2009 ends with frightened monks, country comedy and romance

Six more Thai films remain to be released this year, with a heavy dose of country comedy and romance -- in some cases a blend of the two.

Opening tomorrow is Yom-Pee-Poa (โยมผีพ่อ), a comedy produced by Pacific Island Film, about a cheeky novice Buddhist monk who is haunted by his ghost dad (Charnnarong Khantheetao), who wants the boy to find his mother. Ghost dad grows to terrifying heights, to hilarious effect as can be seen in the trailer, embedded above. So there is lots of running around and screaming from a cast of the usual comedians, including Apaporn Nakhon Sawan and Naowarat Yuktanun.

On December 3, taking over the slot for the auspicious December 5 holiday weekend for His Majesty the King's birthday and Father's Day is Yam Yasothon 2 (แหยม ยโสธร 2), comedian Mum Jokmok's sequel to his colorful 2005 country comedy.

The story, still set in rural Thailand sometime in the 1960s or '70s, takes place many years after the first installment. Mum's character Yam is now a civil servant and the graying, shotgun-toting father of teenagers, with his daughter -- played by his actual daughter Em Busarakam Wongkamlao -- being courted by a young man who's portrayed by "Dim" Harin Suthamjaras from the rock group Tattoo Color.

Janet Khiew is back as Yam's wife. Mum's son Mick Paytai and comedienne "Tukkie" Sudarat Butrprom also figure into the cast.

The costume design for this sequel is even more colorful, so blazing in fact, I fear many burned-out retinas. Check out the trailer embedded below.



Closing out the year will be four romance films.

First up on December 10 is the ensemble romantic comedy Pai In Love (ปายอินเลิฟ), which takes place in northern Thailand's hippie retreat, Pai. The cast includes Ray MacDonald.

More beautiful settings come in the drama October Sonata (รักที่รอคอย), with Rak/Sam/Sao's Koy Ratchawin playing the romantic interest for a young leader of the student activists in the October 1973 democracy demonstrations ("Pope" Thanavat Vatthanaputi). Apart from having potentially contentious political matters as a backdrop, the lovers meet at the October 8, 1970 funeral of Mitr Chaibancha and vow to meet again in subsequent Octobers. It's directed by veteran screenwriter Somkiat Vithuranich, who wrote the screenplay for Ai Fak and co-directed the doggie comedy Mid-Road Gang. Produced by NGR, October Sonata is set to open on December 23.

December 30 sees the release of another romantic drama, As It Happens (บังเอิญ...รักไม่สิ้นสุด), which appears to be a globe-trotting love story that on the surfaces seems similar to GTH's Dear Galileo, released earlier this year.

And on December 31 there will be the romantic comedy 32 December (32 ธันวา). This is the first production from M39 Pictures, the new joint venture by former crew of RS Film's Avant studio and distributor M Pictures. Directed by Rerkchai Paungpetch (Noodle Boxer), it stars Dan Worrawech as a guy with amnesia who falls in love with three women. The supporting cast includes "Nong" Choosak Iamsuk and "Saipan" Apinya Sakuljaroensuk, with yet another radical hairstyle.