What’s
on during the next month! Double Issue!
Chiang
Mai movies beginning Thursday, September 18
by
Thomas Ohlson
Best
bets: WALL•E. Mamma Mia!
To
avoid like the plague: Death Race.
Of
special note: Three Colors: White and Three Colors: Red
on Fridays September 19 and 26 at Alliance Française.
Trois Couleurs / Three
Colors by Krzysztof
Kieslowski – This is a major film event in Chiang Mai, and
should merit your consideration. The three films that make up this
trilogy are being shown on three successive Fridays at the Alliance
Française this month (on the 12th, 19th, and 26th), and three
successive Saturdays at Film Space in December.
These are quite amazing
films, and you owe it to yourself to begin your acquaintance with
them, if you haven’t already. You will want to return to them
again and again to savor their richness, as these films do not give
up their secrets and their pleasures easily. More details can be
found under the Alliance Française section below.
Here are my comments for movies playing at Major Cineplex at Airport Plaza
and at Vista at Kadsuankaew for the month beginning Thursday,
September 18, 2008. There
is also information on film programs at the Alliance Française
and CMU’s Film Space for the next three weeks. This is Issue
Number 47 & 48 of Volume 3 of these listings.
Airport
Plaza says they have added a version of Boonchu 9 which is
English dubbed with Thai subtitles, as well as the one in Thai with
English subtitles. If so, it might be worth your while to check it
out. It’s a pleasant outing.
I
will be away from Chiang Mai to attend the Bangkok International Film
Festival September 23 to 30, and this newsletter will be in hiatus
during that time. This issue is a double issue, covering events for
two weeks (where possible; not possilbe, of course, for movie times).
The same sort of thing may well happen during the World Film Festival
in Bangkok October 24 to November 2. For this reason and others, I am
expanding for the time being the schedule of films coming to Chiang
Mai in the coming weeks.
Next
issue of this newssheet in two weeks!
Now
playing in Chiang Mai * = new this week
*
Cyborg She:
Japan Romance/Sci-Fi –
120 mins – MovieSeer: 
One
day, a beautiful cyborg girl appears in front of a dull university
student. Even though the cyborg starts to like him, she can't truly
feel emotions, so the boy has no choice but to say goodbye to her
inhuman power and 'violence'. Missing her, he continues his lonely
existence. Some time thereafter, a disastrous earthquake hits Tokyo,
and the cyborg girl saves his life. In that moment, she starts to
have feelings like a real human being. Thai dubbed only; no
English subtitles.
Reviewers
say Kwak Jae-Young's Cyborg She is a touching time-spanning
sci-fi romance/comedy that borrows a lot from the Terminator
and Back To The Future movies. The results are mixed, they
say, but Kwak's unique storytelling and the impressive visual effects
are wonderfully brilliant.
Viewer
at IMDb: “What if James Cameron's Terminator was
a love story? Sounds ludicrous but that's exactly what Kwak
Jae-Young's Cyborg She is - a love story between a high-tech
cyborg from the future (Ayase Haruka) and her inventor boyfriend
Kitamura Jiro (Koide Keisuke).
In
the year 2070, a kindly, frail, and physically handicapped Jiro built
a female cyborg as a personal aide to assist him in his daily life.
Equipped with a time travel device, Jiro sends the cyborg back to
2007 in an attempt to prevent the incident that crippled him (a
mentally unstable office worker shot him in a restaurant shootout).
Fulfilling her duty, the cyborg meets up with the younger Jiro and
successfully saves him from the gunman.
As
Jiro and the Cyborg slowly start to form a relationship, the Cyborg
becomes a bit of a celebrity as she uses her high tech powers to
perform a number of heroic deeds (she saves a girl from being hit by
a car, she stops a hostage taker from killing one of his victims,
saves people from a fire) as well as gets into a bit of innocent
mischief (she takes clothes without paying, does the "robot"
in a disco). However, Jiro and the Cyborg's happy life come to an
abrupt end as a massive earthquake hits Tokyo, effectively destroying
the capital. While the Cyborg does her best to save Jiro, she
unfortunately suffers serious damage during the quake and now Jiro
must try and save her.
Cyborg
She is directed by Korean director Kwak Jae-Young who many may
recognize from his popular 2001 hit My Sassy Girl. Kwak's
inventive humor and storytelling is again much in evidence here and
he delivers a satisfying and entertaining movie. While some of the
comedy may border on the silly, I found myself laughing at the visual
gags. The film borrows liberally from other sci-fi films, notably
Terminator and A.I., but crafts an interesting
time-jumping, century-spanning love story that is quite effective and
endearing.
The
VFX/SFX work was surprisingly top notch, especially during the
climactic destruction of Tokyo as well as during some of the Cyborg's
robotic effects. Some of the story's loopy continuity and Back To
The Future-styled time travel concepts are a bit hard to follow
but Kwak does make it work in the end, and pulls some inventive story
twists.
Ayase
Haruka is alluring and cute in her role as the future Cyborg,
creating a likeable but somewhat stiff heroine. Koide Keisuke is also
likeable as Jiro, in an otaku/anime geek sort of way. Their love
story begins in typical awkward fashion but soon develops into a
sweet romance thanks to their nice and controlled performances.
Kiritani Kenta steals many scenes as Jiro's goofy college friend. His
scene where he gets the Cyborg drunk is especially fun to watch.
*
Baan Phee (Phop/Pob) 2008 / บ้านผีปอบ
2008:
Thai Horror/Comedy –
90 mins – A
t
least the 11th installment of this popular ghost/ horror/ comedy
series. Porp/Pob/Phop seems to be a traditional form of ghost in
Thailand, where there is of course a rich vein of supernatural
folklore and ghost stories, though she is normally depicted as an old
hag. There was apparently a glut of really bad Pop movies in the
1990s - there have been at least ten films in the Baan Phee
(Whatever) series of horror anthologies - so it developed that the
word came to mean generic Z-grade film among Thai film fans.
MovieSeer:
“The story begins in a long lost village. There, a haunting
event is bound to happen. Klein is a voodoo doctor, and his regular
duty is to drive off pain and sickness of the villagers, together
with his wife, E-Yip and Cha-bar as helpers. Klein’s way of
living is interrupted when a group of volunteer doctors led by doctor
Tui comes to town. Due to their professional treatment, these doctors
gain the villagers trust, and the townspeople lose faith in Klein,
which makes him uncomfortable enough that he turns to black magic to
bring his popularity back. Thus, the evil spirit or “Phee Phop”
is revived, with results similar to those in the other films in the
Phee Phop series.” In Thai only; no English subtitles.
You
Don't Mess with the Zohan:
US Action/Comedy –
113 mins – Starring Adam Sandler, John Turturro, Emmanuelle
Chriqui, Nick Swardson, and Rob Schneider. Zohan is an Israeli
commando who fakes his own death in order to pursue his dream:
becoming a hairstylist in New York. It’s an Adam Sandler
comedy, and if you like his kind of low and crass
comedy, you should like this one well enough. Here he plays the
Israeli/Palestinian conflict for laughs. I laughed. A lot. And
cringed. A lot.
James
Berardinelli, Reel Views: Even
die-hard Sandler lovers will likely acknowledge that their hero isn't
firing on all cylinders here. We go to these movies to laugh at dumb,
crude things and, while You Don't Mess with the Zohan offers
plenty of crass, stupid material, not a lot of it is funny, even on a
base level. For every successful gag, there are perhaps ten that
don't work or that try so hard that they lose their appeal. As a
ten-minute skit on “Saturday Night Live,” You Don't
Mess with the Zohan might have worked. As a two-hour movie, it
lacks the comedic energy to rise above a middling crowd of
forgettable summer movies.
Has
been banned by censors in Egypt, Lebanon, and the U.A.E., and "is
99% likely that the film will be banned in all Arab countries.”
But a huge hit in Israel ("Israelis like to laugh at
themselves," says the Israeli distributor). Mixed or average
reviews: 54/53 out of 100.
Burn
/ คนไฟลุก:
Thai Thriller – 90
mins – All you ever wanted to know about “SHC” –
Spontaneous Human Combustion. As you certainly know, that’s the
familiar medical condition wherein a living human being suddenly
bursts into flames. Director Peter Manus comes up with a pretty
far-fetched explanation for this pretty far-fetched human malady.
Slow and not really too scary or gory; the film is more of a drama,
and you will be quite surprised at who the villain turns out to be.
Some interesting effects and moods.
MovieSeer:
Burn circles around the
mystery of Spontaneous human combustion (SHC), the belief that the
human body sometimes burns without an external source of ignition.
The story follows the
investigation of a female victim’s mysterious death caused by
SHC. Mona, the daughter of the victim, is an ambitious lawyer who
accidentally involves in the crime. She regrets the unfinished
reconciliation between her and her mother. The incident brings her to
Ploy, a nurse whose mother passed from SHC as well. Both girls seek
to find the truth behind their mother’s death. Kwan, a diehard
journalist, follows her instinct to unveil the evil force behind the
case.
Can
this be suicide, murder, accident, or a secretly religious sacrifice?
The mystery behind “deadly fire” needs to be revealed
before fire erupts.
Bangkok
Dangerous:
US Action/Drama –
100 mins – Directing twins Danny and Oxide Pang return to
remake their popular 1999 thriller about a ruthless hitman (this time
Nicolas Cage) who travels to Bangkok in order to carry out four
crucial (for him) murders. During the course of his jobs, the
triggerman falls in love with a pretty local girl (Hong Kong actress
and pop singer Charlie Yeung [or Young] in a quite affecting
performance) while also forming a friendly bond with his young errand
boy (nicely played by Thai actor Shahkrit Yamnarm, seen at right).
A
fairly decent, if cliché ridden and predictable, action flick,
shot in some interesting locations in Bangkok. You should be happy
with it if you like a somewhat low-powered action shoot-’em up
action picture. And/or are a fan of Nicolas Cage.
Makers
of the movie are saying that they were shooting the film in Bangkok
during the 19th of September coup d'état two years ago.
Filming stopped, but only for six hours. They are fond of claiming
that they fired the only shots in the coup.
Rated
R in the US for violence, language, and some sexuality.
Tevada
Tokmun / Te-wa-da / เทวดาตกมันส์:
Thai Comedy – 90
mins – Some Academy Fantasia 4 winners from the hit TV reality
show in a comedy about the misadventures of an angel and a monk.
Mamma
Mia!:
US/UK/Germany
Comedy/ Musical/ Romance – 108 mins – Starring Meryl
Streep, Pierce Brosnan, and Colin Firth. D
onna,
an independent, single mother who owns a small hotel on an idyllic
Greek island, is about to let go of Sophie, the spirited daughter
she's raised alone. On a quest to find the identity of her father to
walk her down the aisle, Sophie invites to the wedding three men from
Donna's past, all possibly her father. Popular ABBA music that I find
horrifyingly infectious and which I can’t get rid of.
Extraordinarily vivacious and energetic musical that is bound and
determined to make you sing and dance and feel good about marriage
and things like that. Mixed or average reviews: 51/53 out of
100.
Boonchu
9 / Boon-Choo / บุญชู
9:
Thai Comedy – 90
mins – A continuation of this popular Thai comedy series. The
son of the original Boonchu is a happy monk who is defrocked by his
mother and sent to university in Bangkok. There he meets up with new
“friends” – two homeless kids – who, as
friends will do, drug him and mug him. But it all turns out all right
eventually because it is foremost a feel-good movie for Thais from
start to finish. It’s the gentlest of comedies/family dramas,
with the sweetest of characters. The Thais I saw it with were
thrilled with it every moment, and laughed and worried and got upset
over the slightest of the plot complications. They had a thoroughly
good time, but I think you need Thai sensibilities to enjoy it. Has
some appealing young stars and well-established older comedians.
Airport Plaza claims they have a version which is English dubbed
with Thai subtitles, as well as one in Thai with English subtitles.
WALL•E:
US
Animation/ Comedy/ Family/ Romance/ Sci-Fi – 98 mins –
It’s a work of genius from the first frame to the last! Robot
love on a dead Earth, and the cutest love story in years. There's
virtually no dialogue for the first 40 minutes; you’ll be
enthralled. And the brilliant animation continues throughout the
closing credits. Reviews: Universal acclaim: 93/85 out of 100.
There’s a terrific Pixar cartoon before the feature.
The
Coffin / Longtorai / Long Dtor Dtai / Lhong Tor Tai / โลงต่อตาย:
Thai
Horro
r
– 90 mins – Ananda Everingham as a claustrophobic
architect who participates in coffin rituals to gain a new lease on
life. It has much going for it, with a stellar cast and a fine
director, but I was mightily confused. It didn’t seem to be the
movie that director Ekachai Uekrongtham set out to make. The script
won a prestigious prize from the Rotterdam Festival, but the movie
hadn’t been made yet, and to get the necessary funding he had
to change it into a horror flick, making compromises along the way.
The beautifully shot opening sequence of the burial ritual at the
temple gives an idea of what the film could have been. And although
this is the director’s first English language film, it is shown
in Thailand only in a Thai-dubbed version, with English subtitles
which don’t jibe with the movement of the lips. The result for
me is simply awkward.
Made
of Honor: US
Comedy – 101 mins – A piece of fluff about, what else,
love problems, with the appealing stars Patrick Dempsey and Michelle
Monaghan. Generally negative reviews: 37/39 out of 100.
Death
Race:
US Action/Thriller –
90 mins – The most twisted spectator sport on earth as violent
criminals vie for freedom by winning a race driving monster cars
outfitted with machine guns, flamethrowers, and grenade launchers.
The previews are the most repulsive imaginable, and have convinced me
I don’t wish to see it. The consensus: Little more than an
empty action romp – mindless, violent, and lightning-paced.
Rated R in the US for strong violence (mauling, maiming, bruising,
beating, impalement, immolation, detonation, decapitation) and
language. Mixed or average reviews: 42/48 out of 100.
Scheduled
for Chiang Mai cineplexes on Thursday, September 25
Eagle
Eye: US
Action/Mystery/Thriller – With Shia LaBeouf and Billy Bob
Thornton. The race-against-time thriller Eagle Eye reunites
actor Shia LaBeouf, director D.J. Caruso and executive producer
Steven Spielberg for the first time since their sleeper hit
Disturbia.
In
Eagle Eye, Jerry Shaw (LaBeouf) and Rachel Holloman (Michelle
Monaghan) are two strangers thrown together by a mysterious phone
call from a woman they have never met. Threatening their lives and
their family, she pushes Jerry and Rachel into a series of
increasingly dangerous situations using the technology of everyday
life to track and control their every move. As the situation
escalates, these two ordinary people become the country's most wanted
fugitives, who must now work together to discover what is really
happening. Fighting for their lives, they become pawns of a faceless
enemy who seems to have limitless power to manipulate everything they
do.
Dive!:
Japan
Drama – 115 mins – 
Director
Kumazawa Naoto continues his successful streak of youth films with
the teen sports flick Dive! Based on Mori Eto's best-selling
novel, Dive! follows the diving dreams of three teenagers,
played by Ikematsu Sosuke (left), Mizobata Junpei (right), and
Hayashi Kento (center), who won Best Newcomer at the 31st Japan
Academy Awards. The three young stars underwent diving training for
three months in order to convincingly portray their characters
onscreen. Seto Asako co-stars as the boys' coach.
Teen
diver Sakai (Hayashi Kento) first joined the MDC diving club because
he was impressed by the diving skills of Fuji (Ikematsu Sosuke) whose
parents are both Olympic divers. Both Sakai and Fuji's diving dreams
are on the rocks though when the club falls onto hard financial
times. New coach Asaki (Seto Asako) tells them there's only one way
to save the team from disbanding: they must produce an Olympic
athlete. But clashes between the new coach and the team only throw
the club into further disarray, especially when Asaki recruits a new
diver (Mizobata Junpei) to the club.
Three
young men try to turn their dreams of Olympic gold into a reality in
this sports drama from Japan. The Mizuki Diving Club has enjoyed a
reputation for transforming talented young divers into world-class
champions, but in recent years the club has had a run of bad luck,
and with few winning divers emerging from their ranks, sponsorship is
dwindling and unless things change the MDC could go out of business.
Faced with this grim possibility, the head coach (Ken Mitsuishi)
swallows his pride and brings in Coach Asaki (Asaka Seto), a lovely
but determined instructor who intends to restore the MDC to its
former glory. Asaki puts her focus on three young divers she's
convinced have the greatest potential -- Yoichi (Sosuke Ikematsu),
the head coach's son, who despite his talent had has problems living
up to his father's expectations; Shibuki (Junpei Mizobata), a loner
given to sharp mood swings; and Tomoki (Kento Hayashi), who Asaki
feels has the potential for greatness despite his
less-than-impressive record. With qualifying events for the Olympics
coming up soon, Coach Asaki pushes herself and her students to the
limit, preparing Yoichi, Shibuki and Tomoki for the all-important
qualifying meets, but can the boys handle the pressure that comes
with the most prestigious event in sports? Dive!! is based on a novel
by Eto Mori, which was later adapted by the author into a popular
manga series.
~
Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Scheduled
for Chiang Mai cineplexes on Thursday, October 2
Star
Wars: The Clone Wars:
US Animation/Sci-Fi –
90 mins – Produced by Lucasfilm Animation, "Star Wars: The
Clone Wars" takes audiences on a new "Star Wars"
adventure, combining legendary storytelling with eye-popping
animation.
On
the front lines of an intergalactic struggle between good and evil,
we join our favorite characters, such as Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan
Kenobi, and Padmé Amidala, along with brand-new heroes like
Anakin's padawan learner, Ahsoka. Sinister villains – led by
Palpatine, Count Dooku, and General Grievous – are poised to
rule the galaxy. Stakes are high, and the fate of the "Star
Wars" universe rests in the hands of the daring Jedi Knights.
Some
voices provided by Samuel L. Jackson and Christopher Lee.
Disaster
Movie:
US Comedy – Follows the comic misadventures of a group of
ridiculously attractive twenty-somethings during one fateful night as
they try to make their way to safety while every known natural
disaster and catastrophic event – asteroids, twisters,
earthquakes, the works – hits the city and their path as they
try to solve a series of mysteries to end the rampant destruction.
Most reviewers do not hold out much hope for this movie.
Luang
Pee Teng II / หลวงพี่เท่ง
2
รุ่นฮาร่ำรวย:
Thai
Comedy – Monks meet misadventures, make merit.
Scheduled
for Chiang Mai cineplexes on Thursday, October 9
E-Tim
Tai Nae / อีติ๋มตายแน่:
Thai Action/Comedy – Director Yuthlert Sippapak’s new
film is written by and stars comedian Udom Taepanich (known by his
nickname “Note”). Note plays a boxer, Ei-Ting, performing
in a boxing show in Pattaya. He meets a Japanese tourist named Itemi
(Asuka Yanagi) or “E-Tim” and falls head over heels for
her. At the end, Ei-Ting has to prove his love for E-Tim and to prove
he is worthy of her attentions.
Scheduled
for Chiang Mai cineplexes on Thursday, October 16
Max
Payne:
US Action/Thriller – 125 mins – Starring Mark Wahlberg.
Based on a popular interactive video game, this is the story of a
maverick cop determined to track down those responsible for the
brutal murder of his family and partner. Hell-bent on revenge, his
obsessive investigation takes him on a nightmare journey into a dark
underworld. “As the mystery deepens, Max (Wahlberg) is forced
to battle enemies beyond the natural world and face an unthinkable
betrayal,” or so says the studio.
Scheduled
for Chiang Mai cineplexes on Thursday, October 23
Beverly
Hills Chihuahua:
US Comedy – With the voices of Drew Barrymore and Salma Hayek.
In this Disney comedy, a pampered Beverly Hills Chihuahua named Chloe
(voice of Drew Barrymore) finds herself accidentally lost in the mean
streets of Mexico without a day spa or Rodeo Drive boutique anywhere
in sight. Now alone for the first time in her spoiled life, she must
rely on some unexpected new friends – including a
street-hardened German Shepherd named Delgado (voice of Andy Garcia)
and an amorous pup named Papi (voice of George Lopez) – to lend
her a paw and help her to find her inner strength on their incredible
journey back home.
T
ropic
Thunder:
US Comedy/War – 107 mins – I have seen this, and it is
absolutely outrageous, even more outlandish than Zohan. Robert
Downey, Jr. is on a roll recently, and this is another truly amazing
performance from this acting genius. Here he plays a very method
actor who, when given the role of a black in a movie, had his skin
pigmentation blackened surgically so as to better play the part.
Unbelievable! – and if you’re not thoroughly put off by
the idea, you might just have the best laughs you’ve had in
years. I heartily recommend the film, but only for those not easily
shocked.
Also
starring Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Matthew McConaughey, and Tom
Cruise. It’s an action comedy about a group of self-absorbed
actors who set out to make the biggest war film ever. After
ballooning costs (and the out of control egos of the pampered cast)
threaten to shut down the movie, the frustrated director refuses to
stop shooting, leading his cast deep into the jungles of Southeast
Asia where they inadvertently encounter real bad guys. Directed by
Ben Stiller.
Rated
R in the US for pervasive language including sexual references,
violent content, and drug material. Generally favorable reviews:
71/72 out of 100.
-
Robert Downey, Jr.'s performance is nearly on par with what Heath
Ledger did as the Joker... -- Cinema Blend
Tropic
Thunder Co-Star Praises Robert Downey, Jr.
Tropic
Thunder actor Brandon T. Jackson knows that co-star Robert Downey Jr.
might receive some criticism from his unusual role in the comedy. But
Jackson has a message to those that have a problem with the caucasian
Downey painting his face black for most of the movie.
"To
be honest, he played a black dude better than anybody I've seen!"
Jackson told People Magazine about Downey's performance in the Ben
Stiller-directed film.
Jackson
did admit to having initial hesitations about Downey's part. In the
movie, Downey portrays Kirk Lazarus, an Academy Award-winning actor
that's cast in the most expensive Vietnam war film ever.
However,
Lazarus's character, Sgt. Osiris, was originally written as an
African-American. So Lazarus dyes his skin to play the role.
"When
I first read the script, I was like: What? Black face? But when I saw
him [act] he, like, became a black man," Jackson said. ""It
was weird on the set because he would keep going with the character.
He's a method actor."
http://www.reelmovienews.com/tags/tropic-thunder/
As
the Downey character says at one point, “Man, I don't drop
character 'till I done the DVD commentary.”
