“The room was filled with people to overflowing,” says Father Frank. (Photo by Rokosz Most)įather Frank says he was told the meeting had the highest attendance in the history of the common council. (L-R): Sarah Cunningham, Kim Touchette, Leslie Gallagher and Madre Filomena Servellon.

“The council passed and I signed a memorializing resolution for Kingston to be designated a ‘welcoming and inclusive community,” explains Kingston mayor Steve Noble, “The resolution reaffirmed to the community that each and every person who lives here will be treated with dignity and respect, and that our local law enforcement would not put local taxpayer dollars into immigration-related civil enforcement.” The Ulster Immigrant Defense Network table. Declaring one’s intent not to cooperate with federal authorities brings with it substantial financial penalties.

The resolution the common council came up with didn’t go quite that far. “At one point, very early on,” says Father Frank, “I thought, how the hell am I going to stay on top of all of this?” Or when he remembers when the services of the Ulster Immigrant Defense Network (UIDN), the organization he helped found, became so sought after that it brought him to a moment of self-doubt. “You don’t get up one morning and say, I’m gonna leave the country I was born and raised in, where everything was familiar to me, and move somewhere else where I don’t know the language, where I don’t know anything, just for the hell of it.” When he gets worked up and curses, he uses the word hell as a placeholder, an amusing choice for a Catholic priest.įather Frank explains his opinion on the motivation of immigrants. Recalling examples of injustice or holding up for admiration examples of brave human beings, he get gets a little teary-eyed. He’s got silver hair, large hands and speaks with an earnest demeanor. Strangeland isn't a bad film, but considering the concept, it makes you wonder how much potential this flick really had.Father Frank Alagna (Photo by Dion Ogust)įather Frank Alagna looks taller than he is, but it could be his black jacket and trousers. The film does possess something worth mentioning, Dee Snider as the villain. However, I still enjoyed the film, even though the plot was imperfect, and the cast were so-so. If Dee Snider would have spent time rewriting a second draft, then maybe we would have had something very memorable on our hands.

There are some very interesting ideas at work here, but the script clearly suffers from being underdeveloped. I was very much surprised and I really didn't think it was that bad. There's nothing truly remarkable about this one, except if you're looking for an underrated B movie, then check this film out. There's an inventive plot in its somewhat sketchy script, and it works well enough for its 90 minute run time. Although not perfect, I felt that Strangeland wasn't as bad as what every critic has said. The film has a dark, moody, melancholic atmosphere which adds to the tone of story. In a way that's what makes him appealing. Snider's character is eccentric, bizarre and psychotic who says stuff that really doesn't make any sense.

The acting is fairly decent, never anything good but definitely not as bad as what many critics have said. Although Snider's ideas are a bit rough, there are still plenty of good things going for the film. This is an underrated film that has a unique concept. Strangeland which is written by Heavy Metal musician Dee Snider of Twisted Sister fame.

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