5AM StoryTalk Coffee Reading: Issue 15
5AM StoryTalk Coffee Reading: Issue 15
A compilation of new and older arts-related articles that you might've missed
On the first 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. It’s capped off with some recommendations about arts newsletters to read here on Substack.
Thanks for being part of this conversation!
Cole
SCREEN & SCREEN INDUSTRY
Handmade Magic: Jason and the Argonauts
By Matt Zoller Seitz; Roger Ebert
Susan Seidelman Knows What It’s Like to Be in “Movie Jail”
The groundbreaking director of “Desperately Seeking Susan” on proving people wrong, learning from Nora Ephron, and the upshot of making a movie without realizing you’re pregnant.
By Rachel Syme; The New Yorker
Mark Kermode on… David Cronenberg, master of gore as a metaphor for our deepest anxieties
By Mark Kermode; The Guardian
What Does Anxiety Look Like? How Pixar Created the ‘Inside Out 2’ Villain
By Reggie Ugwu; The New York Times
The breakout character was initially envisioned as a monster. But when the filmmakers saw it wasn’t working, they found their way to a softer antagonist.
Robert Towne, Oscar-winning screenwriting icon behind ‘Chinatown,’ dies at 89
By Dennis McLellan; Los Angeles Times
Louise Brooks Tells All
By Kenneth Tynan; The New Yorker
With unself-pitying acuity, a screen icon whose career ended with enigmatic suddenness recalls the highs and lows of moviemaking in the silent era.
This one’s an oldie, from 1979 in fact, but it’s wonderful. “I know I knock the studio system, but if you were to ask me what it was like to live in Hollywood in the ’20s I’d have to say that we were all—oh!—marvelously degenerate and happy.”
Furiosa Doesn't Feel Like Any Other Mad Max Film, and That's What's Wonderful About It
By Matt Zoller Seitz; Roger Ebert
Jane Schoenbrun Finds Horror Close to Home
By Holden Seidlitz; The New Yorker
The filmmaker mined their suburban upbringing for “I Saw the TV Glow,” a trans allegory that became a word-of-mouth hit—and captured Hollywood’s attention.
Breathless goodbye: the race to finish Jean-Luc Godard’s last film, one day before he died
By Xan Brooks; The Guardian
The cinematic legend died the way he lived – in a blaze of inscrutable, impossible film-making. We meet the team who helped shoot the final scene of his swansong just before his death by assisted suicide.
Diversity In TV Down 12% With Hispanic Representation Particularly Low, Samba TV Reports
By Katie Campione; Deadline
Donald Sutherland was an irreplaceable aristocrat of cinema
By Peter Bradshaw; The Guardian
Paramount Murders MTV News
By
;Then Deletes the Crime Scene.
Jim Henson Company Plans Sale of Historic Chaplin Studios Lot in Hollywood | Exclusive
By Drew Taylor; The Wrap
The La Brea location famously features a Kermit the Frog statue dressed as The Tramp, complete with top hat and cane.
AI took their jobs. Now they get paid to make it sound human
By Thomas Germain; BBC
This is an article about copywriters, but it demonstrates what studio and streamer CEOs want to do to screenwriters.
Australia Celebrates As Improved Rebate Scheme Arrives: “This Will Provide Certainty For International Productions”
By Jesse Whittock; Deadline
FINE ART, MUSIC & PAGE
Reading declines for children for first time after pandemic, report says
By Heloise Wood; The Bookseller
The Drag Queens Who Helped Little Richard Invent Rock & Roll
By
;India: author Arundhati Roy to be prosecuted over 2010 Kashmir remarks
By Clea Skopeliti; The Guardian
Official from ruling BJP party allows action against Booker winner under controversial anti-terrorism law.
How the Music Business Can Tame the Dangerous AI Dragon
By
;Here's a five point plan that makes a difference (and not just for music).
Amid Challenges, Small New York City Museums Are Closing Their Doors
By Zachary Small; The New York Times
One quarter of all cultural institutions are dipping into their reserves or endowments to cover operating expenses. Mergers may be on the horizon.
Kanye West Bought an Architectural Treasure—Then Gave It a Violent Remix
By Ian Parker; The New Yorker
How the hip-hop star’s beautiful, dark, twisted fantasy turned a beach house in Malibu, designed by the Japanese master Tadao Ando, into a ruin.
A Visual History of the Harlem Renaissance
By The New York Times
The Harlem Renaissance changed the world. We’ve gathered dozens of images, many that we’ve never published, showing the people and the art that they created.
AI Firm ElevenLabs Sets Audio Reader Pact With Judy Garland, James Dean, Burt Reynolds and Laurence Olivier Estates
By William Earl; Variety
This is disgusting.
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, please 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.
The Jane Schoenbrun article was incredibly touching - and in some ways made me think of your most recent interview. Thank you for sharing.
I also enjoyed the Mark Kermode feature on David Cronenberg. If you haven’t read it, I would highly recommend this related essay by Becca Rothfeld.
https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-weekend-essay/all-good-sex-is-body-horror
Thanks Cole. The photo…Meryl Streep?