Showing 1 - 10 of 10
Come and see (no need to pray)
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 06/04/2021
» In an ordinary democracy, a film like Ehipassiko (in English, Come And See) shouldn't have had the least bit of worry about the possibility of being banned. The subject itself initially provoked the censors' impulse: this is a finely-tuned, patiently observed documentary about the controversial Wat Dhammakaya and the dramatic 2017 siege of the temple.
Through the prism of history
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 04/10/2019
» The book's title is printed on its spine: Prism Of Photography: Dispersion Of Knowledge And Memories Of The 6 October Massacre. Thereafter, from the first page on, we have only photographs with no captions.
The holy voice, the beautiful sound
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 01/03/2017
» In January, Hasan Samoh became the first Thai to win first place at a major Koran recital competition, taking place in the capital of Sudan where he outscored 85 other contestants from around the world. Living in Pattani, young Hasan became a celebrity in the predominantly Muslim South and, upon his return, was welcomed at Government House by Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha, who pledged to support the 19-year-old in future competitions.
Thai movies ride the Euro circuit
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 29/01/2016
» The new year starts with a slate of new Thai films -- and some older ones -- which are already making rounds at the European film festival circuit which began this week.
In search of the next hit
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 26/06/2015
» A string of box-office failures, an absence of hits, an onslaught of Hollywood blockbusters, an economic slump, the vacillating, unpredictable taste of audiences — all of this has plunged the Thai film industry into a gloom in the first half of 2015. Home-grown cinema can barely compete with the American juggernauts, but the past six months have been particularly wounding. Usually, Thai films take around 25% of the ticket sales, with Hollywood gobbling up the rest (the total box office value was around 4.5 billion in last year). This year, so far, local movies took a paltry 10%, according to industry analysts.
Silence is truly golden
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 01/08/2014
» In the beginning, there was light and nothing else. The history of cinema took shape and burned itself into the consciousness of early viewers through moving pictures — with no sound. Silent cinema was cinema, before the talkies came, and long before the present-day bombardment of audible enhancement and sound effects that we can’t live without.
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.
Highlight reel
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 21/12/2012
» Critics are not saboteurs, though sometimes we can be. I do not dream about movies _ there are more pleasant and sexier subjects _ and I enjoy Brave and The Avengers and The Expendables 2 and The Amazing Spider-man as much the average boy in your next seat. There are only movies I (or you) like and that I (or you) don't like, and if one day, I hope not soon, you put me in the ring at Lumpini Boxing Stadium, gloved, gagged, naked, oiled, and beat me up to pay for my ignorance, then let it be. But at least today in this traditional year-end pondering, please allow me to talk about movies that you mightn't have seen.
Diary of a futsal spectator
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 06/11/2012
» Blow-by-blow account of Thailand's first match by a very recent convert to the sport
Southeast Asian Round-UP
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 06/06/2012
» From a new film festival in Kuala Lumpur to Myanmar movies on General Aung San