Posts by Gino Sassani

"Finn Wallace. He believed in people. He believed in giving opportunities to the disadvantaged. He gave. He supported. He did so much for all of us. All of you. My father was taken from us on the streets of London. And now London will deliver to us those who took him. Finn Wallace. He's still here. He's in me."

Except that Finn Wallace was a crime lord, and he ruled the other criminal gangs in London with an iron hand. He may indeed be dead, but with Gangs Of London created by Gareth Evans, that's really just the beginning of the story. It's a complex story with only 10 episodes to deliver for a first season. Just how well are those stories told? That's also a complicated question.

"In a very real sense, we are all aliens on a strange planet. We spend most of our lives reaching out and trying to communicate. If during our whole lifetime, we could reach out and really communicate with just two people. We are all indeed very fortunate."

- Gene Roddenberry 

I should confess from the beginning that I am a very dedicated Star Trek fan.

"Friends, The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office Department are pleased to cooperate in the production of Code 3 in the interest of crime prevention and rehabilitation. During the production of the Code 3 films a deputy sheriff is present at all times to assure you of the authenticity in our stories." 

That was the postscript offered by L.A. County Sheriff Eugene W. Biscailuz at the end of each of the 39 half-our episodes of Hal Roach, Jr.'s Code 3. The series only lasted a season and has become somewhat of an obscure production that wasn't even mentioned in several early publications of books dedicated to prime time history. I have to say I had never heard of it before it was offered for review.

I have often found foreign comedy films a bit dry. Comedy can be so specific to culture that it rarely translates the way it might be understood or perceived in its native language and culture. The same is often true of poetry. Something gets lost in either the translation or the lack of a common experience. There are exceptions to these films. I've found that the most successful way to make sure your comedy jumps language and cultural boundaries is to avoid the jokes. Let the comedy come through in the situations, actions, and body language of the performers. Because the one thing that crosses all human experiences is the human experience itself. Don't try so much to be funny. It doesn't even have to be foreign. Don't you hate it when you watch a movie that the cast and crew obviously thought was rolling on the floor funny and you just didn't get it?

"Welcome to the unlimited possibilities of the Quantum."

It's a somewhat near future, and airport baggage handler Ray (Imperial) is in need of more money. He doesn't have the new Quantum computer, and he discovers that he isn't able to access accurate data on the net because everyone is now using the new format. He also has a brother Jamie (Howard) who is suffering from Omnia, which is a disease that makes you tired all of the time. It's considered by many to be fake, and "clinics" have popped up to treat the disease with odd ... and very expensive treatments. It's a scam, and Ray has bought into it. So he's going to need money.