Now playing in Pattaya
Source
Code: US/ France, Mystery/ Romance/ Sci-Fi/ Thriller – A film everyone is
raving about. I can personally verify that it’s simply terrific in all ways as a
thriller and mystery. It stars an excellent Jake Gyllenhaal as a soldier who
wakes up in the body of an unknown man and discovers he’s part of a mission to
find the bomber of a Chicago commuter train. A younger brother to Inception,
it has the complex infrastructure of top-tier science fiction. Gripping, well
directed, well acted, highly recommended. Generally favorable reviews.
Thai-dubbed at Big C.
King Naresuan Part III: Naval Battle: Thai, Drama/ War – The third
chapter (of at least four chapters) of the King Naresuan epic, continuing the
story of Thai’s chivalric king and warrior in the Ayudhya era who fought against
the invasion of Burmese troops that aimed to overpower the Ayudhya Kingdom. The
filming of the story of King Naresuan began in 2002 and is still continuing on
the huge set built in Kanchanaburi (and which is open to the public as a sort of
theme park). Nearly the whole army garrison in Kanchanaburi is in the movie as
extras, plus hundreds of elephants, horses, and other animals. Sort of a 10-year
public works project for the province.
For sure the film is spectacular, and the production aspects are superbly
rendered: the costumes, the sets, the set decoration. All of that shows a lot of
research in the design, and much skill and craftsmanship in execution. If the
emotions and plot seem wooden, remember the difficulty in creating a drama that
offends absolutely no one (with the single exception of the Burmese; that’s
allowed.). The film is rated “P” for “Promote” – meaning the Thai government has
given it its seal of approval, and everyone should go see it. The Bangkok
Post’s critic, Kong Rithdee, said the “P” should rather stand for
“Pedestrian.” But it is spectacular – for all that money, it had better be.
Mindfulness and Murder / Sop-mai-ngeap: Thai, Crime/ Mystery/ Thriller –
When a homeless youth is murdered on the grounds of a Buddhist monastery in
Bangkok, the police do little to investigate, leaving Father Ananda - a former
homicide detective - to try and solve the crime. With the help of an orphaned
boy named Jak, Ananda travels the canals of the city to unravel the clues and
catch the killer. Written and directed by Tom Waller. Nicely captures the mood
and details of life in a temple in an interesting story.
Hop: US, Animation/ Comedy/ Family/ Fantasy – Blending state-of-the-art
animation with live action, it tells the comic tale of an average semi-lazy guy
(James Marsden) who accidentally injures the Easter Bunny’s teen-aged son
(voiced by Russell Brand) and must take him in as he recovers. As he struggles
with the world’s worst houseguest, “both will learn what it takes to finally
grow up” – or so it says here. Looks sort of like fun. Mixed or average reviews.
Not at Big C.
Scream 4: US, Horror/ Mystery/ Thriller – Ten years have passed, and
Sidney Prescott, who has put herself back together thanks in part to her
writing, is visited by the Ghostface Killer, and the horror starts all over
again. Gentle, grandfatherly, scholarly Wes Craven, revisits his horror
franchise. Rated R in the US for strong bloody violence, language, and – worst
of all – some teen drinking.
Sucker Punch: US/ Canada, Action/ Fantasy/ Thriller – The most
imaginative film since Inception. A young girl (Baby Doll) is
institutionalized – locked away in a mental asylum by her wicked stepfather –
where she will undergo a lobotomy in five days time. It’s an adolescent boys’
sex fantasy on top of an ugly story of a life so bad it drives the heroine into
psychosis. In this case, however, it’s a shared psychosis with four other girls,
and the “quests” they have in the psychotic world have repercussions in their
real lives. It would be the easiest thing in the world to make fun of Sucker
Punch, and I daresay it’s doomed to be ridiculed for years to come, and yet
have an influence on future films that will surprise everyone. I loved it. It’s
bizarre, but unique and wonderful – a gritty, violent, fantasy-based, primarily
female-driven story. Generally unfavorable reviews. Not at Big C.
World Invasion: Battle Los Angeles: (Scheduled) US, Action/
Sci-Fi/ Thriller – Here the invaders are aliens, and I guess the movie is
designed to show how Marines would likely handle an attack from
extra-terrestrials. Marines from Camp Pendleton helped train the actors for
their roles, educating them in the Marine way of doing things. A number of
actual Marines also appear as extras in the film, and as an example of how tough
the training was, note that Aaron Eckhart, playing a Marine staff sergeant,
broke his arm during the filming. I enjoyed Eckhart in this film, felt it was a
good performance. And I thought it all a good action film. It may be overlong
and not very original, but it is exciting. Generally unfavorable reviews.
Ha Zard: Thai, Comedy/ Drama – When a university of comedians is facing a
downturn and all its comedians are endangered, some comedy students team up to
save everyone’s careers. Has at least a cameo from every comic in Thailand, plus
excessive excrement and flatulence comedy routines – so very popular. Some
really gross stuff.
No Strings Attached: US, Comedy/ Romance – To gauge from the previews,
this film is likely to get the blatant smut award of the year, but at least the
raunch is clever and cheerful. A guy and girl try to keep their relationship
strictly physical, but it’s not long before they learn that they want something
more. The studio puts it this way: “In this comedy, Emma (Natalie Portman) and
Adam (Ashton Kutcher) are life-long friends who almost ruin everything by having
sex one morning. In order to protect their friendship, they make a pact to keep
their relationship strictly “no strings attached.” The questions become - Can
you have sex without love getting in the way? And can their friendship survive?”
Rated R in the US for sexual content, language, and some drug material – but
only rated 15+ in Thailand. Mixed or average reviews. At Pattaya Beach only.
Vanishing on 7th Street: US, Horror/ Mystery/ Thriller – An apocalyptic
thriller/ horror about a seemingly global blackout that causes countless
populations to simply vanish, leaving only their clothes and possessions behind.
A small handful of survivors band together in a dimly-lit tavern on 7th Street,
struggling to combat the horror. Long sections build a nice sense of dread and
mystery. With Hayden Christensen and John Leguizamo. Rated R in the US for
language. Mixed or average reviews. At Pattaya Beach only, unless it’s vanished.
Beastly: US, Drama/ Fantasy/ Romance – A modern-day take on the “Beauty
and the Beast” tale where a New York teen is transformed into a hideous monster
in order to find true love. Except that he’s not hideous at all. The ugliness is
so cool as to be most attractive, losing the point of the whole exercise.
Starring Alex Pettyfer, late of I Am Number Four, as the Robert
Pattinson-look-similar (to appeal to the young girls again who like the Twilight
series). Widely divergent opinions, so “mixed or average” reviews with the
emphasis on “mixed.” At Pattaya Beach only.
Gnomeo and Juliet 3D: (Shown in digital 3D) UK/ US, Animation/ Comedy/
Family/ Fantasy/ Romance – A version of Shakespeare’s play, set in the world of
warring indoor and outdoor gnomes. Garden gnomes Gnomeo (voice of James McAvoy)
and Juliet (voice of Emily Blunt) have as many obstacles to overcome as their
namesakes when they are caught up in a feud between neighbors. Mixed or average
reviews. At Pattaya Beach only.
SuckSeed: Thai, Comedy/ Musical – Tells the story of teenage boys who
form a rock band called SuckSeed just to impress the girls. But things get
complicated when a girl joins the group. A definite hit. Only at Pattaya Beach,
if at all.