Ken Loach

Roger Waters has slammed Thom Yorke for ''whining'' about Radiohead's controversial Israel concert.

The 48-year-old singer and his band are due to perform in Tel Aviv on Wednesday (19.07.17), and after the planned concert attracted criticism due to Israel's oppression of Palestinians, former Pink Floyd rocker Roger has hit out at the star for complaining about ''feeling insulted''.

Roger - who was one of many musicians to sign an open letter urging the 'Creep' hitmakers to cancel the show - said during an hour-long Facebook Live chat: ''We should observe the picket line. Anybody who's tempted to do that, like our friends in Radiohead, if only they would actually educate themselves.

Continue reading: Roger Waters Slams 'whining' Thom Yorke

Radiohead’s lead singer Thom Yorke has hit out at critics of the band’s decision to perform a concert in Israel on their current tour.

The band is set to play in Tel Aviv next week on the final date of their current world tour supporting last year's album A Moon Shaped Pool, but they have repeatedly come under fire from critics of Israel’s policies towards Palestine, and are being urged to call it off as part of a cultural boycott. They have played there eight times in their career, but not since 2000, well before the 2005 Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement began.

Noted filmmaker Ken Loach wrote a critical article in The Independent on Tuesday this week (July 11th) attacking the group for their decision to play there, but the band’s singer Thom Yorke took to Twitter the following day to clarify their stance and that their gig was not in any way a sign that they endorse Israeli policies.

Continue reading: Radiohead Respond To Critics Of Israel Gig

British director Ken Loach has won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival for his latest film I, Daniel Blake. The drama, starring Dave Johns, focuses on a joiner from Newcastle who needs benefits for the first time after suffering a heart attack.

Ken Loach has won the Palme d'Or at Cannes.

Loach beat directors including Sean Penn, Jeff Nichols and Jim Jarmusch to take home the prestigious prize for the second time in his career. His first win was in 2006 for war drama The Wind That Shakes the Barley.

Continue reading: Ken Loach Wins Cannes Palme D'Or For 'I, Daniel Blake'

As the Cannes Film Festival winds down this weekend, a handful of films are emerging as frontrunners for the prestigious awards ceremony. Higher-profile contenders include David Cronenberg's 'Map to the Stars' starring Robert Pattinson, Mike Leigh's 'Mr Turner' starring Timothy Spall, the Dardenne brothers' 'Two Days One Night' starring Marion Cotillard and Tommy Lee Jones' 'The Homesman' starring Hilary Swank. Disappointments have included Olivier Dahan's 'Grace of Monaco' starring Nicole Kidman and Ryan Gosling's directing debut 'Lost River' starring Christina Hendricks. Take a look over our own top five Palme d'Or Winner predictions.

But for most movie fans, the even bigger news is that 'Star Wars: Episode VII' has started filming at Pinewood in London, complete with a competition fans can enter for a chance to actually appear in the movie. In a video clip for the charity initiative Star Wars: Force for Change, Jj Abrams explained this week that the programme will work with Unicef to help children around the world. Watch 'Star Wars: Force For Change' Trailer.

Continue reading: A Week In Movies: Cannes Winds Down, Episode VII And Batman V Superman Cranks Up, New Trailers Promise Lots Of Action For Summer And Autumn

Murmurs of Ken Loach’s retirement from feature films emanated from his long-time producer Rebecca O'Brien - via Screen Daily - who stated that he still has "a few documentary ideas kicking around." In ‘Jimmy’s Hall’, Loach’s 'final' feature was intended to be a thoughtful drama, deeply rooted in history.

Ken Loach isn't quite finished yet

But Loach, a celebrated filmmaker with a glittering career, admitted that his retirement announcement was voiced in "a moment of maximum pressure" during the production of his ‘last’ film. "It's a hard job to give up, really," added the 77-year-old, according to The AP. 

Continue reading: Ken Loach Isn't Retiring At All: "It's A Hard Job To Give Up"

For a while it looked as though Jimmy’s Hall would be Ken Loach’s final feature film, considering those were the very words he uttered. But since retracting from that statement, the critics have had their say on the Palme d’Or contender, and Jimmy’s Hall doesn’t do the British film maker’s career the justice it deserves.

Ken Loach will probably direct another feature following Jimmy's Hall

“This is exasperatingly thin stuff from Loach and Laverty, who have in the past built far more textured narratives, peopled by far richer characters, even while maintaining the fierce, politicised charge they aim for here. Think of The Angel’s Share, which won the Jury Prize here at Cannes in 2012, and of course The Wind That Shakes The Barley, which was awarded the Palme d’Or in 2006,” wrote The Telegraph’s Robbie Collin.

Continue reading: 'Jimmy's Hall' Isn't The Swan Song Ken Loach's Career Deserves, Agree The Critics