Bangkok Cinema Scene: Movies opening December 13-19, 2012

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

J.R.R. Tolkien's prequel to his Lord of the Rings trilogy of fantasy novels was a comparatively slim, quick read. But The Hobbit has been expanded into a trilogy for the movie adaptation by Peter Jackson, who earlier tackled LOTR to much acclaim.

In part one, An Unexpected Journey, the humble halfling Bilbo Baggins, portrayed by Martin Freeman, star of the British version of The Office, is tasked with joining a quest by 13 dwarfs to reclaim their lost kingdom. Along with way, Bilbo encounters trolls, goblins and wargs, and gets into a game of riddles with a mysterious fellow who lives by an underground lake. He also acquires a piece of "precious" jewelry that will later play an important role in the future of Middle-earth.

Returnees from the LOTR movies include Ian McKellan as the wizard Gandalf, Hugo Weaving as the elf leader Elrond and Andy Serkis doing the motion-capture performance for Gollum. Even Elijah Wood as Frodo turns up, even though he wasn't in the book, along with other interlopers from the Lord of the Rings, like the wizard Saruman (Christopher Lee) and the elf queen Galadriel (Cate Blanchett).

Newcomers to the franchise include strapping Strike Back actor Richard Armitage, portraying the dwarf leader, Thorin Oakenshield.

Jackson's Hobbit movies have been the source of many controversies, one of which has to do with the frames-per-second (fps) filming rate. Jackson, always one to embrace new technologies, filmed the movie in high definition at a high frame rate (HFR), and it's being shown at 48fps in some cinemas. Compared to the normal 24fps that most films are seen in, the HFR 3D Hobbit has a smooth, unflickering look that most viewers might compare to a videotaped soap opera or televised sporting event. In some cases, the 3D HFR is so immersive, it's making some moviegoers sick.

Critical reception is mixed – not as strong as the Lord of the Rings – with the consensus being that expanding the story into a trilogy of movies makes the story feel too dragged out.

It's in 3D in some cinemas, including IMAX and IMAX Digital, with some SF and Major Cineplex branches screening the HFR 3D version – just look for HFR logo on the theater company websites and choose carefully at the box office. Rated G.

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Also opening

Namaste India (นมัสเตอินเดีย ส่งเกรียนไปเรียนพุทธ, Namaste Song Krian Pai Rian Bhud, a.k.a. Three Marks of Existence) – Directed by Gunparwitt Phuwadolwisid, this feature had its world premiere earlier this year at the International Buddhist Film Festival Bangkok. The road-trip romance follows M, a young man who can't decide what to do with his life. Seeking direction, he embarks on a pilgrimage of Buddhist holy sites. Along the way, he encounters various characters who both guide and challenge him. At Major Cineplex.

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Also showing

Apologies for not posting an update last week, which fell during the King's Birthday holiday, one of the biggest movie-release dates of the year. I was out of town. Here's a recap of the releases:

• Hotel Translyvania – Monsters, it turns out, are more scared of humans than we are of them. To escape the torches and pitchforks, Dracula has built a lavish hotel in a hidden castle. But on his daughter's 118th birthday, a backpacker stumbles in and spoils Drac's party plans. The voice cast includes Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Steve Buscemi and Selena Gomez. Genndy Tartakovsky (Dexter's Laboratory) directs. Critical reception is mixed. In 3D. Rated G.
• Super Salaryman (ยอดมนุษย์เงินเดือน, Yod Manut Nguen Duen) – "Tik" Jessadaporn Pholdee heads an ensemble cast in this workplace comedy. He's the hard-driving boss of an office, where all the workers are pushed to create a new product or else they won't get their year-end bonus. Rated 15+.
• Now Is Good – Dakota Fanning stars in this drama about a teenage girl facing a diagnosis of terminal cancer. She makes a "bucket list" of things she wants to do before she dies. Jeremy Irving, Olivia Williams and Paddy Considine also star. Critical reception is mixed. Rated 13+.
• 3 Days, 2 Nights (สามวันสองคืน รัก.เลิก.เลย, Sam Wan Song Kuen) – Three directors collaborate on this romance produced by veteran filmmaker Thanit Jitnukul. It's about a young woman who's found a new boyfriend. She books a romantic getaway trip with her old one in order to dump him. Rated G.
• Red Scarf (ผ้าพันคอแดง, Pa Pun Kor Daeng) – After a string of Thai-Lao romance movies, Sabaidee Luang Prabang director Sakchai Deenan ventures into horror with this headless ghost movie featuring an all-Lao cast. Khamly Philavong, the actress from his previous films, stars as a woman haunted by a headless ghost who somehow manages to keep a scarf around his neck. No English subtitles. Rated 13+.
• Tai Chi Hero – The second entry in the highly stylized "steampunk" Chinese martial-arts fantasy series continues the adventures of the gifted young protagonist. Mostly Thai-dubbed but with original soundtrack and English subs at some SF cinemas branches. Rated 13+.

Respect His Teachings (เทิด เกล้า จาก คำสอน ขอ งพ่, Terd Glao Jak Kam Son Kor ...) – Just about every year around this time, there are special films offered in honor of His Majesty the King, who celebrated his 85th birthday this year on December 5. This year, there are nine features from the major Thai film studios, including Sahamongkol, Five Star, GTH, RS, M-Thirtynine and Oriental Eyes, all extolling the philosophies and innovations of His Majesty through various types of stories. The films have been screening at Major Cineplex since December 1. Some have English subtitles, some do not. The schedules are in Thai only, at the Major Cineplex website.

Bangkok Cinema Scene: Movies opening March 8-14, 2012

John Carter

"Tarzan" writer Edgar Rice Burroughs' 100-year-old "Barsoom" sci-fi adventure novels come to the big screen this week with Disney's John Carter.

Geographically confused actor Taylor Kitsch stars as the former Confederate officer of the U.S. Civil War who is mysteriously transported to the red planet. He finds that it's a lush, fantastic place that the 12-foot-tall, four-armed natives call Barsoom. Taken prisoner, he reluctantly becomes embroiled in a conflict of epic proportions amongst the inhabitants of the planet, including barbaric tribe leader Tars Tarkas (Willem Dafoe) and the Princess Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins).

Samantha Morton, Thomas Haden Church, Mark Strong, Ciarán Hinds, Dominic West, James Purefoy and Bryan Cranston also star in this movie that's a mix of Star Wars, Avatar and Dune.

Aside from test footage from a aborted animated version by Bob Clampett back in the 1930s and the direct-to-DVD Princess of Mars in 2009, the John Carter project has long been stuck in Hollywood's development hell. At one time Sin City's Robert Rodriguez and Iron Man director Jon Favreau were attached to a planned Paramount production. Rights then reverted to Disney, which handed the project to Andrew Stanton, who previously helmed Pixar's Finding Nemo and WALL-E. John Carter marks Stanton's first foray into live-action film.

The movie is just being released this week, so critical reception has been minimal so far. It's in 2D, Digital 3D and IMAX 3D. Rated G.

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Also opening

I Wish (Kiseki) – Two brothers forced to live separately due to their parents’ divorce hear that the energy created when two bullet trains pass each other for the first time on a new rail line will be enough to grant wishes. So they hatch a plan to harness that enery to bring their mom and dad back together. Hikaru Koreeada (Nobody Knows, Air Doll) directs. I Wish premiered at last year's Toronto International Film Festival. Child actor Ohshirô Maeda is a nominee for best newcomer at this year's Asian Film Awards. He stars in the film with his real-life brother Koki Maeda. Hiroshi Abe, Kirin Kiki and Jô Odagiri also star. It's in Japanese with English and Thai subtitles at Apex Siam Square and House on RCA.

The Good Doctor – Orlando Bloom is an arrogant young doctor who transfers to a hospital in southern California to start his residency. Wanting respect more than anything, he sees his chance with an 18-year-old woman (Riley Keough) who is suffering from a kidney infection. However, when her health starts improving, he begins tampering with her treatment to keep her sick and him in control. Taraji P. Henson, Rob Morrow and Michael Peña also star. This hasn't been released in the States yet so there isn't much critical reception yet. At Major Cineplex, Esplanade, Paragon. Rated G.

Big Miracle – Drew Barrymore and John Krasinski star in this family friendly feel-good drama about a Greenpeace activist and a journalist who unite a town and mobilize a nationwide effort to save a family of gray whales trapped in the ice near Point Barrow, Alaska. Tim Blake Nelson also stars. It's a fact-based tale, based on Operation Breakthrough, which was chronicled in the 1989 book "Freeing the Whales". Critical reception is generally positive. At SF cinemas. Rated G.

Rak Ao Yoo (Love Flood) – Opportunistic director Poj Arnon mobilized film crews to wade into last year's floods to film the backdrop of this romantic comedy about an office worker (scandal-plagued singer-actor "Film" Rattapoom Tokongsub) and his buddy (Attaphong Attakitkun) volunteering to help flood victims with the ulterior motive of scoring with the ladies. He meets one he really likes (Busarin Yokphraiphan), but she doesn't feel the same way. Bencharat Wisitkitchakan also stars. Poj, his cast and crew had to work fast to make this movie while there was still water covering Bangkok's streets. The title comes from the Thai government's oft-repeated refrain during the flood crisis of ao yoo – "we can handle it" – which also has a sexual connotation in Thai slang. Rated 13+.

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Also showing

French Film Festival – Part of La Fête, the annual French-Thai cultural festival, the French film fest opens tonight at SF World Cinema at CentralWorld with an invitation-only gala that will be graced by Oscar-nominated British actress Kristin Scott Thomas. She has lived and worked in France for several years and is the star of the Holocaust mystery Sarah’s Key, which is showing on Saturday at 8pm. Other movies this week are the romantic comedy The Names of Love at 8 on Friday, the comedy Service Entrance at 12.30 on Saturday, the family drama Wolberg's Family at 2.45 on Saturday and 8 on Wednesday; the comedy A Happy Event at 5.45 on Saturday, A Checkout Girl's Big Adventures at 12.30 on Sunday; Deep in the Woods at 2.45 on Sunday, Love Like Poison at 5 on Sunday, Khamsa at 7 on Sunday and 8 on Tuesday and Altogether Too Many! at 8 on Monday. The screenings, which continue until March 18, are in French with English subtitles. Tickets cost 120 baht (100 baht for students). There’s also a package of five tickets for 500 baht.

At the Horizon – Laos has for decades lagged behind its neighbors in film production, due to lack of support, strict censorship and piracy. Meanwhile, Laotian people watch Thai TV from just across the river and buy pirated DVDs of Hollywood and Korean fare. Hopefully that situation will change with a new generation of filmmakers, who have turned out the first Lao thriller. At the Horizon impressed the head film censor so much he wanted it to be premiered at last year's Luang Prabang Film Festival. It also was shown at the Hua Hin fest and the Lifescapes Southeast Asian Film Festival in Chiang Mai. It was released in Lao cinemas (there are three in the entire country) last month, although it had blurry spots covering guns, smoking and booze like on Thai TV, and the ending was changed. It's the story of two men from opposite ends of Laos' social strata, a spoiled rich kid and a mute motorcycle mechanic, who are thrown together by violent circumstances. Anysay Keola, who made the film as part of his master's thesis work at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University, directs. It screens at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand on Monday night at 8. Anysay will be in attendance to answer all your questions. Admission for non-members is 150 baht.

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Take note

Shame, starring Michael Fassbender as a sex addict in New York City, opened last week at the Lido cinemas in Siam Square. It was hoped that director Steve McQueen's controversial-but-acclaimed drama would screen uncut, especially because it is rated 20-, which supposedly prohibits anyone under 20 from seeing it.

However, the Bangkok Post reports that cuts have indeed been made to some of the sex scenes. And that is indeed a shame. It was hoped that the ratings system would put an end to the prudish censors acting as nannies to mature Thai audiences. But this isn't the case with Shame. I would advise Bangkok film-goers to give Shame a miss at the Lido. Perhaps wait for import DVDs to become available, if you really feel you must see it.

Update: Distributor M Pictures says the film has not been censored, but Bangkok movie-goers have complained on social-media websites that some scenes appear to have snipped. Fassbender's full-frontal scene is intact, but some of the sex scenes may have been cut, according to the complaints.