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Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 24/07/2020
» Evil is not banal in Ju-on: Origins, a particularly grisly six-part Netflix series. The J-horror wave that broke at the turn of the millennium may no longer be in vogue, but this supposed origin story of the 2001 Ju-On: The Grudge is probably even more extreme in its depiction of ghostly malice and vengeance. It's scarier too -- if you have a stomach for murder, disembowelment, matricide and self-combustibility -- because here the origin of violence is mostly domestic: the violence committed by father against mother, mother against daughter, husband against wife, friend against friend. It's a series (or you could see it as a three-hour film) about monsters that shows us that monstrosity really is born and raised first and foremost by humans.
Psycho-killers, interviewed
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 23/08/2019
» The series didn't drop with as much ballyhoo as most Netflix new releases; instead it creepy-crawled into the algorithm of fans with chilly stealth last Friday. Mindhunter Season 2, created by Joe Penhall with several episodes directed by David Fincher, is a cerebral remedy to Netflix's glut of story-driven series and formulaic cliffhangers. Mindhunter takes almost a geeky pride in its dialogue-heavy exploration of the most vicious minds in the anthology of American true crime, the procession of ultra-violent serial murderers, pathological rapists and sadistic torturers, and in the way it isn't fixated on solving any particular cases (as is expected from a detective show) but taking time to study the methodological eccentricity of each crime and the increasingly dark obsession of the detectives, sucked ever more inextricably into the transgressive vortex.
Grisly guidance
Life, Suwitcha Chaiyong, Published on 17/06/2019
» When Si Quey was accused of murdering seven children back in 1950s, the Chinese immigrant also was believed to have removed his victims' organs, boiling them before eating. After the murders that took place in Prachuap Khiri Khan, Bangkok, Nakhon Pathom and Rayong, Si Quey was arrested in Rayong in 1958, reportedly in possession of the body of a boy, together with an extracted heart and liver. He confessed to the murder but denied charges of cannibalism.
Facing up to sexual harassment
Life, Apipar Norapoompipat, Published on 06/11/2017
» Ever since The New York Times and the New Yorker published their explosive articles on Harvey Weinstein's repulsive serial sexual assaults, every day, a new round of accusations have surfaced, and every day, a rich and powerful man is finally being held accountable.
Too good to be true
Life, Bernard Trink, Published on 01/02/2016
» Yank oceanographer Clive Cussler, on his own and with co-authors, has been penning adventure stories for decades -- all about the sea, and dry land to an extent. In his own boat, the author employs old maps to search for centuries-sunk ships. He's not a treasure-hunter, handing over the doubloons and other items he stumbles across to the proper authorities.
Two bright, shining jewels
B Magazine, Andrew Biggs, Published on 01/02/2015
» We all love a good David versus Goliath story, where somebody small and insignificant rises up against the giants and achieves greatness.
Sek in court, it takes two for Tangmo, dancing derailed
News, Published on 01/02/2015
» Rocker "Sek Loso" and his estranged wife Wiphakorn "Kan" Sukpimai have come face to face in court for the first time since Sek filed for a divorce, with each refusing to give ground to the other.
A mixed brew
Life, Bernard Trink, Published on 12/03/2012
» While it is conventional for a novel to have both a main plot and a subplot, this reviewer notes that one generally distracts from the other, successfully.
What if JFK lived?
Life, Bernard Trink, Published on 30/01/2012
» There are two aspects to time travel, travelling to another time; making a change before returning to the starting point. That change leads to other changes and those to other changes still. HG Wells noted this in The Time Machine, Hollywood in its Back to The Future series.