Showing 1 - 10 of 15
Ripley strikes quite exquisitely, again
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 12/04/2024
» Just when you thought the original book was bled dry, its last drop of smouldering homoerotic blood squeezed and sucked by multilple movie adaptations, from Rene Clement (French) and Anthony Minghella (American) to Liliana Cavani (Italian), here comes Steven Zaillian's seven-episode Netflix series bluntly titled Ripley. Dusky and exquisitely coldblooded, the latest reworking proves that the Patricia Highsmith's 1955 novel The Talented Mr. Ripley is a living gift that continues giving after 69 years.
BIFF unveils rich line-up
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 23/09/2021
» The Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) has unveiled the line-up for its 26th edition to take place on-site from Oct 6-15. Asia's premier gathering of film professionals aims to shake off pandemic-related uncertainties with a slate of over 190 titles, with the focus on Asian cinema as usual. Busan is also pushing for a wider definition of "film festival" by including, for the first time, television series as part of its official programme.
Guilt and sin minus the politics
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 20/04/2018
» The squalor of Manila slums populated by high-school drug runners, then a chaotic precinct ruled by corrupt cops and even more corrupt chiefs -- these are the familiar turfs of Brillante Mendoza, the best-known Filipino filmmaker among international audiences.
Four inspiring tales for the price of none
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 25/10/2017
» The gift of love, kindness and generosity from the late King Bhumibol lives on in the minds of all Thais. It serves as the inspiration behind the anthology film Khong Kwan (The Gift), comprised of four short films by four Thai directors to be screened free of charge beginning Saturday at cinemas nationwide.
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.
Regional favourites, new and old
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 15/04/2016
» The 2nd Bangkok Asean Film Festival begins on Thursday at SF World Cinema, and will travel to Khon Kaen, Surat Thani and Chiang Mai later.
7 car stud
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 03/04/2015
» With Furious 7, the superhero season has begun — and these guys (and girls) are so poised in their invincibility that they don't even bother to put on spandex costumes.
B-movie goes big
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 12/07/2013
» Brace yourself, otaku boys across the globe, Guillermo Del Toro's Pacific Rim is the most expensive B-movie ever! And that's a big, big compliment in the season of sterile blockbusters, for this is an immensely imaginative, wildly exhilarating ride through kaiju geekery, Godzilla roars, apocalyptic frenzy and robot fetishism. In short, an East Asian monster flick begotten from the unlikely womb of a Mexican director by way of Hollywood surrogates. Move over Marvel heroes and Superbore, Pacific Rim is the most shamelessly entertaining summer movie we've seen so far this year.
Zombie gentrification
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 21/06/2013
» Like hungry ants or rabid piranhas, the hordes of zombies in World War Z swarm and sprint and leap at their targets with biological ferocity, defying the George A. Romero rule about the walking dead being essentially lethargic. The sight of these terrifying multitudes racing along streets or piling up like columns of wriggling maggots are some of the moneyed shots in a movie that views zombification as a health problem on a global scale. To fight the undead, syringes are more useful, apparently, than guns.
Embrace the darkness
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 10/05/2013
» Even Mr Spock gets to defy the prime directive, mess up his signature Vulcan hairdo, and have a savage brawl in the high-octane sequel of the rebooted Star Trek franchise. Not to mention the hotshot James Tiberius Kirk, who drives the starship Enterprise as if he was auditioning for the next Fast And Furious movie.