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 November 29-December 5, 2012

Cloud Atlas

Lana and Larry Wachowski (The Matrix) team up with German director Tom Tykwer (Run Lola Run) to make this sprawling science-fiction drama that spans 500 years and features a large cast of characters whose lives intertwine as they are reincarnated over the centuries.

One story has a San Francisco lawyer travelling in the Pacific Islands in 1849. In 1938 Britain, a young composer plys his trade. In 1973 San Francisco, a journalist investigates environmental corruption. And back in London, a publisher struggles with his business and personal life. In 2144, a genetically engineered domestic worker labors in New Seoul. And in 2300s Hawaii, the indigenous inhabitants are engaged in perpetual tribal warfare

Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Sturgess, Ben Whishaw, Halle Berry and Bae Doona are just some of the stars.

Based on the 2004 novel by David Mitchell that had been considered "unfilmable", critical reception is mixed, but it's probably worth seeing on the big screen just for the spectacle of it all. Cloud Atlas opened last week in Bangkok for a sneak-preview run, and now moves to a wider release. Rated 18+.

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Also opening

The Impossible – Filmed more than a year ago in Khao Lak, Phang Nga, Juan Antonio Bayona (The Orphanage) directs this fact-based account of a vacationing British family caught in the disaster of the 2004 tsunami. A mother and father and their three sons are torn apart by waves, with the mother and the oldest boy carried away and the dad and the two younger boys frantically searching. Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor star. A likely multiple-nominee for the Academy Awards, it premiered at this year's Toronto International Film Festival. Critical reception is mostly positive, with many plaudits for its gripping realism. You can read more about it in a recent Nation article. Rated G.

The Paperboy – Director Lee Daniels, who won acclaim last year for Precious, about a troubled inner-city girl, heads to 1960s Florida for this steamy and sordid tale about a newspaper reporter (Matthew McConaughey) digging into an old murder case. Zac Efron, a trashy Nicole Kidman and John Cusack also star. It's based on the best-selling novel by Pete Dexter. Critical reception is mixed. At Apex, House and SF World at CentralWorld. Rated 18+.

Rise of the Guardians – Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, the Sandman and Jack Frost form a superhero team to take on Pitch the Bogeyman who is scheming to take over the world by scaring all the children. The voice cast in this animated feature stars Alec Baldwin, Hugh Jackman, Isla Fisher, Chris Pine and Jude Law. If you've seen the old Rankin-Bass holiday TV specials or Monsters Inc., it's a familiar tale, but has a few new twists, such as Santa as a tattooed Russian and the Easter Bunny as a boomerang-throwing Australian. Critical reception is generally positive. In 3D. Rated G.

Cold War – Despite Hong Kong's film industry being largely subsumed and devoted to making Chinese fantasy movies, the island territory still manages to produce the cracking type of police thrillers it's famous for. Cold War has been widely compared to Infernal Affairs, though other pundits say it's more like one of the early Police Story movies without any Jackie Chan martial-arts action. The story involves a police van carrying cops and hi-tech equipment that's been hijacked. The officers have been taken hostage. With the clock ticking, senior officials jockey to take charge of the case. Cold War opened this year's Busan International Film Festival, and has been generally well-received. It's in Cantonese with English and Thai subtitles at some cinemas, including SF cinemas at CentralWorld, MBK and Central Rama 9. Rated 15+.

Son of Sardaar – Jassi (Ajay Devgn) is a young man returns to India from London to his home village, where he eventually comes into conflict with a powerful local man named Billu (Sanjay Dutt). Things are further complicated when Jassi falls for Billu's niece (Sonakshi Sinha). A sprawling action-drama and comedy, along the lines of Dabangg and Rowdy Rathore, critical reception is mostly positive. Starts on Friday at Major Cineplex Sukhumvit and Central Rama III.

Talaash – A simple car-accident investigation spins out of control for a police inspector in this thriller starring Aamir Khan, Kareena Kapoor and Rani Mukherji. Released by the Bollywood Thai gang, it's at SF Cinema City Terminal 21 from Friday until December 5. For more information, call (089) 488 2620.

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Take note

House cinema on RCA is closed from today through Sunday for a private function.

Bangkok Cinema Scene: Movies opening November 22-28, 2012

The Master

Boogie Nights director Paul Thomas Anderson continues in the starkly bold direction he took with There Will Be Blood, about an iconoclastic 1910s oilman, with The Master
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Set in post-World War II America, it's a striking portrait of drifters and seekers. Joaquin Phoenix stars as navy veteran who returns from war unsettled and uncertain of his future. He is drawn to a group called "The Cause" and its charismatic leader (frequent Anderson collaborator Philip Seymour Hoffman).

Amy Adams also stars.

The film has been controversial because it is loosely based on L. Ron Hubbard and the early days of the Church of Scientology, but it also picks up on themes explored in There Will Be Blood.

It premiered at the Venice Film Festival in September, and fueled controversy there when it was awarded the Silver Lion for best director and Volpi Cup for best actor (shared by Phoenix and Hoffman). The jury reportedly wanted to give The Master the Golden Lion top-prize as well, but the festival's rules prevented that, so the prize went to Kim Ki-duk's Pieta, and ended up feeling like a consolation prize to the South Korean director.

Tipped as a likely multiple nominee for next year's Academy Awards, critical reception is mostly positive. At Apex Siam Square and Paragon. Rated 18+.

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Also opening

Premium Rush – Joseph Gordon-Levitt, coming off a strong performance in Looper, climbs aboard a bicycle for this thriller about a hotshot New York City bicycle messenger who is chased by a corrupt cop seeking the envelope he's supposed to deliver. In the film, Gordon-Levitt rides a "fixie", a bicycle with no brakes nor gears that's popular among Bangkok hipsters. Michael Shannon, Dania Ramirez and Jamie Chung also star. David Koepp, screenwriter on dozens of hit films, directs. Critical reception is mostly positive. Rated 13+.

Red Dawn – Wolverines! John Milius' gritty 1984 classic about patriotic teenagers who take up arms as guerrilla fighters after the Soviets invade the U.S. has been remade. Rather implausibly, the U.S. is invaded by North Korea. Originally it was supposed to be China, but studio executives thought they ought not offend the world's biggest emerging movie market. A bunch of young stars are in the cast, among them Chris "Thor" Hemsworth and Josh Hutcherson from The Hunger Games. Adrianne Palicki, Josh Peck and Isabel Lucas also star. Critical reception is mostly negative. Rated 15+.

3 AM (ตีสาม 3D, Tee Sam 3D) – Following the international-sales success of its 3D haunted airplane thriller Dark Flight earlier this year, Five Star Production offers more three-dimensional scares with this three-segment horror flick. Patchanon Thammajira directs The Wig, which follows two sisters (Apinya Sakuljaroensuk and Focus Jirakul) in a haunted wig shop. Kirati Nakintanon directs a story about a medical student (Tony Rakkaen) who gets the job of looking after the corpses of a bridge and groom. And Isara Nadee directs O.T., starring Shahkrit Yamnarm and Ray MacDonald as pranksters in an office whose practical jokes on co-workers go too far. Rated 15+.

The Four – Gordon Chan brings “The Four Great Constables” novel series to the big screen. Four sleuths skilled in martial arts are hired by the emperor to solve various mysteries. Liu Yifei, Collin Chou, Ronald Cheng, Deng Chao and Anthony Wong star. Thai-dubbed only at Major Cineplex. Rated 15+.

Love, Faith, Miracle Season 2 (ความรัก ศรัทธา ปาฏิหาริย์ (ซีซั่น 2), Kwam Rak, Sattha, Patiharn (Season 2)) – Eight short films, each running around 10 to 15 minutes, are produced by Satien Dhammasathan. Stars include Shahkrit Yamnarm, Lalita Sasiprapha and Sorrapong Chatree. Admission is free. In Thai – no English subtitles – at the Scala from Friday through Sunday.

Rak Jab Jai (รักจับใจ ) – Thai stage musicals have increased in popularity in the past couple of years and the fad doesn't seem to be going away any time soon. This is a recent hit stage musical that's simply been filmed, so if you missed the live performance or you want to see it again, here's your chance. Pop singer "Bie" Sukrit Wiesetkaew stars. He's a guy in love with a blind woman (Nuenruthai Sophon). In Thai – no English subtitles – at Major Cineplex. Rated G.

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Also showing

Fados is the closing film.

World Film Festival of Bangkok – The 10th annual festival rolls into its final weekend with lots of movies worth seeing. Tonight at 9.30 is The Lovers on the Bridge, a 1991 drama by French director Leos Carax. Tomorrow at 8.20 is Elephant Shaman by Shane Bunnag, about the last elephant shaman in Thailand. It screens again on Saturday at 3.40. Also on Saturday is Return to Burma, which follows a Burmese construction worker who returns home after working for years as a laborer in Taiwan. Sunday's highlights include Under Snow from Japan and Win/Win from the Netherlands. The closing film is Fados, which is a celebration of Portugal's predominant musical genre. It starts at 6 on Sunday. It's all at the Esplanade Cineplex Ratchada.

Entre nos mains (Into Our Own Hands) – The Alliance Française Bangkok's month of documentaries finishes off with this 2010 work by Mariana Otero about workers who form a cooperative to take over a bankrupt lingerie factory. It's at the Alliance Française at 7.30pm on Wednesday, November 28.

Jab Tak Hai Jaan – Yash Chopra's final feature before his death last month is a sweeping Bollywood romance starring Shah Rukh Khan, Anushka Sharma and Katrina Kaif. He's working as a bomb-disposal expert for the Indian army in Kashmir, where he meets Anushka, a Discovery Channel intern who by chance comes across his old diary and discovers his haunted past and mourning over a lost love. Score by AR Rahman. It's at Major Cineplex Sukhumvit, Rama III and Paragon. Rated 15+.

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Sneak preview

Cloud Atlas – Tom Tykwer (Run Lola Run) and the Wachowskis (The Matrix) team up for what's been termed  the biggest-budget independent film ever made. Filming what had been regarded an "unfilmable" novel by David Mitchell, the sprawling narrative traces half a dozen or so stories through 500 years of history, from the 19th century to the distant future, with characters in overlapping storylines who have been reincarnated in various forms. The star-studded cast includes Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent, Hugo Weaving, Jim Sturgess, Bae Doona, Ben Whishaw and James D'Arcy. Critical reception is mixed, but even critics who don't care for the film seem to think it's something that should be seen, just to be believed. It's in sneak previews this week from around 8 nightly at Apex Siam Square, Paragon and CentralWorld before moving to a wider release next week. Rated 18+.