PLAYING THE VICTIM (KIRILL SEREBRENNIKOV, A+++++)

FILMS SEEN IN THE WORLD COMEDY FILM FESTIVAL

In roughly preferential order

1.PLAYING THE VICTIM (2006, Kirill Serebrennikov, Russia, A+)

2.CERTIFIABLY JONATHAN (2008, Jim Pasternak, USA, A+)

3.BLIND PIG WHO WANTS TO FLY (2008, Edwin, Indonesia, A+)

Wise Kwai wrote about this film here
http://thaifilmjournal.blogspot.com/2009/06/world-comedy-film-festival-capsule.html

4.CHEESE HEAD (2006, Ariel Winograd, Argentina, A+)

5.STEALTH (2008, Lionel Baier, France, A+)

6.EAGLE VS SHARK (2008, Taika Waititi, New Zealand, A+)

7.KINNUNEN (2007, Andri Luup, Estonia, A+)

8.DRIVING TO ZIGZIGLAND (2006, Nicole Ballivian, USA/Palestine, A+)

9.WELCOME TO THE STICKS (2008, Dany Boon, France, A+)

10.KIDNAPPING, CAUCASIAN STYLE (1967, Leonid Gaidai, Soviet, A)

11.OPERATION Y AND OTHER SHURIK’S ADVENTURES (1965, Leonid Gaidai, Soviet, A)

12.FRIDAY 12 (2009, Vladimir Zaikin, Russia, B+)

13.LOVE MATTERS (2009, Jack Neo + Gilbert Chan, Singapore, B+)

14.SKILLS LIKE THIS (2008, Monty Miranda, Canada, B-)

THE FEAST (2007, MIMMO CALOPRESTI, A+++++)

FILMS SEEN IN THE ITALIAN FILM FESTIVAL

In roughly preferential order

1.THE FEAST (2007, Mimmo Calopresti, A+)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0808323/

2.SALTY AIR (2006, Alessandro Angelini, A+)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0805488/

3.MS. F. (2007, Wilma Labate, A+)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1147770/

4.THE RIGHT DISTANCE (2007, Carlo Mazzacurati, A+)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0951279/

5.IL DIVO (2008, Paolo Sorrentino, A+)

6.ONE OF TWO (2006, Eugenio Cappuccio, A+)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0928177/

7.THE EARLY BIRD CATCHES THE WORM (2008, Francesco Patierno, A+)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1087864/

8.THE FAMILY FRIEND (2006, Paolo Sorrentino, A)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0772105/

9.A JOURNEY CALLED LOVE (2002, Michele Placido, A)

10.MATER NATURA (2005, Massimo Andrei, A/A-)

11.CARAVAGGIO (2007, Angelo Longoni, A-)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0814042/

12.THE SECOND WEDDING NIGHT (2005, Pupi Avati, A-)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0474917/

13.THE BEST DAY (2006, Massimo Cappelli, A-/B+)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0907853/

14.13 AT A TABLE (2004, Enrico Oldoini, B+ )
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0420971/

COLOUR MY LIFE (2)

ALPSEE




BLACK NARCISSUS

BROTHER, DEAR BROTHER

LE BONHEUR (photo from dvdbeaver.com)

A FROZEN FLOWER

GATE OF HELL

I-BE AREA

I KNOW WHO KILLED ME

JULIET OF THE SPIRITS (photo from dvdbeaver.com)

KON GIN MIA

MY PRESENT

PARAPARUMPULIANPULIAN

SUSPIRIA

THE ROSE KING

TEARS OF THE BLACK TIGER

TICKET OF NO RETURN

POLL 59: COLOUR MY LIFE

My poll 59 is inspired by PARAPARUMPULIANPULIAN, a Thai short film with bold use of colours. I love the colours and many things in this film, which deals with many things in the life of a woman. I love the fact that the more heroine talks, the less her boyfriend and other people may understand her. And even she may not understand the true essence of herself. One of my most favorite scenes in this film is the scene in which we see someone putting some marbles into a glass of water, while we hear the heroine talks about how she tried to change her skin color in the past. This scene makes me feel as if the marbles represent something which is not the true essence of ourselves. Later, the heroine seems to understand her problems and herself better, and we see the marbles falling out of the glass of water. I think this film is very complex and I hope I can see it again.

Since this film deals with the mind of a woman, I think it is quite appropriate that the film uses colours like this.

(Some of the photos below are from dvdbeaver.com)

I LOVE THE COLOURS IN THESE FILMS/TV SERIES. WHICH ONES DO YOU LIKE?

1.ALPSEE (1994, Matthias Mueller, Germany)
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3654/3636099524_98eb7851d6_o.jpg


2.BLACK NARCISSUS (1947, Michael Powell + Emeric Pressburger, UK)
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3634/3636099534_cdeeecf7c0_o.jpg

3.LE BONHEUR (1965, Agnes Varda, France)
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film2/DVDReviews34/4_by_agnes_varda.htm
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3342/3636099538_67c531ee78_o.jpg

4.BROTHER, DEAR BROTHER (1991-1992, Usamu Dezaki, TV series)
http://quixium.com.phtemp.com/technogirls/brother.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_zy7pyLXbU
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3628/3635303213_b23a770256_o.jpg


5.THE DANTE QUARTET (1987, Stan Brakhage, USA)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61SzOGVdOnk

6.EDEN AND AFTER (1970, Alain Robbe-Grillet, France)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YauhheIq3Tk
I learned from an article in Filmvirus book that Robbe-Grillet hated green color very much.

7.A FROZEN FLOWER (2008, Ha Yu, South Korea)
You can read Tasana Tas’ review of this film in Thai in Bioscope magazine, June 2009’s issue.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3401/3636099514_e4b691510b_o.jpg


As for period films, I also like the colors in CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER (2006, Zhang Yimou, A-) very much.

8.GATE OF HELL (1953, Teinosuke Kinugasa, Japan)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0045935/
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2483/3635303201_191a541ba5_o.jpg

9.I-BE AREA (2007, Ryan Trecartin, USA)
http://www.ubu.com/film/trecartin_area.html
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2245/2253057804_35dce2dda2_o.jpg

10.I KNOW WHO KILLED ME (2007, Chris Sivertson, USA)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0897361/
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3594/3635303199_19a9f2aaf5_o.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3298/3635303191_520a1e5a98_o.jpg

11.JULIET OF THE SPIRITS (1965, Federico Fellini, Italy)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059229/
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/Reviews/jots.htm
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2450/3636099530_794f22d658_o.jpg


12.KON GIN MIA (THE MAN WHO ATE HIS WIVES) (1974, Dokdin Ganyamarn, Thailand)
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3590/3635303203_5d94edef3b_o.jpg


13.MY PRESENT (2009, Thitipun Techakitrungrueng, Thailand)
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3379/3636122172_fd021dba58_o.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3396/3636122168_ef6aa88e52_o.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2459/3635303215_b27319186d_o.jpg

14.PARAPARUMPULIANPULIAN (2009, Pawara Chatchawalpreecha, Thailand)
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3417/3576636010_2c3f8fe2bb_o.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3614/3636122186_879890189f_o.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2430/3636122176_88bc67ded3_o.jpg


15.THE ROSE KING (1986, Werner Schroeter, West Germany)
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2448/3636122192_fc2ac1d727_o.jpg

16.SUSPIRIA (1977, Dario Argento, Italy)
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3588/3636122194_eaa01544f0_o.jpg

17.TEARS OF THE BLACK TIGER (2000, Wisit Sasanatieng, Thailand)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0269217/
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3627/3635316495_8498fce609_o.jpg

18.TELL ME WHY (THE RIDDLE) (2000, Marcus Sternberg, music video of Paul Van Dyk featuring Saint Etienne)
http://www.blastro.com/player/paulvandyktellmewhy.html?detect_mediatype=flv&detect_bitrate=_300&big=1

19.TICKET OF NO RETURN (1979, Ulrike Ottinger, West Germany)
http://filmsick.exteen.com/20090326/ticket-of-no-return-ulrike-ottinger-1979-german
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3537/3636099522_6943678ec8_o.jpg


20.UNE VIE (1958, Alexandre Astruc, France)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052339/usercomments

You can cast multiple votes.

The theme song of this poll is COLOUR MY LIFE by M People
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHUWfE_sxEk

TOWN OF EVENING CALM, COUNTRY OF CHERRY BLOSSOMS IS THE WINNER

My poll 58 ended with six votes. Thanks very much to everyone who participated in it. Here is the result:



THESE LIVE-ACTION FILMS/TV SERIES ARE ADAPTED FROM COMIC BOOKS. WHICH ONES DO YOU LIKE?

1.TOWN OF EVENING CALM, COUNTRY OF CHERRY BLOSSOMS (2007, Kiyoshi Sasabe, from Fumiyo Kono)


It got 3 votes, or 50 %.



2.THE PUNISHER (2004, Jonathan Hensleigh)

It got 2 votes, or 33 %.


3.AMBROSIA (2005, Tadafumi Ito, from Kazuo Umezu)

+ANTIQUE (2008, Min Kyu-dong, from Fumi Yoshinaga)

+BUG'S HOUSE (2005, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, from Kazuo Umezu)

+DEATH NOTE (2005, Shusuke Kaneko, from Tsugumi Oba + Takeshi Obata)

+ELEKTRA (2005, Rob Bowman, from Frank Miller)

+FLASH GORDON (1980, Mike Hodges, from Alex Raymond)

+HOTEL HIBISCUS (2002, Yuji Nakae, from Miko Nakasone)

+NANA (2005, Kentaro Otani, from Ai Yazawa)

+THE PUNISHER (1989, Mark Goldblatt)

+SUKEBAN DEKA II (1985, TV series, from Shinji Wada)

+20TH CENTURY BOYS: CHAPTER TWO -- THE LAST HOPE (2009, Yukihiko Tsutsumi, from Naoki Urasawa)


Each of them got 1 vote, or 16 %.


14.CONSTANTINE (2005, Francis Lawrence, from Jamie Delano and Garth Ennis)

+HONEY & CLOVER (2006, Masahiro Takada, from Chika Umino)

+IMMORTEL (AD VITAM) (2004, Enki Bilal, from Enki Bilal)

+KITARO (2007, Katsuhide Motoki, from Shigeru Mizuki)

+200 POUNDS BEAUTY (2006, Kim Yong-hwa, from Yumiko Suzuki)

+WONDER WOMAN (1976-1979, TV series)

+X-MEN 2 (2003, Bryan Singer)


Each of them got 0 vote.




I’m very glad that TOWN OF EVENING CALM, COUNTRY OF CHERRY BLOSSOMS won the most votes. I think this film is very touching and deals with delicate feelings, which makes it different from most comic-adapted films which deal with “action”, instead of “delicate feelings”.

I also like “the passage of time” in TOWN OF EVENING CALM, COUNTRY OF CHERRY BLOSSOMS very much. It reminds me of the passage of time in SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE (1986, Terry Hughes, A).
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/630530209X.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

TOWN OF EVENING CALM, COUNTRY OF CHERRY BLOSSOMS deals with the effect of atomic bomb on Hiroshima. I think this film should be screened with THE FACE OF JIZO (2004, Kazuo Kuroki, A+++++) and WOMEN IN THE MIRROR (2002, Yoshishige Yoshida, A+++++).

You can read a review of this comic book here:
http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2008/04/20/town-of-evening-calm-country-of-cherry-blossoms-review/

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3616/3635902442_54e64c1c61_o.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3611/3635902438_ca6c8c1837_o.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3610/3635902446_b931b43542_o.jpg

STEALTH (2008, Lionel Baier, A+)

This is what I wrote in Kanchat Rangseekansong’s facebook (with some added details):

I like STEALTH very much, though I think there's something intriguing about it, including

1.The characters seem to pay too much attention to their own ethnic backgrounds, which may or may not be a kind of right-wing thinking.

2.The brother helps the woman only because she shares the same ethnic background with him.

3.The film seems to intentionally or unintentionally imply that “to help stranger is to endanger yourself”, such as when the sister tries to intervene in a couple’s fighting and when the brother and sister gives a lift to a woman. Maybe the film just tries to portray the reality of this cruel world. I’m not sure.

4.Maybe the most important reason why I feel reluctant to give this film A+++++ is just because the film seems to end with the love and connection between family members, which is something I can’t identify with.


There are also many things I love in this film, such as

1.It is a film in which the main character is gay, but it talks about the topics rarely found in other gay films.

2.It is a little bit unpredictable.

3.It portrays the hypocrisy of some people.

4.The sister is a very interesting character.

AUNG SAN SUU KYI'S BIRTHDAY

The information below is a news release from "Free Burma's Political Prisoners Now!":


June 19th is Aung San Suu Kyi’s 64th birthday. It is also Women of Burma day.Join in the celebrations by sending your birthday wish at www.64forsuu.org along with thousands of supporters including world leaders, politicians and celebrities.

Your message will tell Aung San Suu Kyi the world has not forgotten her, despite being under house arrest for more than 13 years. It will also tell the people of Burma you support their struggle for democracy.Canada Minister of Foreign Affairs just entered his birthday wish for Honorary Canadian Citizen Aung San Suu Kyi. Please see below message from the minister.

Aung San Suu Kyi, Your continued, unjust and unwarranted detention illustrates the complete disregard that the Burmese military junta has for human rights and democratic freedoms. On your 64th birthday, Canada commends you on your ongoing struggle to promote freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law, and commits to continue advocating for your release and that of all political prisoners in Burma.
Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Foreign Affairs (Canada).

On June 19, there will be a gathering at Dundas Square (Yonge and Dundas) in Toronto at 6:30 pm to express Birthday wish for ASSK and demand support for her freedom.

TARING PADI AT CONFERENCE OF BIRDS GALLERY

The information below is a news release from Conference of Birds Gallery:

Taring Padi: Never Ending Courage

Formed out of the mass mobilizations (“aksi”) that culminated in the 1998 ousting of Suharto’s decades-long dictatorship, Yogyakarta-based collective Taring Padi (translated literally: “Fangs of the Rice Plant”) has maintained an unfailing commitment to building a People-Orientated Art (Seni Kerakyatan) to forge that solidarity whose beginnings were eradicated in 1965 and exiled from Indonesia’s state histories in the years that followed. Strongly opposed to the kind of “art for art’s sake” mantra that so perfectly embodies the New Order ideal of the nation as a disengaged “floating mass,”(1) with each sector of society devoted to its own isolated and apolitical self-development, Taring Padi has executed projects that exist squarely within the common, public realm.

Since their peak in the 1990s, issue-oriented mass mobilizations have continued to occur throughout Indonesia, and yet these actions have failed to produce candidates within the electoral system who do not serve elite interests. Although no stranger to Indonesia’s history of uneven development, the IMF and other international bodies have even further compromised the country’s sovereignty in economic policymaking after 1997, introducing dozens of new agreements and memoranda that have been met with strong resistance by those who have been devastated by cuts in fuel subsidies or the elimination of protective tariffs on crop imports. Finally, a wider struggle has ensued over the history that was so categorically cut off in 1965 and obscured by complicit ‘66 Generation intellectuals in the employ of the state. Taring Padi’s collective focus has shifted accordingly with these changes in Indonesian social movements, and the group now grapples with localized issues of gender equality, biodiversity, labor rights, ethnic hatred, and electoral fraud, among many others. The form of these projects ranges from woodcut print posters and protest sculpture to self-published books and street actions. While indeed Indonesia’s grassroots “aksi” struggles remain fragmented in the face of local and international elites’ pervasive efforts to retain their power over the country’s resources, Taring Padi’s populist art practice offers to Indonesia's communities the a common consciousness of oppression that is the a prerequisite to continuing a revolution of national and social liberation that was preemptively cut short half a century ago.(2)

(1) Murtopo, Ali “Some Basic Thoughts on 25 Years of Modernisation and Development” Jakarta : Yayasan Proklamasi, Center for Strategic and International Studies, 1973

(2) Lane, Max “Unfinished Nation: Indonesia Before and After Suharto” New York: Verso 2008 pg. 267


Work Types:

@ Conference of Birds
131/18 Thanon PanSilom, Bangkok 10500
Documentary Video: “Taring Padi: Art, Activism, and Rock n Roll”
Collective Work: Banners, Woodcut Posters, Calendars
Individual Work: Drawings, Woodcut Prints, Sculptures
In Thailand: Work from 8/6/09 workshop @ Worldwell Garment Co. protest site

@ Worldwell Garment Co.Ltd.
14 Moo.7 Setthakit Rd.,Tambon Nadee, Amphoe Muang, Samutsakorn
Collective Work: Woodcut Prints, Shadow Puppets (done in collaboration with former workers of Worldwell Garment Co.)

Opening Party 10 June 2009 7pm
Show runs: 10 June 2009 – 24 July 2009
Gallery Hours: 12pm – 8pm every day
Conference of Birds
131/18 Thanon PanSilom, Bangkok 10500
www.conferenceofbirds.com
conference@conferenceofbirds.com
Phone: 0849281152

TRUELIES AT ART CENTER CHULA

The information below is a news release from Art Center Chula:


“TRUELIES”
A Circle-Curated Group Exhibition by Top Changtrakul, Sujin Wattanawongchai, Aphichart Pholprasert, Suebsang Sangwachirapiban and Jiraporn Laocharoenwong.

The Art Center, 7th Floor, Center of Academic Resources (Central Library), Chulalongkorn University
June 8 – July 11, 2009
Opening reception: Friday June 12, 2009 at 6pm

“TRUELIES” is a collaborative curatorial and critical exchange by the five contributing artists: Top Changtrakul, Sujin Wattanawongchai, Aphichart Pholprasert, Suebsang Sangwachirapiban and Jiraporn Laocharoenwong. It was conceived from our continuing conversations about today’s complicated situations. The word suggests a challenge in considering what is true and what is not, bearing in mind the world’s constant turmoil in the political, financial, intercultural and religious spheres, in the past and at present. Some of these difficult issues may find comprehension and recognition among a large group of people while at the same time remaining perplexing to others. In such an ambiguous time, we cannot gain an insight into the matters. How come? Although many artists have attempted to explore their surroundings and reflect social phenomena using the tool they know best – art, we have never quite risen to a better state of being yet. Therefore, what our group is attempting to do here is to (re)offer solutions to several of the situations we are facing with.

With artists taking turn to curate and critique each other’s works, the show features artworks of various ideas and forms, including video, painting, printmaking, installation and interactive art. Once inside the space, the audience is stimulated to distinguish truths from lies.

The Art Center
7th Fl, Center of Academic Resources, Chulalongkorn University
Phyathai Rd, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330
Tel: 0-2218-2965, Fax: 0-2218-2907
Email: info.artcenterchula@gmail.com
Monday-Friday 9am-7pm, Saturday 9am-4pm
Closed on Sunday & Public Holidays

SOI COWBOY OPENS IN LONDON

The information below is provided by Maxim McDonald from Network Releasing:

SOI COWBOY

A FILM BY THOMAS CLAY

OPENS JUNE 12 AT THE INSTITUTE OF CONTEMPORARY ARTS IN LONDON

SYNOPSIS

In Bangkok, a corpulent European man and a young, pregnant
Thai woman live together in near silence. His large body
stands out in marked contrast to her tiny frame. He gives her
presents – she has a growing collection of stuffed animals
– and takes viagra pills. She is looking for security and
he is the best way to stay out of Soi Cowboy, the red-light
district where they met. She likes him but sleeping with him
is a duty. Meanwhile, in the countryside, a teenage mafia
enforcer is employed to deliver his older brother’s head.

ABOUT THOMAS CLAY

Born in Brighton, England, 1979, Thomas Clay studied 16mm
film production as a teenager at the CFU, London. At the age of
19, he made his first medium-length film, Motion, together with
producer and co-writer Joseph Lang. This was followed by his
feature debut, The Great Ecstasy of Robert Carmichael, which made a deep
impression at Critics’ Week in the 2005 Cannes Film Festival.

2008 Soi Cowboy
2005 The Great Ecstasy of Robert Carmichael
2001 Motion (CM)


INTERVIEW WITH THOMAS CLAY

--After The Great Ecstasy of Robert Carmichael, how did you get the
idea, the subject of Soi Cowboy?

The remnants of my fee on another screenplay went towards
Soi Cowboy, along with some private equity and receipts from
Robert Carmichael. The script for Soi Cowboy I wrote in two days,
but I’d been living in Thailand for close to a year and these thoughts
and images had been growing inside me for some time.

--How did you cast and choose the actors and actresses? The main actor
is a professional. Are the Thai ones professional or amateur?

First of all, you have to understand the difference between the
Bangkok Thais, the urban elite who are benefiting from the
economic prosperity, and the people of Isaan who are the largest
ethnic group in Thailand and the protagonists of my film. These
people are an underclass in the Dickensian sense of the word,
subsistence farmers, street sellers, sex workers. They have
different features, darker skin and they also speak a dialect that is
closer to Lao than Thai. The only time you will hear Isaan in a
Thai cinema is on the dub track for Mr. Bean.
Our only option, therefore, was to do open casting calls, to scout
and street cast. Mo (Pimwalee) won the lead role due to her
enthusiasm, her intelligence and her ability to take direction. Of
course, it was a tougher shoot for Mo than for Nicolas, being her
first time in front of a camera, but she gave everything she had and
I think it’s an excellent performance.
In the finale, we are then transported into a different kind of arena,
one that requires a certain exaggeration and largess, so this is
where I decided to use some Thai personalities. There is Thai
boxing gold medallist Somluk Kuamsing, accompanied by his real life
business associates: Pornthip Papanai, co-star of last year’s
Ploy, singer and soap opera star Art Suppawat and also Amporn
Parnkratoke, the Oliver Reed of Thailand.

--How did you prepare the shooting on location? How many days have
you shot there? How were the working conditions?

I had most of the locations in mind whilst writing the script. Only in the
finale did we have to go through a pretty radical design to create the
correct atmosphere and colour scheme. I also had my shot list and
compositions worked out in advance and spent a fair amount of time
rehearsing with Nicolas and Mo. The shoot lasted for three weeks,
completely out of sequence, with three and a half days of dolly work
and the rest either on a tripod, or with a handheld rig in the case of
the second narrative. We used high speed S16mm stock to be able
to adapt and compliment the available light, both indoors and out.
P’Song’s total lighting kit for the film comprised of a bag of domestic
bulbs and fluorescents, two redheads and one kinoflow. We had no
safety net, no contingency and no insurance against negative damage
or scheduling disruptions. We did pay Thai commercial rates to the
crew and received a very high level of dedication, so that helped to
keep things moving. Perhaps, technically, we weren’t able to be quite
as perfectionist as on my last film, where we had four times the budget
and twice as much time, but I feel I was lucky to achieve most of what I
wanted and bring everything in on schedule.

--Have you some special films or artistic, cultural references for Soi Cowboy?

Antonioni remains an enduring inspiration, both as a filmmaker and
a world citizen. No-one else captured the 20th century with the same
degree of precision, insight, texture and depth of feeling and his
passing was a sad moment for cinema. There are a couple of scenes
in Soi Cowboy that may be accused of homage, although I’ve tried to
exclude anything that is not internally justified by the material.

--Why have you chosen to shoot the first part of the film this way (black and
white, in a contemplative manner and well-composed, precise frames) and
switch after that to saturated color and a handheld camera?

The phase of script development that I went through following
Robert Carmichael certainly had an impact, having to think at the
same time about many different kinds of film, each constrained
by a particular style or genre. With Soi Cowboy, I quickly decided
to approach the material from two different angles, two distinct
narratives with differing cinematic approaches. This was also a
response to Thailand itself - the stark divide between rich and
poor, urban and rural, that is such a defining feature of the social,
political and visual landscape.
The first part of Soi Cowboy is thus a depiction of surface reality,
the minutiae of the day-to-day. Danger lurks beneath the surface
yet never shows its face. I was aiming for stylistic consistency
and, unlike my debut feature, there is an intended closeness
to the protagonists. Ebbing away amidst the intangible ruins of
Ayutthaya, the house lights could rise after 85 minutes and the job
would seemingly be done. Yet, to rest here would leave the picture
incomplete. Tobias’ western perspective still lacks context. The
omnipotent power-structures that shape and govern this society,
this relationship, remain elusive, undefined. A different approach is
needed to get to grips with the underlying, hidden nature of things.
The second part thus begins with a quasi-docu naturalism, but the
picture is then transformed through a sieve of genre familiarity,
narrative into fable, character into archetype, all moving inexorably
towards a point where stasis is achieved, when the camera returns
to the dolly and these have ceased to be characters at all, just as
the narrative has drifted away in a puff of gun-smoke and we are
left with only essence.

--How would you describe the relation between Tobias and Koi?

For me, what is interesting about the relationship is that it is
founded on a commercial exchange, with the inevitable problems
this entails and yet, at the same time, they are trying to overcome
those problems and make the relationship work, for the good of
their offspring, for the future. This resembles the struggle that I
believe we all have to go through if we are to retain our humanity in
a world so driven by competition and avarice. As Michel Piccoli says
in Le Mepris, everything has been commodified, our bodies, our
minds, our happiness. But I’m a father now myself and I think we
have to try to overcome this situation somehow, if we are not to be
thrown to the winds as a civilisation and as a species.



INTERVIEW WITH NICOLAS BRO

--How were you cast in Soi Cowboy?

I met Joseph Lang (producer of Soi Cowboy) at a film festival
in Spain some years ago when I saw there The Great Ecstasy
of Robert Carmichael. I was totally blown away by the film and
very passionately discussed it with Joseph. At the same
festival, Joseph Lang saw me in Dagur Kari’s Dark Horse and I
think he liked my acting. We enjoyed each other’s company for
the rest of the festival. Then I made a film called Offscreen by
Christoffer Boe. It was at the London Film Festival and Joseph
Lang saw it there. At that time, he and Thomas Clay were
casting for Soi Cowboy. Thomas saw the movie and decided
to cast me as Tobias in Soi Cowboy. I really loved the script.


--How did you work the part?

I think Thomas Clay wanted me to be his alter ego, so for
me it was about making a mix between me and Thomas.

--How would you describe the relationships between your character Toby and Koi?

I think he is deeply in love with her, and she needs him. They have
two very different views on love through their own culture. It’s
a clash between Thai and Western ideas of love and security.

--What did you think of the script?

I really loved the script. And I think the movie
is everything the script was.

ABOUT NICOLAS BRO

Nicolas Bro was born in 1972 in Copenhagen. He has become
one of the most famous actors in Denmark, with Mads
Mikkelsen and Ulrich Thomsen. He studied at the prestigious
Danish National Theatre and Contempory Dance School,
and has since played in many Danish films inclunding: Kira’s
reason – A Love Story (2003), Old, New, Borrowed and Blue
(2003), The Green Butchers (2003), Reconstruction (2003),
Stealing Rembrandt (2003), King’s Game (2004), Adam’s Apple
(2005), We Are The Champions (2005), Murk (2005) Sky Master
(2006). He recently appeared in Dark Horse by Dagur Kari. He
is acting in numerous plays at the Danish Royal Theatre.


For media enquiries contact:

Grace Ker or Maxim McDonald, Network, 1st Floor, 346 Kensington High Street, London, W14 8NS
Tel: 020 7605 4424 or 020 7605 4423 Fax: 020 7605 4423
Email: grace.ker@networkreleasing.com or maxim.mcdonald@networkreleasing.com

POLL 58: COMIC BOOK ADAPTATIONS

My poll 58 is inspired by the film ANTIQUE, which is adapted from a comic book. It is very cartoonish, but it is still very funny and entertaining. I like that it is very gay-friendly. But what I like the most about it is its subplot about a serial killer. From some aspects, I think ANTIQUE treats its plot about serial killing in a more interesting way than SYMPATHY FOR LADY VENGEANCE.


THESE LIVE-ACTION FILMS/TV SERIES ARE ADAPTED FROM COMIC BOOKS. WHICH ONES DO YOU LIKE?

1.AMBROSIA (2005, Tadafumi Ito, from Kazuo Umezu)

2.ANTIQUE (2008, Min Kyu-dong, from Fumi Yoshinaga)

3.BUG'S HOUSE (2005, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, from Kazuo Umezu)

4.CONSTANTINE (2005, Francis Lawrence, from Jamie Delano and Garth Ennis)

5.DEATH NOTE (2005, Shusuke Kaneko, from Tsugumi Oba + Takeshi Obata)

6.ELEKTRA (2005, Rob Bowman, from Frank Miller)

7.FLASH GORDON (1980, Mike Hodges, from Alex Raymond)

8.HONEY & CLOVER (2006, Masahiro Takada, from Chika Umino)

9.HOTEL HIBISCUS (2002, Yuji Nakae, from Miko Nakasone)

10.IMMORTEL (AD VITAM) (2004, Enki Bilal, from Enki Bilal)

11.KITARO (2007, Katsuhide Motoki, from Shigeru Mizuki)

12.NANA (2005, Kentaro Otani, from Ai Yazawa)

13.THE PUNISHER (1989, Mark Goldblatt)

14.THE PUNISHER (2004, Jonathan Hensleigh)

15.SUKEBAN DEKA II (1985, TV series, from Shinji Wada)

16.TOWN OF EVENING CALM, COUNTRY OF CHERRY BLOSSOMS (2007, Kiyoshi Sasabe, from Fumiyo Kono)

17.20TH CENTURY BOYS: CHAPTER TWO -- THE LAST HOPE (2009, Yukihiko Tsutsumi, from Naoki Urasawa)

18.200 POUNDS BEAUTY (2006, Kim Yong-hwa, from Yumiko Suzuki)

19.WONDER WOMAN (1976-1979, TV series)

20.X-MEN 2 (2003, Bryan Singer)

You can cast multiple votes.

LA BELLE NOISEUSE AND MUANG NAI MORK ARE THE WINNERS

My poll 57 ended with 7 votes. Thanks very much to everyone who participated in it. Here is the result:

I LIKE THESE FILMS/PLAYS WHICH ARE LOOSELY ADAPTED FROM OR INSPIRED BY THEIR ORIGINAL SOURCES. WHICH FILMS/PLAYS DO YOU LIKE?

1.LA BELLE NOISEUSE (1991, Jacques Rivette, from Honore de Balzac)
+.MUANG NAI MORK (1978, Permpol Choei-aroon, from Albert Camus)

Each of these films got 4 votes, or 57%.


3.KING LEAR (1987, Jean-Luc Godard, from Shakespeare)

+SWORDSMAN II (1991, Ching Siu-tung, from Jin Yong or Louis Cha)

Each of these films got 3 votes, or 42 %.

5.BIRDSONG (2008, Albert Serra, from legend)
+CAT AND MOUSE (1966, Hans-Juergen Pohland, from Guenter Grass)
+FREAK ORLANDO (1981, Ulrike Ottinger, from Virginia Woolf)
+HEAVENS OF GLASS (1987, Nina Grosse, from Julio Cortazar)
+MAE NAK (1997, Pimpaka Towira, from legend)
+MARY REILLY (1996, Stephen Frears, from Valerie Martin and Robert Louis Stevenson)
+PROSPERO’S BOOKS (1991, Peter Greenaway, from Shakespeare)
+TAROT (1985, Rudolf Thome, from Johann Wolfgang Goethe)
+WHEN I SLEPT OVER THE NIGHT OF THE REVOLUTION (2007, Ninart Boonpothong, play, from Shakespeare)

Each of these got 2 votes, or 28 %.


14.INSTITUTE BENJAMENTA (1985, Brothers Quay, from Robert Walser)
+LANCELOT DU LAC (1974, Robert Bresson, from legend)
+MANUS CHANYONG’S ONE NIGHT AT TALAENGGAENG ROAD (2008, Paisit Panpruegsachart, from Manus Chanyong)
+MOSES AND AARON (1975, Jean-Marie Straub + Daniele Huillet, from Arnold Schoenberg and legend)
+NUAN (Tossapol Boonsinsukh, from Bunjong Gosalwat’s screenplay of NUALCHAWEE)

Each of them got 1 votes, or 14 %.

19.WANTHONG (2006, Manop Meejamrat, play, from legend)
+WIMALA, QUEEN OF CROCODILE (2009,Wannasak Sirilar, play, from legend)

Each of them got 0 vote.


--This is my wish list of films adapted from great literature. I knew about these films from the book BOOKVIRUS 1 (in Thai).

1.THE BLIND OWL (1987, Raoul Ruiz, from Sadegh Hedayat, France)
2.DEATH AND THE COMPASS (1992, Alex Cox, from Jorge Luis Borges, UK)
3.L'ETOILE DU NORD (1982, Pierre Granier-Deferre, from Georges Simenon, France)
4.HARD TIMES (1988, Joao Botelho, from Charles Dickens, Portugal)
5.HARD TO BE A GOD (1989, Peter Fleischmann, from the Strugatsky Brothers, West Germany)
6.THE REALM OF FORTUNE (1986, Arturo Ripstein, from Juan Rulfo, Mexico)
7.THE SEVEN MADMEN (1973, Leopoldo Torre Nilsson, from Roberto Arlt, Argentina)
8.LA VENGEANCE D'UNE FEMME (1990, Jacques Doillon, from Fyodor Dostoyevsky, France)
9.WARD SIX (1976, Lucien Pintille, from Anton Chekhov, Yugoslavia)
10.YOU ARE NOT I (1981, Sara Driver, from Paul Bowles, USA)

TRANSCEND BOUNDARIES

Reasons why I like BODILY FLUID IS REVOLUTIONARY (2009, Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke, A++++++++++) include:

1.It doesn’t have prejudice against homosexuality.

2.It doesn’t have prejudice against bisexuality. Both gays and straight people have this kind of prejudice.

3.It doesn’t have prejudice against unpretty people.

4.It may support open relationship.

5.It doesn’t have prejudice against orgy.

6.It doesn’t have prejudice against relationship between old woman and young man.

7.It doesn’t have prejudice against sexual relationship between doctor and patient.

8.It is against narrow-minded people.

9.It is very touching.

10.It breaks free from both moral conventions and narrative conventions.

SOME EERILY TRUE DREAMS

My friend just wrote about some eerily true dreams in her facebook, so I sent an e-mail to her to share my experience. I decided to post my e-mail in my blog, too. I think maybe some of you might have this kind of strange experiences, too.

My eerily true dreams can be divided into two groups. The first groups are the dreams/nightmares about some crimes which will happen in the future. In early 1990’s, I had a nightmare about a murder in a kindergarten. A few years later, I saw a photo of a corpse in a kindergarten published on the front page of a newspaper, and I was shocked, because I knew I had seen this image before in that nightmare.

After that, sometimes when I read crime news in newspaper, I found that the events described in the news were like what I had seen in my dreams a few days before. But my dreams are quite useless. Usually, what I saw in them are very vague. I only saw someone killing someone, but I didn’t know their names, the exact place where it will occur, when it will occur, etc. So I prayed to any sacred beings who might hear me that you should stop giving me this kind of nightmares if I can’t use them to prevent the bad things from happening. I think my prayer is answered, because I haven’t had this kind of nightmares again for many years.

The second group of my true dreams are the dreams which show me some scenes from the films I will see in the next few days. This happens quite often to me, and I don’t have problems with this kind of dreams. I think I first had this kind of dreams in 2001 or 2002. The latest one happened to me on Wednesday night. In that dream, I quarreled a lot with my mother about my homosexuality. On Friday, I watched a Thai short film called MAHJONG, which is about a lesbian who has a problem with her mother, and I found that the film strangely corresponds to my dream. I believe things like this happen to me because many things in this world have “wavelengths”, and I can pick up this kind of wavelengths from time to time.