News

A podcast on the origin story of radio has been righting some wrongs in radio’s historical record, as it celebrates its hundredth episode.

The British Broadcasting Century Podcast retells the BBC’s origin story, and along the way has found forgotten pioneers behind some of today’s most-loved genres. Many of these overlooked names are female or regional broadcasters.

‘It seems that men from London wrote the history books,’ said podcast host Paul Kerensa, a comedy writer and broadcaster for today’s BBC, including co-writing BBC1’s Not Going Out and presenting Radio 2’s Pause for Thought and Radio 4 Extra’s Daily Service - the world's longest-running religious programme. ‘It’s about time we set the (gramophone) record straight.'

New research for the podcast – not made by the BBC, but independently and solely by Kerensa – includes:

Britain’s first disc jockey was Gertrude Donisthorpe in summer 1917, yet...

The star presumably had one eye on the paycheque in this by-the-numbers thriller about a debt collector punching and shooting his way to bloody revenge

Antonio Banderas is a class act but there’s only so much class he can reasonably be expected to supply. Taking what was presumably an attractive paycheque, Banderas stars in a movie whose essential personality could only be appreciated if Blockbuster Video were to be brought back to life, just for one week, so this could be placed in the straight-to-video bin next to every till.

Veteran screenwriter W Peter Ilff (who co-wrote Point Break) has dug this one out of his desk drawer and Australian adman-turned-film-maker Richard Hughes directs. Banderas plays ’Cuda (short for Barracuda), a careworn Miami debt collector and ex-con, working for Estelle (Kate Bosworth), scary club owner and mob boss. He is estranged from the teen daughter who despises him and,...

Stars: Antonio Banderas, Kate Bosworth, Mojean Aria, Alexis Ren, Zolee Griggs, Natalie Burn, 2 Chainz, Mark Rhino Smith, Luke Bouchier, Aaron Cohen | Written by W. Peter Iliff | Directed by Richard Hughes

Not to be confused with the Clint Eastwood Enforcer (1976) or the Humphrey Bogart Enforcer (1951), this cheap and cheerful crime thriller stars Antonio Banderas as a strong-arm man who turns against his employers. As such, it’s entirely watchable and made with a degree of style, but it’s also predictably generic and occasionally laughable in its simplicity.

The Enforcer opens with one of those prologue sequences that immediately gives away the ending, as Banderas’ Cuda (short for Barracuda) reflects on what brought him to his current blood-soaked state. The rest of the story is then told in flashback, with Cuda taking new enforcer Stray under his wing, while working for slinky Miami mob boss Estelle.

Meanwhile, frustrated by his...

Mojean Aria recently returned to Australia to star in Noora Niasari’s debut feature, 'Shayda', acting alongside recent Cannes best actress winner Zar Amir-Ebrahimi. He'll also be seen soon in the Richard Hughes-directed 'The Enforcer', alongside Antonio Banderas, and 'The Last Manhunt' with his 'See' co-star, Jason Momoa.

The post Mojean Aria on returning to Australia for ‘Shayda’, working with Antonio Banderas in ‘The Enforcer’ appeared first on If Magazine.

Miami kingpin Estelle (Kate Bosworth) is looking for insurance. Not because she doesn’t trust her usual muscle Cuda (Antonio Banderas) anymore, but because she’s not sure how much time he has left in the tank let alone how well he’s going to adapt to a world running on online currency. Stuck in jail for a decade, his return is therefore just in time to train his replacement: a street fighter named Stray (Mojean Aria) who makes a living always battling above his weight class. The assumption is that he already has what it takes physically to handle himself when collecting Estelle’s taxes from the gangsters and lowlifes operating in her territory. So, if he learns even a fraction of Cuda’s patience and experience, he’ll turn out just fine.

Director Richard Hughes and screenwriter W. Peter Iliff ensure we know Stray isn’t necessarily built for that world,...

Kate Bosworth and 2 Chainz, the latter making his feature acting debut, have joined Antonio Banderas in Millennium’s crime thriller The Enforcer.

Richard Hughes is on board as director for the project, which is being sold at the Cannes virtual market.

Written by Peter Iliff, the story follows an enformer who discovers his femme fatale boss is now engaged in cybersex trafficking. This puts a young runaway at risk and the enforcer must now put everything on the line to safe the girl from the crime organization he has spent his life working for.

Banderas is the enforcer while Bosworth is the femme fatale....

Richard Hughes to direct from screenplay by W. Peter Iliff.

Kate Bosworth and rap star 2 Chainz have joined Antonio Banderas on Millennium Media’s noir thriller The Enforcer ahead of a sales launch at the virtual Cannes market.

Millennium Media is producing and anticipates a strong response from global buyers. Richard Hughes will direct from a script by W. Peter Iliff, whose career credits include Point Break, Patriot Games, and Varsity Blues.

Producing The Enforcer are Rob Van Norden, Yariv Lerner, Jeffrey Greenstein, Jonathan Yunger and Les Weldon of Millennium Media, and Natalie Burn of Born to Burn Films.

Richard Hughes to direct from screenplay by Point Break and Patriot Games writer W. Peter Iliff.

Millennium Media has dropped a hot project into the virtual Cannes market, announcing that it is producing and will kick off talks with global buyers on noir thriller The Enforcer starring Antonio Banderas.

Richard Hughes will direct from a screenplay by Point Break and Patriot Games writer W. Peter Iliff. Rob Van Norden, Yariv Lerner, Jeffrey Greenstein, Jonathan Yunger, and Les Weldon of Millennium Media are producing alongside Natalie Burn of Born to Burn Films. Executive Producers for Millennium Media are Avi Lerner, Boaz Davidson,...

Why Watch? This short film from Richard Hughes is sweat and gristle. It’s the cinematic equivalent of a fist. Yet like most outstanding explorations of manhood, Man proves the power and pure muscle are not enough to make you whole. It focuses on a middle-aged sheep shearer who’s one bad afternoon away from being sent to pasture. He takes a young kid under his wing, trying to teach him to stay on the right path, but the young troublemaker has the unfortunate solution to the old man’s problem in a tiny plastic bag. Man is aggressive and unrelenting — with evocative shots that place us firmly in the dirt and heat of the barn to a storming performance from a feral Shane Connor as the old man. He growls his way through a forced paternal role, anchored by strident frustration and a too big piece of himself that wants to do the right thing. There...