BROKEN SWORD HERO debuts on digital, Blu-ray™ Combo Pack and DVD on October 31st

Well Go USA

Presents 

 Broken Sword Hero / Thong Dee Fun Khao

Directed by Bin Bunluerit

Thailand, 2017, 122 minutes

The latest feature by renowned Thai director Bin Bunluerit (The Elephant Boy) and starring Muay Thai superstar Buakaw Banchamek,  Broken Sword Hero debuts on digital, Blu-ray™ Combo Pack and DVD October 31 from Well Go USA Entertainment.

The martial arts epic introduces to a variety of fighting styles practiced in Thailand, including Muay Thai, and recounts the story of Thongdee, a real warrior from Thailand’s Ayutthaya period who later became a national hero for continuing to fight despite having a badly broken sword.

Synopsis:
Based on a real warrior from Thailand’s Ayutthaya period, Broken Sword Hero follows the heroics of legendary military general Thongdee. From the disparity as a young runaway to the toughest warrior among his people, a legendary fighter with unparalleled skills in Muay Thai and swordplay, fights for the freedom of his people.

VENGEANCE OF AN ASSASSIN

Well Go USA Entertainment 

Presents

Vengeance of an Assassin / Rew thalu rew

Directed by Panna Rittikrai

Thailand, 2014, 90 minutes

Vengeance of an Assassin  is the last film that Panna Rittikrai directed before his untimely death in July 2014 at the age of 53. It debuts on Blu-ray™, DVD and digital tomorrow April 14th from Well Go USA Entertainment. This review is based on the Blu-ray version.

The assassin of the title is Thee (Dan Chupong, who also starred in Rittikrai's Born to Fight, 2004). The vengeance he seeks is for the murder of his parents by unknown parties. To discover their identities, he becomes a paid assassin. However, for one assignment he is hired to protect Ploy, a young actress with dyed blonde hair who is the granddaughter of a powerful individual. In reality, Thee has been set up to take the fall for  Ploy's murder, as she's the target of others.

This brief description gives you all you need to know about the story. The screenplay itself is a mess, with gaps and lapses in narrative that are beyond belief. It's as if it was the first draft written by an untalented undergraduate film student. Some of the emotional scenes, which I assume were intended to be touching, are embarrassing. There's no screenwriting credit for the film at IMDb and the lettering on the Blu-ray sleeve is too small for my old eyes to make out, even using a magnifying glass.

Of course the main thing in this kind of film is how good the action is, and on that count the film really delivers. The opening sequence is a full contact soccer match in a huge factory warehouse. My favorite though was a weapons sequence that takes place in a similar environment. Obviously shot using a steadicam, the scene involves Thee as he advances through the space, blowing away enemies right and left. Sometimes it's as if we're watching from his point of view, as in a first-person video game, sometimes, the camera is behind him, like a third-person shooter, and sometimes it moves to the side, providing an objective view. This extended sequence is truly awesome.

The film also has the distinction of providing what surely must be the only case of a locomotive taking out an air-born vehicle! It's so far-fetched that you just have to smile and enjoy it for what it is. Unfortunately the CGI involved here, and elsewhere at times, is not top drawer.

The disc offers the choice of two language tracks: Thai DTS- HD Master 5.1 or Thai Dolby Digital Stereo 2.0. English subtitles can be removed if desired.

The only "extras" are the trailer for the film and those for three "preview" offerings from Well Go.

It's a shame that the story line is so underdeveloped and incoherent. But if you come for the action you won't be disappointed.

AsianCIneFest Rating: one out of 4 stars for the story (poor); 3.5 out of 4 for the action (very, very good overall).

The ending clearly allows for a sequel, but personally I doubt that one will be made.

VENGEANCE OF AN ASSASSIN - home video debut on April 14th

VENGEANCE OF AN ASSASSIN, the action-packed last film from legendary director and fight choreographer Panna Rittikrai (Ong-Bok), debuts on Blu-ray™, DVD and digital April 14th from Well Go USA Entertainment. The action-thriller reunites Rittikrai with his Born to Fight leading man Dan Chupong as an assassin who finds himself betrayed and exposed to the business’s deadliest killers. VENGEANCE OF AN ASSASSIN also stars Nantawut Boonrupsup (Force of Five), Nisachon Tuamsoongnern, Kessarin Akethawatkul, Chatchapol Kulsiriwuttichai (Ong-bak 2), Ping Lumpraplearng and Kovit Wattankul.

Synopsis:
The Assassins’ Code: Stick to the mission. Never take your eyes off the target. Show no mercy. Natee (Dan Chupong) became a killer for one reason- to discover who killed his parents. As he gets closer to uncovering a secret network of power and corruption, he’s double-crossed on a job, making him a target and putting everyone he loves in danger. Betrayed, exposed, and hunted by the deadliest killers in the business, now Natee has a new code. Be faster. Stronger. Hit harder. Survive.

VENGEANCE OF AN ASSASSIN has a runtime of approximately 90 minutes and is not rated.

THE PROTECTOR 2 is now available

Magnet Releasing

a division of

Magnolia Home Entertainment

presents

The Protector 2 / Tom Yum Goong 2

(a.k.a.  Warrior King 2 in the United Kingdom)
Directed by Prachya Pinkaew

Starring Tony Jaa, RZA,  Phetthai Vongkumlao,
Marrese Crump, and Ratha Phongam

Thailand, 2013, 104 minutes

The Protector 2 is Prachya Pinkaew's sequel to his 2005 film The Protector. (Pinkaew also directed the original Ong Bak film.) Starting today, Tuesday, July 29th, it's available in North America as either a 3D Blu-ray + Blu-ray combo pack ($39.98), a Blu-ray ($29.98), or a DVD ($26.98). I watched the regular Blu-ray version for this review.

Once again Tony Jaa stars as Kham and again he loses his elephant and must rescue it. And again he is assisted by Mark (Phetthai Vongkumlao), an Australian policeman. This time his main adversary is LC (the RZA), an arms dealer with a yen for brutal martial arts contests.

The 3D roots of the film are evident even in the 2D Blu-ray version. For example, at one point Jaa, who has been on top of a vehicle, is hurled off of it when it crashes into the side of a bridge, and his body comes flying straight at the camera.

The following shots make use of safety wires, as is made explicit in an extra feature and which no doubt will turn off some Jaa fans. I had no problem with the occasional use of wires and some CGI. I mean, no one in their right mind is going to send Jaa off of the tallest bridge in Souteast Asia without using a safety harness and wires.

A bit less easy to understand or excuse is the recycling of certain stunts from the original Ong Bak film. Here I'm thinking of two scenes in particular. One has Jaa running, then sliding under a table on the fronts of his lower legs with his body leaning backwards, almost horizontal to the ground. Another is a fight scene in which his feet and lower legs are on fire, although The Protector 2 does up the ante here in that the lower extremities of his multiple opponents are also on fire as is the room in which they're fighting. This scene, in which the room essentially is a furnace, uses both practical and CGI fire, again a point made explicit in an extra.

For me the film's biggest fault is a matter of casting. I think that RZA is sincere in his love for and appreciation of Asian martial arts movies. I also think he's talented. Unfortunately, his talents don't include an ability to convincingly act nor to engage in serious martial arts combat, most particularly him going one-on-one against Jaa. Their climactic fight is perhaps as well choreographed as it could be, given RZA's limitations, but it's pretty much hollow and unconvincing.

Disc Special Features:
- Behind the Scenes Featurettes:
  - Cast & Characters
  - Speaking with the Director
  - Action & Stunts, Working in 3D
- AXS TV: A Look at The Protector 2
- Trailers

AsianCineFest Rating: 2.5 out of 4 stars. A fairly good film. Definitely of some interest, but with some serious flaws. Maybe not well-worth-watching, but definitely worth-watching. Give it an extra 1/2 star if you don't mind RZA's performance.

If you're going to buy The Protector 2 and have a 3D television, I think that the 3D Blu-ray + Blu-ray combo pack is probably the way to go. No 3D TV? Then go for the Blu-ray for just $3 more than the DVD, at least in terms of the SRPs.

For more info:

Official Site: www.protector2.com

Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Protector2TonyJaa

DRAGONWOLF available today

Well Go USA

Presents

Dragonwolf

Directed by Raimund Huber

Thailand, 2013, 122 minutes

Blu-ray SLP: $29.98

DVD SLP: $24-98

Dragonwolf is a Thai martial arts film that comes out on Blu-ray, DVD & Digital today from Well Go USA. My review is based on watching the Blu-ray version, which was no mean feat. Not that it looked bad; no the video transfer on Blu-ray was top notch, as one has come to expect from Well Go. The problem was that the movie is terrible.

So, for those who might at all be inclined to think about buying Dragonwolf in any form, and who don't care to read further, let me just offer two words of advice: "Don't bother."

In fact I would have stopped watching sometime well before the film reached its one hour mark, but the good people at Well Go had provided me with the screener, and I felt it only proper to watch the entire movie for this review.

My first thought that Dragonwolf might be a turkey came before I even inserted the disc in my player. Raimund Huber, the director, has also made Bangkok Adrenaline (2009) and Kill 'em All (2012), both very mediocre films that I watched on Netflix Streaming. (I imagine that at some point Dragonwolf will be available there also. Streaming is the only way I can even remotely recommend viewing the film, unless you have some other no-extra-cost option available.)

Mozart (standing) about to confront a trio

The story concerns two friends, Mozart (Kazu Patrick Tang, who's had small rolls in such films as Ong Bak 2, BKO: Bangkok Knockout, and Chinese Zodiac) and Julius (Johan Kirsten, here in his film debut). They live in Devil's Cauldron, which is supposedly "the vice and bloodshed capital of the world" though there's no real evidence in the film that it's really all that exceptionally bad a place.

Mozart (a.k.a. "Mo") and Julius (a.k.a. "Dragon") work for Brutus, the head of the organization that controls Devil's Cauldron. They are his best "sweepers," effectively handling the toughest, dirtiest and most violent work he needs done.

The two, friends since childhood, are practically brothers. Unfortunately they meet a lovely young thing named Mary at a charity event. She and Julius become an item, but she lets Mozart know that she's interested in him.  Naturally this puts a "strain" (to put it mildly) on the guys' friendship.

The convoluted story unfolds using a great many flashback scenes, far to many as far as I'm concerned. The dialog tends to range between trite and stilted. For example, who really would say, "Had he told me the truth, I'd not have killed him"?

Julius seems uninterested in the sushi or the "platter" on which it's offered

As for the action, I'll grant that a few of the moves are okay. But must of the "combatants" come across like mediocre students who just managed to pass "Stuntman 101" at a community college. And far too often the camera angles reveal that the punches or kicks were never intended to come even remotely close to connecting.

On the positive side, such as it is, the film has some nice female breasts on view and most of the few comedic touches are actually decent. If Huber were to make a sexploitation action comedy, it just might be a decent watch. But there were neither enough tits & ass nor enough laughs in Dragonwolf to redeem it.

I usually don't notice film ratings at IMDB, but I happened to see that Dragonwolf currently has a dismal 3.4/10 rating from 203 users. That sounds like about what it deserves in my opinion.

AsianCineFest Rating: 1 out of 4 stars; poor. (Note: this overall rating is based on 1/2 star for the titties and another 1/2 star for the action.)

THE PROTECTOR 2 is now available in 3D Blu-ray, standard Blu-ray, and DVD versions

The Protector 2 / Tom Yum Goong 2

(a.k.a.  Warrior King 2 in the United Kingdom)
Directed by Prachya Pinkaew

Starring Tony Jaa, RZA,  Phetthai Vongkumlao,
Marrese Crump, and Ratha Phongam

Thailand, 2013, 104 minutes

The Protector 2 is Prachya Pinkaew's sequel to his 2005 film The Protector. (Pinkaew also directed the original Ong Bak film.) It will be available in North America from Magnet Releasing, a division of Magnolia Home Entertainment as either a 3D Blu-ray and regular 2D Blu-ray combo pack, a 2D Blu-ray, or a 2D DVD next Tuesday, July 29th.

Once again Tony Jaa stars as Kham and again he loses his elephant and must rescue it. And again he is assisted by Mark (Phetthai Vongkumlao), an Australian policeman. This time his main adversary is LC (the RZA), an arms dealer with a yen for brutal martial arts contests.

Synopsis: When Boss Suchart is murdered in his own home – the killer delivered three fatal blows on his body – all evidence points to Kham (Tony Jaa), who was present at the crime scene and was seen with the victim the moment before he died. Kham is forced to run as the police launch a pursuit. Meanwhile, the twin nieces of Boss Suchart (Jija Yanin Wismitanan and Teerada Kittisiriprasert) are out for revenge. But luck is on Kham’s side when he again runs into his friend Sergeant Mark.

As Kham is hunted by several parties, he’s also desperately searching for Khon, his elephant, whose disappearance is involved with Boss Suchart’s death. In another twist, Kham is drawn into an underground fighting ring run by LC (RZA), a crime lord who’s obsessed with collecting top-class martial artists from around the world. LC’s fighters are branded only by numbers, such as the lethal, beautiful Twenty (Ratha Phongam) and the diabolical No.2 (Marrese Crump). These fighters are ordered to defeat and capture Kham for a special mission that LC has in mind.

Look for a review here at AsianCineFest on or close to the July 29th release date.

For more info:

Official Site: www.protector2.com

Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Protector2TonyJaa

North American theatrical release of THE PROTECTOR 2 set for May 2nd

Magnet Releasing

presents

The Protector 2 / Tom yum goong 2

Directed by Prachya Pinkaew

Thailand, 2013, 103 minutes 

Starring Tony Jaa, RZA, Mum Jokmok, Marrese Crump,

Jija Yanin Wismitanan, Ratha Pho-ngam, Kazu Patric Tang,

Kalp Hongratanaporn and David Ismalone

The Protector 2, currently on iTunes/On Demand, will be released by Magnet Releasing in North American theaters on May 2, 2014.

Boss Suchart is the influential owner of a major elephant camp. When he was murdered in his own home – the killer delivered three fatal blows on his body – all evidence points to KHAM (Tony Jaa), who was present at the crime scene and was seen with the victim the moment before he died. Kham is forced to run as the police launch a pursuit. Meanwhile, the twin nieces of Boss Suchart (Jija Yanin Wismitanan and Teerada Kittisiriprasert) are out for revenge. But luck is on Kham’s side when he runs into Sergeant MARK (Mum Jokmok), an Interpol agent sent to Thailand on a secret mission.

As Kham is hunted by several parties, he’s also desperately searching for KHON, his elephant, whose disappearance is involved with Boss Suchart’s death. In another twist, Kham is drawn into an underground fighting ring run by LC (RZA), a crime lord who’s obsessed with collecting top-class martial artists from around the world. LC’s fighters are branded only by numbers, such as the lethal, beautiful TWENTY (Ratha Pho-ngam) and the diabolical NO.2 (Marrese Crump). These fighters are ordered to defeat and capture Kham for a special mission that LC has in mind.

A sequel of the global smash-hit Tom Yam Goong (or The Protector), TYG2-3D is an extreme fight movie, an endlessly intense, nerve-racking film full of fists, elbows, kicks and daredevil stunt scenes and amazingly choreographed fighting moves that will pump hot blood through the body of all action fans. All in the in-your-face 3D spectacle!

Official Site: http://www.protector2.com
Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Protector2TonyJaa

ACF1639: HEADSHOT reviewed; limited theatrical release begins today, release in multiple formats to follow on October 2nd

Tul receives his instructions for his next trrget

Headshot

Written and directed by Pen-ek Ratanaruang

Based on the novel Fon Tok Kuen Fah by Win Lyovarin

Thailand-France, 2011, 105 minutes

In Thai with English subtitles

In Headshot, writer/director Pen-ek Ratanaruang (Mon-rak Transistor, Ploy) turns the noir crime film upside down -- literally. The film had it's New York premiere at the Tribecca Film Festival earlier this year. Today, Friday, September 28, 2012, it begins a limited theatrical release at New York's Cinema Village and at the The Grand Illusion Cinema in Seattle, Washington. On October 2nd, the film will become available on DVD, iTunes and other online VOD channels.

The film begins with a man typing -- on a typewriter, not a computer! -- what turns out to be information about a politician who is targeted for assassination. That information is then received by Tul (Nopachai "Peter" Jayanama), a talented hitman, or to use the film's preferred term, "assassination expert." Shaving his face and head, Tul disguises himself as a monk and carries out his assignment.

Tul bleeding from the headshot he received

Only he doesn't get away clean but is hit by a bullet -- the headshot of the title. The next thing he knows he's waking up in a clinic where's he's spent three months in a coma. Oh, and while everything else is fine with his body and mind, he now sees the world upside down.

At this point the film shifts back and forth between the seven years and five months (as the film tells us precisely) of Tul's back story prior to his injury and his coming to grips with both it and its implications. We learn what Tul used to do before he became a hitman, how he came to this profession, and what happens to him when he tries to walk away from it.

Joy (Chanokporn "Dream" Sayoungkul), the films most fatale of femmes

Rataanaruang's Thai-noir has all the classic elements of the genre. There's corruption, deception, betrayal, and the requisite femme fatale. There's also enough gun-play and other action to keep even the most jaded fan engrossed. And like any good noir, there is a moral issue at its root. In this case its the issue of karma. Regardless of the why and how Tul came to be an assassin, did his decision to engage in this line of employment ultimately lead to karmic payback?

Headshot reportedly has been chosen as Thailand's submission to the 85th Academy Awards.Check out Wise Kwai's post about that development here. While I think it's unrealistic to expect it to make the list of nominees, it's not too much to hope that just being chosen as Thailand's entry will provide the additional  publicity and box office that the film definitely deserves.

ACF Rating: 3.5 out of 4 stars; very highly recommended.

ACF 1538: LUNG NEAW VISITS HIS NEIGHBORS coming to MoMA

Lung Neaw Visits His Neighbours

Directed by Rirkrit Tiravanija

Thailand/Mexico, 2011, 154 minutes

In Thai; English subtitles

When: Monday, July 16, 2012, 6:00 p.m., Theater 1, T1

(Introduced by the producer Cristian Manzutto)

Tuesday, July 17, 2012, 4:00 p.m., Theater 2, T2

Wednesday, July 18, 2012, 6:00 p.m., Theater 2, T2

Thursday, July 19, 2012, 4:00 p.m., Theater 2, T2

Friday, July 20, 2012, 6:00 p.m., Theater 2, T2

Saturday, July 21, 2012, 7:30 p.m., Theater 2, T2

Where: Museum of Modern Art, 11 West 53 Street, NYC

Map here

In Tiravanija’s second feature, Lung Neaw, a retired farmer, lives in a tranquil village in Chiang Mai, far from the recent political turmoil in Bangkok. At a moment when many people are demanding equality, opportunity, and democracy, we see in Lung Neaw an existence marked by compassion for his environment and his fellow villagers. The film offers a contemplative look at one man’s humble dialogue with his surroundings.

These screenings of Lung Neaw Visits His Neighbours are part of MoMA's ongoing ContemporAsian film series.

ACF 1242: LAST LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE screening at MoMA tomorrow afternoon

  Last Life in the Universe

Directed by Pen-Ek Ratanaruang

Screenplay by Prabda Yoon, Pen-Ek Ratanaruang

Cinematography by Chris Doyle

With Asano Tadanobu, Sinitta Boonyasak, Matsushige Yutaka

Thailand, 2003, 112 minutes

In Thai, Japanese, English; English subtitles

Friday, November 18, 2011, 4:00 p.m., Theater 2, T2

Last Life in the Universe will be shown at the New York's Museum of Modern Art tomorrow afternoon as part of the series In Focus; Fortissimo Films.

This beautifully photographed film—one of several in this exhibition photographed by Doyle— illustrates Pen-Ek Ratanaruang’s profound understanding of the aimless spirit and cautious dreams of Asia’s youth. The fortunes of Kenji, a suicide-obsessed Japanese man living in Bangkok, take a turn for the worse when he accidentally kills a Yakuza gang member. That same night, Noi, a Thai barmaid in the burnt- out beach town of Pattaya, accidentally kills her sister. Thrown together by this common twist of fate, Kenji and Noi find their lives inextricably linked as they hide out together, hoping to find love and redemption. Courtesy Palm Pictures.

ACF 1228: TEARS OF THE TIGER and HAPPY TOGETHER to screen at MoMA on Friday, November 11th

Featuring 10 Asian and 1 non-Asian films, In Focus: Fortissimo Films begins at MoMA tonight with a screening of Warriors of the Rainbow. (Read about it at ACF 1225.) Two other terrific films will be shown tomorrow, Friday, November 11th:

 

Tears of the Black Tiger / Fata Lai Jone 

Written and directed by Wisit Sasanatieng

With Chartchai Ngamsan, Stella Malucchi, Supakorn Kitsuwon 

Thailand, 2000, 104 minutes
In Thai; English subtitles 
Friday, November 11, 2011, 4:30 p.m., Theater 1, T1 

Inspired by classic Westerns and romantic dramas, this Thai-spiced “Spaghetti” Western, about the impossible love of a governor’s daughter for the bandit nicknamed the Black Tiger, adds a gorgeous soundtrack to the requisite shoot-outs, broken-hearted cowboys, and beautiful women. The film’s faux-hand-tinted, supersaturated palette emphasizes the nostalgic atmosphere, in a unique homage to the larger-than-life Thai Western genre. For my review of the film last June, when it scrteened at Asia Society, click here.

Happy Together / Cheun gwong tsa sit 

Written and directed by Wong Kar-wai

With Leslie Cheung Kwong-wing, Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Chang Chen

Hong Kong, 1997, 96 minutes

Friday, November 11, 2011, 8:00 p.m., Theater 1, T1

Lovers who are happy together are all the same. Lovers whose relationships fall apart are all different, unique in the ways they inflict emotional torture on themselves and each other. Lai Yiu-fai and Ho Po-wing are in love when they arrive in Argentina from Hong Kong, but something goes wrong as they travel south in search of adventure. Poetic, inventive, and heartbreakingly honest, Happy Together garnered several major awards and cemented Wong Kar-wai’s status as one of contemporary cinema’s preeminent talents. Courtesy Kino Lorber. In Cantonese, Mandarin, Spanish; English subtitles. 96 min.

The film will be introduced by renowned cinematographer Christopher Doyle!!!!!

 

ACF 1059: Blissfully Yours to close out Blissfully Thai film series tonight

Min lolls on a river bank

Blissfully Yours
Directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Thailand, 2002, 125 minutes
When: Friday, June 17th, 2011 at 6:45 PM
Where: Asia Society
725 Park Avenue (at 70th Street), NYC

The eight film Blissfully Thai series, presented by Asia Society in association with Cineaste, will conclude tonight with this 2002 film from recent Cannes winner Apichatpong Weerasethakul.

The film starts abruptly in a doctors office. The female doctor is examining a handsome young man, Min (the beyond belief, good-looking Min Oo), who's returned because his skin condition has worsened. He's accompanied by two women, one his age, the other closer to middle age, who speak for him supposedly because his throat hurts.

After Roong (Kanokporn Tongaram), the younger woman, leaves to go to work at a factory, the older woman, Orn (Jenjira Jansuda), tries to get the doctor to certify that Min, whom she claims is her nephew, is healthy so he can get a work permit. But the doctor firmly refuses, because they haven't brought Min's ID with them. Without seeing his ID, the doctor would be breaking the law and jeopardizing her practice by certifying him.

Clearly something else is going on than what's being alleged. Min, it turns out, is not Orn's nephew, nor is he related to her in any way; he's Roong's current boyfriend, an illegal immigrant from nearby Burma. And he can talk just fine. Roong, however, does work at a factory. Orn runs a dormitory for girls, possibly including Roong, and wants to have a child with her husband Sirote.

The remainder of the film takes place during the same day. Roong borrows Orn's car so she can drive Min to a special place he wants them to go. After a long drive and a long walk through the jungle, they arrive at a flat outcropping with a beautiful view. There they picnic, at least until their food is overrun by red ants. They relocate to the bank of a small, shallow river, where by chance they are later joined by Orn.

Blissfully Yours is quite an unusual film in several ways. There are at least two quite lengthy driving sequences, often with the camera looking out the back window. And both Min and Roong's walk to the picnic site and Orn's wanderings until she comes upon them also go on for quite awhile. Oh, and I should mention that the credits do not begin rolling until we're about 43 minutes into the story!

The film is certainly imaginative in its way, but it's definitely not for everyone, perhaps not even most. Watching a DVD screener, I frequently held down the fast-forward button to skim through the proceedings until there was some dialogue or something of visual interest going on.

ACF Rating: 2.5 out of 4 stars. A fairly good film, but as I've indicated, not to everyone's taste.

ACF 1056: "Hi-So" reviewed

Zoe (left) in bed with Ananda

Hi-So
Directed by Aditya Assarat
Thailand, 2000, 102 minutes

This simple and quiet film screened recently as part of the Blissfully Thai series, which is being presented by Asia Society in association with Cineaste.

Ananda poses with some of his female teenage fans

Zoe (Cerise Leang), a slim lovely young woman, arrives in Thailand from San Francisco to join her boyfriend Ananda (Ananda Everinghan) at a hotel near the shore. He returned to Thailand from the U.S. not too long ago and is starring in a movie being shot neaby at the ruins of another hotel. That film is about a man who became an amnesiac as a result of the Indian Ocean tsunami of a few years earlier.

While the two do get to spend some intimate time together, Zoe is mainly on her own, and she's bored. It's the off-season, and there's basically no one around during the day, while the cast and crew are at the film site, but the small staff at the hotel. Even Ananda's translating Thai into English at her request while they loll in bed cannot make up for her lonely situation. The most fun we see her having is at the informal birthday party the staff is giving for the chambermaid.

We get the feeling that her relationship with Ananda is withering. One day she tells the hotel's bartender and waiter, who speaks some English and whom she's befriended, that she's leaving the next day. But we see neither her goodbye to Ananda nor her departure itself, not from the hotel nor from Thailand.

May (left) in bed with Ananda

Some time later, Ananda has a new girlfriend. May (Sajee Apiwong) works for the production company of Ananda's recently completed film. They are pretty much living together in his apartment, which is in a building owned by his wealthy mother, whom we never meet. There he translates for May much as he did for Zoe, only in this case it's from English into Thai. (Compare the picture immediately above with the one at the top of this post.)

May takes in a lost dog. She and Ananda visit his old home on an upper floor in the building, his current apartment being on a lower level. They go to the roof where Ananda explains that this building once was the tallest one in Bangkok, whereas now there are numerous buildings, presumably both residential and business, that are at least as tall.

May and Ananda in his old home

The title refers to Thailand's high society types. And it's clear that Ananda is one of the higher of the high, though he doesn't put on airs. We get to see him giving out bonuses for the New Year to the staff of the apartment building, a scruffy prince showing his -- and his mother's -- appreciation for their efforts.

Ananda ready to travel alone

The film is a modest, low-key, slice-of-life endeavor. We are not treated to any "high drama," nor is there any real character development. We simply get to witness parts of the lives of the characters.

Yet it would be a gross oversimplification to dismiss Hi-So as a Thai feature-length film version of the television show George and Jerry pitched on Seinfeld, that is, a "show about nothing." There are moments of great poignancy, such as when the bartender/waiter tells Zoe about his visit to the United States. It consisted of only a few hours, because he was not granted a visa and was forced to return to Thailand right away. He still cannot fathom why this was so, and it clearly still troubles him.

The parallel "translating in bed" scenes are revealing, not so much for their similarity (aside from which language is being translated), but for the slight additional twist in May's explanation of why she wants Ananda to translate for her. And there is an interesting juxtaposition of the destruction wrought by the tsunami and the man-made destruction of a wing of Ananda's apartment building, supposedly for renovation purposes.

Hi-So may not be for everyone, but for those who can accept it on its own terms, it's a film certainly worth seeing.

ACF 1050: Hi-So at Asia Society tonight

Sajee Apiwong as Mai in
Hi-So (Memento Films)

Hi-So
Directed by Aditya Assarat
Thailand, 2010, 102 minutes
When: Saturday, June 11th, 2011 at 3:00 PM
Where: Asia Society
725 Park Avenue (at 70th Street), NYC
Post-screening Q&A with actress Cerise Leang

"An absorbing and beguilingly simple film that is beautifully haunting and effortlessly cool."
— Mark Adams, Screen Daily

The Blissfully Thai series, presented by Asia Society in association with Cineaste, continues this afternoon with Hi-So, the next to last film in the series:

Ananda (Ananda Everingham) has returned home to become an actor after living abroad. On a seaside movie set, he is visited by his girlfriend from California, Zoe (Cerise Leang). Tacitly, the two are drifting apart. Several months later, Ananda is in Bangkok living with a new girlfriend, May (Sajee Apiwong). The two share moments reminiscent of Ananda's previous relationship. A directorial follow-up to the much praised Wonderful Town (2007), Hi-So, which refers to Thailand's high society types, portrays life between languages and cultures with an eloquent grace.

Aditya Assarat (b. 1972) was born in Bangkok and left Thailand at the age of 15 to study in the United States. He studied History at New York University and earned a master's degree in film production at the University of Southern California. His feature debut Wonderful Town (2007) won the New Currents Award at Pusan International Film Festival and Tiger Award at Rotterdam International Film Festival. Director Filmography (features): Hi-So (2010), Wonderful Town (2007), 3 Friends (2005).

Major support for the Blissfully Thai film series is provide
by the New York State Council on the Arts
and the Thai-US Partnership Program
of Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs
and Thai Artists Alliance.

ACF 1049: "Tears of the Black Tiger" tonight

Mahesuan (left) and Dum (center) face-off
in one of the film's iconic images

Just a quick reminder that Tears of the Black Tiger will be shown tonight at 6:45 PM at Asia Society in New York. For my review of the film click here. In the meanwhile here are some screencaptures from my screener DVD. Hopefully they convey, albeit on a small scale, the wondrous colors and compositions in the film.

Rumpoey leaves a harmonica for Dum

Rumpoey (right) hardly looks thrilled by the prospect
of marriage to Police Captain Kumjorn (left).
That's Rumpoey's father standing behind them.

Boss Fai

Rumpoey and Dum at the shore.

ACF 1047: "Tears of the Black Tiger" at Asia Society NY tomorrow at 6:45 PM

The Black Tiger and Mahesuan carry out Fai's order

Tears of the Black Tiger
Directed by Wisit Sasanatieng
Thailand, 2000, 113 minutes
When: Friday, June 10th, 2011 at 6:45 PM
Where: Asia Society
725 Park Avenue (at 70th Street), NYC

I've known about Tears of the Black Tiger and have awaited an opportunity to see it for several years. So I was thrilled when I received my review screener from Asia Society where Tears will be playing tomorrow night, part of the Blissfully Thai film series. To say that it was worth the wait would be a major understatement, and I'm glad to have the opportunity to review the film here in conjunction with the wonderful and revelatory film series presented by Asia Society in association with Cineaste.

Dum (Chartchai Ngamsan), a.k.a. The Black Tiger, is the top gun in Boss Fai's gang. He and the mustached Mahesuan (Supakorn Kitsuwon) execute someone who betrayed Fai, whose simple law is, "Whoever betrays Fai dies!" Afterwards Dum rushes to meet the lovely Rumpoey (Stella Malucchi) at a gazebo called "The Sala Awaiting the Maiden," named after an old tale about a thwarted lover.

However he gets there too late. Rumpoey, who's been waiting for him, has already left, thinking that Dum has decided not to come and run off with her. She sadly returns to her father, the local governor, and her fiancé, a police captain who is intent on proving himself by subduing Fai's bandits and whom Rumpoey does not really want to marry.

Rumpoey and Dum embrace by the sea, "where the water meets the sky"

The movie employs flashbacks to tell the story of how Rumpoey, from a wealthy family, and Dum, the son of a peasant, met ten years earlier. While out in a boat on a river, he protected her from Koh, a local bully, and two of his friends. For his gallantry, Dum got a scar on his forehead in the fight and later a whipping from his father for endangering Rumpoey in the first place. On the other hand, Rumpoey fell in love with him and gave him a special harmonica. Soon thereafter she returned to Bangkok with her family.

Prior to the point in time where the movie begins, the two met again in college. Dum again came to her defense when Koh and his buddies once more accosted her. The consequence this time was Dum getting expelled from school, and eventually joining Fai's gang.

The film is a glorious mélange of genres. It's as if a colorful Douglas Sirk melodrama (meant in the best sense) was blended with a Sergio Leone "Spaghetti Western" and relocated to Thailand. The film is a visual feast for the eyes, a compelling love story, and a damn fine action film to boot. You'll flip over the replay of The Black Tiger's ricochet shot in the opening sequence and the bullet deflecting shot near the end.

Tears of the Black Tiger was the first Thai film to be screened at the Cannes Film Festival and it's a must, must see. ACF Rating: 4 out of 4 stars, highest recommendation.

I foresee a fantastic evenings entertainment at tomorrow night's screening and urge all who can attend to do so. But for those who can't, the film fortunately is available on DVD from Magnolia Pictures. Amazon.com carries both the DVD and several movie posters from the film.

ACF 1035: Mon-Rak Transistor at Asia Society NY tomorrow at 6:45 PM

Suppakorn Kitsuwan as Pan

Mon-Rak Transistor
Written and directed by Pen-ek Ratanaruang
Based on a novel by Wat Wanlayangkoon
Thailand, 2001, 115 minutes
When: Friday, June 3rd, 2011 at 6:45 PM
Where: Asia Society
725 Park Avenue (at 70th Street), NYC

After a week's hiatus, the Blissfully Thai film series resumes at Asia Society tomorrow night with this wonderful film, sometimes spelled Monrak Transistor and a.k.a. Transistor Love Story. The story centers on the unfortunate adventures of Pan, a poor, but charming young man and his love for Sadaw, a lovely village girl who embodies sweetness and innocence.

The film opens with Pan in a prison cell, shitting out a necklace he has swallowed. We don't actually see him, as the cell is far in the background and out-of-focus. The only object in focus is a bottle, apparently a laxative, sitting in the right foreground. After a policeman deposits the necklace, which isn't even real gold, on the table next to the bottle, the jailer, who's from Pan's village but who hadn't seen him for years, breaks the "fourth wall" and starts to directly tell the story of Pan's sad journey to his current predicament.

Siriyakorn Pukkavesa as Sadaw

In a flashback we see Pan before he became so hapless and forlorn. A talented singer in a band, he courts and wins the heart of Sadaw, overcoming the opposition of her father, Old Chuey, who occasionally has taken shots at Pan, more in an effort to drive him away than to actually injure, maim or kill him.

Things are going along fine for the two lovers, and Sadaw becomes pregnant. Unfortunately, Pan's bad luck arrives when he is conscripted to serve in the military. From that point, things go from bad to worse for him. A traveling troupe of entertainers holds a contest for singers, the best two of whom will join the company. One of the winners is the lovely Doa (Porntip Papanai, who would appear as the hotel room maid in Ratanaruang's 2007 film Ploy, which screened earlier in Blissfully Thai).

The other is Pan, who leaves the army to seek fame and fortune, but instead encounters a life of drudgery mopping floors for over two years because, unlike Doa, he doesn't have "tits and ass." When his big singing break finally comes, his "good fortune" is short-lived, and he's soon on the road again, now working on a sugar cane cutting crew.

That too doesn't last and circumstances bring the story up to date as Pan excretes the necklace that had been obtained in a "snatch and grab" orchestrated by Pan's new traveling companion Siew. Prior to this there's a hilarious, satirical scene at a fundraiser to help the poor, where the most authentically poor-looking attendee will win a prize. After he finally gets out of prison, Pan faces a final temptation to acquire financial wealth. Will he take it, or finally return and try to renew his life with Sadaw? And if he goes back, will she accept him?

Ampol Rattanawong (left) as Siew and Porntip Papanai as Doa

Director Pen-ek Ratanaruang has aptly described the movie as "A piece of candy with just a taste of satirical poison at its center." Now everyone knows that you can't have a "sweet" film with an unhappy ending, so there's no real surprise that Pan and Sadaw end up together. But, oh, what a magnificent journey getting there!

And while Suppakorn Kitsuwan is great as Pan, the real revelation for me was Siriyakorn Pukkavesa as Sadaw. She has a winsome, disarming smile that could melt even the coldest heart of the stanchest misogynist. More than that, she has a face that does wonders expressing a number of emotions, including rage, anger, disappointment, and heart-rendering despair. Hers is a simple, nuanced, and unaffected performance that's a joy to behold.

Mon-Rak Transistor is a terrific film, that well deserves its ACF Rating of 3.5 out of 4 stars, highly recommended. It's a fine example of how good Thai films can be, and I hope you'll get to see it.

And when you do, there is one scene that is almost sure to remind you of a scene in Slumdog Millionaire. Just keep in mind that Danny Boyle's film, which I love, was released roughly seven years after Transistor. I'm not suggesting that Boyle necessarily cribbed from Ratanaruang, only that one would be quite mistaken to think Ratanaruang "borrowed" from Boyle.

ACf 1029: "The Iron Ladies" at Asia Society tonight, Thursday, May 26th at 6:45 PM

Jung (Chaicharn Nimpulsawasdi)

The Iron Ladies
Directed by Yongyoot Thongkongtoon
Thailand, 2000, 104 minutes
When: Thursday, May 26th, 2011 at 6:45 PM
Where: Asia Society
725 Park Avenue (at 70th Street), NYC

Winner of 10 awards and nominated for two others, this is a delightful, funny sports-themed movie with a message. It's based on the true story of a male volleyball team that competed in the Thai national championships in 1996. The twist is that the men on the team were gays and transsexuals, often referred to as katoeys or ladyboys.

Jung (Chaicharn Nimpulsawasdi) sells sweet rice cakes and is totally supported in his flamboyant gayness by his parents. He's about to leave Lampang, in northern Thailand to go to Bangkok with his friend Mon (Sahaphap Tor). Mon has again failed to make a private volleyball team because he's gay. Just before their train leaves, Jung sees a poster announcing tryouts for the province's volleyball team and convinces Mon to join him in giving it a chance.

Fortunately for them, the team has just gotten a new coach (Shiriohana Hongsopon). She's gay (described as a "dyke" by some of the straights who expect to be on the team) and has no prejudices about who plays. She only wants to put together the best team possible.

Pia (Kokkorn Benjathikoon, center) returns to the team
after her boyfriend has dumped her

When Coach Bee includes Jung and Mon in her picks, all but one of the straights quit to play elsewhere. To bring the team up to the minimum of six players needed, Jung and Mon recruit some of their friends.

These include: a soldier, who's described as being built like a buffalo; Pia, a glamorous cabaret performer who's had silicone breast implants; and a closeted gay who's engaged to marry a "real" woman.

To serve as reservists, Coach Bee recruits a trio from players she's previously coached. These three look so much alike and move in unison to such a degree that one could mistake them for triplets.

Some of The Iron Ladies' fans at the finals

The Iron Ladies is a great watch. It's message of tolerance is a lofty one and is expounded in a gentle manner -- as opposed to hitting one over the head with a sledge hammer -- that befits the nature of the characters. Be sure to stick around for the end credits as they include photos and clips of the actual Iron Ladies from the 1996 team.

ACF Rating: 3.5 out of 4 stars, highly recommended.

I absolutely think it'll be best seen at the Asia Society screening, but for those who can't make it, the film is available on DVD to purchase (link at amazon.com) or to rent from Netflix. The same is true for The Iron Ladies 2 (2003), a combination prequel and sequel.

Thursday's screening of The Iron Ladies is being shown as part of the Blissfully Thai film series which is co-presented by Asia Society and Cineaste.

ACF 1024: "Uncle Boonmee" coming to Asia Society on Sunday, May 22nd at 5:00 PM

Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives
Directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Thailand, 2010, 113 minutes
When: Sunday, May 22nd, 2011 at 5:00 PM
Where: Asia Society
725 Park Avenue (at 70th Street), NYC
Post-screening Q&A with director

Foreign Language Film of the Year,
London Critics Circle Film Awards 2011

"A work of unostentatious beauty and uncloying sweetness."
— J. Hoberman, The Village Voice

The Blissfully Thai film series at Asia Society continues tomorrow with this extraordinary film that won the Palme d'Or award at last year's Cannes Film Festival.

Uncle Boonmee follows the final days of a man’s life. In the lush countryside, Uncle Boonmee is visited by his loved ones, including his deceased wife appearing as a ghost and his long-lost son who has taken on a non-human form. Mysterious as it is, nothing is scary in the world of Uncle Boonmee. This peaceful and poetic film meditates on the myths and secrets of the universe.

Uncle Boonmee webpage at Asia Society

Info about the complete Blissfully Thai film series here.

ACF 1021: "I-San Special" at Asia Society tomorrow evening at 6:45 PM

I-San Special / Kuen pra chan tem doueng
Directed by Mingmonkol Sonakul
Thailand, 2002, 110 minutes
When: Friday, May 13th, 2011 at 6:45 PM
Where: Asia Society
725 Park Avenue (at 70th Street), NYC

The Blissfully Thai film series, presented by Asia Society in association with Cineaste, will continue tomorrow night with this film inspired by an idea of Apichatpong Weerasethakul (the director of Cannes Palme d'Or winner Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, which will be shown on Sunday, May 22nd).

The film -- whose Thai title can be literally translated as "Night of the Full Moon" -- centers on the passengers on a run-down bus as it departs from Bangkok and makes its overnight run to a small town in north-east Thailand. The film's most unusual premise is that while they are on the bus, the passengers become manifestations of the actors in a radio soap opera set in the luxurious Jarawee Hotel.

"Danny," the hotel owner, and "Phen," the young model,
in front of a pull-down screen at the back of the bus

It is only when they are off the bus -- at the bus station in Bangkok, stopping for gas or to have a flat tire fixed, and finally arriving in I-San -- that the film's actors become the "real people" in the film. For example, a young, apparently pregnant young woman becomes a glamorous model when on the bus, while a handsome young half-Thai, half-American male is the handsome hotel owner.

Mingmonkol Sonakul has done a marvelous job in keeping things visually interesting, since the overwhelming bulk of the film transpires within the small confines of the bus. The passengers -- whom I understand are non-professionals -- are perfectly cast to reflect the characters on the radio whom they portray, and whose words, unless I miss my guess, they lip-synch.

Admittedly, I-San Special will not appeal to all. But I found it to be a fascinating and intriguing cinematic experiment that succeeds remarkably well. A unique film experience that merits an ACF Rating of 3 out of 4 stars, solidly recommended