Latest news with #RichardAttenborough
Axios
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
"Jurassiq Parq" brings '90s camp roaring into SF
It's Saturday night in San Francisco, and I'm watching a drag queen dressed as Steve Irwin unveil a cage of sexy velociraptors in fishnet stockings. State of play: This is "Jurassiq Parq," an immersive musical parody of the 1993 film that goes all in on nostalgia. Think Richard Attenborough in a rhinestoned safari suit and dinosaurs singing everything from Destiny's Child to Cyndi Lauper. What they're saying: "'90s nostalgia is the warm Snuggie for the millennial soul," writer and director Michael Phillis tells Axios. "Wrap yourself up in it and revel in the simpler times when the pager was high-tech and cargo shorts were still OK." The intrigue: San Francisco is no stranger to niche drag shows, but "Jurassiq Parq" has broad appeal. Movie buffs, queer theater fans, and '80s and '90s music lovers will all find something to love, as well as "anyone who had a sexual awakening to Jeff Goldblum," Phillis said. My thought bubble: This is exactly the type of ridiculous theater we need right now — a chance to walk into the jungle and forget the world while you sing-scream Madonna.
Forbes
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Jurassic Park And The Negative Perception Of Lawyers
The lawyer is the first to succumb to the terror of the T-Rex. On July 2, 2025, Universal Pictures Released 'Jurassic World Rebirth,' Another In A Series Of Science Fiction Movies Based On Michael Crichton's Novel. Known as the 'Jurassic Park' franchise, seven movies have been produced that focus on the regeneration of dinosaurs. Previous movies in the franchise had grossed $6 billion. Capitalizing on the franchise's historical success, Universal had projected that 'Jurassic World Rebirth' would be equally profitable. 'Jurassic World Rebirth,' similar to its predecessors, focuses on the miracles of science bringing back extinct dinosaurs and the ethical considerations of exploiting these creatures that struggle for existence in a 21st-century world. The technology of regeneration utilizing DNA brings mixed if not tragic results. The dinosaurs revert to instinct and viciously attack humans, thereby creating chilling suspense for audiences. While opinions vary, the most probative movie of the Jurassic series has been the original, 'Jurassic Park.' With a stellar cast that includes Sir Richard Attenborough, this original film explores the rationale behind bringing these creatures back into existence. The movie also exposes the confluence of human curiosity, commercialism, and the ethics associated with forcing these long extinct creatures to function in a modern world. The first spellbinding scene in the original 'Jurassic Park' features a Tyrannosaurus Rex, commonly referred to as 'T-Rex,' pursuing a Jeep containing four actors. One of the actors portrays a lawyer who has been hired to facilitate the establishment of a park that displays these creatures to the public. The scene of the T-Rex chasing the Jeep becomes particularly memorable because it is the first in which humans are victimized by a dinosaur. In a moment that is almost cliché, the lawyer is the first to succumb to the terror of the T-Rex. Immediately after the dinosaur devours the lawyer, audiences in the theaters cheer uproariously. In many ways, the scene of the lawyer meeting his demise in 'Jurassic Park' underscores a menancing problem for the legal profession. Society has stubbornly clung to a social construct that lawyers tend to be unscrupulous, sometimes to the point of being predatory. This perception has spawned much humor. Lawyer jokes remain pervasive, with many lawyers themselves enjoying what they consider to be meaningless tropes. The negative perception of lawyers constitutes a lingering problem for both the profession and society at large. In a modern society in which the rule of law has increasing significance, those who practice law become the vanguards of legal stability and democracy itself. The image of the 'shyster lawyer' however, describes only a minuscule of those in the profession. In fact, many lawyers engage in practices that assist both clients and individuals who cannot afford counsel. More than 500 years ago, Sir Thomas More, Lord Chancellor of England in the 16th century, espoused that lawyers have an ethical obligation to discover ways to uplift the societies in which they live. Today, many lawyers comply with More's mandate. Pro bono, which connotes free legal services, has become a universal imperative in the profession. Many bar associations promote pro bono engagement and reward lawyers who devote significant hours to voluntary service. Major law firms attract young lawyers through their sponsorship of pro bono initiatives, many of which have become key facets of their practices. One heartwarming case of altruism in the legal profession centers on the law firm of Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Years ago, Kilpatrick adopted Cook Elementary School, an inner-city elementary school in Winston-Salem. Lawyers in the firm voluntarily mentor students. The firm also invites students to programs that acquaint them with the profession as well as provide guidance relevant to social etiquette and academic studies. The results have been profound. Cook Elementary has experienced improved test scores. Perhaps equally noteworthy has been the effect that the firm's efforts have had on the students themselves. Many have expressed how meaningful their experiences with the Kilpatrick attorneys have been with others now aspiring to do what it takes to succeed. Other lawyers nationwide have devoted countless hours to pro bono activities. The bar associations in most states encourage lawyers in their districts to provide free legal services and often trumpet the good deeds of lawyers in their jurisdictions. Lawyers, similar to professionals in other disciplines, have committed their share of transgressions. Any profession may have individuals who act opportunistically and violate rules of professional responsibility. Most professions, and in particular the legal profession, self-regulate with a plethora of ethical rules and sanctions when those rules are violated. Violations of lawyers' rules of professional responsibility often come with penalties ranging from reprimands to expulsion or debarment. To ensure public confidence in the justice system, the legal profession must augment its regulatory function with a concerted and deliberate effort to educate the public about the salience of lawyers in a modern democracy. This educative strategy should include highlighting the many ways that lawyers selflessly give back to their communities. If the legal profession accepts the charge of heralding the good deeds of lawyers, public perception of lawyers could improve and reinforce the efficacy of the justice system. Perhaps then, when audiences witness the demise of a lawyer in an entertainment medium, their reaction may be more reflective of sympathy rather than satisfying delight.
Daily Record
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Sean Connery leads dazzling A-star cast in epic war film but fans all criticise same thing
The 1977 war epic is based on historian Cornelius Ryan's book of the same name and is loaded to the brim with one A-list actor after the other - but it still received criticism Richard Attenborough's 1977 war masterpiece, A Bridge Too Far, is brimming with a roster of A-list actors. The film is based on the book of the same name by historian Cornelius Ryan and was adapted for the silver screen by William Goldman. In an effort to publicise the film, Goldman penned a book specifically titled Story of A Bridge Too Far - as a favour to Joseph E. Levine - which hit the shelves in December 1977. A Bridge Too Far dramatises Operation Market Garden, the audacious yet doomed military operation undertaken by the Allied forces during World War II. Set in September 1944, it tells the tale of British, Polish, and American forces' attempt to capture a series of bridges in Nazi-occupied Netherlands, aiming to swiftly end the war by circumventing the German Siegfried Line. A collaborative production between the United States and the United Kingdom, A Bridge Too Far was shot in the Netherlands, often at the very historical sites where the events unfolded, reports the Express. Boasting an impressive ensemble cast, A Bridge Too Far stars Sean Connery, Michael Caine, Robert Redford, Gene Hackman, Anthony Hopkins, Dirk Bogarde, James Caan, Edward Fox, Elliott Gould, Hardy Krüger, Laurence Olivier, Ryan O'Neal, Maximilian Schell and Liv Ullmann. The war film garnered numerous accolades, including eight BAFTA nominations and four wins, with John Addison, a veteran of the British XXX Corps during Operation Market Garden, taking home the award for Best Score. Despite its critical success, the film received a lukewarm reception from critics, with a 59 per cent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. One critic noted: "Does have its flat spots, but does have a top-notch cast to keep boredom at bay." Another reviewer commented: "Though overlong, muddled, ponderous and overbaked, it's not without some impressive moments." A third critic stated: "The movie's big and expensive and filled with stars, but it's not an epic. It's the longest B-grade war movie ever made." Some critics found the film's length to be a drawback, with one calling it "a movie too long" and another describing it as "a very long slog". However, audience reviews of the film were overwhelmingly positive, with one viewer writing: "One of the greatest war films ever put to screen. With an all-star cast the complaints about it being too long are unwarranted as the build-up and story is fully required. An all-time great!". Another viewer praised the film, saying: "One of the best WW2 movies. The all-star cast is incorporated well into the story of Operation Market Garden. Epic, intense full-scale battle sequences make this memorable. Only demerit is the movie is a bit too long." Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. While one fan was effusive in their praise for the movie: "One of the best war films over the years I enjoyed in 1977 and now watching it for my 20th time. Richard Attenborough did a great job on directing, all the actors did a great job. The cinematography, the sound, and music was great plus it's just a great film. I put it up there with one of my top 10 films of all time next to the movie Patton." Meanwhile, another viewer kept their feedback succinct: "Nothing much to say, historical accuracy, practical effects and incredibly high quality for its age, a gold standard of historical war movies."
Daily Mail
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
The Attenborough you've never heard of ready to step into Sir David's shoes: Actor and eco-warrior Will is about to hit the big time in a major new TV series - but are his woke views a step too far for his great uncle?
He's a Cambridge graduate from a family of TV and film greats, so it would be easy to brand him as a typical nepo baby trading on his family connections. However, when your family has reached national treasure status, fans are more likely to breathe a sigh of relief that there's a new generation Attenborough in the world of TV and film to carry on the clan's legacy. You may not have heard of Will Attenborough, 33, but that's about to change when he bursts on to screens today in the TV series Outrageous, based on the lives of the Mitford sisters - the daughters of Lord and Lady Redesdale who became embroiled in fascism, communism, infamy and scandal in the 1930s. No stranger himself to coming from a well-connected family, he is the great nephew of the conservationist and broadcaster Sir David Attenborough and the grandson of movie giant, Sir Richard Attenborough, who starred in Jurassic Park and The Great Escape and directed Gandhi. But Will himself is an utterly modern member of the famous clan. He identifies as queer and told the Risk! live show in 2019 about his early experiences of gay sex after coming out. More recently, he's developed a close friendship with fellow actress Kira Moore and when he paid tribute to her on her birthday on Instagram last year, friends described them as a 'gorgeous couple'. Alongside his acting career, he has campaigned with Extinction Rebellion - a move that might put him at odds with Sir David, who previously warned that the group risk 'disenchanting an awful lot of people' by disrupting their lives with protests. However, in an impassioned speech in 2024, Will hit back at those who call the group 'eco zealots' and called on supporters to 'rise up, reject the deception, and demand truth and action for our planet'. His father Michael - once married to Jane Seymour - is a theatre director who has held a number of high profile artistic director roles, including the Almeida Theatre and The Young Vic, while his mother Karen Lewis is also an actress. He's quietly been building up an impressive portfolio, starring in BBC 's Our Girl as Olivier Hurst alongside Michelle Keegan and taking the lead role in Jeremy Herrin's production of Photograph 51 opposite Nicole Kidman in 2015. But while he's beginning to make his name for himself on screen, MailOnline can reveal that it is behind-the-scenes that Will has quietly been playing a leading role in the entertainment industry. And, on the face of it, it's a part that's closer to the heart of another illustrious relative - world-renowned naturalist and national treasure Sir David Attenborough. For Will is a leading light in a growing movement aimed at 'empowering artists and screen workers to create a cleaner, greener' industry. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Extinction Rebellion UK (@xrebellionuk) As a climate campaigner he helped set up an organisation that hopes to provide a modern day twist on the theatrical rider - the set of requests or demands that an artist sets as criteria for their performance which are written into contracts. The concept has become notorious through the often outlandish and flamboyant requirements of artists. There's been rock band Van Halen's demands for bowls of M&Ms with all the brown ones removed for their live concerts. Hollywood star George Clooney reportedly once required a hot tub, beach hut and basketball court to be installed next to his trailer on a movie set.r Along with specific types of food, snacks, drinks and flowers other stars have insisted on private jets or police escorts to accompany their vehicles. Will's campaign is aimed at encouraging actors and performers to use their status to instead insist on making demands for more sustainable production practices when signing up for new projects. Rather than their own jets or chauffeur-driven cars, actors are encouraged to use alternative forms of transport such as train travel with producers being asked to support their requests through scheduling 'extra recovery time' and subsidising the artist if their quest to be green will cost them more. Other ideas include sets and costumes. It has reportedly led to a coat being used by Eddie Redmayne when he played the part of Stephen Hawking in the movie The Theory of Everything being used within a short time of 'filming wrapping' by a man living rough to keep warm. The initiative also involves adapting catering provided to prioritise reusable cutlery, reducing food waste and the amount of red meat served up and replaced by 'mainly plant-based and locally sourced meals'. More than 100 actors - including Bill Nighy, Ben Whishaw, Benedict Cumberbatch and Gemma Arterton - have backed Attenborough's Green Rider campaign. Actors' union Equity is on board with the scheme and has held discussions with production companies and studios including the BBC, ITV Studios and Sky Studios. Will also wants to change the 'luvvie' culture around the industry which his grandfather, known as 'Dickie' was famously lampooned for by Spitting Image. He has said: 'You start to see your status on set determined by how many perks you get, how big your trailer is, do you have your own private car, what class are they going to fly you on a plane. 'It's not very sustainable but it's also not very healthy. We're trying to change the culture to show actors don't necessarily want that. 'They want to see themselves as workers who are part of a team with the rest of the group. And they don't want to be separated off and lavished with these very wasteful perks.' Will also helped secure a commitment from London mayor Sadiq Khan to shift City Hall's £5 billion pension fund out of fossil fuel investments. And he launched a campaign with actors Leila Mimmack and Mark Rylance that successfully moved Equity's pension investments out of fossil fuels and into clean energy. Will was born in London to Michael, whose first wife was actress Jane Seymour, and Jewish actress Karen Lewis. His older brother Tom, 38, has also worked as a theatre director. One of Michael's two younger sisters, Jane Holland, was tragically killed in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami along with her mother-in-law and Michael's 15-year-old niece, Lucy., Will - who has spoken of his 'privileged upbringing' - attended private St Paul's school before going on to read English at Cambridge University where he graduated in 2013. When he was once asked if he always dreamed of being an actor, Will said: 'I guess so. I don't know. It just always felt like the thing I was going to do, I don't think I ever thought of doing something else.' And he said of constantly being asked about his family dynasty: 'It's fine, people are interested and I think I'm lucky people like them! Haha. It's a nice thing.' A year before graduating, Will appeared in his first professional role in the BBC series The Hollow Crown, an adaptation of William Shakespeare's history plays produced by Sam Mendes which featured a star-studded cast. He went on to star alongside Nicole Kidman in the West End play Photograph 51 and appeared in Oscar-winning movie Dunkirk as well as the 2019 film The Outpost. TV roles have included the 2016 BBC adaptation of War & Peace as well as starring in the BBC drama Our Girl alongside Michelle Keegan. Among his friends is Kira Moore who he appeared alongside in a Mawaan Rizwan comedy music video. In an Instagram post to celebrate Kira's birthday last year he wrote: 'Happy birthday to my partner in crime, the most fabulous little weirdo this side of the Mississippi. I love you, you gorgeous freak ❤️'. In his new six-part series about the Mitfords, which premieres on Thursday on streaming platform U and U&DRAMA , Will plays Joss, a character amalgamated from several historical figures. Set in the 1930s, it is a tale of betrayal, scandal, heartache and even imprisonment. Speaking of his new part, Will said: 'It was originally going to be Evelyn Waugh, then writer Sarah Williams thought it'd be interesting to make him Jewish, but not very openly. 'He's also gay, but that's never really talked about in the show.'
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Billy Williams, Oscar-winning British cinematographer whose credits included Gandhi and Women in Love
Billy Williams, who has died aged 95, was one of the leading British cinematographers across four decades, winning an Oscar for his work on Richard Attenborough's Gandhi (1982). Exactly a year earlier he had missed out by a hair's breadth on scooping an Academy Award for the autumnal geriatric drama On Golden Pond (1981), starring Henry and Jane Fonda and Katharine Hepburn. But in April 1983 Williams received the gold statuette – shared with Ronnie Taylor – as one of the eight Oscars garnered by that epic film. It was the culmination of a long and often painful collaboration that for Williams had begun three years earlier when, in a short telegram reply to Attenborough's request for him to join the creative team on Gandhi, he wrote: 'Dear Dickie. Yes. Love Billy.' Williams enjoyed telling the a story of informing Katharine Hepburn that 'Richard Attenborough would like me to shoot Gandhi for him,' to which the actress replied: 'I think he's already dead, Billy.' The production, which was shot over six months, was fraught with logistical problems during filming in India – from the endless dust which unless swiftly checked would form like cement on the camera equipment, to problems obtaining official permission to shoot inside various key government buildings. Then, six weeks into filming, Williams slipped a disc and had to fly back to the UK. With his blessing, his duties were handed over to Ronnie Taylor, who had worked as a camera operator on two of Attenborough's earlier films. Taylor filmed for a month before Williams returned – only to suffer another slipped disc a month later, replaced once more by Taylor. By the time the production returned for its final weeks in the UK, Williams had recovered and completed the film, which included shooting in Staines Town Hall, doubling for the court house in Ahmedabad where Gandhi's 'Great Trial' had taken place in 1922, and at the Institute of Directors building in Pall Mall for a key interior sequence begun months earlier on the long steps leading up to the old Viceroy's House (now the presidential palace) in New Delhi. Williams had earned his first Oscar nomination a decade earlier for an altogether more intimate drama, Ken Russell's Women in Love (1970), featuring the much talked-about nude wrestling scene between Alan Bates and Oliver Reed. 'Photographically, it was the best opportunity I've ever had in terms of what the script was offering,' Williams recalled. 'It had every kind of challenge. Apart from the usual day and night interiors and exteriors, there was candlelight, snow scenes, dusk and dawn, and that nude wrestling scene. Bates and Reed agreed to be fully nude for one day only, on a closed set. After that they'd only do waist-upwards scenes.' Billy Williams was born on June 3 1929 in Walthamstow, east London. His father, also Billy, was one of Britain's great pioneering cameramen, who shot the surrender of the German Fleet at Scapa Flow, covered the trailblazing Cape Town-to-Cairo truck expedition, and was the first man to film from the summit of Mt Kilimanjaro. When young Billy left school at 14 he was offered a choice of jobs: working in a city brokerage for one of his mother's in-laws, or as an assistant to his father. There was no contest. After working some years for Billy Snr, he broke away and joined British Transport Films, before moving into commercials when all attempts at graduating to features failed. Working on ads with successful film directors like John Schlesinger, Ken Russell and Ted Kotcheff paid off when Williams managed to make it into long-form drama with Russell on the spy thriller The Billion Dollar Brain (1967), the second sequel to The Ipcress File, then on Women in Love. The Schlesinger connection also paid dividends handsomely in 1971 with Sunday Bloody Sunday, a daring – for its day – and intimate drama of homosexual love, which earned Williams one of his four Bafta nominations. Williams continued to shoot films, including the award-winning Western, The Eagle's Wing (1979) and Dreamchild (1985). He retired after Driftwood (1997). During and after his career as a cinematographer, he taught cinematography at workshops in the US, Germany, Ireland and Hungary, and in the UK at the National Film & Television School in Beaconsfield. One of his regular teaching colleagues was another great cinematographer, the Hungarian-American Vilmos Zsigmond. When Zsigmond declared himself unavailable to shoot On Golden Pond, co-starring Henry Fonda, Jane Fonda and Katharine Hepburn, he paved the way for Williams to notch up one of his most memorable international credits. 'Around that time,' he recalled, 'Vilmos was very much into flashing the film to soften the image, and using various filters to take the contrast away. The director Mark Rydell was very keen I should do something like that, too. I wasn't, though, because I didn't like the idea of the film looking too chocolate-boxy, too soft and sentimental. I thought the actors [Henry Fonda was 76 playing 80, Hepburn 72] should look their age.' Eventually, he managed to persuade Rydell to do away with filters altogether, apart from a 'very fine black net on the extreme close-ups of Hepburn and Jane Fonda'. Henry Fonda and Hepburn went on to win Academy Awards for their performances, in Fonda's case posthumously. Williams's other notable contributions to cinema history included shooting the atmospheric 11-minute opening sequence in Iraq for The Exorcist (1973). Tall and distinguished-looking, he was perhaps unique among cinematographers in appearing front-of-camera in major Hollywood movies – first, as a British vice-consul shot down by Sean Connery's North African Berber tribesmen in John Milius's period adventure The Wind and the Lion (1975), and then as an expert witness in Suspect (1987), Peter Yates's courtroom thriller starring Cher and Liam Neeson. He served as president of the British Society of Cinematographers from 1977 to 1979 and was appointed OBE in 2009. Billy Williams and his wife Anne had four daughters. Billy Williams, born June 3 1929, died May 20 2025 Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
