criterion Collection
You can read my artist-on-artist conversation with The Shape of Water co-screenwriter Vanessa Taylor here.
Episode 660: Moneyball
By Scriptnotes
and Craig Mazin welcome back Taffy Brodesser-Akner (Fleishman is in Trouble) for a deep dive on 2011’s sports drama Moneyball.
This is an essential episode for anyone who aspires to tell stories in any form. I have my own thoughts on Moneyball, which you can read here.
We Used To Be A Serious Country With Seriously Weird Video Stores
By Alex Rollins Berg;
The rise and fall of a VHS empire. Plus: This week's Movie Pick. And introducing UNDEREXPOSED VIDEO CLUB.
Sally Rooney: When are we going to have the courage to stop the climate crisis?
By Sally Rooney; The Irish Times
Capitalism is driving the destruction of our planet. We have to think outside – and against – the framework of our current political system.
The celebrated author of novels such as Normal People has some very important thoughts on our future.
Irresistible Iris
By Frances Wilson; The New York Review of Books
Iris Murdoch’s readers return to her to understand the relationship between high intelligence, erotic extremism, and moral virtue.
No thanks to generative AI
By
;An AI startup wants to automate book production. I am thankful we can resist it.
The Midnight World
By Michael Chabon; The New York Review of Books
Glenn Fleishman’s history of the comic strip as a technological artifact vividly restores the world of newspaper printing—gamboge, Zip-A-Tone, flongs, and all.
The Feminist Who Inspired the Witches of Oz
By Evan I. Schwartz; Smithsonian Magazine
The untold story of suffragist Matilda Gage, the woman behind the curtain whose life story captivated her son-in-law L. Frank Baum as he wrote his classic novel.
Episode 200: Yusuf / Cat Stevens
By Song Exploder
A great episode from one of my favorite new podcasts.
Is Music Stardom in Decline? A Statistical Analysis
By
;Is music stardom dying?
SUBSTACK RECOMMENDATIONS
I enjoy reading the following Substack newsletters about art. Maybe you will, too. For this final edition, I’ve included some writers gifting this platform some great fiction and poetry, too.
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by Alex Rollins Berg
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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.
It looks like you’re going out with a bang! These links all look fascinating. Looking forward to digging in. Thank you!
Thanks for sharing, and I totally get it. We only have so much time - and SO many ideas. I recently ended a project I enjoyed because it was draining my energy for other things. I'll watch for for your Notes for future suggestions. You've got an eye for sharing some interesting articles etc. Thanks again, and take care out there!