Showing 1 - 7 of 7
The end of an era
Life, Tatat Bunnag, Published on 01/07/2020
» Last Saturday saw many fans and film lovers from everywhere gather from morning to evening in front of Scala Theatre, Bangkok's last stand-alone cinema and the magnificent architectural icon of the Siam Square area. People stood in line for hours to buy advance tickets for the farewell programmes in the "La Scala" event organised in conjunction with the Thai Film Archive, which will take place on Saturday and Sunday before the movie theatre closes its doors for good after serving Thai cinemagoers for more than half-a-century.
Welcoming a new decade!
Guru, Eric E Surbano, Published on 03/01/2020
» For those of you who may have missed it, we are in a new decade. Yes, you read that right. No, you are not hallucinating. Yes, we are all old. Welcome to the beginning of the 2020s where films like Back To The Future and Blade Runner are not just classics but the future worlds depicted in them are now effectively in the past; where years like 2050 and 2060 no longer sound ridiculous like they did back in the early 2000s and where those born in 2000 are 20 years old. It's a lot to take in, that's for sure. With every new year also comes the declarations of "New year, new me" posted all over social media and vocally announced at dinner tables everywhere. Resolutions are made and kept for a good two weeks or so before being thrown out the window. So instead of trying to expect things to happen that we aren't even sure will happen, let's take a look at the stuff that we're fairly certain will happen this year. Here's a couple of things to look forward to this 2020.
Saint and sensibility
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 16/05/2019
» A Christian fable or a Marxist allegory? A magical-realist myth or a political cry against neoliberalism (or feudalism, which produces the same catastrophe anyway)?
Not the usual fare
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 19/10/2018
» Two idiosyncratic filmgoing options for fans of Thai cinema — one classic, one contemporary
The pastoral romance returns
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 19/09/2018
» The star-crossed lovers coo. They ride their buffaloes through a verdant field, splash mud, evade spiteful parents, and make a vow at the shrine of the banyan tree. But their romance, like all memorable romances in books and life, is doomed by the circumstances of fate, tragic and scarred, and their destiny is one of the most heartbreaking in the canon of Siamese literature and film.
Relive those Summer Nights at the Scala
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 15/08/2018
» John Travolta's ducktail hairdo set the craze and burned the path for cool delinquency, everywhere including Thailand. Grease celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, and this Sunday the film will return to the big screen at Scala. The crowd is unlikely to be young, but the spirit, the nostalgia and the scream (hopefully) will set the house alight.
Santi-Vina finally comes home
Life, Published on 22/07/2016
» On July 15, the Thai Film Archive hosted the screening of Santi-Vina, the 1954 classic Thai film whose negative prints were thought to be lost before they were discovered at the British Film Institute in London two years ago. After a lengthy restoration process by a lab in Italy and a world premiere in Cannes, Santi-Vina returned home after six decades. The screening at Scala last Friday is sure to become a chapter in Thai cinema history: it was an emotional homecoming and the 800-seat theatre was full to the tilt, something that hadn't happened at the venue for a long time.