Showing 1 - 10 of 11
Two grainy fists for resurrection
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 04/10/2018
» Shot mostly in Thai prison, with a fair number of ex-cons as extras, A Prayer Before Dawn dives headfirst into the unfiltered squalor of prison life -- not the sociological or political dimension of state incarceration, but the physical, uncooked-meat kind of life in jail, particularly the Thai jail.
Two international stars, two divergent styles
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 26/04/2018
» Early next week will see two performers arriving in Bangkok. On Monday, Bruno Mars will hit Impact Arena with all his funky fanfare. On Tuesday, Jake Bugg will play live at the Scala, an intimate venue perfect for his acoustic set.
A look at prison muay Thai
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 24/05/2017
» Thailand is splashed across the main screen of the Cannes Film Festival this year. A Prayer Before Dawn is not a Thai film, but this UK-France production takes place entirely in Thailand -- precisely in the rancid, violence-prone prison where inmates are crammed into small dormitories and fight to stay alive. Based on a book by ex-convict William Moore, who spent years at Klong Prem Prison for selling ya ba, the film, directed by Jean-Stephane Sauvaire, is an intense look at hard life in the hellhole, before Moore (played by British actor Joe Cole) finds redemption in the prison's muay Thai boxing programme.
Tony Jaa strikes back
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 19/01/2017
» The last time we saw him, Tony Jaa brawled with the late Paul Walker in Fast And Furious 7, a blood-rushing tumble of masculine masses on a moving mega-truck. This week Jaa -- the Thai martial arts star whose real name is Tachakorn Yeerum -- is back in the cinema in xXx: Return Of Xander Cage, an action thriller starring Vin Diesel in the leading role.
Slow-burn fear
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 04/01/2015
» Bangkok, basked in theatrical blood and phantasmagoric red colour, is a vision of hell in Nicolas Winding Refn's Only God Forgives, a violent thriller that premiered at the 66th Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday.
Dude, where's my elephant?
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 25/10/2013
» Bone-snapping maestro Tony Jaa does what he does best and what his fans expect him to do, perhaps no more, maybe no less, and certainly with no smile.
God forgives, Bangkok doesn't
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 19/07/2013
» Handcuffed to Ryan Gosling in the nightmare that's my home city, let me walk you through the checklist.
Hell's angel
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 17/07/2013
» With serene conviction, Nicolas Winding Refn baptises Bangkok as the new capital of Hell. In the blood-lusting new movie Only God Forgives, which opens tomorrow, the Danish director transforms our city of lost angels into a delirious nightmare _ even a torture chamber _ as his American characters face the nihilistic retribution of their own making, with a lot of help from Oriental mysticism.
A round-up of news about films in and about Thailand
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 04/01/2013
» In case you haven't heard, the Chinese film that has just broken the all-time box-office record in mainland China, surpassing even Avatar and all those swashbuckling nationalistic epics, is a small comedy set mostly in Chiang Mai called Lost in Thailand. Released on Dec 12, it has hurtled past the 1 billion RMB mark. (4.8 billion baht). Featuring _ from what we've seen and from what our reporter in Beijing reports _ two odd buddies on a madcap trip, a lot of beautiful temples, ladyboy gags, Muay Thai vs kung fu (no panda), a couple of elephants and one particularly hissy cobra, the slapsticky film has been a surprise phenomenon in China and has reportedly spurred a rush of Chinese tourists to the northern Thai city.
New year sneak peek: movies
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 31/12/2012
» Seven films we look foward to in 2013.