Latest news with #PaulNewman
Daily Mail
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Sir David Attenborough's new film Ocean earns a huge £2.5million at the global box office - becoming the highest grossing documentary of 2025 in landslide achievement
Ocean: With David Attenborough has grossed £2,526,000 at the global box office - the most of any documentary in 2025. The new production, which was released on the British icon's 99th birthday on May 8, has captivated audiences across the globe. Dubbed the 'greatest message he's ever told', the movie sees Sir David delve further than ever before into 'the most important place on earth' - its oceans. The environmentalist argues that our seas are at a crossroads after being damaged by pollution and bottom trawling, but Sir David affirms that 'they can bounce back'. And the film has been as popular as its producers anticipated, grossing £1.16million in the UK and Ireland and a staggering £2.5million globally. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the Daily Mail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. The film has broken into the top 25 grossing theatrically released documentaries of all time. Following its success, directors Paul Newman, Keith Scholey and Colin Butfield said: 'We're incredible proud to see Ocean: With David Attenborough embraced by audiences worldwide and making box office history. 'This film was created for the big screen - to immerse viewers in the beauty and fragility of our ocean as never seen before seen - and its success shows this timely story resonates. 'As the UN Ocean Conference approaches, we hope the film and David Attenborough's powerful message continue to inspire global conversation and action for the ocean.' Produced by Silverback Films and Open Planet studios, the film displays never-seen-before footage of the damage that bottom trawling - a common fishing practice around the world - has done to the seabed. The footage shows how the chain that trawlers drag behind them scours the seafloor, forcing the creatures it disturbs into the net behind. The process also releases huge amounts of carbon dioxide into the sea, something which contributes to global warming. Sir David examined inspirational stories of ocean recovery in areas where destructive fishing is banned - such as the Isle of Arran, Scotland and Hawaii. The broadcasting icon contends that 'the ocean can recover faster than we can ever imagine'. But 'we are running out of time', he argues as he candidly admitted he may not be around to see our oceans saved as he 'nears the end of his life'. During the heartbreaking admission, he shared: 'When I first saw the sea as a young boy, it was thought of as a vast wilderness to be tamed and mastered for the benefit of humanity. 'Now, as I approach the end of my life, we know the opposite is true. After living for nearly a hundred years on this planet, I now understand that the most important place on Earth is not on land, but at sea.' 'Today, it is in such poor health I would find it hard not to lose hope were it not for the most remarkable discovery of all,' he continued. 'If we save the sea, we save our world. After a lifetime of filming our planet, I'm sure nothing is more important.' Sir David further made a reference to his years on Earth as he opened up about the extraordinary ocean discoveries from over the decades and how important it is to preserve the health of the oceans. He said: 'My lifetime has coincided with the great age of ocean discovery. Over the last hundred years, scientists and explorers have revealed remarkable new species, epic migrations and dazzling, complex ecosystems beyond anything I could have imagined as a young man. 'In this film, we share some of those wonderful discoveries, uncover why our ocean is in such poor health, and, perhaps most importantly, show how it can be restored to health. This could be the moment of change. 'Nearly every country on Earth has just agreed, on paper, to achieve this bare minimum and protect a third of the ocean. 'Together, we now face the challenge of making it happen.' The Discovery+ series also features historical footage, including scenes from back in 1957 when the animal lover first attempted scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef.
San Francisco Chronicle
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Book Review: New essays from writer Richard Russo on how his life informs his art
Richard Russo, whose 'Fool' trilogy is beloved for the characters he created to populate a fictional upstate New York town, freely admits he's always pulled from his real life to write his novels. 'I was born in exactly the right place at exactly the right time,' he writes in one of 12 essays that make up his slim new volume 'Life and Art.' Russo scholars — there must be some in American literature departments somewhere, right? — will devour this book. Russo writes lovingly of both his father and mother, draws explicit connections between his characters and people from his real life, takes a road trip back to his hometown Gloversville, and even throws in an homage to the late Paul Newman, whose portrayal of Sully in his 'Nobody's Fool' helped Russo's work find an audience well beyond readers. The 12 essays here are divided into the two parts noted in the title. 'Life' is more memoir, with Russo sharing what he did during the COVID-19 pandemic, among many other things. 'I'd been waiting for more than a decade… for somebody to tell me to go home and stay there, and somebody finally had.' The first half is stuffed with stories about his mother and father, anchored by 'Marriage Story,' which reveals the illnesses they both suffered (gambling and alcoholism for Dad, anxiety for Mom) and how the dream life his mother envisioned after her husband survived World War II never materialized ('She and my father stalled.'). But Russo doesn't write to assign blame. At age 75 and with both parents buried, he takes a more thoughtful approach in these essays. Not yet a teenager when Dad left, he realizes now that Mom was just doing what he does for a living as a storyteller — controlling the narrative. Aspiring writers should appreciate the advice Russo doles out in these pages. He credits his childhood and the people who loved him as his 'greatest strength' — 'Like Faulkner, I'd been gifted the perfect lens through which to view America' — and tells would-be authors, 'No matter how gifted you are, or how hardworking, you're never going to be any good until you know who and what you love, because until then you won't know who you are.' The second half of the collection — 'Art' — is a more acquired taste, with an essay about writing movies and TV shows vs. books, as well as a rather odd one that finds life lessons in the 1969 film 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,' starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford. There's another that heaps praise on the specific word choices contained in the lyrics to the 1972 Townes Van Zandt song 'Pancho and Lefty,' and another that finds echoes of society's reaction to George Floyd's murder in a scene from 'The Maltese Falcon.' Considered all together, readers can judge if the essays, like the collection's title, truly inform each other, or if it's enough to simply enjoy these snippets before Russo graces the world with another novel.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Book Review: New essays from writer Richard Russo on how his life informs his art
Richard Russo, whose 'Fool' trilogy is beloved for the characters he created to populate a fictional upstate New York town, freely admits he's always pulled from his real life to write his novels. 'I was born in exactly the right place at exactly the right time,' he writes in one of 12 essays that make up his slim new volume 'Life and Art.' Russo scholars — there must be some in American literature departments somewhere, right? — will devour this book. Russo writes lovingly of both his father and mother, draws explicit connections between his characters and people from his real life, takes a road trip back to his hometown Gloversville, and even throws in an homage to the late Paul Newman, whose portrayal of Sully in his 'Nobody's Fool' helped Russo's work find an audience well beyond readers. The 12 essays here are divided into the two parts noted in the title. 'Life' is more memoir, with Russo sharing what he did during the COVID-19 pandemic, among many other things. 'I'd been waiting for more than a decade… for somebody to tell me to go home and stay there, and somebody finally had.' The first half is stuffed with stories about his mother and father, anchored by 'Marriage Story,' which reveals the illnesses they both suffered (gambling and alcoholism for Dad, anxiety for Mom) and how the dream life his mother envisioned after her husband survived World War II never materialized ('She and my father stalled.'). But Russo doesn't write to assign blame. At age 75 and with both parents buried, he takes a more thoughtful approach in these essays. Not yet a teenager when Dad left, he realizes now that Mom was just doing what he does for a living as a storyteller — controlling the narrative. Aspiring writers should appreciate the advice Russo doles out in these pages. He credits his childhood and the people who loved him as his 'greatest strength' — 'Like Faulkner, I'd been gifted the perfect lens through which to view America' — and tells would-be authors, 'No matter how gifted you are, or how hardworking, you're never going to be any good until you know who and what you love, because until then you won't know who you are.' The second half of the collection — 'Art' — is a more acquired taste, with an essay about writing movies and TV shows vs. books, as well as a rather odd one that finds life lessons in the 1969 film 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,' starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford. There's another that heaps praise on the specific word choices contained in the lyrics to the 1972 Townes Van Zandt song 'Pancho and Lefty,' and another that finds echoes of society's reaction to George Floyd's murder in a scene from 'The Maltese Falcon.' Considered all together, readers can judge if the essays, like the collection's title, truly inform each other, or if it's enough to simply enjoy these snippets before Russo graces the world with another novel. ___ AP book reviews: Rob Merrill, The Associated Press
Hamilton Spectator
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hamilton Spectator
Book Review: New essays from writer Richard Russo on how his life informs his art
Richard Russo, whose 'Fool' trilogy is beloved for the characters he created to populate a fictional upstate New York town, freely admits he's always pulled from his real life to write his novels. 'I was born in exactly the right place at exactly the right time,' he writes in one of 12 essays that make up his slim new volume 'Life and Art.' Russo scholars — there must be some in American literature departments somewhere, right? — will devour this book. Russo writes lovingly of both his father and mother, draws explicit connections between his characters and people from his real life, takes a road trip back to his hometown Gloversville, and even throws in an homage to the late Paul Newman, whose portrayal of Sully in his 'Nobody's Fool' helped Russo's work find an audience well beyond readers. The 12 essays here are divided into the two parts noted in the title. 'Life' is more memoir, with Russo sharing what he did during the COVID-19 pandemic, among many other things. 'I'd been waiting for more than a decade… for somebody to tell me to go home and stay there, and somebody finally had.' The first half is stuffed with stories about his mother and father, anchored by 'Marriage Story,' which reveals the illnesses they both suffered (gambling and alcoholism for Dad, anxiety for Mom) and how the dream life his mother envisioned after her husband survived World War II never materialized ('She and my father stalled.'). But Russo doesn't write to assign blame. At age 75 and with both parents buried, he takes a more thoughtful approach in these essays. Not yet a teenager when Dad left, he realizes now that Mom was just doing what he does for a living as a storyteller — controlling the narrative. Aspiring writers should appreciate the advice Russo doles out in these pages. He credits his childhood and the people who loved him as his 'greatest strength' — 'Like Faulkner, I'd been gifted the perfect lens through which to view America' — and tells would-be authors, 'No matter how gifted you are, or how hardworking, you're never going to be any good until you know who and what you love, because until then you won't know who you are.' The second half of the collection — 'Art' — is a more acquired taste, with an essay about writing movies and TV shows vs. books, as well as a rather odd one that finds life lessons in the 1969 film 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,' starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford. There's another that heaps praise on the specific word choices contained in the lyrics to the 1972 Townes Van Zandt song 'Pancho and Lefty,' and another that finds echoes of society's reaction to George Floyd's murder in a scene from 'The Maltese Falcon.' Considered all together, readers can judge if the essays, like the collection's title, truly inform each other, or if it's enough to simply enjoy these snippets before Russo graces the world with another novel. ___ AP book reviews:
Winnipeg Free Press
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
Book Review: New essays from writer Richard Russo on how his life informs his art
Richard Russo, whose 'Fool' trilogy is beloved for the characters he created to populate a fictional upstate New York town, freely admits he's always pulled from his real life to write his novels. 'I was born in exactly the right place at exactly the right time,' he writes in one of 12 essays that make up his slim new volume 'Life and Art.' Russo scholars — there must be some in American literature departments somewhere, right? — will devour this book. Russo writes lovingly of both his father and mother, draws explicit connections between his characters and people from his real life, takes a road trip back to his hometown Gloversville, and even throws in an homage to the late Paul Newman, whose portrayal of Sully in his 'Nobody's Fool' helped Russo's work find an audience well beyond readers. The 12 essays here are divided into the two parts noted in the title. 'Life' is more memoir, with Russo sharing what he did during the COVID-19 pandemic, among many other things. 'I'd been waiting for more than a decade… for somebody to tell me to go home and stay there, and somebody finally had.' The first half is stuffed with stories about his mother and father, anchored by 'Marriage Story,' which reveals the illnesses they both suffered (gambling and alcoholism for Dad, anxiety for Mom) and how the dream life his mother envisioned after her husband survived World War II never materialized ('She and my father stalled.'). But Russo doesn't write to assign blame. At age 75 and with both parents buried, he takes a more thoughtful approach in these essays. Not yet a teenager when Dad left, he realizes now that Mom was just doing what he does for a living as a storyteller — controlling the narrative. Aspiring writers should appreciate the advice Russo doles out in these pages. He credits his childhood and the people who loved him as his 'greatest strength' — 'Like Faulkner, I'd been gifted the perfect lens through which to view America' — and tells would-be authors, 'No matter how gifted you are, or how hardworking, you're never going to be any good until you know who and what you love, because until then you won't know who you are.' The second half of the collection — 'Art' — is a more acquired taste, with an essay about writing movies and TV shows vs. books, as well as a rather odd one that finds life lessons in the 1969 film 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,' starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford. There's another that heaps praise on the specific word choices contained in the lyrics to the 1972 Townes Van Zandt song 'Pancho and Lefty,' and another that finds echoes of society's reaction to George Floyd's murder in a scene from 'The Maltese Falcon.' Considered all together, readers can judge if the essays, like the collection's title, truly inform each other, or if it's enough to simply enjoy these snippets before Russo graces the world with another novel. Weekly A weekly look at what's happening in Winnipeg's arts and entertainment scene. ___ AP book reviews:
