Concrete Clouds flies high at Subhanahongsa Awards

Producer Soros Sukhum accepts the Best Film award for Concrete Clouds, alongside Lee Chatametikool. Cast and crew, including producers Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Yonfan and Anocha Suwichakornpong are also present. Courtesy of FNFAT.

Despite the best efforts of the nominating body to steer voters toward more-commercial fare, the indie drama Concrete Clouds was the big winner at the 24th Subhanahongsa Awards, the Thai film industry's version of the Oscars.

Coming from a field dominated by mainstream studio entries,  Concrete Clouds (ภวังค์รัก, Phawang Rak), the feature debut by veteran indie film editor Lee Chatametikool was named Best Film, and it also took the Golden Swan trophy for best director.

The glitzy black-tie-optional ceremony was held on Sunday night at the Thailand Cultural Center in Bangkok.

The Best Film award was accepted by veteran indie Thai producer Soros Sukhum, alongside Lee. They were joined onstage by other cast and crew and the co-producers, indie Thai directors Apichatpong Weerasethakul and Anocha Suwichakornpong, who have worked closely with Lee in the past, and Hong Kong producer Yonfan.

Long in the works, Concrete Clouds is the story of a Thai currency trader who is forced to return from New York to Bangkok after the suicide of his father during the 1997 financial crisis. While dealing with his estranged younger brother, the trader seeks to rekindle romance with an old flame.

Going into the awards, Concrete Clouds had nine nominations, including screenplay and all four actor categories for the cast of Ananda Everingham, Janesuda Parnto, Apinya Sakuljaroensuk and Prawith Hansten. Prolific young starlet Apinya rounded out the trophy count for Clouds, winning best supporting actress for her performance as a lonely neighbor girl who has a fling with the younger brother.

Two from Concrete Clouds – best supporting actress winner Apinya Sakuljaroensuk and the best director winner Lee. Winning best actor Jirayu La-ongmanee from Chiang Khan Story poses for photos in the background. Courtesy of FNFAT

The remaining acting prizes were spread among a trio of other mainstream-industry films – Jarinporn Joonkiat as best actress for her disarming turn as a stubborn young woman in Nonzee Nimibutr's romantic drama Timeline Jodmai Khwam Songjam (Timeline จดหมาย-ความทรงจำ); former child star Jirayu La-ongmanee as best actor for his performance as a lovelorn young filmmaker in Yuthlert Sippapak's Chiang Khan Story (Tukkae Rak Pang Mak, ตุ๊กแกรักแป้งมาก); and screen veteran Pongpat Wachirabanjong as best supporting actor in the new stage-leaning adaptation of a famous Thai novel that had been made into a film before, Plae Kao (The Scar).

The leading Subhanahongsa nominee was the GTH studio's romantic drama, director Nithiwat Tharatorn's The Teacher's Diary (คิดถึงวิทยา, Kid Tueng Wittaya). With 13 nods in all, it won the most prizes, grabbing up six Golden Swan trophies, including screenplay, cinematography, editing and music.

And a new category this year sought to reflect the trendiness of documentaries screening in cinemas. Three were nominated – By the River, Nontawat Numbenchapol's examination of a Karen village hit by an environmental disaster; Somboon, Krisada Tipchaimeta's heartfelt look at an elderly man's efforts to care for his chronically ailing wife; and The Master by Nawapol Thamrongratanarit.

And, not surprisingly, the award went to The Master, which reflects on the film industry with an entertaining line-up of Thai film figures and critics who recalled their early cinematic education in the form of bootleg videos purchased from the infamous Chatuchak Market pirate vendor Mr. Van.

The lifetime achievement award was also handed out. This year it went to action star Sombat Methanee, who at one time or another claimed a world record for most filmed appearances. Getting his start in 1960s, he rose to be the Thai film industry's top leading man after the death of Mitr Chaibancha in 1970. Among his hundreds of films was the 1965 romantic comedy Sugar Is Not Sweet by Ratt Pestonji, the 1966 version of the historical battle epic Bang Rajan, the gritty 1970 action thriller Choompae and the 2000 Thai western Tears of the Black Tiger.

This was the second year for a new voting process instituted by the Federation of National Film Associations of Thailand, which aims to make the Subhanahongsas more like the Academy Awards, in which members of the industry cast votes for films depending on their areas of expertise. Previous years had relied on a jury of critics and old industry hands nominating and selecting the winners. However, the niggling problem remains of not all Federation members actually getting out to see the films. There's more about that in a story today in The Nation.

Best documentary winner Nawapol Thamrongratanarit (The Master) and best actress winner Jarinporn Joonkiat from Timeline. Courtesy of FNFAT

• Best Film – Concrete Clouds
• Director – Lee Chatametikool, Concrete Clouds
• Screenplay: Nithiwat Tharatorn, Thosaphol Thiptinnakorn, Suppalerk Ningsanon, Sophana Chaowiwatkool, The Teacher’s Diary
• Actor – Jirayu La-ongmanee, Chiang Khan Story
• Actress – Jarinporn Joonkiat, Timeline Jodmai Khwam Songjum
• Supporting actor – Pongpat Wachirabanjong, Plae Kao
• Supporting actress – Apinya Sakuljaroensuk, Concrete Clouds
• Cinematography – Narupon Chokkanapitak, The Teacher’s Diary
• Film editing – Thammarat Sumethsupachok, Pongsakorn Chanchalermchai, The Teacher’s Diary
• Original song – "Mai Tang Kan" by 25 Hours, The Teacher’s Diary
• Recording and sound mixing: Richard Hocks, The Couple (รัก ลวง หลอน, Rak Luang Lon)
• Original score – Hualampong Riddim, The Teacher’s Diary
• Art direction – Akradej Kaewkote, The Teacher’s Diary
• Costume design – Athit Thriakittiwat, Plae Kao
• Makeup – Sirirat Jamfa, Hong Hoon (ห้องหุ่น, a.k.a. Crack My Skin)
• Visual effects – The Post Bangkok, Sming
• Documentary – The Master, Nawapol Thamrongratanarit

Teacher's Diary is top Subhanahongsa nominee

Nominees for the 24th Subhanahongsa Awards have filtered out.

The top nominee is The Teacher’s Diary (คิดถึงวิทยา, Kid Tueng Wittaya), the hit GTH romantic drama. With 13 nods in all, it's up for Best Picture and screenplay, as well as actor and actress.

Other Best Picture nominees are GTH's blockbuster comedy I Fine Thank You Love You, Lee Chatametikool's indie romance Concrete Clouds (ภวังค์รัก, Phawang Rak), Yuthlert Sippapak's comeback Chiang Khan Story (Tukkae Rak Pang Mak, ตุ๊กแกรักแป้งมาก) and Plae Kao, a new adaptation of a Thai literary classic.

Reflecting the indie Thai trend in documentaries, a new category has been added. It has three nominees, Somboon by Krisada Tipchaimeta, By the River (สายน้ำติดเชื้อ, Sai Nam Tid Shoer) by Nontawat Numbenchapol and The Master by Nawapol Thamrongratanarit.

Voting for the winners is under a new complicated new process instituted last year. The Nation has more on that.

BEST PICTURE

• Kid Tueng Wittaya (The Teacher’s Diary)
• I Fine Thank You Love You
• Phawang Rak (Concrete Clouds)
• Plae Kao (The Scar)
• Tukkae Rak Pang Mak (Chiang Khan Story).

DIRECTOR

• Yuthlert Sippapak, Chiang Khan Story
• ML Bandevanop Devakula, The Scar
• Lee Chatametikool, Concrete Clouds
• Mez Tharatorn, I Fine Thank You Love You

SCREENPLAY

• Nithiwat Tharatorn, Thosaphol Thiptinnakorn, Suppalerk Ningsanon, Sophana Chaowiwatkool, The Teacher’s Diary
• Yuthlert Sippapak, Chiang Khan Love Story
• Lee Chatametikool, Concrete Clouds
• Boongsong Nakphoo, Wangphikul (Village of Hope)
• Mez Tharatorn, Chaiyaphruek Chalermpornpanich, Benjamaporn Sa-bua, I Fine Thank You Love You

ACTOR

• Sukrit Wisetkaew, The Teacher’s Diary
• Jirayu La-ongmanee, Chiang Khan Story
• Sunny Suwanmethanon, I Fine Thank You Love You
• Chaiyapol Julien Poupart, Plae Kao
• Ananda Everingham, Concrete Clouds

ACTRESS

• Preechaya Pongthananikorn, I Fine Thank You Love You
• Davika Hoorne, Plae Kao
• Jarinporn Joonkiat, Jodmai Khwam Songjum (Timeline)
• Chermarn Boonyasak, The Teacher’s Diary
• Janesuda Parnto, Concrete Clouds

SUPPORTING ACTOR

• Nopachai Jayanama, Timeline
• Natpat Nimjirawat, Chiang Khan Story
• Pongpat Wachirabanjong, Plae Kao
• Prawith Hansten, Concrete Clouds
• Popetorn Sunthornyanakij, I Fine Thank You Love You

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

• Apinya Sakuljaroensuk, Concrete Clouds
• Piyathida Worramusik, Timeline
• Chanikarn Tangabodi, Chiang Khan Story
• Sinjai Plengpanich, Plae Kao
• Marsha Wattanapanich, Rak Mod Kaew (Love on the Rock)

CINEMATOGRAPHY

• Narupon Chokkanapitak, The Teacher’s Diary
• Somkid Phukpong, Chiang Khan Story
• Panom Promchat, Plae Kao
• Jarin Pengpanich, Concrete Clouds
• Pramate Charnkrasae, Hong Hoon

FILM EDITING

• Thammarat Sumethsupachok, Pongsakorn Chanchalermchai, The Teacher’s Diary
• Chonlasit Upanigkit, W
• Thawat Siripong, Chiang Khan Story
• Lee Chatametikool, Kamontorn Ekwatanakij, Concrete Clouds
• Thammarat Sumethsupachok,  Thanasak Yanajan, I Fine Thank You Love You

ORIGINAL SONG

• Mai Tang Kan by 25 Hours, The Teacher’s Diary
• Yak Hak by Koo Kaen Band, Phoobao Thai Baan: E-San Indy
• Jaikhwam Samkhan by Musketeer, Love on the Rock
• Golden Shower Bloom by Karen musicians of Klity village, By the River
• Walk You Home from I Fine Thank You Love You

SOUND MIXING

• Kantana Sound Studio, The Teacher’s Diary
• Richard Hocks, Rak Luang Lorn (The Couple)
• Kantana Sound Lab, Timeline
• Kantana Sound Studio, Plae Kao
• Kantana Sound Studio, The Swimmers

ORIGINAL SCORE

• Chatchai Pongprapapan, Timeline
• Hualampong Riddim, The Teacher’s Diary
• Origin Company, Chiang Khan Story
• Piti Kayoonpahn, The Scar
• Hualampong Riddim, I Fine Thank You Love You

ART DIRECTION

• Akradej Kaewkote, The Teacher’s Diary
• Patrick Meesaiyati, Plae Kao
• Khacha Ruanthong, Chiang Khan Love Story
• Ekkarat Homla-or, Concrete Clouds
• Siranat Ratchusanti, Hong Hoon

COSTUME DESIGN

• Suthee Muanwaja, The Teacher’s DIary 
• Siriwan Karnchoochor, Chiang Khan Love Story
• Suthee Muanwaja, I Fine Thank You Love You
• Athit Thriakittiwat, Plae Kao
• Cattleya Paosrijaroen, Concrete Clouds

MAKEUP

• Pichet Wongjansom, The Swimmers
• Panparit Suvanaprakorn, Kyu Kittichon Kunratchol (QFX Work Shop), The Eyes Diary
• Montri Watlaiad, Plae Kao
• Sirirat Jamfa, Hong Hoon

VISUAL EFFECTS

• Exhabition, The Swimmers
• The Post Bangkok, Sming
• The Renegade V Effect, Hong Hoon
• Oriental Post,  The Teacher’s Diary
• Nonzee Nimibutr, Timeline

DOCUMENTARY

• The Master
• Somboon
• By the River

The awards ceremony is set for March 1 at the Thailand Cultural Center, where veteran action star Sombat Metanee will be honored with the Lifetime Achievment Award.

Review: Tukkae Rak Pang Mak (Chiang Khan Story)

• Directed by Yuthlert Sippapak
• Starring Jirayu La-ongmanee, Chonthida Asavahame
• Released in Thai cinemas on August 28, 2014; rated 15+
• Wise Kwai's rating: 3/5

Yuthlert Sippapak pays homage to his roots with the partly autobiographical romantic comedy Tukkae Rak Pang Mak (ตุ๊กแกรักแป้งมาก, a.k.a. Chiang Khan Story.

Spanning 20 years from the 1970s to the '90s in the Mekong River town of Chiang Khan in Yuthlert's home province of Loei, it's the story of childhood friends, the poor little orphan boy with the odd name of Tukkae (after the large chirping house lizard that's believed be a bad omen) and the wealthy girl Pang. They later grow apart, but are forced back together by circumstances that only happen in romantic comedies.

The first half of the movie, featuring a cast of child actors, is energetic, sweet and nostalgic, weaving in memories of 4-baht wooden cap guns with the rubber-band action, the then-newfangled foreign treat of jellybeans and GAF Viewmasters.

Tukkae and Pang take to hanging around the town's wooden shophouse cinema. It's during a magical time when such Thai cinema classics as Sombat Metanee's gritty actioner Chumpae is playing alongside Payut Ngaokrachang's animated triumph The Adventures of Sudsakorn and Sompote Sands' insane Hanuman vs. 7 Ultraman.

The kids are mentored by the theater's poster painter, played by Yuthlert's longtime collaborator "Uncle" Adirek Watleela. His character Pong Poster is a heartfelt tribute to still-living 1970s' director Piak Poster, who started out as a poster artist, as well as Uncle's late Buppa Rahtree co-star, character actor and production designer Bunthin Thuaykaew.

Tukkae, always on the defensive because of his funny nickname and his status as a poor orphan kid, seeks to play with the gang of chubby boys who always bully him. In lively action scenes, they blast away with their cap guns while wearing Red Eagle masks, like Mitr Chaibancha. And Tukkae accepts a dare that drives Pang out of his life, seemingly forever.

Flash forward a few years to Bangkok, Tukkae is a comic-book artist with aspirations of getting in the movie business. He's partnered up with a level-headed and experienced film hand, amiably played by Slice director Kongkiat Khomsiri, one of several film industry hands in the cast. In another scene, Thanit Jitnukul (Bang Rajan) turns up as a producer. He can't believe Tukkae doesn't know what a "treatment" is.

The guys are tasked with making a Mae Nak "liverscape" movie by a hilariously marble-mouthed B-movie producer who sees nothing wrong with moving the famous ghost story from Phra Khanong to Chiang Khan. Tukkae has other ideas, and he writes an "untitled" screenplay that is basically his life story, with a focus on his relationship with Pang.

The implausibilities stack up as Tukkae encounters Pang by chance in a Bangkok disco, and she doesn't remember him at all. In fact, nobody from Tukkae's old school remembers what anybody looks like. But this is, refreshingly, before Facebook and selfies, so I suppose the disbelief can be suspended somewhat. Mistaken identities and misunderstandings add to Tukkae's woes as Pang wakes up in Tukkae's bedroom and doesn't recognize Tukkae or any of his stuff (not even the Viewmaster she gave him).

But the two are thrown together anyway when Pang, now a famous actress, is cast for the role in Tukkae's movie. Awkwardness ensues on the set as Pang is confronted with the guy she only recognizes from that bad night out. She doesn't realize it's her old childhood friend, nor does she seem aware that he actually wrote the screenplay for the movie she's in.

The energy and sweetness of the movie's first half gives way to a wallowing slackness that's struggling to find an ending. It's not helped by the rather wooden performances by Kao Jirayu and Pleng Chontida. Kao, a former child actor with many credits, has better chemistry in later scenes with his character's dementia-addled grandmother who raised him. Pleng, the celebrity offspring of singer Nantida Kaewbuasai and scandal-plagued politician Chonsawat Asavahame, is making her screen debut, but seems to let a curly hairstyle and aviator sunglasses do all the work for her.

The supporting cast, especially the Tukky-type actress who plays Pang's best friend and manager, help to liven things up. She is friends with soldiers at the local army base, and they turn up on command to dish out beatings to anyone getting on her wrong side. Boriboon Chanruang portrays a director who spent so long in New York he's forgotten to speak Thai. He becomes Tukkae's chief rival in romancing Pang.

Yuthlert seems to have suppressed his infamous genre-jumping tendencies in an effort to make what he's called his first romantic comedy, though melodrama, horror and slapstick all creep their way in, just not as much or as often as his past films.

Tukkae Rak Pang Mak also marks a comeback of sorts for Yuthlert, who has done more than a dozen films over around half as many years up until a year or so ago. However, his last effort, the potentially controversial Deep South drama Fatherland (ปิตุภูมิ พรมแดนแห่งรัก, Pitupoom) was yanked from release by the film's producer. So Yuthlert retreated to Loei to regroup.

His new film is the first release from a new studio, Transformation Films, which is a joint venture of M Pictures, Bangkok Film Studio (formerly Film Bangkok), True I-Content and Matching Studio.

Box-office performance for Tukkae has been middling, with 12.7 million baht in earnings at last count, but hopefully the company will soldier on and perhaps give one of Thai cinema's most distinctive voices yet another chance to tell his stories.

See also:

• True Group in filmmaking JV to cash in on local, foreign demand [The Nation]
• Transformation Films YouTube channel

Outdoor movie dubbers stage swordfights with forks and spoons

Movies on the Beach in the nang klang plang tradition of Thai outdoor cinema are continuing this week at the Ramada Plaza Menam Riverside Bangkok.

I caught last Saturday's double feature of 1966's Suek Bang Rajan and 2000's Bang Rajan.

The setting is a sand-covered plaza on the riverfront at the Ramada hotel, which is downstream from the Saphan Taksin pier. It's easily reachable from the pier by a shuttle boat from the hotel that runs every half hour.

Instead of movie-theater seating, there are beach-style lounge chairs set up in rows.

Starting well after dusk, at around 7.30, the first feature was 1966's Battle of Bang Rajan, starring Sombat Metanee in a commanding performance that won him a Tukata Tong (Golden Doll) award, which was handed to him personally by His Majesty the King.

Instead of the soundtrack, a team of five dubbers handled all voice work, music and sound effects. They worked from a table next to the projector tent, which was set up behind the beach chairs.

Two men and two women handled all the voices, from the heroic leading man to the comic-relief characters. Sound effects for this historical action epic were simple but effective – forks and spoons from dinner provided the clanging of swords, a pair of small coconut shells were the sound of pounding horse hoofs. Braying horses, trumpeting elephants, gunshots, cannon fire and the cries of dying men and women were all covered by the men and women behind the mic. A fifth member of the team worked a cassette player, swapping tapes in and out with music suited to the mood – rousing orchestral cues for the action scenes, and slow Thai traditional instrumentals for the romantic settings.

Fantastic as the movie was – it's the Alamo-like tale of heroic villagers who put themselves between the capital at Ayutthaya and the entire army of invading Burmese – it was hard to not turn around and see how the dubbers worked their magic.

Just how effective they were became evident when director Thanit Jitnukul's 2000 remake Bang Rajan was the second feature and the dubbers went away to let the soundtrack play. I felt like it was missing something, even with all the modern movie magic of CGI blood and digitally hacked-off limbs.

Compared to the newer version, the first Bang Rajan is lots more colorful, with lots of reds, yellows and greens, especially the women's costumes. The stories are the same. The village is up against overwhelming odds. Even the women get in on the two-handed swordfighting action. And yes, the village drunk climbs aboard a water buffalo to gallop into battle, though in the old version, the ride is short-lived – a letdown compared to the awesomely heroic ride Bin Binluert takes in 2000's version.

They showed films. Actual film reels, running through a projector. That was good to see in this age of DVDs and digital projectors. In previous outdoor film screenings I've been to, they have two projectors, which the projectionist uses to keep the flow steady, with no discernable interuption between reels. I swear I've even seen that feat accomplished with one projector, but the projectionists handling Saturday's screening had trouble keeping up with the cigarette burns, so there were pauses between reels.

And I was surprised at just how bad a shape the print of 2000's Bang Rajan was in. It seemed just as scratched up and jaggedy as the 1966 film.

Shows just how fragile a medium film is.

Movies on the Beach continue through Sunday.

Tonight's show is the 1970 smash-hit musical Monrak Luk Thung (Magical Love in the Countryside), starring Mitr Chaibancha and Petchara Chaowarat. Back in the day, it played in cinemas for six straight months.

Christmas Eve has 1970's Insee Tong (Golden Eagle), which features the fateful helicopter stunt that killed Mitr on October 8, 1970. I expect the dubbing team will be handling that one.

It's on a double bill with this year's Insee Dang (The Red Eagle), an action-packed reboot of Mitr's long-running franchise by director Wisit Sasanatieng, featuring Ananda Everingham in the lead role of the masked vigilante crimefighter.

Christmas night has a pair of monastic comedies, Luang Ta 3: Seeka Khang Wat from 1991 and Phranakorn's 2005 smash-hit Luang Phee Theng (The Holy Man).

The screening series closes on Sunday with the 2001 romantic drama Khang Lang Phab (Behind the Painting), the final film by the late director Cherd Songsri, starring "Ken" Theeradej Wongpuapan and Cara Pholasit.

The price is a bit steep, which may be the reason audiences are so sparse – 350 baht for the one-movie nights and 450 baht for the double-feature nights. That includes your choice of beverage and/or food.

Eagles and Mitr fly in outdoor movie shows

Thai films will be screened in the classic nang klang plang (open-air) style – including live dubbing – nightly from Friday until December 26 in the Movies on the Beach show at the Ramada Plaza Menam Riverside Bangkok Hotel on Charoenkrung Road.

Filmmaker Pantham Thongsang curates the program, mixing classics with contemporary Thai movies.

The program starts with Khoo Kam, a classic tale of star-crossed lovers during World War II. Many versions of this story have been filmed, and they'll show two of the best remembered – the 1973 version starring Nat Phoowanai and Duangnapha Attapornwisan and 1996's with Thongchai "Bird" McIntyre in the role of a Japanese officer and Apasiri Nitibhon as the Thai woman he's in love with.

Saturday's show will have dueling historical dramas, starting with 1966's Suek Bang Rajan, starring Sombat Metanee in a performance that won him a Tukata Tong (Golden Doll) award, which was handed to him personally by His Majesty the King. Phitsamai Wilaisak also stars. It's in a double-feature bill with Thanit Jitnukul’s blood-soaked battle epic Bang Rajan, which became an international cult hit after its release in 2000.

Sunday will feature the martial-arts exploits of legendary actor Mitr Chaibancha and his leading lady Petchara Chaowarat in the high-flying Hong Kong wire-fu swordfighting fantasy Atsawin Daap Gaaiyasit (อัศวินดาบกายสิทธิ์). According to Thai Worldview, another actor named Chat Chayaphum from Chayaphum province was brought in to complete the film after Mitr died.


During the week, there will be the films by Pantham and Somkiet Vituranich: the talking-dog drama Ma Mha (Mid-Road Gang) on Monday, and 2004's social drama Ai Fak (The Judgement) on Tuesday.

Nonzee Nimibutr's 1997 debut feature Dang Bireley's and Young Gangsters about teenage hoodlums in the 1950s (screenplay by Wisit Sasanatieng) shows on Wednesday.

And there's the smash-hit 1970 musical Monrak Luk Thung (Magical Love in the Countryside), starring Mitr Chaibancha and Petchara Chaowarat.

Christmas Eve has more Mitr action in 1970's Insee Tong (Golden Eagle), which features the fateful helicopter stunt that killed Mitr on October 8, 1970. It'll be in a double bill with this year's Insee Dang (The Red Eagle), an action-packed reboot of Mitr's long-running franchise by director Wisit Sasanatieng, featuring Ananda Everingham in the lead role of the masked vigilante crimefighter.

Christmas night will offer spirituality and laughs in the Buddhist monk movies Luang Ta 3: Seeka Khang Wat from 1991 and Luang Phee Theng (The Holy Man).

The program closes with the 2001 romantic drama Khang Lang Phab (Behind the Painting), the final film by the late director Cherd Songsri, starring "Ken" Theeradej Wongpuapan and Cara Pholasit.

Tickets are Bt350 for one screening and Bt450 for two movies on Friday and Saturday. Part of the proceeds will benefit the Thai Film Foundation. Call (02) 688 1000.

Thai classics online at Asia Pacific Film

Classics of Thai cinema, including films by Ratana Pestonji, are available at Asia Pacific Films, a new online film library that is offering free viewing until November 1.

From Thailand are three classics by Ratana Pestonji -- 1957's crazy musical-comedy-film noir Country Hotel, 1958's tale of tragic love Dark Heaven and 1961's film noir Black Silk. There's also 1955's story of chained-up cheating lovers Forever Yours, which had Pestonji as cinematographer and was directed by Tawee na Bangchang.

And there are two more films from Thailand's classic era, 1965's musical Ngern Ngern Ngern (Money Money Money) starring Mitr Chaibancha and Petchara Chaowarat, and the 1969 musical comedy Paradise Island, starring Sombat Metanee and Aranya Namwong. They are directed by Prince Anusornmongkolgan.

Apart from Thailand, other countries represented include Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam. These selections tend to be newer, indie titles, such as Riri Riza's pot-smoke-tinged Three Days to Forever, James Lee's romances like Things We Do When We Fall in Love, John Torres' Years When I Was a Child Outside and Kan Lume's The Art of Flirting.

There's also movies from China, India, Iran, Japan, South Korea and Sri Lanka. There's nothing yet from Cambodia, Laos or Burma, but give them time.

AsiaPacificFilms.com is offering unlimited access in a free trial until November 1, after which the subscription rate will be US$8.99 a month for unlimited access.

According to the website, the money will be filtered back to the filmmakers and rights-holders in the form of royalties, and also benefit the work of the Network for Promotion of Asian Cinema (NETPAC). From the website:

By acquiring digital rights and streaming our film collection on our website, we give our subscribers access to half of the world’s films: films made by Asians and Pacific Islanders.

Fact: 95 percent of these films are never seen outside of their own countries because mainstream distributors don’t bring them to the global market, or filmmakers from these areas lack access to distribution channels.

Our curators -- experts in Asian and Pacific cinema studies – hand-pick our films for their cultural nuances and historical significance, and for their themes, filmic techniques and styles.

Our film selections present artistic works that offer viewers a broad historical and cultural context about Asia and Pacific. We are creating an online library and archive because we believe the virtual environment is the best way to keep our cinematic heritage in perpetual circulation.

AsiaPacificFilms.com features high-quality reviews, excusive interviews, theme-based searches, online commenting, podcasts, and much more.

Our filmmakers -- among them, renowned directors from China, Korea, India, Iran, and Southeast Asia -- receive royalties. A portion of our profits go to support the important work of NETPAC. In the future, a special research and development fund will support future film projects of filmmakers who have contributed films to this website.

All the Thai films so far are available on DVD with English subtitles from the Thai Film Foundation, but for well-connected Internet users, the Asia Pacific Online Film Library might be an appealing alternative. I can't use it myself, because my Internet connection sucks.

(Via ThorGB and Babel Machine)

Classic Thai films in the Week of Siam

The last week of every month until August is designated the Week of Siam at House cinema on Royal City Avenue in Bangkok, where classic Thai movies will be shown as a benefit for the National Film Archive.

Not many of the films will be subtitled in English.

Happily, one exception to that will be showing this week, an oldie, but a goodie -- Ai Tui -- a uproarious musical comedy from 1971 that stars Sombat Metanee and Petchara Chaowarat.

A new print of the film was struck for the 2nd World Film Festival of Bangkok in 2004, and I'm overjoyed that it will once again be unspooled.

Directed by Dokdin Kanyamarn (who also co-stars) Ai Tui is part of the week of films under the theme of "Laan Laew Jaa" -- "It's a million!" -- a phrase coined by Dokdin to signify a 1-million-baht box-office smash.

Ai Tui will screen at 1pm on Saturday, March 28, 4pm on Monday, March 30, and will be closing film for the week at 7pm on Wednesday, April 1.

Subsequent weeks will be Than Mui Week (May 28-June 3), featuring films by director MC Chatrichalerm Yukol; comedy (June 25-July 1), featuring more Dokdin movies; Different Kinds of Love (July 23-29) with classic romances, and Week of Sinjai (August 27-September 2), featuring films of leading lady Sinjai Plengpanich.

The media will be a mix of 35mm, 16mm and DVDs. Admission is 120 baht (100 baht for members) for film screenings and 80 baht (50 baht for members) for DVD screenings.

Proceeds will benefit the effort by the National Film Archive -- upgraded to a public organization under an executive decree approved by the Cabinet -- to build a new vault to preserve Thai films.

Daily Xpress has more on Week of Siam, as does Filmsick. You can also check the schedule at House.

(Cross-published at Bangkok Cinema Scene)

Classic films and shorts at Fringe Festival No. 9

Bangkok's annual Fringe Festival is so far on the fringes this year it's not even in Bangkok.

Patravadi Theater's showcase of contemporary and traditional arts this year is being held in Ratchaburi, about two hours outside the capital.

It's being held in an old market town called Chet Samian. It has a railway station, and it's on the banks of the Mae Klong River.

Fringe Festival No. 9 got under way over the weekend, but the film portion of the program, put together by the Thai Film Foundation, starts next weekend, January 30 to February 1. Remaining programs will be on February 20-22 and February 27 to March 1. The programs start at around 5pm.

The lineup is a mix of classics from the 1950s and '60s, including most of Ratana Pestonji's features, plus recent independent short films, shown in an old-timey, open-air screening.

Here's the film lineup:

Friday, January 30

• True Nature -- A short film by Thawatpong Tangsajjapoj (6 min.)
• Paradise Island (Koh Sawad Had Sawan) -- Sombat Metanee and Aranya Namwong star in this musical love story set on Koh Samui. Directed by Prince AnusornmongkolganIt, it was made in 1969, long before the island had been paved over by developers. Sombat plays the playboy son of one family, while Aranya is the business-minded daughter of a rival family. They make a bet on who can make their family's coconut plantation more successful. If the guy wins, the girl must marry him. If he loses, he has to give his business to her.

Saturday, January 31

• Nongharn -- Directed by Panus Boonnun (14 min.)
• Parallel Journey -- Directed by Jakrawal Nilthamrong (8 min.)
• Blind -- Directed by Kanjana Akasin (30 min.)
• Run -- Directed by Watthanadech Ketsuan (15 min.)
• A Day in a Posit+ive Life -- Directed by Volunteers of AIDS Access, Chiang Rai (17 min.)

Sunday, February 1

• Country Hotel -- This Ratana Pestonji's insane cavalcade of comedy, music and film-noir drama from 1957.

Friday, February 20

• Finale Fantasie -- Directed by Teerapon Panyayuttakarn (31 min.)
• The Laundry Room -- Directed by Nattawut Poonpiriya (9 min.)
• Our Monument -- Directed by Phuttiphong Aroonpheng ( 10 min.)
• Love…Time -- Directed by Knidtha Khuwyou (28 min.)
• I Wanna Be A Red Fish -- Directed by Boonsri Tangtrongsin (11 min.)
  

Saturday, February 21

• Memoir of the old Bangkok -- A short films collection by National Artist filmmaker Thae Prakas-vudhisarn (22 min.)
• Black Silk (Prae Dum) -- Ratana Pestonji's 1961 classic is regarded as Thailand's first film noir. It was also one of the earliest Thai films to play overseas. It was selected for the Berlin Film Festival.

Sunday, February 22

• Forever Yours -- This 1955 tragic love story by Tawee Na Bangchang (with Ratana Pestonji as cinematographer) is iconic for its image of a young couple chained together after they are caught having an affair by the woman's husband.

Friday, February 27

• The Invisible City -- Directed by Boonsri Tangtrongsin (12 min.)
• Tadpole -- Directed by Pittaya Jankotr, Sumantana Jenjitman and Pannapa Saewong (15 min.)
• You Never Know -- Directed by Parinya Pornsuksawadd (20 min.)
• Shan at the Dawn -- Directed by Nattachai Jaitita (30 min.)
• I’m Fine Sa-bai-dee-kah -- Directed by Tanwarin Sukkhapisit (4 min.)

Saturday, February 28

• Home Video -- Directed by Yanin Pongsuwan (14 min.)
• Sugar Is Not Sweet (Nam Tan Mai Wan) -- Ratana Pestonji's last feature film, made in 1965, was envisioned by him as his most commercial film yet. Gobsmackingly colorful, it's about a star-crossed romance.

Sunday, March 1

• Dark Heaven -- Ratana Pestonji's second feature, made in 1958, is an adaptation of a stage drama about a young homeless woman falling in love with a trash collector (Chalee Intharawijit). He's then drafted to fight in a war, and the woman is taken in by a rich lady. He returns from the fighting, blinded by an explosion, leaving the young woman conflicted.

By the way, Country Hotel, Dark Heaven and Forever Yours have been available on DVD from the Thai Film Foundation for quite sometime now.

Update: And in celebration of the Pestonji centennial, the remaining two surviving features in his filmography -- Black Silk and Sugar Is Not Sweet -- are available on DVD from the Foundation. (Any other Firefox users having problems accessing that page?)

Also, the Dance and Theatre blog at The Nation has more on the festival's offerings.

(Cross-published at The Nation Weblog)

Thai film review roundup: Insee Thong, Khu Gam, Operation Black Panther

Thai films continue to captivate bloggers worldwide, and I wanted to spotlight a few of the recent reviews I've come across.

On Coffee Coffee and More Coffee, film critic Peter Nellhaus is digging Insee Thong (อินทรีทอง, Golden Eagle), the last filmed appearance by action star Mitr Chaibancha. Peter seeks to put things into perspective, stating "Insee Thong is a key film to understanding Thai cinema", and that for all its technical flaws, it is actually an entertaining film.

I would go as far to say that, except that it's in Thai, and roughly made by Hollywood standards, it has everything current audiences are looking for in a movie, and more.

Insee Thong is available on DVD with English subtitles, but the condition of the film is pretty poor. Still, it's a rare, subtitled example of 1960s Thai action cinema starring Mitr and his frequent leading lady Petchara Chaowarat.

Next, Lakorn Central has a look at Khu gam (คู่กรรม), an oft-adapted tale of star-crossed romance between a Japanese officer and a Thai woman set in Thailand during World War II. A novel by Thommayanti, Khu gam has been adapted around a half dozen or so times. There was a film in 1973 starring Nart Poowanai, Sayun, Ling Lee Ju, and Rachun, another in the 1980s starring Jintara Sukkapat and Warut Worrantum and a 1996 film, Sunset at Chaophraya, starring Thongchai "Bird" McIntyre and Apasiri Nitibhon. The '96 film was adapted from a popular TV series that also starred Bird. There's been a sequel, Khu gam 2, a 2004 soap opera with Sornram Theppitak and Benz Pornchita na Songkhla, a soap opera series of the sequel and most a stage musical with Japanese actor Seiki Oseki in the lead. From the comments on Lyn's blog, it looks like lakorn fans favor the 1980s film with Jintara and Warut.

Last, but certainly not least is Die, Danger, Die, Die, Kill!, which reviews Operation Black Panther (แหย่หนวดเสือ), a loopy 1977 spy spoof directed by and starring Sombak Metanee. In a bit that could be in an Austin Powers movie, there's an action sequence that involves a car with two front ends. I'll let Die, Danger's Todd explain:

Sombat's car ... looks to be made out of two Mini Cooper front ends welded together, complete with opposite facing steering wheels. This allows Sombat to drive the car from either end, something that is demonstrated to amusing effect in an early chase scene where he keeps hopping from one seat to the other to extricate himself from whatever apparent dead-end his pursuers have backed him into. (Yes, I know there's such a thing as reverse, but what's the fun in that?) A later chase in an underground parking garage sees Sombat and his female accomplice (played by Aranya Namwong) each taking control of one of the car's steering wheels and working in tandem to evade the bad guys who are baring down on them. Finally, a well placed burst of machinegun fire from one of the heavies separates the two halves of the car, leaving Sombat and Aranya to complete the chase by each driving their own truncated half-cars with the back ends dragging noisily against the pavement.

And that is far from all from Todd -- he's also reviewed Insee Thong and in doing so surveyed Mitr's entire Red Eagle series. He must have VCDs of old, unsubtitled Thai action films stacked up to the ceiling. For example, there's his ongoing "Films of Sompote Sands" series, which I intend to try and summarize at some point soon.

Meet Rong Khaomoonkadee

Rong Khaomoonkadee (รอง เค้ามูลคด) is featured in Where the Miracle Happens, portraying the stuttering, well-meaning village headman who is desperate to keep his school open. He's seen in the photo in a scene from the film, with moustachioed comic actor Somchai Sakdikul.

Rong is a popular voice-over artist, and back in the Thai film industry's 16mm era of the 1960s and '70s, when all films were dubbed, he was the suave voice of screen hero Sombat Metanee.

French Muay Thai boxing picture Chok Dee gets U.K. DVD release

Chok Dee: The Kickboxer is a 2005 French film that was shot in France and in Bangkok.

In a story loosely based on his book, boxer Dida Diafat stars as an ex-con who learned Thai boxing in a French prison, and upon his release, came to Thailand to enroll in a Muay Thai academy.

The DVD was released in the U.K. last month, and now DVD Times has a review. Here's an excerpt:

He has to start at the bottom, cleaning toilets before he can earn the respect of his teachers and peers, who are evidently suspicious of a foreigner in their midst. What do you reckon the chances are that he’ll gain that respect and go on to greater things? You can admire the smooth efficiency of the film’s as the storyline falls into place, but at the same time it’s predictable and consequently it holds no dramatic tension whatsoever – you know that despite the minor setbacks he suffers along the way, his determination and dedication, not to mention his vow to his poor mother, will see him through.

The Thai cast includes Florence Vanida Faivre from Siam Renaissance. She plays a love interest for the protagonist. And Sombat Metanee figures in there somewhere too. The director is Xavier Durringer.

The disc is a Region 0 release, with the original French-English-Thai soundtrack that offers English subs on everything but the English dialogue. Or there's an English dub track that dubbed everything but the Thai, so they offer subtitles for those bits.

The U.K. DVD release of Chok Dee follows a festival screening in May at the Tiger Far East Film Festival in London.

Aranya Namwong at the National Film Archive

Tomorrow (July 5), veteran leading lady Aranya Namwong will be the latest star to make her impressions in the wet concrete outside the Sri Sala cinema at the National Film Archive in Nakhon Pathom Province.

Festivities start at 2pm. After she sets her hands and footprints in the pavement, Aranya will give a talk and rare clips of her films will be shown. At 4pm with there will be a screening of Wiwa Pa Fan a 1971 film in which she starred with Sombat Metanee, her frequent leading man.

The runner-up in the 1964 Miss Thailand pagaent, Aranya starred in a staggering number of films in 1970s. I think the only one I've seen from her heyday was 1971's Tone. More recently, she starred in The Bodyguard and was featured in Suriyothai.

(Via Daily Xpress; photo by Pramote Puthaisong)

Photo essay: Ratana Pestonji - 100 Years

On May 22, 2008, to celebrate the 100th birthday anniversary of pioneering Thai filmmaker Ratana Pestonji (May 22, 1908-August 17, 1970), a special event was held at the National Film Archive in Salaya, Nakhon Pathom.



Ratana Pestonji's grandsons check out the wax figure of their grandfather. Their likeness to him is uncanny. Their mother is Ratana's daughter, Ratanavadi Ratanabhand.



Actors Suthep Wongkamheng and Chalee Intharawijit also check out the museum exhibit, which includes the Country Hotel set. Suthep played the lead role in Dark Heaven (Sawan Mued, 1958), and Chalee co-starred.



Actor Tom Wisawachart and Ratanavadi Ratanabhand (Ratana's daughter). They starred in Phrae Dum (Black Silk) in 1961.



The effervescent director and comic actor Dokdin Kanyamarn with Edel Pestonji.



Colorful actress Orissa na Ayutthaya was a child in Dear Dolly (Tukkata Jaa, 1951). Many children were auditioned for the role, but they started crying in the presence of the lights and camera. Orissa didn't, though. She's a natural.



The National Film Archive is seeking to put handprints, footprints and autographs of Thai filmmakers and actors in the concrete outside its small cinema, similar to Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. Actor Prompong Nopparit, a spokesman for the Ministry of Culture, was the first to make his impressions in this new initiative.



Action star Sombat Metanee showed up late, making an "entrance" during a talk by Ratana's family, friends and colleagues. After the talk, it started to rain, and under cover of umbrellas, Sombat planted his hands and feet in concrete outside the theatre, and then posed for a photo with Dome Sukwong, the director of the National Film Archive.



The marquee was lit up for the premiere of the documentary film, Signature: The Life and Work of RD Pestonji. The film was hastily put together, actually completed and subtitled at the last minute. Rough in spots, I would think not much more work would be needed to fine tune it and bring it up to the level of something that could be included on a special-edition DVD or featured in a festival screening.

It has clips from all his films, including extremely degraded footage from the tragically lost Santi Veena, and a surviving still from his first film, Tang, from 1937, which won a prize at film festival in Scotland. Ratana was handed a trophy cup for the film by director Alfred Hitchcock.

Among the most eye-popping footage is from Sugar Is Not Sweet, an extremely colorful romantic comedy that Ratana made with the intention of it being his most overtly commercial film.

There's also footage from Dear Dolly, which has no sound, and another film I'd never heard of, Diamond Finger, which features a stunning performance of khon dancing. Essentially, it brings khon to the level of filmed spectacle of a Busby Berkeley musical. It's amazing.

Most of the people who showed up for the celebration -- Ratana's two sons, Santa and Edel, and his daughter, Ratanavadi -- are interviewed, as are actor Suthep Wongkamheng, Orissa na Ayutthaya, Dark Heaven actress Seubneung Kanpai and many others. New Wave directors Wisit Sasanatieng and a very animated Pen-ek Ratanaruang are also interviewed about the influence of Ratana's films had on them.

Seeing the footage from Country Hotel, Dark Heaven, Black Silk and Sugar Is Not Sweet on the big screen, while sitting in the audience with people who were appearing on the screen was a magical, emotional experience that I will not forget.



Snapped the photo just a hair too late. Wisit Sasanatieng, right, poses for pictures in the museum with Santa Pestonji, second from left, and Ratanavadi Ratanabhand. Santa later added his hand and footprints and signature to the pavement outside.



The Adventure of Sudsakorn animator Payut Ngaokrachang has a late dinner and talks with a fan. He has an incredibly detailed illustrated book of his work.

Payut worked with Ratana after Ratana had stopped making films in the mid-1960s and was making commercials for a living. They collaborated on a hilarious animated commercial for a brand of patent medicine or whisky (not sure which) that was racy and politically incorrect by today's standards. Ratana actually made Payut a camera to use for the animation.

Eventually, Payut, 79, made his hand and feet impressions in the concrete outside the cinema.



Not many people posed with the standee of an iconic scene from the off-the-rails Country Hotel. But while waiting for Payut to make his way outside, Dome and another archive official good naturedly took their place behind the photo.



The Thailand Post set up a special table where they offered postcards with a special commemorative stamp for the Ratana Pestonji 100 Years celebration.

See also:

• Review: Forever Yours
• Pestonji centennial: A visit to the National Film Archive
  
• Ratana Pestonji: The father of contemporary Thai cinema
• Review: Country Hotel

(Photos via the Thai Film Journal photostream at Flickr)

Pestonji centennial: A visit to the National Film Archive

[Note: This is another in a series about Ratana Pestonji, in commemoration of the centennial of the pioneering Thai filmmaker's birth.]

A few weeks ago, I visited the National Film Archive in Salaya, Nakhon Pathom. The visit was primarily a meet-up with another Bangkok blogger, Rikker of Thai 101, who is a freqent commentator here. But it turned into something more.

The following is a story I wrote about the visit for the Daily Xpress. It was printed in today's paper, though the paper's website appears to be having some trouble, and I can't find the article online.

Like Thai cinema history itself, the museum dedicated to chronicling it is unfinished. But there are still a lot of amazing things to see. At the National Film Archive and Museum in Nakhon Pathom, Thailand’s cinematic history unspools just inside.


In all its nooks and crannies, this labyrinthine little museum is packed with props that bring forgotten films to life. There’s a steel bar that was wielded in 1963’s Singh vs Singh, the only time the era’s two top action heroes Mitr Chaibancha and Sombat Metanee met on screen.

A wax figure of Mitr as masked crime fighter Insee Daeng (Red Eagle) hangs from a ladder – a reference to the star’s death in 1970 when he was doing a helicopter stunt for his last film, Insee Thong (Golden Eagle.

There’s a house from the set of Nonzee Nimibutr’s Nang Nak, as well as the bone from the movie ghost’s forehead – not real bone from a “real” ghost. Still, it’s kind of spooky. Volunteer guide Chalida Uabumrungjit says the museum hopes someday to have a wax figure of Mae Nak’s ghost, stretching her arms from the house down to the ground.

Just like in the movie

The museum’s centrepiece is a recreation of the set from Country Hotel, a 1957 musical comedy directed by Ratana Pestonji, the Bangkok-born son of a family of Parsi-Indian merchants. He pushed for many innovations in Thai cinema during his filmmaking career from the 1950s to his death in 1970. The 100th birth anniversary of this pioneering godfather of Thai contemporary cinema falls this year, with the archive planning a celebration on his May 22 birthday.

Alongside a wax figure of Ratana and his prized Mitchell camera there is a bottle-bedecked bar, poised to host arm-wrestling contests like in the movie. Visitors are asked to sign the detailed guest register. “You can make things up,” Chalida says – though perhaps stating you are an opium trader like in the movie isn’t advisable.

The next chapter

Indie filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul has his own display.

“Apichatpong is one of the few directors who pays attention to his history,” says Chalida. In a glass case is the well-travelled 16mm camera he used to make his debut feature, Mysterious Object at Noon, as well as ephemera from his other films, such as Tropical Malady and Blissfully Yours.

The censored version of Apichatpong’s latest film, Syndromes and a Century, is in the building next door, but it isn’t in the archive’s cold storage – the vault is full and another is needed to house the next chapter in the history of Thai cinema.

Pestonji Day

• Ratana Pestonji’s 100th birth anniversary will be celebrated from 4pm on May 22 with a museum tour, handprinting of film stars, meeting his family, announcing other centennial events for the year and the screening of a documentary, “Signature: The Life and Work of RD Pestonji”.
• The National Film Archive and Museum is off Salaya-Nakhon Chaisri Road in Nakhon Pathom.
• Air-con bus 515 goes past the venue. Get off at Changsibmoo – the Department of Fine Arts compound. It’s about a one-hour ride from Victory Monument and costs Bt22.
• The museum is in a bright yellow building. It is modelled after the old Sri Krung studio, one of the first film production companies in Thailand.
• The museum is open on Saturday afternoons, but not always. To arrange a tour, call (02) 482 2013-5 or e-mail nfat [at] ji-net [dot] com.

Space limitations in the paper made the article shorter than I would have liked. There is so much to see in the museum. Just inside is a closet with a green door. When you open it, it reveals a number on the door, a number 6 that flips upside down - a reference to Pen-ek Ratanaruang's second film, Ruang Talok 69 or 6ixtynin9. The museum is worth another trip back. Also worth mentioning is that the museum is just one building in the compound. Behind it is a small cinema, with seating for around 120 people, where they sometimes organize special screenings.

After the tour, Rikker and I had coffee with the Thai Film Foundation's Chalida, and Khun Dome Sukwong, the director of the National Film Archive came over to join us. We had an enjoyable talk, and I'd like to thank all three of them for indulging me by speaking English -- they would have been more comfortable chatting in Thai!

Wizard-like, the bearded, long-haired Dome was a bit sweaty, having been out out in the sun on the grounds of the National Film Archive, preparing for the Pestonji Day celebrations.

Aside from preparing for an important event to honor one of the greatest directors in Thai cinema history, Dome was pre-occupied with some bureaucratic hassles. He's been trying to get the Archive raised to the level of a public organization, which would make it more independent and have to jump through fewer hoops in order to get funding. As it is now, he has to explain his needs -- a special freezer vault, 24/7 power supply, more staff and equipment to make the Archive effective -- to many levels of bureaucrats. All it takes is one official at one of the many levels to say "no", just because they don't understand, but don't want to lose face by admitting they don't understand. It's hard to make the government higher-ups see the importance of it -- building a freezer for film isn't as compelling to them as say, erecting a statue, building a new bridge or railway line. Besides, film is just entertainment anyway, so who cares? Right?

Ironically, for all the blows the post-Thaksin military government and its National Legislative Assembly dealt filmmakers with the new film act and forthcoming ratings system, it had forwarded a measure to make the National Film Archive a public organization to the Palace. But when the government of Samak Sundaravej was elected, all those measures awaiting Palace approval were sent back. Seems the new government is having a look at the public organization law. Perhaps if some filmmakers or film-friendly folks with political influence could appeal directly to the prime minister, the way might be smoothed for the National Film Archive?

Having now visited the National Film Archive and seen the work they are doing, I'm absolutely convinced it is important. After all, if it hadn't been for them, I wouldn't have been able to see the films of Ratana Pestonji, or have gained a greater understanding of Thai cinema history and its place in Thai culture.

See also:

• Ratana Pestonji: The father of contemporary Thai cinema
• Review: Country Hotel

(Photos from the Thai Film Journal Flickrstream)

Links roundup: Thai action cinema

Here are a few recent items concerning Tony Jaa, the Chocolate DVD release in Thailand, a Tom Yum Goong spinoff and some old Thai action DVDs and VCDs.

• Tony Jaa is on the set of Naresuan III, playing a slave boy in chains named Kham. Photos from Pantip.com show him working with director MC Chatrichalerm Yukol. It is entirely possible this film will be released on December 5, His Majesty the King's birthday. For Tony, this small role in Naresuan III is in addition to work on his own Ong-Bak 2, which he is directing and is also due out later this year. (Via TonyJaaBlog.fr)
• The Thai DVD release of Chocolate is set for this week. As usual for Thai-film DVDs, it won't have English subtitles, but Chocolate is apparently very much sought after, and the Thai DVD release will be the first chance for eager action fans who can't wait for a possible English-subtitled release to get their fix of Jeeja. Twitch is hinting at possible problems with The Weinstein Company's U.S. distribution deal, but doesn't really give any details about what those problems might be. Meanwhile, Chocolate has opened in Hong Kong cinemas, so perhaps there will be another venue for a subtitled DVD in the coming months. The Thai DVD of Chocolate is available for pre-order from HK Flix.
• Nathan Jones, the towering former WWE wrestler who sparred with Tony Jaa in Tom Yum Goong has been filming a kid-friendly sort of food-themed spin-off of Tom Yum Goong called Somtam, co-starring Narawan Techaratanaprasert, the child-actress daughter of Sahamongkol Film International boss Somsak "Sia Jiang". Prachya Pinkaew is producing, with stunt work by Panna Rittikrai. From the poster, it appears the spicy papaya salad fed to him by the little Thai girls turns the hulking Jones into a red-faced madman. Popcorn Mag has photos from a press conference, with Nathan taking a turn at the mortar and pestle to chop up some spicy salad. (Via Deknang)
• Jong-arng Payong, a 1971 action flick starring Sombat Metanee, Suthisa Pattanuch and Lee Ling Ling is reviewed over at Die, Danger, Die, Die, Kill! Says reviewer Todd: "When the action comes, it's gratifyingly feverish and insane ... I enjoyed the scenes where people's arms kept flapping around after they'd been lopped off." The VCD released by Triple X is available through eThaiCD.
• Finally, a bit of a belated shout-out to Rikker, who has been an active and helpful commentator here. Over on his Thai 101 blog, he's compiled a list of old Thai movies on DVD, covering the action-packed releases by Triple X, such as Chumpae with Sombat Metanee, Tone, Insee Thong, Ruen Pae, Piak Poster's Adulterer and Narok Tarutao, which all have English subtitles, plus a load of other fun films that don't have subs, such as Operation Bangkok, Jao Insee (another in the Red Eagle series with Mitr Chaibancha), and Monrak Lukthung, the classic, beloved 1970 musical romance that stars Mitr and Petchara Chaowarat.

Erap plans his comeback - in film

Ousted by the "People Power" revolution, held under house arrest on corruption charges and and then pardoned last year, former Philippines president Joseph "Erap" Estrada says he is going to make his comeback as an actor, according to news reports.

Like Ronald Reagan, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Thailand's Sombat Metanee and other politicians, Estrada got his start in film, starring in more than 100 B-movies and action films from the 1950s to the 1980s.

From Wikipedia:

He often played heroes of the downtrodden classes, which gained him the admiration of a lot of the nation's many unschooled and impoverished citizens. This later proved advantageous to his political career.

He says his comeback will be "in the movies only". Agence France-Presse has more:

I was in jail for six years, I don't have money anymore," the former movie action star president and self-confessed womaniser said.

"People are already suffering and crying, we don't need to make them cry some more in a dramatic movie," he said, explaining his choice of a comedy for his comeback.

For more on old-timey Filipino cinema, check out Video 48 and FPJ (solely devoted to another Filipino actor-turned-politician, Fernando Poe, Jr.)

Star-studded Thai election

Thai action star of the 1970s Sombat Metanee is following the paths of many from the ranks of film to politics. I'm thinking he's aiming to be more in mold of Ronald Reagan or Fred Thompson, and not so much Joseph "Erap" Estrada, and probably not even close to Fred "Gopher" Grandy or Ben "Cooter" Jones.

Sombat was serving in the Senate before last year's coup. He then became a member of the military-appointed National Legislative Assembly (the body that's probably going to approve the harsh new film law).

The Tears of the Black Tiger villain is running for Parliament in the December 23 election as a member of the Pracharaj, or Royal People Party, a minor party that could nonetheless be influential in determining who leads a coalition government.

Another 70s action star, Krung Sriwalai is also running, as a People Power Party candidate. This is the party that is the idealogical replacement for ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's populist Thai Rak Thai party, which has been banned.

Former boxer Khaosai Galaxy, or Sura Saenkham, recently seen in Fighting Beat, is running under the Puea Pandin Party banner. Another Puea Pandin candidate is Kowit Watanakul, who was in last year's Krasue Valentine.

Singer Surachai Sombatcharoen, who was in Bodyguard 2, is a candidate for Matchima Thipataya.

More information:

• Banking on glamor to win seats
• Election coverage at 2Bangkok.com
• Sombat Metanee photoset

(Photo from 2bangkok.com)

Firecracker 16 on the Bangkok fest

Firecracker 16 is up. Here's a look at what I'm looking at:

• Robert Williamson offers his Top 5 from the Bangkok International Film Festival, covering Sombat Metanee's the Holy Hoodlum (sorry I missed it!), Zhang Yuan's boarding school tale Little Red Flowers (where it was lost in the muddle), the sweet and interesting Joni's Promise, from Indonesia (this was one I had my eye out for before the festival, but missed it anyway), David Brisbin's look at Cambodia, Nice Hat! Five Enigmas in the Life in Cambodia and Gie, Rira Riza's biopic of Indonesia activist, Soe Hok Gie.
• Nick North reviews Danny Pang's Ab-normal Beauty.
• Gojira!

(Cross-published at Rotten Tomatoes)