TOP BOOT ON MY HEAD (VASAN SITTHIKET, A+++++)

THINGS EXPERIENCED DURING 16-22 OCTOBER 2007

A.FEATURE FILMS

1.SERAPHIM FALLS (2006, David Von Ancken, A)
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/512x2mEKZmL._SS500_.jpg

2.PLEASURE FACTORY (2007, Ekachai Uekrongtham, A)

3.CLERKS II (2006, Kevin Smith, A-)

4.BOYFRIEND (2007, Saravuth Intaraprom, A-)
This is a Thai gay animation.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2152/1692871169_3e75c126af_o.jpg

5.APARTMENT 1303 (2007, Ataru Oikawa, B+)
Ataru Oikawa directed TOMIE (1999, B)

--I saw only the first hour of EN CONSTRUCCION (2001, Jose Luis Guerin), but then the DVD got stuck and we couldn’t watch it any more. It is very unfortunate for us. From the first hour, EN CONSTRUCCION looks very promising. It shows bits of lives of many people around the construction site. Some of them seem to have very interesting lives—such as the girl who dominated her boyfriend. Some of them look very interesting, such as an old tenant who stared at the construction site. I don’t know exactly how he felt, because he didn’t tell us. But looking at his eyes made me feel very sad.

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B.“DAE PRA POO SONG THAM” or THE SHORT FILM PROJECT IN COMMEMORATION OF THE CELEBRATION ON THE AUSPICIOUS OCCASION OF HIS MAJESTY THE KING’S 80TH BIRTHDAY ANNIVERSARY (2007)

You can read Wise Kwai's review on this omnibus film here:
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/vine/journal_view.php?journalid=100000335&entryid=454047&view=public

In my preferential order:

1.METEORITES (Apichatpong Weerasethakul, A+)

I don't know how this film is connected to the theme of the omnibus film, or the English title "METEORITES". But I think it has an unforced lyricism, and make the lyricism of SILENCIO and THE MOST BEAUTIFUL MAN IN THE WORLD seems "forced".

I can't remember much about what happens in this film. If I remember anything wrongly, I apologize in advance. The first part of it is like a home movie. We see a family going picnic in countryside. We hear they talk about many things which seem unimportant, such as how to make a cat staying at home by burning its moustache. We see the view of countryside through the windows of a car while hearing the passengers in the car talking. This scene reminds me of a short film called KUALA (2001, Christelle Lheureux, A+), in which we can hear two people talking in a car, but we never see their faces. If I understand it correctly, one person in the car in KUALA is Apichatpong.

Coming back to METEORITES, we see a little boy walking and telling the cameraman to stop shooting him. Then we see a man lying on his bed, with moving images of some sea animals superimposed on the image of the man. Then we see his dream. In his dream, he goes to a beach. This dream part of the film may explain the Thai title of this film –NIMIT—which means dream.

Does this film have a binary structure like other films of Apichatpong? Well, maybe. The first part of the film is like a home movie or a personal documentary. The second part is the fictional dream, which seems to be in stylized grainy images, contrasting to the first part which seems to be shot simply by a video camera.

Why do I like this film the most? Well, it's hard to explain the feelings conjured by watching Apichatpong's films. I just feel the most comfortable watching it. It's just like watching some ordinary happy lives or ordinary happy moments of some Thai people, without emphasizing the happiness or the Thainess. The most impressive thing in it is the ordinariness. Apichatpong magically transforms ordinary moments into sublime moments again.


2.SILENCIO (Sivaroj Kongsakul, A+)

3.THE MOST BEAUTIFUL MAN IN THE WORLD (Phuttiphong Aroonpheng, A)

4.THE SANCTUARY OF SEA (Pramtanee Wongprommed, Supharut Boonmayam, A)

5.THE TALE (Pornsak Sukongkarattanakul, A)

6.NORASINGHA (Wisit Sasanatieng, A)

7.LUMINOUS SOUND (Pen-Ek Ratanarueng, A-)

8.MY FIRST REPORT (Bhandit Rittakol, A-)

9.9TH GIFT (Araya Booncherd, A-)


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C. MOVING IMAGES IN "FROM MESSAGE TO MEDIA" (A+)

This is an exhibition at Bangkok University Gallery. You can read Matthew Hunt's review of this exhibition at:
http://www.matthewhunt.com/blog/2007/10/from-message-to-media_20.html

I would like to divide this exhibition into two parts: moving images and still images. Moving images shown in this exhibition include music videos, video arts, video sculpture, video installations, etc. The titles of them are:

(In roughly preferential order)

(The length of each video listed here is approximated by my mind. It's not the real exact length.)

1.TOP BOOT ON MY HEAD (Vasan Sitthiket, 5 min, A+)
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2254/1692871185_728c9583c2_o.jpg

2.TO REACH THE MARS (PAI HAI TUENG DAUNG DAO ANGKARN) (Vasan Sitthiket, 8 min, A+)

3.GOOD BYE THAILAND (SELF KIDNAPPER) A TRAGEDY (Vasan Sitthiket, 3 min, A+)

4.THERE MUST BE SOMETHING HAPPEN (RUANG KHONG GOO, VIPASANA) (Vasan Sitthiket, 10 min, A+)

5.HOW TO MAKE A GOOD ART FOR GET WIN AWARD (Vasan Sitthiket, 10 min, A+)

6.BON VOYAGE (2002, Kamol Phaosavasdi, 8 min, A+)

7.MODE OF MORAL BEING (1996, Kamol Phaosavasdi, 20 min, A+)
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2046/1692871213_ab026bd550_o.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2189/1692871191_986c87de43_o.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2271/1693044761_e8aa848eb1_o.jpg


8.STILL ANIMATION (FAMILY PORTRAIT) (2002, Wit Pimkanchanapong, A+)
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2035/1693044797_11aa9504be_o.jpg

9.I MANNING MYSELF AROUND (Vasan Sitthiket, 5 min, A+)

10.READING INAOW FOR FEMALE CORPSE (2001, Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook, , 5 min, A)
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2249/1693954342_bf8dfa4921_o.jpg

11.BLUE LAUGHTER (1987, Apinan Poshyananda, 5 min, A)
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2079/1692871363_44d1b52316_o.jpg

12.HOW TO EXPLAIN ART TO A BANGKOK COCK (1985, Apinan Poshyananda, 10 min, A)
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2070/1692871217_804e2ddcd9_o.jpg


13.MATERIAL'S LIFE (2002, Amrit Chusuwan, A)
This is sound art with some moving images projected onto a glass door.

14.FLOWER BED (2004, Porntaweesak Rimsakul, 3 min, A-)
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2035/1693044819_6dc0770b3d_o.jpg

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D. STILL IMAGES IN "FROM MESSAGE TO MEDIA"

1.HORROR IN PINK (2001, Manit Sriwanichpoom, A+)
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2360/1693044709_0b479d6e66_o.jpg

2.SELF PORTRAIT (2002, Michael Shaowanasai, A+)
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2077/1693044773_6ee5fead5b_o.jpg

3.Photos by Dansoung Sungvornveshapan (A)
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2310/1693044725_50bd3bc410_o.jpg

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E.ONLINE VIDEO CLIP

KITTYPIE (2007, Jennifer MacMillan, A+)

You can watch this film from the link below:
http://invisiblecinema.typepad.com/invisible_cinema/2007/08/kittypie-by-jen.html

It's a very beautiful film consisting of repeated images of a cat in beautiful daylight, colorful paints, and ethereal soundtrack by Alex Zhort. Somehow I feel as if this film is the opposite of David Lynch's films. I mean David Lynch's films make me feel "the magical realm of darkness", but KITTYPIE make me feel "the magical realm of light". KITTYPIE is definitely one of the most visually beautiful films I have seen this year, and its soundtrack is one of my most favorite soundtracks this year, too.