Showing 1 - 10 of 37
Shutter 20 years on
Life, Tatat Bunnag, Published on 11/09/2024
» Two decades ago, the release of Shutter marked a pivotal moment in Thai cinema and the horror genre. Directed by the then-upcoming filmmakers Banjong Pisanthanakun and Parkpoom Wongpoom, Shutter has since become a staple of horror. In 2024, to celebrate its 20th anniversary, the film returns to theatres in a remastered 4K version, reawakening a wave of nostalgia for audiences and reigniting the terror that made it a global sensation.
Misinformation overload
Life, Alongkorn Parivudhiphongs, Published on 28/05/2024
» From exaggerated crime reports to hyperbolic political coverage, the trend towards dramatisation is reshaping how the public consumes news in Thailand, especially on television screens. Critics, however, have raised a red flag that this not only distorts fact-based reality but also undermines the media's role in providing accurate and responsible journalism, potentially leaving audiences more misinformed and emotionally manipulated.
Into the devil's lair
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 05/11/2021
» Like a session of cinematic séance, Rang Zong (The Medium) channels a cemetery-sized roll call of classic horror elements. The film, recently picked as Thailand's representative for the Oscar's International Feature, is proudly possessed by the ghosts of The Exorcist, The Blair Witch Project, the Paranormal Activity franchise, and Ari Aster's Midsommar, but with Southeast Asia's earthy voodooism, plus a serving of Korean-style blood-and-viscera gore as well as an icing of zombie scare-aesthetics. It's a full-course buffet of fright tricks, complete with an apocalyptic, 30-minute-long exorcism orgy that leaves no spell unuttered and no human unpossessed. All of this is couched in a faux-documentary setup, with handheld shots, grainy CCTV footage and characters speaking directly to the camera.
A way forward
Life, Yvonne Bohwongprasert, Published on 25/11/2020
» Thai contemporary artist Vichaya Mukdamanee's attention to detail and creative energy makes "Expected Unforeseen", a solo exhibition of his most recent work that touches on issues close to his heart, a real visual treat.
Highbrow picks from Netflix
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 01/05/2020
» Cannes Film Festival, the annual jamboree of world cinema usually taking place in May, has been postponed until further notice. In its absence, we delve into the Netflix menu and find four films that made their debut at Cannes over the past decades and made a noise in their own way.
Society's literal levels
Life, Tatat Bunnag, Published on 27/03/2020
» With the whole coronavirus ordeal that we're experiencing in the real world right now, the times are full of social inequality and discrimination. When people are panic shopping, fighting at grocery stores over who gets to buy the last box of facemasks, somehow Netflix's new dystopian thriller The Platform doesn't seem too far-fetched.
Keeping the faith
Life, Gary Boyle, Published on 07/10/2019
» A man possessed by the spirit of a tiger storms through a crowd. Penitent Filipinos are nailed to the cross. Skewers pierce cheeks, swords slash tongues, and young men are scarred until their skin resembles that of a crocodile.
Second S. Korean star quits as K-pop sex scandal spreads
AFP, Published on 13/03/2019
» SEOUL: A burgeoning K-pop sex scandal claimed a second scalp as a singer who rose to fame after coming second in one of South Korea's top talent shows admitted secretly filming himself having sex and sharing the footage.
Music museums keeping Michael Jackson exhibits on display
Life, Published on 08/03/2019
» Megastar Michael Jackson's musical legacy has been getting critically reappraised after a new documentary rekindled allegations of child sexual abuse, but at least two music museums in Detroit and Tennessee aren't scrubbing the King of Pop from their exhibits.
The Thai-French connection
Life, Apipar Norapoompipat, Published on 02/08/2018
» A body of a naked woman lies lifeless on a muddy hill as curious bystanders look on; a ghostly shadow in front of an abandoned train station flails as if in pain; and on a footpath, an elderly woman sits dejected in front of her broken car, daydreaming.