tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1217613546076245972024-02-21T13:13:51.875+07:00Wise Kwai's Bangkok Cinema SceneWise Kwaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00462741207572023832noreply@blogger.comBlogger415125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-121761354607624597.post-35890624133660717922016-06-23T11:46:00.000+07:002016-06-23T11:46:12.324+07:00Bangkok Cinema Scene: Movies opening June 23-June 29, 2016<span style="font-size: 21px; font-weight: bold;">Elvis and Nixon</span><br />
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A bizarre intersection of American pop culture and politics is recounted in <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2093991/"><b>Elvis and Nixon</b></a>, which stars Michael Shannon as the King of Rock 'n' Roll and Kevin Spacey as Tricky Dick.<br />
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It's <a href="http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/when-elvis-met-nixon-69892425/?no-ist">the story of a famous photograph</a> taken in the Oval Office in 1970, in which the President shakes hands with the King, and Presley asked to be sworn in as a special undercover agent of the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, and to be given a badge.<br />
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Other stars in the indie comedy-drama include the ever-reliable Colin Hanks, plus Alex Pettyfer, Johnny Knoxville, Evan Peters, Tracy Letts and Tate Donovan.<br />
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<a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/elvis_and_nixon_2016/">Critical reception</a> is mostly favorable.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1628841/">Independence Day: Resurgence</a></b> – Twenty years after the first <b>Independence Day,</b> director Roland Emmerich gets most of the band back together for another epic of special-effects-driven global destruction. Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, Judd Hirsch and Brent Spiner are among the returnees with Will Smith among the notables not appearing. This is imagined as a reboot of the <b>ID</b> franchise and could be the first of a trilogy. However, early <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/independence_day_resurgence">critical reception</a> is not so good so far.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2980210/">A Hologram for the King</a></b> – Colin Hanks' dad is a down-and-out businessman who takes a gamble on landing a big deal with Saudi Arabia's monarch, who envisages a massive economic development rising up from the nothingness of the desert. The stressed-out exec has a panic attack, and is nursed back to health by a Saudi woman (Sarita Choudhury from <b>Homeland</b>), and the two hit it off in a taboo star-crossed romance. The story is based on a novel by Dave Eggers, who also wrote the screenplay. Tom Tykwer (<b>Run Lola Run</b>, <b>Cloud Atlas</b>) directs. <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/a_hologram_for_the_king/">Critical reception</a> is mixed.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1837636/">Queen of the Desert</a></b> – Nicole Kidman portrays <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gertrude_Bell">Gertrude Bell</a> in this historical drama, chronicling the achievements of the intrepid British explorer, diplomat and writer in the Middle East in the late 1800s and early 1900s. James Franco, Damian Lewis and Jenny Agutter are among the other stars, along with Robert Pattinson, who plays Colonel T.E. Lawrence. It's the first feature in six years from the veteran writer-director <a href="https://twitter.com/WernerTwertzog">Werner Herzog</a>. Sadly, <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/queen_of_the_desert/">critical reception</a> is generally negative.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5662932/">Raman Ragav 2.0</a></b> – Nawazuddin Siddiqui portrays a serial killer who preyed on citizens in 1960s Mumbai, using a steel rod to smash victims' heads to bits. Vicky Kaushal also stars. It's in Hindi with English and Thai subtitles at Major Cineplex Sukhumvit, Rama III and Pattaya. Opens Friday.<br />
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The <a href="http://bangkokcinemas.blogspot.com/2016/06/bangkok-cinema-scene-special-european.html">European Union Film Festival</a> is under way at CentralWorld. I covered the offerings in a special post last week. The opening film, the terrific <b>Tale of Tales</b>, unfortunately won't be repeated during the festival, but it has been picked up by the small Thai distributor Mono Film, and hopefully it will soon get a decent general release. There are also screenings at the usual places I cover here, <a href="http://www.fgc.in.th/">the Friese-Greene Club</a> and <a href="http://www.afthailande.org/">Alliance Francaise</a>. But I'm not going into details about those because ...<br />
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<span style="font-size: 21px; font-weight: bold;">Take note</span><br />
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I am cutting things short this week in order to say farewell.<br />
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It's been my pleasure to bring you news of new movie releases and film events in Bangkok these past several years, but now it is time for me to shift my focus to other matters besides what's playing in Bangkok cinemas.<br />
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I leave you with an urging to get out and watch films in the cinema, and please support Bangkok's handful of independent theaters – <a href="http://www.houserama.com/">House</a> and <a href="http://www.apexsiam-square.com/home.asp">Lido</a> and especially <a href="http://wisekwai.tumblr.com/">the Scala</a>.<br />
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Thanks for reading.Wise Kwaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00462741207572023832noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-121761354607624597.post-14410706185022960682016-06-17T20:09:00.001+07:002016-06-20T00:38:30.503+07:00Bangkok Cinema Scene special: European Union Film Festival, June 23-July 3, 2016<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Sixteen films from 13 countries will screen for the general public in the long-running annual <a href="http://www.sfcinemacity.com/index.php/en/promotion-detail/European-Union-Film-Festival-2016">European Union Film Festival</a>, starting next week at SF World Cinema at CentralWorld.<br />
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This year, the festival takes the theme “Look to the Past, See the Future”. Highlights include <b>The Broken Circle Breakdown</b>, a Belgian film that was a 2014 nominee for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, Finland’s <b>The Fencer</b>, a Cold War drama that was a Golden Globe nominee, and <b>Victoria</b>, an innovative German crime drama that won three awards at the Berlin film fest and has been noted for its cinematography.<br />
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Other films hail from the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Hungary, Sweden, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal and Spain.<br />
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There’s also a hidden 17th film from another country, Italy, which offers a one-off, invitation-only opening-night screening next Wednesday of <b>Tale of Tales</b>, a horror-fantasy from noted director Matteo Garrone and starring Salma Hayek.<br />
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Here is the line-up for the general public:<br />
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<li><b>The Broken Circle Breakdown</b> – Belgium’s Oscar-nominated drama takes its title from the American bluegrass music that brings together two musicians, a young man and woman, who have a daughter they name Maybelle. Tragedy then strikes.</li>
<li><b>Family Film</b> – In this 2015 black comedy from the Czech Republic, a mum and dad take off for a vacation, inexplicably leaving their children and the family dog to fend for themselves.</li>
<li><b>The Sunfish</b> – A third-generation Danish fisherman struggling to hold on to his livelihood finds unlikely romance when he invites a marine biologist aboard his vessel. This won many prizes, including Denmark’s 2014 Bodil Awards for best actor and supporting actress for Henrik Birch and Susanne Storm.</li>
<li><b>Silent Heart</b> – A second entry from Denmark has three generations of a family reuniting amid conflict as their ailing mother wants to die before her illness worsens. Directed by Bille August, it won many prizes including best film at the 2015 Bolid Awards.</li>
<li><b>The Fencer</b> – The award-winning Finnish drama is set in 1950, with a young man trapped between his World War II past and the future of Estonia as his country comes under control of the Soviet Union.</li>
<li><b>Standing Tall</b> – A French judge (Catherine Deneuve) and a schoolteacher (Benoit Magimel) take up the cause of putting a juvenile delinquent (Rod Paradot) on the straight and narrow. It was a major nominee for this year’s Cesar Awards, with Magimel winning best supporting actor and newcomer Paradot named most promising actor.</li>
<li><b>The Sweet Escape</b> – In another French entry, a middle-aged graphic designer seeks to change his urban lifestyle and takes up kayaking.</li>
<li><b>The People vs Fritz Bauer</b> – Germany’s embattled Nazi hunter, the attorney general Fritz Bauer, comes under attack after he covertly approaches Israel’s spy service for help in tracking down Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann. It was a nominee for several German Film Awards, and won best film.</li>
<li><b>Victoria</b> – Winner of the Berlin Silver Bear for cinematography, this German thriller was shot in one eye-popping continuous take, and follows a young Spanish woman, a newcomer to Berlin, as she is befriended one night by four young men who turn out to be criminals.</li>
<li><b>Afterlife</b> – A neurotic young man encounters the ghost of his father and the two form a bond that seemed impossible when the man was alive. From Hungary, this 2014 comedy-drama was nominated for prizes in Karlovy Vary and Palm Springs.</li>
<li><b>Bikes vs Cars</b> – Sweden offers a documentary look at how bicycles stack up against other forms of transport in such cities as Los Angeles, Toronto, Sao Paulo and Copenhagen.</li>
<li><b>Baby (a) lone</b> – Luxembourg’s official submission to the Oscars has troubled teenagers, a boy and girl, who meet in a school-detention programme and form a bond as they take out their frustrations with society.</li>
<li><b>Finn</b> – A boy and his father, both mourning the loss the boy’s mum, who died in childbirth on Christmas Eve, find solace in music and religious symbolism. From the Netherlands, this family drama was a nominee for the Crystal Bear at the 2014 Berlin film festival.</li>
<li><b>Jack Strong</b> – Poland offers a taut Cold War thriller about top Polish military official Ryszard Kuklinski, who became a spy for the US, spilling Warsaw Pact secrets in a bid to keep his country safe. Marcin Dorocinski stars, along with Patrick Wilson as Kuklinski’s CIA handler.</li>
<li><b>The Wolf’s Lair</b> – Portuguese filmmaker Catarina Mourao lifts the covers off her family’s tragic past in this documentary, in which she seeks to unravel the secrets and mysteries of her family during Portugal’s dictatorship.</li>
<li><b>Truman</b> – A terminally ill man is visited by an old friend, and the two set out for one last adventure, accompanied by the man’s loyal pet dog.</li>
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The European Union Film Festival opens to the general public next Thursday and runs until July 3 at SF World Cinema at CentralWorld in Bangkok. The festival will then be held from July 8 to 17 at SFX Maya Chiang Mai and from July 21 to 24 at SF Cinema City, CentralPlaza Khon Kaen.<br />
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Films will have English and Thai subtitles. Tickets are Bt120 in Bangkok, Bt80 in Chiang Mai and free in Khon Kaen.<br />
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The schedule can be <a href="http://www.sfcinemacity.com/index.php/th/promotion-detail/European-Union-Film-Festival-2016-Showtime">found online</a>. For more details, check <a href="http://www.sfcinemacity.com/index.php/en/promotion-detail/European-Union-Film-Festival-2016">www.SFCinemaCity.com</a>.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(<a href="http://www.nationmultimedia.com/life/EU-past-and-future-30288325.html">Cross-published in The Nation</a>)</span>Wise Kwaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00462741207572023832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-121761354607624597.post-67761161397420036892016-06-16T11:32:00.002+07:002016-06-23T04:44:28.059+07:00Bangkok Cinema Scene: Movies opening June 16-22, 2016<span style="font-size: 21px; font-weight: bold;">Distance</span><br />
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Three award-winning Asian indie directors – Tan Shijie from Singapore, Xin Yukun from China and Sivaroj Kongsakul from Thailand – each take a crack at directing Taiwanese actor Chen Bo-lin in <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4907174/combined"><b>Distance</b></a><br />
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The three-segment drama has the actor in different roles in stories that explore the notion of "distance" and what it means in our societies.<br />
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The producer behind this ambitious indie project is Anthony Chen, the Singaporean filmmaker who won much acclaim for his 2013 drama <b>Ilo Ilo</b>. He's helped out by Thai producer Aditya Assarat, who also wrote one of the segments.<br />
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<b>Distance</b> previously was the opening entry in the Golden Horse Film Festival in Taipei.<br />
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It's in Chinese with English and Thai subtitles at SF World Cinema CentralWorld, SFX Cinema Central Rama 9 and SFX Cinema Maya Chiang Mai. Rated 15+<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3799694/">The Nice Guys</a></b> – Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe team up for this buddy comedy that is a throwback to a bygone era of Hollywood comedies. Set in 1970s Los Angeles, the neo-noir story has a down-on-his-luck private eye (Gosling) getting help from a self-employed enforcer (Crowe) in investigating the mysterious death of a porn star. Shane Black, the cult-figure screenwriter of <b>Lethal Weapon</b>, co-wrote the script and directs. <a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_nice_guys/">Critics love it</a>. Rated 15+<br />
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1489889/"><b>Central Intelligence</b></a> – And Thai movie distributors and cinema chains double down on buddy comedies, with this one starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Kevin Hart. Johnson is a former fat kid who was bullied in school. He grew up musclebound and became a CIA agent. He attends his high-school reunion while claiming to be on secret mission. He and a motor-mouthed classmate (Hart) get up to adventures while they foil a terror plot. The director is Rawson Michael Thurber, who previously helmed the comedy masterpiece <b>Dodgeball</b> as well as <b>We're the Millers</b>. <a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/central_intelligence/">Critical reception</a> is just starting. Rated G<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2277860/">Finding Dory</a></b> – After more than a decade of enduring the endless pestering of talk-show host and comedian Ellen DeGeneres to make a sequel to 2003's <b>Finding Nemo</b>, animators at Disney-Pixar finally gave up and made Ellen a movie featuring her forgetful blue tang fish Dory. She starts to have flashbacks to her family, and enlists her clownfish friends Marlin and Nemo to help her. She's then captured and taken to a marine research facility, where she has to make new friends to help her in her quest. Albert Brooks is back as the voice of Marlin with other voice talent including Ed O'Neill, Idris Elba, Dominic West and many others. <a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/finding_dory/">Critics</a> have all drunk the Pixar Kool-Aid. It's in 3D in some cinemas, including IMAX. Rated G<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4434004/">Udta Punjab</a></b> – Four characters – a rock star, a migrant labourer, a doctor and a cop – fight the menace of drugs. Shahid Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor, Alia Bhatt and Diljit Dosanjh star. In Hindi with English and Thai subtitles at Major Cineplex Sukhumvit, Rama III and Pattaya. Opens Friday.<br />
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<span style="font-size: 21px; font-weight: bold;">Also showing</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/silentfilmthailand/"><b>The Third Silent Film Festival in Thailand</b></a> – One of the earliest vampire films, 1922's <b>Nosferatu</b> opens the festival at 8 tonight at the Scala. Live musical accompaniment will be by German composer and multi-instrumentalist Gunter A. Buchwald, with percussion by Thai classical musician Anant Nark-kong. Tickets are 200 baht. The fest then shifts over to the Lido for screenings from Friday until Wednesday. Tickets are 120 baht. They are all great films and are worth seeing on the big screen with live musical accompaniment – it is an experience that can only be had in the cinema. The line-up was profiled in <a href="http://bangkokcinemas.blogspot.com/2016/06/bangkok-cinema-scene-special-third.html">a special post last week</a>. For further details, check check <a href="http://www.fapot.org/">www.Fapot.org</a> or <a href="http://www.facebook.com/silentfilmthailand">www.Facebook.com/silentfilmthailand</a>.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.sfcinemacity.com/index.php/th/promotion-detail/Singapore-Film-Festival-2016">Singapore Film Festival</a></b> – The third annual Bangkok showcase of Singaporean cinema gets underway today at SF World Cinema at CentralWorld. Running until Sunday, the fest have five entries, ranging from 1997's <b>12 Storeys</b> to last year's SG50 celebration <b>7 Letters</b>. It was all covered in <a href="http://bangkokcinemas.blogspot.com/2016/06/bangkok-cinema-scene-special-singapore.html">a special post last week</a>. Tickets are free and will be handed out 30 minutes before the shows. For more details, check the <a href="http://www.sfcinemacity.com/index.php/th/promotion-detail/Singapore-Film-Festival-2016-Synopsis">SF cinemas' site</a>.<br />
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<b><a href="http://bangkokcinemas.blogspot.com/2016/06/bangkok-cinema-scene-bangkok-gay-and.html">Bangkok Gay and Lesbian Film Festival</a></b> – The second edition of the BGLFF continues until Sunday at the Quartier CineArt. Lots of worthwhile stuff. The line-up and schedule were detailed in <a href="http://bangkokcinemas.blogspot.com/2016/06/bangkok-cinema-scene-bangkok-gay-and.html">a recent special post</a>. Tickets are 160 baht and 180 baht. Please note that there are no ads before the shows, so the films are generally starting on time, at least that was the case when I attended last weekend.<br />
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<a href="http://fgc.in.th/"><b>The Friese-Greene Club</b></a> – American politics are still in focus tonight with <b>Recount</b>, an award-winning 2008 HBO drama about the 2000 presidential ballot recount in Florida. Kevin Spacey, Laura Dern, John Hurt and Denis Leary are among the stars. Tomorrow, it's Wong Kar-wai's drama of unrequited romance <b>In the Mood for Love</b>, which had Bangkok locations standing in for 1960s Hong Kong. And Saturday has a "not-so-classic" foreign film made in Thailand, <b>Sacrifice!</b>, a 1972 Italian cannibal horror that's also known as <b>The Man from Deep River</b>. And Sunday's film from 75 years ago is the Josef von Sternberg thriller <b>The Shanghai Gesture</b>. Next Wednesday is a documentary on U.S. politics, 1960's <b>Primary</b>, which recalls the Democratic nomination fight between JFK and Hubert Humphrey. Shows are at 8pm. The FGC is down an alley next to the under-renovation Queen's Park Imperial Hotel on Sukhumvit Soi 22. For more details, check the club's <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Friese-Greene-Club/371737282944797">Facebook page</a>.<br />
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<b><a href="http://afthailande.org/en/cultural-activities/cinema/">Alliance Française</a></b> – Tomorrow night's French film with Thai subtitles is <b>Il était une forêt</b> (<b>Once Upon a Forest</b>), a documentary by Luc Jacquet, who later did <b>March of the Penguins</b>. Next Wednesday's French film with English subtitles is <b>Alda et Maria</b> (<b>All Is Well</b>), in which a pair of teenage girls escape civil war in the Congo and land in Lisbon. Shows are at 7pm. Admission for the general public is 100 baht.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.fccthai.com/TheBulletin.html#1942">Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand</a></b> – The Contemporary World Film Series has one more movie this month, with <b>Le meraviglie</b> (<b>The Wonders</b>) at 7pm on Monday. An Italian-Swiss drama, it's about a family of beekeepers in the Tuscan countryside who have their quiet lives disrupted by the arrival of a troubled teenage boy and by a reality-TV crew. Directed by Alice Rohrwacher, it won the Grand Prize of the Jury at the Cannes Film Festival in 2014. Admission is 150 baht for non-members plus 100 baht for anyone wanting the wine and cheese laid on by the Swiss Embassy.<br />
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<span style="font-size: 21px; font-weight: bold;">Take note</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.houserama.com/">House cinema</a> is still closed for renovations. The place was to reopen today, but work is taking a bit longer than expected, now lasting until June 22.<br />
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The <a href="http://www.sfcinemacity.com/index.php/en/promotion-detail/European-Union-Film-Festival-2016">European Union Film Festival</a> kicks off next week at CentralWorld, running June 22 to July 3.<br />
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And the oddball <a href="https://www.facebook.com/thailandfilmdestination/">Thailand International Film Destination Festival</a> has finally got around to simply stating when it will take place. Drumroll please: July 4 to 13 at Paragon Cineplex.Wise Kwaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00462741207572023832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-121761354607624597.post-88952695533417000612016-06-10T17:48:00.004+07:002016-06-10T17:48:51.661+07:00Bangkok Cinema Scene special: The Third Silent Film Festival in Thailand, June 16-22, 2016<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Vampires, those fanged fiends who come out at night to suck our blood, have long been a staple of the silver screen, and one of the earliest examples of the genre, <b>Nosferatu</b>, will be the opening entry of the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/silentfilmthailand/">Third Silent Film Festival in Thailand</a>, next Thursday, June 16, at the Scala theatre in Bangkok’s Siam Square.<br />
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Directed by F.W. Murnau, the 1922 German Expressionist horror was an unauthorised adaptation of Bram Stoker’s <b>Dracula</b>. Names and details were changed when producers were denied the rights to the novel. So, for example, Count Dracula, as portrayed by German character actor Max Schreck, became Count Orlok. Stoker’s estate sued, and got a court to rule that all copies of the film should be destroyed. But just like vampires, <b>Nosferatu</b> was not so easily killed. And the film stands today as a masterpiece of cinema and an influential landmark in the horror genre.<br />
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Put on by the <a href="http://www.fapot.org/th/home.php">Film Archive (Public Organisation) Thailand</a>, the Silent Film Festival will feature eight other films, including more examples of German Expressionism, from the master himself, Murnau, and others.<br />
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Among them will be Murnau’s <b>The Last Laugh</b>, about an elderly hotel doorman who feels disgraced after he’s put in charge of cleaning the washroom. Also from Murnau is his first Hollywood effort, 1927’s <b>Sunrise</b>, which many cinephiles consider one of the best of the silent era. It’s about a social-climbing farmer who falls in love with a city woman and attempts to murder his wife.<br />
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And the German slate is further filled out with 1925’s <b>Variety</b>, which depicts romance between high-flying circus acrobats. It’s directed by E.A. Dupont, whose <b>Piccadilly</b> was a hit with crowds at last year’s Silent Film Festival.<br />
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Sure to strike a chord with local audiences is a gender-bending 1921 German adaptation of <b>Hamlet</b>. Starring Danish actor Asta Nielsen and directed by Svend Gade and Heinz Schall, this version imagines what it would have been like if Hamlet was born female and disguised as a male to preserve the family’s lineage.<br />
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French film heritage is acknowledged in two entries, the romantic comedy <b>Two Timid Souls</b> from 1928, which was the last silent film by the French master Rene Clair, and 1920’s <b>The Swallow and the Titmouse</b> by Andre Antoine. Remarkably, <b>The Swallow and the Titmouse</b> spent 63 years on the shelf, unedited, before film editor Henri Colpi discovered more than six hours of footage. A World War I saga of families who operate river barges, Colpi trimmed the epic down to a tight 79 minutes.<br />
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Following on from the Silent Film Fest’s focus on early Hitchcock two years ago, there’s another example of the early British thriller, 1928’s <b>Shooting Stars</b>, directed by Anthony Asquith. It’s the twisting story of a film star falling in love with an actress whose married to another actor.<br />
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And no Silent Film Festival would be complete without an effort by one of the icons of the silent era – Buster Keaton. Paying tribute to the ever-daring comedy actor, who died 50 years ago this year, will be his laugh-filled western <b>Go West</b> from 1925. It’s the story of a hapless city slicker who lands a job on a cattle ranch.<br />
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<b>Cue the music</b><br />
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A key component of the Silent Film Festival in Thailand is live musical accompaniment. As has been done in the past two years, world-renowned musicians who are experts in silent film are brought in just for the fest.<br />
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Performing on opening night will be German composer and multi-instrumentalist <a href="http://www.stummfilmmusiker.de/en/">Gunter A. Buchwald</a>. Acclaimed as a “world class improviser”, Buchwald has been performing with silent films since 1978, adding musical flourishes to more than 2,900 screenings.<br />
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He’ll alternate shows with Tama Karena, a New Zealander who has been the director of music at the Chinese International School in Hangzhou, China. He previously taught music in Hong Kong and at the New International School of Thailand. Kerena’s performances include the <a href="http://www.cinetecadelfriuli.org/gcm/">Pordenone Silent Film Festival</a> in Italy, which is the world’s top silent-film showcase.<br />
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Making opening night with <b>Nosferatu</b> at the Scala even more special will be the addition of Thai classical musician Anant Nark-kong, who will add traditional bamboo percussion to the accompaniment of Buchwald.<br />
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The Third Silent Film Festival in Thailand runs from June 16 to 22 at the Apex theatres in Siam Square.<br />
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The opening-night show <b>Nosferatu</b> will be at the Scala. Tickets are 200 baht. All other shows will be at the Lido, where tickets are 120 baht. Tickets are available now at the Lido box office.<br />
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For the schedule and more details, check <a href="http://www.fapot.org/">www.Fapot.org</a> or <a href="http://www.facebook.com/silentfilmthailand">www.Facebook.com/silentfilmthailand</a>.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(<a href="http://www.nationmultimedia.com/life/VAMPIRES-and-variety-30287746.html">Cross-published in The Nation</a>)</span>Wise Kwaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00462741207572023832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-121761354607624597.post-20588827611674294392016-06-10T17:45:00.004+07:002016-06-10T17:45:49.681+07:00Bangkok Cinema Scene special: Singapore Film Festival, June 16 to 19, 2016<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Classics and more-recent entries from Singapore’s resurgent cinema movement will screen next week in the <a href="http://www.sfcinemacity.com/index.php/th/promotion-detail/Singapore-Film-Festival-2016">Singapore Film Festival</a> at SF World Cinema at CentralWorld.<br />
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The Singapore Embassy’s third annual Bangkok showcase of the city-state’s cinematic offerings will have five films, from 1997’s <b>12 Storeys</b> to last year’s omnibus <b>7 Letters</b>, which was made to honor the 50th anniversary of Singaporean independence.<br />
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Others are the 2007 musical comedy <b>881</b>, the 2015 thriller <b>1965</b> and the brand-new drama <b>Long Long Time Ago</b>.<br />
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The classic <b>12 Storeys</b> serves as an introduction to Singaporean cinema and culture, with three interweaving tales that are set in one of the city-state’s ubiquitous Housing Development Board (HDB) apartment blocks. Directed by leading Singaporean filmmaker Eric Khoo, the characters include a fumbling middle-aged husband and his gold-digging young bride, an upright and a young man left in charge of his troublesome teen sister and baby brother, and a lonely, depressed young woman and her domineering, overly critical mother. Much acclaimed, <b>12 Storeys</b> won the best film prize at the Hawaii International Film Festival.<br />
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Royston Tan brings the cheer with <b>881</b>, a colorful, fun-filled musical comedy about the Papaya Sisters, a glitter-bedecked duo who race around the city performing epic song-and-dance numbers on the <i>getai</i> concert circuit. The childhood friends find themselves at odds as they are challenged by a flashier rival act, the Durian Sisters. Tan’s musical was Singapore’s submission to the Oscars and was a nominee for make-up and costume design at Taiwan’s prestigious Golden Horse Film Festival.<br />
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Singapore’s beginnings are reflected in a pair of dramas, <b>1965</b> and <b>Long Long Time Ago</b>.<br />
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Directed by Randy Ang, <b>1965</b> has a Chinese girl abducted and racial tensions coming to a boil in the months leading up to Singapore’s separation from Malaysia.<br />
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<b>Long Long Time Ago</b> spans the 50 years from 1965 to 2015, following a family as they move from the city-state’s mostly vanished <i>kampong</i> villages to an HDB flat. It’s a heartfelt and nostalgic dramatic effort from director Jack Neo, who is better known for his hit comedies, such as <b>Money No Enough</b> and <b>I Not Stupid</b>.<br />
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Finally, there’s <b>7 Letters</b>, which features the work of Khoo, Tan and Neo, plus noted documentary filmmaker Tan Pin Pin, cult genre-film director Kelvin Tong and up-and-coming indie filmmakers Boo Junfeng and K. Rajagopal. The seven-segment film represents “love letters” to Singapore, with stories of its diverse people, lost love, identities, inter-generational family issues, unlikely neighbours and traditional folklore.<br />
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The Singapore Film Festival runs from June 16 to 19 at SF World Cinema at CentralWorld. Films will have English and Thai subtitles. Tickets are free and will be handed out 30 minutes before the shows. For the schedule and other details, check <a href="http://www.sfcinemacity.com/index.php/th/promotion-detail/Singapore-Film-Festival-2016-Synopsis">www.SFCinemacity.com</a>.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(<a href="http://www.nationmultimedia.com/life/Singapore-by-the-numbers-30287749.html">Cross-published in The Nation</a>)</span>Wise Kwaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00462741207572023832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-121761354607624597.post-40970312179270990722016-06-09T10:39:00.001+07:002016-06-09T16:31:34.229+07:00Bangkok Cinema Scene: Movies opening June 9-15, 2016<span style="font-size: 21px; font-weight: bold;">Where to Invade Next</span><br />
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Though it seems like he never really went away, Michael Moore returns from a hiatus of around six years with <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4897822/"><b>Where to Invade Next</b></a>, in which he turns his eyes to progressive European countries and elsewhere to find examples of social policies that could turn troubled America around, and really, really make it great.<br />
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The documentary premiered at last year's Toronto International Film Festival, and <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/where_to_invade_next/">critical reception</a> has been generally positive.<br />
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<b>Where to Invade Next</b> is the latest in the Doc Holiday series of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DocumentaryClubTH/">The Documentary Club</a> and SF Cinemas.<br />
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Shows are at SF World Cinema at CentralWorld, SFX The Crystal Ekamai-Ramindra, SFC The Crystal Ratchapruek and SFX Maya Chiang Mai. Some of the screenings at CentralWorld will be accompanied by talks by various Thai advocacy groups.<br />
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For further details, please check <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DocumentaryClubTH/">The Documentary Club Facebook page</a> or <a href="http://booking.sfcinemacity.com/">SF's bookings website</a>. Rated G<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3110958/">Now You See Me 2</a></b> – The quartet of outlaw illusionists known as "the Four Horsemen" are in Macau, where they are tasked by a tech prodigy (Daniel Radcliffe) with stealing a powerful computer chip. Meanwhile, the FBI agent (Mark Ruffalo) tasked with finding the Four Horsemen pursues a personal case – taking revenge on a jailed magic debunker (Morgan Freeman). Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson and Dave Franco reprise their roles as the magician-thieves from the first film, joined this time around by Lizzy Caplan, who takes over for Isla Fisher, who had to bow out due to pregnancy. Other stars include Jay Chou and Michael Caine. Jon M. Chu (<b>Step Up 2: The Streets</b>, <b>G.I. Joe: Retaliation</b>) directs. <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/now_you_see_me_2/">Critical reception</a> is mixed. Rated 15+<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3065204/">The Conjuring 2</a></b> – Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga take another outing as Ed and Lorraine Warren, the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_and_Lorraine_Warren">American ghost-hunting couple</a> who documented the "Amityville horror" and other paranormal events. In <b>Conjuring 2</b>, they head to England, to look into the case of the <a href="http://www.historyvshollywood.com/reelfaces/conjuring-2-enfield-poltergeist/">Enfield poltergeist</a>. Franka Potente, Frances O'Connor, Simon McBurney and David Thewlis also star. James Wan, helmer of those <b>Saw</b> and <b>Insidious</b> movies, directs. <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_conjuring_2/">Critical reception</a> is generally positive. This was in sneak previews last week and now moves to a general release. Rated 15+<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3894404/">The Faith of Anna Waters</a></b> – Demonic possession grips us. In Singapore, an American journalist (Elizabeth Rice) is seeking answers about the purported suicide of her sister. With help from her brother-in-law (Matthew Settle), she uncovers links to many mysterious deaths that point to an apparent demonic entity. This is billed as <a href="http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/filmmaker-kelvin-tong-in/2783150.html">Singapore's first "Hollywood" supernatural thriller</a> and is directed by Kelvin Tong, a well-known Singaporean director whose previous efforts include the 2005 horror <b>The Maid</b> and the Hong Kong action thriller <b>Rule No . 1</b>. It's at Major Cineplex. Rated 15+<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4814290/">Te3n</a></b> – Amitabh Bachchan is a grandfather who for eight years has been on a quest for justice over the kidnapping and murder of his granddaughter. Ignored by the cops, he gets help from a former cop who is now a priest (Nawazuddin Siddiqui). Vidya Balan also stars. It's a remake of the 2013 South Korean thriller <b>Montage</b>. It's in Hindi With English and Thai subtitles at Major Cineplex Sukhumvit, Rama III, Pattaya and EGV Mae Sot. Opens Friday.<br />
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<b><a href="http://bangkokcinemas.blogspot.com/2016/06/bangkok-cinema-scene-bangkok-gay-and.html">Bangkok Gay and Lesbian Film Festival</a></b> – The second edition of the BGLFF opens tomorrow night with <b>Tomcat</b>, an Austrian drama that won the top-prize Teddy Award in Berlin this year. With many award-winning, much-acclaimed films, the entire lineup was profiled in <a href="http://bangkokcinemas.blogspot.com/2016/06/bangkok-cinema-scene-bangkok-gay-and.html">a special blog post last week</a>. I'm most interested in seeing the Filipino entry, <b>Miss Bulalacao</b>, an indie comedy about a drag performer who becomes pregnant. Another one is <b>Nasty Baby</b>, directed by and starring Chilean filmmaker Sebastian Silva. It's about a gay couple trying to have a baby, with help from a surrogate mother (Kristen Wiig, in a dramatic turn). The fest, which runs until June 19, is at the Quartier CineArt, and tickets can be purchased through <a href="http://www.majorcineplex.com/news/bangkok-gay-lesbian-film-festival-2016">the Major Cineplex website</a>. Films will have English and Thai subtitles. For more details, check <a href="http://www.facebook.com/BGLFF">www.Facebook.com/BGLFF</a> or <a href="http://attitudethai.com/s/bglff">Attitudethai.com/s/bglff</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://fgc.in.th/"><b>The Friese-Greene Club</b></a> – With the U.S. presidential race locking into focus, American politics are on the minds of barstool pundits at the Club, which tonight has Jay Roach's 2012 HBO comedy-drama <b>Game Change</b>, which recalls the 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. Tomorrow, it's <b>The Killing Fields</b>, the Oscar-winning drama about Cambodia's "Year Zero", as seen through the eyes of translator-reporter Dith Pran (played by Haing S. Ngor) and New York Times reporter Sidney Schanberg (Sam Waterson). It was filmed in Thailand and is part of a line-up of "classics" made here. Saturday has "not-so-classic" movies made in Thailand, with 1976's <b>Emanuelle in Bangkok</b>. Sunday has 1941's <b>The Little Foxes</b>, directed by William Wyler and starring Bette Davis. Next Wednesday is a documentary on American politics, 2005's <b>Our Brand is Crisis</b>, about American political operators working on a Bolivian presidential campaign. It was recently adapted into a comedy with Sandra Bullock and Billy Bob Thornton. Shows are at 8pm. The FGC is down an alley next to the under-renovation Queen's Park Imperial Hotel on Sukhumvit Soi 22. For more details, check the club's <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Friese-Greene-Club/371737282944797">Facebook page</a>.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.fccthai.com/TheBulletin.html#1943">Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand</a></b> – Violence against women is in focus in two Academy Award-winning short documentaries from Pakistan at the FCCT at 7pm on Monday as part of the Contemporary World Film Series. From 2012, <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2140371/">Saving Face</a></b> deals with acid attacks. The short film follows a London-based plastic surgeon as he travels to Pakistan to perform facial-reconstruction surgery. And from 2015 is <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5144072/"><b>A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness</b></a>, which profiles a young woman who survived an "honor killing" by her father and uncle. She ran into conflict in Pakistani society for not forgiving the men. Both shorts are courtesy of SOC Films. Admission for non-members is 150 baht. Take note that there will be another entry in the Contemporary World Film Series, <b>Le Meraviglie</b> from Switzerland, on June 20.<br />
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<b><a href="http://afthailande.org/en/cultural-activities/cinema/">Alliance Française</a></b> – There are three French film events this week. Tomorrow night's French film with Thai subtitles is <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2234543/combined"><b>Un château en Italie</b></a> (<b>A Castle in Italy</b>) in which a dysfunctional industrialist family is forced to sell their home in Italy. Saturday has a matinee for the kids, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1828229/combined"><b>Les contes de la nuit</b></a> (<b>Tales of the Night</b>), which has distinctive animator Michel Ocelot weaving together various fantastic stories. And next Wednesday's French film with English subtitles is <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3223302/combined">Les châteaux de sable</a></b> (<b>Sand Castles</b>), in which a young woman returns to her family home after her father's death and is reunited with an ex-lover. Shows are at 7pm except for the 2pm Saturday matinee. Admission for the general public is 100 baht.<br />
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<span style="font-size: 21px; font-weight: bold;">Take note</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/silentfilmthailand/">The Silent Film Festival in Thailand</a> has issued its schedule, and will open with <b>Nosferatu</b> on Thursday, June 16, at the Scala. This is a change from the previous two editions of the festival, which had the Scala gala screening as the closing event. Tickets go on sale at the Lido tomorrow, which coincidentally is the 119th anniversary of the first film screening in Thailand, which was on June 10, 1897. I will aim to have a special post on the Silent Film Fest very soon.<br />
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Also next week is the Singapore Film Festival at CentralWorld. <a href="http://www.sfcinemacity.com/index.php/th/promotion-detail/Singapore-Film-Festival-2016-Synopsis">Details of the films</a> and <a href="http://www.sfcinemacity.com/index.php/th/promotion-detail/Singapore-Film-Festival-2016">the schedule</a> are now online at SF Cinema's website. The five-film lineup ranges from 1997's <b>12 Storeys</b> to last year's much acclaimed seven-segment omnibus <b>7 Letters</b>.<br />
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And the long-running annual European Union Film Festival <a href="http://www.sfcinemacity.com/index.php/en/promotion-detail/European-Union-Film-Festival-2016">has posted its lineup</a>, which includes <b>Tale of Tales</b>, the latest effort from Italian director Matteo Garrone, which stars Salma Hayek. The fest runs from June 22 to July 3 at SF World.Wise Kwaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00462741207572023832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-121761354607624597.post-53607575618096389262016-06-03T19:13:00.002+07:002016-06-07T16:31:21.398+07:00Bangkok Cinema Scene special: Bangkok Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, June 10-19, 2016<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Twelve films, many of them award winners, which deal with lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender themes from 10 countries will be shown at the Quartier CineArt during the second edition of the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BGLFF">Bangkok Gay and Lesbian Film Festival</a>. It’s organised by <a href="http://attitudethai.com/s/bglff">Attitude magazine</a>.<br />
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With the theme “Love Wins”, the BGLFF opens next Friday with <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5432188/combined">Tomcat</a></b>, an Austrian drama that earned accolades at this year’s Berlin International Film Festival. The story of an orchestra musician and his boyfriend who live with their pet cat, <b>Tomcat</b> won the Berlinale’s best feature Teddy Award, a prize given by an independent jury to films with LGBT topics.<br />
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And the Teddy Award audience prize from this year’s Berlinale, <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5096628/combined">Paris 05:59</a></b>, is the BGLFF’s closing entry. It follows a young gay couple as they meet in a Paris bathhouse and pursue a relationship into the early morning hours.<br />
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In a move to boost the festival’s visibility, organisers have chosen a new venue, shifting from the hidden-away Esplanade Ratchadaphisek to the ritzy Quartier CineArt in the Em Quartier downtown.<br />
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“Last year was the first year for the Bangkok Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, and we were really happy with the turn-out. All sorts of people came out to support us and our films,” says organiser Marut “Nume” Prasertsri, a senior writer at Attitude magazine. “This year we’re working hard to increase the visibility of the festival to non-LGBT audiences. The films we’ve picked are all quality, well-made films with a wide appeal. We’re looking forward to sharing them with a broad audience of people, not just LGBT folks.”<br />
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Along with the prize-winning opening and closing films, Marut suggests a French entry, the lesbian romance <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4080768/combined">Summertime</a></b> (<b>La Belle Saison</b>) as one film the “straights” might embrace. Set in 1971, it’s the story of a young woman from the countryside who moves to Paris and is attracted to a strong-willed older feminist, who then follows the girl back to her farm. “Non-LGBT folk will better understand what it means to grow up different and they’ll enjoy the romance scenes,” says Marut.<br />
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Several of the films in the BGLFF are from Asia, such as Japan’s <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4883758/combined">A Cappella</a></b> (<b>Mubansô</b>), which takes place during campus protests in 1969 Sendai. South Korea offers a documentary, <b><a href="https://www.berlinale.de/en/archiv/jahresarchive/2016/02_programm_2016/02_Filmdatenblatt_2016_201608098.php">Weekends</a></b>, about a gay men’s choir in Seoul. Directed by Lee Dong-ha, it placed third in the Panorama Audience Awards at Berlinale this year.<br />
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Further Asian themes are explored in <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5254640/combined">Spa Night</a></b>, in which a young Korean-American man struggles to reconcile his obligations to his immigrant family with his life in the underground world of gay hookups at Korean spas in Los Angeles. <b>Spa Night</b> star Joe Seo won the Special Jury Award for Breakthrough Performance at Sundance.<br />
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And there’s an award-nominee from India, <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5050788/combined">Loev</a></b>, about a businessman who heads out of town with an old friend, leaving behind problems with his boyfriend in the city. It was up for prizes at festivals in Jeonju, South Korea, and at the Black Nights of Talliin in Estonia.<br />
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The Asean bloc is represented by <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5232282/combined">Miss Bulalacao</a></b>, a quirky independent comedy about a drag princess who gets pregnant following an alien abduction. He is elevated to the status of a cult leader following rumours of immaculate conception. Directed by Ara Chawdhury, <b>Miss Bulalacao</b> won the festival prize at Manila’s Cinema One Originals Digital Film Festival and best first feature from the Philippines Young Critics Circle.<br />
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Latin American flavor comes in two entries, <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4721400/combined">From Afar</a></b>, from Venezuela and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2260850/combined"><b>Four Moons</b></a> from Mexico. Winner of the top-prize Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival last year, <b>From Afar</b> is about a 50-year-old man who pays for the companionship of young men. A meeting with the teenage leader of a street gang changes their lives forever. <b>Four Moons</b>, which won prizes in Montreal, Monterrey and Barcelona, has four stories of gay desire, love and self-acceptance.<br />
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And there are high-profile offerings from the U.S. and Canada, with <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3121332/combined">Nasty Baby</a></b>, which has Chilean actor-director Sebastian Silva working with Tunde Adebimpe in a story about a gay couple trying to have a baby with the help of a surrogate mum, played by former <b>Saturday Night Live</b> star Kristen Wiig. They have a violent run-in with a thug (Reg E. Cathey from <b>The Wire</b>).<br />
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And <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3638396/combined">Closet Monster</a></b> won the best Canadian feature film award and other prizes at the Toronto festival last year. Directed by Stephen Dunn, it’s the dramatic coming-of-age story of a high-school teen who dreams of being a special-effects makeup artist and finds new inspiration.<br />
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The Bangkok Gay and Lesbian Film Festival runs from June 10 to 19 at the Quartier CineArt at the EmQuartier mall. Films will have English and Thai subtitles. For more details, check <a href="http://www.facebook.com/BGLFF">www.Facebook.com/BGLFF</a> or <a href="http://attitudethai.com/s/bglff">Attitudethai.com/s/bglff</a><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(<a href="http://www.nationmultimedia.com/life/SEXUALITY-on-screen-30287222.html">Cross-published in The Nation</a>)</span>Wise Kwaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00462741207572023832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-121761354607624597.post-74374341517539506622016-06-02T09:50:00.000+07:002016-06-02T13:32:32.729+07:00Bangkok Cinema Scene: Movies opening June 2-8, 2016<span style="font-size: 21px; font-weight: bold;">Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows</span><br />
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The pizza-loving martial-arts heroes in half-shells are back to save New York in <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3949660/">Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows</a></b>, which involves the emergence of a mysterious purple ooze that turns humans into animals.<br />
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Returnees from the 2014 entry in the franchise include Megan Fox as reporter April O'Neil and Will Arnett as her wisecracking cameraman. Stephen Amell from TV's <b>Arrow</b> joins the cast as the hockey-masked vigilante Casey Jones, and Tyler Perry is a new villain, the mad scientist who created the ooze.<br />
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<a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/teenage_mutant_ninja_turtles_out_of_the_shadows/">Critical reception</a> is just beginning to register. It's in 3D in some cinemas, including IMAX. Rated G<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2674426/">Me Before You</a></b> – A quirky young woman takes a job as a caretaker to a wealthy young man, embittered after he is paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair. Emilia Clarke from TV's <b>Game of Thrones</b> stars, along with Sam Claflin. It is based on a novel by British writer JoJo Moyes, who also wrote the screenplay. <a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/me_before_you/">Critical reception</a> is mixed. This opened in sneak previews over the weekend and now moves to wider release. Rated G<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2091935/">Mr. Right</a></b> – Sam Rockwell and Anna Kendrick topline this indie-leaning comedy about a heartbroken young woman who falls for a stranger who turns out to be a hitman with a sense of justice. Tim Roth also stars along with Anson Mount, James Ransone and RZA. The script is by up-and-coming screenwriter Max Landis, son of former leading Hollywood figure John Landis. Max's previous credits include <b>Chronicle</b> and <b>Victor Frankenstein</b>. <a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/mr_right_2016/">Critical reception</a> is mixed. Rated 15+<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3451230/">High Strung</a></b> – A street-busking violinist (musician-actor Nicholas Galitzine) falls for a classically trained ballerina (Keenan Kampa) and they decide to work together to take part in a big dance competition. <a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/high_strung_2016/">Critical reception</a> is mixed. Rated G<br />
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<b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4slsKEbY9LI">Timeline Next Gen</a></b> (<b>Timeline เพราะรัก..ไม่สิ้นสุด 2, Timeline Pror Rak .. Mai Sin Sut Song</b>) – This is a followup to a 2013 indie gay romance, offering more stories of couples of various ages. Rated 15+<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4559046/">Housefull 3</a></b> – In London, three young men set out to impress the protective father of three wealthy and attractive daughters. This is the third entry in a hit Bollywood comedy franchise headed by Punjabi superstar Akshay Kumar, following the first in 2010 and the second in 2012. Other stars are Abhishek Bachchan, Riteish Deshmukh, Jacqueline Fernandez, Nargis Fakhri, Lisa Haydon and Boman Irani. It's in Hindi With English and Thai subtitles at Major Cineplex Sukhumvit, Rama III and Pattaya. Opens Friday.<br />
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<a href="http://fgc.in.th/"><b>The Friese-Greene Club</b></a> – June's schedule focuses strongly on American politics with documentaries and dramas on Wednesday and Thursday. There are also foreign films made in Thailand, with classics on Friday and "not so classic" on Saturday. This is a run-up to the upcoming <a href="https://www.facebook.com/thailandfilmdestination">Thailand International Film Destination Festival</a>, which focuses on foreign films made in Thailand. Sunday focuses on classic films made 75 years ago. Tonight, it's the first in a series of political dramas, <b>Ides of March</b>, with Ryan Gosling as a political operative who becomes disillusioned after he catches his candidate (George Clooney, who also directed) in a scandal and cover-up. The place is closed tomorrow for a private event, but is back open to general membership on Saturday with <b>Emmanuelle</b>, the infamous soft-core erotic film made in Thailand that was the first in a series of many. Sunday has Hitchcock's <b>Suspicion</b>, starring Cary Grant. Shows are at 8pm. The FGC is down an alley next to the under-renovation Queen's Park Imperial Hotel on Sukhumvit Soi 22. For more details, check the club's <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Friese-Greene-Club/371737282944797">Facebook page</a>.<br />
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<b><a href="http://afthailande.org/en/cultural-activities/cinema/">Alliance Française</a></b> – Tomorrow night's French film with Thai subtitles is <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3062242/">Mon âme par toi guérie</a></b> (<b>One of a Kind</b>), in which a man who has inherited his mother's gift of a healing touch wants nothing do with it. And next Wednesday's French film with English subtitles is <b><a href="http://cinema.arte.tv/fr/article/dans-loeil-de-bunuel-documentaire-de-francois-levy-kuentz-revoir-pendant-7-jours">Dans l'œil de Buñuel</a></b>, a made-for-TV documentary on the influential Spanish filmmaker. The shows are at 7pm. Admission for the general public is 100 baht.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.fccthai.com/TheBulletin.html#1941">Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand</a></b> – American politics are also on the minds of members of the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand and the FCCT's Contemporary World Film Series, which will screen Steven Spielberg's Academy Award-winning <b>Lincoln</b> at 7pm on Monday, June 6. Daniel Day-Lewis stars, giving a remarkable, Oscar-winning performance as America's 16th president as he cuts backroom deals with his Cabinet and Congress to ensure his legacy – the passage of the emancipation proclamation. The screening is courtesy of the U.S. Embassy, which will provide snacks and wine. Entry for non-members is 150 baht plus 100 baht for the snacks. The Contemporary World Film Series will have three shows this month, with Oscar-winning Pakistani short films on June 13 and the Swiss film <b>Le Meraviglie</b> on June 20.<br />
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<span style="font-size: 21px; font-weight: bold;">Sneak preview</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3065204/"><b>The Conjuring 2</b></a> – Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga take another outing as Ed and Lorraine Warren, the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_and_Lorraine_Warren">real-life American ghost-hunting couple</a> who documented the "Amityville horror" and other paranormal encounters. In <b>Conjuring 2</b>, they head to England, to look into the case of the <a href="http://www.historyvshollywood.com/reelfaces/conjuring-2-enfield-poltergeist/">Enfield poltergeist</a>. Franka Potente, Frances O'Connor, Simon McBurney and David Thewlis also star. James Wan, helmer of those <b>Saw</b> and <b>Insidious </b>movies, directs. <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_conjuring_2/">Critical reception</a> is ghostly, so far. It's screening from around 8 nightly from Saturday until Wednesday in most multiplexes, ahead of the wider release next week.<br />
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<span style="font-size: 21px; font-weight: bold;">Take note</span><br />
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There is yet another film fest coming up – the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/EUinThailand/posts/1011109625610785">European Union Film Festival</a> at SF World Cinema at CentralWorld from June 22 to July 3. Tickets will be Bt120.<br />
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That's in addition to previously announced events:<br />
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<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/BGLFF/">Bangkok Gay and Lesbian Film Festival</a>, June 10-19, Quartier CineArt</li>
<li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/silentfilmthailand/">The Third Silent Film Festival in Thailand</a>, June 16-22, Apex Siam Square.</li>
<li><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8Z-fLP685NFVVJvakRfWmZPWk93NWxOT0s1MEtxUG12X1dj/view?usp=sharing">Singapore Film Festival in Bangkok</a>, June 16 to 19, SF World.</li>
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There will also be the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ThaiFilmArchive">Thai Film Archive</a>'s screening series in honor of His Majesty the King's 70th anniversary of accession, beginning in July, and the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/thailandfilmdestination/">Thailand International Film Destination Festival</a>, also in July. I hope to have details on those events soon.<br />
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Also, as mentioned in last week's post, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/houseRCA/photos/a.197680775803.167614.139827235803/10153995448440804/?type=3">House cinema on RCA is closed until June 15</a>. The 12-year-old boutique twinplex has become worn in places and is undergoing much-needed sprucing up.Wise Kwaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00462741207572023832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-121761354607624597.post-63832730121238361042016-05-26T09:50:00.000+07:002016-05-26T09:50:53.051+07:00Bangkok Cinema Scene: Movies opening May 26-June 1, 2016<span style="font-size: 21px; font-weight: bold;">Money Monster</span><br />
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Fresh from the Cannes Film Festival, <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2241351/">Money Monster</a></b> is former child star Jodie Foster's fourth effort in the director's chair.<br />
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The loaded cast boasts George Clooney and Julia Roberts, with Clooney as a brash TV financial guru and Roberts the producer who is always in his ear. They are held hostage during a live broadcast by a disgruntled man (Jack O'Connell from <b>Unbreakable</b>) who lost his life savings after he followed the guru's advice. The captor then forces the pair to get to the bottom of a deeper financial conspiracy. Dominic West, Giancarlo Esposito and Caitriona Balfe also star.<br />
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This is the biggest and first major studio-backed effort for Foster as a director. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, and Foster <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIC82Dz_UMg">did the rounds</a> of all the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjilmCbz_u8">talk shows</a>, promoting the film and offering her recollections on working on such films as <b>Taxi Driver</b> and <b>Silence of the Lambs</b>.<br />
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<a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/money_monster/">Critical reception</a> is mixed, with the consensus being it doesn't go quite deep enough. Rated 15+<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1172049/">Demolition</a></b> – Jake Gyllenhaal is a Wall Street investment banker who goes off the deep end after his wife is killed in a car wreck, and he copes by dismantling everything in his life. An encounter with a problematic vending machine prompts him to send a complaint letter, which begins a series of confessional correspondence with a sympathetic customer-service rep (Naomi Watts). Chris Cooper also stars. It's directed by Jean-Marc Vallée, who previously earned accolades for his work on <b>Dallas Buyers Club</b> and <b>Wild</b>. <a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/demolition_2016/">Critical reception</a> is mixed. It's in most multiplexes, including Apex, Century, Major Hollywood and SF, but not Major Cineplex, a development I'm told is because of a conflict between the country's biggest cinema chain and a small distributor. Rated 13+<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2368619/">Bastille Day</a></b> – Idris Elba from TV's <b>The Wire</b> and <b>Luther</b> has had a busy season so far, lending his voice to Disney for <b>The Jungle Book</b> and <b>Zootopia</b>. Now the <b>Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom</b> star is back in front of the camera, offering his try-out to be the next James Bond in the gritty action thriller <b>Bastille Day</b>, which has the imposing British actor as a CIA agent in Paris. He's on the trail of a conspiracy that ropes in an American pickpocket (Richard Madden, the erstwhile King of the North from <b>Game of Thrones</b>). It's written and directed by James Watkins, who previously directed <b>The Woman in Black</b> and wrote <b>The Descent: Part 2</b>. <a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bastille_day/">Critical reception</a> is mixed. Rated 15+<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0803096/">Warcraft: The Beginning</a></b> – The <b>World of Warcraft</b> fantasy online video game is adapted for the screen, with the human realm of Azeroth coming under attack from the Horde of Orcs. Duncan Jones, son of David Bowie, directs, moving into big-budget special-effects-laden fare following his well-received low-budget indie sci-fi debut <b>Moon</b> and the bit-bigger sci-fi thriller <b>Source Code</b>. His involvement alone is reason enough for me not to dismiss it outright. Following the pattern of other big Hollywood releases this summer, <b>Warcraft</b> is opening here a couple of weeks before it comes out in the U.S., giving the movie some breathing room in foreign territories. Nonetheless, early <a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/warcraft/">critical reception</a> is not so good. Rated 13+<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4042994/">If Cats Disappeared from the World</a></b> – Cute-cat movies are a sub-genre of Japanese cinema. The latest is about a young man having an existential crisis after he learns he is terminally ill. He is visited by a devil, who dangles the chance to keep living if he'll pick one thing to eliminate from the world. The drama is adapted from a novel that was first published in Japan on the Line social-messaging app. Takeru Sato (<b>Rurouni Kenshin</b>) and Aoi Miyazaki (<b>The Chart of Love</b>) star. It's in Japanese with English and Thai subtitles at Apex Siam Square, Esplanade Ratchadaphisek, House RCA, Major Cineplex Ratchayothin and SFW CentralWorld. Outside of the city, venues are EGV Khon Kaen, Major Cineplex Central Festival Chiang Mai, MVP Buri Ram and SFX Maya Chiang Mai. Rated G<br />
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<b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMaYV4kP4sU">Fathers</a></b> (<b>ฟาเธอร์</b>) – Gay couple Foon (Uttsada Panichkul) and Yuk (Nat Sakdatorn) face challenges when they adopt a little boy and the kid becomes teased at school for having two dads. They then come to the attention of a social worker (Sinjai Plengpanich), who advises the fathers to track down the child's birth mother. Rated 15+<br />
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<b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFjVsoXriFM">The Promise</a></b> (<b>คิดถึงครึ่งชีวิต</b>, <b>Kidthueng Khrueng Cheewit</b>) – A young man returns to his home in rural Chiang Mai after he fails his university entrance exams. He helps out around his mother's food shop while studying for a do-over of the exam, and then meets a young Japanese woman (Akiko Ozeki), in Chiang Mai as a magazine writer, and memories of the past come flooding back. Rated G<br />
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<a href="http://fgc.in.th/"><b>The Friese-Greene Club</b></a> – The month starts winding down tomorrow night with Peter Greenaway's best-known film, <b>The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover</b>, which really encapsulates everything that is Greenaway, with sudden violence, nudity and stylish eroticism. Saturday is classic Robert Altman, who has a sprawling cast in <b>Short Cuts</b>, an ambitious, interweaving adaptation of several short stories of Raymond Carver. And Sunday has one more Edward G. Robinson film, his final role, co-starring with Charlton Heston in the dystopian sci-fi <b>Soylent Green</b>. Shows are at 8pm. The FGC is down an alley next to the under-renovation Queen's Park Imperial Hotel on Sukhumvit Soi 22. For more details, check the club's <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Friese-Greene-Club/371737282944797">Facebook page</a>.<br />
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<b><a href="http://afthailande.org/en/cultural-activities/cinema/">Alliance Française</a></b> – Tomorrow night's French film with Thai subtitles is <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2795848/">Je fais le mort</a></b> (<b>Playing Dead</b>), in which a struggling actor takes a job playing victims in crime re-enactments. And June's schedule kicks off with next Wednesday's French film with English subtitles, <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3433632/">L'affaire SK1</a></b>, a fact-based crime drama about a young police inspector who makes connections that put him on the trail of a serial killer. The shows are at 7pm. Admission for the general public is 100 baht.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.fccthai.com/TheBulletin.html#1926">Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand</a></b> – Filipino director Brillante Ma Mendoza is a favorite of film festivals, winning many, many awards around the world. His latest triumph came at Cannes, with actress Jaclyn Jose from his <b>Ma' Rosa</b> <a href="http://entertainment.inquirer.net/195145/jaclyn-jose-wins-best-actress-at-cannes-for-ma-rosa-cannes-2016-filipino-philippines">winning best-actress</a>, the first Filipina to win that honor. Mendoza is also a favorite of the FCCT's Contemporary World Film Series, which has its next entry at 7pm on Monday with Mendoza's award-winning 2012 drama <a href="http://www.fccthai.com/TheBulletin.html#1927"><b>Thy Womb</b></a>, about a midwife who can't have children who wants her husband to remarry so he can become a father. Nora Aunor stars. Entry is 150 baht for non-members and 100 baht to partake in the gourmet popcorn and San Miguel laid on by the Embassy of the Philippines. June will have three more films in the series, with the U.S. Embassy offering up Spielberg's <b>Lincoln</b> on June 6, a pair of Pakistani short films on June 13 and the Swiss film <b>Le Meraviglie</b> on June 20.<br />
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<span style="font-size: 21px; font-weight: bold;">Sneak preview</span><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2674426/">Me Before You</a></b> – The Mother of Dragons from <b>Game of Thrones</b>, Emilia Clarke, ditches her blonde wig for Bjork buns and colorful leggings to take on the role of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manic_Pixie_Dream_Girl">manic pixie dream girl</a> in <b>Me Before You</b>, portraying a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJ0K99BAXYE">quirky young woman</a> who takes a job as a caretaker to a withdrawn wealthy young man (Sam Claflin) who is wheelchair-bound after an accident. It is based on a novel by British writer JoJo Moyes, who also adapted the screenplay. The film is possibly better known for its poster being used in the <a href="http://starringjohncho.com/">"Starring Jon Cho"</a> campaign, criticizing Hollywood's lack of diversity and imagining what it would be like if big Hollywood films had an Asian-American leading man. <a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/me_before_you/">Critical reception</a> is just starting to form. This is in nightly sneak previews from Saturday until Wednesday at most multiplexes, ahead of a general release next week.<br />
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House cinema on RCA <a href="https://www.facebook.com/houseRCA/photos/a.197680775803.167614.139827235803/10153980647580804/?type=3">will be closed from June 1 to 15</a> while some renovation and repair work is undertaken.<br />
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June and July are shaping up to be a very busy time for film enthusiasts, with the unveiling of more movie events.<br />
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Already mentioned is the <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/silentfilmthailand/">Silent Film Festival</a></b> from June 16 to 22 at the Lido and Scala.<br />
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Dovetailing with that will be the second edition of the <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/BGLFF/">Bangkok Gay and Lesbian Film Festival</a></b> from June 10 to 19 at the Quartier CineArt.<br />
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And as if that isn't enough, CentralWorld's SF World Cinema piles on with the third edition of the freebie <b><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8Z-fLP685NFVVJvakRfWmZPWk93NWxOT0s1MEtxUG12X1dj/view?usp=sharing">Singapore Film Festival in Bangkok</a></b> from June 16 to 19, which will screen five award-winning Singaporean features.<br />
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Heading into July, the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ThaiFilmArchivePage/?">Thai Film Archive</a> is formulating plans to start a series of screenings of films that were viewed in cinemas by His Majesty the King, starting with <a href="https://www.facebook.com/classic.santi.vina/"><b>Santi-Vina</b></a>, a 1954 feature that was <a href="http://thaifilmjournal.blogspot.com/2016/05/cannes-premiere-set-for-santi-vina-film.html">misplaced for 60 years</a>. It was rediscovered and restored and <a href="http://www.nationmultimedia.com/life/Resurrecting-a-legend-30286552.html">shown at the Cannes Film Festival</a>. <b>Santi-Vina</b> will open the series of classic films in celebration of the 70th anniversary of His Majesty's accession to the throne, with one film a month being shown until December. The venue for this film series is yet to be announced. It is a similar idea to the <b><a href="http://thaifilmjournal.blogspot.com/2012/05/see-movies-king-saw-in-seen-by-hmk.html">Seen by H.M.K.</a> </b>series the Archive put on in 2012.<br />
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Also in early July, there will be another edition of the Thailand Film Office's bizarre and unique <a href="https://www.facebook.com/thailandfilmdestination/"><b>Thailand International Film Destination Festival</b></a> at Paragon Cineplex, which will screen another oddball crop of little-seen foreign movies that were made in Thailand in recent years. That's in combination with the Amazing Thailand Film Challenge, a competition that jets in indie filmmakers to shoot short films in certain locations in just a few days with just a few baht.Wise Kwaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00462741207572023832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-121761354607624597.post-8683796626150246322016-05-19T10:36:00.001+07:002016-05-25T08:02:42.273+07:00Bangkok Cinema Scene: Movies opening May 19-25, 2016<span style="font-size: 21px; font-weight: bold;">X-Men: Apocalypse</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF0J0ksZYFgILRlsXcLgaH_Ee-4MFVOkH5P5ZLZk5FvDxBLpPv-ehiA1tEPjZj795BAJQlVYKoZTRpz3uENllwhzWHW8X1bz-jVcgS9UtUHGf7eQIr4udTH6EezXG-Hxil4lqDvH7h3GZz/s1600/xmen-apoc-thai.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF0J0ksZYFgILRlsXcLgaH_Ee-4MFVOkH5P5ZLZk5FvDxBLpPv-ehiA1tEPjZj795BAJQlVYKoZTRpz3uENllwhzWHW8X1bz-jVcgS9UtUHGf7eQIr4udTH6EezXG-Hxil4lqDvH7h3GZz/s400/xmen-apoc-thai.jpg" width="268" /></a></div>
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Comic-book-obsessed Hollywood turns the page to the <b>X-Men</b> franchise overseen by producer-director Bryan Singer and 20th Century Fox, with <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3385516/combined">X-Men: Apocalypse</a></b>, in a story that is set in 1983 and deals with the re-emergence of the immortal space-faring entity Apocalypse (Oscar Isaac), who was worshiped as a god in ancient Egypt. He's back with plans to reshape the world to suit his needs and rallies disaffected mutants to serve as his four horsemen, among them the disillusioned Magneto (Michael Fassbender).<br />
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To counteract the threat, the telepathic mind-reader Professor Xavier (James McAvoy) puts together his own team of superpowered mutants, under the leadership of his shape-shifting blue-skinned childhood friend and off-and-on enemy Mystique, now rechristened as Raven (Jennifer Lawrence). Somehow, in the battle, Professor X will lose his hair, taking on the shiny-domed appearance he's best known for.<br />
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Actors portraying the rookie supers include Nicholas Hoult, Olivia Munn, Evan Peters, Sophie Turner (from <b>Game of Thrones</b>), Tye Sheridan, Lucas Till, Kodi Smit-McKee and Alexandra Shipp. Hugh Jackman, the only constant in the <b>X-Men</b> movie-verse, is also expected to put in an appearance, which isn't a spoiler because they've been teasing the his character's claws in the trailers for months.<br />
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<b>X-Men: Apocalypse</b> is the third film in a rebooted franchise that began with <b>X-Men: First Class</b> in 2011 and then 2014's <b>X-Men: Days of Future Past</b>. It is under the banner of 20th Century Fox, and is thus mostly separate from the Disney-owned Marvel Cinematic Universe, even though those threads began to become intertwined with the MCU's <b>Deadpool</b> movie earlier this year.<br />
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<a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/x_men_apocalypse/">Critical reception</a> is mixed, making this not as good as <b>Captain America: Civil War</b> but perhaps not as bad as <b>Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice</b>. It's in 2D as well as <a href="http://www.slashfilm.com/x-men-apocalypse-3d-psylocke/">actual 3D</a> in some cinemas, <a href="http://www.imax.com/content/fox%E2%80%99s-x-men-apocalypse-launch-wide-internationally-imax-3d-starting-may-18">including IMAX</a>. Rated G<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3505682/">Bolshoi Babylon</a></b> – With yet another comic-book movie flooding theaters, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DocumentaryClubTH/">the Documentary Club</a> offers counter-programming with the release of an HBO Documentary Films feature from last year. <b>Bolshoi Babylon</b> exposes divisions in Russia's world-famous ballet troupe after its artistic director <a href="http://dancemagazine.com/news/filin-staying-on-at-the-bolshoi-heading-choreographers-workshop/">Sergei Filin</a> was hit by <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/stage/dance-blog/2016/jan/04/bolshoi-babylon-film-ballet-acid-attacks-sergei-filin-russia">an acid attack in 2013</a>. <a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bolshoi_babylon/">Critical reception</a> is generally positive. It's at SF World Cinema at Central World, SF Cinema The Crystal Ratchapruek, SFX The Crystal Ekamai Ram-Indra and SFX Maya Chiang Mai. For showtimes, please check <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DocumentaryClubTH/">the Documentary Club Facebook page</a> or <a href="http://booking.sfcinemacity.com/">SF Cinemas' bookings website</a>. Rated G<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3774802/">Pandemic</a></b> – Following the outbreak of a virus and the collapse of society, a doctor (Rachel Nichols) and her team head to Los Angeles with the hope of finding uninfected survivors. Alfie Allen (Reek from <b>Game of Thrones</b>), Missi Pyle and Mekhi Phifer also star. Like the recent <b>Hardcore Henry</b>, this is another film made in the first-person point-of-view style, similar to first-person-shooter video games and other media. <a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/771436221/">Critical reception</a> is mixed. This appears to be at SF cinemas, as well as Major Hollywood and Century but not Major Cineplex; it was earlier listed on the leading chain's website and app but seems to have been removed. Rated 18+<br />
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<b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqHnUB3VpW8">Serd</a></b> (<b>เทริด</b>) – The title means "crown", and alludes to the ornate headdress of the Manorah or Nora classical dance of southern Thailand. Singer-actor Ekachai Srivichai stars in and co-directs this drama. He portrays the ailing father of a young man named Singh (Paisan Khunnu) who rebels against family tradition and goes off to follow his dreams of being a pop musician. Singh then falls in love with Saithip (second runner-up Miss Universe Thailand 2015 Anchalika Na Phatthalung), a young woman who is a Manorah dancer. He is then inspired to return home and follow in his father's footsteps as a Nora master. Winai Kraibutr and Siwat Chotchaicharin also star, and Pakphum Wonjinda co-directs. Rated 15+<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5120640/">Sarbjit</a></b> – Injustices and rocky India-Pakistan relations are highlighted in this female-centered tale about an Indian farmer who, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarabjit_Singh">as the story goes</a>, had a bit too much to drink one night and strayed across the border into Pakistan, where he was captured, accused of spying and terrorism and sent to a prison's death row, where he languished for 23 years. Bollywood leading lady Aishwarya Rai sheds her usual glamorous looks to portray the man's sister Dalbir, who wages a decades-long campaign to clear her brother's name. Randeep Hooda also stars. It's directed by Omung Kumar, who previously did the biopic of Indian female boxer <b>Mary Kom</b>. It's in Hindi with English and Thai subtitles at Major Cineplex Sukhumvit, Rama III and Pattaya. Opens Friday.<br />
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<a href="http://fgc.in.th/"><b>The Friese-Greene Club</b></a> – Orson Welles Thursdays continue tonight with <b>Compulsion</b>, which has Welles in front of the lens as a lawyer defending law students in a murder case. Tomorrow's "Over-rated or Under-appreciated?" entry is Peter Greenaway's <b>A Zed and Two Noughts</b> while Saturday has Robert Altman's Hollywood satire <b>The Player</b>, which opens with one of the <a href="http://www.vulture.com/2014/10/9-long-movie-tracking-shots.html">best-regarded long tracking shots</a> in cinema history. Sunday, it's adventure on the high seas with Edward G. Robinson in Michael Curtiz' <b>The Sea Wolf</b>. Next Wednesday's Jim Jarmusch offering is the unusual and wryly entertaining <b>Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai</b>, which has Forest Whitaker as a mob hitman who adheres to the bushido code. It's one of my favorite movies. Shows are at 8pm. The FGC is down an alley next to the under-renovation Queen's Park Imperial Hotel on Sukhumvit Soi 22. For more details, check the club's <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Friese-Greene-Club/371737282944797">Facebook page</a>.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.bacc.or.th/event/Cinema-Diverse-Directors-Choice-2016-The-Female-Perspective-.html">Cinema Diverse: Director's Choice – The Female Perspective</a></b> – The Bangkok Art and Culture Center's <b>Cinema Diverse</b> begins a new season this Saturday with Soraya Nakasuwan leading off the first in a series of screenings of films chosen by Thai female filmmakers. Soraya made her breakthrough with the 2007 commercially released documentary <b>Final Score</b>, about schoolboys struggling to prepare for the crucial, life-changing university entrance exams. She has chosen <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4377864/"><b>The Pearl Button</b></a>, a nature documentary by Chilean director Patricio Guzmán, on the indigenous people of Chile’s remote Tierra del Fuego archipelago. “<b>The Pearl Button</b> tells the story of the history of Chile and how that history is profoundly intertwined with the ocean. Jemmy Button was a boy from a small island. He was one of the island's original inhabitants and he was sold in an exchange for a pearl button. Later he was unable to reconnect with his former identity upon returning to the island. The Pearl Button is presented like a film essay in narrative form with breath-taking and delicate cinematography,” says Soraya. Registration opens at 4pm with the show at 5pm on Saturday in the BACC's fifth-floor auditorium. Afterward, there will be question-and-answer time with Soraya, in Thai with English translation. Others taking part in the series are Wanweaw and Weawwan Hongvivatana on July 23, Pimpaka Towira on September 24 and Anocha Suwichakornpong on November 19.<br />
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<b><a href="http://afthailande.org/en/cultural-activities/cinema/">Alliance Française</a></b> – There is no Friday French movie with Thai subtitles this week because of the Visakha Bucha public holiday. Next Wednesday at 7pm, there's a French film with English subtitles, the 2015 romance <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4080768/">La belle saison</a></b> (<b>Summertime</b>), in which a French farmgirl moves to 1970s Paris and falls in love with a woman, a militant feminist schoolteacher. The next French film with Thai subtitles is on Friday, May 27. Admission for the general public is 100 baht.<br />
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Details are beginning to emerge about the third edition of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/silentfilmthailand/">the Silent Film Festival in Thailand</a>, which will have a 1922 adaptation of <b>Hamlet</b> as part of its program running from June 16 to 22 at the Lido and Scala cinemas in Siam Square.<br />
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Stay tuned also, for news of a local screening or screenings of <b>Santi-Vina</b>, a historic 1954 Thai romantic drama that was "lost" and resurfaced to be <a href="http://thaifilmjournal.blogspot.com/2016/05/cannes-premiere-set-for-santi-vina-film.html">shown this year at the Cannes Film Festival</a>.Wise Kwaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00462741207572023832noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-121761354607624597.post-23132461202997329452016-05-12T09:11:00.001+07:002016-05-12T16:59:26.444+07:00Bangkok Cinema Scene: Movies opening May 12-18, 2016<span style="font-size: 21px; font-weight: bold;">Embrace of the Serpent</span><br />
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The first film from the South American country of Colombia to be nominated for an Academy Award, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4285496/"><b>Embrace of the Serpent</b></a> is a look at the Amazon forest as seen through the eyes of a shaman and sole survivor of his tribe, in a story that tracks him over 40 years and covers his travels with two foreigner scientists who are searching for a sacred plant with psychedelic properties.<br />
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The story is based on the journals of German ethnologist Theodor Koch-Grunberg, who explored the Amazon in the early 1900s, and American botanist Richard Evans Schultes, who went there in the 1940s.<br />
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Filmed in glorious black and white, this rare motion picture is brought to cinemas by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/HALfilm/">HAL Film</a>, the indie distribution outfit that previously offered the unusual "foreign" films <b>White God</b> and <b>The Tribe</b>, and is determined to give movie-goers rewarding alternatives to the endless comic-book movies.<br />
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In addition to making the short-list of nominees for Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars, <b>Embrace of the Serpent</b> won the Art Cinema Award at the Cannes Film Festival, as well as accolades at Rotterdam, Sundance and many other fests. <a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/embrace_of_the_serpent/">Critical reception</a> is overwhelmingly praiseworthy.<br />
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It's in the original soundtrack with English and Thai subtitles at Esplanade Ratchada, House on RCA, Major Cineplex Ratchayothin, Paragon, SF World Cinema at CentralWorld and SFX The Crystal Ekamai Ram-Indra. Rated 15+<br />
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<span style="font-size: 21px; font-weight: bold;">Also opening</span><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0787524/">The Man Who Knew Infinity</a></b> – Dev Patel, the English-Indian actor who made his breakthrough in <b>Slumdog Millionaire</b> and was also featured on <a href="http://www.nationmultimedia.com/life/Now-the-news-gets-funny-30187330.html">the HBO series <b>The Newsroom</b></a>, stars in this fact-based biographical drama, portraying Srinivasa Ramanujan, the Indian mathematician who instinctively pioneered many theories despite having little formal training. The British production follows his rise from a humble upbringing in Madras to his acceptance into Cambridge University, where he encounters discrimination as he attempts to prove his theories. Ultimately, his genius is recognized and he becomes a close collaborator with fellow pioneering maths theorist G.H. Hardy, who is played by Jeremy Irons. Other stars include Toby Jones, Stephen Fry and Jeremy Northham. <a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_man_who_knew_infinity/">Critical reception</a> is mixed, leaning to positive. Rated 15+<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDGpdvob3Fr8Ip3AnCWkMqaRO0K2KFyUl1OOAU2EYGdZkuE5L5I_AyubVRSW-t7vmbjCKr_vl5sQr8SE9nHN6Ye6LKl4pBrWKx_uz03nFIJPZ6Pw949wWc44mVDDpqcSmiS2OmP1TUT78h/s1600/angrybirds-thai02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDGpdvob3Fr8Ip3AnCWkMqaRO0K2KFyUl1OOAU2EYGdZkuE5L5I_AyubVRSW-t7vmbjCKr_vl5sQr8SE9nHN6Ye6LKl4pBrWKx_uz03nFIJPZ6Pw949wWc44mVDDpqcSmiS2OmP1TUT78h/s400/angrybirds-thai02.jpg" width="282" /></a></div>
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1985949/">The Angry Birds Movie</a></b> – It's been seven years since the iPad time-waster rocketed to popularity. Now comes a movie that will further cement the addictive Finnish game's place in pop culture. The Sony Pictures Imageworks animated feature attempts to tell the origin story of the main angry bird, a feathered misfit named Red, who for some reason has a chip on his wings and is always angry. Assigned to attend an anger-management retreat, he becomes suspicious about the mysterious arrival of strange green pigs and struggles to rally the other birds against what he sees as an alien invasion. Jason Sudekis voices the main character with other voices provided by Josh Gad, Danny McBride, Maya Rudolph, Kate McKinnon, Sean Penn, Tony Hale, Keegan-Michael Key, Bill Hader and Peter Dinklage. This doesn't come out in the U.S. until next week, so the studios get a week to make bank in unsuspecting overseas territories without the benefit of <a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_angry_birds_movie/">mainstream critical reception</a>. It's in 3D in some cinemas. Rated G<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrzzIIfYH1Bsgzs0U8H0iHlDFX_48Fg6spU4oidzTLlihd6iTztg-eG7E7DZdVQ9WIHVReBSVt7thUGoYkwThyphenhyphenN5xZGYULXWtM4V6CkrD0r41ErQ_SZcIgGSYqJNJ-JNCxEsGxR76jji8e/s1600/equals-thai.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrzzIIfYH1Bsgzs0U8H0iHlDFX_48Fg6spU4oidzTLlihd6iTztg-eG7E7DZdVQ9WIHVReBSVt7thUGoYkwThyphenhyphenN5xZGYULXWtM4V6CkrD0r41ErQ_SZcIgGSYqJNJ-JNCxEsGxR76jji8e/s400/equals-thai.jpg" width="280" /></a></div>
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3289728/">Equals</a></b> – Two fine actors, Kristen Stewart and Nicholas Hoult, star in this science-fiction romantic thriller about youngsters who live in a society where emotions have been outlawed and love is strictly forbidden. Nonetheless, biology tends to override any genetic engineering and they are tragically drawn to each other. Other stars include Jacki Weaver and Guy Pearce. This does not come out in the U.S. until July, and <a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/equals_2016/">critical reception</a>, so far, is tepid. Rated 15+<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-7Eqeq6f6ZvDQnP2d_HRIEx5MVCj09p6HZbErywrSPmIMeABmUKfJ1dzKXKU0n43xUcJ592UcATew-xGZIvtav_mLIbvN6SgV5faseOMDVdcl8ocihYoT3JkxyoCHTScJReSRpIshE2qN/s1600/EmbracingKhemarat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-7Eqeq6f6ZvDQnP2d_HRIEx5MVCj09p6HZbErywrSPmIMeABmUKfJ1dzKXKU0n43xUcJ592UcATew-xGZIvtav_mLIbvN6SgV5faseOMDVdcl8ocihYoT3JkxyoCHTScJReSRpIshE2qN/s400/EmbracingKhemarat.jpg" width="280" /></a></div>
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<b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXOqYXDYvGI">Embracing Khemarat</a></b> (<b>อ้อมกอดเขมราฐ</b>, <b>Aom-Kod-Khemarat</b>) – Three loosely connected stories of romance take place in idyllic Khemarat, a small town in Ubon Ratchathani on the banks of the Mekong. They involve a young female physician who is posted to the local hospital and runs into cute conflict with the owner of a local coffee shop. Other stories have a young Lao immigrant woman who falls for a photographer and a "nerdy girl" who has attracted the eye of a quiet and shy schoolboy rock musician. Among the stars are Miss Thailand 2009 runner-up Kobkullaya Chuengprasertsri, who is an actual physician. Other stars are "Fluke" Teerapat Lohanan, "Palmy" Nantariya Namboon, "Tao" Phusin Warinrak, "Nong" Puttason Seedawan and "Golf" Anuwat Chucherdwattana. The film is written and produced by Dr Ritt Pokkrittayahariboon, a surgeon and businessman who settled in Khemarat and wanted to make a movie to promote the town and its attractions. <a href="http://www.nationmultimedia.com/life/The-doctor-is-in--30284361.html">The Nation</a> had a bit more about it. Rated 15+<br />
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4076934"><b>The Bodyguard</b></a> – The formidable martial-arts actor Sammo Hung, the "big brother" of Jackie Chan who is still best known in Thailand as Hung Chin Pao for his string of 1980s Hong Kong action films, is back in action in <b>The Bodyguard.</b> He's an ageing former lawman from Beijing who has retired to a border town. He takes up the cause of protecting an innocent neighbor girl and runs into conflict with Russian gangsters, making this essentially a Chinese remake of Denzel Washington's <b>The Equalizer</b>. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4076934/externalreviews">Critical reception</a> is mixed. It's Thai-dubbed in most places but has the Chinese soundtrack with English and Thai subtitles at the usual downtown multiplexes, including Esplanade Ratchada, Paragon, Quartier CineArt and SF World Cinema at CentralWorld. Rated 15+<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcuAkmDJ4RJcLwxgwqdjPk8Wu9rIrN9pHMMFC3G0U0GCy_CC3S80z9RwicEF9Lyn1iVcWt7aC_r8iQKj1MWXUSzM7xzZ7shVLeiyl01vrzKdyi8GSnG1Ib81GvOd30vbfHKlbSpz_yB886/s1600/azhar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcuAkmDJ4RJcLwxgwqdjPk8Wu9rIrN9pHMMFC3G0U0GCy_CC3S80z9RwicEF9Lyn1iVcWt7aC_r8iQKj1MWXUSzM7xzZ7shVLeiyl01vrzKdyi8GSnG1Ib81GvOd30vbfHKlbSpz_yB886/s400/azhar.jpg" width="301" /></a></div>
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4906984/">Azhar</a></b> – The life of controversial Indian cricketer-turned-politician Mohammad Azharuddin is dramatized in this Bollywood picture, chronicling his accomplishments as batsman as well as his involvement in a match-fixing scandal toward the end of his career. Emraan Hashmi stars along with Prachi Desai and Nargis Fakhri. In Hindi with English and Thai subtitles at Major Cineplex Sukhumvit, Rama III and Pattaya.<br />
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<span style="font-size: 21px; font-weight: bold;">Also showing</span><br />
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<a href="http://fgc.in.th/"><b>The Friese-Greene Club</b></a> – The club has a private event tonight but is back open tomorrow with sex and swimming pools in Peter Greenaway's erotic murder drama <b>Drowning by Numbers</b> from 1988. On Saturday, a housecat steals the scene in <b>The Long Goodbye</b>, Robert Altman's adaptation of a Philip Marlowe mystery, starring Elliot Gould. Sunday has another Fritz Lang film-noir starring Edward G. Robinson in <b>Scarlet Street</b>. And next Wednesday is a mid-career Jim Jarmusch feature, five taxi-cab tales in <b>Night on Earth</b>. Shows are at 8pm. The FGC is down an alley next to the under-renovation Queen's Park Imperial Hotel on Sukhumvit Soi 22. For more details, check the club's <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Friese-Greene-Club/371737282944797">Facebook page</a>.<br />
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<b><a href="http://afthailande.org/en/cultural-activities/cinema/">Alliance Française</a></b> – There is no Friday French movie with Thai subtitles this week because there is a jazz concert. Saturday has the monthly "kids' movie", with the animated feature <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0792978/"><b>Mia et le Migou</b></a>, a fantasy-adventure about a girl in South America who leaves her impoverished village in search of her father and has an encounter in the jungle with giant beings. The show is at 2pm. Next Wednesday at 7pm, there's a French film with English subtitles, the 2015 romantic comedy <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3612984/">Caprice</a></b>, which involves a triangular romance between a hapless guy, the actress he has a crush on and the pesky girl who inserts herself into the situation. Admission for the general public is 100 baht.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.fccthai.com/TheBulletin.html#1926">Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand</a></b> – Small-town secrets are spilled in <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120255/">The Sweet Hereafter</a></b>, about a lawyer trying to persuade families to take part in a class-action lawsuit over a school-bus crash that killed 14 children. The much-acclaimed 1997 drama is by Canadian director Atom Egoyan, and it won many prizes, including the Grand Prize of the Jury at the Cannes Film Festival. It was also nominated for two Academy Awards. Ian Holm stars as the lawyer, who has his own conflicts to deal with on top of the dysfunction of the townspeople. Part of the FCCT's Contemporary World Film Series, the screening is at 7pm on Monday, May 16, and is supported by the Embassy of Canada. Entry is 150 baht for non-members and 100 baht for the wine and snacks. There will be another entry in the series on Monday, May 30, with <a href="http://www.fccthai.com/TheBulletin.html#1927"><b>Thy Womb</b></a>, a drama by noted independent Filipino director Brillante Ma Mendoza.<br />
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<span style="font-size: 21px; font-weight: bold;">Take note</span><br />
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The <a href="http://thaifilmjournal.blogspot.com/2016/04/salaya-doc-review-scala.html">landmark Scala</a> remains committed to the profession of showing movies, despite <a href="http://www.nationmultimedia.com/life/PICTURE-houses-30281840.html">being threatened with imminent closure</a> by landlord Chulalongkorn University, which is keen to <a href="http://bangkokcinemas.blogspot.com/2012/03/bangkok-cinema-scene-special-lido-scala.html">redevelop Siam Square</a>. The Scala's devoted management recently installed a new screen because the old one was showing its age and was long past due for an upgrade. The result is a much clearer and brighter picture that makes going to movies at the Scala well worth your while. It is the best value in movie-going in Bangkok. Please support the Scala while it exists.<br />
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Meanwhile, general Thai public awareness of the Scala's plight is finally starting to emerge, perhaps too little, too late. There was <a href="http://www.nationmultimedia.com/opinion/Lets-at-least-hold-on-to-the-Scala-30285662.html">a Nation editorial this week</a>, and there is also <a href="https://www.change.org/p/chulalongkornu-%E0%B8%88%E0%B8%B8%E0%B8%AC%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%AF-%E0%B8%82%E0%B8%AD%E0%B9%83%E0%B8%AB%E0%B9%89%E0%B9%80%E0%B8%81%E0%B9%87%E0%B8%9A%E0%B9%82%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%87%E0%B8%AB%E0%B8%99%E0%B8%B1%E0%B8%87%E0%B8%AA%E0%B8%81%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%A5%E0%B9%88%E0%B8%B2%E0%B9%80%E0%B8%9B%E0%B9%87%E0%B8%99%E0%B8%A1%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%94%E0%B8%81%E0%B8%97%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%87%E0%B8%AA%E0%B8%96%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%9B%E0%B8%B1%E0%B8%95%E0%B8%A2%E0%B8%81%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%A1%E0%B9%81%E0%B8%A5%E0%B8%B0%E0%B9%81%E0%B8%AB%E0%B8%A5%E0%B9%88%E0%B8%87%E0%B8%AD%E0%B9%89%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%87%E0%B8%AD%E0%B8%B4%E0%B8%87%E0%B8%82%E0%B8%AD%E0%B8%87%E0%B9%81%E0%B8%9C%E0%B9%88%E0%B8%99%E0%B8%94%E0%B8%B4%E0%B8%99">a Thai-language Change.org petition</a> that asks Chula U. to "keep Scala" open and recognize that its unique cultural and architectural values outweigh the supposed economic benefits of building <a href="http://bangkok.coconuts.co/2015/03/12/central-empty-landmark-luxury-mall-remains-pretty-much-empty-photos">yet another shopping mall</a> in a city already saturated by shopping malls.Wise Kwaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00462741207572023832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-121761354607624597.post-41536120436545022102016-05-05T09:05:00.002+07:002016-05-05T09:05:48.219+07:00Bangkok Cinema Scene: Movies opening May 5-11, 2016<span style="font-size: 21px; font-weight: bold;">Buppha Arigato</span><br />
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Yuthlert Sippapak is one of the Thai film industry's more distinctive and prolific directors. His signature move is to throw all kinds of ideas into the blender and then somehow assemble them as halfway coherent films that I have more or less enjoyed over the years.<br />
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After a bit of a hiatus, he's back at it with <b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLVczlVo7fg">Buppha Arigato</a></b> (<b>บุปผาอาริกาโตะ</b>, a.k.a. <b>Buppha Rahtree: A Haunting in Japan</b>).<br />
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Not only does it blend the horror, comedy and romance genres, it's also an Asian cultural mix, with a blood-and-slapstick story about Thai musicians visiting a winter resort in Japan, where they are haunted by the ghost of a spurned young woman.<br />
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Additionally, it is trading on a combination of well-known Thai movies, tying in with Yuthlert's own <b>Buppha Rahtree</b> franchise of ghost comedy-horrors and the hit 2003 film <b>Fan Chan</b>. The bulk of the cast are the kids from <b>Fan Chan</b>, all grown up, including that film's lead actor Charlie Potjes along with the schoolyard bully, Chalermpon "Jack" Thikampornteerawong, who is now a ubiquitous TV personality and commercial pitchman. It's the first time all the guys have been reunited onscreen since they were children.<br />
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There's a bit more about it <a href="http://www.nationmultimedia.com/life/Bouncing-back-Yuthlert-takes-his-funny-ghost-to-Ja-30282907.html">at The Nation</a> and Twitch has <a href="http://twitchfilm.com/2016/03/a-thai-ghost-heads-to-japan-in-buppha-rahtree-haunting-in-japan.html">the English-subtitled trailer</a>. Rated 15+<br />
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<span style="font-size: 21px; font-weight: bold;">Also opening</span><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0462335/">High-Rise</a></b> – The dystopian science fiction of J.G. Ballard comes to the screen in the starkly vivid style of Stanley Kubrick with <b>High-Rise</b>, about a futuristic apartment building that is a self-contained society, where you never have to leave. While the more-well-off live in decadence, the majority of tenants can only dream of moving to the better floors. Tom Hiddleston, now in TV's engrossing spy-thriller miniseries <b>The Night Manager</b>, stars as one of the more-well-off. The terrific cast also features Jeremy Irons, Sienna Miller, Luke Evans, Elisabeth Moss and James Purefoy. It's directed by the celebrated British indie filmmaker Ben Wheatley, who gathered accolades for <b>A Field in England</b> and the smaller cult films <b>Kill List</b> and <b>Sightseers</b>. Following premieres at last year's Toronto International Film Festival and San Sebastián, <b>High-Rise</b> has been <a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/high_rise_2016/">generally well-received</a>, and we're lucky to have it here on our screens. Rated 18+<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4263482/">The Witch</a></b> – Decades before the Salem Witch Trials had viewers glued to their sets, a Puritan family in 1630 New England believes witchcraft is responsible for a missing baby, crop failures, a talking goat, demonic possessions and other forms of bad luck. A hit at Sundance last year, the indie horror is by writer-director Robert Eggers, making his feature debut. He won the Directing Award in the U.S. Dramatic category at Sundance. <a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_witch_2016/">Critical reception</a> is very favorable. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tj3I4-I3c4">The trailer</a> was scary enough for me, but if you're into smart indie horror, this comes highly recommended. Rated 15+<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3014866/">Criminal</a></b> – Kevin Costner is a dangerous convict who is implanted with the memories of a dead CIA agent and put on a mission to stop a terrorist. Costner appears to be working overtime to reinvent his late career in much the same manner as Liam Neeson has done with those <b>Taken</b> films. Tommy Lee Jones and Gary Oldman are there to chew the scenery as well. It's directed by Ariel Vroman, who previously did the mob-assassin pic <b>The Iceman</b>. <a h="" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" ref="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/criminal_2016/">Critical reception</a> is mixed, but fans of throwback action flicks and that trio of leading actors will probably enjoy this. Rated 15+<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4438848/">Bad Neighbours 2: Sorority Uprising</a></b> – Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne sign up for more campus hijinks, this time around going to war with a disruptive sorority that has moved into the quiet neighborhood where they are trying to raise a family. It's the same as the first <b>Bad Neighbours</b> (or just plain <b>Neighbors</b>, if you prefer), except instead of rowdy frat boys it's unruly girls. Chloë Grace Moretz and Selena Gomez are among the sadistic sorority sisters. And alumni from the first film are back to help out, including <a href="http://www.dailydot.com/lol/zac-efron-baywatch-run-trip-meme/">Zac Efron</a>. This doesn't come out in the U.S. until May 20, so it's being released upon the unsuspecting overseas territories without the benefit of very much <a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/neighbors_2_sorority_rising/">critical reception</a>, but the buzz is heating up. Rated 18+<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4824302/">Mother's Day</a></b> – Penny Marshall's dad is back to pour syrupy sentiment all over another holiday, this time picking the Mother's Day observance that's held around this time of year in most parts of the world except Thailand. But rather than wait for Thai Mother's Day on Her Majesty the Queen's birthday of August 12, we're getting <b>Mother's Day</b> right now. It follows the same formula as Garry Marshall's <b>Valentine's Day</b> and <b>New Year's Eve</b>, with several loosely interconnected stories of dysfunctional relationships starring big Hollywood names, including <b>Pretty Woman</b> herself Julia Roberts. Others <a href="http://uproxx.com/movies/julia-roberts-mothers-day-payday/">cashing paychecks</a> include Jennifer Aniston, Kate Hudson, Sarah Chalke, Aasif Mandvi, Timothy Olyphant, Jason Sudekis, Hector Elizondo, Margo Martindale and Jon Lovitz. As with those other Marshall holiday movies, <a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/771422158/">critical reception</a> is overwhelmingly negative. But agents love these movies, because it means work for their clients. So they will keep getting made. Rated G<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5638500/">1920 London</a></b> – This is the third entry in the <b>1920</b> Bollywood horror series, which began in 2008 and had a followup in 2012 with <b>1920: The Evil Returns</b>. Here, Meera Chopra is a woman who lives in London with her husband (Vishal Karwal). He appears to be demonically possessed after he receives a mysterious gift from Rajasthan. So she goes off to the storied desert land in search of an exorcist (Sharman Joshi). At Major Cineplex Sukhumvit, Rama III and Pattaya. Opens Friday. Rated G<br />
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<b><a href="http://fgc.in.th/">The Friese-Greene Club</a></b> – Tonight, hitch up your sled and head on down for the 75th anniversary screening of Orson Welles' <b>Citizen Kane</b>, which I think is part of the "Over-rated or under-appreciated?" theme for the month. Debate amongst yourselves. Tomorrow, it's the first entry in a look at the erotic, violent and highly stylish films of Peter Greenaway, starting with <b>The Pillow Book</b>. Saturday has one of American director Robert Altman's masterpieces, the anti-war, anti-establishment satire <b>M*A*S*H</b>, which pretty much set the template for the types of movies he made. Sunday has a mid-career Edward G. Robinson turn, as a leading man in Fritz Lang's film-noir <b>The Woman in the Window</b>. Next Wednesday features another early feature by American indie auteur Jim Jarmusch, his prison-escape yarn <b>Down by Law</b>. Shows are at 8pm. The FGC is down an alley next to the under-renovation Queen's Park Imperial Hotel on Sukhumvit Soi 22. For more details, check the club's <a href="https://www.facebook.com/The-Friese-Greene-Club-371737282944797/">Facebook page</a>.<br />
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<b><a href="http://afthailande.org/en/cultural-activities/cinema/">Alliance Française</a></b> – A young street hood gets caught up in a graffiti gang in the French crime drama <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2779998/">Vandal</a></b>, screening with Thai subtitles on Friday. Next Wednesday's English-subbed offering is the action thriller <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2935564/"><b>The Connection</b></a>, which has Jean Dujardin as a French lawman going after more or less the same drug ring Gene Hackman was trying to bust in <b>The French Connection</b>. Note that there will be no French film with Thai subtitles on May 13, because there will be a jazz concert. Shows are at 7pm. Admission is 100 baht for the general public.<br />
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<span style="font-size: 21px; font-weight: bold;">Take note</span><br />
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Coming up, the <a href="http://www.fccthai.com/TheBulletin.html">Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand</a> has two more entries in the Contemporary World Film Series, Atom Egoyan's <b>The Sweet Hereafter</b> on May 16, and Filipino director Brillante Ma Mendoza's <b>Thy Womb</b> on May 30.Wise Kwaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00462741207572023832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-121761354607624597.post-66975359807197884292016-04-27T10:12:00.000+07:002016-04-29T10:58:28.079+07:00Bangkok Cinema Scene: Movies opening April 27-May 4, 2016<span style="font-size: 21px; font-weight: bold;">Captain America: Civil War</span><br />
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With <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3498820/">Captain America: Civil War</a></b>, Marvel Studios offers a more brightly lit and quippier counterpoint to the drab darkness of the DC comics films.<br />
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Like DC's <b>Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice</b>, Marvel's new <b>Captain America</b> movie pits top comic-book heroes against one another.<br />
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Here, the eternal Boy Scout, Steve "Captain America" Rogers, sees a threat in a plan by politicians to make superheroes accountable for all the collateral damage they are causing. It's understandable, I guess, given how Manhattan was ripped apart in the first <b>Avengers</b> movie and then Washington, DC took a big hit in <b>Captain America: Winter Soldier</b>.<br />
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The complex military industrialist Tony Stark, a.k.a. Iron Man, is on board with the politicians' scheme to keep the Avengers in check, but Rogers isn't so sure. So it's Cap and his team on one side and Iron Man and others on another.<br />
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Chris Evans returns as Cap, along with the core team that includes Anthony Mackie as Falcon, Sebastian Stan as Cap's former friend Bucky (now the damaged and brainwashed Winter Soldier), the archer Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and the supernatural-powered Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen)<br />
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Also back in action is Scarlett Johansson as conflicted anti-heroine Black Widow.<br />
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Robert Downey Jr. joins the proceedings this time out as Iron Man, adding his snappy one-liners, and basically making this <b>Captain America</b> movie an <b>Avengers</b> movie or another <b>Iron Man</b> movie. Don Cheadle is in there as well, as Iron Man's sidekick War Machine, along with Paul Bettany, the voice of longtime Stark family servant Jarvis, now the super cyber entity Vision.<br />
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And watch for a special appearance by the new Spider-Man, Tom Holland. Spidey was formerly trapped solely in Sony's web of Marvel Comic movies. With yet another new Sony Spider-Man series set to start next year, the webslinging teen hero has been freed up for crossover action in the Disney-owned Marvel Studios cinematic universe.<br />
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Many, many other supers will take part as well, introducing Chadwick Boseman as Black Panther and tossing in Paul Rudd as Ant-Man.<br />
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It's directed by the Russo brothers, Anthony and Joe, frequent TV-comedy hands who won accolades for their work on <b>Winter Soldier</b>. This doesn't come out until May 6 in the U.S., but, in a positive sign, many critics have already been allowed to see it, and are giving it <a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/captain_america_civil_war/">good reviews</a>. It's in converted 3D in some cinemas, including IMAX. Opens today. Rated G<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4686692/combined">The Idol</a></b> – It's pretty rare for a Palestinian film to hit our screens, but I suppose this fact-based musical biopic makes commercial sense in a country where TV talent shows are a primary diversion, and so many of the movie and TV stars and popular musicians are former contestants of reality-TV talent shows. The drama covers the life of Mohammed Assaf, a young Palestinian musician who performed at weddings in refugee camps in Gaza. He went on to win on TV's <b>Arab Idol</b> in 2013, found worldwide fame and put Palestine in the spotlight. Tawfeek Barhom portrays the singer and Hany Abu-Assad directs. It screened at last year's Toronto International Film Festival and has been well-received <a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_idol_2016/">by critics</a>. Opens Thursday. It's in limited release in a handful of Major Cineplex outlets plus Apex in Siam Square, in the original Arabic with English and Thai subtitles. Rated G<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4433646/">Terra Formars</a></b> – They are terraformers. On Mars. Get it? <b>Terra Formars</b> is yet another live-action adaptation of yet another popular Japanese comic series, and is much anticipated by fans of manga and Japanese pop culture. The prolific cult-film director Takashi Miike helms this big-budget effort, which was filmed in Iceland. Stars include Rinko Kikuchi and Rila Fukushima along with Kane Kosugi. Bit like <b>Starship Troopers</b>, the story deals with a small unit of soldiers who are fighting mutated cockroaches, giant bugs that were originally installed to help colonize the Red Planet. Opens Friday. It's Thai-dubbed in most places but the Japanese soundtrack with English and Thai subtitles is available in the usual downtown cinemas, including Apex Siam Square, Paragon, Quartier, Esplanade Ratchada, SFW CentralWorld and SFC Terminal 21. Rated G<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4864932/combined">Baaghi</a></b> – A lot of Bollywood films, and other films, TV series, commercials, music videos, etc. from India, are made in Thailand. Local production-services company Benetone handles many of those projects, and they <a href="http://benetonefilms.blogspot.com/2016/03/baaghi-official-trailer-featuring-tiger.html">worked on <b>Baaghi</b></a>, which is actually set in Thailand. New-face leading man Tiger Shroff, along with Shradda Kappoor and Sudheer Babu star. It's the story of former college chums who fell in love with the same woman. Years later, she is abducted and is being held in Thailand, bringing the two former friends together again as fierce enemies. It's in Hindi with English and Thai subtitles at Major Cineplex Sukhumvit, Rama III and Pattaya. Opens Friday.<br />
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<b><a href="http://afthailande.org/en/cultural-activities/cinema/">Alliance Française</a></b> – Lots of French film activities to report, in line with the Alliance's expansion of its movie programming. As covered in last week's update, tonight's French film with English subtitles is <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4331318/">Heat Wave</a></b> (<b>Coup de chaud</b>), a murder mystery that's set during a hot time in a small African town. Friday's French film with Thai subtitles is <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3552254/"><b>School of Babel</b></a>, a comedy-drama about a special school in Paris for immigrant children. And there's a Saturday matinee "kids' movie", the 2010 animated <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1673702/"><b>Une vie de chat</b></a> (<b>A Cat in Paris</b>), about a thieving feline who looks after a little girl. And the May schedule opens next Wednesday with the English-subbed <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1673702/">Vincent</a></b>, about a young man with secret superpowers. Shows are at 7pm (except the Saturday matinee, which starts at 2pm). Admission is 100 baht for the general public.<br />
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<a href="http://fgc.in.th/"><b>The Friese-Greene Club</b></a> – April winds down with one more spy movie tonight, Carol Reed's <b>Our Man in Havana</b> with Alec Guinness. The club has a private event on Thursday, but is back open on Friday for a "quirky eighties" movie, <b>Parents</b> by director and often-seen character actor Bob Balaban. And the month closes out on Saturday with the dystopian drama <b>Children of Men</b>. For May, the club's schedule ponders the question, "Over-rated or Under-appreciated?" and then covers four distinctive auteur directors and one iconic actor. Wednesdays have the American indie director Jim Jarmusch while Thursdays are devoted to the great Orson Welles. Fridays have the artful eroticism of Britain's Peter Greenaway while Saturdays feature the overlapping dialogue and sprawling casts of America's Robert Altman. And Sundays, see, are devoted to Edward G. Robinson, starting with his film-noir classic with Bogie and Bacall, <b>Key Largo</b>. Wednesdays are mostly the early, under-appreciated efforts of Jarmusch, starting with 1984's <b>Stranger Than Paradise</b>, while next Thursday is the 75th anniversary screening of the classic film, Welles' <b>Citizen Kane</b>. The FGC is down an alley next to the under-renovation Queen's Park Imperial Hotel on Sukhumvit Soi 22. For more details, check the club's <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Friese-Greene-Club/371737282944797">Facebook page</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1740037916234206/"><b>The Special Screening of Three Classic Asean Films</b></a> – The most-popular tickets at the <a href="http://bangkokcinemas.blogspot.com/2016/04/bangkok-cinema-scene-special-bangkok.html">Bangkok Asean Film Festival</a> were the "Asean Classics", three older films that were screening alongside newer entries from all the Asean bloc countries. Those three films will be screened again on Sunday at the Film Archive in Salaya, Nakhon Pathom. They are the 1972 Cambodian fantasy <b>The Snake Man</b> at 1pm, 1954's <b>After the Curfew</b> from Indonesia at 3pm and 1975's <b>Manila in the Claws of Light</b> at 5pm. <a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/WiseKwaisThaiFilmJournal/~3/g5H-1W6aI3Q/bangkok-asean-film-festival-review.html">I actually saw <b>Manila</b></a>, and it is well worth making the trip to the Archive if you missed the Bangkok screening. The film recently underwent digital restoration and looks amazing. It's a gripping and gritty drama about the working class in the city. Please note that <b>The Snake Man</b> is Thai-dubbed with no English subtitles, but the others have both English and Thai subtitles. For details, check <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1740037916234206/">the Facebook events page</a>.
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<span style="font-size: 21px; font-weight: bold;">Take note</span><br />
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I've gone ahead and issued my weekly update here a day early, owing to the big-tentpole opening of <b>Captain America: Civil War</b>, one day earlier than usual. Notably, <b>Captain America</b> doesn't open until next week in the U.S., so movie-goers in Thailand are among the first to feast eyes.<br />
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Tomorrow, the usual day movies tend to open here, there is scheduled to be one more new release, the Palestinian entry <b>Idol</b>.<br />
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For some reason, the Japanese film <b>Terra Formars</b> is not opening until Friday, which is unusual. And then there's the Bollywood release <b>Baaghi</b>, which opens on Friday, as per usual with the Bollywood films in Bangkok.<br />
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There are public holidays next week, including a Monday substitution for Labor Day on May 1, to give the working-class comrades and their elite overseers an extra day of rest. And then next Thursday is Coronation Day. But it appears the movies will shift back to their regular schedule of opening on Thursday.<br />
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Coming up, the dates for the third edition of the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/silentfilmthailand/?fref=ts">Silent Film Festival in Thailand</a> are set for June 16 to 22, 2016 at the Lido and Scala cinemas. That's according to <a href="http://www.fapot.org/files/images/news33_s.pdf">the latest newsletter from the Film Archive</a>. Hopefully, more details will emerge soon.Wise Kwaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00462741207572023832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-121761354607624597.post-24511945227024976082016-04-21T10:38:00.000+07:002016-04-21T10:43:01.608+07:00Bangkok Cinema Scene: Movies opening April 21-27, 2016<span style="font-size: 21px; font-weight: bold;">Patong Girl</span><br />
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A German teen on holiday in Thailand with his dysfunctional family falls head over heels for a local lass in <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2974502/"><b>Patong Girl</b></a> (<b>สาวป่าตอง</b>), an indie drama that recently won a <a href="http://thaifilmjournal.blogspot.com/2016/04/festival-festival-and-awards-forest-in.html">Grimme Prize</a> in Germany.<br />
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It's directed by Susanna Salonen, a veteran cinematographer whose credits include second unit work on <b>Run Lola Run</b>, making her feature directorial debut. She was inspired to make <b>Patong Girl</b> by her experience during the 1990s as a diving instructor on Phuket.<br />
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The film follows the Schroeder family as they embark for one last holiday together before their youngest son Felix goes off to college. Locked into what turns out to be a dodgy holiday package, the family spends their nights boozing in a red-light district, where Felix comes to the rescue of a damsel named Fai and ends up running off with her without really knowing who she is. The mother, meanwhile, is becoming dissatisfied with her husband and she runs off too, ostensibly to find the son. She ends up finding herself.<br />
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In addition to the strong performances by Max Mauff as Felix and Victoria Trauttmansdorff as the mother, there's a break-out role for (spoiler alert) transgender actress Aisawanya Areyawattana.<br />
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Interestingly, the film was actually made around Pattaya, with Bangkok-based production services company <a href="http://www.dewarrenne.com/">De Warrenne Pictures</a> and co-producer Tom Waller, helping set the stage.<br />
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The limited theatrical release follows appearances in the German Open Air Cinema season and German Film Week. It's at SF World at CentralWorld as well as SF cinemas at Pattaya Beach, Jungceylon Phuket (Patong) and Maya Chiang Mai.<br />
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For details, check <a href="https://www.facebook.com/PatongGirlMovie/">the Facebook page</a>. There's also <a href="http://thaifilmjournal.blogspot.com/2016/03/patong-girl-sets-thai-release-for-april.html">a Vimeo trailer</a> and <a href="http://www.nationmultimedia.com/life/Its-complicated-30283905.html">an article in The Nation</a>. Rated 15+<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4062536/">Green Room</a></b> – Patrick Stewart, the refined stage and screen actor best known for his roles as Captain Picard in <b>Star Trek: The Next Generation</b> and as Professor Xavier in the <b>X-Men</b> movies, takes a villainous turn as a white supremacist criminal kingpin in <b>Green Room</b>. The thriller is about members of a rock band who are locked in a fight for survival with skinhead gangsters after they witness a murder. Anton Yelchin, Imogen Poots, Alia Shawkat and Joe Cole also star. <a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/green_room_2016/">Critical reception</a> is generally positive. Seems this is only playing in a small number of venues, so good luck finding it at a cinema near you. Rated 18+<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3072482/">Hardcore Henry</a></b> – Taking inspiration from first-person-shooter video games and other point-of-view (POV) media, this Russian indie action feature is being touted as the first full-length film to be shot entirely from the first-person perspective. Basically the movie <b>Crank</b>, if it were made from a camera planted in Jason Statham's brain, it follows the adventure of a secret agent who wakes up in a lab and then goes through all kinds of violent situations to rescue his scientist wife, who has been abducted by a superpowered warlord. Sharlto Copley, Tim Roth and Haley Bennett are among the stars, but the real stand-out performers are the various stunt actors who donned a GoPro camera helmet to shoot, stab and punch their way through the film. <a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hardcore_henry/">Critical reception</a> is mixed. Rated 18+<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3499096/">Race</a></b> – Track-and-field star Jesse Owens faced a dilemma when he was chosen to represent the USA in the 1936 Berlin Olympic games. There were folks who urged him to not take part, thus denying Adolf Hitler and the Nazis a propaganda opportunity. Others pleaded with him to go to Berlin, because he most certainly would win and disprove assertions that black people were somehow "inferior". Stephan James stars in this historical sports drama, with former <b>Saturday Night Live</b> cast member Jason Sudeikis taking a dramatic turn as Owens' coach. Other stars include Jeremy Irons, William Hurt and Carice van Houten from <b>Game of Thrones</b>. <a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/race_2016/">Critical reception</a> is mixed. Like <b>Green Room</b>, this is another limited release, with just a few venues listed. Rated G<br />
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4005402/"><b>Colonia</b></a> – Emma Watson (Hermoine from the Harry Potter movies) is a young woman caught up in the unrest of 1973 in Chile. After her husband (Daniel Brühl) is kidnapped by Pinochet's secret police, she tracks him into the jungle to a torture center run by a Christian sect led by a former Nazi (Michael Nyqvist). She joins the cult in hopes she'll be able to rescue her husband. <a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/colonia/">Critical reception</a> is mixed. This opened last week in sneak previews and now moves to general release. Rated 13+<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3616916/">The Wave</a></b> – The Norwegian film industry flexes its special-effects muscles with this Hollywood-style disaster thriller. It's set in an isolated village threatened by a tsunami, created when an unstable mountain slid off into a nearby fjord. Human drama ensues as residents scramble for higher ground. <a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_wave_2016/">Critical reception</a> has been mostly favorable. Rated 13+<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnNqcCuk8JUgd-dynipJO7gQMkjcylGd7i3zgrBxflt84CrUniXxzJG7fkORu5EWgCafOdDRfak0GFo8JC3HvzKiGEZ5uvXb4yjxSRquEXDH923UPkGyl4RegQA3rakim0Bn8j5hKBQWEK/s1600/beforeiwake-thai.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnNqcCuk8JUgd-dynipJO7gQMkjcylGd7i3zgrBxflt84CrUniXxzJG7fkORu5EWgCafOdDRfak0GFo8JC3HvzKiGEZ5uvXb4yjxSRquEXDH923UPkGyl4RegQA3rakim0Bn8j5hKBQWEK/s400/beforeiwake-thai.jpg" width="282" /></a></div>
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3174376/">Before I Wake</a></b> – A young couple (Kate Bosworth and Thomas Jane) take in a foster child, a boy who is plagued by dreams and nightmares that come to terrifying life as he slumbers. As the dreams become increasingly dangerous, the kid tries to stay awake in a bid to save his new family. He is portrayed by Jacob Trembley, the child actor who won widespread accolades for his performance in the much-acclaimed <b>Room</b>. The writer-director is Mike Flanagan, who previously did the Blumhouse horrors <b>Oculus</b> and <b>Hush</b>. The buzz on this seems to be positive, even as <a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/before_i_wake/">critical reception</a> is just starting to jump. Rated 15+<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS7WE03jBJL0j_252VnMtKB-OkNQTl3g5hAWtkmcKt_Cbv54zwhOavN4pjqCBtOHw0jCHzLvgPS6F4HVGA5wZ1HmgByxHWC_WLu-5hee3vnW2gaefg9kpzsVthxGQ114-Jf5aXVpWus8I6/s1600/detectivechinatown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS7WE03jBJL0j_252VnMtKB-OkNQTl3g5hAWtkmcKt_Cbv54zwhOavN4pjqCBtOHw0jCHzLvgPS6F4HVGA5wZ1HmgByxHWC_WLu-5hee3vnW2gaefg9kpzsVthxGQ114-Jf5aXVpWus8I6/s400/detectivechinatown.jpg" width="280" /></a></div>
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5290882/">Detective Chinatown</a></b> – This is not the long-awaited sequel to the <b>Chinatown</b> sequel <b>The Two Jakes</b>. No, <b>Detective Chinatown</b> is a Chinese action-comedy about a wannabe police officer who comes to Bangkok and gets mixed up in a murder case. Aspiring to be the next Chinese made-in-Thailand mega-hit like <b>Lost in Thailand</b>, <b>Detective Chinatown</b> was actually shot in Bangkok. It was <a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/china-box-office-detective-chinatown-852131">a hit in China</a> and got <a href="http://variety.com/2016/film/asia/detective-chinatown-review-1201670607/">a fun review by Maggie Lee of Variety</a>. Thai-dubbed only. Rated 15+<br />
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<span style="font-size: 21px; font-weight: bold;">Also showing</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV1Xg6PjbO7dU2dTWtg5xrFhL7EnJHcwdwLW2xK3YdTnBoCZ1oArUFYDCm5DlnWJ3GepEXbdOOkqhIkC7pl3QSLSFzMBJrMuh9JJx7w0mKHyHjdIxlSWjNZvaZ7k-YojWKjIG9PlT0mDWz/s1600/bitcoinsheist.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV1Xg6PjbO7dU2dTWtg5xrFhL7EnJHcwdwLW2xK3YdTnBoCZ1oArUFYDCm5DlnWJ3GepEXbdOOkqhIkC7pl3QSLSFzMBJrMuh9JJx7w0mKHyHjdIxlSWjNZvaZ7k-YojWKjIG9PlT0mDWz/s400/bitcoinsheist.jpg" width="278" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.sfcinemacity.com/index.php/en/promotion-detail/Bangkok-ASEAN-Film-Festival-2016"><b>Bangkok Asean Film Festival</b></a> – Movies from all the member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will be featured in the second edition of this freebie festival, which is open to the public from tomorrow until Tuesday at SF World Cinema at CentralWorld. It is put on by the Culture Ministry in a bid to promote Bangkok as a cultural and cinematic hub for the region. There are noteworthy films from Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. In addition to 10 recent titles, there are three "Asean Classics", including the 1975 social drama <b>Manila in the Claws of Light</b> by Lino Brocka and 1954's <b>After the Curfew</b> from Indonesia. The fest is covered at length in <a href="http://bangkokcinemas.blogspot.com/2016/04/bangkok-cinema-scene-special-bangkok.html">an entry posted on Tuesday</a>, just moments after <a href="http://www.sfcinemacity.com/index.php/th/promotion-detail/Bangkok-ASEAN-Film-Festival-2016-Showtime">the schedule</a> was finally revealed. I mostly want to see <b>Bitcoins Heist</b> from Vietnam. Tickets are free and handed out 30 minutes before the shows to punters who queue up at a special table there at CentralWorld.<br />
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<a href="http://fgc.in.th/"><b>The Friese-Greene Club</b></a> – Chow Yun-fat is at his best tonight in <b>The Killer</b>, John Woo's seminal slice of 1980s Hong Kong action and thrills. Tomorrow, it's the "quirky '80s" with the Coen Bros.' debut <b>Blood Simple</b>, which pretty much set the template for everything they've done since. The club is booked for a private event on Saturday but is back open on Sunday for Akira Kurosawa's <b>Seven Samurai</b>. Next Tuesday, there is a special screening, of the Cambodian documentary <b><a href="http://iamchutwutty.com/about.php">I Am Chut Wutty</a></b>, which covers the killing of an environmental activist. With a venue in Phnom Penh <a href="http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/culture-ministry-bans-film-forest-activist-chut-wutty">threatened with "strong action"</a> if it showed the film, director Fran Lambrick granted permission for the FGC to show it. It is a case similar to Bradley Cox's banned-in-Cambodia documentary <a href="http://thaifilmjournal.blogspot.com/2010/06/phuket-film-festival-2010-capsule_14.html"><b>Who Killed Chea Vichea?</b></a> about a slain Cambodian labor organizer. Find out more at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/225713544467507/">the Facebook events page</a>. And next Wednesday it's Carol Reed's film-noir spy tale <b>Our Man in Havana</b>, starring Alec Guinness. Shows are at 8pm (except for <b>Seven Samurai</b>, which starts at 7). The FGC is down an alley next to the under-renovation Queen's Park Imperial Hotel on Sukhumvit Soi 22. For more details, check the club's <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Friese-Greene-Club/371737282944797">Facebook page</a>.<br />
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<b><a href="http://afthailande.org/en/cultural-activities/cinema/">Alliance Française</a></b> – A strict judge is in an awkward situation in the comedy <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2853614/combined">Nine-Month Stretch</a></b> (<b>9 mois ferme</b>), which screens at 7pm on Friday in French with Thai subtitles. Next Wednesday's English-subbed offering is <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4331318/">Heat Wave</a></b> (<b>Coup de chaud</b>), a murder mystery that's set during a heat wave in a small African town. Admission is 100 baht for the general public.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.fccthai.com/TheBulletin.html#1904">Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand</a></b> – Films by Asian female directors living in the West have been the focus of the FCCT's Contemporary World Film Series of late, with Indo-Canadian Deepa Mehta's <b>Earth</b> screening on Tuesday. Next up, at 7pm on Monday, April 25, will be <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3175888/"><b>Dukhtar</b></a>, which New York-based Pakistani Afia Nathaniel made to widespread acclaim. It follows the adventure of a determined mother who takes her daughter away to break the cycle of arranged marriage in the Pashtun tribe. It was Pakistan's official submission to the Academy Awards. Admission is 150 baht for non-members.<br />
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<span style="font-size: 21px; font-weight: bold;">Take note</span><br />
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After the long Songkran break, movie distributors and multiplex chains are back in furious action this week getting eight or so smaller titles off their shelves ahead of the next big Hollywood comic-book tentpole, <b>Captain America: Civil War</b>, which actually hits cinemas next Wednesday along with a handful of other movies the following day. I'll aim for an update on the usual day. So <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3uLQ1sgcu8">see you next Thursday</a>.Wise Kwaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00462741207572023832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-121761354607624597.post-53366117907614575232016-04-19T18:26:00.002+07:002016-04-20T15:52:24.139+07:00Bangkok Cinema Scene special: Bangkok Asean Film Festival, April 22-26, 2016<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Movies from across the Asean Economic Community will be shown in the second edition of the <a href="http://www.sfcinemacity.com/index.php/en/promotion-detail/Bangkok-ASEAN-Film-Festival-2016">Bangkok Asean Film Festival</a>, which opens to the public on Friday at SF World Cinema at CentralWorld. It's put on by the Ministry of Culture, with support from SF cinemas, the Thai Film Archive and the Federation of National Film Associations of Thailand.<br />
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The selection has recent acclaimed movies from all the Asean member states plus three "Asean Classics", films that date back to the 1950s and 1970s. The entries are a mix of gripping drama, romance, comedy, action and a moving documentary. Here is the line-up:<br />
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<b>Asean Classics</b><br />
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<li><b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069287/combined">The Snake Man</a></b> (<b>Pous Keng Kang</b>, a.k.a. <b>The Snake King's Wife</b>) – An icon of Cambodian cinema's lost "golden age", Tea Lim Koun's inventive special-effects-laden fantasy is the tragic story of a girl who is destined to be the wife of the Snake King. The doyenne of the Cambodian stage and screen Dy Saveth is among the stars, and she is due to put in <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1740037916234206/">an appearance at the festival.</a> Made in 1972, the film was released across Asia, including Thailand. Unfortunately, the first 10 minutes are missing. Also, it is Thai-dubbed only and there are no English subtitles, the only one in the fest where that is the case. But it's still worth a look if you are interested in Cambodian cinema and weird B-movie fantasies.</li>
<li><b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0045997/">After the Curfew</a></b> – From 1954 and directed by Usmar Ismail, this social drama is regarded as a classic of Indonesian cinema. It's about a former soldier who takes up a vigilante cause against corrupt officials.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073363/"><b>Manila in the Claws of Light</b></a> – Directed by Filipino cinema titan Lino Brocka, this much-acclaimed 1975 social drama follows a young man who has left behind his rural hometown and work as a fisherman to move to the big city and in search of new opportunities and a better life. He should have stayed in the countryside.</li>
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<b>Asean films</b><br />
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<li><b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3320232/">Yasmine</a></b>, Brunei – Not many films come out of Brunei. And <b>Yasmine</b> is only the second Bruneian film I've ever <a href="http://thaifilmjournal.blogspot.com/2013/12/lpff-2013-review-grean-fictions-whats.html">heard of</a>. Even more unusual, is that <b>Yasmine</b> centers on a young woman who goes against conservative society to join competitions in the Malay martial art of silat. It won prizes at the Asean International Film Festival and Awards and at the Neuchatel International Fantastic Film Festival in Switzerland.</li>
<li><b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2556840/">3.50</a></b>, Cambodia – Chhay Bora directs this drama about Cambodia's illegal sex trade, as seen through the eyes of an American woman who is making a documentary film and becomes determined to change the country's cruel ways.</li>
<li><b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4911656/">A Copy of My Mind</a></b>, Indonesia – Top indie talent Joko Anwar turns to romance with this drama about a woman who works in a beauty salon who falls for a subtitler of pirated DVDs. Their love turns problematic amidst turbulent politics. The film was in competition at the Venice fest last year and has been a frequent entry of festivals around the region.</li>
<li><b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5473074/">Above It All</a></b>, Laos – Outside of the Lao PDR, it's kind of hard to describe how groundbreaking this film is. But it is the first Lao film to have a gay main character, a medical student who is struggling to come out of the closet to his strict father. It also deals with a young Hmong woman who wants to break away from the tribal tradition of arranged marriages. Directed by Anysay Keola, one of the leading figures of Laos' burgeoning film industry, <b>Above It All</b> <a href="http://thaifilmjournal.blogspot.com/2015/12/lpff-2015-reviews-above-it-all-search.html">premiered</a> at last year's <a href="http://www.lpfilmfest.org/">Luang Prabang Film Festival</a>.</li>
<li><b><a href="https://iffr.com/en/professionals/blog/narrative-shorts-at-iffr-2016">Day and Night</a></b>, Malaysia – This is a compilation of segments by three talented independent Malaysian filmmakers, who all offer their reflections on the state of contemporary Malaysian society. The segments are <b>Trespassed</b> by Ho Yuhang, <b>Bite</b> by Charlotte Lim and <b>Bedside Manners</b> by Yeo Joon Han.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2221952/"><b>Kayan Beauties</b></a>, Myanmar – The often-exploited "giraffe neck" women of Myanmar's and Thailand's tribal regions are thrust into the spotlight in this 2012 feature, which has been shown at many festivals around the Asia-Pacific and won awards. The adventure story involves three young Kayan women who take up the search for a girl abducted by human traffickers. <a href="http://www.nationmultimedia.com/life/The-beauty-in-the-rings-30204691.html">The Nation has an article</a> from a couple years ago.</li>
<li><b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4636000/">Taklub</a></b>, Philippines – Brillante Mendoza, the chief purveyor of the gritty so-called "poverty porn" films of the Philippines, directs this documentary-style drama about families attempting to pick up the pieces after their community was devastated by Supertyphoon Yolanda in 2014. Veteran actress Nora Aunor stars. It won the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury at Cannes last year.</li>
<li><b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4951924/">3688</a></b>, Singapore – Celebrated filmmaker Roystan Tan's movies generally have numbers in their titles and tend to be musical tales about starry-eyed dreamers. His latest is about a parking attendant who wants to be a singer just like her famous namesake, the Taiwanese "queen of hats" Fong Fei Fei.</li>
<li><b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3508872/">The Songs of Rice</a></b> (<b>พลงของข้าว</b>, <b>Pleng Khong Kao</b>), Thailand – Talented director and cinematographer Uruphong Raksasad wraps up a trilogy of farming documentaries with <b>The Songs of Rice</b>, which is a tuneful look at the rites of rice cultivation across the Kingdom. Winner of many prizes, Uruphong's film vividly captures such unique scenes as the water buffalo races in Chon Buri and the rocket festival in Yasothon, along with parades, prayer ceremonies, alcohol-fueled festivities and beauty pageants. It was one of <a href="http://thaifilmjournal.blogspot.com/2015/01/top-10-thai-films-of-2014.html">my favorites of 2014</a>.</li>
<li><b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4911780/">Bitcoins Heist</a></b>, Vietnam – Ham Tran, who made his worldwide breakthrough with 2006's post-war drama <b>Journey from the Fall</b>, is now solidly part of Vietnam's commercial film industry. His latest is a high-tech action thriller about a disparate squad of crooks and con artists who are tasked with tracking down a cyber-criminal. Out of all the films in this fest, this is the one I most want to see.</li>
</ul>
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All films will have English and Thai subtitles (except for Cambodia's <b>The Snake Man</b>). After Bangkok, the fest will travel to SF cinemas in Khon Kaen from April 28 to May 4, Surat Thani from May 6 to 12 and Maya Chiang Mai from May 13 to 19.<br />
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In addition, the Film Archive will have a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1740037916234206/">special screening</a> of the Asean Classics on May 1.<br />
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Admission is free, with tickets handed out at a special table 30 minutes before the shows. Line up well before then to ensure you get a decent seat. For the schedule, <a href="http://www.sfcinemacity.com/index.php/th/promotion-detail/Bangkok-ASEAN-Film-Festival-2016-Showtime">please check the website</a>. For more details, see <a href="http://www.sfcinemacity.com/index.php/en/promotion-detail/Bangkok-ASEAN-Film-Festival-2016">www.SFCinemaCity.com</a>.<br />
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Wise Kwaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00462741207572023832noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-121761354607624597.post-74425444390570145602016-04-12T10:04:00.001+07:002016-04-12T10:04:53.992+07:00Bangkok Cinema Scene: Movies opening April 12-20, 2016<span style="font-size: 21px; font-weight: bold;">The Mermaid</span><br />
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Hong Kong comedy great Stephen Chow returns to the scene with <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4701660/combined"><b>The Mermaid</b></a>, the story of a pretty young mermaid (Lin Yun) who is sent to the city to seduce and kill a playboy developer (Deng Chao) whose project is destroying the merpeople's marine habitat. She ends up falling in love with the guy.<br />
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It's being hailed as a return to form for Chow, an actor, writer and director who came up in the late 1980s and early 1990s with a string of comedies and then rocketed to worldwide cult status in the early 2000s as the director and star of <b>Shaolin Soccer</b> and <b>Kung Fu Hustle</b>, inventive martial-arts films that mixed graceful kung fu moves with cartoonish slapstick. Critics weren't so crazy about his follow-up, the family friendly sci-fi tale <b>CJ7.</b> And then there was the 2013 fantasy <b>Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons</b>, which was mainly only a hit with mainland audiences.<br />
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<b>The Mermaid</b> has been a blockbuster smash in China, breaking the box-office record for highest-grossing film previously held by <b>Monster Hunt</b>.<br />
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<a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_mermaid_2016/">Critics like it too</a>.<br />
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Sadly, it seems <b>The Mermaid</b> is not getting an English-friendly release in Thailand. Appears it's Thai-dubbed except for a handful of select downtown cinemas that have the Mandarin soundtrack and Thai subtitles only – no English. It's out today, on Songkran Eve, with more movies coming out tomorrow for the official start of the three-day Thai New Year public holiday. Rated G<br />
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<span style="font-size: 21px; font-weight: bold;">The Jungle Book</span><br />
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Anglo-Indian writer Rudyard Kipling's children's stories are again adapted by Disney, this time as a photorealistic computer-animated live-action adventure.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3040964/">The Jungle Book</a></b> is directed by Jon Favreau, one of the guys behind the guys of the late-1990s indie film boom, making the scene as the writer and star of the cult-classic <b>Swingers</b>.<br />
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As a director, his career has veered wildly from smaller, indie-leaning projects, such as the sweetly funny Christmas comedy <b>Elf</b> and his food-oriented family film <b>Chef</b>, to huge Hollywood blockbusters, like Marvel's <b>Iron Man</b> movies and now Disney's <b>The Jungle Book</b>.<br />
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The only human actor onscreen is <a href="http://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/entertainment/neel-sethi-12-goes-from-bhangra-class-in-manhattan-to-star-of-the-jungle">Neel Sethi</a>, an Indian-American first-time child actor who auditioned for the role of Mowgli and was plucked from a field of some 2,000 boys who tried out.<br />
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The animals in the movie are all voiced by top Hollywood talents, including Idris Elba as the tyrannical tiger Shere Khan, Bill Murray as the bear Balloo, Ben Kingsley as the mentoring panther Bagheera, Christopher Walken as the orangutan King Louie, Scarlett Johansson as the seductive snake Kaa and Lupito Nyong'o as Mowgli's wolf mother.<br />
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<a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_jungle_book_2016/">Critical reception</a> is generally positive. Filmed in <a href="http://realorfake3d.com/">actual 3D</a> it's on regular 3D screens and IMAX but also looks just fine in 2D. Rated G. Opens Wednesday.<br />
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<span style="font-size: 21px; font-weight: bold;">Also opening</span><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2101383/">Knight of Cups</a></b> – Christian Bale is a womanizing screenwriter who is having an existential crisis as he sleeps with a series of beautiful women and indulges in the Hollywood party scene. Terrence Malick directs this puzzler, which is inspired by Tarot cards and continues with the philosophical and spiritual musings he explored in <b>To the Wonder</b> and <b>The Tree of Life</b>. Other stars include Imogen Poots, Wes Bentley, Brian Dennehy, Antonio Banderas, Cate Blanchett, Freida Pinto, Teresa Palmer, Natalie Portman and Isabel Lucas, along with dozens of other well-known names who all just wanted to be in a Malick movie. Among them were comedy actor Thomas Lennon, who recently related <a href="http://www.vulture.com/2016/03/thomas-lennon-knight-of-cups-terrence-malick.html">how weird it is</a> to make a film with the secretive, iconoclastic director. As with Malick's other late-period films, <a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/knight_of_cups/">critics are polarized</a>. Rated 18+. Opens Wednesday.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoTmgtGseDAts-c10g-g5e-tkDpQhyphenhyphenTpSui8Y1hwrWT22X0u3zaxhgeuhTkUedgPyV1dXh2t9vMJUEMWNnYsjP38iNIP-Hp9O8EvHSl7nVkHOQ2GgwFuYejARL2Pp3WYElzb4CdZ3KM7gq/s1600/takemehome.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoTmgtGseDAts-c10g-g5e-tkDpQhyphenhyphenTpSui8Y1hwrWT22X0u3zaxhgeuhTkUedgPyV1dXh2t9vMJUEMWNnYsjP38iNIP-Hp9O8EvHSl7nVkHOQ2GgwFuYejARL2Pp3WYElzb4CdZ3KM7gq/s400/takemehome.jpg" width="283" /></a></div>
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<b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Take-Me-Home-%E0%B8%AA%E0%B8%B8%E0%B8%82%E0%B8%AA%E0%B8%B1%E0%B8%99%E0%B8%95%E0%B9%8C%E0%B8%A7%E0%B8%B1%E0%B8%99%E0%B8%81%E0%B8%A5%E0%B8%B1%E0%B8%9A%E0%B8%9A%E0%B9%89%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%99-125622361165134/?fref=nf">Suksan Wan Klab Baan</a></b> (<b>สุขสันต์วันกลับบ้าน</b>, a.k.a. <b>Take Me Home</b>) – Kongkiat Komesiri directs this thriller about a young man (Mario Maurer) who wakes up in a hospital after a five-year slumber with no memories of his past except that his name is Tan. He's brought home by his twin sister Tubtim (Wannarote Sonthichai) who lives a seemingly perfect existence in a fancy house with her architect husband Cheewin (Nopachai Jayanama) and his two children from a previous marriage. Having enjoyed Kongkiat's previous efforts – 2007's <a href="http://thaifilmjournal.blogspot.com/2007/07/review-muay-thai-chaiya.html"><b>Muay Thai Chaiya</b></a>, 2009's <a href="http://thaifilmjournal.blogspot.com/2009/10/review-slice-cheun.html"><b>Slice</b></a> and 2012's <b><a href="http://thaifilmjournal.blogspot.com/2012/06/review-antapal.html">Antapal</a></b> – I have what I guess are unreasonably high expectations for <b>Take Me Home</b>, which is produced by the indie shingle North Star and is being released by Major Cineplex-owned M Pictures. There's more about the movie in <a href="http://www.nationmultimedia.com/life/The-man-who-time-forgot-30283768.html">an article in The Nation today</a>. Rated 15+. Opens Wednesday.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-TYym1jCYv8Gax24Q3evwR3yPpIU2LhnWKcPVb0nwhs4hEKFugpcOpksnM6GDeo_Ifp7PA7oj3obq9Y1bCKpvVIqRLiXo0iICAgKFKjrcpr3_9lCCaOHOjzicF4lk7hxsuVBKTxjKd93Z/s1600/fan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-TYym1jCYv8Gax24Q3evwR3yPpIU2LhnWKcPVb0nwhs4hEKFugpcOpksnM6GDeo_Ifp7PA7oj3obq9Y1bCKpvVIqRLiXo0iICAgKFKjrcpr3_9lCCaOHOjzicF4lk7hxsuVBKTxjKd93Z/s400/fan.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3495026/">Fan</a></b> – Shah Rukh Khan plays dual roles in this thriller about a young man who develops an unhealthy obsession with a superstar actor. The 50-year-old King Khan plays both characters, with <a href="http://www.dnaindia.com/entertainment/report-shah-rukh-khan-to-play-a-17-year-old-boy-in-fan-2064625">digital de-ageing technology</a> used to give him the face of the 17-year-old obsessed fan. It's in Hindi with English and Thai subtitles at Paragon, Major Cineplex Sukhumvit, Rama III, Pattaya and Maesot. Opens Friday.<br />
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<a href="http://fgc.in.th/"><b>The Friese-Greene Club</b></a> – The Club will be open tomorrow to members who might be seeking a refuge from the Songkran revelry. Please leave your water guns by the door. Wednesday's show has Richard Burton as <b>The Spy Who Came In from the Cold</b> while Thursday is the cult-classic Hong Kong crime thriller <b>City on Fire</b>, one of the <a href="https://vimeo.com/5081539">films Quentin Tarantino copied</a> to make <b>Reservoir Dogs</b>. Friday's "quirky '80s" movie is the little-known end-of-the-world comedy <b>Miracle Mile</b> while Saturday has loads of steampunk weirdness in <b>City of Lost Children</b>. Sunday's Akira Kurosawa film is the underrated and influential kidnap tale <b>High and Low</b>. And next Wednesday has another spy movie, Hitchcock's <b>Notorious</b> from 1946. Please note that the Club has a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1013384475446738&id=371737282944797">new policy on smoking</a>. Shows are at 8pm. The FGC is down an alley next to the under-renovation Queen's Park Imperial Hotel on Sukhumvit Soi 22. For more details, check the club's <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Friese-Greene-Club/371737282944797">Facebook page</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://www.fccthai.com/TheBulletin.html#1910"><b>Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand</b></a> – The Contemporary World Film Series picks up after the Songkran break with <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0150433/">Earth</a></b>, a sweeping 1998 drama about a multi-cultural circle of close friends growing up in Lahore during very turbulent times around 1947, which saw the partition of India and Hindu-Muslim riots. Aamir Khan, Maia Sethna and Nandita Das star. <b>Earth</b> has music by award-winner A.R. Rahman, and it was India's submission to the Academy Awards in 1999. The show is at 7pm on April 19 at the FCCT. Directed by noted Indian-Canadian filmmaker Deepa Mehta, it is the first of two movies this month by award-winning Asian women directors living in the West. Next up on April 25 is the Pakistani drama <b><a href="http://www.fccthai.com/TheBulletin.html#1904">Dukhtar</a></b> by Afia Nathaniel. Admission is 150 baht for non-members.<br />
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<b><a href="http://afthailande.org/en/cultural-activities/cinema/">Alliance Française</a></b> – There are no films at the Alliance this Wednesday, nor this Friday, because of the Songkran public holiday. The next show is at 7pm on Wednesday, April 20, with <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3800010/combined">Fidelio, l'odyssée d'Alice</a></b>, about a young woman who takes a job that is unusual for women, as an engineer aboard an ocean-going freighter. It's in French with English subtitles. The Alliance is now also showing French films with Thai subtitles on Fridays, with the next one on April 22. I'll aim to cover that next week. Take note that there is now an admission charge for the movies – 100 baht for the general public and 50 baht for members and Alliance students.
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<span style="font-size: 21px; font-weight: bold;">Sneak preview</span><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4005402/">Colonia</a></b> – Emma Watson (Hermoine from the <b>Harry Potter</b> movies) is a young woman caught up in the unrest of 1973 in Chile. After her husband (Daniel Brühl) is kidnapped by Pinochet's secret police, she tracks him into the jungle to a torture center run by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villa_Baviera">a cult</a> led by a Nazi war criminal (Michael Nyqvist). She decides to join the cult in hopes she'll be able to rescue her husband. <a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/colonia/">Critical reception</a> is mixed. This opens tonight in sneak previews, with screenings from around 8 nightly through April 20. Rated 13+<br />
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<span style="font-size: 21px; font-weight: bold;">Take note</span><br />
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Movies are being released one or two days earlier than usual this week as distributors try to entice Songkran holidaymakers into the theaters.<br />
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Next week, the new-movie releases will return to their usual day on Thursday.<br />
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Coming up, there will be the second edition of the <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/aseanthaienglish/photos/a.746005782194402.1073741828.744608882334092/836457356482577/?type=3&theater">Bangkok Asean Film Festival</a></b>, which will run from April 21 to 26 at SF World Cinema at CentralWorld. It will have a mix of new films from Thailand and its Southeast Asian neighbors as well as a few classics of world cinema, including the serpentine fantasy romance <b>Pous Keng Kang</b> from Cambodia, 1954's <b>After the Curfew</b> from Indonesia and Lino Brocka's <b>Manila in the Claws of Light</b>. More on that later in the week.Wise Kwaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00462741207572023832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-121761354607624597.post-59450742158091443122016-04-06T10:55:00.001+07:002016-04-06T10:55:25.937+07:00Bangkok Cinema Scene: Movies opening April 6-12, 2016<span style="font-size: 21px; font-weight: bold;">Luang Phee Jazz 4G</span><br />
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Today's Chakri Memorial Day public holiday kicks off anticipatory celebrations of next week's Songkran Thai New Year, which is a three-day public holiday from next Wednesday to Friday. So, this week and next, the movies are being released a day or two early in hopes that the idled government workers, corporate staffers and bank employees will want to spend their time out of the office paying to see new movies.<br />
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The big Thai tentpole is the Songkran-flavored <b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moQvB70FZTQ">Luang Phee Jazz 4G</a></b> (<b>หลวงพี่แจ๊ส 4G</b>, a.k.a. <b>Joking Jazz 4G</b>). It's about a bespectacled, gauge-eared, tattooed hipster with a checkered past who is hiding out as a monk at an isolated mountaintop temple. He's played by hipster comedian Phadung “Jazz Chuanchuen” Songsang. He and his temple-boy friends have an adventure as they are sent to Bangkok on a mission during Songkran.<br />
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Directed by Poj Arnon, <b>Luang Pee Jazz 4G</b> is the first release under the prolific producer-director's rebooted <a href="https://www.facebook.com/filmguruofficial">Film Guru</a> production marque, which has been relaunched in a new partnership with Major Cineplex, the Kingdom's biggest movie-theater chain.<br />
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Poj and Film Guru were formerly associated with <a href="http://thaifilmjournal.blogspot.com/2009/01/village-escapist-cinema-of-phranakorn.html">Phranakorn Film</a>, a film studio owned by the Thana Cineplex chain of upcountry cinemas. Phranakorn released a string of hit country comedies in the early 2000s, including <a href="http://thaifilmjournal.blogspot.com/2005/03/holy-man-is-holiest.html">the original <b>Luang Phee</b> (<b>Holy Man</b>) movie in 2005</a>.<br />
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Originated by comedian, actor and director Note Chernyim, the first <b>Luang Phee Teng</b> starred ubiquitous comedian and TV host Pongsak "Theng Terdterng" Pongsuwan as a former street hood who has entered the monkhood and ministers to colorful residents in a provincial town. Other <b>Luang Phee Teng</b> installments followed in 2008 and 2010, with <a href="http://thaifilmjournal.blogspot.com/2008/04/aint-no-theng-rapper-joey-boy-to-star.html">rapper Joey Boy</a> and <a href="http://thaifilmjournal.blogspot.com/2010/08/rock-star-monks-and-lovesick-teens.html">actor-musician Krissada Sukosol Clapp</a> taking respective turns as the saffron-clad lead character. As each movie stands alone, with different characters in the lead, they aren't really sequels but are part of a franchise all the same.<br />
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<a href="http://www.nationmultimedia.com/life/Poj-lines-up-another-romp-for-his-monks-of-mirth-30281756.html">The Nation has more</a> on this latest <b>Luang Phee</b> movie, which is the fourth in the series. Rated 15+<br />
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<span style="font-size: 21px; font-weight: bold;">Also opening</span><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2381991/">The Huntsman: Winter’s War</a></b> – Universal Pictures is borrowing more than a couple pages from Disney as it attempts to spin its 2012 live-action <b>Snow White and the Huntsman</b> film into an epic franchise. A bit like <b>Frozen</b>, though likely not near as much fun, this new picture is the tale of cold sister royals in a wintry realm. Charlize Theron returns as the Evil Queen Ravenna, who is joined by her sister, the Ice Queen Freya, played by Emily Blunt. They ban love from the land and are cruel. So it's up to one of the Evil Queen's former soldiers, the huntsman Eric (Chris Hemsworth) and his comrade-in-arms (and secret lover) Sara (Jessica Chastain) to fight back. In addition to conventional 2D, it's in converted 3D, including IMAX. <a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_huntsman_winters_war/">Critical reception</a> is mostly negative. Rated 13+<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4253360/">The Himalayas</a></b> – This fact-based adventure story recounts the bond between famed South Korean mountaineer <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Um_Hong-gil">Um Hong-kil</a> and plucky younger climbers, culminating in the risky scaling of Everest by the senior climber, who comes out of retirement for a very meaningful ascent. <a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_himalayas/">Critical reception</a> has been mixed, but it <a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/star-wars-box-office-how-850450">beat <b>Star Wars: The Force Awakens</b></a> at the South Korean box office. It's in Korean with English and Thai subtitles at the <a href="http://www.khajochi.com/2015/05/review-imax-truexscreen-quartier-cineart.html">True Screen X</a> at the Quartier CineArt. That's the panoramic 270-degree cinema in the ritzy EmQuartier mall. Rated G<br />
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<a href="http://fgc.in.th/"><b>The Friese-Greene Club</b></a> – Tonight, Robert Redford is a young CIA analyst in over his head in <b>3 Days of the Condor</b>. Tomorrow, it's Bruce Lee's <b>The Way of the Dragon</b>, which has him in Rome, helping a relative defeat Italian mobsters. A fur-covered Chuck Norris is a featured fighter. On Friday, it's <b>Static</b>, an early feature-film effort by Mark Romanek, the innovative director of many classic music videos. Saturday has dystopian time-travelling by Bruce Willis in Terry Gilliam's <b>12 Monkeys</b> while Sunday is Akira Kurosawa's mystery thriller <b>Rashomon</b>. Please take note of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1013384475446738&id=371737282944797">the Club's new policy on smoking</a>, which snuffs the butts from 7.15 until the movie is over. If you've visited before and were bothered by the smoke but didn't say anything except to vote with your feet, maybe give the place another chance. Shows are at 8pm. The FGC is down an alley next to the under-renovation Queen's Park Imperial Hotel on Sukhumvit Soi 22. For more details, check the club's <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Friese-Greene-Club/371737282944797">Facebook page</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://afthailande.org/en/cultural-activities/cinema/"><b>Alliance Française</b></a> – I now have a belated clarification on the programming changes at the Alliance, which last Friday began weekly screenings of French films with Thai subtitles. That's in addition to the usual Wednesday screenings of French films with English subs as well as a "kid's movie" on one Saturday each month. This week, owing to Chakri Day, there is no English-subbed screening. Friday has <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2173668/combined">Rengaine</a></b> (<b>Hold Back</b>), about the taboo romance between a black Christian man and an Arab Muslim woman in Paris. It's at 7pm. Again, it will screen in French with Thai subtitles. Also, there is now a cost for these movies – 100 baht for non-members, 50 baht for members and Alliance students. Take note that there will be no films at the Alliance next week, because of the Songkran public holiday. The films resume on April 20 and April 22.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.goethe.de/ins/th/en/ban/ver.cfm?fuseaction=events.detail&event_id=20678935">German Film Series</a></b> – In East Germany in 1989, as the Berlin Wall is set to come crumbling down, a little girl wants to build a machine to bring home her uncle who escaped to the West. Meanwhile, an East German police officer tries to keep order. It's <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2270802/combined">Sputnik</a></b>, part of the German Film Series put on monthly by the Goethe-Institut. The show is at 1pm on Sunday at the Film Archive in Salaya, Nakhon Pathom, and at 6pm on Tuesday in the little FA Cinematheque on the second floor of the Bangkok Art and Culture Center (not the fifth floor auditorium). For details, check the <a href="http://www.goethe.de/ins/th/en/ban/ver.cfm?fuseaction=events.detail&event_id=20680926">Goethe website</a>.<br />
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<span style="font-size: 21px; font-weight: bold;">Take note</span><br />
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As mentioned at the top of this week's post, the movies are being released a day or two earlier during the Songkran holiday period. Usually, new movies are released on Thursdays.<br />
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Next week, there will be program changes on Tuesday, Thai New Year's Eve, with the much-anticipated Stephen Chow comedy <b>The Mermaid</b>. and sneak previews for the Emma Watson Chilean coup drama <b>Colonia</b>. More new releases are set to follow next Wednesday on the actual Songkran Day with the Thai horror <b>Take Me Home</b>, Disney's live-action adaptation of <b>The Jungle Book</b> and the Terrence Malick head-scratcher <b>Knight of Cups</b>. So <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/See_You_Next_Wednesday">see you next Tuesday</a>.<br />
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Looking past Songkran, the FCCT will have a one-two punch of screenings in its Contemporary World Film Series, with Deepa Mehta's <a href="http://www.fccthai.com/TheBulletin.html#1910"><b>Earth</b></a> on April 19 and the Pakistani drama <a href="http://www.fccthai.com/TheBulletin.html#1904"><b>Dukhtar</b> (<b>Daughter</b>)</a> on April 25.<br />
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And there will be a second edition of the Asean Film Festival, organized by the Culture Ministry, which is keen to promote Bangkok the hub of Southeast Asian art and culture. According to a source, this year's fest runs from April 21 to 26 at SF World, with plans is to show classic films from neighboring countries, including the serpentine fantasy romance <b>Pous Keng Kang</b> from Cambodia, 1954's <b>After the Curfew</b> from Indonesia and Lino Brocka's <b>Manila in the Claws of Light</b> from 1975. I hope to have more on that soon.Wise Kwaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00462741207572023832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-121761354607624597.post-757584874450325662016-03-31T10:34:00.000+07:002016-03-31T10:34:02.252+07:00Bangkok Cinema Scene: Movies opening March 31-April 6, 2016<span style="font-size: 21px; font-weight: bold;">All Things Must Pass</span><br />
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Remember Tower Records? In the days before streaming music services, MP3s and digital downloads, Tower Records and other record stores were the places to get your music fix. There used to be Tower Records outlets in Bangkok, but despite me spending much hard-earned money there, they were shuttered in the early 2000s as the U.S.-based music retailer headed toward bankruptcy.<br />
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What happened? There’s more to it than just the Internet and illegal downloads. The answers await in <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3272570/combined">All Things Must Pass</a></b>, a documentary that examines the legacy of Tower Records and its colorful founder Russ Solomon.<br />
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It’s directed by Colin Hanks – son of Tom and a talented actor and filmmaker in his own right. He’s joined by a host of well-known musicians who lament Tower’s passing. Among them are hip-hop titan Chuck D, rockers Chris Cornell and Dave Grohl and top pop artists Elton John and Bruce Springsteen.<br />
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<a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/all_things_must_pass_the_rise_and_fall_of_tower_records/">Critical reception</a> is overwhelmingly positive. <b>All Things Must Pass</b> is yet another fine release organized by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DocumentaryClubTH/?fref=ts">the Documentary Club</a>. It's in a limited release at select SF cinemas. For times and venues, please check <a href="http://booking.sfcinemacity.com/">booking.sfcinemacity.com</a>.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1179933/">10 Cloverfield Lane</a></b> – A young woman is injured in a car wreck and wakes up in a storm cellar with no memory of how she got there. She tries to escape, but there’s a strange man there who says that’s impossible due to fallout from a deadly chemical attack. Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Goodman and John Gallagher Jr star. What's going on? Is this a sequel to the 2008 found-footage surprise hit <b>Cloverfield</b>? Of course it is! But because this is from the Bad Robot factory of producer J.J. Abrams, details about the film were kept under wraps until the very last minute in order to stoke that ever-so-valuable viral curiosity. Despite Abrams and his cutsey-pie marketing gimmicks, <a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/10_cloverfield_lane/">critics love</a> <b>10 Cloverfield Lane</b>. Rated 13+<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3760922/">My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2</a></b> – With their teenage daughter about to head to college, Toula (Nia Vardalos) and her non-Greek husband Ian (John Corbett) are dealing with marital problems in the face of a secret from Toula’s past and the prospect of a bigger, fatter and even-more-Greek wedding. This is the follow-up to the 2002 low-budget smash hit that kickstarted the Hollywood career of writer-actress Nia Vardolos. And ever since that first film, Vardolos' close friends have been bugging her and bugging her to write another <b>Big Fat Greek</b> screenplay. Helps that two of <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-film-mybigfatgreekwedding-idUSKCN0WI296">those close friends</a> are producer Rita Wilson and her husband, some guy named Tom Hanks. Nonetheless, <a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/my_big_fat_greek_wedding_2/">critical reception</a> has been tepid. Rated 13+<br />
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<b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCU3wMrAxwc">11 12 13 Rak Kan Ja Tai</a></b> (<b>11 12 13 รักกันจะตาย</b> a.k.a. <b>Ghost Is All Around</b>) – Horror anthologies. The Thai film industry has a thing for horror anthologies. Saravuth Wichiansarn (<b><a href="http://thaifilmjournal.blogspot.com/2006/05/genocide-its-not-game.html">Ghost Game</a></b>) directs this one, which is released by the M-Thirtynine studio. It has the same type stories as other Thai horror anthologies – one about a guy haunted by the spirit of his suicidal girlfriend and another about goofball pals haunted by a friend who is dead but doesn't know it. A third story follows a woman who is in for terror in her travels with her gay chum. Heartthrob "Weir" Sukollawat Kanarot is among the stars. Rated 18+<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4744086/">Ki and Ka</a></b> (<b>Hers and His) </b>– Traditional gender roles are reversed in sweeping Bollywood style in this romantic comedy starring Kareena Kapoor and Arjun Kapoor, which is about a rising young female corporate executive who wants to stay focused on her career, and her man, who stays at home to cook and clean. It's in Hindi with English and Thai subtitles at Major Cineplex Sukhumvit, Rama III and Pattaya. Opens Friday.<br />
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/SalayaDoc/"><b>Salaya International Documentary Film Festival</b></a> – The annual Salaya Doc festival has moved into the city, to the Bangkok Art and Culture Center, where it will continue until Sunday with events starting at 1pm daily. Today's selection includes <b>Look Love</b>, which contrasts stories of Chinese schoolboys from different social classes, and <b>Tea Time</b>, an Chilean feature about elderly ladies who have had weekly tea gatherings for 60 years. Both of those are part of the fest's "Sense and Sensibility" category for films directed by women. There are also entries in the Asean Documentary Competition, screening in four programs from 5.30pm today and tomorrow. Tomorrow has <b>Face Taiwan</b>, which looks at the state of contemporary Taiwanese cinema, and <b>Return to Nostalgia</b>, which is about the search for a lost classic film of Malaysian cinema. Both of those are part of the <b>Power of Asian Cinema</b> series commissioned by KBS Busan television. There's also <b>Visible Silence</b>, a short documentary on the Thai lesbian realm of "toms" and "dees". Saturday is devoted to a panel talk on funding, the announcement of awards in the Asean competition and then <b>Homeland: Iraq Year Zero</b>, a 334-minute look at Iraq before and after the U.S. invasion. Sunday has <b>No Lullaby</b>, on the insidious cycle of sexual abuse by a parent, <b>When We Talk About KGB</b>, about a Lithuanian former political prisoner's search for answers and <b>Before the Last Curtain Falls</b>, about ageing German drag queens. For more details, please check <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SalayaDoc/">the fest's Facebook page</a>.<br />
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<b><a href="http://fgc.in.th/">The Friese-Greene Club</a></b> – One last film for March tonight, closing out the monthlong tribute to David Lynch. It's his most atypical film, <b>The Straight Story</b>, a gentle, heartfelt road drama about an elderly man who drives his riding lawnmower across the country in order to see his ailing estranged brother. Richard Farnsworth, Sissy Spacek and Harry Dean Stanton star. And the April schedule is just out, with "the secret life of secret agents" on Wednesdays, Hong Kong action on Thursdays, "quirky Eighties" on Fridays, "a bright future?" on Saturdays and Akira Kurosawa on Sundays. The '80s quirk gets underway tomorrow with one of Martin Scorsese's best, <b>After Hours</b>, with dystopian sci-fi in Terry Gilliam's <b>Brazil</b> on Saturday. Sunday has Toshiro Mifune caught between warring sides in a small town. It's <b>Yojimbo</b>. And next Wednesday is Robert Redford as an intelligence analyst in over his head in <b>3 Days of the Condor</b>. Shows are at 8pm. The FGC is down an alley next to the under-renovation Queen's Park Imperial Hotel on Sukhumvit Soi 22. For more details, check the club's <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Friese-Greene-Club/371737282944797">Facebook page</a>.<br />
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<b><a href="http://afthailande.org/en/cultural-activities/cinema/">Alliance Française</a></b> – The Alliance switches things up this week with just one film screening to list, this one at 7 tomorrow night. It's the equine-themed drama <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2018079/combined">Jappeloup</a></b>, a fact-based yarn about a lawyer who gives up a successful legal career in order to pursue the sport of show jumping, entering the Olympics with his prize steed Jappeloup. As is customary, the Alliance then takes much of April off, owing to the Songkran holiday. The free movies will resume on Wednesday, April 20.Wise Kwaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00462741207572023832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-121761354607624597.post-74231500440509118572016-03-24T11:19:00.000+07:002016-03-24T11:19:59.610+07:00Bangkok Cinema Scene: March 24-30, 2016<span style="font-size: 21px; font-weight: bold;">Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice</span><br />
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Good old Batman. Just a regular dude, looking out for the rest of us mere mortals. He's always suspicious, always wary. And for every superhero or supervillain that emerges from outer space or out of a vat of chemicals, Batman studies their powers and abilities and methodically comes up with ways to defeat them, just in case.<br />
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Superman is his biggest test yet. Who is this guy in the red cape? Where does he come from? How does he get his powers? Batman, the Great Detective, figures it out in <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2975590/">Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice</a></b>.<br />
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Controversially, this latest version of <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/2016/03/21/how-batman-evolved-and-what-wrong-with-batfleck/NpTDjRNbHXpQfcRn10RJQO/story.html">Batman is played by Ben Affleck</a>, who takes over the iconic role from Christian Bale, who portrayed the Cape Crusader in the <b>Dark Knight Trilogy</b> of Christopher Nolan. Having already been featured in the comic-book rodeo, playing a lackluster Daredevil years ago (the Netflix series does Daredevil justice), his reading of Bruce Wayne/Batman is a world-weary, been-there-and-done-that type. It seems the brooding darkness of the Nolanverse is carrying over into the DC Extended Universe.<br />
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But it's the comic-book-crazy <b>300</b> and <b>Watchmen</b> director <a href="http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/zack-snyder-explains-how-batman-v-superman-dawn-of-justice-is-like-the-impossible-version-of-watchmen-20160322">Zack Snyder</a> who helms this latest iteration, carrying on his meticulous and devoted panel-by-panel work from <b>Man of Steel</b>, which introduced Henry Cavill in the role of Superman and his bespectacled alter-ego newspaper reporter Clark Kent.<br />
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Here, Warner Bros.' DC Comics movie franchise takes further shape as it seeks to match Disney, Marvel Comics and the <b>Avengers</b>. Not only does this movie have the essential element Batman but they also rope in Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot, making her debut) and arch-nemesis Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg). Jeremy Irons joins as Bruce Wayne's butler and crime-fighting partner Alfred, with Amy Adams, Laurence Fishburne and others continuing in their roles from <b>Man of Steel</b>. It's all in service of the eventual <b>Justice League</b> movie, but first we'll get <b>Suicide Squad</b> and standalone films for <b>Wonder Woman</b>, <b>Aquaman</b>, <b>The Flash</b> and others.<br />
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<a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/batman_v_superman_dawn_of_justice/">Critics</a> have been desperate to trash this film since it was first announced. They don't care for Snyder, aren't crazy about Cavill as Superman and have mixed feelings about the Batfleck. Warner Bros. kept them at bay, imposing <a href="http://www.slashfilm.com/batman-v-superman-reactions/">strict embargoes</a>. But <a href="http://twitchfilm.com/2016/03/review-batman-v-superman-dawn-of-justice-overburdened-by-expectation-and-obligation.html">the reviews</a> are starting to trickle in. It's in <a href="http://realorfake3d.com/">converted 3D</a> in some cinemas, including IMAX. Rated 13+<br />
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3231054/combined"><b>Risen</b></a> – Praise Jesus. Our cinemas become churches in observance of Easter Sunday. In Judea in 33AD, veteran Roman military tribune Clavius (Joseph Fiennes) begins to question his beliefs and spirituality as he works to uncover the truth of what happened to a certain crucified troublemaker. Basically, it's a straight-faced and faith-based version of the movie-within-the-movie that George Clooney was making in <b>Hail, Caesar!</b> Cliff Curtis and Tom Felton also star. It's directed by Kevin Reynolds, who is best known for his work as Kevin Costner's go-to guy (he actually called action on the famed buffalo-hunt scene in <b>Dances with Wolves</b>). <a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/risen_2016/">Critical reception</a> is mixed, with praise for the performance by Fiennes. Rated 13+<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3203606/">Trumbo</a></b> – One of Hollywood’s highest-paid screenwriters, Dalton Trumbo, is caught up in the anti-communist crusades in the 1950s and is banned from working. Friends turn their backs on him, he's sent to prison and he veers toward financial ruin, but he continues to produce award-winning scripts, giving the credit to others or writing under a pseudonym. Bryan Cranston stars and he earned Academy Awards and Golden Globe nominations for his portrayal. Helen Mirren is the scandal-addicted columnist Hedda Hopper, and she also earned a Golden Globe nomination. Other stars include Louis C.K., Alan Tudyk, Diane Lane, Michael Stuhlbarg and John Goodman. <a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/trumbo/">Critical reception</a> is generally positive. It's in limited release, playing only at the Lido in Siam Square.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3410408/">Rocky Handsome</a></b> – Rock-hard abs and explosions combine in this violent Bollywood thriller starring John Abraham and his gym membership. He's a father who embarks on a deadly rampage of revenge after his adorable little eight-year-old daughter is killed. It's in Hindi with English and Thai subtitles at Major Cineplex Sukhumvit, Rama III and Pattaya. Opens Friday.<br />
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<b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/SalayaDoc/">Salaya International Documentary Film Festival</a></b> – The Thai Film Archive's sixth annual documentary fest opens at 1pm on Saturday with <b>The Scala</b>, a 50-minute made-for-TV piece by Thai filmmaker Aditya Assarat, who takes his cameras inside Siam Square's imperiled landmark cinema for what he reckons is one last look around. <b>The Scala</b> is part of a special <b>Power of Asian Cinema</b> package, co-produced by the Busan International Film Festival and Korean Broadcasting. Other programs are <b>Sense and Sensibility</b>, which groups together documentaries by female directors, and the Asean Documentary Competition, which has entries this year from Vietnam, Myanmar, Singapore, the Philippines and Indonesia. A major highlight is <b>The Memory of Justice</b>, a 1976 film that looked at wartime atrocities, by the Germans in World War II, and by the Americans in Vietnam. Running 278 minutes, the film was recently restored and presented at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival. Another marathon screening will be <b>Homeland: Iraq Year Zero</b>, an award-winning chronicle of everyday life in Iraq before and after the U.S. invasion. It runs 334 minutes and will be presented in its entirety. The fest is at the Film Archive in Salaya, Nakhon Pathom, from Saturday through Monday, and then from Tuesday shifts over to the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre, where it runs through April 3. The schedule is embedded below. You can state your interest in attending the opening film and ceremony on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1041397682598784/">the Facebook events page</a>. For more details, please check <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SalayaDoc/">the fest's Facebook page</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://fgc.in.th/"><b>The Friese-Greene Club</b></a> – There's one more scheduled screening on Saturday of <a href="http://trumpthemovie.com/"><b>Trump: What's the Deal?</b></a>, a revealing 1999 documentary that is <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jesse-kornbluth/theres-a-movie-donald-tru_b_7910910.html">reportedly</a> "the movie Trump doesn't want you to see." A specially licensed screening, the cost is 150 baht. The place has a private event tonight, but is back open tomorrow with the controversial erotic thriller <b>Irreversible</b> by Gaspar Noe and a Douglas Slocombe cinematography effort in the historical drama <b>Lady Jane</b> on Sunday. Next Wednesday, there's one more great Danish film, 1994's <b>Nightwatch</b>, starring Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (<b>Game of Thrones</b>) as a morque watchman who gets caught up in a murder case. Shows are at 8pm. The FGC is down an alley next to the under-renovation Queen's Park Imperial Hotel on Sukhumvit Soi 22. For more details, check the club's <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Friese-Greene-Club/371737282944797">Facebook page</a>.<br />
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<b><a href="http://afthailande.org/en/cultural-activities/cinema/">Alliance Française</a></b> – A young man sets out to find his missing grandmother, who escaped from an old-folks home, in <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3519272/">Les souvenirs</a></b> (<b>Memories</b>). It screens at 7pm on Wednesday at the Alliance.<br />
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<span style="font-size: 21px; font-weight: bold;">Take note</span><br />
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The Bangkok Art and Culture Centre has posted the line-up for this year's <b><a href="http://en.bacc.or.th/event/Cinema-Diverse-Directors-Choice-2016-The-Female-Perspective-.html">Cinema Diverse: Director's Choice</a></b> series, taking the added theme of <b>The Female Perspective</b> and recruiting prominent female Thai filmmakers to show thought-provoking films and then talk about them. The opener is on May 21, with Soraya Nakasuwan showing <b>The Pearl Button</b> from Chile. Others will be twin-sisters Wanweaw and Weawwan Hongvivatana on July 23, producer-director Pimpaka Towira on September 24 and producer-director Anocha Suwichakornpong on November 19.<br />
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<a href="http://www.nationmultimedia.com/life/PICTURE-houses-30281840.html">An article in The Nation</a> last Friday details efforts by researcher Philip Jablon and the <a href="http://seatheater.blogspot.com/">Southeast Asia Movie Theater Project</a> to raise awareness about the plight of old movie palaces. It includes updates on the Lido and Scala, which will now hopefully remain open through 2018, as well as two old, shuttered standalone cinemas, The Prince and the Nang Loeng, that could reopen.<br />
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Meanwhile, <a href="http://www.khaosodenglish.com/detail.php?newsid=1458032447&section=13&typecate=06">Khao Sod English had a recent article</a> on strong-arm practices being used by theater owners to force movie distributors into paying for ads in newspapers. The story says that distributors who didn't make the big ad buys found their films trounced out of cinemas in favor of movies by distributors who did pay. Explains a lot about how things work in Thai cinemas and why some movies tend to be harder to track down than others. If you are a smaller, independent distributor, you are going to have to work harder to keep your movie in front of eyeballs.Wise Kwaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00462741207572023832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-121761354607624597.post-89328800805636930262016-03-17T11:28:00.000+07:002016-03-17T11:28:45.798+07:00Bangkok Cinema Scene: Movies opening March 17-23, 2016<span style="font-size: 21px; font-weight: bold;">Jane Got a Gun</span><br />
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Natalie Portman is a young frontierswoman in <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2140037/">Jane Got a Gun</a></b>. Although she's got plenty of sand, she has to get help from her gunslinger ex-boyfriend when her farm and her husband (Noah Emmerich) come under attack from a land-grabbing villain.<br />
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Amazing that this movie got made. The gritty, female-focused western was initiated as a project for British director Lynne Ramsay (<b>We Need to Talk about Kevin</b>). But things apparently weren't to Ramsay's liking, and she departed the production on the first day of shooting. A game of musical chairs then took place as cast members departed and were replaced and others changed roles.<br />
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Australian actor Joel Edgerton was originally to play the villain, with Michael Fassbender as Jane's gunslinger ex. But Fassbender left and Edgerton moved into the hero role.<br />
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Edgerton brought in Gavin O'Connor, who he'd worked with on the fight picture <b>Warrior</b>, to direct.<br />
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Meanwhile, Jude Law, who was to be the new villain, left because he only wanted to work with Ramsay. Bradley Cooper was then cast, but didn't stick around. So Ewan McGregor ended up in the villain role.<br />
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<a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/jane_got_a_gun/">Critical reception</a> has been mixed, but it should do the trick if you are a fan of westerns like <b>Unforgiven</b>, <b>True Grit</b> or <b>The Homesman</b>. Rated 15+<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzCgTM9soKuI-2L75rcP07YFT-bq3fJR4cJAgT7IePiU3i-C5nzqoZEr1E9qmljuZUJvA2jcO4o-P3pxRhDa8rcj0MTZUCWV5pYB_IvRNb9ZDYD10xcsOmmIoz74tcFuHE8PYC35f1MWSc/s1600/triple9-thai.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzCgTM9soKuI-2L75rcP07YFT-bq3fJR4cJAgT7IePiU3i-C5nzqoZEr1E9qmljuZUJvA2jcO4o-P3pxRhDa8rcj0MTZUCWV5pYB_IvRNb9ZDYD10xcsOmmIoz74tcFuHE8PYC35f1MWSc/s400/triple9-thai.jpg" width="278" /></a></div>
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1712261/">Triple 9</a></b> – Corrupt cops who are under the thumb of the Russian mob are forced into pulling off the perfect heist. To do so, they come up with a plan that involves setting up a rookie cop to be killed. A very violent police thriller, <b>Triple 9</b> is directed by John Hillcoat, an Australian whose previous uncompromising, unrelenting and bleak efforts have included <b>The Proposition</b>, <b>The Road</b> and <b>Lawless</b>. The ensemble cast is toplined by Casey Affleck, with support from Chiwetel Ejiofor, Woody Harrelson, Anthony Mackie, Aaron Paul, Norman Reedus, Michael K. Williams and Clifton Collins Jr. Kate Winslet is the Russian mob boss. <a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/triple_9/">Critical reception</a> is mixed, but if you're a fan of Hillcoat's previous efforts and aren't squeamish about violence, this is one to see. Rated 20-<br />
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<b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDjrC2WXv3o">Bangkok 13</a></b> (<b>บางกอก 13 เมือง-ฅน-ตาย</b>) – Veteran producer-director Dulyasit Niyomkul helms this horror thriller about a young woman (Tarntara Rungruang) who has a supernatural sixth sense. Haunted by a childhood secret, she hopes to find answers when she joins the cast of a reality TV series that sends contestants into 13 spooky places in Bangkok. Rated 13+<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7O-20GPJ9184GEB162soqN8YLeYBeJ7fH9AZLjyI6ojuTjHsQ89eQhdhrKNvjJFQdYL9p0neKIxcvPyhj1NjNoENBQZtCoUPZ00xI1pycNmC8dOB6kne_8ZORNfLntNHrTo0pdtlONohA/s1600/Ride-Along-2-thai.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7O-20GPJ9184GEB162soqN8YLeYBeJ7fH9AZLjyI6ojuTjHsQ89eQhdhrKNvjJFQdYL9p0neKIxcvPyhj1NjNoENBQZtCoUPZ00xI1pycNmC8dOB6kne_8ZORNfLntNHrTo0pdtlONohA/s400/Ride-Along-2-thai.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2869728/">Ride Along 2</a></b> – Diminutive motor-mouth Kevin Hart reteams with hip-hop tough-guy Ice Cube in the second entry in director Tim Story's buddy-cop franchise. The original set up had Hart's wannabe cop trying too hard to impress his brother-in-law, a streetwise veteran lawman. So it's just more that sort of thing. <a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ride_along_2/">Critical reception</a> is mostly negative. Rated 13+ <br />
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3352390/">Friend Request</a></b> – Social-media dangers are depicted in this German-produced thriller, in which was popular college student "unfriends" an acquaintance, which causes her to be cursed by a demonic presence that is killing her closest pals. Alycia Debnam-Carey, William Moseley and Connor Paolo star. Simon Verhoeven (no relation to Dutch director Paul Verhoeven) directs. Rated 15+<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkiAm9BwNfL0QGsjp6W-bHSft86lTJS7g7jxLWIR4xKO_BhRvTP40T8QQV-3jZzxwChT4SfcSCmLuC8fM3A60TDq7xWr2iUQypg0apeY_V0Xp3dRD5ZhTceNLdatBV6MgvBug1JKR7Izl3/s1600/jeruzalem-thai.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkiAm9BwNfL0QGsjp6W-bHSft86lTJS7g7jxLWIR4xKO_BhRvTP40T8QQV-3jZzxwChT4SfcSCmLuC8fM3A60TDq7xWr2iUQypg0apeY_V0Xp3dRD5ZhTceNLdatBV6MgvBug1JKR7Izl3/s400/jeruzalem-thai.jpg" width="268" /></a></div>
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4552524/">Jeruzalem</a></b> – American tourists visiting religious sites in Jerusalem have to fight for their survival when the Holy City becomes the epicenter of the apocalypse. An Israeli-produced thriller, it's directed by the Paz brothers. Rated 15+<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3169770/">Retribution</a></b> – And here's a Spanish-made thriller, in which a bank executive receives an anonymous phone call informing him he has just a few hours to obtain a large sum of money or a bomb under his seat will explode. Rated 13+<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0raeiYPsYCdqnbATt96iMynq_r5nvdpTLB52COEhY0HKMRHncnXrikLpexuz2m_E_5XfC-H396W5F0ID0uR5KfcsM5m0Ir3MVQOUCohdtPtHt2DJUB22j0NdplOsp1V9h-tOzDjgPguqx/s1600/hanamiso.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0raeiYPsYCdqnbATt96iMynq_r5nvdpTLB52COEhY0HKMRHncnXrikLpexuz2m_E_5XfC-H396W5F0ID0uR5KfcsM5m0Ir3MVQOUCohdtPtHt2DJUB22j0NdplOsp1V9h-tOzDjgPguqx/s400/hanamiso.jpg" width="280" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3917264/"><b>Hana's Miso Soup</b></a> – Just as she is ready to start her life, a young woman is hit with a cancer diagnosis, but, miraculously, she becomes pregnant. And when the baby is born, the young cancer-stricken mother becomes determined to teach her daughter everything she knows, including how to make tasty, healthful miso soup. In Japanese with English and Thai subtitles at Apex Siam Square, House on RCA and SFW CentralWorld. Rated 13+<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLwYFJi-Qpe23I0l1sEpovIPQiYqZmiME4YksGmdw_eW6P7lytUCncyOv9Njsyyfax7DC-uYBAVVfWIOyd0Jf4F1fsag9qCSh14PzY8n0VAvhRjCpPpLCPlcZF7htch0VdPx6C8-hkiZMU/s1600/kapoorandsons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLwYFJi-Qpe23I0l1sEpovIPQiYqZmiME4YksGmdw_eW6P7lytUCncyOv9Njsyyfax7DC-uYBAVVfWIOyd0Jf4F1fsag9qCSh14PzY8n0VAvhRjCpPpLCPlcZF7htch0VdPx6C8-hkiZMU/s400/kapoorandsons.jpg" width="276" /></a></div>
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4900716/">Kapoor and Sons</a></b> – Summoned by their 90-year-old grandfather (Rishi Kapoor), estranged bickering brothers Rahul Kapoor (Fawad Khan) and Arjun Kapoor (Sidharth Malhotra) return to their childhood home. There, they fall in love with the same woman (Alia Bhatt). It's in Hindi with English and Thai subtitles at Major Cineplex Sukhumvit, Rama III and Pattaya. Opens Friday.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.sfcinemacity.com/index.php/en/promotion-detail/2016-Thailand-China-Film-Culture-Week">Thailand-China Film Culture Week</a></b> – Forty years of diplomatic ties and increasingly cozier relations are celebrated in Thailand-China Film Culture week, organized by the Guangxi Film Group Company Limited, SF cinemas and the Thai-Chinese Culture Union. Running from tomorrow until Sunday at SF World Cinema at CentralWorld, the event will have five contemporary Chinese films playing alongside two critically acclaimed indie Thai films. Here is the line-up:<br />
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<li><b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2976864/">The Nightingale</a></b> – An eight-year-old girl and her grandfather walk from Beijing to his rural hometown in Guilin in order to fulfill promise to his dead wife, to deliver a caged nightingale bird. From 2013, <b>The Nightingale</b> made the rounds of film festivals in 2014 and last year, and won a few awards.</li>
<li><b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1851024/">Liu San Jie</a></b> – From 1978, here's a classic from the Guangxi library. Touted as China’s first musical movie, it's the story of a travelling folksinger, Third Sister Liu, who inspires villagers wherever she goes.</li>
<li><b>The Dancing Young</b> – High-school students who are crazy about dancing look for their big break as they try to balance the activity with their studies and social lives.</li>
<li><b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4644382/combined">Monkey King: Hero Is Back</a></b> – The hero of Chinese literature and legend gets another outing in animated form in a story of a special child who unknowingly releases the Monkey King from a 500-year curse. He pays back the kid by fighting the evil monster who have taken over his village.</li>
<li><b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4819560/">Saving Mr. Wu</a></b> – Andy Lau toplines this taut, fact-based thriller about a Hong Kong actor who is kidnapped in China by four criminals posing as police. The real cops have 24 hours to come up with a ransom to save the guy. Sheng Deng (<b>Police Story: Lockdown</b> and <b>Little Big Soldier</b>) directs. It was nominated for two awards at last year's Golden Horse Film Festival and has scored <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4819560/externalreviews">positive reviews</a>.</li>
<li><b><a href="http://thaifilmjournal.blogspot.com/2010/11/wffbkk-2010-review-eternity-tee-rak.html">Eternity</a></b> (<b>ที่รัก</b>, <b>Tee Rak</b>) – Award-winning Thai indie writer-director Sivaroj Kongsakul recounts a rural Thai-Chinese upbringing in this haunting, heartfelt drama that was inspired by the death of his father and the romance of his parents. It won the Tiger Award at the 2010 International Film Festival Rotterdam and also took prizes in Deauville and Hong Kong.</li>
<li><b><a href="http://thaifilmjournal.blogspot.com/2014/12/review-w.html">W.</a></b> – Chonlasit Upanigkit, a young filmmaker who sought out for talent in the film-editing suite, made his directorial debut with the enigmatic <b>W.</b>, which was his student film. Originally three hours long, it was trimmed down to its two-hour bare essence and won critical acclaim in 2014. It's the story of a disoriented young woman who is thrown into the deep end of college life.</li>
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There's actually a screening of the musical tonight, but it is invitation only. Public screenings begin tomorrow night at SF World. Tickets are free and will be handed out 30 minutes before the shows – get your place in line well before that ensure you have a decent seat. For the schedule, please see <a href="http://www.sfcinemacity.com/index.php/en/promotion-detail/2016-Thailand-China-Film-Culture-Week">the SF Cinemas website</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://fgc.in.th/"><b>The Friese-Greene Club</b></a> – Heineken? Don't even think about it ordering one if you see <b>Blue Velvet</b> at the Club tonight. It's part of monthlong tribute to cult director David Lynch. Tomorrow's "controversial" film is 2005's <b>Hard Candy</b>, about a teenage girl seeking revenge against a pedophile. And Saturday has the second of three screenings this month of <a href="http://trumpthemovie.com/"><b>Trump: What's the Deal?</b></a>, a revealing 1999 documentary that is <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jesse-kornbluth/theres-a-movie-donald-tru_b_7910910.html">reportedly</a> "the movie Trump doesn't want you to see." It costs 150 baht. Sunday has another of the films shot by the late British cinematographer Douglas Slocombe, the ahead-of-its-time dystopian sci-fi sports drama <b>Rollerball</b>, from 1975. And next Wednesday is another entry from Denmark's Dogme 95 school, Lars von Trier's <b>Dancer in the Dark</b>, starring Bjork. Shows are at 8pm. The FGC is down an alley next to the under-renovation Queen's Park Imperial Hotel on Sukhumvit Soi 22. For more details, check the club's <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Friese-Greene-Club/371737282944797">Facebook page</a>.<br />
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<b><a href="http://afthailande.org/en/cultural-activities/cinema/">Alliance Française</a></b> – There are two movies to list this week – a "kids' movie" on Saturday and the usual Wednesday night screening. First up at 2pm on Saturday is <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1891769/"><b>The Painting</b></a> (<b>Le tableau</b>), which has characters in an unfinished painting coming into conflict. Three of them team up for an adventure in which they leave the painting in search of the artist. And then the next usual Wednesday night screening will be <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3660370/combined"><b>Party Girl</b></a>, a 2014 comedy-drama about an ageing nightclub hostess who decides to settle down and get married.<br />
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<span style="font-size: 21px; font-weight: bold;">Take note</span><br />
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Way too many movies to deal with this week, as distributors and cinema chains work to get a few titles off their books and clear the decks ahead of next week, when the main focus will be on Warner Bros' big superhero tentpole, <b>Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice</b>.<br />
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Meanwhile, the Salaya International Documentary Film Festival is continuing to offer updates on on its sixth edition, which runs from March 26 to April 3 at the Bangkok Art and Culture Center and the Film Archive in Salaya, Nakhon Pathom. Watch <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SalayaDoc/">the Facebook page</a> as details emerge.Wise Kwaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00462741207572023832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-121761354607624597.post-44319274189611917932016-03-10T10:53:00.000+07:002016-03-10T11:00:44.045+07:00Bangkok Cinema Scene: Movies opening March 10-16, 2016<span style="font-size: 21px; font-weight: bold;">The Hunting Ground</span><br />
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Rape culture at American colleges is exposed in <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4185572/">The Hunting Ground</a></b>, a documentary on campus rape crimes, institutional cover-ups and the toll that rape and sexual abuse takes on students, families and society.<br />
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It's the latest film by Kirby Dick, the noted documentary filmmaker whose previous works include <b>Twist of Faith</b> (on sex abuse of children in the Catholic Church), the informative <b>This Film Is Not Yet Rated</b> (on Hollywood's hypocritical film-ratings agency) and <b>The Invisible War</b> (on sexual assault in the U.S. military).<br />
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A winner of several awards, <b>The Hunting Ground</b> features the Academy Award-nominated original song "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmWBrN7QV6Y">Til It Happens to You</a>", written by Diane Warren and performed by Lady Gaga. It was featured in a special live performance at the <a href="http://www.inquisitr.com/2860243/lady-gagas-family-only-learned-of-her-sexual-assault-during-her-oscars-performance/">recent Oscars ceremony</a>. <a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_hunting_ground_2015/">Critical reception</a> has been mostly positive.<br />
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Brought to Thailand by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DocumentaryClubTH/">the Documentary Club</a>, <b>The Hunting Ground</b> is at SF World Cinema at CentralWorld and SFX The Crystal Ekamai-Ram Indra. For more details, check the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DocumentaryClubTH/">Documentary Club Facebook page</a> and <a href="http://booking.sfcinemacity.com/">SF's bookings site</a>. Rated 13+<br />
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<span style="font-size: 21px; font-weight: bold;">Also opening</span><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2267968/combined">Kung Fu Panda 3</a></b> – The DreamWorks Animation talking-animals franchise keeps rolling, with the portly panda martial-artist Po (Jack Black) reuniting with his long-lost father (Brian Cranston) and paying a visit to a secret panda paradise. Meanwhile, a new villain arises in the form of a snorting bull named Kai (J.K. Simmons), who is defeating kung-fu masters across the land and stealing their supernatural powers. Along with Black, returning voices include Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, David Cross, Dustin Hoffman, James Hong and Jean-Claude Van Damme. Kate Hudson and Jolie's children add their voices to this latest adventure. <a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/kung_fu_panda_3/">Critical reception</a> is generally positive. This was in daytime sneak previews last week and now moves to general release. It's in 3D in some cinemas. Rated G<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3410834/">The Divergent Series: Allegiant</a></b> – Taking a page from adaptations of <b>Harry Potter</b>, <b>The Hobbit</b> and <b>The Hunger Games</b>, it's apparently mandatory now for the third book in young-adult-science-fiction novel trilogies to be broken in two for the Hollywood movie adaptations. This is part one of the final chapter in <b>Divergent</b>, with Part 2 (now called <b>Ascendant</b>) not due out until next year. So it's not over yet. Anyway, the story has the teen heroine Tris (Shailene Woodley) and her rebel-scum friends faced with having to flee for their lives from a comfortable existence in post-apocalyptic utopian Chicago. Theo James, Jeff Daniels, Octavia Spencer, Ray Stevenson, Zoë Kravitz, Miles Teller and Ansel Elgort also star. <a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_divergent_series_allegiant/">Critical reception</a> is starting to trickle in, but won't really get going until next week when this opens in the U.S. The release in overseas territories is a move to gin up box-office takings before the majority of critics weigh in and trash the film. In addition to 2D screenings in ordinary cinemas, there's also <a href="http://www.imax.com/news/divergent-series-allegiant-imax-exclusive-art">a 2D IMAX version</a>. Rated 13+<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.fccthai.com/">Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand</a></b> – Film screenings resume at the FCCT, with a special Thai documentary screening and panel discussion <a href="http://www.fccthai.com/TheBulletin.html#1880">tonight</a> and a South African film on <a href="http://www.fccthai.com/TheBulletin.html#1878">Monday</a>. First up is <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/yourmusicmovie/?fref=ts">Y/Our Music</a></b>, a <a href="http://thaifilmjournal.blogspot.com/2016/01/top-10-thai-films-of-2015.html">critically acclaimed</a> and <a href="http://thaifilmjournal.blogspot.com/2016/03/freelance-leads-nominations-for.html">nominated</a> Thai-British documentary on the political and social divide in Thai music. It covers the nearly forgotten <i>mor lam</i> artists of the Thai country music scene in the Northeast and oddball indie musicians in Bangkok. Panelists will be co-director "Art" Waraluck Hiransrettawat Every, political scientist Dr. Sirote Klampaiboon, and Bangkok Post music columnist John Clewly. The show is at 7 tonight. Admission is (yikes!) 450 baht for non-members. Monday marks the beginning of the year's Contemporary World Film Series, which opens with <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0379765/combined">Drum</a></b>, a fact-based 2004 South African drama about a writer for <i>Drum</i> magazine getting caught up in the anti-Apartheid movement in the 1950s. Taye Diggs and Gabriel Mann star. South African Ambassador Ruby Marks will be on hand, along with South African wine and snacks. Entry is 150 baht for non-members plus 100 baht for the drinks and food. The show starts at 7pm.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.goethe.de/ins/th/en/ban/ver.cfm?fuseaction=events.detail&event_id=20707115">German Film Week</a></b> – The Goethe-Institut's annual showcase continues tonight with <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3032028/combined"><b>Inbetween Worlds</b></a> (<b>Zwischen Welten</b>), following a German soldier in Afghanistan as he becomes conflicted between duty and his conscience as he works in a Taliban-controlled area with a young Afghan interpreter. Tomorrow, it's <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3983072/combined"><b>A God send</b></a> (<b>Ein Geschenk der Götter</b>), in which an unemployed actress takes a job teaching theater to other jobless folks. Saturday has <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3469918/">Jack</a></b>, about a 10-year-old boy looking for his missing mother. And the week concludes on Sunday with <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2974502/">Patong Girl</a></b>, about a dysfunctional German family on vacation on Phuket. It was shot in Phuket with a Thai and German cast, with assistance from production-services firm <a href="http://www.dewarrenne.moonfruit.com/#/patong-girl/4543592211">De Warrenne Pictures</a>. Shows are at 7pm at Paragon Cineplex. Tickets are 120 baht and 150 baht at the box office.<br />
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<a href="http://fgc.in.th/"><b>The Friese-Greene Club</b></a> – A support-group meeting for the confused will be convened at the Club immediately following tonight's screening of the L.A.-noir mystery <b>Mulholland Drive</b>, part of a monthlong tribute to cult director David Lynch. Tomorrow's "controversial" film is another cult entry, <b>Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom</b>. "Not for the faint-hearted," warns the Club. Saturday is the first of three screenings this month of <a href="http://trumpthemovie.com/"><b>Trump: What's the Deal?</b></a>, a 1999 documentary on the bloviating U.S. presidential candidate. It's <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jesse-kornbluth/theres-a-movie-donald-tru_b_7910910.html">reportedly</a> "the movie Trump doesn't want you to see." Showing no fear of being sued by Trump, the FGC has specially licensed the film for screenings in its nine-seat boutique cinema, and is charging 150 baht a head to recoup the costs. Douglas Slocum, the veteran British cinematographer who died last month at age 103, is paid tribute in Sunday screenings. This week's entry is <b>The Servant</b>, a 1963 adaptation of a Harold Pinter novel that won four BAFTAs, including best cinematography. "The Best of Danish" is featured on Wednesdays, with Thomas Vinterberg's 1998 family drama <b>Festen</b>. It's the first of the films made under the rules of the Dogme 95 movement, which aimed to bring filmmaking back to the basics of story, acting, and theme, eschewing special effects and slickness. Shows are at 8pm. The FGC is down an alley next to the under-renovation Queen's Park Imperial Hotel on Sukhumvit Soi 22. For more details, check the club's <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Friese-Greene-Club/371737282944797">Facebook page</a>.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.goethe.de/ins/th/en/ban/ver.cfm?fuseaction=events.detail&event_id=20678935">German Film Series</a></b> – The Goethe has got it going on when it comes to film. In addition to the recent Wim Wenders retrospective and the ongoing <a href="http://www.goethe.de/ins/th/en/ban/ver.cfm?fuseaction=events.detail&event_id=20707115">German Film Week</a> there are the monthly installments in the year-round <a href="http://www.goethe.de/ins/th/en/ban/ver.cfm?fuseaction=events.detail&event_id=20678935">German Film Series</a>, which has screenings at the Thai Film Archive and the Bangkok Art and Culture Center. This month's entry is <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2960270/"><b>Love Steaks</b></a>, an indie romance about the unusual relationship between a resort's trainee masseur and the hotel's chef-in-training. It screens at 1pm on Sunday at the Thai Film Archive in Salaya, Nakhon Pathom, and at 6pm on Tuesday in the BACC's fifth-floor auditorium.<br />
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<b><a href="http://afthailande.org/en/cultural-activities/cinema/">Alliance Française</a></b> – Following a one-week hiatus, the free French films return at the Alliance with <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1528224/combined"><b>Deux de la Vague</b></a> (<b>Two in the Wave</b>), a 2010 documentary on the friendship between two of the founding titans of the French New Wave – Jean-Luc Godard and François Truffaut. It screens at 7pm on Wednesday, March 16, at the Alliance.
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<span style="font-size: 21px; font-weight: bold;">Take note</span><br />
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Details are starting to emerge about the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SalayaDoc/">Salaya International Documentary Film Festival</a>, which runs from March 26 to April 3 at the Film Archive in Salaya, Nakhon Pathom, and the Bangkok Art and Culture Center. Hit the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SalayaDoc/">Salaya Doc Facebook page</a> to see what they are up to.
Wise Kwaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00462741207572023832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-121761354607624597.post-78338307074969407982016-03-03T12:31:00.000+07:002016-03-03T12:31:54.195+07:00Bangkok Cinema Scene: Movies opening March 3-9, 2016<span style="font-size: 21px; font-weight: bold;">Hail, Caesar!</span><br />
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With <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0475290/">Hail, Caesar!</a></b>, the Coen Bros. return to the Hollywood Golden Age at Capitol Pictures, which they first mined for screwball-comedy hijinks in <b>Barton Fink</b>, which was set in the 1940s.<br />
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Now in the 1950s, Capitol has a brash new executive “fixer”, played by Josh Brolin, who has his work cut out for him when the studio's biggest star, matinee idol Baird Whitlock (George Clooney) goes missing during the production of a swords-and-sandals epic. Turns out he's been kidnapped by a shadowy group known as "the Future".<br />
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Aside from Coen veterans like Clooney and Brolin, there's also Frances McDormand as a film editor and Tilda Swinton in dual roles as rival twin sister gossip columnists. Channing Tatum and Alden Ehrenreich are a couple other young leading men at the studio. Ralph Fiennes, Scarlett Johansson and Jonah Hill also star.<br />
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The Coens have stated that this is the third entry in their <b>Numbskull Trilogy</b> of films with their favorite numbskull Clooney, following <b>O Brother, Where Art Thou?</b> (2000) and <b>Intolerable Cruelty</b> (2003), though 2008's <b>Burn After Reading</b> might also fit in there too.<br />
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<a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hail_caesar_2016/">Critical reception</a> is mostly positive, putting <b>Hail, Caesar!</b> somewhere in the Coens' middle realm, below <b>A Serious Man</b> and above <b>The Man Who Wasn't There</b>. Rated 13+<br />
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<span style="font-size: 21px; font-weight: bold;">Also opening</span><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3300542/">London Has Fallen</a></b> – Remember 2013, when there were two back-to-back "<b>Die Hard</b> in the White House movies"? One was Roland Emmerich's stupidly fun <b>White House Down</b>, with Channing Tatum and Jamie Foxx, and the other was the straight-faced, grimmer-toned and much-less-fun <b>Olympus Has Fallen</b>, which was directed by Antoine Fuqua and starred Gerard Butler as a disgraced Secret Service agent who redeems himself when the White House comes under attack. He's back in <b>London Has Fallen</b>, protecting president Aaron Eckhart as he attends a British prime minister's funeral, which becomes a target for a Pakistani arms dealer who wants to wipe out all the world leaders. Charlotte Riley joins the cast, playing a British agent. Returnees include Morgan Freeman, Angela Bassett, Robert Forster and Melissa Leo. Babak Najafi, an Iranian-born Swedish filmmaker, takes over as director, making his English-language debut. Rated 18+<br />
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<b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-TPTznFh7A">Love Say Hey .. Yaak Say Wa Rak Ther</a></b> (<b>เลิฟเซเฮ.. อยากเซว่ารักเธอ</b>) – High-school seniors have to figure out how to balance love, friendship and their studies as they work to make a film together for their graduation project. Napat Jaitientum directs. He previously directed the gay romances, last year's <b>Love Love You</b> and 2014's <b>Love's Coming</b>. Rated G<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4682562/combined">Office</a></b> – An office supervisor (Bae Sung-woo) snaps after a long day at work, kills his family and disappears. A police detective (Park Sung-woong) is on the case, but co-workers are tight-lipped about the man, until, one by one, they start getting killed off too. It's directed by Hong Won-chan, who makes his debut as helmer following screenplays on such acclaimed South Korean thrillers as <b>The Chaser</b>, <b>The Yellow Sea</b> and <b>Confession of Murder</b>. In Korean with English and Thai subtitles at SFW CentralWorld and Esplanade Ratchada. Rated 18+<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4276752/combined">Mojin: The Lost Legend</a></b> – An infamous tomb robber (Chen Kun) has settled down to retire with his new fiancee when an old girlfriend (Angelababy) who he thought died 20 years ago resurfaces and lures him back to China and the tomb of a Mongolian princess, which holds an artifact that has the power to raise the dead. Thai-dubbed it seems. Rated 13+<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4979082/">Jai Gangaajal</a></b> – Priyanka Chopra portrays the first female police superintendent in Bankipur, Bihar. She decides to take on a corrupt local politician and his henchmen. Manav Kaul, Rahul Bhat and Queen Harish also star. In Hindi with English and Thai subtitles at Major Cineplex Sukhumvit, Rama III and Pattaya.<br />
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<span style="font-size: 21px; font-weight: bold;">Also showing</span><br />
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<a href="http://fgc.in.th/"><b>The Friese-Greene Club</b></a> – Danish films, David Lynch, "controversy!", a tribute to cinematographer Donald Slocum and <b>Donald Trump: What's the Deal?</b> are featured this month. The abstract movies of David Lynch are featured on Thursdays, beginning with <b>The Elephant Man</b>. Friday's "controversial" film is <b>A Clockwork Orange</b>. This Saturday is a one-off special event, the fourth edition of the <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/464521167087931/">9 Film Fest</a></b>, which will screen the winning entries in this year's <a href="http://thaifilmjournal.blogspot.com/2015/12/9filmfest-goes-online-with-new-contest.html">online contest</a>. To compete, filmmakers have to come up original nine-minute films that contain a "signature item" that is unique from year to year. This year's "9SI" was "flower". Sunday has the films shot by Slocum, beginning with the screwball British comedy <b>The Lavender Hill Mob</b>. Later in the month, the club has scheduled Saturday screenings of <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/aug/15/trum-whats-the-deal"><b>Trump: What's the Deal?</b></a>, a 1999 documentary that is <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jesse-kornbluth/theres-a-movie-donald-tru_b_7910910.html">reportedly "the movie Trump doesn't want you to see".</a> It's set for March 12, March 19 and March 26, for Bt150 per person. Shows are at 8pm. The FGC is down an alley next to the under-renovation Queen's Park Imperial Hotel on Sukhumvit Soi 22. For more details, check the club's <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Friese-Greene-Club/371737282944797">Facebook page</a>.<br />
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<b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/225539091127485/">Signes de Nuit in Bangkok</a></b> – The Reading Room, Filmvirus, <a href="http://www.goethe.de/ins/th/en/ban/kul/mag/flm/sdn/20709352.html#i3894017">the Goethe-Institut</a> and the International Festival Signet de Nuit present an extensive selection of experimental short films and documentaries from this year's International Festival Signet de Nuit in Paris. Screenings are on Friday and Saturday night and Sunday afternoon at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/thereadingroombkk/">the Reading Room</a> on Silom Soi 19. For the full schedule, please check <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/225539091127485/">the Facebook events page</a>.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.fapot.org/en/event-detail.php?id=436&mid=23">Wim Wenders: A Retrospective</a></b> – The Thai Film Archive lets light filter through its state-of-the-art 3D projector for the first time, with back-to-back Saturday screenings of two 3D films by influential German director Wim Wenders. First up at 1pm is <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1440266/combined">Pina</a></b>, Wenders' tribute to the late German dancer and choreographer Pina Bausch. That's followed by the drama <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1707380/combined">Every Thing will be Fine</a></b>, which has James Franco as writer who kills a child in a car wreck. These are two films in which the filmmaker seeks to use 3D to "immerse" the audience in sights, sounds, experiences and storytelling, rather than just titillate with gimmicks and flashy special effects as most mainstream commercial 3D films do. It's an approach that contemporaries of Wenders have taken, such as Werner Herzog with his 3D documentary <b>Cave of Forgotten Dreams</b> or Martin Scorsese, with his epic childhood drama <b>Hugo</b>., and Jean-Luc Godard with <b>Goodbye to Language</b>. For more details, check <a href="http://bangkokcinemas.blogspot.com/2016/02/bangkok-cinema-scene-special-wim.html">the special post</a>, <a href="http://www.fapot.org/en/event-detail.php?id=436&mid=23">the Archive's website</a> or <a href="http://www.goethe.de/ins/th/en/ban/ver.cfm?fuseaction=events.detail&event_id=20691967">the Goethe website</a>.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.goethe.de/ins/th/en/ban/ver.cfm?fuseaction=events.detail&event_id=20707115">German Film Week</a></b> – Following the recently concluded Open Air Cinema season, the ongoing <b><a href="http://www.fapot.org/en/event-detail.php?id=436&mid=23">Wim Wenders: A Retrospective</a></b> and the monthly <a href="http://www.goethe.de/ins/th/en/ban/kul/mag/flm/dfr.html">German Film Series</a>, German cinema remains in focus with German Film Week from March 7 to 13 at Paragon Cineplex. It will screen seven contemporary German films from 2013-14. Here's the line-up:<br />
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<li>Monday, March 7: <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3042408/">Who am I – No System is safe</a></b> – Baran bo Odar directs this thriller about a hacker who uses the virtual reality to become "somebody". An opening reception precedes this screening, beginning at 6pm.</li>
<li>Tuesday, March 8: <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3892778/combined">Schönefeld Boulevard</a></b> – A plus-size teenage girl gets her first taste of the wide open world when construction of a new Berlin airport comes to her neighborhood.</li>
<li>Wednesday, March 9: <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2723240/combined">The Age of Cannibals</a></b> (<b>Zeit der Kannibalen</b>) – Two longtime business consultants who make their living travelling to far-flung countries advising companies, are both in for disappointment when they are passed over for a big promotion.</li>
<li>Thursday, March 10: <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3032028/combined">Inbetween Worlds</a></b> (<b>Zwischen Welten</b>) – In Afghanistan, a German soldier becomes conflicted between duty and his conscience as he works in a Taliban-controlled area with a young Afghani interpreter.</li>
<li>Friday, March 11: <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3983072/combined"><b>A God send</b></a> (<b>Ein Geschenk der Götter</b>) – An unemployed actress takes a job teaching a theater class to chronically jobless folks. They will try to put on the play <b>Antigone</b>.</li>
<li>Saturday, March 12: <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3469918/">Jack</a></b> – A 10-year-old boy goes looking for his mother after she fails to turn up to collect him after school. A nominee for the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival, the drama is directed by Edward Berger, who co-wrote the screenplay with Nele Mueller-Stöfen.</li>
<li>Sunday, March 13: <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2974502/">Patong Girl</a></b> – There's conflict for a German family on vacation in Phuket, when the teenage son falls for a local lass and runs off. Mum runs off too, to search for the boy, but instead goes on a journey to find herself. Susanna Salonen directs this Thai-German comedy-drama, filmed in Phuket with a Thai and German cast.</li>
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Shows are at 7pm. All films will have English subtitles. Tickets cost 120 baht and 150 baht at the Paragon box office.<br />
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<span style="font-size: 21px; font-weight: bold;">Sneak preview</span><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2267968/combined">Kung Fu Panda 3</a></b> – The Dreamworks Animation franchise returns with Jack Black's rotund martial artist Po and his friends getting up to more adventures. Po, the orphaned panda, finds his homeland and bonds with his father and other panda family members. Meanwhile, an evil new adversary arises in the former of master Kai, voiced by J.K. Simmons. Along with Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, David Cross, Seth Rogen and Jackie Chan in returning roles, newcomers to the franchise include Bryan Cranston and Kate Hudson. It's in sneak previews from Saturday until Wednesday, with kid-friendly screenings starting between 2pm and 5pm . Rated G<br />
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<span style="font-size: 21px; font-weight: bold;">Take note</span><br />
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There's no free film screening next Wednesday at the <a href="http://afthailande.org/en/cultural-activities/cinema/">Alliance Française</a>, which instead will have a one-off concert Duo Brunetti-Pachioli. The free French films return on March 16.Wise Kwaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00462741207572023832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-121761354607624597.post-3407575881542606052016-02-25T13:22:00.000+07:002016-02-25T20:41:39.145+07:00Bangkok Cinema Scene: Movies opening February 25-March 2, 2016<span style="font-size: 21px; font-weight: bold;">Anomalisa</span><br />
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Charlie Kaufman, the innovative writer-director behind such mind-bending existential conundrums as <b>Being John Malkovich</b>, <b>Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind</b>, <b>Adaptation</b> and <b>Synecdoche, New York</b>, turns to animation with <b>Anomalisa</b>.<br />
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It's the story of a lonely self-help author and motivational speaker (David Thewlis) who sees everyone (Tom Noonan) as identical until he's at a convention and meets a lonely sales rep (Jennifer Jason Leigh) who may or may not be the love of his life.<br />
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Kaufman, a veteran film and TV screenwriter, who in the past has worked with such directors as Spike Jonze and Michel Gondry, collaborates this time around with Duke Johnson, a stop-motion animator whose previous credits include <b>Morel Orel</b>, <b>Mary Shelley's Frankenhole</b> and the stop-motion episode of <b>Community</b>, all under writer-producer Dino Stamatopoulos, the guy who is perhaps best known as "Starburns" on <b>Community</b>. Starburns Industries is the main production company behind the film. They put together initial funding through a Kickstarter campaign.<br />
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It was awarded the Grand Special Jury Prize and the Future Film Festival Digital Award at the Venice Film Festival last year and was nominated for a Golden Globe. It's also an Oscar nominee, up against other animated features, Pixar's <b>Inside Out</b> (the likely winner), Brazil's <b>Boy and the World</b>, Aardman's <b>Shaun the Sheep</b> and Studio Ghibli's <b>When Marnie Was There</b>.<br />
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<a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/anomalisa/">Critical reception</a> is generally praiseworthy. Although it's animated, this isn't a movie for the kiddies because there is a stop-motion animated sex scene, plus off-color language. In the U.S., it was rated R, which is restricted to viewers 17 and over unless accompanied by a guardian. Thai censors, doing their jobs, are also keen on keeping youngsters from seeing anatomically accurate stop-motion figures having sex, and have rated <b>Anomalisa</b> 20-, meaning you're supposed to show an I.D. if you look young.<br />
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<span style="font-size: 21px; font-weight: bold;">Also opening</span><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3808342/">Son of Saul</a></b> – The Oscars' Best Foreign Language Film race comes into focus with <b>Son of Saul</b>, a Hungarian Holocaust drama that has already won the Grand Prix at Cannes, the Golden Globe and Critics' Choice Award. It's the likely winner in an Academy Awards category that also has <b>Embrace of the Serpent</b> from Colombia, <b>Theeb</b> from Jordan (two countries that are first-time nominees), the Turkish drama<b> Mustang</b> from France and <b>A War</b> from Denmark. A gripping, handheld-cam, found-footage-type account, <b>Son of Saul</b> takes place over a day and a half in a Nazi death camp in Hungary, where a Jewish prisoner who has been forced to help the Nazis incinerate their victims finds an unburned dead boy in a pile. He becomes determined to give the kid a decent Jewish burial. Meanwhile, the Sonderkommando prison workers plan a rebellion. László Nemes directs, making his feature debut. <a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/son_of_saul/?">Critical reception</a> is generally praiseworthy. Rated 15+<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2245084/">Zootopia</a></b> – Walt Disney Animation Studios, the outfit behind the Oscar winners <b>Frozen</b> and <b>Big Hero 6</b>, didn't make it into the Academy Awards race this year. So maybe you'll be hearing more about this movie around this time next year. Though a more likely Oscar entry from the studio will be the South Pacific seafaring entry <b>Moana</b>, featuring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, coming later this year. All talking animals, the story of <b>Zootopia</b> is set in a world where mammals, predatory and prey alike, peacefully co-exist. Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin), an idealistic bunny rabbit, decides she wants to join the police, even though most cops are bigger critters, such as the cape buffalo voiced by Idris Elba from <b>The Wire</b>. Assigned to parking patrol, Judy is befriended by a fast-talking con-artist fox voiced by Jason Bateman. Other voices include Shakira, J.K. Simmons, Jenny Slate, Tommy Chong, Octavia Spencer and Kristen Bell. There's more about the movie in <a href="http://www.nationmultimedia.com/life/Mammal-MIA!-30279581.html">an article in The Nation</a>. <a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/zootopia/">Critical reception</a> is generally positive. This one's okay for the kids and young-at-heart old-timers. It's in 3D in some cinemas, including IMAX. Rated G.<br />
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<b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/MonkeyTwinsMovie/">Monkey Twins</a></b> (<b>วานรคู่ฟัด</b>, <b>Wanorn Khoo Fud </b>) – Thai action cinema has been on the ropes for the past year or so. The leading proponent was writer, director and choreographer Panna Rittikrai, who <a href="http://thaifilmjournal.blogspot.com/2014/07/in-memoriam-panna-rittikrai-1961-2014.html">died in July 2014</a>. And the leading star, <a href="https://twitter.com/tonyjaaofficial/status/698476864239767552/photo/1">Tony Jaa</a>, has largely <a href="http://thaifilmjournal.blogspot.com/2013/10/tony-jaa-is-fast-and-furious-as-tom-yum.html">parted ways</a> with the Thai film industry in order to go <a href="http://twitchfilm.com/2016/02/donnie-yen-in-jet-li-out-of-xxx-the-return-of-xander-cage.html">work in Hollywood</a>. So stunt specialists and martial-arts actors have been relegated to supporting roles in TV series and horror movies. But now comes <b>Monkey Twins</b>, which blends Thai and Chinese martial arts, dance and theater. Released by <a href="http://www.kaothaitayarn.com/">Kao Thaitayarn Co. Ltd.</a>, it's co-directed by figures who worked with Panna and Jaa in the past – <b>Ong-Bak 2</b> writer Nonthakorn Taweesuk and <b>Tom-Yum-Goong 2</b> action choreographer Weerapol Pumartfon. The story pits Hanuman, the monkey hero of Thai masked dance, against Sun Wukong, the magic monkey of Chinese opera. Sumret Muangput, Kazu Patrick Tang and Panyanut Jirarottanakasem star. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3RoW3u9XWI">Check out the trailer</a>. Rated 15+<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2404233/">Gods of Egypt</a></b> – Although Thai movie distributors have done a pretty good job this season getting Oscar-nominated movies in front of our eyes, they still must carry water for the Hollywood studios, which are responsible for this epic turd. Gerard "This Is Sparta!" Butler gobbles the scenery as Set, the God of Darkness, who defeats rival deity Horus (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Jamie Lannister from <b>Game of Thrones</b>) and blinds him in one eye. Set takes over Egypt and enslaves the people, giving rise to a mere mortal (Brenton Thwaites) who allies himself with Horus and attempts to lead a rebellion. Chadwick Boseman, Elodie Yung, Courtney Eaton, Rufus Sewell and Geoffrey Rush are also featured. This is is so bad, director Alex Proyas (<b>I, Robot</b>, <b>Knowing</b>) and <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/nov/30/gods-of-egypt-director-and-studio-apologise-for-lack-of-diversity">the studio apologized</a> for it before it was released, because of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gods_of_Egypt_(film)#Racial_and_ethnic_casting">whitewashing</a>. Further <a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/gods_of_egypt/">critical response</a> awaits. Rated 15+<br />
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<span style="font-size: 21px; font-weight: bold;">Also showing</span><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.fapot.org/en/event-detail.php?id=436&mid=23">Wim Wenders: A Retrospective</a></b> – Angels weary of immortality yearn for the human experience in <b>Wings of Desire</b> (<b>Der Himmel über Berlin</b>), which screens <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/951459628265293/">at 6 tonight in Lumpini Park</a>. An influential film in the realm of world cinema, it's the opener of a two-week retrospective on German director Wim Wenders by the Goethe-Institut and the Thai Film Archive. The program then shifts to <a href="http://www.fapot.org/">the Archive in Salaya, Nakhon Pathom</a>, with screenings on Saturday and Sunday and next Saturday. This Saturday's offerings are Wenders' feature debut <b>The Goalie's Anxiety at the Penalty Kick</b> and two entries from his <b>Road Movie Trilogy</b>, <b>Alice in the Cities</b> and <b>Kings of the Road</b>. Sunday has <b>The American Friend</b>, the Cannes Palme d'Or winner <b>Paris, Texas</b> and the <b>Wings of Desire</b> sequel <b>Faraway, So Close!</b> And next Saturday's films will be in 3D – a first at the Archive – with the dance documentary <b>Pina</b> and the drama <b>Every Thing Will Be Fine</b>. For more details, check <a href="http://bangkokcinemas.blogspot.com/2016/02/bangkok-cinema-scene-special-wim.html">the special post</a>, <a href="http://www.fapot.org/en/event-detail.php?id=436&mid=23">the Archive's website</a> or <a href="http://www.goethe.de/ins/th/en/ban/ver.cfm?fuseaction=events.detail&event_id=20691967">the Goethe website</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://fgc.in.th/"><b>The Friese-Greene Club</b></a> – The club has a private event tonight but the door swings back open tomorrow for the first of three remaining movies this month – <b>One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest</b>, featuring Jack Nicholson in one of his great roles. Directed by Milos Forman, <b>Cuckoo's</b> was shot by cinematographer Haskell Wexler, who died in December. Saturday's "kinky" movie is Pedro Almodovar's <b>Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!</b>, starring Antonio Banderas. And Sunday's Billy Wilder movie is <b>The Apartment</b>, a contemporary comedy starring Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, Fred MacMurray and Ray Walston. Shows are at 8pm. The FGC is down an alley next to the under-renovation Queen's Park Imperial Hotel on Sukhumvit Soi 22. For more details, check the club's <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Friese-Greene-Club/371737282944797">Facebook page</a>.<br />
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<b><a href="http://afthailande.org/en/cultural-activities/cinema/">Alliance Française</a></b> – A serial killer is preying on young women in Oise, France, in the 1970s in the fact-based crime drama <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3324494/"><b>La prochaine fois je viserai le cœur</b></a> (<b>Next Time I’ll Aim for the Heart</b>) directed by Cedric Anger and starring Guillaume Canet, Ana Girardot and Jean-Yves Berteloot. It screens at 7pm on Wednesday, March 2, at the Alliance. Please note there is no free French film on March 9 because there is instead a concert by Duo Brunetti-Pachioli.Wise Kwaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00462741207572023832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-121761354607624597.post-85576167384160727962016-02-19T21:28:00.003+07:002016-02-19T21:28:37.794+07:00Bangkok Cinema Scene special: Wim Wenders: A Retrospective<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Wim Wenders, the award-winning German auteur who has explored existential rootlessness in such films as <b>Wings of Desire</b> and <b>Paris, Texas</b>, will be paid tribute in a series of screenings organised by the Thai Film Archive and the Goethe-Institut.<br />
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Highlights of <b><a href="http://www.fapot.org/en/event-detail.php?id=436&mid=23">Wim Wenders: A Retrospective</a></b> include an outdoor showing of <b>Wings of Desire</b> in Bangkok’s Lumpini Park next Thursday and the first 3D screenings at the Film Archive in Salaya, Nakhon Pathom, which will distribute special glasses to the audience for the dance documentary <b>Pina</b> and Wenders’ 2015 drama <b>Every Thing will be Fine</b>.<br />
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“The Film Archive is excited to collaborate with the Goethe-Institut Thailand in organising ‘Wim Wenders: A Retrospective’. This is due not only the fact that Wim Wenders is a world-class German filmmaker, but also because we believe that films are one of the best learning tools. The reason why Wim Wenders has been admired around the world is that his films have brought audiences to discover mankind, the world we live in, and most importantly ourselves,” says the archive’s director, film historian Dome Sukvong in the program notes.<br />
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A fervent believer in the old-fashioned cinematic experience, Dome reckons the Wenders retrospective will give local film lovers a once-in-a-lifetime memory they can cherish.<br />
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“Nowadays, watching films, including the nine Wim Wenders’ films shown in this event, can easily be done on the Internet. However, watching films on a big screen with friends and strangers, who have a passion and faith in films, is not easy. This rare gathering is a marvellous chance for all moviegoers to watch good films that have been meticulously well preserved. Fine films enable us and our next generation to experience mankind and discover ourselves again and again.”<br />
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Born in 1945 in Dusseldorf, Wenders was one of the proponents of the New German Cinema movement in the 1970s. He had studied medicine and philosophy before moving to Paris in 1966 to study painting. He instead gravitated toward movies, receiving a “crash course in the history of film” at the Cinemateque Francaise. He returned to Germany in 1967 to enrol in the newly founded University of Television and Film Munich. During this time, he worked as a film critic, directed short films and helped found Filmverlag der Autoren, a distribution company for independent auteurs.<br />
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After graduating from film school, Wenders’ first feature was 1972’s <b>The Goalie’s Anxiety at the Penalty Kick</b> (<b>Die Angst des Tormanns beim Elfmeter</b>), which follows a brooding footballer as he’s sent out of a game for arguing and then commits murder.<br />
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Wenders then moved on with his <b>Road Movie Trilogy</b>, three dramas he made with cinematographer Robby Muller, who has shot most of Wenders’ films. They are <b>Alice in the Cities</b> from 1974, <b>The Wrong Move</b> from 1975 and <b>Kings of the Road</b> from 1976. The three low-budget efforts established a meandering style that Wenders and Muller would later follow for their bigger-budget efforts, including 1984’s <b>Paris, Texas</b>.<br />
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His international breakthrough came with 1977’s <b>The American Friend</b>, an adaptation of one of Patricia Highsmith’s crime novels, with Dennis Hopper as art forger Tom Ripley, who befriends a terminally ill picture framer portrayed by Bruno Ganz. It was West Germany’s official submission to the Oscars.<br />
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Triumphs for Wenders followed, including the Venice Golden Lion for <b>The State of Things</b> in 1982, the top-prize Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival for <b>Paris, Texas</b>, Best Director at Cannes for <b>Wings of Desire</b> and Academy Awards nominations for for his documentaries <b>Buena Vista Social Club</b>, <b>Pina</b> and <b>The Salt of the Earth</b>.<br />
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From 1987, the Lumpini Park opener <b>Wings of Desire</b> (<b>Der Himmel Uber Berlin</b>) is about immortal guardian angels in Berlin. Weary of immortality, the celestial beings yearn for human experiences, with one of them, portrayed by Ganz, falling in love with a trapeze artist. American actor Peter Falk and the rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds also figure into the plot.<br />
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With <b>Goalie’s Angst</b>, the road movies <b>Alice</b> and <b>Kings</b>, and <b>The American Friend</b> representing Wenders’ New German Cinema period, the retrospective will also feature <b>Paris, Texas</b> and the 1993 <b>Wings of Desire</b> sequel <b>Faraway, So Close!</b> (<b>In Weiter Ferne, so Nah!</b>), to show off his mid-career efforts.<br />
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As a coincidence, the screening of <b>Paris, Texas</b>, will be exactly 31 years from the date the film was first shown in Thailand, in Lumpini Park on February 28, 1985, according to archive officials and film critic Manotham Theamtheabrat.<br />
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Lately, Wenders has committed to making films in 3D, which he believes immerses the viewer. It’s a medium he first explored with 2011’s <b>Pina</b>, about German dancer and choreographer Pina Bausch, who died in 2009. He stuck with 3D for last year’s <b>Every Thing will be Fine</b>, a harrowing drama about a writer (James Franco) who kills a child in a traffic mishap.<br />
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“I discovered that 3D had more potential than just for dance and architecture,” Wenders <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/feb/11/wim-wenders-3d-berlin-film-festival-every-thing-will-be-fine-james-franco">told the Guardian last year</a>. “I could see it created a whole different presence in close-up. It has a magnifying effect, it’s like a magnifying glass, making everything stand out.”<br />
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<b>Wim Wenders: A Retrospective</b> runs from February 25 until March 5 at Lumpini Park and the Film Archive. Here is the schedule:<br />
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February 25, Lumpini Park<br />
6pm, <b>Wings of Desire</b><br />
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February 27, Archive<br />
1pm, <b>The Goalie’s Anxiety at the Penalty Kick</b><br />
3pm, <b>Alice in the Cities</b><br />
5pm, <b>Kings of the Road</b><br />
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February 28, Archive<br />
1pm, <b>The American Friend</b><br />
3.15pm, <b>Paris, Texas</b><br />
6pm, <b>Faraway, So Close!</b><br />
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March 5, Archive<br />
1pm, <b>Pina</b> (in 3D)<br />
3pm, <b>Every Thing will be Fine</b> (in 3D)<br />
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Seats can be booked in advance until Saturday at <a href="http://bit.ly/wim-retro">bit.ly/wim-retro</a>. For the Lumpini Park screening, there is <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/951459628265293/">a Facebook events page</a>. And for more details, check <a href="http://www.fapot.org/">www.Fapot.org</a> or <a href="http://www.goethe.de/ins/th/en/ban/ver.cfm?fuseaction=events.detail&event_id=20691967">the Goethe website</a>.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(<a href="http://www.nationmultimedia.com/life/A-whim-for-WIM-30279607.html">Cross-published in The Nation</a>)</span>Wise Kwaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00462741207572023832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-121761354607624597.post-18365070950140818042016-02-18T11:26:00.001+07:002016-02-25T20:42:04.184+07:00Bangkok Cinema Scene: Movies opening February 18-23, 2016<span style="font-size: 21px; font-weight: bold;">The Look of Silence</span><br />
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Following last week's release of <b>The Act of Killing</b>, here's the essential companion piece, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3521134/"><b>The Look of Silence</b></a>, which delves further into politically motivated genocide in 1960s Indonesia.<br />
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While <b>The Act of Killing</b> kept its focus on the perpetrators of the genocide – politicians and military figures who still hold power and influence – <b>The Look of Silence</b> is all about the victims. They are embodied by a sole survivor, an optician who goes door-to-door, plying his trade in giving eye exams to the elderly.<br />
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His job is excellent cover for what he's really doing – tracking down those who were responsible for killing his older brother in 1965. Patiently and methodically, he finds these people, and gets them to confess to truths that have been buried for nearly 50 years. Often, the words are out their mouths before they realize what they are saying.<br />
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An Academy Award nominee and <a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_look_of_silence/">almost-universally praised</a>, <b>The Look of Silence</b> a must-see movie, especially for local residents and anyone interested in the history and politics of Southeast Asia. It's at SF cinemas. For further details, check <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DocumentaryClubTH/?">www.Facebook.com/DocumentaryClubTH</a> or <a href="http://booking.sfcinemacity.com/">SF's bookings site</a>. Rated G<br />
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<span style="font-size: 21px; font-weight: bold;">Also opening</span><br />
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<b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheRainStories">The Rain Stories</a></b> (<b>เมื่อฝนหยดลงบนหัว</b>, <b>Meur Fon Yod Long Bon Hua</b>) – Nichaphoom Chaianan, the indie writer-director of last year's gay romance <b>My Bromance</b>, directs this anthology of unconventional high-school love stories. They involve a disabled girl falling for the hottest boy in school, a boy who is about to meet his father for the first time becoming embroiled in a relationship with his best friend, and another boy who is considering entering the gay sex trade in order to repay his gambling debts. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZElU7ZIMVU">Check the trailer</a>. It's at Major Cineplex. Rated G<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ8AzzZoSBHS8gIVxsd_8hGECzrojNVfDj77-LRiNIWzxEJZ49OEkiH5kgoTgXVKvZz9yioKLfvBNt42ObUtG-sg_zjOT7CxFRBEEljucZkPUwk3wvkC_HSzCbfdOQP4qya5jZDFtLCg1d/s1600/joy-thai.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ8AzzZoSBHS8gIVxsd_8hGECzrojNVfDj77-LRiNIWzxEJZ49OEkiH5kgoTgXVKvZz9yioKLfvBNt42ObUtG-sg_zjOT7CxFRBEEljucZkPUwk3wvkC_HSzCbfdOQP4qya5jZDFtLCg1d/s400/joy-thai.jpg" width="270" /></a></div>
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2446980/">Joy</a></b> – Writer-director David O. Russell gets the band back together for his latest effort, which has several of the same cast members as his recent critically acclaimed hits <b>Silver Linings Playbook</b> and <b>American Hustle</b>. It's the fact-based tale of Joy Mangano, the inventor of the self-wringing Miracle Mop, who became a self-made millionaire selling her products on cable-TV shopping channels. Jennifer Lawrence stars, portraying Joy as a struggling divorcee in a dead-end job who is heavily in debt and is sharing a house with her bickering divorced parents (Robert De Niro and Virginia Madsen), her kindly grandmother (Diane Ladd) and her singer ex-husband (Edgar Ramirez). With help from her father's new girlfriend (Isabella Rosselli), she comes up with the Miracle Mop and gets on TV with the assistance of a visionary QVC network executive (Bradley Cooper). Lawrence won the Golden Globe for best actress in the comedy category and she's also an Oscar nominee. <a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/joy_2014/">Critical reception</a> is mixed, leaning to favorable. Rated 13+<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHe-TK_TXhetLDOqvAdB_OGTzY4HaCb6CwJSVxVqMCfjzAsegNX3EvSFnEkuL3Ba8R8v4SByQi46Zhnwz-7U7C4oYSDCifP5PkgrVGA2cB2F_F7HFhKljyKaoq6TMtt2Z6v0ellwEogmt2/s1600/concussion-thai.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHe-TK_TXhetLDOqvAdB_OGTzY4HaCb6CwJSVxVqMCfjzAsegNX3EvSFnEkuL3Ba8R8v4SByQi46Zhnwz-7U7C4oYSDCifP5PkgrVGA2cB2F_F7HFhKljyKaoq6TMtt2Z6v0ellwEogmt2/s400/concussion-thai.jpg" width="276" /></a></div>
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3322364/">Concussion</a></b> – Snubbed for an Oscar nomination, Will Smith portrays the brilliant Nigerian-American physician Dr Bennet Omalu, who discovered links between repeated blows to the head and the premature deaths of professional gridiron football players. He encounters vigorous pushback from the National Football League when he wants to present his findings. Alec Baldwin, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Albert Brooks also star. <a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/concussion_2015/">Critical reception</a> is mixed, leaning to positive. Rated G<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxdMd-5plBUMCuWNc92-Z5ZbO6k49aZk306ZZUW3jEpel3Z74L3ptg0JvcoqmmA1dTBdLjzub10LjWx922MdSBYVNc7o0y0sn2KHNLg7WXovT-6AtOsVMH2amPkuqwZcQbQZO0vj1klgY2/s1600/legend-thai.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxdMd-5plBUMCuWNc92-Z5ZbO6k49aZk306ZZUW3jEpel3Z74L3ptg0JvcoqmmA1dTBdLjzub10LjWx922MdSBYVNc7o0y0sn2KHNLg7WXovT-6AtOsVMH2amPkuqwZcQbQZO0vj1klgY2/s400/legend-thai.jpg" width="278" /></a></div>
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3569230/">Legend</a></b> – Tom Hardy is in a dual role in this indie British drama, which covers the rise and fall of identical twin gangsters Reggie and Ronnie Kray, two of the most notorious and violent criminals in British history. It's a story previously covered in <b>The Krays</b>, a 1990 cult film that had the twins portrayed by brother musicians Gary and Martin Kemp of Spandau Ballet. Hardy, who's had a heck of run this season with such films as <b>Mad Max: Fury Road</b> and <b>The Revenant</b>, was snubbed by the Baftas but he won best actor at the British Independent Film Awards for his work in <b>Legend</b>. <a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/legend_2015/">Critical reception</a> is mixed, leaning to positive. Rated 18+<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkxI5ufVaKI4_5JOnaam8lgwpnvKXfUj99BOJgbKzJs6S2XX4W6mJMFS_4s54Y2z8_mV5IORhqwgwgQ07eVjcKN0kVP0ZdIkck21jRM_DRjaGl-cIlpnfSgxBYyfuwiM4QIoA87eYAOXoZ/s1600/zoolander2-thai.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkxI5ufVaKI4_5JOnaam8lgwpnvKXfUj99BOJgbKzJs6S2XX4W6mJMFS_4s54Y2z8_mV5IORhqwgwgQ07eVjcKN0kVP0ZdIkck21jRM_DRjaGl-cIlpnfSgxBYyfuwiM4QIoA87eYAOXoZ/s400/zoolander2-thai.jpg" width="255" /></a></div>
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1608290/">Zoolander 2</a></b> – Fifteen years later, dimwitted male fashion models Derek Zoolander (Ben Stiller) and Hansel (Owen Wilson) are called back into action to stop a criminal mastermind who is killing the world's most beautiful people. Penelope Cruz joins the cast this time around, playing the Interpol agent handler of Derek and Hansel. Will Ferrell returns, as fashion world arch-villain Mugatu. A comedy that found a cult following after it was released on home video, the first <b>Zoolander</b> was quite funny and holds up to at least a couple of repeated viewings before it gets old. <b>Zoolander 2</b>, which is simply a shameless cash grab, is destined to be forgotten in the same bin that <b>Anchorman 2 </b>went into. <a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/zoolander_2/">Critical reception</a> is mostly negative. Rated 13+<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg0vI0VxitLi5XYi9YiHh51U022Wt6l1wIT3o41xEulT20GKJ34uBQMcLBokAvb9Oz4-xTBrmDUPFRKZUrB173q9iEiQaVcL5xsy8r376HID849_mWX1Ykr4VN-zIG3tS0VJpISknTvFn2/s1600/littleboy-thai.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg0vI0VxitLi5XYi9YiHh51U022Wt6l1wIT3o41xEulT20GKJ34uBQMcLBokAvb9Oz4-xTBrmDUPFRKZUrB173q9iEiQaVcL5xsy8r376HID849_mWX1Ykr4VN-zIG3tS0VJpISknTvFn2/s400/littleboy-thai.jpg" width="280" /></a></div>
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1810683/">Little Boy</a></b> – Upset that his father has volunteered to fight in World War II, a developmentally stunted 7-year-old boy learns many important lessons after he turns to the Christian faith in a bid to bring his father home. Stars include Emily Watson, Kevin James, David Henrie, Tom Wilkinson, Ted Levine and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa. <a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/little_boy_2015/">Critical reception</a> is mostly negative. Rated G<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFmAhakxVEavJ6lYBKdb3BL1HTDUro3hmCxcqKhcdtVFQKxrbajKEFQwiI0kacHSsR_SBdLiOWpizYyDMg5Oi09JO2eAyadELMBsvJ5aZnEOzSmYXCcwcdwX0CMH7qN5k3RRmatuCo59s7/s1600/bakuman-thai.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFmAhakxVEavJ6lYBKdb3BL1HTDUro3hmCxcqKhcdtVFQKxrbajKEFQwiI0kacHSsR_SBdLiOWpizYyDMg5Oi09JO2eAyadELMBsvJ5aZnEOzSmYXCcwcdwX0CMH7qN5k3RRmatuCo59s7/s400/bakuman-thai.jpg" width="282" /></a></div>
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<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3715854/">Bakuman</a></b> – A young man becomes determined to be a manga and anime artist after he falls in love with a girl who wants to be a voice actress. She’ll marry him only after they achieve their dreams. A live-action adaptation of a popular manga and anime TV series about manga and anime artists, this opened in sneak previews last week and now moves to a wider release. Rated G<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBOKVHj0iVZkkzahl4e-0x3fRB6pz39iJ5p_cycRrzPUrp0qUPNy9WIvZPOELkXdUQeIAqyg_5oMjUlx9xXaiHAS_RMEIvJ7ydBr3VhJxgjDajBQTnxtkdzFKhhvn5O1-Qc-99mgocFZsZ/s1600/neerja.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBOKVHj0iVZkkzahl4e-0x3fRB6pz39iJ5p_cycRrzPUrp0qUPNy9WIvZPOELkXdUQeIAqyg_5oMjUlx9xXaiHAS_RMEIvJ7ydBr3VhJxgjDajBQTnxtkdzFKhhvn5O1-Qc-99mgocFZsZ/s400/neerja.jpg" width="276" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5286444/combined"><b>Neerja</b></a> – Sonam Kapoor stars in this fact-based drama about the hijacking of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan_Am_Flight_73">Pan Am Flight 73</a> in Karachi in 1986, in which a 23-year-old flight attendant bravely rose up to defend the hostages. It's in Hindi with English and Thai subtitles at Major Cineplex Sukhumvit, Rama III and Pattaya.<br />
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<span style="font-size: 21px; font-weight: bold;">Also showing</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibsD8vWpl56d7Dz8YjAc3jUUJozHGkaK7p3pWO98v63RjQzLQp46hKEh4jK2bOP3ybkmSb6t4V-jK5juZTpAN6yR6QAzcmJEsM2k3uJ1hj08u1LtkjF2WGsHLl_uYcvSjvgnfVC43o4DyB/s1600/in_the_heat_of_the_night.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibsD8vWpl56d7Dz8YjAc3jUUJozHGkaK7p3pWO98v63RjQzLQp46hKEh4jK2bOP3ybkmSb6t4V-jK5juZTpAN6yR6QAzcmJEsM2k3uJ1hj08u1LtkjF2WGsHLl_uYcvSjvgnfVC43o4DyB/s400/in_the_heat_of_the_night.jpg" width="262" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://fgc.in.th/"><b>The Friese-Greene Club</b></a> – Tonight, Alan Rickman is a Paris wine-shop owner who comes up with a contest that pits "New World" wines against French vintages in the 2008 indie comedy <b>Bottle Shock</b>, which also stars Chris Pine, Bill Pullman and Dennis Farina. Tomorrow, a black cop from Philadelphia (Sidney Poitier) works with a Southern white police chief (Rod Steiger) to solve a murder in 1967's <b>In the Heat of the Night</b>, directed by Norman Jewison and featuring cinematography by Haskell Wexler, who is paid tribute this month following his recent passing. Saturday's "kinky" movie is 1982's <b>Cat People</b> starring Nastassja Kinski. It also works as a tribute to the late David Bowie, who performed the film's theme song. Sunday has another Billy Wilder film noir, his 1950 Hollywood portrait, <b>Sunset Boulevard</b>. Shows are at 8pm. The FGC is down an alley next to the under-renovation Queen's Park Imperial Hotel on Sukhumvit Soi 22. For more details, check the club's <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Friese-Greene-Club/371737282944797">Facebook page</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY0uIRss_SBPfC3tU1iXl1SKtB-99iR4kMDZviFkqBNubn_diENkFJrTfaVL-Mah72BLkAr0_z5XSgAHOdrxarOODzqcNpf_Gvr_e8CqWK8MI3-W5-6cnitn27O7fSGhX3xZwxjaif8HOA/s1600/eastern-boys-poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY0uIRss_SBPfC3tU1iXl1SKtB-99iR4kMDZviFkqBNubn_diENkFJrTfaVL-Mah72BLkAr0_z5XSgAHOdrxarOODzqcNpf_Gvr_e8CqWK8MI3-W5-6cnitn27O7fSGhX3xZwxjaif8HOA/s400/eastern-boys-poster.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<b><a href="http://afthailande.org/en/cultural-activities/cinema/">Alliance Française</a></b> – A fiftysomething Paris businessman enters into a tryst with a young Ukrainian male prostitute who is involved with a violent street gang in the 2013 drama <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2991092/combined">Eastern Boys</a></b>. It screens at 7pm on Wednesday, February 24, at the Alliance.
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<span style="font-size: 21px; font-weight: bold;">Take note</span><br />
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Until Saturday, you can <a href="http://bit.ly/wim-retro">reserve seats</a> for <a href="http://www.fapot.org/en/event-detail.php?id=436&mid=23"><b>Wim Wenders: A Retrospective</b></a>, which is taking place at the Film Archive in Salaya, Nakhon Pathom on February 27-28 and March 5, screening such films as <b>Paris, Texas</b> and <b>The American Friend</b> as well the 3D movies <b>Pina</b> and <b>Every Thing will be Fine</b>, which will be the first 3D films shown there. The place has 120 seats, and half of them are up for grabs now, with the other half held for walk-ins on the show dates. The retrospective opens next Thursday with <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/951459628265293/"><b>Wings of Desire</b>, outdoors, in Lumpini Park</a>. I'll have more about Wendersfest in a couple of days.Wise Kwaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00462741207572023832noreply@blogger.com0