5AM StoryTalk Coffee Reading: Issue 8
5AM StoryTalk Coffee Reading: Issue 8
A compilation of 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 three different sections: Screen, Page & Fine Art and Arts Industries & Fucking AI. It’s capped off with some recommendations about arts newsletters to read here on Substack.
Thanks for being part of this conversation!
Cole
SCREEN, PAGE & FINE ART
‘The good guys don’t always win’: Salman Rushdie on peace, Barbie and what freedom cost him
By Salman Rushdie; The Guardian
What can the great myths (and the summer blockbusters) tell us about peace? The writer, who has turned to fables all his life, weighs their wisdom – and considers the price he himself has paid for liberty.
Ridley Scott’s “Napoleon” Complex
By Michael Schulman; The New Yorker
Does the director of “Alien,” “Blade Runner,” and “Gladiator” see himself in the hero of his epic new film?
The Visions of Octavia Butler
Text by Lynell George, visuals by Ainslee Alem Robson; The New York Times
As a science fiction writer, Butler forged a new path and envisioned bold possibilities. On the eve of a major revival of her work, this is the story of how she came to see a future that is now our present.
An older piece, but one I just returned to and love.
‘You Can’t Hide It’: Georgette Heyer and the Perils of Posthumous Revision
By Alexandra Alter; The New York Times
A new edition of the best selling romance writer’s 1950 novel removes blatant Jewish stereotypes, stirring debate about whether to tinker with older works.
I Wanted to Hug Every Part of Him With My Mouth: A Magic Mike XXL Recap
By
; The ToastStill one of my favorite pieces of film writing ever.
Trippy eagles, vagina wounds, dragon intimacy: how medieval art got weird
By Phil Harrison; The Guardian
A Twitter account of the oddest illustrations from the middle ages has now become a book. Behind these naive drawings, author Olivia M Swarthout says, lie serious truths.
Office Hours: Writing in Hard Times
By
; Story Club with George SaundersI found so much of this vital advice about writing and creating in such dark times.
Researcher uncovers a new body of work believed to be by Louisa May Alcott
By Ella Creamer; The Guardian
Academic suggests seven short stories, five poems and one non-fiction work were written by the Little Women author under the name EH Gould.
It Was a Sh*t Show: The Fugitive
By It Was a Sh*t Show
Chasing Harrison Ford without a script is hard. This podcast talks about how difficult it was to make The Fugitive, from nearly every actor making up all their lines to VFX artists barred from talking about their effects work.
The Mainstreaming of Historical Fiction
By Sam Paul; Esquire
The genre is suddenly everywhere—but why? Turns out, there's a reason—and it may just be a perfect antidote to these charged times.
Martin Scorsese’s Favorite Movies: 80 Films the Director Wants You to See
By Wilson Chapman and Alison Foreman; IndieWire
Movies from the U.S., India, South Korea, Senegal, Italy, and more make up an impressive list of Scorsese's favorite films, including "A Trip to the Moon," "Pearl," "Diary of a Country Priest," and more.
Hidden Demon Uncovered in 18th-Century Painting
By Amanda Holpuch; The New York Times
“The Death of Cardinal Beaufort” by Sir Joshua Reynolds was originally maligned for its depiction of a fanged figure, which was later painted over.
The Puritanical Eye: Hyper-Mediation, Sex on Film, and the Disavowal of Desire
By Carlee Gomes; Lo Specchio Scuro
Why Won't Characters Do As They're Told?
By Alec Worley;
Do characters really have a life of their own? Or is it all just marketing bunk and cultural mythmaking? Do writers really commune with the unseen?
ARTS INDUSTRIES & FUCKING AI
Hollywood’s Dual Strike Is Over, and the Studios Lost
By David Sims; The Atlantic
The writers and actors didn’t get everything they wanted, but they forced their bosses to blink.
Walt Disney Animation Studios Production Workers Vote to Unionize in Labor Board Election
By Kate Kilkenny; The Hollywood Reporter
Production coordinators, production managers and production supervisors at the 'Wish' studio have demonstrated a majority support for joining The Animation Guild.
Whoops. Disney fucked around and found out, as they say.
Microsoft is bringing AI characters to Xbox
By Tom Warren; The Verge
Microsoft is partnering with Inworld AI to create Xbox game development tools for generative AI characters, storylines, and more.
Farewell, professional voice actors. I loved you while you were here.
Model Collapse: AI Chatbots Are Eating Their Own Tails
By Denyse O’Leary; Mind Matters
The problem is fundamental to how they operate. Without new human input, their output starts to decay.
“It’s a Dead End”: TV Writers Assistants Lose Hope for Post-Strike Career Advancement
By Ryan Gajewski; The Hollywood Reporter
With TV writers rooms returning, support staff open up about frustrations amid the streaming landscape as many quit the business: “The ladder is broken.”
Swoosh! The Good Thing Just Slipped Through Our Fingers…
By
;The former film business has become a one-stop single-target non-competitive shop.
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.
In the Writing Burrow from Margaret Atwood
The Cavletter by
Sketchbooks & Scratchpads from Daniel José Older
Milkfed Dispatches by & Matt Fraction
LegalDispatch by
So Here’s a Thing by
Hope For Film by
1979 Semi-Finalist by
Thin Ice by
Agent of Weird: Exploring the Write Fantastic by
The Author Stack by
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