It Gets Better & The Melody open on Valentine's Day

Even though police and cultural watchdogs will be doing all they can to stamp out Valentine's Day fun by teenagers, Thai cinemas and movie distributors are enamored with the day of love, and they think it's cute to release romance films on February 14, even if that day falls in the middle of the week, like this year's, which is on a Tuesday.

So there are two Thai films being released.

One of them is It Gets Better (ไม่ได้ขอให้มารั, Mai Dai Kor Hai Ma Rak), directed by controversial filmmaker Tanwarin Sukkahpisit. The ensemble romance has three stories about transsexual love. Veteran actress Penpak Sirikul stars in one story, playing a post-op transsexual. There's a recent Bangkok Post story about her.

Released by M Pictures, It Gets Better premiered at the Hua Hin International Film Festival, where it was given the Audience Award.

Sahamongkol Film International brings out The Melody รักทำนองนี้, a romance that was scheduled for release last year but was delayed because of the flooding. Singer "Dan" Worrawech Danuwong stars. He plays a famous pop singer who retreats to the northern tourist town of Mae Hong Son after his career goes down the tubes. There, he meets talented pianist Mork (Pariyachat Limthammahisorn). There's an English-subtitled trailer, embedded below.

Getting a jump on this pair of Valentine's Day releases is studio M-Thirtynine, which rolled out Valentine Sweety (วาเลนไทน์ สวีทตี้) last Thursday. It's a sequel to the hit New Year's holiday release Bangkok Sweety (Sor Khor Sor Sweety, ส.ค.ส. สวีทตี้). Director Rerkchai Paungpetch kept his cameras rolling, following the five groups of lovers into Valentine's Day. Dan Worrawech, Keerati and Ramita Mahapreukpong, Kavi Tanjararak, "Pae" Arak Amornsupasiri, Apinya Sakuljaroensuk and Kotee Aramboy star.

Bangkok film lovers should also take note of the Cinema Picnic by Moonlight, an annual Valentine's Day outdoor screening at the Museum Siam that's part of La Fête, the French-Thai cultural festival. This year's show is pretty special, with the screening of the restored hand-colored version of the 1902 proto-science-fiction film A Trip to the Moon (Le Voyage dans la lune) by pioneering filmmaker Georges Méliès (who's featured as a character Martin Scorsese's Hugo). The show time is at 7.30.