AND NOW THE PRESIDENT WILL TALK ABOUT THE OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT (2011, Sitthichai Pleantongdee, 17:49 min, documentary, A+++++++++++++++)

Thai films seen on Thursday, July 28, 2011

1.AND NOW THE PRESIDENT WILL TALK ABOUT THE OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT (2011, Sitthichai Pleantongdee, 17:49 min, documentary, A+++++++++++++++)
เรียนเชิญท่านประธานกล่าวรายงานวัตถุประสงค์ของโครงการ (สิทธิชัย เปลี่ยนทองดี)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gb5yGGo4kqU

What I like very much in this film is its sincerity. The film depicts a group of university students who went on a project to improve a rural village. The film doesn't try to make this project look more important than what it really is. The most impressive scene in the film is the one in which the university students try to find some papaya for cooking. The film depicts "life", not "messages" nor "lessons".

2.THERE WILL BE DRAMA (2011, Janenarong Sirimaha, 9:43 min, A+++++++++++++++)
เรื่องน้ำเน่าของ "พลอย" (เจนณรงค์ ศิริมหา)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YChMR5WXNNE

After making READ ME! (2008, 17 min, A+++++++++++++++), Janenarong comes back this year and proves that he is still one of the best melodrama filmmakers. What I like very much in his films is that they are not ordinary melodramas. The dialogue and the actions of the characters in THERE WILL BE DRAMA are extremely illogical, thus extremely funny, and remind me of some absurd or surreal films. For example, when Woman A gives a drink to Woman B, Woman B doesn't drink it, but pours the water over her own hand, and says, "I'm sorry, but I drink water via my pores." When Woman A and Woman B quarrels, suddenly Woman A performs a Thai classical dance without any reasons. This kind of dialogue and actions can only come from a really creative mind.

What is great in Janenarong's films include great ideas, great scripts, great editing, great performances, and great casting. I hope he will keep on making films like this.

However, the reason why this film is my second most favorite film of the day, instead of my most favorite, is because Sitthichai's film makes me feel "free" to feel anything about it. THERE WILL BE DRAMA makes me laugh and thrills me a lot, but I know that my laughs and my excitement comes from the clever calculation of the director.


3.A MOMENT IN A RAIN FOREST (2010, Eakalak Maleetipawan, 14 min, A++++++++++)
เราจะข้ามเวลามาพบกัน (เอกลักษณ์ มาลีทิพย์วรรณ)
This film is one of the best films inspired by Apichatpong Weerasethakul. The film gets closer to Apichatpong's filmic universe than other films I have ever seen. However, I have seen it only once, and I think it is not the kind of film that is easy to comprehend in only one viewing.

4.FATE (2011, Chawagarn Amsomkid, 11:30 min, A+)
เรื่องของเวรกรรม (ชวการ อ่ำสมคิด)
After making MY HUSBAND (UNCENSORED) (2008, A+++++++++++++++), which I think is one of my most favorite cult films of all time, Chawagarn comes back this year with an essay film. A scene in this film is extremely funny--the one in which the camera depicts a couple in silence for a long time, before the woman says to the man, "We should break up," and the man complains in voiceover that the scene makes him wait for too long for this moment.

I can't remember other things in this film now, but I remember that the thoughts or ideas presented in this film are not extremely interesting for me. So while I may like the form of this film, because I like essay films in general, I feel that the content of this film is only moderately interesting.

5.A STORY IN A CAR (2011, Wachara Kanha, 4 min, documentary, A+)
เรื่องราวในรถ (วชร กัณหา)
The film captured the moment when Wachara quarreled with his mother because he thought that his mother spent too much money for his little brother in an inappropriate way. This is the drama of "real life". This is a part of human beings. And it is hard to judge who does wrongly or rightly in this film. Is Wachara justified in blaming his mother? Does he envy his little brother too much?

6.WE WILL BE ON TV (2011, Pimpet Pimthong + Nipaporn Kunsing, 9 min, documentary, A+/A)
เราจะไปออกทีวี (พิมพ์เพชร พิมพ์ทอง + นิภาพร ขันสิงห์)

7.MY MISTAKE (2010, Pitchaya Nivitanont, 2:21 min, animation, A)
เรื่องเข้าใจผิด (พิชญา นิวิตานนท์)

8.ROOMMATE (2011, Theerapat Wongpaisarnkit, 10:07 min, A/A-)
รูมเมท (ธีรภาส ว่องไพศาลกิจ)

9.PSYCHOSIS (2010, Anuphap Autta, 20:08 min, A-)
โรคจิต (อานุภาพ อุตถา)
หนังมันเหมือนมีจุดหักมุมแค่จุดเดียวน่ะ ซึ่งเป็นจุดหักมุมที่เราพอเดาได้ตั้งแต่ต้น แล้วพอมันเหมือนมีจุดที่น่าสนใจแค่อย่างเดียว ซึ่งก็คือการหักมุมในตอนจบ มันก็เลยทำให้ส่วนอื่นๆดูไม่น่าสนใจเท่าที่ควร เราว่าส่วนอื่นๆของหนังมันดู "ปานกลาง" น่ะ คือพล็อตหนังแบบนี้อาจจะทำเพียงแค่ 5 นาทีจบก็ได้ ไม่ต้องถึง 20 นาที แต่ถ้าหากจะทำหนังยาว 20 นาที พล็อตก็ควรจะซับซ้อนมากกว่านี้ หรือพล็อตอาจจะเหมือนเดิม แต่ควรจะสร้างเสน่ห์ให้กับรายละเอียดต่างๆได้มากกว่านี้

ถ้าหากเราเป็นผู้กำกับ เราอาจจะทำหนังเรื่องนี้ให้เป็น mockumentary นะ คือทำเป็นเหมือนกับว่าหนังถ่ายจากกล้องของผู้ชายโรคจิตตลอดทั้งเรื่อง เป็นกล้องที่ไปแอบถ่ายผู้หญิงเซ็กซี่ตามจุดต่างๆ ก่อนที่คนถ่ายจะ...ในตอนจบ

ถ้าหากผู้กำกับจะเอาดีกับหนังโรคจิตแบบนี้ เราขอแนะนำว่าให้ดูหนังอย่าง THE WITCH (Alwa Ritsila) หรือ THE STORY ABOUT YOU AND ME (Alwa Ritsila) เป็นตัวอย่างนะ เราว่าหนังสองเรื่องนี้แหละที่นำเสนอความโรคจิตของตัวละครออกมาได้อย่างน่าสนใจตลอดทั้งเรื่อง
http://vimeo.com/14085858
http://vimeo.com/13837222

10.THEATRES (2011, Wachara Kanha + Teeranit Siangsanoh, 80 min, B+)
โรงหนัง (วชร กัณหา + ธีรนิติ์ เสียงเสนาะ)
My most favorite scene in this film is the one in which the camera secretly records the reflection of a beautiful woman on a glass wall of a fast food restaurant. The scene is a little bit long, and it gives me excitement because I didn't know if the woman would know about it or not. So I waited to see if she would get angry and scold the filmmakers. I like this scene very much, because it reminds me of myself. For example, when I see a handsome guy in a sky train, I will secretly look at his reflection on the opposite glass wall from time to time.

However, this film is the worst film made by the Underground Office in my opinion. The film deals with the various aspect of "cinema" in the lives of the filmmakers, but the film lacks the poetic touch. Many parts of the film are a little bit boring, and these parts are joined together crudely, not poetically.

11.THE HOPE (2010, Saranya Premjai, 15 min, C+)
เรื่องเล่าของหมอ (สรัญญา เปรมใจ)

MARATHON FILM FESTIVAL GAME PART 4

You can find MARATHON FILM FESTIVAL GAME PART 1 here (in Thai):
http://celinejulie.blogspot.com/2011/08/marathon-2011-game.html

MARATHON FILM FESTIVAL GAME PART 2
http://celinejulie.blogspot.com/2011/09/marathon-film-festival-game-part-2.html

MARATHON FILM FESTIVAL GAME PART 3
http://celinejulie.blogspot.com/2011/09/marathon-film-festival-game-part-3.html

This game is inspired by Graiwoot Chulphongsathorn.

The questions below mostly concern Thai films which were shown in the Marathon Film Festival from 1997 to 2011, but also concern foreign films and Thai films shown outside the festival.

The word "film" here includes all kinds of moving images.

Answer these questions and your life will be better:


19. Discuss how the performances of stage actors/actresses contribute to the success of these films.

19.1 BLIND (2008, Kanjana Akasin), starring Sasapin Siriwanij and Kusuma Thepparak

19.2 BODILY FLUID IS SO REVOLUTIONARY (2009, Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke), starring Athapol Anunthavorasakul, Watcharapong Kanjanakrit, and Sawanee Utoomma

19.3 A CHRONICLE OF LOVE AND PAIN (2009, Kanchat Rangseekansong), starring Wanatsanan Sasom

19.4 FAIRY FEMININE (2009, Arpapun Plungsirisoontorn), starring Sumontha Suanpolrat
http://vimeo.com/5754635

19.5 HASAN (2008, Attapon Pamakho), starring Suphasawatt Purnaveja and Pavinee Samakkabutr

19.6 HUNGRY OR FULL (2009, Anuchit Muanprom), starring Watcharapong Kanjanakrit

19.7 JIM (2005, Tosaporn Mongkol), starring Farida Jiraphan

19.8 KONTHAN (2010, Witchupong Sukhavichai), starring Montree Wongbutra

19.9 LOVE IS (NOT) MAD (2008, Tosaporn Mongkol), starring Pinthip Satprertprai

19.10 MAE NAK (1997, Pimpaka Towira), starring Mullika Tangsa-ngob

19.11 MIDNIGHT RAINBOW (2008, Patha Thongpan), starring Duangjai Hirunsri

19.12 MOTHER (UNFINISHED VERSION) (2011, Vorakorn Ruetaivanichkul), starring Natthaya Nakawech

19.13 MY LOVE TV (2011, Duangporn Pakavirojkul), starring Sumontha Suanpolrat

19.14 PANATIPATA (2010, Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit), starring Sawanee Utoomma
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYu4VcvNbmM

19.15 QING (2011, Boonyanuch Kraithong), starring Sasapin Siriwanij

19.16 69 (201, Somkid Phukpong), starring Sawanee Utoomma

19.17 STAINED (2009, Manasrawee Wongpradu), starring Pattarasuda Anuman Rajadhon

19.18 TAKE A MESSAGE (2005, Maythus Chaichayanon), starring Jaturachai Srichanwanpen

19.19 THAI FAMILY (2009, Yingsiwat Yamolyong), starring Donruedee Jamraschai and Montree Wongbutra

19.20 THIS CONSTRUCT CAN SERVE NO PURPOSE ANYMORE (2008, Sathit Sattarasart), starring Duangjai Hirunsri

19.21 WASABI (2007, Asit Wangsuekul), starring Shogo Tanikawa

19.22 WOMAN I (2010, Nuntanat Duangtisarn), starring Nophand Boonyai, Sasithorn Panichnok, Sumontha Suanpolrat, and Ornanong Thaisriwong


20. If there's a book called "TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCES AND THEIR RELEASES THROUGH THAI CINEMA", which films among these do you think fit to be discussed in this book? And why?

20.1 AT LEAST/MODERATELY/TREMENDOUSLY (อย่างน้อย/อย่างกลาง/อย่างมาก) (2011, Tritos Termarbsri, 90 min)

2.0.2 BANG-KERD-KLOAW (บังเกิดเกล้า) (2011, Kamontorn Eakwattanakij, 35 min)
http://vimeo.com/25540318

20.3 A BRIEF HISTORY OF MEMORY (2010, Chulayarnnon Siriphol)

20.4 CITIZEN JULING (2008, Ing K + Manich Sriwanichpoom + Kraisak Choonhavan)

20.5 THE GIRL WHO LIKE TO CALL HER HOUSE (2010, Suparom Ronyut, Theemaporn Thanapala, La-ongsri Kongkachasing, 20 min)

20.6 LETTER FROM THE SILENCE (2006, Prap Boonpan, 5:11 min)

20.7 ONE DAY YOU WILL LOVE ME LIKE I LOVE YOU (สักวันเธอจะรักฉันอย่างที่ฉันรักเธอ) (2011, Wachara Kanha, 50 min)

20.8 TEARS (2003, Patana Chirawong, 13 min)

20.9 TSU (2005, Pramote Sangsorn)

20.10 WE WILL FORGET IT AGAIN (2010, Napat Treepalawisetkun, 9 min)


21. Which films below do you think display the ecstatic confluence of music and motion?

21.1 AGERU (2010, Tossapol Boonsinsukh)
http://www.youtube.com/user/nangtoszlong#p/u/3/gkrgi1wrJMg

21.2 BUNGALOWZEN: THE AMERICAN TRILOGY (2004, Taiki Sakpisit, 19 min)

21.3 DON'T YOU EVER TOUCH MY BAG! (1997, Surachai & Manorom, 5 min)

21.4 FIREFLIES (2005, Chawit Waewsawangwong, 4:12 min)

21.5 FOURTH WORLD (พื้นที่ในสำนึก) (2007, Chayanis Wongthongdee + Techanan Jirachotrawee, 13 min)

21.6 HAPPY EXISTENTIALISM (อัตถิภาวะนิยมสุขสันต์) (Phaisit Phanphruksachat, 6 min)

21.7 MV: DANCIN' MOOD -- Super Glass Ska Ensemble (2009, Chardchakaj Waikawee)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSCKibyrOsQ

21.8 MV: KHOR BORG -- Photo Sticker Machine (2001, Wit Pimkanchanapong, 4 min)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8qYz20N_yg

21.9 MV: ONE RAI STI -- Soundlanding (2007, Winai Kitcharoen)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fZ0U9JT2x0

21.10 MV: SAWANG PAI SAWANG MA (2010, Sonthaya Subyen)

21.11 MV: SUPER BASS -- Nicki Minaj (Parody version) (2011, Pitchayakorn Sangsuk)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taXrahJIc-8

21.12 ONE DAY YOU WILL LOVE ME LIKE I LOVE YOU (สักวันเธอจะรักฉันอย่างที่ฉันรักเธอ) (2011, Wachara Kanha, 50 min)

21.13 PAMELA, POUR TOUJOURS (2005, Alain Bourges, France)
http://vimeo.com/3782820

21.14 PIECES AND PIZZA (2010, Pesang Sangsuwan, 9 min)

21.15 T-BONE COME TO TOWN (2001, Wit Pimkanchanapong, 4 min)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ez2wGNXNvE

21.16 A TRANSVESTITE DANCING IN FRONT OF MORLUM STAGE (2011, anonymous)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F21PrroWvvY

21.17 TWILIGHT VIDEO IN AFTERNOON (2007, Rachawadee Komolsut, 17:22 min)

21.18 WOOHOO (อัศจรรย์สวยข้ามคืน) (2010, Pitchanon Jenbanjong, 6:47 min)


22. Jean-Luc Godard wrote in 1964, "There are several ways of making films. Like Jean Renoir and Robert Bresson, who make music. Like Sergei Eisenstein, who paints. Like Stroheim, who wrote sound novels in silent days. Like Alain Resnais, who sculpts. And like Socrates, Rossellini I mean, who creates philosophy. The cinema, in other words, can be everything at once, both judge and litigant.

Misunderstandings often arise from the failure to remember this truth. Renoir, for instance, may be accused of being a bad painter, whereas no one would say this of Mozart. Resnais may be accused of being a bad storyteller, whereas no one would think of saying this of Giacometti. The whole, in other words, is confused with the part, denying either one the right of exclusion as well as inclusion.

This is where the trouble begins. Is the cinema catalogued as a whole or a part? If you make a Western, no psychology; if you make a love-story no chases or fights; if you make a light comedy, no adventures; and if you have adventures, no character analysis

Woe unto me, then, since I have just made LA FEMME MARIÉE, a film where subjects are seen as objects, where pursuits by taxi alternate with ethnological interviews, where the spectacle of life finally mingles with its analysis: a film, in short, where the cinema plays happily, delighted to be only what it is."

Do you think if each of the film below "plays happily, delighted to be only what it is"? And why? You should also notice that crossing the genre boundaries can be considered "an act of freedom" in the case of some films, while mixing some genres together can be considered "the norm" in the case of other films.

22.1 AT LEAST/MODERATELY/TREMENDOUSLY (อย่างน้อย/อย่างกลาง/อย่างมาก) (2011, Tritos Termarbsri, 90 min)

22.2 BANGKOK KUNGFU (2011, Yuthlert Sippapak)

22.3 A BRIEF HISTORY OF MEMORY (2010, Chulayarnnon Siriphol, 14 min)

22.4 DISAPPEAR (อำพราง) (2010, Tani Thitiprawat, 26 min)

22.5 DONT' WARM EGGS IN MICROWAVE OR ELSE THEY WILL EXPLODE! (2005, Tossapol Boonsinsukh, 14 min)

22.6 THE FANCIFULNESS OF THE UNIVERSE (ความฟุ้งของจักรวาล) (2010, Krit Twinwawit, 40 min)

22.7 FRIENDS (2010, Pichanund Laohapornsvan, 63 min)

22.8 FUENG (2010, Teeranit Siangsanoh, Wachara Kanha, Tani Thitiprawat)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBIkfdi1m4s

22.9 LIKE REAL LOVE (2008, Anocha Suwichakornpong, 38 min)

22.10 MARIJUANA GIRL (แม่ดอกกัญชา) (1977, Dokdin Gunyamarn)

22.11 MOTHER (UNFINISHED VERSION) (2011, Vorakorn Ruetaivanichkul)

22.12 MYSTERIOUS OBJECT AT NOON (2000, Apichatpong Weerasethakul)

22.13 PANYA RAENU (ปัญญา เรณู) (2011, Bin Banluerit)

22.14 THE POB'S HOUSE (บ้านผีปอบ) (2010, Ukrit Sa-nguanhai, 15 min)

22.15 REMEMBRANCE (กาลานุสติ) (2010, Sittiporn Racha)

22.16 A TOUGH CREATURE WHO BURDENS THE EARTH (สัตว์วิบากหนักโลก) (2004, Phaisit Phanphruksachat)

22.17 UPTOGU (2011, Pachara Yang, 19:50 min)

22.18 WHY DO YOU JUMP? (โดด) (2011, Korn Kanogkekarin, 19 min)


23. Ray Carney wrote, "Forget about saying something big. Forget Kane, 2001, and Blade Runner, and bloated, puffed-up metaphors about solitude, technology, or angst. Big ideas are trite and obvious. Say something small and particular. That’s hard. Tell the truth about a boy and a girl breaking up. That’s plenty of truth for one movie. All the truth we really need."

Discuss how Carney's quote may or may not be applied to each of the films below:

23.1 BLUE LOVE (2011, It Khaena)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gd38MNB1zfQ

23.2 DARKEN SKY (ฟ้าสีเทา) (2010, Anuwat Upanun, 27 min)

23.3 DAW (2009, Wasunan Hutawach, 7 min)

23.4 DISTANCE (สิ่ง-ไหน) (2010, Chonlasit Upanigkit, 55 min)

23.5 HUNGRY OR FULL (2009, Anuchit Muanprom)

23.6 THE ORDINARY ROMANCE (2005, Teekhadet Watcharathanin, 85 min)

23.7 SHE WITH ME (ชีวิตมี) (2009, Anusak Fongsanuwong, 30 min)

23.8 STILL (2008, Wisarut Deelorm, 52 min)

23.9 SWEETHEART (สุดที่รัก) (2010, Woratep Tummaoros, 20 min)

23.10 TERRIBLY HAPPY (สุดสะแนน) (2010, Pimpaka Towira)

23.11 THERE (2008, Rajjakorn Potito, 65 min)
http://vimeo.com/22645716


23.12 UNLIKENESS (นอกหน้าต่าง) (2011, Pitchnut Suktorn, 26:22 min)

23.13 ZERO (2010, Kriangkrai Watananiyom, 30 min)


24. Ray Carney said that Mike Leigh and John Cassavetes " show us how extraordinary the most ordinary life can be. They show us that it’s not the complexity of events that makes for interest but the complexity of a character’s feelings.

The turning points in life usually occur in the simplest settings and situations. Not racing somewhere in a car, but sitting in a room and suddenly realizing something. Not yelling and screaming, but reading a magazine and feeling bored or discouraged. If you feel your character has to have something extraordinary happen to her to make her interesting, ask yourself why ordinary life does not matter enough to hold your interest."

Discuss how Ray Carney's quote above may or may not be applied to the following films, and why?:

24.1 DINNER (2005, Sivaroj Kongsakul)

24.2 FLUSH TANK (น้าโอมอยากมีผัว) (2011, Tossaphon Riantong)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5w8TmpKw4_g

24.3 HAPPINESS (สุขขี) (2011, Chadchon Nonthichan)

24.4 LET'S EAT (2011, Wasunan Hutawach)

24.5 ON THE ROAD (2010, Thepmanee Kittitawornkul)

24.6 THE OTHER WORLD (2007, Chutchon Ajanakitti)

24.7 OUR LAST NIGHT TOGETHER (ค่ำคืนสุดท้าย) (2010, Wachara Kanha, 48 min)

24.8 SHE IS READING NEWSPAPER (2005, Tossapol Boonsinsukh)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWwOcpknjLA

24.9 STUDENT (2005, James Prutwarasin)

24.10 TO (2010, Uruphong Raksasad, 16 min)

24.11 A WEEK'S VACATION (1980, Bertrand Tavernier, France)

24.12 A YEAR HENCE (2011, Rachakorn Potito)

24.13 YESTERDAY (2008, Sompot Chidgasornpongse)


25. Jonas Mekas wrote 39 years ago, "The most beautiful movie poetry will be revealed someday in home-movie footage. The day is close when home movies will be appreciated as beautiful folk art. Time is laying a veil of poetry over them."

Discuss how Mekas' quote may or may not be applied to the following films:

25.1 AND NOW THE PRESIDENT WILL TALK ABOUT THE OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT (เรียนเชิญท่านประธานกล่าวรายงานวัตถุประสงค์ของโครงการ) (2011, Sitthichai Pleantongdee, 18 min)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gb5yGGo4kqU

25.2 AOMM (2008, Somchai Vachirachongkol, 30 min)

25.3 FRAGRANCE OF THE WIND (2007, Chaiwat Wiansantia)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTDlZbNZQaM

25.4 FROM NACHUAK TO BANGKOK (2005, Siwadol Ratee, 83 min)

25.5 GHOSTS (2005, Anocha Suwichakornpong)

25.6 HERE COMES THE SUN (2008, Supakit Seksuwan, 7 min)

25.7 HOME VIDEO (2008, Yanin Pongsuwan, 14 min)

25.8 HOUSE OF VIEW MOM DAD AND SOMETIME OREO (2009, Thakoon Khempunya, 10 min)

25.9 IN TRAIN (เวียนหัว และ เมื่อยก้น) (2011, Boripat Plaikaw, 83:30 min)

25.10 I REMEMBER (2011, Authawut Boonyuang, 90 min)

25.11 MATERIAL FICTION: A BIOGRAPHY OF THE AMULET (2008, Prap Boonpan)

25.12 ME AND MY VIDEO DIARY (2010, Tani Thitiprawat, 30 min)

25.13 THE MORNING ATMOSTPHERE AT MY HOME AT SIX O'CLOCK (บรรยากาศยามเช้าที่บ้านตอน 6 โมง) (2011, Wachara Kanha)

25.14 MRS. NUAN WHO CAN RECALL HER PAST LIVES (2010, Chulayarnnon Siriphol)

25.15 MUSIC VIDEO: UP TO YOU (YUCHAROEN VERSION) (2011, Eakarach Monwat, 4 min)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JU5Q3OCIxc

25.16 MY GRANDFATHER (2008, Pichet Smerchua, 45 min)

25.17 MY MOTHER AND HER DARKNESS (แม่กับแมงเม่า) (2008, Wiwat Lertwiwatwongsa)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_PX16nlFD4

25.18 MY ROOM AND I (2010, Ka-nes Boonyapanachoti, 20 min)

25.19 MY SONG CLASSROOM (หนังสือรุ่น) (2005, Benjaphan Rungsubhatanond, 14 min)

25.20 A NEANGLY FAIRYTALE (BREAKDOWN: SIDE STORY) (2009, Nattaphan Boonlert, 21 min)

25.21 AN ORDINARY STORY (เรื่องธรรมดา) (2007, Meathus Sirinawin, 46 min)

25.22 OUR FILM (หนังของเรา) (2005, Atthasit Somchob, 22 min)

25.23 A PLACE OF DIFFERENT AIR (สถานต่างอากาศ) (2008, Chaloemkiat Saeyong)

25.24 SIAM SQUARE (1998, Chanarai Sutthibutr, 22 min)

25.25 SMALL WORLD (2008, Wasunan Hutawach)

25.26 SUNDAY (2010, Siwapond Cheejedreiw, 24 min)

25.27 TAN (2007, Wanweaw Hongwiwat + Weawwan Hongwiwat, 5 min)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjBslkQ9hPQ

25.28 THERE, THERE (2006, Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit)

25.29 WANG YUEN HAB (วังยื่นหาบ) (2008, Sompong Soda, 35 min)

25.30 WHEN I DANCE (ผม ตัวผม และไดอารี่ของผม) (2006, Unnop Saguanchat, 90 min)

End of the Game

Thanks to every filmmaker mentioned in this game who have made films which give me so much pleasure during the past 15 years.

Favorite Old Songs 118: POSITIVE EDUCATION (1993) -- Slam

Listening to a song like this gives me as much excitement as watching the films SWORDSMAN II or REIGN OF ASSASSINS.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4dSRpSnPOU

FLUSH TANK (2011, Tossaphon Riantong, A+++++++++++++++)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5w8TmpKw4_g

ELEPHANT TRUNK SNAKE FOUND IN THE FLOOD OF BANGKOK

http://www.matichon.co.th/news_detail.php?newsid=1320136774&grpid=03&catid=03&subcatid=0305

ENTERTAINING MR SLOANE (1969, Douglas Hickox, UK, 94 min, A+)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YLNr2-dsyk

What I think is interesting in ENTERTAINING MR SLOANE includes:

1.All the main characters are "unlikeable". It is not easy for an ordinary viewer to identify himself/herself with any of the four characters. I identify myself a little bit with Ed (Harry Andrews), because this character is a lusty middle-aged gay, though I can't identify myself totally with this character, because this character is much richer than me.

Normally I identify myself with a lonely middle-aged female character, especially with the heroines of the films MOURIR D'AIMER (2009, Josée Dayan), SHIRLEY VALENTINE (1989, Lewis Gilbert), SWANN (1996, Anna Benson Gyles), THE LOVE LETTER (1999, Peter Chan), and AN AUTUMN TALE (1998, Eric Rohmer), but I can't identify myself with Kath (Beryl Reid) in ENTERTAINING MR SLOANE, though I would do the same thing that she does in the opening scene--inviting a handsome stranger to stay at her house. I think the main reason why I can't identify myself with this character is because the film doesn't look at this character with "sympathetic eyes", but look at this character in a little bit sarcastic or contemptuous eyes.

I like it very much that Kath, the heroine of this film, is a fat, middle-aged woman, but the heroine of this film is closer to the monstrous Diane Ladd in WILD AT HEART (1990, David Lynch) than to the heroine of MOURIR D'AIMER, whose yearning for a younger lover can easily break my heart. I mean ENTERTAINING MR SLOANE seems to make the viewers "fear" the sexual advance of Kath, instead of "cheering for" Kath.

I can't identify myself with the hero (Peter McEnery) of this film at all. The hero, or anti-hero, of this film reminds me a little bit of Joe Orton (Gary Oldman) in PRICK UP YOUR EARS (1987, Stephen Frears) and Stuart Jones (Aidan Gillen) in QUEER AS FOLK (1999-2000). These characters are confident, sexy guys who like to manipulate other people. ENTERTAINING MR SLOANE is based on a play written by Joe Orton, and I think Orton might have transferred some of his own characteristics to Mr. Sloane.

2.The film is loveless. There is lust in this film, but there seems to be no real love. Thus, the film is even bleaker than the films of Rainer Werner Fassbinder, who also dealt with the gay relationship and the relationship between an old woman and a young man in his films. I guess Fassbinder didn't believe too much in the power of love, but some of his characters might believe in it. On the contrary, the characters in ENTERTAINING MR. SLOANE give me the feelings that they are unable to love.

3.The black comedic tone of this film reminds me of the wonderful black comedies of Danny DeVito, especially DUPLEX (2003) and THROW MOMMA FROM THE TRAIN (1987), but ENTERTAINING MR SLOANE goes farther than DeVito's films because there's no character whom you can identify with or root for in ENTERTAINING MR SLOANE, while you can a little bit cheer for Billy Crystal in THROW MOMMA FROM THE TRAIN or Ben Stiller in DUPLEX.

4.The ending of ENTERTAINING MR SLOANE surprises me a little bit.

5.Its story reminds me of two groups of films that I like very much:

5.1 Films about a handsome stranger who seduces members of a family

5.1.1 TEOREMA (1968, Pier Paolo Pasolini), but I prefer TEOREMA to ENTERTAINING MR SLOANE, because I like the supernatural part of TEOREMA very much.

5.1.2 DRY CLEANING (1997, Anne Fontaine)

5.1.3 BROKEN DOWN FAMILY (2010, Claude d'Anna, A+/A). This film is like a PG version of other films in the same group. This film deals with a middle-class family who lets a male friend who is an ex-prisoner stays at their house. The ex-prisoner attracts the wife, the daughter, and a friend of the daughter, but not the husband, unfortunately.

5.2 Films about a woman who picks up a young guy from the street and invites him to stay at her house

5.2.1 MON HOMME (Bertrand Blier)

5.2.2 THE NOISE IN MY HEAD (2008, Vincent Pluss)

5.2.3 CAN'T SAY NO (2009, Iliana Lolitch)

5.2.4 JOY HOUSE (1964, René Clément)

I still haven't seen THAT COLD DAY IN THE PARK (1969, Robert Altman), which I think belongs to this group, too.

6.My most favorite scene is the one in which Mr. Sloane is lying half-naked in bed, talking about sports, and trying to seduces Ed by touching himself. You can watch this scene here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72dIjbxNbHU&feature=related

7.The use of beautiful songs to summarize the story. This kind of technique reminds me of the film THEY ALL LIE (2009, Matías Piñeiro, Argentina). The use of beautiful songs in a black-comedic context also reminds me of the songs of the band THE BEAUTIFUL SOUTH. You can listen to the song at minute 4:30 in this clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcJ05HReUio&feature=related

In conclusion, ENTERTAINING MR SLOANE is a really entertaining black comedy. I like the presentation of sexuality in this film very much. Somehow I think of this film as a "distant" cousin of Fassbinder's films, though it lacks Fassbinder's sharp observation on society.

Favorite Old Songs 117: IT IS WHAT IT IS (1988) -- Rhythm Is Rhythm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jNZItHNrdY&feature=related

TIPPING THE VELVET (2002, Geoffrey Sax, British miniseries, 177 min, A+++++)

What I like very much in this lesbian miniseries include:

1.The scene in which Nan Astley (Rachael Stirling) dares to confront her master (Anna Chancellor) and her rich friends in a lustful party to protect Zena Blake (Sally Hawkins) from humiliation. I think Nan is very brave and very inspiring in that scene. The scene is very powerful. It is always inspiring to see a character who says something or does something which seems to announce, "Enough is enough. I will not be your slave any more. I will not bow down to you any more. You are rich, but I am a human being like you. Your richness cannot suppress us any more. Your power cannot make us shut our mouths any more." Nan doesn't say the previous sentence, but what she says and does in that scene gives the feeling like that.

You can watch this scene here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugD7UzMrP0Q

The power of "rising up" in that scene reminds me of one of my most favorite music videos of all time: DÉSENCHANTÉE -- Mylène Farmer (1991, Laurent Boutonnat)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XazOkXRTyR4&feature=related


2.The presentation of lesbian sex and dildo, which is much more explicit than what I had imagined. I didn't know that British television can be as explicit about sex as this, so it is a surprise for me when I see a dildo in this miniseries. I rarely see a dildo even in films, which theoretically should be more explicit than TV programs. The impressive presentation of dildo in TIPPING THE VELVET reminds me of the one in TWO DRIFTERS (2005, João Pedro Rodrigues).

I'm very glad that TV programs are now very much more explicit than the time when I was a kid in 1970's and 1980's. I just discovered a Thai gay cable TV series called LOVE AUDITION, which is a little bit more explicit than I thought.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwEuXMY0RQM

Having said that, I want to add that Thai mainstream TV is much more censored than before. When I was a kid, characters smoking a cigarette or having alcoholic drinks were not censored in Thai TV, but they have been censored during the past 10 years or so. While the rest of the world has been progressing, Thailand has been going downhill into the medieval era.

3.The beautiful melodies of the songs in this miniseries.

4. The world of lesbians one hundred years ago. I think I had never seen a period lesbian film before TIPPING THE VELVET. I think its story occurs nearly the same time as the homosexual stories in WILDE (1997, Brian Gilbert) and MAURICE (1987, James Ivory).

I hope in the future there will be some Thai period gay and lesbian films like TIPPING THE VELVET and MAURICE. There seems to be many interesting real Thai gay and lesbian stories worthy to be adapted into films, such as the lesbian story of Princess Yuangkaew Siroros or the gay story of Prince Kraisorn (1771-1848)
http://www.oknation.net/blog/print.php?id=482112
http://www.matichon.co.th/news_detail.php?newsid=1267432127&grpid=&catid=02

5. Some parts of the story in TIPPING THE VELVET reminds me of my life. The first part of the film deals with "innocent love". The second part deals with "lust". The third part deals with "settling down". The first and second parts of the miniseries remind me of my life. The first part of the film reminds me of the time when I was under 25. It is the time when I still had romantic dreams, or dreams that one day a man would sweep me off my feet. The second part reminds me of the exciting, lustful world of a gay discotheque which I used to frequent in the late 1990's. However, the third part of the miniseries doesn't remind me of my life, because my life is far from settling down yet. I don't have a house, a husband, or a really successful career. The happy ending of this miniseries is still beyond my reach.

6.The first part of the miniseries reminds me of the films WHEN NIGHT IS FALLING (1995, Patricia Rozema), in which a conservative woman falls in love with a carnival woman who comes to town, and DRY CLEANING (1997, Anne Fontaine), in which a heterosexual couple become attracted to a man performing in a drag club.

Fortunately, TIPPING THE VELVET doesn't stop at the lesbian love story between the small-town woman and a travelling woman. The miniseries goes on to explore other things in part 2 and 3.

7.I like the world of theatre one hundred years ago. In this miniseries, the heroine is dressed as a man and sings some beautiful songs onstage. It reminds me of some films about the theatre world in the past, such as

7.1 BEING JULIA (2004, István Szabó)

7.2 ESTHER KAHN (2000, Arnaud Desplechin)

7.3 FRENCH CANCAN (1955, Jean Renoir)

7.4 QUEENIE (1987, Larry Pearce, 2367 min), in which the heroine becomes famous after performing an exotic dance in a club.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093808/


8.The drag performance of the heroine reminds me of Marlene Dietrich in trousers and Annie Lennox in the music video LEGEND IN MY LIVING ROOM.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gd8QNraWB0

9.The performance of Anna Chancellor

Other interesting things:

--It is funny to think that Geoffrey Sax directed both TIPPING THE VELVET and the horror film WHITE NOISE (2005), because these two works seem to have nothing in common.

--The beach scenes in TIPPING THE VELVET reminds me of the music video FOREVER BLUE (1989) -- Swing Out Sister
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35S2Ox0SbCg

--Like many good miniseries/TV series, the strength of TIPPING THE VELVET comes from "a good story being told efficiently", not the breakthrough of forms or styles as found in great films. However, I don't mean to say that TIPPING THE VELVET is not great because it is not experimental or avant-garde. I just want to observe that this seems to be one of the main differences between these two media, because many miniseries/made-for-TV films that I like also have this quality--conventional storytelling of great stories, while many films that I like are the ones that "don't want to tell stories." I also want to note that "to tell a good story efficiently" is not an easy thing, and there are many films nowadays which cannot even "tell a good story efficiently".

Period miniseries/made-for TV films that I like very much include:

1.CAT'S PAW HOUSE (2009, Jean-Daniel Verhaeghe), based on the short story of Honoré de Balzac
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Maison_du_chat-qui-pelote

2.CLAUDE GUEUX (2009, Olivier Schatzky), based on the novel of Victor Hugo. It deals with social injustice very powerfully.

3.COURRIÈRES 1906, THE CHILD OF DARKNESS (2007, Thierry Binisti). This film is based on a true story about the tragic fates of mining workers.

4.CRAINQUEBILLE (2009, Philippe Monnier), based on the short story of Anatole France. It deals with social injustice very powerfully.

5.DOMBAIS ET FILS (2007, Laurent Jaoui, 180 min), based on the novel of Charles Dickens. It deals with a tyrannical man whose wife and daughter rebel against him.

6.FRIEND JOSEPH (2008, Gérard Jourd'hui), based on the short story of Guy de Maupassant. It deals with the conflicts between the Monarchists and the Republican.

7.HAPPINESS DWELLS IN CRIME (2009, Denis Malleval), based on the novel of Jules Amédée Barbey d'Aurevilly. It deals with the downfall of the aristocracy.

8.THE HAUNTED SEAT (2009, Claude Chabrol), based on the story of Gaston Leroux

9.PRIDE AND PREJUDICE (1995, Simon Langton, 300 min), based on the novel of Jane Austen

10. THREE MURMURED MASSES (2009, Jacques Santamaria), based on the story of Alphonse Daudet (1840-1897). It presents a sarcastic view on the religion establishment.

11.TIPPING THE VELVET, based on the novel of Sarah Waters

Favorite Music Videos 26: TRISTANA -- Mylène Farmer (1987, Laurent Boutonnat)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCz1UsZQSTg&NR=1

The Russian revolution + Snow White + Vampire = Mylène Farmer's music video

Favorite Thai Songs 2: INTERCEPT THE BITCH -- Baitoey RSiam

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YN9Rm1C2k6M&feature=share

Thanks to Filmsick for telling us about it.

Celine and Julie Go Dancing 53: PERFECT STRANGER -- Magnetic Man featuring Katy B

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0drhaypsHFo

This music video reminds me of the neighborhood in THE FIGHTER (2010, David O. Russell, A+++++). I like the voice of Katy B very much.

Favorite music videos 25: METEORITES -- London Elektricity featuring Elsa Esmeralda

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZAX10373pc&feature=share

I think the heroine of this music video can kill the Green Lantern within 5 seconds. I like her very much. Maybe the heroine of this music video should fight against Sailor Uranus or Sailor Neptune.

Celine and Julie Go Dancing 52: VICIOUS DELICIOUS -- Infected Mushroom

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0x5U9c1ki8&feature=related

Favorite music videos 24: MMMHMM -- Flying Lotus (2010, Special Problems)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ilKpwEXcfo&feature=related

MY SUNDAY EVENING

Celine and Julie Go Dancing 51: Summertime -- Jamie Jones

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQo7Fk2zjus

Celine and Julie Go Dancing 50: TURN IT DOWN (2011) -- Kaskade, Rebecca & Fiona

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXbky7eU3qg

Favorite music videos 23: I'M NOT ALONE -- Calvin Harris (2009, Christian Holm-Glad)

I like the teddy bear in this music video. The music video reminds me a little bit of the sadomasochistic world of Alain Robbe-Grillet.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JeTE5cnkhGc&ob=av2n

CELINE AND JULIE GO DANCING 49 -- REJEKT -- Dubfire

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrlAQ3k5W04&feature=share

Chaloemkiat Saeyong and the flood of Bangkok

Chaloemkiat Saeyong has uploaded many clips about the current flood of Bangkok in his Youtube channel.
http://www.youtube.com/user/Chaloemkiat?feature=digest_sun#p/u

Favorite music videos 22: LA RITOURNELLE -- Sébastien Tellier (2010, Quentin Dupieux)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30O92akDeJg

Favorite old songs 116: FLUTTER (1994) -- Autechre

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6eL62Tv9cQ

I like this song from 1994. There seems to be the sense of chaos and the sense of calmness flowing simultaneously in this song. I wish some filmmakers use this song in a martial arts practicing/fighting scene.

In my imaginary film, a female character who has practiced her power while the song FLUTTER (Autechre) was playing in the background should fight against another female character who has practiced her power while the song LUSH 3-5 (Orbital/CJ Bolland) was playing in the background.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3H00FOtOr-U

A book advertisement by Weerasak Suyala

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PwdWstnvJA

Favorite music videos 21: GIVE IT TO ME SLOW -- Greymatter (2011, Joe Bichard, Tom Cole, John Malcolm Moore, Joe Sparrow, Serena Wise)

http://vimeo.com/30016426

I want to screen this music video together with the films RHYTMUS 21 (1921, Hans Richter) and GAZE AND HEAR (2010, Nontawat Numbenchapol, A+++++++++++++++)
http://www.ubu.com/film/richter_rhythmus.html

MY TENTATIVE SCHEDULE FOR WFFBKK 2011

SAT 5
1200 ILLUSIONIST
1430 SHORT WAVE 3
1640 SHORT WAVE 4
1920 WALKOVER
2130 DANCE TOWN

SUN 6
1200 TOKYO DAY + A FORMAL FILM IN NINE EPISODES
1440 SHORT WAVE 2
1720 TURIN HORSE
2040 GEORGE THE HEDGEHOG

MON 7
1300 ONE LUCKY ELEPHANT
1540 SHORT WAVE 5
1750 DOG SWEAT
2000 FOR ONCE IN MY LIFE

TUES 8
EVA 8
http://knookiew.blogspot.com/2011/09/eva8-experimental-video-art-8.html
1100 LEAVING BAGHDAD
1330 IF A TREE FALLS
1610 LAS ACACIAS
1840 WASTE LAND
2030 I CARRIED YOU HOME

WED 9
1230 PUSHED
1440 CHEONGGYECHEON MEDLEY
1720 ZEPHYR 93 MIN
1930 LA DANSE: THE PARIS OPERA BALLET (158 MIN), Alliance Française

THURS 10 ESPLANADE
1300 RETURN TICKET
1530 LOVE LIKE POISON
1800 SEVEN DAYS IN HEAVEN
2040 ONCE UPON A TIME IN ANATOLIA

FRI 11
1330 CORNER PLOT + KIDS WITH CAMERAS
1600 THE BALLAD OF GENESIS AND LADY JAYE
1850 UNDERTOW
2100 LUNG NEAW VISITS HIS NEIGHBOUR

SAT 12
1310 MY ROHINGYA
1520 SHORT WAVE 1
1740 MANGO FILMMAKER PROJECT
2000 OCEAN HEAVEN

SUN 13
1100 MAKE BELIEVE
1330 THE CAVE OF FORGOTTEN DREAM
1610 LOVELY MAN
1830 HAIR

SOME THAI SHORT FILMS

DOCUMENTARIES
1.มะตูม (เบญจมาศ รัตนเพ็ชร, A++++++++++)
2.มะยอลิเจี๊ยะ/ความหวัง (กุลปรียา โคกมะณี, A+++++)
3.ร็อค อะ บิลลี่ (ชุตินาฏ พงษ์ทองวัฒนา, A+)
4.FIXED GEAR (อรพัฒน์ พัฒนพงศา, A+/A)
5.ไต้ก๋ง (สุนิสา ภาณุภาส, A)

FICTIONS
1.บาปสุดท้าย (ชุตินาฏ พงษ์ทองวัฒนา, A)
2.โรคจิต (อานุภาพ อุตถา, A-)
3."ท้าตาย" (ภคมน กาญจนจรัสพร, A-)
4.เกมส์คำทำนาย (อรพัฒน์ พัฒนพงศา, A-/B+)
5.HAPPY BAD DAY (รุ่งโรจน์ เพ็งพันธุ์ฉ่ำ, B-)


เราชอบ "ท้าตาย" (ภคมน กาญจนจรัสพร) ในระดับประมาณ A- จ้ะ เพราะเราว่ามันฮาดี (แต่ไม่รู้ผู้กำกับตั้งใจหรือเปล่า) และเราว่ามันมีเสน่ห์แบบการ์ตูนผีไทยเล่มละ 5 บาท

1.ฟิกเกียร์ เราว่าเป็นสารคดีที่ทำได้ดีพอตัวนะ ถ้าจำไม่ผิด จุดที่เราชอบก็คือว่า ตอนต้นเรื่องเราจะเห็นว่าผู้ชายกลุ่มนี้ดูเหมือนอันธพาลที่น่ากลัวมาก แต่พอสารคดีพาเราไปทำความรู้จักกับพวกเขา เราก็จะเริ่มรู้สึกว่าพวกเขาเป็นผู้ชายธรรมดาๆกลุ่มนึง ที่อาจจะไม่ได้น่ากลัวอย่างที่คิด ส่วนเพื่อนเราบอกว่า สิ่งที่เขาชอบมากในหนังเรื่องนี้ก็คือการที่ผู้กำกับถามว่า "ทำมาหาเลี้ยงชีพกันยังไง" แล้วผู้ชายในเรื่องก็ตอบว่า "ขอเงินพ่อแม่ใช้อยู่"

อ้อ อีกจุดที่ชอบก็คือการพาเราไปรู้จักกับ subculture อย่างนึงน่ะ มันเป็นเสน่ห์ของหนังสั้นไทย เพราะหนังสั้นไทยเรื่องอื่นๆก็จะพาเราไปรู้จักกับเด็กเล่นสเก็ตบอร์ด, เด็กแต่ง cos play ฯลฯ หนังเรื่องนี้ก็เป็นอีกเรื่องนึงที่ทำให้เราได้รู้จักกับ subculture ของคนขี่จักรยาน

2.ไต้ก๋ง ถ้าเราเข้าใจไม่ผิด ผู้กำกับเรื่องนี้เป็นผู้หญิง แต่เขาไม่อนุญาตให้ผู้หญิงขึ้นเรือใช่มั้ย ผู้กำกับก็เลยต้องให้เพื่อนผู้ชายไปถ่ายบนเรือแทน

จุดนึงที่ทำให้ประทับใจก็คือการที่หนังเรื่องนี้ทำให้เราได้รู้จักข้อห้ามเรื่องนี้นี่แหละ เพราะมันเป็นสิ่งที่เราไม่รู้มาก่อน ส่วนการนำเสนอชีวิตการทำงานของไต้ก๋งก็ทำได้ดีพอประมาณ แต่โชคไม่ดีที่ชีวิตไต้ก๋งอาจจะไม่ได้สะเทือนใจอะไรมากนัก ไม่เหมือนอย่าง"มะยอลิเจี๊ยะ" ที่ชีวิตดูท่าทางจะลำเค็ญกว่ามาก คือเราชอบ "มะยอลิเจี๊ยะ" มากเพราะมันมีอารมณ์สะเทือนใจนี่แหละ แต่ "ไต้ก๋ง" มันขาดอารมณ์นี้ และเราว่าทางทีมงานอาจจะไม่มีเวลาได้คลุกคลีอยู่กับไต้ก๋งนานนักก็ได้ มันก็เลยทำให้เรารู้สึกเหมือนกับว่าเราได้รู้จักกับ "ไต้ก๋ง" ในหนังเรื่องนี้เพียงแค่ผิวเผินเท่านั้น

ไม่ใช่ว่าทีมงานไม่เก่งนะ เพราะเราเข้าใจว่ามันมีข้อจำกัดหลายประการ ถ้าหากเราต้องทำงานภายใต้ข้อจำกัดอย่างเดียวกัน เราก็คงทำไม่ได้ดีเท่านี้หรอก แต่เราว่าไต้ก๋งกับร็อคอะบิลลี่มีข้อเสียอย่างเดียวกัน คือทีมงานคงมีเวลาน้อยในการคลุกคลีกับตัว SUBJECT ของสารคดี (ซึ่งมันไม่ใช่ความผิดของทีมงาน) ถ้าหากทีมงานได้มีเวลาคลุกคลีและใช้ชีวิตกับ SUBJECT ของตัวสารคดีเป็นเวลาไม่ต่ำกว่าหนึ่งเดือน มันก็อาจจะทำให้หนังสารคดีที่ออกมาสามารถเข้าถึง "จิตวิญญาณ" ของตัว subject, เข้าถึงชาวบ้านในละแวกนั้น และจิตวิญญาณของย่านที่อยู่อาศัยนั้นๆได้

3.เกมส์คำทำนาย เราจำได้ว่าเราชอบครึ่งเรื่องแรกมากๆ มันเป็นหนังผีที่ใช้ได้เลย แต่เรามีปัญหากับทัศนคติของครึ่งเรื่องหลัง แต่เราจำไม่ได้แล้วว่ามันเกิดอะไรในครึ่งเรื่องหลัง เราไม่แน่ใจว่าหนังมันต่อต้านการทำแท้งและการมีเพศสัมพันธ์ในวัยรุ่นหรืออะไรทำนองนั้นหรือเปล่า ซึ่งเราไม่เชื่อในทัศนคติแบบอนุรักษ์นิยมแบบนี้น่ะ พอหนังมันออกมาในทำนองที่ว่า "อย่ามีเซ็กส์เลย" หรืออะไรทำนองนี้ เราก็เลยไม่ชอบ สรุปว่าเราไม่ได้มีปัญหากับฝีมือกับการกำกับ แต่มีปัญหาเพียงเพราะทัศนคติไม่ตรงกับเนื้อเรื่อง

4.แฮปปี้ แบด เดย์ หนังมีไอเดียเริ่มต้นที่ดีนะ เรื่องการหลอกเพื่อนร่วมงานแบบแผลงๆน่ะ แต่เราว่าจังหวะของหนังมันพลาดหมดเลย มันก็เลยไม่ได้อารมณ์อะไรเลย ไม่ว่าจะเป็นสนุก, ตื่นเต้น, ลุ้นระทึก, ตลก, น่ากลัว จังหวะของหนังมันไม่ดีน่ะ

ถ้าเทียบกันแล้ว แฮปปี้ แบด เดย์ มี "ความคิดสร้างสรรค์" สูงกว่าหนังอย่าง "ท้าตาย" มากๆเลยนะ แต่ท้าตายกลับทำออกได้ลงตัวมากกว่าในความมักน้อยของมัน ส่วนแฮปปี้ แบด เดย์อาจจะตั้งเป้าหมายสูงไปนิดนึง

5.โรคจิต หนังมันเหมือนมีจุดหักมุมแค่จุดเดียวน่ะ ซึ่งเป็นจุดหักมุมที่เราพอเดาได้ตั้งแต่ต้นเรื่อง ว่านางเอกน่าจะเป็นคนโรคจิตเหมือนกัน แล้วพอมันเหมือนมีจุดที่น่าสนใจแค่อย่างเดียว ซึ่งก็คือการหักมุมในตอนจบ มันก็เลยทำให้ส่วนอื่นๆดูไม่น่าสนใจเท่าที่ควร เราว่าส่วนอื่นๆของหนังมันดู "ปานกลาง" น่ะ คือพล็อตหนังแบบนี้อาจจะทำเพียงแค่ 5 นาทีจบก็ได้ ไม่ต้องถึง 20 นาที แต่ถ้าหากจะทำหนังยาว 20 นาที พล็อตก็ควรจะซับซ้อนมากกว่านี้ หรือพล็อตอาจจะเหมือนเดิม แต่ควรจะสร้างเสน่ห์ให้กับรายละเอียดต่างๆได้มากกว่านี้

ถ้าหากเราเป็นผู้กำกับ เราอาจจะทำหนังเรื่องนี้ให้เป็น mockumentary นะ คือทำเป็นเหมือนกับว่าหนังถ่ายจากกล้องของผู้ชายโรคจิตตลอดทั้งเรื่อง เป็นกล้องที่ไปแอบถ่ายผู้หญิงเซ็กซี่ตามจุดต่างๆ ก่อนที่คนถ่ายจะถูกฆ่าตายในตอนจบ

ถ้าหากผู้กำกับจะเอาดีกับหนังโรคจิตแบบนี้ เราขอแนะนำว่าให้ดูหนังอย่าง THE WITCH (Alwa Ritsila) หรือ THE STORY ABOUT YOU AND ME (Alwa Ritsila) เป็นตัวอย่างนะ เราว่าหนังสองเรื่องนี้แหละที่นำเสนอความโรคจิตของตัวละครออกมาได้อย่างน่าสนใจตลอดทั้งเรื่อง
http://vimeo.com/14085858
http://vimeo.com/13837222


6.บาปสุดท้าย เราประทับใจกับฉากที่ฮาโดยไม่ได้ตั้งใจ คือฉากที่พระเอกเหมือนจะลูบไล้ร่างกายตัวเองขณะลงแดง แล้วก็ตะโกนว่า "แม่ ยา แม่ ยา แม่ ยา" มันเหมือนเป็นฉาก erotic incest โดยที่ตัวผู้กำกับไม่ได้ตั้งใจ ฮ่าๆๆ

ตัวเนื้อเรื่องที่แม่ไปซื้อยาเสพติดให้ลูกในตอนจบ ก็ดีนะ มัน controversial ดี แต่เนื้อหาช่วงต้นๆเรื่องที่เป็นการต่อต้านภัยยาเสพติด มันอาจจะดู cliche ไปหน่อย คือคนดูรู้อยู่แล้วล่ะว่ายาเสพติดเป็นสิ่งไม่ดี เพราะฉะนั้นการดูหนังที่บอกในสิ่งที่คนดูรู้อยู่แล้ว มันก็เลยอาจจะไม่ได้น่าสนใจมากนัก (ยกเว้นหนังอย่าง "สามชุก" ที่เต็มไปด้วยเด็กหนุ่มหล่อๆ ฮ่าๆๆ) ซึ่งสิ่งนี้มันจะต่างจากหนังสารคดีที่เราชอบมากๆเรื่อง 95110 เมืองในหมอก (ทวีวิทย์ กิจธนสุนทร) และ MIKE AND GUIDE (ธนกฤต รวมตะคุ) เพราะ 95110 เมืองในหมอก นำเสนอภาพกลุ่มหนุ่มๆขณะเสพยาเสพติดอย่างมีความสุข โดยที่ตัวหนังไม่ได้เข้าไปตัดสินแต่อย่างใดว่ามันเป็นสิ่งผิด (คนดูรู้อยู่แล้วล่ะว่ามันผิด) และมันก็ตอบสนองคนดูอย่างเรา เพราะเราอยากรู้ว่าคนติดยาเสพติดเขาใช้ชีวิตกันอย่างไร และเขามีอารมณ์ความรู้สึกอย่างไรขณะเสพยา ส่วน MIKE AND GUIDE ก็นำเสนอชีวิตชายวัย 60 ปีที่เคยติดยาเสพติดในวัยหนุ่ม และมันก็ตอบสนองคนดูอย่างเรา เพราะเราอยากรู้ว่าคนที่เคยติดยาเสพติด พอแก่ไปแล้วเขามีชีวิตอย่างไร สรุปว่าหนังสองเรื่องนี้พูดถึงคนติดยาเสพติดในแบบที่เราสนใจ แต่ "บาปสุดท้าย" พูดถึงคนติดยาเสพติดในแบบที่เราไม่ค่อยสนใจน่ะจ้ะ อันนี้คือปัญหาเกี่ยวกับประเด็นของหนังนะ แต่ฝีมือการกำกับก็ดูเหมือนไม่มีปัญหาอะไรเท่าไหร่

DARK WORLD (2010, shadow play aka Teeranit Siangsanoh, 52:33 min, A+++++)

I like the atmospheric quality of this film very much.

30 DAY CINEPHILE CHALLENGE PHASE II DAY 30

http://www.facebook.com/pages/30-Day-Cinephile-Challenge/184987868220596

Phase II Day 30: A film that you love for a very personal reason (no need to explain) -- TENDERNESS (2009, John Polson)

30 DAY CINEPHILE CHALLENGE PHASE II DAY 29

http://www.facebook.com/pages/30-Day-Cinephile-Challenge/184987868220596

Phase II Day 29: A film that changed your preconceptions about cinema -- WINDOW (1999, Apichatpong Weerasethakul). I saw this film on August 15, 1999, and it made me realize how blissful a non-narrative film can be.

30 DAY CINEPHILE CHALLENGE PHASE II DAY 28

http://www.facebook.com/pages/30-Day-Cinephile-Challenge/184987868220596

Phase II Day 28: A film that you wished another filmmaker would have made, and which filmmaker -- If the question is "a film that you wished another filmmaker would remake", I will answer JUDEX (1963, Georges Franju), and I hope someone like Tsui Hark, Su Chao-Bin (REIGN OF ASSASSINS), Ching Siu-Tung (SWORDSMAN II), or Johnnie To (THE HEROIC TRIO) will remake it, because I think JUDEX can be adapted into a martial arts film with a powerful villainess. The villainess' role played by Francine Bergé in JUDEX can be played by someone like Maggie Q in the new version.

I wrote about this film in imdb.com here:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057207/reviews?start=3

Favorite music video 20: L'ÂME-STRAM-GRAM -- Mylène Farmer (1999, Ching Siu-Tung)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIQlj2U8Yos&feature=related

30 DAY CINEPHILE CHALLENGE PHASE II DAY 27

Phase II Day 27: Your favorite documentary -- COLD HOMELAND (1995, Volker Koepp, Germany)

This is what I wrote about this film in imdb.com in 2001:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113519/reviews

"The movie begins with a mesmerizing shot, and it never lets me down after that. 'Cold Homeland' is so warm with humanity and shows many ordinary people who can hold my attention entirely with stories of their lives. But it's not only their stories that are captivating; more importantly, it is mainly the magical directing talent of Koepp which makes this movie extraordinary.

What makes this movie so special to me is that while I was watching it,I felt so drawn into it as if I were also in that place. Koepp can make me really 'feel' the place, not just seeing it. He can transform the screen into a magical door and makes me feel if I walked into that door, I would step into that faraway land at once. He can really capture the sense of the land with his subliminally powerful scenery shots. There are many shots in the movie which represent only landscapes. These scenery shots are not there to show how beautiful this land is, nor they are there just to inform the audience about how this land really looks like. I feel these scenery shots are much more than that. By inserting these shots appropriately in the movie, Koepp let the landscapes speak for themselves. He can make the landscapes-- the trees, the grass, the wind, the stones, the buildings, or even the sunshine there-- reveal their own 'feelings' and make the landscapes embrace the audience with their tender arms. This is pure magic!

Koepp is also very talented in making people speak. Though some people speak little, what they speak means a lot and has strong feelings within it. Other people in the movie speak a lot about their past, and though they tell the stories of their lives calmly, something from their past, something from their hearts makes me cry. I really don't know why I feel like crying when the old woman starts singing. And when she reveals her past, I find her story one of the most impressive and deeply touching. Listening to some people in this movie telling their lives for 2 minutes can stir more powerful emotions and leave long-lasting impressions than seeing some fictional 2-hour movies. Some stories told are really unforgettable, and I don't want to forget them because they make the word 'life' much more meaningful to me than before.

Koepp is also talented in representing some interesting aspects and information about that place, especially the information about the ethnic diversity of people living there. I learn a lot about this astonishing part of the world from this movie. This movie does not only carry the audience on a visual journey through this special land, but it also lets the audience touch the land, feel the land, breathe the air of the land, admire the soul of the land, and admire the spirits of people living there."

30 DAY CINEPHILE CHALLENGE PHASE II DAY 26

http://www.facebook.com/pages/30-Day-Cinephile-Challenge/184987868220596

Phase II Day 26: A cinephile friend you admire and his/her favorite film -- Wiwat Lertwiwatwongsa aka Filmsick. He has a Thai blog here:
http://filmsick.exteen.com

One of his favorite films is SHADOWS IN PARADISE (1986, Aki Kaurismäki)
http://beyondthecanon.blogspot.com/2009/11/wiwat-lertwiwatwongsa.html

30 DAY CINEPHILE CHALLENGE PHASE II DAY 25

http://www.facebook.com/pages/30-Day-Cinephile-Challenge/184987868220596

Phase II Day 25: Your favorite international film festival -- If it means a film festival I have ever attended by myself, I choose THE WORLD FILM FESTIVAL OF BANGKOK 2010, because the choice of films in this festival is great. I wrote about it here:
http://celinejulie.blogspot.com/2010/11/wffbkk-2010-is-best-film-festival-in-my.html

If it means a film festival I have never attended, I choose the Rotterdam International Film Festival, because I like many films which were once shown in this festival, such as

1.BLIND PIG WHO WANTS TO FLY (2009, Edwin, Indonesia)

2.THE BLOSSOMING OF MAXIMO OLIVEIROS (2006, Auraeus Solito, Philippines)

3.CARGO 200 (2007, Aleksey Balabanov, Russia)

4.DAYS OF SANTIAGO (2004, Josué Méndez, Peru)

5.4 (2005, Ilya Khrzhanovskiy, Russia)

6.JEALOUSY IS MY MIDDLE NAME (2002, Park Chan-ok, South Korea)

7.LOVE CONQUERS ALL (2007, Tan Chui Mui, Malaysia)

8.THE MARK OF CAIN (2007, Marc Munden, UK)

9.MYSTERIOUS SKIN (2004, Gregg Araki, USA)

10.THE SKY, THE EARTH, AND THE RAIN (2008, José Luis Torrres Leiva, Chile)

The photo here comes from PSYCHOHYDROGRAPHY (2010, Peter Bo Rappmund), which was my second most favorite film shown in the World Film Festival of Bangkok 2010.

30 DAY CINEPHILE CHALLENGE PHASE II DAY 24

Phase II Day 24: The worst film that has ever won an Oscar -- BRAVEHEART (1995, Mel Gibson)
http://www.facebook.com/pages/30-Day-Cinephile-Challenge/184987868220596

30 DAY CINEPHILE CHALLENGE PHASE II DAY 23

http://www.facebook.com/pages/30-Day-Cinephile-Challenge/184987868220596

Phase II Day 23: A film you really feel deserved an Oscar and won it -- THE DISCREET CHARM OF THE BOURGEOISIE (1972, Luis Buñuel), which won an Oscar for a foreign language film.

30 DAY CINEPHILE CHALLENGE PHASE II DAY 22

http://www.facebook.com/pages/30-Day-Cinephile-Challenge/184987868220596

Phase II Day 22: A good film from a terrible filmmaker -- MINDHUNTERS (2004, Renny Harlin)

30 DAY CINEPHILE CHALLENGE PHASE II DAY 21

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Phase II Day 21: A film you think every woman should watch and why -- BREMEN FREEDOM (1972, Rainer Werner Fassbinder), because some of the female audience may find this film very touching. The film is adapted from a real case of a woman who murdered 15 people. I wrote about this film here:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068314/reviews?start=1

30 DAY CINEPHILE CHALLENGE PHASE II DAY 20

http://www.facebook.com/pages/30-Day-Cinephile-Challenge/184987868220596

Phase II Day 20: A film you think every man should watch and why -- BAISE-MOI (2000, Virginie Despentes + Coralie Trinh Thi), because this film will make men understand women better.

30 DAY CINEPHILE CHALLENGE PHASE II DAY 19

http://www.facebook.com/pages/30-Day-Cinephile-Challenge/184987868220596

Phase II Day 19: Your favorite film portraying a fictional monster -- THE MIST (2007, Frank Darabont). I think what's great about this film is that the hero has to deal with both "monsters" and "human beings as monsters" (the people who believe in Mrs Carmody).

30 DAY CINEPHILE CHALLENGE PHASE II DAY 18

http://www.facebook.com/pages/30-Day-Cinephile-Challenge/184987868220596

Phase II Day 18: The most controversial film you have ever seen -- AN ARIA ON GAZE (1992, Hisayasu Sato). This sadomasochistic film stars Issei Sagawa, who killed and ate a woman in 1981. The film is controversial for both its content and its choice of actor.

Mike Kitchell wrote about this film here:
http://esotikafilm.com/reviews/thebedroom.html

The case of Issei Sagawa:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Issei_Sagawa

30 DAY CINEPHILE CHALLENGE PHASE II DAY 17

http://www.facebook.com/pages/30-Day-Cinephile-Challenge/184987868220596

Phase II Day 17: Your favorite movie poster -- QUEEN MARGOT (1994, Patrice Chéreau)

30 DAY CINEPHILE CHALLENGE PHASE II DAY 16

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Phase II Day 16: Your favorite erotic film -- SCORCHER (1992, Matt Sterling)

30 DAY CINEPHILE CHALLENGE PHASE II DAY 15

http://www.facebook.com/pages/30-Day-Cinephile-Challenge/184987868220596

Phase II Day 15: Your favorite gore/zombie/slasher film -- WOLF CREEK (2005, Greg Mclean)

30 DAY CINEPHILE CHALLENGE PHASE II DAY 14

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Phase II Day 14: A canonic filmmaker that you just can't stand -- No one. But if it is about a Nouvelle Vague filmmaker whom I like the least, I will answer François Truffaut. I like his TWO ENGLISH GIRLS (1971) and THE BRIDE WORE BLACK (1967) very much, but I just much prefer Jacques Rivette, Eric Rohmer, Jean-Luc Godard, and Claude Chabrol to him.

30 DAY CINEPHILE CHALLENGE PHASE II DAY 13

http://www.facebook.com/pages/30-Day-Cinephile-Challenge/184987868220596

Phase II Day 13: Your favorite silent film -- DIE NIBELUNGEN (1924, Fritz Lang). I like the character Kriemhild very much, because she is extremely vengeful.

30 DAY CINEPHILE CHALLENGE PHASE II DAY 12

http://www.facebook.com/pages/30-Day-Cinephile-Challenge/184987868220596

Phase II Day 12: Your favorite contemplative film -- RUHR (2009, James Benning)

30 DAY CINEPHILE CHALLENGE PHASE II DAY 11

http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=2567688794874&id=184987868220596

Phase II Day 11: A filmmaker who used to be amazing but has lost his/her touch -- Chatrichalerm Yukol. I think THE LAST LOVE (1975, Chatrichalerm Yukol) is great, and I want to screen it alongside other great films about marital problems which are directed by Philippe Garrel, Maurice Pialat, Jacques Doillon, or Claude Sautet. But I don't like his NARESUAN film series made in 2007-2011.

CELINE AND JULIE GO DANCING 48: PARIS -- Friendly Fires featuring Au Revoir Simone (Aeroplane remix)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYNTkAjybQg

30 DAY CINEPHILE CHALLENGE PHASE II DAY 10

http://www.facebook.com/pages/30-Day-Cinephile-Challenge/184987868220596

Phase II Day 10: A great movie to watch drunk/stoned/on acid, etc. If you're not into any of those things, just name a movie that makes you "trip". -- OUR LADY OF THE TURKS (1968, Carmelo Bene, Italy)

30 DAY CINEPHILE CHALLENGE PHASE II DAY 9

http://www.facebook.com/pages/30-Day-Cinephile-Challenge/184987868220596

Phase II Day 9: Your favorite low budget film -- A NOCTURNE (2007, Bill Mousoulis, Australia, 70 min). IMDB.com says that the film's budget is about 5000 Australian dollar, or 157,000 baht.

I wrote about this film here:
http://celinejulie.blogspot.com/2010/07/nocturne-2007-bill-mousoulis.html