Jet Li produces but does not star in Tai Chi Zero, a "steampunk" martial-arts fantasy, which is directed by Stephen Fung and stars Yuan Xiaochao, William Feng, Eddie Peng, Angelababy, Shu Qi, Daniel Wu and Tony Leung Ka-Fai.
The story is set in "legendary" Chen Village, where everyone is a martial-arts master, using powerful tai chi in all aspects of their lives. A young man with a strange fleshy growth on his forehead arrives with hopes of learning the style, but it's forbidden to teach outsiders. Everyone, from strong men to young children, defeats him using their tai chi. But when a villain from the village's past returns with a frightening steam-powered machine and plans to build a railroad, the villagers realize they have no choice but to put their faith in the stranger who has a secret power of his own.
Tai Chi Zero is the first part of a new martial-arts movie series, with Tai Chi Hero soon to follow, according to Crave Online, which recently interviewed Fung.
Critical reception is mixed, with both praise and pans for its crazy visual style. Unfortunately, it's in Thai multiplexes with a Thai soundtrack only. Rated 13+.
Also opening
Silent Hill: Revelation – This is a sequel to the 2006 cult-horror hit that's based on a video-game series. Here, teenage girl Heather Mason (Adelaide Clemens) and her father (Sean Bean) have been on the run for years in a bid to escape supernatural forces they don't understand. On the eve of her 18th birthday, Heather's father disappears and it's revealed that her life has all been a lie. Her search for answers leads her to the alternate dimension of Silent Hill, which is ruled by a demonic cult led by Claudia (Carrie-Anne Moss) and Leonard Wolf (Malcolm McDowell). Heather must try and escape or be trapped forever. In 3D in some cinemas. Because this is opening in the U.S. just this week, critical reception is yet to be determined. Rated 13+.
Detective Conan: The Eleventh Striker – The boy detective and his pals must solve a riddle in order to disarm a bomb that's been set at a crowded soccer stadium. This is the 16th animated feature featuring Conan, a popular children's figure in Japanese manga and anime. Weirdly titled in Thai-English Conan the Movie: The Eleven Striker, it's only at SF cinemas and is Thai-dubbed only. Rated G.
Also showing
Les revenants (They Came Back) – Robin Campillo directs this 2004 zombie drama starring Géraldine Pailhas, Jonathan Zaccaï, and Frédéric Pierrot. A great selection for Halloween, it's a twist on the usual zombie films that involve the rampaging undead wanting to feast on brains. Here, the dead, mostly elderly, return and seek to reintegrate with society and seem content to merely to go back to their former lives. Critical reception is generally positive. It's in French with English subtitles at 7.30pm on Wednesday, October 31 at the Alliance Française. No viewers under 12 will be admitted.
Because of today's national holiday, Chulalongkorn Day, cinemas across Thailand are changing their programs on Tuesday this week instead of Thursday. It's something the Thai multiplex companies like to do on holidays, hoping to land a few more idle bums in their seats and pump up the week's box-office take.
Today, there's three movies opening, and plans are to release a few more movies this week on Thursday as usual.
Tim Burton's latest animated feature Frankenweenie opened last Thursday in a sneak-preview run before going to a wider release today. It's a remake of his 1984 short film – a parody of the Frankenstein tale in which boy scientist Victor Frankenstein reanimates his beloved pet dog. The experiment is a success, but not without dire consequences for Frankenstein and the townspeople.
Ironically, the original live-action Frankenweenie short got Burton fired from Disney because executives thought it was too scary for kids. But now Burton is back with Disney, which is is releasing this animated feature.
Frankenweenie is that return to form that critics have been waiting for after a string of lackluster efforts from Burton. An animated feature in the same gothic spirit as The Nightmare Before Christmas and Corpse Bride, Frankenweenie has been the best-received Burton film in a long time, with critics saying it harks back to his early efforts like Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands and Ed Wood – imaginative, oddball movies that are classics, and not at all like the rather forgettable films he's been churning out recently, like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Alice in Wonderland and Dark Shadows. Frankenweenie even sees Burton reuniting with some of his old stars, with Catherine O'Hara, Winona Ryder and Martin Landau among the voice talents.
It's in 3D in some cinemas, including IMAX Digital at Ratchayothin and Pinklao. Rated G.
Also opening
Alex Cross – When talk first emerged of novelist James Patterson's African-American police detective Alex Cross being resurrected, the money was on Idris Elba to take over the role memorably played by Morgan Freeman in Along Came a Spider and Kiss the Girls. With Elba, a fine British actor best known for his work on The Wire as Stringer Bell and on his own BBC crime series Luther, it seemed there was promise for a new franchise. But then Elba bowed out and the producers replaced him with, of all people, Tyler Perry, the writer-director best known for his cross-dressing antics in his series of Madea movies. Here, the psychologist-sleuth Cox matches wits with a cage-fighting serial killer (Matthew Fox) who is turned on by torturing and slowly killing women. The story is loosely based on Patterson's novel Cross. Rob Cohen directs and Edward Burns also stars. Although the trailer has some good-looking action scenes, critical reception has been mostly negative. Rated 15+.
Hor Taew Tak Wak Mak Mak (หอแต๋วแตก แหกมว๊ากมว๊ากกก) – Director Poj Arnon brings forth a fourth installment of his provocative ghost comedy series featuring male comedians in drag. They are four katoey friends who run a boarding house for young college guys, and in this episode, a murder has taken place on the premises and made to look like a suicide. The only way to get rid of the victim’s ghost is to run around and shriek while trying to find the murderer. Rated 15+.
Also showing
Aiyyaa – It's star-crossed romance, Hindi-rom-com style as a Marathi girl (Rani Mukerji) from a middle-class family falls for a Tamil artist (Prithviraj). Part of Major Cineplex's "Bollywood Exclusive" series, it's screening at Major Sukhumvit and Rama III.
Take note
James Bond Movie Marathon – Every so often, Thai cinemas will hold a movie marathon in which they challenge viewers to watch as many movies back-to-back as they can without sleeping. Now, watching movies should be fun, but these "movie marathons", often held in a world-record attempt, quickly become punishing tests of endurance, even if the movies are entertaining. In the run-up to next month's release of Skyfall, marking the 50th anniversary of the James Bond movie franchise, Major Cineplex is hosting the James Bond Movie Marathon, in which 22 of the 007 movies will be screened. To qualify, you have to answer questions in a Bond trivia contest, and then you have to make it through all the movies without sleeping or talking or using your phone. The deadline for entries is October 25. For more details, see the Major Cineplex website or Richard Barrow's blog.
Stay tuned for another entry on Thursday, detailing the remaining releases this week in Bangkok cinemas.
Director John Hillcoat (The Road, The Proposition) spins a violent tale soaked in booze and blood in Lawless, the fact-based account of the Bondurant brothers, moonshine kingpins of Prohibition-era Franklin County, Virginia.
The brothers are played by Shia LaBeouf, Jason Clarke and musclebound Tom Hardy (Bane from The Dark Knight Rises). They are threatened by a new lawman in town, played with evil relish by Guy Pearce. Out come the Thompson machine guns as an all-out war ensues. Gary Oldman is a Chicago mobster, and Jessica Chastain and Mia Wasikowska also star.
The highly anticipated film is based on the book The Wettest County in the World by Matthew Bondurant, a grandson of one of the Bondurant brothers. Musician Nick Cave wrote the screenplay, marking his second collaboration with Hillcoat after the rip-roaring Australian western The Proposition.
Lawless premiered in competition at this year's Cannes Film Festival. Critical reception is mixed, but leaning to positive. Rated 18+.
Also opening
Sinister– Ethan Hawke is a true-crime novelist who moves into a house where the previous residents were murdered. He finds a box of old home movies and comes realize he's put his family in the path of an evil supernatural entity. Vincent D'Onofrio, Fred Dalton Thompson and James Ransone also star. Scott Derrickson (The Exorcism of Emily Rose) directs. These "found footage" horror flicks aren't going away, and critical reception for this one, for now, is actually fairly positive. It opened in sneak previews last week, and moves to a wider release this week. Rated 18+.
Paranormal Activity 4– That's right, another "found footage" movie is opening this week. More mysterious phenomena is captured on a home's security cameras and other high-tech gadgets in this fourth installment of the cult-hit horror franchise. Critical reception, so far, is mixed. Rated 18+.
The Moth Diaries – A girl, haunted by her father's suicide, enrolls in an elite boarding school where she keeps a diary to record her growing obsession with her roommate (Sarah Gadon) and her roommate's friendship with the dark and mysterious new student, Ernessa (Lily Cole), who might be a vampire. Mary Harron (American Psycho, The Notorious Bettie Page) directs. Critical reception is mixed – mostly negative. At Major Cineplex. Rated 18+.
Saranae Osekkai (สาระแน โอเซกไก) – The gang from Thai TV's Saranae prank show takes their juvenile shtick to Japan, where they join with the Japanese group Yoshimoto in poking fun of stereotypical Japanese pop phenomena like the Baby Cart movies, costumed superheroes and silly stunt TV shows. Willy MacIntosh and Kiattisak “Sena Hoi” Udomnak – minus their just-fired long-time partner "Ple" Nakorn Silachai – star, and rope in others, including Thai pop music's girl duo Neko Jump and comedians Kom and Jazz Chaunchuen. In addition dumping their partner Ple, the Saranae crew have also moved their Lucks 666 production shingle over to M-Thirtynine after their previous feature films were released by Sahamongkol. Rated G.
Doraemon: Nobita and the Island of Miracles – Animal Adventure– If there's one thing you can count on during a school break in Thailand, it's that the latest Doraemon anime adventure will crop up in local cinemas and have the little ones bugging their parents to take them. Thai-dubbed only. Rated G.
Rain – The Best Show 3D – Major Cineplex has booked the exclusive rights to show the concert film by South Korean pop star Rain from today until October 31, with a limited number of screenings per day at select outlets. Check the Major Cineplex website for further details.
Also showing
Jalsaghar by Satyajit Ray screens tomorrow at noon.
Centenary of Indian Film Festival– Eight classic Indian films are being shown in this festival at SF World Cinema at CentralWorld, which opens to the public at noon on Friday with 1958's Jalsaghar by one of the great auteurs of world cinema – Satyajit Ray. Other highlights in the fest running until Sunday are 1971's Anand, starring Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan, and 1965's Guide. Get there plenty early to queue up for the free tickets, which are handed out 30 minutes before showtime. Check the complete schedule in last week's special posting.
Home Movie Day – Amid this week's crop of fake "found footage" movies, here's a chance to see real found footage. Part of an annual worldwide celebration of home movies, the Thai event is being held on Saturday from 11am to 6pm in the FA Cinematheque on the second floor of the Bangkok Art and Culture Center. This year's theme is Thai home movies from Southeast Asian countries, in line with the preparations for the Asean Economic Community 2015. According to Limitless Cinema, the movies will include footage shot by King Rama VII when he visited neighboring countries in 1929-30, a clip of artist Silpa Bhirasri (1892-1962) sculpting the monument of King Taksin the Great and Chun Suwannaboon's film of the opening ceremony of the Lam Tong Game (1959). From 2 to 3pm, Khonthaptip Veeraprawat will talk on her family's home movie collection. Film Archive Director Dome Sukwong will talk from 5 to 6 on "The Surprising Discovery in Home Movies".
Niño– This is the third screening in the Cinema Diverse series of the Bangkok Art and Culture Center and Films Forum. The much-acclaimed family drama is about an ageing opera singer who tries various ways to revive her comatose politician brother, including singing arias to him and dressing a 9-year-old boy up as St. Niño, the Child Christ. Meanwhile, other family members return home, all wanting a share of the estate, and secrets come tumbling forth. It's the debut feature by veteran stage director Loy Arcenas and stars 84-year-old Fides Cuyugan Asensio, one of the Philippines' most prominent opera singers. They will attend the screening, with support from Cebu Pacific Air. The Philippines Embassy will serve Filipino food and beer before the screening, which is also being supported by the Society of Filipinas in Thailand. The reception is at 5pm with the screening starting at 6.30pm in the BACC's fifth-floor auditorium. Admission is free. The organizers have also arranged for a special student showing at the Screening Room in the Centre of Digital Media, Faculty of Communication Arts, Chulalongkorn University, on Monday, October 22 at 3pm.
English Vinglish – It's been really hard to track these "Bollywood Exclusive" releases by Major Cineplex because they don't seem to come out on Thursdays like all the other movies in Thailand and generally aren't listed on the chain's website until after I do my weekly posting. Or sometimes the films are listed on the website as "coming soon" then don't materialize when they say they will. Other times, another film will pop up by surprise. Anyway, English Vinglish, which opened last week, is a comedy-drama about a middle-aged housewife (Sridevi) who is ridiculed by other family members for her poor English skills. She's sent to New York to help with her niece's wedding and secretly enrolls in an English class, which is attended by a colorful group of characters from the various parts of America's melting pot. It's at Major Sukhumvit and Rama III.
La chambre des morts(Room of Death) – Alfred Lot directs this 2007 thriller starring Mélanie Laurent (Inglourious Basterds), Eric Caravaca and Gilles Lellouche. The murder tale has a pair of men hitting and killing a guy with their car. He was carrying a bag of money, which they take and run. Turns out, the money was ransom for a kidnapped girl, who is found dead the next day. It's in French with English subtitles at 7.30pm on Wednesday, October 24 at the Alliance Française. No viewers 12 and under will be admitted.
Sneak preview
Frankenweenie – Tim Burton directs this animated horror tale, a remake of one of his early short films, about a boy who reanimates his beloved pet dog and in so doing, upsets the balance of nature. It's a return to form for Burton, who has had a string of lackluster live-action films of late, and is more in keeping with his early hit movies like Edward Scissorhands and Ed Wood. The voice cast even reunites him with some folks from this earlier movies, like Catherine O'Hara, Winona Ryder and Martin Landau. Critical reception is mostly positive. It's in sneak previews this week, with screenings at most multiplexes starting around 8 nightly, including IMAX Digital at Ratchayothin and Pinklao. Rated G.
Take note
After two weeks at House on RCA, indie Thai director Wichanon Sumumjarn's docu-drama In April the Following Year, There Was a Fire is continuing there for at least another week and has added a venue. This week, it'll screen at 6 nightly at House and at 7 nightly at the Esplanade Cineplex Ratchada.
With everything going on this week, it's easy to lose sight of big events yet to come, like the 10th World Film Festival of Bangkok from November 16 to 25, which has set its line-up. Stay tuned for more details as the kinks in scheduling are smoothed out.
