Bread and Roses 2000  R, 110 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Ken Loach
Cast: Adrien Brody, Pilar Padilla, Elpidia Carrillo, Jack McGee, George Lopez, Alonso Chavez, Monica Rivas, Frankie Davila, Benicio Del Toro, Ron Perlman, Lillian Hurst, Mayron Payes, Maria Orellana, Melody Garrett, Gigi Jackman
When illegal immigrant Maya (Pilar Padilla) arrives in L.A., she moves in with her sister Rosa's (Elpidia Carrillo) family. In need of money, the sisters work as janitors, meet union organizer Sam (Adrien Brody), and join the union–despite fears that they will lose their much-needed jobs.
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Carla's Song 1996  N/R, 127 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Ken Loach
Cast: Robert Carlyle, Oyanka Cabezas, Scott Glenn, Salvador Espinoza, Louise Goodall, Richard Loza, Gary Lewis, Subash Singh Pall, Stewart Preston, Anne Marie Timoney
Set in 1987 during the guerilla war between Nicaragua's Contras and Sandinistas, this film teaches the evils behind the war and the passion of politics. In fact, the film's diatribe against U.S. involvement has been blamed for the lack of distribution in this country. The story begins in Glasgow with the meeting of George (Robert Carlyle) and a refugee, Carla (Oyanka Cabezas), and follows the couple during Carla's return to Nicaragua to deal with her past.
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 Family Life 1971 N/R, 105 min.
Genre: Drama
aka: Wednesday's Child
Director: Ken Loach
Cast: Sandy Ratcliff, Bill Dean, Grace Cave, Malcolm Tierney, Hilary Martin, Michael Riddall, Alan MacNaughtan, Johnny Gee, Bernard Atha, Edwin Brown, Freddie Clemson, Alec Coleman, Jack Connell, Ellis Dale, Terry Duggan
Janice Baildon (Sandy Ratcliff) does not deal well with her teen pregnancy, and her parents aggravate the mayhem by arranging an abortion. Janice finally resorts to professional help to alleviate undue pressure by parents and health-care workers. This film won a special award at the 1972 Berlin Film Fest.
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A Fond Kiss 2004 R, 104 min.
Genre: Drama / Romance
Director: Ken Loach
Cast: Atta Yaqub, Eva Birthistle, Shabana Akhtar Bakhsh, Ahmad Riaz, Shamshad Akhtar, Ghizala Avan, David McKay, Raymond Mearns, Gary Lewis, Shy Ramsan, Gerard Kelly, Emma Friel, Karen Fraser, John Yule, Ruth McGhie
When the good citizens of Glasgow refuse to accept the mixed-race relationship between a Muslim (Atta Yaqub) and an Irish Catholic (Eva Birthistle), troubles ensue.
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 Hidden Agenda 1990 R, 108 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Ken Loach
Cast: Frances McDormand, Brian Cox, Brad Dourif, Mai Zetterling, Bernard Bloch, Des McAleer, Jim Norton, Patrick Kavanagh, Bernard Archard, Maurice Roeves, Maureen Bell, Michelle Fairley, Kim Dyson, Oliver Maguire, Ian McElhinney
Set in the war-like environment of Northern Ireland in the early 1980s, this thriller follows British investigator Kerrigan (Brian Cox) and international amnesty group activist Ingrid Jessner (Frances McDormand). They investigate possible cover-ups at Britain's highest level that have also resulted in murder. Good performances make this worth a look.
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My Name Is Joe 1998 R, 105 min.
Genre: Drama / Romance
Director: Ken Loach
Cast: Peter Mullan, Louise Goodall, David McKay, Anne-Marie Kennedy, David Hayman, Gary Lewis, Lorraine McIntosh, Scott Hannah, David Peacock, Gordon McMurray, James McHendry, Paul Clark, Stephen McCole
A recovering alcoholic, Joe Kavanagh (Peter Mullan), lives by A.A.'s creed: "one day at a time." Enter Sarah (Louise Goodall). Falling in love with Sarah and then facing the threat of losing her proves a very difficult emotion that could catapult Joe into a crisis mode.
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The Navigators 2001 R, 92 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Ken Loach
Cast: Thomas Craig, Joe Duttine, Dean Andrews, Steve Huison, Venn Tracey, Angela Saville, Sean Glenn, Andy Swallow, Charlie Brown, Juliet Bates
Based on the memories of railroad worker Rob Dawber, this story is about five men from Yorkshire who find themselves without job security after the privatization of the British Rail in the 1990s. A good film.
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Raining Stones 1993 N/R, 90 min.
Genre: Drama / Comedy
Director: Ken Loach
Cast: Bruce Jones, Julie(2) Brown, Gemma Phoenix, Ricky Tomlinson, Tom Hickey, Jonathan James, Mike Fallon, Ronnie Ravey, Lee Brennan, Karen Henthorn, Christine Abbott, Geraldine Ward, William Ash, Matthew Clucas, Anna Jaskolka
An unemployed plumber, Bob (Bruce Jones), is devoted to his church and his family. But, he becomes involved with the mob when he tries to find money to buy his daughter Coleen (Gemma Phoenix) a First Communion dress. A good Ken Loach film about the British working-class and the problems they encounter. Though not rated, the film contains obscenities and nudity.
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Riff-Raff 1990 N/R, 96 min.
Genre: Comedy / Drama
Director: Ken Loach
Cast: Robert Carlyle, Emer McCourt, Jim R. Coleman, Dean Perry, Willie Ross, Anne Marie Timoney, Ricky Tomlinson, David Finch, Richard Belgrave, Peter Mullan, Garrie J. Lammin, George Moss
This independently made British film is an insightful tale about construction worker Stevie (Robert Carlyle) who tries to get rid of his past as he strives for respectability. Like many of his coworkers, Stevie hates the bosses and contractors who do not provide safe working conditions. One day, Stevie finds a lost purse and returns it to the owner who is aspiring singer Susan (Emer McCourt). They fall in love and move in together–for awhile. And the story goes back and forth between problems at the construction site and more problems in Stevie's love life.
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 Sweet Sixteen 2002 R, 106 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Ken Loach
Cast: Martin Compston, Annmarie Fulton, William Ruane, Michelle Abercromby, Michelle Coulter, Gary McCormack, Tommy McKee, Calum McAlees, Robert Rennie, Martin McCardie, Robert Harrison, George McNeilage, Rikki Traynor, Jon Morrison, Junior Walker
His mother is about to be released from prison, and Liam (Martin Compston) wants to get enough money to buy an old trailer for them to live in. So, he decides to push drugs, which proves to be a bad choice as matters turn ugly.
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The Wind That Shakes the Barley 2006 N/R, 127 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Ken Loach
Cast: Cillian Murphy, Padraic Delaney, Liam Cunningham, Gerard Kearney, William Ruane, Mary O'Riordan, Mary(2) Murphy, Frank Bourke, Laurence Barry, Miles Horgan, Martin Lucey, Orla Fitzgerald
Two years before the Irish Civil War of 1922, Damien (Cillian Murphy) has graduated from medical school in Ireland and is ready to train at a London hospital. Meanwhile, his brother Teddy (Padraic Delaney) is an Irish loyalist who wants the British out of Ireland. Just before leaving for London, Damien witnesses violence by the British Black and Tans, abandons his medical career, and joins Teddy in the fight for freedom. A truce comes–but not for long. This time when war resumes, brother is pitted against brother when Damien continues to fight for a totally free Ireland while Teddy supports the Irish Free State movement.
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| 1. Bread and Roses (2000)
2. Carla's Song (1996)
3. Family Life (1971)
aka: Wednesday's Child
4. A Fond Kiss (2004)
5. Hidden Agenda (1990)
6. My Name Is Joe (1998)
7. The Navigators (2001)
8. Raining Stones (1993)
9. Riff-Raff (1990)
10. Sweet Sixteen (2002)
11. The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006)
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