Film Space schedule

At Film Space on Saturdays at 7 pm

 

January is “The Month of Coincidence” at Film Space. February, “The Month of Hard-pressed Women.”

 

Film Space is to the right and in the back of the CMU Art Museum, in the Media Arts and Design building across from the ballet school. Showings are in a classroom on the second floor or on the roof, weather permitting. A contribution is requested in the donation box at the entrance – you should leave 20 baht. Well worth supporting.

 

At Film Space Saturday, January 30:  See How They Run / Summer Things / Embrassez qui vous voudrez (2002) by Michel Blanc – 103 mins – France/ UK/ Italy, Comedy/ Drama/ Romance. Generally favorable reviews: 74 out of 100.

 

Empire: A riche bitch queens it over her less fortunate friends, while unaware that husband Bertrand is sleeping with his transsexual secretary.

 

Reeling Reviews: Writer/director Michel Blanc has whipped up a typically French romantic comedy which is an engaging romp despite its cast of thoroughly unlikable characters. Blanc paces his film so quickly that before one has fully absorbed the ramifications of one character's despicable action, the action has moved on to another bit of bad behavior. See How They Run is deliciously amusing on its surface, yet offers insights into the human condition as an after taste.

 

Blanc begins his film with a dinner party and ends with a garden party, both hosted by the wealthy Lanniers. Initial impressions of those around the dinner table are tweaked as the script drops in unknown details later on which give us a fresh slant on the characters - Elizabeth's good friend Julie is really her husband's ex-mistress, Jérôme is broke but trying to appease his wife to fill in the void left by the death of a child, Elizabeth may be subconsciously enabling Bertrand to spend time with a male lover to maintain her marital status quo. Blanc also slips sly little jokes throughout his tale. English actress Rampling complains that Touquet is being 'overrun by the English.' Lulu's complaint that mints 'take her throat out' is mistaken for the effect of a certain sexual act when overheard by her husband. Funniest is the affect of a broken typewriter key on a suicide note.

 

Rotten Tomatoes: Michel Blanc's adaptation of Joseph Connolly's novel Summer Things/Vacances Anglaises romps through scene after scene of riotous romantic upheaval and treachery. The story follows two eccentric families on vacation together in Touquet, France. One family, however, is privately bankrupt and can only afford a trailer on the outskirts of town. Casual infidelity and small deceits are the norm, as almost each character, young and old, becomes involved in a summer tryst.

 

February is “The Month of Hard-pressed Women” at Film Space

 

At Film Space Saturday, February 6:  Marie Antoinette (2006) by Sofia Coppola – 123 mins – US/ France/ Japan, Biography/ Drama/ History. Starring Kirsten Dunst, Jason Schwartzman, Judy Davis, Rip Torn, Rose Byrne, Asia Argento, Molly Shannon, Shirley Henderson, Danny Huston, and Steve Coogan. Generally favorable reviews: 65/61 out of 100.

 

Rotten Tomatoes: Lavish imagery and a daring soundtrack set this film apart from most period dramas; in fact, style completely takes precedence over plot and character development in Coppola's vision of the doomed queen.

 

Philadelphia Inquirer Steven Rea: A gorgeous confection, packed with gargantuan gowns and pornographic displays of pastrystuffs, Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette is also a sharp, smart look at the isolation, ennui, and supercilious affairs of the rich, famous and famously pampered.  

 

 

At Film Space Saturday, February 13: Strawberry Shortcakes (2006) by Yazaki Hitoshi – 127 mins – Japan, Drama.

 

New York Asian Film Festival 2008: Strawberry Shortcakes tells the story of the intersecting lives of four different women in Tokyo: an office worker, a prostitute, an artist, and a receptionist for an escort service. Each of the women is miserable and unfulfilled to varying degrees. The office worker has a boyfriend who won’t commit to her, and is stuck with an unfulfilling job with coworkers who despise her. The prostitute engages in dangerous, unprotected sex with her clients and pines after a college buddy who spurns her affections. The artist suffers from bulimia, and the receptionist is not only deeply lonely, but also is trying to avoid the advances of her skeezy, married boss.

 

As the plot description suggests, Strawberry Shortcakes is a troubling film. All of the women in the film are rather weak-willed. Most, if not all, of them believe that they will never be happy or fulfilled until they are married. On the other hand, the men in the film are portrayed as uncaring, lecherous, two-timing sleazeballs. Is the film critiquing how members of both sexes destroy their lives by falling into stereotypical patterns of behavior? Or is the film merely reinforcing those stereotypes? The answer is not clear, given that the story is presented in a naturalistic style without an explicit point of view.

 

Although the film’s politics may be questionable, the film’s aesthetics are unimpeachable. Although the film is shot in a vérité fashion, with long takes and minimal non-diegetic music, its imagery is far from rough-hewn. Most of the film’s shots are remarkably beautiful; the filmmakers have truly managed to find poetry in unexpected places such as back-alleys and grungy rooftops. Notwithstanding their eye for visual beauty, the filmmakers do not shy away from ugliness; scenes in which the women engage in degrading sex are particularly tough to watch. As a final note, all four of the lead actresses should be commended for their fine, fearless performances. The actresses are extremely convincing in their roles, even when they have to pull off tough dialogue, such as conversations with God.

Payap Reel schedule

At Payap Reel on Thursdays at 5 pm – Room 419, Pentecost Building.

 

The Film Series Payap Reel is a community project which screens films/ documentaries on regional issues, social awareness, and international topics.

 

"Payap Air": A Season of Five Free Films on the Atmosphere, Biosphere, and Society – continuing today!

Every Thursday from 21January through 18 February at 5 - 7:30 pm.

 

"Payap Air" is a Payap Reel film series to be shown in Room 419, Pentecost Building (formerly the Graduate and International Studies Building), at Payap University, Mae Khao Campus (behind Carrefour). It’s a presentation of the Office of Global Awareness at Payap University, in collaboration with the Northern Climate Crisis Network (NCCN). Organized by Steve Green and Ricky Ward. Telephone for further information at 084-985-9668.

 

Each screening will be followed by an opportunity for discussion, facilitated by a member of the NCCN.

 

FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.

 

"Every empire finds a way to destroy itself."

 

The films: Home – Jan 21;

Crude Impact – Jan 28 (this afternoon);

The Power of Community – Feb 4;

Blind Spot – Feb 11; and

What A Way To Go – Feb 18.

 

At Payap University Thursday, January 28 (this afternoon), 5 pm:  Crude Impact (2006) by James Jandak Wood – 97 mins – US, Documentary/ History. 

 

Crude Impact is a powerful and timely story that deftly explores the inter-connection between human domination of the planet and the discovery and use of oil.

 

This documentary film exposes our deep-rooted dependency on the availability of fossil fuel energy and examines the future implications of “Peak Oil” — the point in time when the amount of petroleum worldwide begins a steady, inexorable decline. Journeying from the West African delta region to the heart of the Amazon rainforest, from Washington to Shanghai, from early man to the unknown future, Crude Impact chronicles the collision of our insatiable appetite for oil with the rights and livelihoods of indigenous cultures, other species, and the planet itself. It is a thought-provoking story filled with discovery, sorrow, outrage, humor and ultimately, hope.

 

Rotten Tomatoes: Crude Impact takes an unflinching look at the human race’s dependence on fossil fuels--and at the future that lies in store for us when those fuels run out. The engaging, aggressive documentary discusses the notion of peak oil and investigates the efficacy of various alternative energy sources. 

 

Roxie Theater: This timely, eye-opening investigative documentary stylistically pairs the high-powered drama of Syriana with hard information citizens need to understand our dependence on fossil-fuel energy. A story filled with discovery, sorrow, outrage and hope, Crude Impact uncovers the entanglement of the fate of humankind and oil, while providing a vital inspiration for citizens who want to make a change. Journeying from the West African Delta region to the heart of the Amazon rainforest, from Washington to Shanghai, from early Man to the unknown future, the filmmakers chronicle the collision of the modern world’s insatiable appetite for oil with the rights and livelihoods of indigenous cultures, other species and the planet and humankind itself. Dispelling underlying myths about oil with great depth and insight, the film exposes what is propelling us toward what many experts believe will be a cataclysmic period for humanity.

 

Chicago Tribune, Tasha Robinson: Crude Impact goes deep and expansive on the political, environmental, and cultural costs of American dependence on oil. Arguing that we’ve reached the point of “Peak Oil,” where the amount of petroleum that can be drawn from the Earth will inevitably start to decline, a handful of authors and activists illustrate the negative impact American oil drilling has had domestically and overseas. As oil becomes harder to find, they explain, the oil companies will become even more ruthless and profit-driven, and their track records of economic and political exploitation offer no hope of moral restraint.

 

Some of Crude Impact message comes via the inevitable animated charts and graphs, plus broad, simple statements, and some of it feels like pandering, with its cutesy use of vintage cartoons and jokey visual juxtapositions. But the message is earnest and sincere, and Wood argues it well, with chilling case studies of Texaco’s wholesale pollution in Ecuador and Shell’s fatal interference with politics and protests in the Niger Delta. Using an unsettling clip of an indulgent TV “news” piece about Ronald McDonald that could double as a corporate commercial, he illustrates how news and entertainment have merged, and shows how viewers need to be actively involved in their world if they want real information about the damage being done in their name, and real information about how to fight back.

 

About the director

 

Crude Impact is the filmmaking debut of James Jandak Wood, as writer, director, and producer. Inspired by a trip to the rainforest in the summer of 2004, James read obsessively on the effects of oil exploration and use on the rainforest, world climate, humanity, and other species. His passion for the issue motivated him to produce a film in order to bring awareness of the situation to a wider audience.

 

 

At Payap University Thursday, February 4, 5 pm:  The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil (2006) by Faith Morgan – 53 mins – US, Documentary. 

 

In Cuba there is a recent era which is called “The Special Period in Peacetime.” The term refers to an extended period of economic crisis that began in 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The economic depression of the “Special Period” was at its most severe in the early-to-mid 1990s. It was defined primarily by the severe shortages of hydrocarbon energy resources in the form of gasoline, diesel, and other petroleum derivatives that occurred upon the implosion of economic agreements between the petroleum-rich Soviet Union and Cuba. The nation lost half of its oil imports, and 85 percent of its international trade economy. Cuba began a slow recovery focused not on finding new energy sources, but on rejecting consumption in favor of sustainable growth. The period radically transformed Cuban society and the economy, as it necessitated the successful introduction of sustainable agriculture, decreased use of automobiles, and overhauled industry, health, and diet countrywide. People were expected to live without many goods.

 

The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil is an American documentary film that explores this “Special Period in Peacetime” and its aftermath. The film was directed by Faith Morgan, and was released in 2006 by a non-profit organization called The Community Solution, which seeks to educate audiences about “Peak Oil” and the impact it will have on transportation, agriculture, medicine, and other industries.

 

 

At Payap University Thursday, February 11, 5 pm:  Blind Spot (2008) by Adolfo Doring – 86 mins – US, Documentary.

 

Blind Spot is a documentary film written and directed by Adolfo Doring that illustrates the current oil and energy crisis that our world is facing. It explores the subject of “Peak Oil” and its implications for the future of civilization. It includes interviews with sociologist William R. Catton, evolutionary biologist Jason Bradford, environmental analyst Lester Brown, NASA's James E. Hansen, author Bill McKibben, and others. The film was shown in 2008 at the Woodstock Film Festival, London Independent Film Festival, and European Film Festival Moscow.

 

Adolfo Doring is an award-winning American documentary filmmaker and director of music videos.

 

Blind Spot investigates the causes for the current crisis we find ourselves in. It establishes the inextricable link between the energy we use, the way we run our economy, and the effect it has had on our environment. It takes as a starting point the inevitable energy depletion scenario know as “Peak Oil” to inform us that by whatever measure of greed, wishful thinking, neglect, or ignorance, we are at a crossroad which offers two paths, both with dire consequences. If we continue to burn fossil fuels our ecology will collapse, and if we don’t, our economy will. Either path we choose to take will have a profound effect on our way of life. Refusing to whitewash this reality, Blind Spot issues a call to action, urging us to face up to the perilous situation we now find ourselves in so that we might begin to envision a realistic, if inconvenient, way out.

 

Rotten Tomatoes: Synopsis - Blind Spot offers an intriguing look at "peak oil," also known as the moment (believed by some to be on the horizon) when humans will have almost entirely depleted the Earth’s fossil-fuel supply. The documentary examines the current level of energy consumption, and analyzes both the difficulties of conservation and the risks of doing too little to protect the environment.

 

Noam Chomsky: Doubtless “Peak Oil” will come; the timing is a matter of debate. However we may be better off if it is not too long delayed, because it will accelerate what must be done to prevent environmental catastrophe.

 

Bill McKibben, author of “The End of Nature”: The next few decades aren’t going to look like the last few-not at all. And the sooner we come to terms with that, the better. This documentary is a good place to start.

 

 

 

 

Map of Payap

 

 

 

Here on this map from May 2008 the Pentecost Building is labeled as "Graduate and International Studies." Just northwest of the Chapel.