One’s from Berlin, the other from Bristol; one drops deep rooted house, the other funky and euphoric sets; one’s a legend, the other an up-and-comer. But both these DJs represent the sound of the future, says I-S.

Alex Barck

Who: Part of the iconic six-man group Jazzanova, Berlin native Alex Barck has been spreading the group’s jazz-influenced dance music for more than a decade. With fans like Gilles Peterson acknowledging their innovative sound and meticulous production, trust Barck to carry the flag of tomorrow’s sound with his incredible DJ sets.

Music: Soul, funk and afro-rhythm tunes are on the cards and Barck’s distinct sounds are represented in deep-rooted grooves and beats. Focusing more on the organic side of music with raw percussion and succinct bass-lines, Barck’s known to work the crowd into a frenzy with his progressive mixes.

Crowd: Expect hip-shaking hipsters, Champagne twirlers and chronically fashionable types.

DISCO:VERY with Alex Barck of Jazzanova and Jeremy Boon is on Mar 4, 10pm. Velvet Underground, 17 Jiak Kim St., 6738-2988. $28-35 includes two drinks

Marc Vedo

Who: The up-and-coming Portuguese-English DJ, producer and promoter hailing from Bristol has helmed the decks at leading clubs around the world. From Godskitchen, Ministry of Sound and Eden, Ibiza, Vedo has been dubbed the “rising force in the international dance scene” and the “next Sasha” by leading publications. At only 26-years-old, he has already bagged 10 years of DJing experience.

Music: Eclectic choice cuts of danceable favorites from house to trance. Whatever his essential selection is going to be, expect to dance till your shoes come off.

Crowd: With a broad palate of sound, we anticipate a more diverse and up-for-it gathering.

Koolwaters 10th Anniversary feat. Marc Vedo is on Mar 5, 10pm. Stereolab, G/F Pan Pacific Singapore, 7 Raffles Blvd., 6337-0800. $28 includes one drink.

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.

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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.

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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.

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With the Academy Awards happening this week, we decided to take a break from the bling of Hollywood and look ahead to what Thai films are set to make a big impact at local cinemas this year. We even break it down by genre to make it easier for you to find your next favorite Thai movie. (If you must, the Oscars are on Feb 27 in L.A. That’s Feb 28, 8am, our time. See the ceremony live on True Visons’ Star Movies.)

Action & Blockbuster

King Naresuan III and King Naresuan IV

Buzz: Like a bus, you wait a long time for one sequel to come along and then two come at once. Finally, we get to see what the the Ministry of Culture’s money has gone towards. Long awaited, these nationalistic tales are set to be the biggest blockbusters this year.
In theaters: 11 March 2011 and 11 August 2011, respectively
Studio: Prommitr Production and Sahamongkol Film International
Director: Prince Chatrichalerm Yukol
Stars: Captain Wanchana Sawasdee, Ja Panom, Major Winthai Suvaree, Noppachai Chainam, Inthira Charoenpura, Taksaorn Paksukcharern, Sorapong Chatree
Synopsis: In the third film, King Naresuan has won independence for the Thai people but is forced to fight again after a Chinese spy, sent by his Khmer enemies, escapes by Junk, culminating in an epic river battle. In the final installment, the action returns to terra firma as the Burmese army attempts to destroy Ayutthaya and capture King Naresuan.

Jak Ka Ran

Buzz: Dubbed the “B100 million-director,” famous comedian Mum Jokmok looks to continue his recent box office successes with his latest action comedy, which also stars the Kung Fu queen Jeeja.
In theaters: Not dated yet
Studio: Sahamongkol Film International
Director: Petchtai Wongkamlao (Mum Jokmok)
Stars: Yanin – Jeeja Vismistananda, Mum Jokmok, Boriboon – Tak Chanroeng Janreung, Arisa Rodsonthi and the Chuanchuen comedy group.
Synopsis: The story of a mischievous and fearless girl, Jak Ka Ran (Jeeja) who lives with her uncle (Mum Jokmok). While the full plotline is still a closely-guarded secret we do know that the film will combine action and comedy as we follow the lives of this unlikely pair.

Chocolate 2 (3D)

Buzz: Building on the success of the original, Jeeja is back as the badass, high-kicking autistic girl. Studio owner Somsak Techarattanaprasert, or Sia Jiang, has splashed a budget of over B100 million on the 3D martial arts sequel, claiming it will make Thai cinema proud.
In theaters: Not dated yet
Studio: Sahamongkol Film International
Director Prachya Pinkaew
Stars: Yanin “Jeeja” Vismistananda, Hiroshi Abe
Synopsis: Half Thai-half Japanese, Zen (Jeeja) is an autistic girl who struggles to interact with people socially but happens to be hot shit at learning and performing martial arts. The setting for this follow up is Japan; where Masashi, Zen’s father who also happens to be a card-carrying yakuza, decides to retire from the gangster life to take care of his daughter, a decision that sparks the beginnings of new conflicts.

Behind the scenes

We talk to Kunakorn Sethi, producer of King Naresuan

What were the biggest challenges on this project?
It has to be converting all the original historical texts into a visual experience. It meant having to create a new set for nearly every single scene. For the two sequels, 60% of what you see are new sets while the other 40% are sets developed from the previous movies.

What is the toughest scene in the movie?
Well, for the third film it had to be the naval battle while for the fourth movie it is filming the elephant battle. For the naval battle King Naresuan fights against the spy on the river but the trouble is no one knew what it was actually like. We had to build seven boats for King Naresuan’s fleet. Each boat took at least a year to build and there were at least 60 people paddling each boat. For the elephant battle, it’s not as simple as just filming a battle scene. We had to study why they went to war, how they actually fought each other, before designing how it would pan out. It’s very tough, especially controlling the elephants. It’s hard to stop them colliding with each other. We ended up taking three months to shoot separate shots for this battle scene. The whole thing will last only 3 minutes on screen.

After completing such a mega project are there any areas that need to be improved in the Thai film industry?
Technically we can stand alongside any other crew in the world, even Hollywood. But in my opinion, the only thing that we need to improve is our screenplay creation. I feel that everything is all the same, either comedies or ghost stories. We need to invent some new thing for the industry.

More genres:

Horror

Romantic Comedy

Drama

Coming Soon:  What Hollywood has in Store for us in 2011

Essentials

GAP. 1/F, Siam Paragon, 02-269-1000,
www.gap.com
Greyhound. Try 3/F, Siam Center, 02-251-4917. www.greyhound.co.th
Playhound. 3/F, Central Chidlom, 02-254-3670.
Shake Appeal. 3/F, Mathematics, Siam Center, 02-658-1000.

The folks: The estate in southern France is owned by the Sumeire family and goes back three generations. Currently under the direction of Regine Sumeire, it’s a feel good tale of family dedication, particularly in a region whose wines are not nearly as famous as Bordeaux or Champagne. What’s more, they are certified “bio,” Euro-speak for organic, which always makes us feel all warm and fuzzy.

The grape: This rosé is a blend of no less than eight varietals, including familiar ones like Cabernet Sauvignon (4%) and very local ones like Mourvedre (5%). The two most prominent grapes are Grenache (29%) which, despite being low in acid and tannins, lends berry flavors and high alcohol, and Cinsault (pronounced “san-so,” 38%), also rich in berry flavors.

The label: This wine has an appellation from Cotes de Provence, a region in southern France famous for its rosés, so they know what they’re doing. Further evidence that these guys are serious is found on the back of the bottle which contains notes on how the wine was made—very rustically, from the sound of it, with hand-picked grapes that are lightly pressed (which ensures the nicest, most aromatic juices).

The look: Very intriguing, clear but with an intense color that’s hard to pin down: salmon pink with copper hints. If you’re a newcomer to rosé, you’ll feel a little seduced by the lovely color.

The smell: Lots of booze on the nose. You might think of rosés as wimpy wines, but this one packs a very respectable 13.5% alcohol level. Some unexpectedly warm honey and melon aromas, which is a nice surprise since one might anticipate little but berries. It’s pretty fruity, though—that is, not much herb or spice.

The sip: Medium-bodied and subtle, semi-dry, hints of melon, honey and strawberries, with a mineral and ever so slight herbal note at the end and a long finish. Nice.

The food: Perfect for an aperitif, but as a delicate pink wine, it’s a good choice for your romantic dinner as well. Have it with some simple, unadorned seafood like salmon.

The damage: B995 from Italasia Showroom, G/F All Seasons Place, CRC Building, Wireless Rd., 02-685-3862. Mrigaa Sethi

Used drinking cans, bits of paper, and rusty metal sheets aren’t exactly things you’d want to put on display at home. But once they’ve been converted from their original state to works of wonder such as ceiling lamps made from aluminium sheets and chairs made from Coke bottles, they’re another story altogether. Why don’t you do good to the environment and avoid wastage by investing in one of these clever home decor pieces?

Made From: Newspapers
Recycled newspaper container and vase $99-250 from Egg3
Newspapers may be considered ephemeral to fickle society but to artists, they’re a continuous source of inspiration. Pop your next flower arrangement into this innovative vase made of recycled newspapers. Or pick up this chic container you can store your coasters in.

Made From: Aluminium Sheets
Circumference lamp $2,990 from Strangelets
Designer John Wischhusen, whose works revolve around his research on sustainable lighting, has twisted and turned old aluminum sheets into a trendy piece de resistance for the home. The Circumference Lamp is a pendant light with five individual light sources while the Clamp has 12 light sources. Both can be disassembled easily for future recycling.

Made From: Graphic Novels
Crisis on Infinite Chair $490 from Like That One
A chair is not just a chair, once in the crafty hands of master recycling duo Belle and Cheu. This one’s had some nifty decoupage work done using pages from the world’s best loved comics. Who doesn’t fancy sitting atop classic depictions of Superman, Wonder Woman and Flash Gordon?

Made From: Coke Bottles
Emeco 111 Navy Chair $350 from Space
If you think people who randomly collect drink bottles are weird, you obviously haven’t seen this radical piece of work—the remake of the iconic aluminum chair originally designed in 1944 for the US Navy. As solid and practically indestructible as the legendary classic, each plastic chair was made using at least 111 Coke bottles.

Made From: Recycled Teak
Bedside table $350 from Originals
It’s quite rare to come across unwanted pieces of quality wood such as teak here but in Indonesia, it’s a different ball game. Driven by the amount of waste (one man’s trash is another’s treasure, after all) churned out there, furniture designers like the ones at Originals have created pieces like this rustic bedside table made of recycled teak—restored and whitewashed to add character to your living space.

Egg3 #04-26 Mandarin Gallery, 333A Orchard Rd., 6887-5815, www.eggthree.com. See website for other locations. | Like That One #01-02 Skytech, 2 Bukit Batok St. 24, 6560-9168. | Space 2/F Millennia Walk, 9 Raffles Blvd., 6415-0000. | Strangelets 87 Amoy St., 6222-1456. | Originals #02-03 Sime Darby Centre, 896 Dunearn Rd., 6471-9918.