Showing 71 - 80 of 129
The (sur)real world
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 11/03/2015
» Chulayarnnon Siriphol can't keep his jokes to himself. He has the boyish — some might say nerdy — looks of a milk-fed goody two-shoes mama's boy, but in his films, the 29-year-old often thrives on pranks, satire, mischief and a brand of droll, childlike humour that cuts through the slough of hypocrisy.
The big picture: prizes vs popularity
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 06/03/2015
» When Birdman won Best Picture at the Academy Awards last week, a New York Times headline read: "Oscars show growing gap between moviegoers and Academy", referring to the fact that a small, semi-art-house film that wasn't seen by many people received the industry's highest honour. The article goes on to quote film historian Philip Hallman, who says "most people have to finally accept that the Oscars have become elitist and not in step with anything that is actually popular".
In fighting IS, don't mimic its evil ways
News, Kong Rithdee, Published on 07/02/2015
» It was a sad week, a week of satanic beheadings, then the barbarous immolation, executed and filmed by that godless bunch as if in mockery of Hollywood war movies. A week of moral anger and global blood lust, from Amman to Tokyo by way of Iraq. A week of sadness that quickly morphed into something like vengeance, as war cries sounded over the medieval fortresses of Jordan and Egypt and echoed to the South China Sea.
Cannes report: The joyful jury
Kong Rithdee, Published on 04/01/2015
» <b>CANNES, France -</b> One of the great mysteries is how you judge movies.
A glittering showcase of film
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 04/01/2015
» Cannes Film Festival opens today with Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby, and for the next 12 days the Mediterranean resort town on the French Riviera plays host to the 66th edition of the world's most respected, most influential and most circus-like cine-jamboree. Stars, filmmakers, industry bigwigs and journalists congregate for the annual pilgrimage that celebrates, sanctifies and commercialises cinema to an extent that's both astounding and puzzling.
Sin and the art of redemptive violence
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 04/01/2015
» Sitting in the courtyard of the Carlton Hotel in Cannes, Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhangke talks about violence _ the violence in his new movie that is riding a wave of critical favour at the world's biggest film festival, and the real violence back in his home country where the unstoppable motor of progress has brought on many changes, good and otherwise.
That's entertainment!
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 24/12/2014
» The year in Thai movies, music and theatre
A tale of two films
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 19/12/2014
» Two Thai films are playing in the cinemas, and their fates couldn't be more different. The mega-hit I Fine, Thank You, Love You is lighting up the till and on its way to becoming the year's top-grosser at a projected 250 million baht (if it hits that mark, it will join the pantheon of the country's all-time top-three hits, surpassing each of the King Naresuan films and behind only Suriyothai and Phi Mak Phra Khanong).
Count to 12 and you'll be brainwashed
News, Kong Rithdee, Published on 18/10/2014
» Friends often ask me, what movies are you looking forward to seeing? The vagaries of taste and fluctuations of mood always make this simple question difficult to answer. Gone Girl? Sure, for the perfect blend of satire and marital horror. Interstellar? Yes, for what looks like a nebula-warped cosmic philosophising. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay? Definitely, for what looks like an inadvertent allegory of our Golden Axe misadventure as the Capitol crumbles under the weight of the three-fingered salute. King Naresuan Part 6 and maybe 7 or why not 8 then please-bring-it-on 9? Yep, bless my soul with the whole shebang, for what looks like the umpteenth elephant circus and post-Koh Tao Myanmar bashing.
The reels keep turning
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 05/09/2014
» The preservation of movies involves storing for posterity a popular form of entertainment, but perhaps more importantly this repository can also protect an invaluable body of knowledge and wisdom about the individuals and society from which these works emanated. It took this country a long time to realise that the conservation of film is a cultural duty, and that our audiovisual heritage is a museum of memories that plays a vital part in educating future generations about their collective past.