Good morning, my little dumplings!

I am filling in again this week, so on with it…

David Masciotra analyzed Bruce Springsteen’s influence on the underrated film The Indian Runner for Crime Reads, on the 30th:

“The film is not cynical—nor is it naïve. It is a realistic celebration of the power and possibility of love to survive even the worst acts of violence.”

On the 4th, Mara Levinsky of Soap Opera Digest interviewed James Patrick Stuart about his new album, and gave me an excuse to post a picture of him:

“In 2019, James Patrick Stuart — whose father, the late Chad Stuart, was a renowned musician best known as half of the British pop folk duo Chad & Jeremy — released his first album, The Apple Tree. ‘That one was a gift for my father, who we all knew was nearing the end of his life,’ the actor says. “He raised me as a musician. I was a drummer by the time I was 3 or 4 years old. He had been saying to me my whole life, ‘Where’s my album? Where’s my album?’ And I was able to make an album with 12 songs materialize for him! He was very proud.”

Also on the 4th, Kim Masters explained how Scarlett Johansson’s lawsuit against Disney might lead to similar suits, at The Hollywood Reporter:

“In time, Johansson is likely to have company on the battle lines. ‘It’s a much bigger existential fight that she’s really leading,’ says producer Jason Blum. ‘It’s a very difficult thing to do, it’s really brave to do and she’s fighting for all of talent.’ Financially, Blum is set for multiple lifetimes but still wants streamers to share revenue with talent in success. (He acknowledges his hypocrisy in that he just signed a rich deal with Universal to make three Exorcist movies for a large but flat up-front fee — a model that he hopes isn’t sustainable.) The alternative to paying the talent, he notes, is paying the corporation—and how, he asks, is that better?”

Finally, on the 5th, Kellie Herson revised School of Rock, over at Bright Wall/Dark Room:

“When you’re immersed in a culture that values striving and winning above all else, learning how to deprioritize others’ judgments and learning how to have fun are intertwined lessons that most of us struggle to internalize fully—but the joy of not taking something you love all that seriously is deeper and more sustainable than any award or resume line.”

Enjoy!