The second Phangan Film Festival is set for February 20-22 at Holiday Beach Resort on Koh Pha Ngan, an island in the Gulf of Thailand. The festival line-up hasn't yet been announced, but much like the first edition last year, festivalgoers can likely expect independent films about spirituality and nature.
While I enjoyed Ong-Bak 2, and have come across other positive reviews, I have read rumblings of dissent in such places as the comments thread on Twitch and in the feedback at Enjoy Thai Movies.
Among co-workers who have seen the movie, the response has been stunned disbelief. Most people I've talked to are angry about the abrupt, WTF ending. One thing they complain about is the extended dance sequences. The ancient setting of the story, rather than contemporary times like in the original Ong-Bak, throws viewers off, leaving them to wonder -- how can it be a sequel if it's taking place in the past? Shaky cam, saturated colors and other stylistic choices made by director Tony Jaa are also criticized.
Twitch has now posted a negative review of Ong-Bak 2, coming from "a regular reader" named James Marsh. Here's an excerpt:
Beyond the casting of its lead character, the film has nothing whatsoever to do with the original Ong-Bak, and is in fact set 600 years previous to the events of that film. In truth it does feature a plethora of fighting styles and numerous opportunities for Jaa to show them off, but the film lacks an assured directorial hand to confidently stage the arrogant, crowd-stopping set-pieces that made Jaa’s previous efforts so spectacular. Acclaimed action-director Panna Rittikrai, who choreographed those earlier outings, is credited as co-director alongside Jaa, but his artistry is lost amid the mud and blood, the choppy camera work and saturated visuals, making Ong-Bak 2 feel like Rambo without guns.
It is not giving anything away to state that the film is open-ended, hinting at a possible sequel as much as it betrays a panicked editing process without the full cooperation of its star/director. Sadly, however, the film fails to inspire any sense of excitement in its audience, nor curiosity to know what will happen next. In fact, the only real question left in the balance is whether Tony Jaa will ever be allowed to direct another film again – and for the greater good of all involved, especially Jaa himself, one can only hope the answer is a resounding no.
Happy Birthday, Mono Film's new romantic drama by director Pongpat Wachirabunjong with stars Ananda Everingham and Chayanan Manomaisantiphap, was the No. 1 movie in Thailand over the weekend.
Box Office Mojo has the numbers.
It earned around 19.98 million baht, about double the earnings of the second-place finisher, Luc Besson's Transporter 3.
Both Happy Birthday and Transporter 3 were released in Thai cinemas for a sneak preview run the week before, so the gross-to-date earnings likely reflect that.
The previous week's top two films, The Day the Earth Stood Still and Ong-Bak 2 were at No. 3 and 4 respectively. Pale, sharp-toothed teenagers in Twilight remain in the top 5.
I have reviewed Happy Birthday (I actually liked it, I think) and there is feedback coming in now at Enjoy Thai Movies.
A Christmas-time movie might be becoming something of a tradition for director Chukiat Sakweerakul. Last year around holiday time, his Love of Siam was released in cinemas, and indeed Christmas was an integral part of the film.
This Christmas, Chukiat will see the release of 4 Romance (Fan Waan Aai Joop, ฝัน-หวาน-อาย-จูบ), a four-segment omnibus in which he participates along with Prachya Pinkaew, Bhandit Thongdee and Rachen Limtrakul. With romance as the overarching main theme, the film also seeks to explore four different genres - comedy, action, musical and drama.
Set for release on Christmas Day by Sahamongkol Film International, 4 Romance looks to be following the successful formula laid out by rival studio GTH with the horror omnibus 4bia, and to a certain extent GTH's ensemble romance Hormones. It will also be facing competition on Christmas from the teen-oriented musical comedy Super Hap, and will be contending with the sheer spectacle of Baz Luhrmann's Australia as well as the animated Madagascar 2.
But 4 Romance has the solid success of the critically acclaimed Love of Siam to build on, and it features the stars of Love of Siam, among them Mario Maurer and "Pitch" Witwisit Hiranyawongkul. They are just a small part of the sprawling ensemble cast.
Chukiat is directing the musical segment called Dream (Fan), which features Pitch and the August band. There's also a music video for the band's song, "Kwam Rak" ("Love").
Mario is featured in Joop (Kiss), which is directed by Rashane, a producer at RS Film, but he also edited Chocolate. I guess this is the action segment, seeing how much of the trailer for 4 Romance (embedded below) is taken up by Mario and his mug, which has been beaten and bloodied. Turns out all he was trying to do was keep his girlfriend's first kiss stolen by another guy.
Prachya directs Waan (Sweet), starring the versatile Shahkrit Yamnarm and Suthida Kasemsan na Ayutthaya as a couple whose romance has seen better times. "Saipan" Apinya Sakuljaroensuk figures into this segment somehow.
Shy (Aai), directed by Bhandit, stars actress "Tan" Kanya Rattanaphet (girl-next-door Ling from Love of Siam), and a new face actor, "Boy" Pakorn Chadborirak. I can't quite make out what the segment is all about, except that involves the couple at the beach, giving each other significant glances from a distance.
And there's lots more about 4 Romance at Bangkok of the Mind, which despite a threat of going on hiatus also has been dishing up the latest on the impressionable young Mario and his new manager.
Thailand's National Film Archive needs to build another climate-controlled vault to make space to preserve more Thai cinema classics. In all, 10 million baht is needed to complete the project.
The Archive has put together more than 500 master copies of classic films and now needs a place to put them.
The current vault holds about 1,000 films, and there's only space for 20 more. Films needs to be kept at a temperature of around 4 degrees Celsius and at a humidity level of around 30 percent - hardly the natural conditions in Thailand. Without climate control, the films literally burn up in their cans.
The Thai Film Foundation is working to help raise money by putting on an event from 2 to 10pm on Saturday (December 20) at the Archive in Salaya, Nakhom Pathom. Ruam Hua Chuay Hor Nang On will feature a market, music by Phumijit, the Bang Lamphoo Band and Sunday Morning, and screenings of Apichatpong Weerasethakul's short films, Luminous People and Morakot.
If you can't make it Saturday, there will hopefully be other fund-raising events in the coming weeks.
Also, donations can be made at Kasikorn bank, Mungkorn Road sub-branch, savings account "Kongtoon Sang Hong Yen Keb Nang Thai by Moon Nithi Nang Thai," 605-2-01111-4.
(Via Daily Xpress and Bangkok News & Reviews; cross-published at Bangkok Cinema Scene)
Just as it was starting to come into its own, the DVD label BCI Eclipse has been shut down by parent company Navarre Corporation.
The sad news comes from Mark Pollard at Kung Fu Cinema.
BCI Eclipse had acquired the rights to some of Tony Jaa's pre-Ong-Bak efforts with Panna Rittikrai. A forthcoming release, Hard Gun, was planned for January 6, but now it's uncertain what will become of that.
Previous BCI Eclipse releases have included Tony's and Panna's Spirited Killer as well DVDs and Blu-rays of the Mono Film action-fantasies, The Tiger Blade and Vengeance.
Navarre said BCI Eclipse had not been profitable for the past two years. The company is being shut down as part of a restructuring effort by Navarre in an effort “to deal with the effect of the recession", Navarre CEO Cary Deacon is quoted as saying in a press release.
BCI Eclipse was purchased by Navarre in 2003. The label had previously been known as Brentwood and was notorious for its box-set releases of public-domain works and unlicensed films. But as BCI Eclipse, the company had big plans, acquiring the rights to release some of Celestial's Shaw Brothers films, some Rarescope titles and springing some old kung-fu classics from the Miramax vaults.
Pollard has the last word:
What will become of these titles as well as BCI’s other unreleased martial arts films is up for speculation at this point. Navarre may let this most recent round of releases through and sift through the remaining library in order to decide which titles to keep or discard/sell off. We’ll have to wait and see.
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