In addition to The Bodyguard and Bodyguard 2 being released this week on DVD in the U.S., there's Bangkok Love Story, which was picked up for North American distribution by TLA Releasing. After making the rounds at a series of lesbian and gay festivals, Bangkok Love Story will be released on Region 1 DVD tomorrow.This gay-romantic-action drama about a hitman and his target falling in love, written and directed by Poj Arnon, won the Subhanahongsa Award for Best Script. It also won Best Cinematography for Tiwa Moeithaisong. During an earlier run of international festivals, the film won the Grand Award at the 34th Brussels International Independent Film Festival.
Coffee Coffee and More Coffee's Peter Nellhaus reviews Bangkok Love Story, and says it's a surprising film from the same director of Haunting Me, a comedy about screaming transvestites. Here's bit of what he has to say:
What struck me about Bangkok Love Story is that the man who got some cheap laughs from a parody of Brokeback Mountain made a film that has succeeded with audience and critics, a gay love story that will probably be parodied by other Thai filmmakers, if it hasn't been already. The mawkishness of Bangkok Love Story is stressed by the gushing strings. Imagine, if you will, a vintage Warner Brothers weepie, with Leslie Howard leaving Bette Davis for Humphrey Bogart, to the musical accompaniment of Max Steiner. The effect is an overload of melodrama and beefcake ...
Peter has a theory about Bankgok Love Story, but I'll leave it to you to go read his review. He also finds it encouraging "that a new Thai film that is neither a ghost story nor martial arts adventure has a DVD release in the U.S. Now if only Love of Siam, Me ... Myself and Ploy will follow ..."
Bangkok Love Story is available at at HK Flix and at Amazon.
See also:
I hope someone remembers to read my review, too.
ReplyDeleteIt has been a while since I wrote it, and if I saw the thing again I might like it more.
But at the time, the implausible storyline just made me laugh. Tragedy was piled upon tragedy. In the end, almost all the main characters were dead - and for what?
The music and the photography deserved their awards, but you can keep the rest.
Here's the link:
http://bkkmindscape.blogspot.com/2007/11/wet-wet-wet-friends-review-spoil.html
Thanks for the link to your review, BD.
ReplyDeleteIf you liked Bangkok Love Story you HAVE to check out Schoolboy Crush. I just watched it and let me tell you it is HOT! Just like TLA's previous hit featuring asians actors this one does the same. The main characters, while a bit feminine, satisfied my needs for a good asian porno. The story starts with a young teacher discovering one of his students is a prostitute he used to hire and then follows the blackmail and desire that ensues. There is definitely a surprising twist ending and the whole movie had me wondering who was going to bed whom and if an obsession would turn deadly. And its set in an all boy's prep school, what could be better?!
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