“Just Go With It is so dispiritingly awful that responsible cinema staff should make audiences remove their ties and shoelaces on their way into the auditorium.” Peter Bradshaw, Guardian

“It’s abundantly clear that Sandler is caught in his own memory gap. As he wrestles with an uncomfortable middle age, he’s either forgotten or ceased to care about how to make people laugh.” Peter Howell, Toronto Star

“To describe Just Go With It as another failed romantic comedy would imply that at one time it wanted to succeed as romantic comedy.” Gary Thompson, Philadelphia Daily News

“Ever been so starved of entertainment you’ve tried to see how far you can push a pencil into your ear before hitting your eardrum?” Elliott Noble, Sky Movies

“You may root for Sandler and Aniston to just ‘go with it,’ but only so you can be done with it.” Stella Papamichael, Digital Spy

Prequel/sequel

While we can’t say we’re excited about the likes of Final Destination 5 or Scream 4 there are plenty of more exciting follow-up movies on the horizon. Things really kick off in May with the launch of three big hitters. First up, Johnny Depp reprises Captain Jack for the fourth time in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides where he’s joined by Penelope Cruz and Ian McShane in the search for the Fountain of Youth. Equally over the top, and also aimed at kids, Kung Fu Panda 2 returns with Po (Jack Black) back to protect the valley of peace from a villain bent on using a secret weapon to destroy China. Finally in May, we get the chance to see how Bangkok compares to Vegas with the launch of Hangover Part II—expect plenty of disapproval here. Cars 2 is the next sequel to race onto the big screen in June with Lightning and Mater travelling the world in a James Bond inspired spy storyline before Harry, Hermione and Ron battle it out with Voldemort in the final installment of the magic movie franchise Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (July). We’d mention the latest Transformers called Dark of the Moon (yes the title doesn’t make sense) but the last one was so bad we kinda lost interest in giant shape-changing robots.

Haven’t we seen this before?

When there isn’t a sequel to make, Hollywood can always just look through the old movie archive for inspiration. This summer is no exception with a whole host of remakes starting off with English funnyman and former playboy (Russell Brand) reviving a film starring another English funnyman and playboy (Dudley Moore), Arthur (April), in a comic tale about a funny English err playboy. Another blast from the 80s past is the return of Conan the Barbarian (August) to our big screens. No Arnie cameo in the remake but expect plenty of sword action and chiseled chests in this tale of revenge. More bare chests, well at least some sweaty singlets, in the remake of cult 80s dance movie Footloose, which is slated for release in October. If you didn’t see the original teen hit it involves plenty of rebellious pouting, a legendary 80s soundtrack and lots and lots of dancing. Less cheery by half is the final big remake of 2011. The revival of Sam Peckinpah’s controversial and violent Straw Dogs (September) about a young American academic and his wife terrorized by local thugs. James Mardsen takes on the Dustin Hoffman role while the setting has been transplanted from rural England to the deep South of America.

Action Jackson

Spiderman, Superman, Batman, Iron Man—you get the idea, comic heroes usually equal big bucks when transported to the big screen. So it’s no surprise that Hollywood continues to scour the comic books to find the next hit in 2011. Ryan Reynolds play a test pilot who is granted access to amazing powers and free membership to an intergalactic squad of peace keepers in The Green Lantern (July). Steve Rogers who played the human torch in 2007’s Fantastic Four, swaps fire for a shield as he becomes a super soldier with a nifty uniform in Captain America: The First Avenger (July). Even more retro is the screen appearance of Norse god Thor (May), who has been kicked out of the realm of Asgard and now must spend his days wandering around earth with his big hammer protecting us mortals. Finishing up the superheroes there’s also time for some old favorites with an X Men prequel. In X Men: First Class (June) we go back to a time when Professor X and Magneto were best friends, not archenemies, and used their new found powers to save the world.

BK Picks

A film that does get us excited is Cowboys & Aliens (July) starring Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford and Sam Rockwell, it features hardcore aliens and very craggy cowboys kicking off in a mashup sci-fi western. Oh and it’s directed by Jon Favreau who did Iron Man. Mashups like this could be the next hot trend, with Natalie Portman set to star in a movie version of 2009 hit novel Pride and Prejudice & Zombies very soon. More aliens come in the form of the J.J. Abrams (Star Trek) project, Super 8 (Jun), about an alien escaping enroute to Area 51. Finally, a very different type of monster is at large in Kevin Smith’s (Clerks, Chasing Amy) new movie Red State (Oct), a horror film loosely based around the activities of Right wing American religious groups like the Westboro Baptist Church.

<< BACK TO MAIN PAGE

DRAMA

Headshot

Buzz: One of Thai cinema’s most exciting director’s Pen-Ek (6ixtynin9, Last Life in the Universe) returns with a modern film noir about a man trying to forget his past but whose past—and karma—won’t forget. The film is an adaptation of the novel Fon Tok Keun Fa (Rain Falling up to the Sky) by award-winning writer Win Leowarin.
In theaters: 14 July 2011
Studio: Local Color Films
Director: Pen-ek Ratanaruang
Stars: Chris Horwang, Peter-Noppachai Chainam, Joey Boy, Theeradanai Suwanhom
Synopsis: Tul (Peter), a hitman, is shot in the head during an assignment and when he wakes after a two-month coma he finds that he sees everything upside down, literally. He goes back to his job, but his new affliction doesn’t make things easy and he starts to doubt what he does for a living. But karma’s a bitch, and the past starts to catch up with him. Then he meets a girl that turns his world even more upside down. Plus, who was trying to kill him in the first place?

Shambala

Buzz: Picking heartthrobs Ananda and Sunny for your movie already has fans salivating but we’re equally excited about the epic views of Tibet in this brotherly tale of real and spiritual journeys.
In theaters: 23 June 2011
Studio: Sahamongkol
Director: Panjapong Kongkanoi
Stars: Ananda Everingham, Sunny Suwanmethanon, Osa Wang
Synopsis : Wut and Tin are brothers who have totally different attitudes towards life. Wut, the older of the two, follows his dream to go to Shambala, a mythical kingdom hidden somewhere in Tibet, leaving the burden of family responsibility to his younger brother. Tin finally decides to go find his brother and ask why he left his family in the first place.

Poompuang (The Moon)

Buzz: The latest project by director Prachya Pinkaew (Chocolate, Tom Yum Goong, Ong-bak) takes a very different direction from his normal martial art driven films. Based on the unauthorized biography Duangchan Tee Jak Pai from SEA write winner, Binla Sankalakhiri, it tells the ultimately tragic tale of famous Luk Thung singer, Poompueng Deuangchan.
In theaters: Not dated yet
Studio: Sahamongkol Film International and Baramyoo
Director: Prachya Pinkaew
Stars: Nattawut Sakidjai, Paowalee Pornpimol
Synopsis: The true story of an illiterate girl, Numpueng, whose incredible voice sees her escape the poverty of her childhood on a sugarcane farm to become the queen of luk tung. The movie follows her meteoric rise, and her struggles leading up to her untimely death at the age of 31 from leukemia.

Behind the Scenes

Pen-ake Ratanaruang, director of Headshot

What is exciting about this project?
This is the first time that we’re doing a film without a film studio’s money. All my previous films have been financed by big studios, with some additional financing from abroad. We kick-started this project with some investment from the Thai government and then we raised the additional investment from abroad. We also don’t have a Thai distributor, so we’re talking to some cinema chains to release the films ourselves. Apart from making the film as special as we can, we’re also working on the website and Facebook to promote the film and have fun with our audience.
And what’s challenging?
Our last few films have been slow and meditative, high on atmosphere and low on storyline. This project is a return to the more commercial style we used to do six-seven years ago, the kind of movie along the lines of Mon-Rak Transistor and 6ixty nin9. It’s plot driven, fun to watch over and over again and a bit faster. The challenge is to pull this off successfully. It’s been a while since we took this route.
Has the Thai film industry improved?
We’re still trying to copy Hollywood films without having the pool of talent, budget, and resources that Hollywood has. Another thing is censorship. It still doesn’t make sense that we have a ratings system but then the authorities still ban films. And the reason for banning those films is always the same tired reason, to protect Thai citizens from watching something that would be harmful to them. Let mature Thai citizens watch those films and decide for themselves! The reason we implemented rating system, I thought, was to stop censoring films.

<< BACK TO MAIN PAGE

ROMANTIC COMEDY

Love Julinsee

Buzz: Being set at the Big Mountain concert and having a soundtrack by Paradox would be enough to put this film on our radar without the added buzz of the trailer getting banned for showing two teenagers actually kissing (shock, horror) in this romantic comedy about first love.
In theaters: 3 March 2011
Studio: M39
Director: Chainarong Tampong and Sakol Tiachareon
Stars: Jirayu La-Ongmanee, Apinya Sakulchareonsuk, Alex Rendell, Tisanat Sornsuek, Kamolnut Chalwanitchsut, Irada Siriwut, Nutcha Chantapan and Nuttapong Piboonthanakiet
Synopsis: The Big Mountain concert is the setting for four separate stories of first love. Now and Yo are both waiting for each other to say the words “I love you”? Pla is a musician who goes to the concert to forget her former playboy boyfriends. Fon looks back to the memorable times she had with her junior at school, while best friends, Yok and Eue, realize that things have got complicated since they became a couple.

Suckseed

Buzz: A teen flick that originated from a final university movie project by a former Thai Airway’s steward. Intriguing enough, but this movie has now been given an added touch of polish by feel-good studio GTH, who just made B130 million from last year’s runaway hit movie Hello Stranger and yes, cute boys Jirayu and Pachorn.
In theaters: 17 March 2011
Studio: GTH
Director: Chayanop Boonprakob
Stars: Jirayu La-Ongmanee, Pachorn Jirathiwat, Natcha Nualjam, Thawatch Pornrattanaprasert
Synopsis: Ped (Jirayu), an out of touch sixth grade student, learns to love music and find love thanks to Earn, his cool classmate, only for his heart to be broken when Earn has to move away. Six years later, Earn returns with a cool look and a real musical talent as a guitarist. Ped, still a loser, decides to create his own band to win her heart.

Behind the scenes

Chayanop Boonprakob, director of Suckseed

How did this project come about?
I actually made this movie as my final project at university, though the story is totally different from the new blockbuster version. The original story is about a band who post their performance on Youtube and get a very good response until they are invited to perform at a live concert. It turns out terrible as they suck and aren’t cool like in the video clip. But despite it all there is one fan whose love and devotion sees them finally become a success. The idea is that no matter how much you suck, you can still be an inspiration for others. A sequel was then made of my film by my junior at university.
How did it become a big screen movie?
Director Keng-Jira Malikul called me in to talk about this project while I still working as a flight attendant. He talked to me and my junior who made the sequel and asked us to create a new blockbuster version of Suckseed. And yes, I quit my flight attendant job.
Was it hard to make that decision?
Yes, but this was a once-in-a-lifetime offer! There are tons of people who want to be a director but they offered this job to me. I can be a steward for the rest of my life but being a director in my own movie project? This is it.
Did you feel under pressure?
I didn’t really feel pressured because I loved every minute of making this film. This is my dream. The only tough thing is just making all the actors, who are mostly newcomers, become closer to each other because they have to be really close friends in the movie. My tactic? I brought all of them to sleep over at my house and made them play games all night.

<< BACK TO MAIN PAGE

We speak to Billy Bautista of the famed La Monita Taqueria (Mahatun Plaza, Phloen Chit Rd., 02-650-9581) and get him to reveal the recipe for this chunky, crunchy and tart guacamole.

Ingredients

• 4 tomatoes, deseeded and diced
• ½ onion, diced
• 2 jalapeno chillies, diced (or substitute Thai prik kee noo)
• a handful of cilantro, chopped
• juice of 2 limes
• a pinch of cumin powder
• a pinch of salt
• 2 avocados, peeled, pitted and coarsely chopped
1. Combine the first seven ingredients in a large bowl to make salsa fresca.
2. Add a pinch of salt to the chopped avocado and lightly cut with a spoon.
3. Add the mixture from step 1, and combine, mashing to your desired level of chunkiness.

Pop Weaver: Kettle Corn

B108/box of 3 packs
Looks: Just like Emma Watson’s new haircut, some love it; others think it’s rather dull and dry. Judging by the lack of yellowy hue, it’s no secret that this popcorn isn’t packing any butter (for those who want to still fit into that red carpet gown).
Taste: Runner up to our BK Pick, it has the perfect balance between being a bit sweet and nicely salted, quite different from the kettle corn you would get at an American county fair.

Jolly Time: BUTTER LICIOUS

B136/box of 3 packs
Looks: Looks aren’t everything. This popcorn is utterly bland-looking, tiny, and has absolutely no puff to it. It’s just plain ugly.
Taste: They may be small, but these popped kernels are packed with real buttery goodness. The big crunch is the way movie popcorn should be, so you can obnoxiously munch away if the movie gets boring. The butter also tastes the most natural and is not oily like the others.

Pop Weaver: Extra Butter

B108/box of 3 packs
Looks: It has the best, most even color with a nice touch of yellow butter all round.
Taste: One of BK tasters dubbed this popcorn “a mix of cardboard and Indian pickles” and we have to agree that there’s definitely something vegetable-like about them. The smell of the butter leaves a weird staleness in your nose. Looks like canola oil is a bad idea.

Pop Secret: Movie Theatre Butter

B118/ box of 3 packs
Appearance: As big, fluffy and natural as Pamela Anderson’s cleavage.
Taste: Sometimes, it’s just too much. BK tasters agreed that this popcorn is trying too hard. Each puff is greasy and the butter tastes as artificial as its fluorescent yellow color suggests.

HORROR

Mae Nak 3D

Buzz: The 22nd remake of this well-known legend looks to offer something new with the first 3D version of the ghostly tale of love and loss.
In theaters: 20 September 2011
Studio: Bangkok Inter Group Film
Director: Pichai Noirod and Chotipan Nitiwat
Stars: Bongkot Kongmalai, Rangsiroj Panpeng
Synopsis: If you don’t know the story then we can only surmise you’ve been living under a stone. For those rock dwellers here it is again: Nak (played by the well-endowed Bongkot), a heavily pregnant woman, dies with her stillborn child while her husband, Mak, is away for war. When Mak returns, he doesn’t know that his family is dead and continues to live with Nak unaware that she is actually a ghost.

Gancore Gud

Buzz: Thailand’s most famous rapper Joey Boy makes his directorial debut with Gancore Gud, which also happens to feature all the members of Gancore Club getting stuck on an island. Horror, hip hop and girls in bikinis—sounds like a teenage boy’s wet dream.
In theaters: June 2011
Studio: Phranakorn Film
Director: Apisit Opas-iamlikit aka Joey Boy
Stars: Joey Boy and the Club members
Synopsis: Joey Boy and his Gancore Club play a group of musicians on tour who find themselves stuck on an island inhabited by a host of scary creatures from zombies to mermaids.

Ladda Land

Buzz: Based on a famous real life ghost story about a housing development in Chiang Mai which was eventually abandoned as a creepy wasteland due to a series of deaths and some spooky goings on. Directed by horror pro Sopon Sakdapisit (Coming Soon) and starring Nuvo guitarist Saharat, we just feel this could end up being another Shutter.
In theaters: April 2011
Studio: GTH
Director: Sopon Sakdapisit
Stars: Saharat Sankhprija, Piyathida Woramusik
Synopsis: Thee (Saharat), a harassed office employee, looks to escape the nagging of his wife’s family by moving to Chiang Mai and buying a house at new development Ladda Land. This perfect new life doesn’t last long as the house’s bloody past leads to some terrifying encounters.

Behind the Scenes

Apisit Opas-iamlikit aka Joey Boy, director of Gancore Gud

What inspired you to make this film?
I’m a big fan of zombie films with my favorites being Dawn of the Dead and The Evil Dead. Ghosts for me just aren’t scary. I wouldn’t say that the creatures in my film are zombies, they’re just from the same genre as zombies. I wouldn’t exactly say it’s a horror movie either. It’s really hard to define, but I guess I would label it a black comedy. There are elements of comedy in the film, but if you imagine yourself as one of the characters in the film, then you’ll realize that the things that are happening to them are not funny at all.
From rapper to director, what was the biggest challenge?
It’s a bit harder taking on all of the roles myself. It’s simpler for me as an actor because I’m just playing myself. The hardest part about being the director is being in charge of the production and operational aspects of the film. It’s my directorial debut, so there are a lot of challenges. It’s not just about me anymore. Now I have to also manage a very large team of people. I’m lucky to have an excellent team to help me out.
Were there any specific challenges that you faced during the production that you’ve never encountered before?
Yes, many. The film was set in a forest, so I was there every day. It’s always raining there, with bugs and everything, so it was quite torturous. The film also turned out to have more action sequences than I had originally planned. Sometimes I would cuss myself for writing such a difficult scene. At first, it was just good times you know, throw in some babes in bikinis into some scenes, that sort of thing. But as it goes on, there are just more and more scenes that are just utterly brutal.

<< BACK TO MAIN PAGE