“It is a serious thing Just to be alive On this fresh morning In the broken world.” - Mary Oliver, Invitation

“In my experience, every kind of writing requires some kind of self-soothing Jedi mind trick, and, when it comes to essay composition, this rectangle is mine.” Zadie Smith shares the blueprint she uses to write impersonal essays. https://newyorkermag.visitlink.me/wen976

This story has me losing it tbh www.latimes.com/california/s...

So have people agreed on an alternative to #coverfly? #scriptsky

It’s horrifying indeed

Breath of fresh air podcasts.apple.com/eg/podcast/t... #podcast

Same-sex relationships have existed since time immemorial. What’s newly visible is the notion that engaging in them might be an exclusive preference and defining quality.

In a pop interview with Nicholas Hoult for Letterboxd, he mentioned how brilliant the storyboarding was for No Country for Old Men & how it was great to see how the Coens prepared. Anyone has the storyboards for the film and can share them? I’m so curious! #filmsky #writing #directing

I’m always amazed at how similar Pakistanis and Egyptians are — down to the humor, even. Two sprouts from the same seed.

In this week’s Directed By Women Viewing Guide: two new docs, a queer dramedy, a coming-of-(old)-age drama, one of Netflix’s best films on the big screen, a screening series at MoMA, Il Cinema Ritrovato, a doc on PBS, a pair of teen sex comedies, and a Palestinian short film.

From 2015: Why being an early bird doesn’t make you superior.

One of the unrivaled masterpieces of non-linear storytelling — the visuals (all practical, no CGI) still stunning two decades later.

“I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo. “lmao" said Gandalf, “well it has.”

*chef’s kiss* should follow more music journalists here

How To Be a Writer, #111: Open laptop Look into the void Scream into the void Consider that maybe the void also sometimes feels this way about you Ask the void if it takes milk Choose a nice mug for the void And maybe a chocolate biscuit Lose yourself in the void Tea

Anyone have the screenplay for Shoplifters (Hirokazu Koreeda) translated into English, or even in Japanese? I can try and get it translated. For educational purposes.

Tony Notarberardino’s photographs document the residents of the Chelsea Hotel—a cross-section of sex workers, performers, celebrities, vagrants, and club kids.

“Identity is not discovered, it is decided. You do not stumble into greatness, you declare it.”

Today marks five years since George Floyd was killed by police. Our June 22, 2020 cover “Say Their Names,” by Kadir Nelson, illustrated how Floyd’s murder embodies the history of violence inflicted upon Black people in America. nyer.cm/UmfefJw

Character Before Clues: The Noir Detective's Code At the heart of noir is a central tension: the world is corrupt, maybe even irredeemable—but the protagonist refuses to be. darlingaxe.com/blogs/news/n... #writingcommunity #amwritingmystery #mystery #noir #amwriting #booksky

Sinners is proving there’s an audience for movies made for grown ups. It’s not Soderbergh’s fault that the studio threw Black Bag out there with no marketing in winter to die.

www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb... just catching up to S6

Congrats @rpocisv.bsky.social!!! 🙌🏽♥️

Loving this discussion #AI podcasts.apple.com/eg/podcast/s...

writers artists 🤝 AHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHH

This is high art

I love love love "The Studio" and loved meeting Seth Rogen and some of his castmates for a power lunch at Michael's. “Except for a few coke-fuelled years in the eighties and nineties, it’s always been an industry that’s in existential crisis,” Rogen said. www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...

“I went to places I wish I hadn’t gone to.” Jack Thorne, who cowrote the hit Netflix show about a 13-year-old accused of murder, told WIRED he understands how easily kids can get lured into incel ideology.

Another pod rec is Tiny Huge Decision — the story of Mohsin, a gay Muslim man from a devout family, and Dalia, his best friend who may agree to carry his and his husband’s baby. How far would you go to support a friend? The pod follows them as they grapple wirh this question. pod.link/1700270152

Late to the party but Impact Winter on Audible is chef’s kiss.

“Not everything is a lesson, Ryan. Sometimes you just fail.”

Candy Clark’s Polaroid closeups of familiar faces—Steven Spielberg, Carrie Fisher, Jeff Bridges, among others—evoke a looser, more freewheeling time in show business. See a selection of her photographs.

Beautifully shot, a real story spanning over a decade, told with a lot of sensitivity www.imdb.com/title/tt1231... Surprised it's not more known, and doesn't have a higher rating. If you're in the US, you should be able to watch it on Apple TV and Prime. #documentary #ballet

“Adolescence” on Netflix. What a gut punch. Everyone is so good, and that kid is amazing. Thrilling storytelling.

Tramell Tillman supremacy ❤️ #severance #milchick #favorite

Has anyone floated the theory that Ricken could be an Eagen — the illegitimate child of Cobel and Jame? (Would explain why C. was living close to R & Devon, keeping an eye. Would also explain how she knew that Eagen’s past lovers - victims? - used the birthing resort clandestinely). #severance

"Until now, most people have had no window into the contents of this library..." unless they navigate their web browser to the extremely easy to find LibGen website. www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...

My book Kill Shot was apparently used to train Meta AI. This isn’t a surprise but raises so many questions. Anyone know if there’s anything to do / being done about this? Curious what authors can do Thanks @pakinamamer.bsky.social for the heads up

If you’ve written scripts for film and TV, you can now check to see if your work was used to train AI www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...

Lucky only three of my Nature articles are in the database, used to train AI. Still, I didn’t authorize that.

I actually know lots of people who don’t gossip, and I try to surround myself with more people like that. I’m guilty of it sometimes and we can all get carried away if we’re curious. I think we need to curb the habit not defend it (to be fair I’m saying this based on the headline and excerpt alone)

Also, is there a(n indie) filmmakers & screenwriters starter pack that I can follow here? #writing #writesky #film #cinema #TV

AI is not intelligent. AI is a system for filling in blanks with statistically likely next words. It can be decent at creating text that matches common templates -- code, summaries, extracting text from forms. But don't expect it to actually KNOW things. And you always need to check its work.

youtube.com/watch?v=hmLB... instant good mood guaranteed or your money back 🔥

Stephen Graham's #Adolescence might be the most dizzying TV feat of the year. Here's how its creators pulled off those astonishing one-shots, the aerial lift and more. Read more: www.empireonline.com/tv/features/...

Today I binged four part British Drama 'Adolescence' on Netflix. I feel destroyed. I can’t remember the last time I watched something on TV that mattered this much. Just watch it.

And there’s always www.removepaywall.com