Uneven Ground

Soon after the liberation of Italy in 1945, Roberto Rossellini broke new cinematic ground on the war-torn streets of Rome by filming his incredible Open City, about the life-affirming struggles of ordinary Roman citizens who defied fascist forces. Forced to use whatever film stock he could salvage and to use amateurs to fill in necessary roles, Open City stands as an historic landmark—an introduction to a new film movement termed Italian neo-realism. Significantly, it also marks the first time Federico Fellini ever worked on a film: He had been approached by a chance meeting with the elder Rossellini. Because of the immediate post-war conditions in ravaged Rome, Rossellini was forced to use whatever resources he could muster to make any film at all, considering he had a total budget of only $20,000. The rough cinéma vérité appearance achieved in Open City, with its natural lighting and uneven film stock, was more due to economic and pragmatic considerations than it was a deliberate attempt to found the new Italian art form of neo-realism. (John Nesbit)

Wong Jing's latest effort is a bizarre gangster comedy that flirts with also being a psychological thriller, before settling into more comfortable triad territory. Nick Cheung plays Fai, a triad hitman coming to the end of a 30-year stretch in the big house for slaughtering 20 rival gang members in a street fight. Upon release, Fai and his trusty sidekick Little Fai, return to their old stomping ground of Mongkok only to discover that the entire district been renovated and rejuvenated beyond recognition, and his old gang are eagerly awaiting his help to settle a territory dispute.

Friends is an American sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which ran on NBC from September 22, 1994 to May 6, 2004. The series revolves around a group of friends in the borough of Manhattan, New York City. The series was produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television. The original executive producers were Crane, Kauffman and Kevin S. Bright, with numerous others being promoted in later seasons.