5AM StoryTalk Coffee Reading: Issue 12
A compilation of new and older arts-related articles that you might've missed
Welcome to 5AM StoryTalk Coffee Reading (formerly 5AM StoryTalk Reading List)!
On the first Friday of every month, I share a list of arts-related articles (and, on occasion, 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 & Film/TV Industry and Page, Fine Art & Music. It’s capped off with some recommendations about arts newsletters to read here on Substack.
Thanks for being part of this conversation!
Cole
SCREEN & FILM/TV INDUSTRY
The Oscars Were Glorious. But There’s a Storm Brewing in Hollywood
By Stephanie Zacharek; Time
How Bad Can It Get for Hollywood?
By Mark Harris; The New York Times
Michael Imperioli Knows Art Can’t Save Us
By Zach Helfand; The New Yorker
The “White Lotus” and “Sopranos” star discusses his formative first encounter with Martin Scorsese, his philosophy of acting, and the climate protest that just disrupted his Broadway début.
“It’s a Silent Fire”: Decaying Digital Movie and TV Show Files Are a Hollywood Crisis
By Gary Baum and Carolyn Giardina; The Hollywood Reporter
Industry pros sweat the possibility that many digital files will eventually become unusable — an archival tragedy reminiscent of the celluloid era.
How to Grow Old Like Isabella Rossellini
By Lulu Garcia-Navarro; The New York Times Magazine
“How do I fulfill the rest of my life? That question came to me very clearly at 45, and I didn’t have an answer.”
Half of Streaming Users Don’t Know Which Service Their Favorite Show Is On
By Tony Maglio; IndieWire
About the same percentage of TV viewers say they could not explain what Apple TV+ is to another person.
Remember when watching TV wasn’t so stressful?
The Screenwriting Life Podcast: Why Tone and Genre ≠ Plot (ft. Cole Haddon)
I was a guest on one of my favorite podcasts recently. Here’s the description: Cole Haddon is many things: a feature writer, a showrunner, a novelist, but he's grown an incredibly loyal community for his STORY brain, which mostly congregates on his very popular substack. Today we discuss tone, genre, and plot through a case study in which we compare two very popular TV shows: The Bear and Ted Lasso. In this discussion, we'll trace how, despite them sharing a lot narratively (plot), they exist in totally unique WORLDS when it comes to tone and genre (and why this matters.)
You can read my artist-on-artist conversation with The Screenwriting Life co-host Meg LeFauve (screenwriter, both Inside Out films) here.
74% of Gen Z and Millennials Prefer Original Content Over Franchises, According to Tubi Poll
By Kayla Cobb; The Wrap
Additionally, 71% of younger people say they want to see more content from independent and smaller creators.
Watch ‘The Zone of Interest’ VFX breakdown reel
By Ian Failes; Before and After
This is a remarkable compilation of effects shots from The Zone of Interest.
What Is Indie TV? How Mark Duplass Is Using His ‘Morning Show’ Paychecks to Launch a New Model for the Small Screen
By Selome Hailu; Variety
This strikes me as an essential read if you’re now looking for some inspiration about television these days.
Hollywood’s Exclusion of Women Over 40 Leaves Us Watching the Same Show on Repeat
By Nitza Wilson and Elizabeth Kaiden; IndieWire
The founders of The Writers Lab, a screenplay development program for women over 40, reflect on this year's Oscars — and more.
The DVD Biz Has Circled the Drain for Years. In 2024, It Goes Down the Tubes
By Robert Steiner; Variety
PAGE, FINE ART & MUSIC
The Bartender and the Lost Literary Masterpiece
By Simon Parkin; The New Yorker
How a Manchester native rescued “Caliban Shrieks,” Jack Hilton’s working-class opus.
‘Not a parable about death’: Raymond Briggs’s notes set record straight for The Snowman
By Richard Brooks; The Guardian
Remarks scribbled in a Finnish copy of the much-loved book, to be featured in an exhibition on the author, reveal how the story was misunderstood.
This book is a beloved part of my family’s Christmas experience. If you’re unfamiliar with it, your local library should carry it. There’s also an award-winning cartoon of it that’s one of the most beautiful pieces of animation I’ve ever experienced. You can find a link to it in this 5AM StoryTalk article here.
No.35 - "Any Other Way" - Jackie Shane
By
;On Divine Intervention.
New Music Streaming Bill Aims to Boost Streaming Royalties for Artists
By Jazz Monroe; Pitchfork
Representatives Rashida Tlaib and Jamaal Bowman introduced the bill to Congress, working alongside the Union of Musicians and Allied Workers.
Perfect parabolas of spurting blood! Did Galileo teach Artemisia the science of gore?
By Jonathan Jones; The Guardian
A fascinating article about one of my favorite artists of the Italian Renaissance, Artemisia Gentileschi. If you enjoy this piece, I’ve also written about Artemisia here.
Damien Hirst shark that sold for about $8m is fourth 2017 work dated to 1990s
By Maeve McClenaghan; The Guardian
Sculpture bought by US billionaires was made almost 20 years after date that appears in its name.
Artist behind Mona’s ladies-only lounge ‘absolutely delighted’ man is suing for gender discrimination
By Kelly Burke; The Guardian
NSW man Jason Lau claims denying men entry is discriminatory, but artist Kirsha Kaechele says men’s ‘experience of rejection is the artwork’.
This articles makes me want to become Kaechele’s best friend - because I’m already an admirer of her work.
Fabulously retro, profoundly comforting: why a video store has been resurrected in Melbourne
By Luke Buckmaster; The Guardian
Callum Preston’s Video Land is a full-scale simulation lined with aisles of nostalgic titles and curios. It’s one of seven installations all about joy.
The magic of audiobooks? Deep down, we still long to be read to
By Elizabeth Quinn; The Guardian
An ill-matched narrator can ruin an otherwise rollicking book. But a good one can bring stories to life – and evoke our earliest childhood memories.
Revisiting One of the Greatest Superhero Stories, Kingdom Come
By Abraham Josephine Riesman; Vulture
This is an excellent look back at a seminal comic book, written by Mark Waid - who was the subject of my artist-on-artist conversation this week. You can read that chat here.
The Picture of Dorian Gray and the Diminishment of Sybil Vane
By
;Ars Gratia Artis.
Book bans in US schools and libraries surged to record highs in 2023
By Erum Salam; The Guardian
Though the list is broad, many of the 4,240 books were targeted because they related to issues of LGBTQ+ communities or race.
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.
Hi Cole, thanks for the round up! I've just been writing about The Gentlemen in this month's Behind the Scenes. I love the scripts. They're classic Guy Ritchie...but in my opinion, better. My hunch is that this is because he is a) brilliant and b) working with other writers.
I wondered if this could be an idea to explore - the concept of the writers room isn't something that the UK is that familiar with, and particularly not when it's applied to novelists. But I do think writing is, in part, a team effort. Could novelists benefit from collaboration?
https://sanjidakay.substack.com/p/the-secret-to-success
Much appreciated Cole! Your roundups are an excellent way for me to discover new publications. Thank you for including me in your excellent curation.