The Guardian
14 hours ago
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The Guardian view on John Williams and Steven Spielberg: a partnership that changed cinema | Editorial
Over more than 50 years and 30 films, the composer-director duo have created some of the most memorable movie experiences of all timeWhich living artist has been nominated most times for an Oscar? The answer isn’t Steven Spielberg (with 24 nominations), but his long-term collaborator composer John Williams, with a record 54. The Fabelmans, Spielberg’s most personal film, seemed a fitting finale for the duo in 2022. But Spielberg persuaded Williams, now 94, to write the music for his latest sci-fi blockbuster Disclosure Day, their 30th film together.Williams has worked with other directors, creating scores for era-defining franchises from George Lucas’s Star Wars (who would Darth Vader be without The Imperial March?) to Harry Potter. But it is his partnership of more than 50 years with Spielberg that has changed cinema history, with hits including Jaws, E.T., Raiders of the Lost Ark, Jurassic Park and Schindler’s List. “John Williams has been the single most significant contributor to my success as a film‑maker,” Spielberg has said.Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...
The Guardian
14 hours ago
Pointless words that litter our language are, like, so unnecessary | Letters
Readers reflect on Louis de Bernières’s dislike of imprecise and redundant speechLike Louis de Bernières, I too have misosaskopeslexis (what a good word, which he defines as a hatred of pointless words). Various irritating uses of language on Radio 4 also send me bonkers, as does the incessant gabbling (The hill I will die on: I really don’t like ‘like’ – or other imprecise and redundant speech, 13 June).“Like” is dreadful, but so is the grimly common use of “so”, spoken with heavy emphasis at the beginning of a sentence. It grieves me that many of the academics interviewed (surely people who one hopes don’t drop litter out of their cars in country lanes) use it when asked for their opinions by Radio 4 interviewers, making the beginning of a quite ordinary answer sound very portentous. Continue reading...
The Guardian
15 hours ago
The Guardian view on Trump and Iran: a president’s wishful thinking gives way to uncomfortable realities | Editorial
The memorandum of understanding signed in Versailles lays bare US failure and the pointlessness of this illegal warDonald Trump’s wishful thinking, as much as Benjamin Netanyahu’s persuasion, was responsible for their illegal war on Iran. The US president wanted regime change, the eradication of Tehran’s ballistic missiles programme, to prevent it from ever building a nuclear bomb, and demilitarisation of its proxies. He announced that he would accept nothing less than unconditional surrender.The memorandum of understanding with Iran which Mr Trump signed on Wednesday – in Versailles; perhaps not the best augury of lasting diplomatic achievement – was evidence that even he can only deny reality for so long. Given the human and broader costs of the war, a deal to end it has been long overdue. But the text exposes the sheer pointlessness of this conflict. Continuing the war might have led to “worldwide depression”, the US president said, though his concern is for the impact on the pockets of his voters rather than the poorest and hungriest globally. A disgruntled base and the looming midterms have forced him into compromises loathed by Republican hawks. Mike Pence, his former vice‑president, said that it “smacks of appeasement”.Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...
The Guardian
1 day ago
The Guardian view on OnlyFans: revelations of abusive middlemen merit MPs’ attention | Editorial
Reports of agents taking 50% of women’s earnings undermine the company’s rhetoric of empowerment Since its launch a decade ago, and throughout its journey to becoming one of the UK’s most successful internet startups, OnlyFans – which was valued at more than £3bn in April – has presented itself as a vehicle for content creators’ empowerment. Revelations of the role played by middlemen in transactions on the website, which is dominated by pornographic content, undermine such claims and require a response from parliament.A Guardian investigation and a BBC documentary uncovered details of male-run agencies that seek out young women, persuade them to film sexual material, and take 50% of their earnings (all OnlyFans creators also pay a 20% commission to the website). The reporters heard from women who faced pressure to make their content more explicit, and about online networks where managers sell contracts with performers to each other. The BBC interviewed a woman in Wales who was physically attacked in her home.Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...
The Guardian
1 day ago
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The Guardian
11 months ago
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