Showing 1 - 10 of 12
Eyes wide open
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 08/05/2020
» The literature about modern Thai politics is not abundant, and by this I mean a narrative that grounds its characters in the double-whammy of coup d'etat and street protest that characterised the mid-2000s to mid-2010s. The period, plus a few years earlier when Thaksin Shinawatra rose to power, contains some of the most convulsive and era-defining moments that continue to shape the visible and invisible dimensions of Thai society in the present time, and it's astonishing that not more writers find it a rich wellspring of artistic expression (on the contrary, visual artists and theatre artists seem more responsive to the political currents of the same period).
Young at heart
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 23/04/2018
» On some afternoons, Thep Kengvinit would walk to Central Pinklao, sit down at an electric piano in an electronics store, and play random songs from the 1960s. "I walk because it helps loosen my joints," said the 74-year-old grandfather, "and I play because it's relaxing".
Spoken crime tells the tale of two singers
News, Kong Rithdee, Published on 31/03/2018
» In a rare ruling, on Thursday the Criminal Court acquitted firebrand and former-singer Tom Dundee in a lese majeste case. He actually pleaded guilty, but in a legal paradox that is as baffling as it is mitigating, the court said it could not rule against the defendant despite his guilty plea since the prosecution failed to provide substantial evidence.
A wind from the Northeast
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 24/03/2017
» Last month the cinemas saw a sleeper hit -- and don't be surprised if your cultural radar didn't beep. The homemade Isan film Thi Baan The Series attracted huge crowds not to Bangkok cineplexes, or not at first, but to theatres in Si Sa Ket, Khon Kaen, Maha Sarakham and elsewhere across the Northeast. Scoring big with regional tastes, the small, Isan-speaking film, made by a group of friends for 3 million baht, has now made over 20 million in box office -- 70% of it on its home turf, the rest in the capital.
A night to remember, a night for remembering
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 21/03/2017
» This isn't a trip dripping with nostalgia. This is an arcade of fire, of mainstream grunge, power chords and roaring vocals, of soul-refeshing ballads and eye-opening musicianship, and it all sounds as relevant, as transformative, as ever.
Spirits run deep
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 14/03/2016
» Downstairs: a vintage Fiat, a vintage Austin Mini, a few Mercedes. Upstairs: a wild museum of spiritual imagery, Brahmin, Buddhism, animism -- tall effigies of leopard-striped hermits and beautiful Buddha statues, talismanic scrolls of occult origins and prints of Khmer calligraphy.
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.
That's entertainment!
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 24/12/2014
» The year in Thai movies, music and theatre
Screen queen
Muse, Kong Rithdee, Published on 19/01/2013
» Firing off queries about beauty secrets is not what a male reporter, batting an eyelid, would normally do to a female subject. But since fact-checking is part of the job, let's get this done right from the beginning.
Golden oldies make it a night to remember
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 15/01/2013
» It was an entirely delightful night of vintage cinema and deep nostalgia (sometimes very deep) last Thursday at Thailand Cultural Centre. Featuring 28 movie soundtracks sung by an illustrious parade of crooners, from an 83-year-old national artist to an indie rocker in tooth-achingly red pants, the concert Nang Thai Nai Siang Pleng, or "Thai Films In Music", hosted by Thai Film Archive, was a charming showcase that proved that the evocative power of cinema is never a complete experience without the songs that brought back a flood of yesteryear memories _ and something like forgotten happiness.