44 h. ago Pray that this outlandish new social policy will fail to take flight | Phillip Inman

Analysts trace a link between financial security and a troubling, increasingly devil-may-care, attitude to political risk Steve Coogan wants ­people to see his new film, The Penguin Lessons, and think about how they might be living in a wealthy cocoon, disengaged from the world.The film’s central character – a Briton teaching expat children in Argentina – rescues a penguin and tries to help local people persecuted by the rightwing government. Re-enacting a true story, Coogan is showing how it’s possible to be involved in local communities even when the protagonist is an outsider. Continue reading...

Events

44 h. ago It’s not poverty that’s breeding the new populism. It’s wealth | Phillip Inman

Analysts trace a link between financial security and a troubling, increasingly devil-may-care, attitude to political risk Steve Coogan wants ­people to see his new film, The Penguin Lessons, and think about how they might be living in a wealthy cocoon, disengaged from the world.The film’s central character – a Briton teaching expat children in Argentina – rescues a penguin and tries to help local people persecuted by the rightwing government. Re-enacting a true story, Coogan is showing how it’s possible to be involved in local communities even when the protagonist is an outsider. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago ‘I was being a sassy Karen’: Florence Pugh’s skyscraper stunt positions her as the new Tom Cruise

The star’s insistence on jumping from a 2,722ft skyscraper to up the action ante for Thunderbolts* may not be quite enough to save Marvel’s latest. But her career should flyIf you ever needed definitive proof that Marvel has lost pace with the zeitgeist, just look at the panicky marketing of Thunderbolts*. The film opens in a couple of weeks and, according to the trade press, is tracking to open soft.Had this been six or seven years ago, then fans would be clamouring to see Thunderbolts* simply because it was the latest instalment of the grand MCU soap opera. After all, it’s a film that stars several side characters from older Marvel films and TV shows, and there was a time when audiences would go bananas for this sort of thing. But as the last few MCU films have shown, that approach doesn’t really work any more. Continue reading...

Events

4 d. ago Linkin Park to headline UEFA Champions League Final Kick Off Show

Ahead of the performance, Linkin Park said: "This marks a totally new experience for us as a band, and we're excited to share some of our favourite songs from the past and present, with the thousands in the crowd and millions watching around the world"

Sport

5 d. ago 'I was a Disney Princess and there's one change we make when new film comes out'

A woman who previously worked at a Disney park as a character performer has said there is a strict protocol they must follow if their character is featured in a new film

Politics

6 d. ago Blur fans recall the one song that never fails to 'make them cry'

Blur has written more than a few heart-breaking songs, but fans have found one track which never fails to 'make them cry', as they share their favourite songs from the band's heyday

Events

7 d. ago ‘The Citizen Kane of rock movies’: glam rockers Slade and their bid for cinema greatness

Fifty years ago, the Black Country legends made Slade in Flame, about a band screwed by the music business. It tanked and almost finished them. Now, as it’s re-released, the film is being seen as a prescient gemDaryl Easlea was eight years old when he got the 4A bus with his mate Graham down to the Odeon in Southend-on-Sea to see his favourite rock band make the leap from vinyl to celluloid. After 12 consecutive top 10 singles – including six No 1s – Slade had finally made their first movie, Slade in Flame. It has just turned 50.What young Easlea saw in 1975 was not the fun-packed adventures of a happy-go-lucky glam rock foursome, but a dour, downbeat film about being chewed up and spat out by the music industry. Easlea, who would grow up to be Slade’s biographer, didn’t care. Continue reading...

Culture

1 week ago 'Angel on Earth' Scots couple who lost twin babies pay tribute to midwife

NHS worker Natasha Allan-Reeves received a prestigious award for her exceptional support to grieving parents Hannah and Kieran Craig.

Politics

2 w. ago Amazon plan 'huge change of direction for next James Bond film' after character's 'sensational' death in last movie

Amazon bosses are reportedly planning to cast the youngest ever James Bond - and the new film will be set in the '50s and '60s.

Events

3 w. ago Maybe I’m Amazed by John Harris review – a father and his autistic son bond through music

An honest and intensely moving book about the struggle of parenthood and the power of connectionOne of my favourite books growing up was my dad’s copy of The Beatles Illustrated Lyrics. I spent hours flicking through images of an eyeless, trombone-mouthed golden man swallowing naked bodies, and a full-page, black-and-white comic strip by legendary psychedelic artist Rick Griffin. It didn’t matter that I hadn’t yet listened to most of the songs – the surreal visual riffs felt like dispatches from an undiscovered country. Later, the Beatles became my favourite band. I chain-listened to the albums, read endless books, watched the movies and recited Beatles’ lore to anyone within earshot. “Oh dear,” said my mum one morning, as I reeled off an account of how a 40-piece orchestra improvised the rising crescendo in A Day in the Life, “you’ve become a Beatles bore.”Maybe I’m Amazed opens with John Harris’s 15-year-old son, James, ecstatically absorbed in a...

Politics

3 w. ago Mum has no regrets after naming son after her favourite band

Katrina Weynberg, 30, and husband Donald Weynberg, 32, are big fans of the British band and chose to name one of their twin boys after the lead singer

Politics

3 w. ago Couple name twin after favourite band, and other after film character

They say their baby would only kick in the womb when they played the band's music

Culture

3 w. ago Queen's Brian May shares favourite songs of all time – but iconic song is missing

Queen guitarist Brian May has shared some of his favourite songs that the band released during their approximately 20 years together – but fans are surprised by his choices

Politics

last month ‘I named my son after my favourite musician – the band couldn’t believe it’

Katrina Weynberg attended her favourite band's concert in Sydney, Australia earlier this month, where she managed to bring the band to tears after revealing she'd named her son after them

Culture