Showing 31 - 40 of 98
Sexy, savage spy
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 04/08/2017
» The Berlin kitsch of the late 1980s -- neon galore, rave clubs, Communist chic -- serves up a gaudy backdrop to the Cold War violence and betrayals in Atomic Blonde. Charlize Theron, in a wardrobe as striking as it is tongue-in-cheek, plays Lorraine Broughton, a hard-boiled British spy sent to West Germany to retrieve a valuable top-secret list.
Our newest mission is to love the bomb
News, Kong Rithdee, Published on 08/07/2017
» Like all soap addicts, I caught glimpses of the debut episode of the television series Love Missions last week. Not a strand of hair misplaced despite his dangerous expedition, Capt Purich (played by Sukollawat Kanarot) enters a red zone to battle terrorists after they've abducted foreign delegates from a conference in Bangkok. "This act of terrorism has a big boss behind it," intones the captain.
Squaring off at Cannes
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 02/06/2017
» It was "a bad year", "a disappointing year", "a weak year", and so on. Curmudgeonly, typically, sometime jeeringly -- I count myself in the pack -- the critics bemoaned Cannes' official selection in the year it was supposed to be all glory and fireworks as the world's most important film festival blew its 70th candle. To the press corps present, the consensus (or something close) was that the "elite" competition titles were a catalogue of predictable provocations and unrealised ambitions, on top of the more-of-the-same arthouse fare from directors who attract attention by their names rather than by their latest works. It's true. But as always with Cannes, the expectation is too high, the collective hallucination too overpowering, and the four-to-five-films-a-day ordeal took a toll on enthusiasm even to the most passionate out there.
Cannes at 70 still going strong
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 17/05/2017
» Stars, film professionals and journalists have descended en masse to the South of France as Cannes Film Festival opens its 70th edition tonight. Still the world's most influential cinema event despite the shifting landscape brought by streaming services and the rise of TV, Cannes is steadfast in its mission to celebrate world cinema with its programme of established auteurs, as well as discoveries. That, and then the celebrity pages online and in print, will have a busy period as stars and film personalities walk the famous Cannes red carpet during the next 10 days.
We all live in a regime submarine
News, Kong Rithdee, Published on 29/04/2017
» What did Donald Trump say when he was a hotshot Republican candidate in January 2016? "I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn't lose voters."
'Boss' strides atop pyramid of injustice
News, Kong Rithdee, Published on 01/04/2017
» The boss walks free. The boss is the boss. The boss dines in France and snowboards in Japan. The boss rules the road and tramples the law. In the pyramid of privilege, the boss stays on top. In the food chain of injustice, the boss reminds us again, and again and again, who the boss is.
Little-known film takes Best Picture at Subannahongsa Awards
Kong Rithdee, Published on 06/03/2017
» A Thai independent film Dao Khanong (By the Time It Gets Dark) won Best Picture at the 26th Subannahongsa Awards on Sunday night, a surprise victory for a title that had only limited release and largely unseen by multiplex goers.
Giving women a voice
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 03/03/2017
» A robust line-up of films is coming to us in HeForShe Arts Week Bangkok Film Festival. Organised by UN Women, next week's festival has selected films with messages on gender equality -- or inequality -- and unfair treatment of women in different cultures (not just in the "Third World" countries, to be sure). It sounds heavy, but the good thing is that the titles picked for the event this year are entertaining and heartfelt on top of being socially relevant.
That precious gold statuette
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 24/02/2017
» The Oscars takes place Monday morning Thailand time. We pontificate and prognosticate the results
Pray against intolerance in the far South
News, Kong Rithdee, Published on 18/02/2017
» Being a teenager is hard. Being a teenager in the deep South is harder. Being an LGBT teenager is also hard. And being an LGBT teenager in the deep South is even harder, sometimes the hardest.