Showing 91 - 100 of 142
Asean on screen
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 28/08/2015
» When was the last time you saw a Malaysian film? An Indonesian? A Vietnamese? The odds are even lower for a Myanmar or a Bruneian. As the Asean banner is being splashed across the region, with the emphasis on the economic free-flow, the cultural exchange among Southeast Asians remains a glaring deficit. Cinema, perhaps the most accessible form of cultural expression, is no exception.
In search of the next hit
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 26/06/2015
» A string of box-office failures, an absence of hits, an onslaught of Hollywood blockbusters, an economic slump, the vacillating, unpredictable taste of audiences — all of this has plunged the Thai film industry into a gloom in the first half of 2015. Home-grown cinema can barely compete with the American juggernauts, but the past six months have been particularly wounding. Usually, Thai films take around 25% of the ticket sales, with Hollywood gobbling up the rest (the total box office value was around 4.5 billion in last year). This year, so far, local movies took a paltry 10%, according to industry analysts.
From horror to biopic
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 19/06/2015
» Youth, sex, death — preferably in that order — the indispensable ingredients of horror movies get a spooky shake-up in David Robert Mitchell's It Follows. Ripe with a psychosexual vibe, this creepy film can be read as a metaphor about the demon of one-night-stands, or the venereal guilt of casual sex. Or you don't have to care much, because as far as a ghost flick goes, this one remixes the old formula with wit, serves up a series of shocks, and manages to give off a stylish, purring chill.
Sensational silent cinema
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 05/06/2015
» Buster Keaton, Douglas Fairbanks and Dr Caligari are among the highlights at the 2nd Silent Film Festival in Thailand. They will be joined by Alfred Hitchcock, Anna May Wong and an early Russian masterpiece at the movie event that runs from Wednesday to June 17 at Lido and Scala.
Roll credits
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 17/04/2015
» On April 2, the oldest active filmmaker in the world died. Portuguese director Manoel de Oliveira, 107, began his career in the silent film era in the 1930s, took a pause to tend his vineyards during the mid-century dictatorship, and had a resurgence in the 1980s. He kept making films — at least one a year since the 1990s — until 2014. The man was almost as old as cinema itself when he passed away.
Documenting Southeast Asian diversity
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 20/03/2015
» Now in its fifth edition, Salaya International Documentary Film Festival brings you real-world immediacy and reflection that covers a wide gamut of subjects — from the aftermath of the communist purge in 1960s Indonesia to the housing woes in Singapore, from the ferry tragedy in Korea to a grand tour of the National Gallery in London. The festival (better known as Salaya Doc) begins tomorrow and runs until Mar 28 at the Film Archive in Salaya and the auditorium of Bangkok Art and Culture Centre in Pathumwan (BACC). Admission is free.
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.
Hat-trick for Thai cinema
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 06/02/2015
» In the snowy German capital, the year's first major cinema festival has kicked off. The 65th Berlin International Film Festival (or Berlinale, as it's better known) opened last night with Nobody Wants The Night, a drama by Spanish director Isabel Coixet, starring Juliette Binoche and Rinko Kikuchi. Some of the hot world premieres include Terrence Malick's Knight Of Cups, Kenneth Branagh's Cinderella, Werner Herzog's Queen Of The Desert, and other art-house darlings. The Berlinale runs until Feb 15, with the Golden Bear being announced next weekend.
13 to watch
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 09/01/2015
» Dizzying. That's what it feels like to glance at the line-up of blockbusters and desirable titles slated for the next 12 months. This will be a very busy year at the cinemas with the intense parade of blockbusters, sequels, reboots and scavenged superheroes in search of redemption or glory — all the more reason for multiplex regulars to rejoice after a somewhat jaded 2014.
Winter Sleep, Saint Laurent
Kong Rithdee, Published on 04/01/2015
» A tortured soul who cuts exquisite clothes hits the main Cannes screen, to our supreme delight. "Saint Laurent", a biopic of the French couturier that was premiered here Saturday, floats into the festival with intelligence and sensual poise. It's remarkable that the director, Bertrand Bonello, manages to avoid most of the cliches about a depressed genius despite the familiar arc of the story, meanwhile Gaspard Ulliel, playing the title role, makes Yves a champagne flute that's as fragile as it is unbreakable. The good news is that the film already has a Thai distribution; so just wait for the release date, hopefully soon.