Those wacky national costumes

Miss Thailand Universe Farung Yuthithum came in 11th place in this year's Miss Universe contest, in which Miss Japan, Riyo Mori, was crowned Miss Universe.

In a year of protests and a fall by Miss USA Rachel Smith (she still came in fifth place), there was plenty of trouble. The Mexico City pageant drew protests from women wearing white dresses splashed with blood, calling attention to the abuse of women. Miss Sweden was made to withdraw after protests in her country called the contest demeaning. Miss Mexico had to change out of her national costume, which was decorated with images of rebels in a 1920s religious uprising being hanged or shot.

Yes, those bizarre "national costumes", in which the contestants themselves (or their handlers) take a lot of creative license. For example, Miss USA dressed as a white-jumpsuited Elvis Presley lookalike. And Miss Thailand had a belly button-baring ethnic Hmong outfit.

Of course, back home in Thailand, cultural watchdogs were shocked, shocked, by Farung's choice of costume. The front page of the Thai daily Kom Chad Luek had a photo of Farung in her faux hilltribe get up, asking, "A national costume?"

Whatever it is, it is definitely not Thai, said Ladda Tangsupachai, director of the Ministry of Culture's ominously named Cultural Surveillance Centre.

The Thai national dress, Ladda stressed, must be Thai. It also must be in line with the official, royal designs and it must be used for proper occasions. She criticised Farung for failing to do her duty and show the outside world an authentic national Thai dress. Instead, Farung turned up in a sort of hybrid ethnic - read not Thai - costume.

There was outrage, yes, though not nearly the firestorm that was whipped up when Chotiros "Amy" Suriyawong wore that dress to the National Film Association Awards.

Still, it raises some troubling issues, points out Bangkok Post assistant editor Sanitsuda Ekachai, who says there's a narrow view of Thai identity that ignores the nation's cultural and ethnic diversity. She writes in a recent column:

This hegemonic history, perpetuated by all forms of popular media, has brainwashed society to believe that the country belongs to the ethnic Thai only, reducing other ethnic groups to 'outsiders'. This rigid, national identity forces ethnic groups to drop their ethnic names, adopt Buddhism and learn to speak Thai without an accent in order to be accepted as 'true' Thai.

(Cross-published at Rotten Tomatoes)

Review: Me … Myself (Khor Hai Rak Chong Charoen)

• Directed by Pongpat Wachirabunjong
• Story by Pongpat Wachirabunjong, screenplay by Kongdej Jaturanrasamee
• Starring Ananda Everingham and Chayanan Manomaisnatiphap
• General release in Thailand cinemas on April 19, 2007

Identity, sexuality and childhood aspirations are examined in the romantic comedy drama, Me … Myself, which stars Ananda Everingham as a transvestite cabaret dancer who suffers from amnesia after he is struck by car.

The woman driving the car, Oom (Chayanan Manomaisantiphap), takes responsibility for him and brings him back to her place. Before he was struck by her car, he was beaten and robbed by some guys on a motorcycle while he was using a payphone. His only possession is a necklace with a pendant that spells out "Tan". Not knowing his name, that's what they settle on calling him.

Tan initially has a rocky time being accepted into Oom's life. Plus, she's having crises of her own – having just broken up with her domineering boyfriend, Krit, and having to take care of her troublemaking young nephew, Ohm, the son of her dead sister. She's also balancing a career as a budding creative director at an advertising agency, where she's always running into her old boyfriend. A couple of comical slacker neighbours who are always hanging around don't help much either.

One thing leads to another, and Tan is smacked upside the head by one of the slacker guys for saying something deemed offensive. This brings forth a vision of a woman in Tan's mind. He's taken to a doctor and then a psychiatrist for treatment. He's given a journal and encouraged to free associate.

In the meantime, Tan charms his way into Oom's life. Not only is he supportive of her with her work and in her role as a surrogate mother to her nephew, he's great at organising her stacks of magazines and giving her perfect fashion advice. Comfortable in his masculinity, he can wear a Hello Kitty apron without any sense of irony. Tan tries to defend Ohm after the boy gets in trouble in school, and ends up getting punched out by another boy's father. His stronger suit is being able to tell Oom what dress to wear, and the appropriate shade of lipstick. He restores Oom's confidence and self-esteem. So, of course, they fall in love.

"I don't want to remember anymore. I want to be like this with you here, forever," he tells Oom one night as they watch the sunset from a ledge outside her apartment.

At this point, it's not a spoiler to say that before Tan was beaten up by thieves and then struck by Oom's car his name was Tanya. He was gay and was the star of a transvestite cabaret in Phuket. What he was doing in Bangkok, and even how he ended up as the featured dancer in a katoey show, are some of the things this movie reveals.

The issues it raises – would a gay man forget he's gay if he had amnesia, for example – are compelling. Further, if an amnesiac had to start over, what would he do? What are his childhood dreams and would he still work to achieve them even though he's forgotten them?

Me … Myself is the directorial debut of veteran actor and singer Pongpat Wachirabunjong. Who would have thought of this coming from a man who's best known as the red-shorts-clad action hero of the Seven Street Fighters films? He's also credited with the story, though prolific screenwriter Kongdej Jaturanrasamee penned the screenplay.

The film is an assured debut, and has its enjoyable little moments, like the camera focusing on the front wheels of a shopping trolley, when Oom explains that shopping at Foodland keeps her mind off her problems. Another cut-away shot shows Oom backing up from Tan, her dainty high heels clicking on the floor. It's a small detail, but it's one that speaks volumes.

The story gets bogged down in the heartbreak the protagonists feel after the truth of Tan's past is revealed – nothing like an apartment full of transvestite cabaret dancers to break the news. But the subtle performance by Ananda, and a strong debut by Chayanan, along with the interesting issues the film raises, make My … Myself worth watching.

There's some interesting supporting characters. Director Tanit Jitnukul (is he still making movies?) has a cameo as a police officer. Puttachat Pongsuchat portrays "Boss Oil", Oom's workaholic lesbian boss, who offers some kind support and insight. One of the slacker neighbors is that guy from the Mhee Panda video.

It's a film that seems ripe for a remake by Hollywood, though it probably won't be quite as good. Somehow, the idea of, say, Orlando Bloom and Kate Hudson putting this story through its paces doesn't seem as rewarding.



More information:

• Official site

(This review was originally published in The Nation, May 12, Life section, Page 6)

Review: Alone

• Directed by Banjong Pisanthanakun and Parkpoom Wongpoom
• Starring Marsha Wattanapanich and Vittaya Wasukraipaisan
• Released in Thailand cinemas on March 29
• Rating: 4/5

There's nothing scary about Alone, except for the corpsified ghost woman who keeps popping up.

A slick, self-assured thriller Banjong Pisanthanakun and Parkpoom Wongpoom, Alone is up there with the best of the J-horror flicks that have gone on to be remade by Hollywood. It also recalls the best of Hitchcock or Cronenberg, with its dark, psycho-thriller elements.

Of course, Banjong and Parkpoom are the pair that made the smash-hit chiller Shutter back in 2004, and it's up for a remake by Hollywood, too, and it will likely be inferior to the original, as most remakes are. With Alone, Hollywood will have to work overtime to come up with a production that is as strong as this Thai film.

No, there is nothing scary about the screenplay, which contains some snappy foreshadowing -- the kind that when the stuff happens that was foreshadowed, you smack your forehead and think, "Why didn't I see that coming?"

There's nothing scary about the photography, which is luminous, nor the editing, which is tight.

And there is definitely nothing scary about the performance by Marsha Wattanapanich, who at 36 is twice the age of the Thai actresses playing most of the lead film roles.

None if it is scary -- it is all beautiful, and moving.

Except for that ghost girl. Now she's scary.

Alone is a tale about conjoined twins, or, if you prefer, Siamese twins, after history's most famous conjoined brothers, Chang and Eng. And indeed, the brothers, originally from Samut Songkhram, are referenced in this dark tale.

In a killer performance, Marsha portrays Pim, a Thai woman who's happily married and living in South Korea with her architect husband, Wee, also Thai, and their pet beagle, Lucky.

On her birthday, a call comes in from Thailand. Seems Pim's mother has had a stroke and is in the hospital. So Pim must return home. Wee and the dog accompany her.

The trip back home brings a rush of memories for Pim. And in a creepy, old wooden Thai colonial-style mansion, she is just not comfortable. Adding to the creepiness is Pim's mother's shy maid, who refuses to stay in the house. The flashbacks to Pim's childhood are bittersweet, showing the repressive bond she had with her conjoined twin sister, Ploy, who apparently died after the twins were separated.

Most of the previews for the film give away the good scares, like Lucky barking at a mirror, and Ploy popping out of it, scaring Pim so much that Pim falls headlong down the stairs.

She ends up in the hospital, babbling about seeing her ghostly sister. Wee invites an old friend to visit. He's a psychiatrist, and Pim suddenly becomes very impolite to the man. But to please Wee, she undergoes some sessions with the shrink, who tells her the ghost is all in her head -- that there's something buried deep in her psychosis that's causing it.

The doctor suggests a change of scene, but it doesn't help, as a walk on the beach shows. Where there should be one set of footprints in the sand, Ploys turns around and finds two, and is horrified. The look on her face is priceless.

Flashbacks go deeper and deeper into the relationship, with the dark, menacing Ploy saying she and Pim will never separate. And then, as children, while staying in the hospital, the diabetic Wee enters their lives. At this point, the younger Pim and Ploy are played by some actual twin sisters, and they, as well as the young Wee, come off just as strong in their performance as their adult counterparts.

A brilliant artist, Wee sketches a picture of the twin he favors most -- Pim of course. This makes Ploy very angry. Oh, and that's pretty scary, too.

And it keeps getting scarier and scarier, as the thrills, surprises and action keep building up.


More information:

• Review at Coffee, Coffee and More Coffee
  

Review: Out of the Darkness

• Directed by Chatrichalerm Yukol
• Starring Sorapong Chatree
• Released in Thailand in 1971; all-region PAL DVD available from Mangpong with English subtitles.

Thailand's first science fiction film, and also the first film by MC Chatrichalerm Yukol, comes from a time when a single film had to be many films at once - action, comedy, romance, drama, even musical.

The story begins in Bangkok, where a scientist and his assistant (played by Sorapong Chatree, in the first of a string of films for Chatrichalerm) notice some meteors falling in southern Thailand.

They pack up their car and head for the Andaman coast, starting their search at a mining camp, where they promptly get into a shootout. After vanquishing the gunmen, who were apparently attacking for no other reason than to have a shoot-out scene in the film, they meet the mine's owner and are taking to his swinging pad of a house, where a bunch of groovy kids are hanging out partying.

The kids, all good looking and fashionably dressed in the latest loud styles of 1970s upper-class Thailand, are eager to help the scientist. One woman, named Chonlada, agrees to accompany the dashing Sek to a cliff, where Sek woos the lovely Chonlada.

Meanwhile, some of the other kids muse about Sek and Chonlada going off together and kid another guy, who thinks he's Chonlada's boyfriend. They break out into song. It's like a Bollywood movie, without the wet saris. But at 140 minutes, it's nearly as long.


Finally, off at a nearby island of sea gypsies, an alien emerges from the water and attacks the tribe's chieftan. Possessed by the alien, he goes back to his village and shoots green death rays from his eyes and wipes everyone out, except for his daughter, the bikinied, lei-wearing sea gypsy princess who looks like she belongs in the cast of South Pacific.

Eventually, the alien makes its way to the mainland and possesses more people. Sek and the others must find a way to kill it.

By Chatrichalerm's own admission, the film is "terrible." But I'd still probably watch it again, just for sheer camp value.

The special effects are nothing special. The alien is a blob-shaped thing with tentacles that remind me of the squid in Plan 9 from Outer Space (actually Tim Burton's Ed Wood, in the scene where Bela Lugosi is depicted having to move the giant squid's tentacles himself because there is no motor for the prop).


(Cross-published at Rotten Tomatoes)

Review: The Sperm

• Directed by Taweewat Wantha
• Starring Putthipong Sriwat, Pimpaporn Leenutapong, Somlek Sakdikul, Dollaros Dachapratumwan
• Released in Thai cinemas on March 22, 2007

Thai science-fiction cinema hasn't actually come all that far since its beginnings with 1971's Out of the Darkness.

The latest offering, The Sperm, directed by Taweewat Wantha, uses the same green ray-beam effects emanating from the eyes as MC Chatrichalerm Yukol had when he made his debut feature film, which was about an alien invasion along the Andaman coast of southern Thailand.

But Chatrichalerm probably would agree that Taweewat's film, while not necessarily having significantly better special effects, executes a more original story with The Sperm, or Asujak, than Out of the Darkness, a film that by Than Mui's own admission was "terrible". In The Sperm, an alien spaceship is a giant hotpot bowl with a wooden door. A ramshackle No. 133 Bangkok city bus becomes a mobile laboratory. There are cartoonish 3-D animated sperm and shakily rendered faces of the "lookalike gang", but it all adds up to fun.

Putthipong "Leo Putt" Sriwat stars as a struggling young rock musician named Sutin. In his sleep, he always dreams of situations that almost put him in sexual contact with Thailand's sweetheart model-actress, La-mai (Pimpaporn Leenutapong). Just as he's ready to consummate the relationship, he wakes up.

But Sutin makes contact with La-mai for real when he's shopping and reaches for the winning bottle of Addict deodorant, which earns his band a place in the One Tambon, One Band (OTOB) competition. The prize is presented by none other than La-mai. Not wanting to blow a chance to actually have sex with the girl of his dreams, he crudely propositions her. But he's actually awake, and this is actually happening, and it's caught on live television.


Embarrassed, he drowns his sorrows in whisky and soda. He suffers further indignities when his bandmates dose him with a generic Viagra drug from Chatuchak market and dump him in a short-time motel. Sutin comes to to find himself being serviced by an elderly prostitute – a rude awakening because he was again dreaming of La-mai. He runs from the room, but can't shake the protuberance from his trousers. In an alley, he spots a poster of La-mai and relieves his burden in front of it, not caring that his issuance has gone into the Bangkok sewer system.

Overnight, Sutin's seed spreads. Thousands of women are pregnant, and give birth the next day. All the babies grow abnormally fast, and they all seem obsessed with sex. And, they all look like Sutin.

Sutin is soon on the run from the police, but bigger problems come up, and not just his making up with La-mai.

The Sperm is a sharp satire on Thai pop culture and society – of fame and celebrity, brand-name products and the sexualisation of everything, even as being sexy is frowned upon. It's the kind of movie that deserves to be seen, for what it's trying to say, and for the comic performances by Leo Putt and Pimpaporn (who last starred in 2003's frankly sexual Sayew, another ignored gem).


There's the always-reliable Somlek Sakdikul as a scientist looking for a solution to the problem of Sutin's seed. And where Pimpaporn is the typical demure good Thai girl, the scientist has a daughter who embodies all the badness – of tight, short schoolgirl outfits, a too-short security guard uniform and strings from a G-string bikini protruding from the tops of her low-riding Daisy Duke cut-off denim shorts. Wow! Dressed in a form-fitting catsuit, she leads a band of inflatable sex doll ninja warriors who save the day. She's not bad, she's just dressed that way.

The Sperm is also similar to Out of the Darkness in that it has some musical interludes, though the style of music is quite a bit different. Out of the Darkness had a couple of song-and-dance numbers that seemed just dropped in - all the sudden, people are singing and dancing, Bollywood style. In The Sperm, the music is part of the story, part of which takes place at a battle of the bands. Thai rapper Nuttawut Srimhog portrays Sutin's best friend and steps up as the lead singer of the band. He's part of Joey Boy's Gancore Club hiphop collective and is a member of the duo BZ and Fukking Hero, though I don't know whether he's BZ or Fukking Hero. The duo was seen in Buppha Rahtree. Chakrapong Siririn, better known as Song Paradox, bassist of the band Paradox, portays the band's vulgar lead guitarist. Song was also in The Possible late last year. Thai hair metal legend Kitti "Guitar" Gunn makes a cameo, as does Narongrit Tosa-nga, better known as "Khun In" from The Overture. He portrays Guitar God.

Despite all it has going for it, The Sperm is yet another entry in a crowded release calendar for Thai films, and is struggling against heavy Hollywood hitters like 300 and Ghost Rider. It doesn't really fit the mould of Thai comedies, horror flicks and horror-comedies, even though it has all the required elements (yes, there's even a transvestite male character), and will probably barely register in the Thai pop culture consciousness.

The name itself is a turnoff. I suggested it to a few people, and the immediate response was disgusted looks, as if I was suggesting they see an X-rated film.

The Sperm, like Taweewat's previous film, SARS Wars, an over-the-top sci-fi satire that killed Film Bangkok with its extravagance, will likely be appreciated more overseas by cult-film crowds. Hopefully, The Sperm will seek out an audience that deserves it.


(Cross-published at Rotten Tomatoes)

Review: The Legend of King Naresuan Part II: Reclamation of Sovereignty

• Directed by MC Chatrichalerm Yukol
• Wanchana Sawasdee, Nopachai Chaiyanama, Taksaorn Paksukcharern, Intira "Sai" Charoenpura
• Released in Thailand cinemas on February 15, 2007

So many questions. Did armies in King Naresuan’s time have elaborate armour, like they do in The Legend of King Naresuan? Did the monarch really have a three-metre-long sniper rifle? Did the Rock, Paper, Scissors game exist in 1577?

Historians may debate these questions, but really, the answer is simply: Who cares? It’s just cool, and that’s all that matters.

With The Legend of King Naresuan Part II: Reclamation of Sovereignty, MC Chatrichalerm Yukol has delivered a tightly paced, fast-moving, action-packed war film.

Like the best of Thai cinema, Naresuan II has a bit of everything to please the masses. Of course, it has action – loads of it, with epic battle scenes and hand-to-hand combat. There is bold romance and even some comedy.

The comedy is where Rock, Paper, Scissors comes in, when a couple of young, bumbling lords arrive at Naresuan’s castle in Phitsanulok. Alighting from their horses at the same time, they argue over who should go first, based on whose city is more important. They can’t decide, so the apparently ancient game makes the decision for them.

Trouble is, neither knows what Naresuan looks like. They’ve heard he’s the "Black Prince", and among the fighters seated on the palace grounds, watching some swordsman spar is a resplendently turbaned African warrior. So of course, the young lords bow to him first. Pretty soon, the real Naresuan (Capt Wanchana Sawasdee) is revealed.

All grown up, Naresuan and his right-hand man, the temple boy Boonting, rechristened Lord Rachamanu (Nopachai Chaiyanama), have attracted a following with their formidable military and martial arts skills. Along with the African fighter, there’s also a samurai warrior (Yano Kasuki) in Naresuan’s army.

Naresuan needs all the help he can get, because in Burma, King Bayinnaung (Sompop Benjatikul) has died, leaving the Hongsawadee kingdom in the hands of his mean-spirited son, King Nanthabureng. Without the wise, guiding hand of Bayinnaung, the throne’s grip on the ever-rebellious states is tenuous at best.

Naresuan’s father, King Thamaracha (Chatchai Plengpanich), believes he should go to Hongsawadee to pay respects. But Naresuan, having been raised in Burma as a hostage under Bayinnaung (see Part I), thinks of the dead monarch as his second father, and convinces his Thamaracha to let him go. There, he is reunited with his childhood sweetheart, Maneechan, who has grown into a beautiful woman (Taksaorn Paksukcharern), as well as the wise Yoda of a monk, Khan Shong (Sorapong Chatree), who taught him martial arts.

All the kingdoms have shown up for the funeral, and more importantly to show respect to Nanthabureng – all except one, the hilltribe state of Khang. So Naresuan is ordered to lead one of three armies to attack Khang, which is a stronghold that cannot be approached without heavy casualties. In a battle scene that recalls the Helm’s Deep scenes from Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, the first two armies try in vain, and end up decimated and full of arrows. Naresuan sizes up the situation, and finds a weakness in the Khang Death Star defences.


Overwhelmed by Naresuan’s troops, the Khang tribe surrenders and is imprisoned. During the fight, the tribe’s military leader, Princess Lurkin (Intira "Sai" Charoenpura from Nang Nak), captures the eye of Boonting. Handy with a bow and arrow, as well as an axe, Intira’s fireball of princess is a most welcome character, even if she does eventually succumb to Boonting’s repeated stealing of kisses between sword strokes. She’s like Star Wars Princess Leia or Zhang Ziyi in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, with the fighting skills of both Legolas and Gimli from The Lord of the Rings. The bonus is, she has no facial hair and is not Orlando Bloom.

Meanwhile, Nanthabureng is headed off to attack another rebel kingdom, leaving his even meaner-spirited son, Prince Upparaja (Napatsakorn Mitraim) in charge. This guy, and his buddy – the eye-liner duo – plot Naresuan’s demise, laughing and cackling as they scheme. They are hilarious, one-dimensional villains. All they need to do is tie Naresuan to some railroad tracks, if there were such things in 16th century Southeast Asia.

Upparaja even sends a tribe of Naga headhunters to attack Naresuan, which makes for some interestingly bloody hand-to-hand scenes. But the result of all Upparaja’s plotting only drives other kingdoms to side with Naresuan. The prince’s benevolence and wisdom serves him well. A flashback to his childhood reveals a selfless act that proves crucial to his victory in this episode. Along with this message is one of loyalty to friends and family, with the prince risking all to rush back across the battle lines to save his friend Boonting.

Another big battle scene features fireballs rolling down cliffs, a red-painted elephant and a treacherous river crossing. Finally, the big rifle that’s in all the movie ads comes into play. The weapon was first spotted in Part I, with the boy prince sneaking into a temple chamber to peek at the gun. Now, Naresuan is deemed ready by the monk Khang Shong to use it.

It takes three men to support Naresuan’s firing of the weapon – one to hold the long barrel, another to load it and a third to tamp down the load. But it’s worth all the effort – a shot that reaches across a river and at same time signifies Siamese independence.

At the end, the question remains, can Chatrichalerm keep up the momentum for Part III of his trilogy? It’s scheduled for release on December 5 in celebration of His Majesty the King’s 80th birthday.



More information:

• Official site

See also:

• Review at Asian Cinema - While on the Road
• Review at Coffee, Coffee and More Coffee

(Cross-published at Rotten Tomaotes)

Tony Jaa asks: Are you plus?

Tony Jaa is appearing Mitsubishi truck ads. They played one before Babel at Major Cineplex Sukhumvit. It starts out with him looking like he's going to beat the truck up. Then he dances around and flies over it, and then he actually gets in and drives the thing.

Coincidentally, one of the bus-stop ads is across the road from Major Sukhumvit. There's also a humongous billboard of him on the Rama IX expressway, on the way out to Suwannapoom Airport.

And incidentally, the Tony Jaa commercial wasn't the best of the commercials shown before the film - it was a spot involving a muay Thai fighter going through his pre-fight ritual, in which his trainer is blowing on him to imbue some sacred powers on his fighter. But the trainer's breath is so bad, the fighter is knocked out before he gets in the ring. The ad is for Salz toothpaste.

In Thailand the movie-theater commercials are often better than the films themselves. They took my mind off the anxiety over whether Babel would have English and Thai subtitles for the non-English dialogue. Often, the "foreign language" films in wide release in Thailand only have Thai subtitles. I'm pleased to report that everything is translated in both languages.

And in other Tony Jaa news, there was talk back in 2005 that he'd had some cosmetic surgery done to sharpen his jawline. When questioned about it, Tony admitted he'd had some work done -- he had his wisdom teeth removed. This is according to a Thai news report, translated by my girlfriend.

Anyhow, here's hoping Are you plus? becomes the new catchphrase of the year.

(Cross-published at Rotten Tomatoes)

Review: The Legend of King Naresuan Part I: Hostage of Hongsawadee

• Directed by MC Chatrichalerm Yukol
• Written by MC Chatrichalerm Yukol and Sunate Chutinatharanond
• Starring Sompop Benjatikul, Pratcha Sananvatananont, Sorapong Chatree, Chatchai Plengpanich, Grace Mahadumrongkul, Jirayu La-ongmanee, Suchada Chekly
• Released in Thai cinemas on January 18, 2007. Part II: Reclaiming Sovereignty, opens on February 15, 2007, and Part III is planned to open on December 5, 2007.

With Hostage of Hongsawadee, part one of what's now a film trilogy, The Legend of King Naresuan, MC Chatrichalerm Yukol is just getting warmed up. Still, it's hard to not judge this film too harshly, with its sometimes confusing storyline and uneven performances.

The highly anticipated followup to his 2001 epic, Suriyothai, the story picks up 15 years after the death of Queen Suriyothai. Under constant attack by Hongsawadee (Burma), the country that could be Siam has crumbled into rivalry and pettiness.

The ruler of Phitsanulok, King Thamaracha (Chatchai Plengpanich) whines when he's told that Ayutthaya won't send any troops to help fend off the Burmese hoards. Seeing no alternative, he surrenders to King Bayinnaung of Hongsawadee (a bold Sompop Benjatikul). To ensure he'll remain a loyal vassal, Thamaracha agrees to send his son, Prince Naresuan (Pratcha Sananwatananont), to Hongsawadee as a hostage.

Promising to treat the boy as if he were his own, Bayinnaung takes an immediate liking to the cheeky Naresuan, who refuses to bow to the king, saying he only shows respect to those who earn it. The boy accompanies the king on a campaign to Ayutthaya, and receives schooling in warfare while on the back of an elephant.

But the prince's real training begins in Hongsawadee, under the tutelage of an irascible staff-wielding head monk (the great Sorapong Chatree), who's Gandalf, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda all rolled up into one. A flash of magic reveals his potential, when he shows how a serpent-shaped scythe can become a deadly weapon with just a flip of his staff.

Ordained in this Burmese Shaolin Temple, the prince learns hand-to-hand combat, two-fisted sword fighting and tactics of war. What kind of Buddhism is this, anyway? Well, the basic tenants are there, sort of, as the prince learns when he and his newfound friends decide to take up cock fighting as a pastime. They receive a caning or two for their transgressions, but then convince the head monk to let them fight their magnificent rooster just one more time against the bird of a rival Burmese boy prince. Later, the noble rooster is let go by the prince, who displays an ability to talk to animals. Earlier, he tells a cobra to leave one of his friends alone, and this ability played a major role in last year's animated feature, Khan Kluay.



Naresuan's childhood companions are the temple boy Bunteng, a foul-mouthed, long-haired street urchin that Naresuan rescued from a mob after he stole some food in Thai town, and a temple girl, Manechan.

While Pratcha Sananvatananont has a commanding presence – as he should, since he's playing a future king of Ayutthaya – the other child actors are only barely tolerable for their cuteness, mainly because you will want to see what they will be like when they grow up.

The best performances are by the veterans Sompop and Sorapong, who are a joy to watch in their meaty roles. Guys like these don't get leading roles in Thai cinema very much these days. Sompop's cunning character is especially interesting. He makes the Burmese king come off like the good guy, while the Siamese kings look like fools.

As with Suriyothai, there is plenty of political intrigue as Bayinnaung relentlessly attacks and looks for ways to undermine Ayutthaya. After Suriyothai's daughter is captured by Bayinnaung while on her way to become a consort to another king, the fiery princess stabs herself with a hairpin rather than become Bayinnaung's lover.

Later, Naresuan's older sister, Princess Supankulayanee (an oddly cast Grace Mahadumrongkul), is brought to Hongsawadee, ostensibly as a court dance instructor, but she really knows what's on the smooth-talking king's mind when her face is slathered in white pancake make-up and brought before him . He just wants to chat, really. Defiant in spirit like her brother, she says she'll never give her heart to Bayinnaung, and will remain fiercely loyal to her native land. She even has some Siamese soil to prove her point.

The melodrama gets pretty confusing, and it's hammered home with some explosions and epic battles. It's tiresome. The fighting roosters have more heart and soul than the men in the warfare scenes.

And when I say hammered, I do mean hammered in the literal sense as well. In one scene, a duplicitious Siamese general who betrayed Ayutthaya is rewarded by Bayinnaung with a chest full of gold and jewels. As he hugs the treasure chest, some men sidle up to him with sledges and spikes, and nail his hands to the chest. He and his burden are then thrown into the river. Thanks a lot!

Chatricharlerm is known for the messages in his films. So with King Naresuan, is there an underlying political message? Something about leaders who turn over their powers to rulers in another country? Is it really Burma that's being talked about here?

Eventually, the situation for Prince Naresuan proves untenable. The rival Burmese boy prince and his hangers-on are jealous of Naresuan and the attentions given him by Bayinnaung. Attackers are dispatched off a bridge and into a klong by the wire-assisted scissors kicks of Naresuan, who then escapes with some followers to Ayutthaya. His sister will stay behind in sacrifice.

But what of hopes for the Hongsawadee line to continue? "There is another," Bayinnaung is told by a soothsayer.



More information:

• Official site

See also:

• Review at Coffee, Coffee and More Coffee

(Cross-published t Rotten Tomatoes>)

Spiritual warrior

After touring the U.S. to promote Tom-Yum-Goong (or The Protector), Tony Jaa is back in Thailand.

After some time meditating at a jungle temple, he's spiritually revived and ready to get down to the work of directing Ong Bak 2, reports Parinyaporn Payee in The Nation yesterday.

The story of Ong-Bak 2 is based on Ai Noom Saraphad Phid, a low-budget film he made years ago with mentor and martial arts choreographer Panna Rittikrai. Intended as an audition screener for Sahamongkol Films, the film was never shown because film stock they used was expired. The title translates to "man with poison", and is about a man who has two conflicting sides. He lets the dark side rule over him until he "discovers the beauty of khon" (Thai masked dance) and is able to transform his powers for the good. Shooting will start in earnest in January with the film's release late in 2007.

Parinyaporn caught up with Tony at a "khrob khru" ceremony, in which khon students pay tribute to their teachers. Earlier this year Tony collaborated with national artist and dancer Pichet Klunchun on a khon-inspired dance that was performed at the Subhanahongsa Awards. Since then, Tony's been looking for ways to incorporate the sacred, traditional dance into his martial arts routines, so audiences can expect Ong-Bak 2 to show more of that influence.

Present at the ceremony was Sahamongkol Films exec Somsak Techaratanaprasert, and noticeably absent was Ong-Bak and Tom Yum Goong director Prachya Pinkaew. The Nation hints at rumors of a split between Tony and the Baa Ram Ewe production company head, though "Tony clams up" at any mention of it.

It goes on to mention a new production company set up by Tony, Iyara Films, will be producing the next project, Dab Atamat (Sword), which is still in script development.

(Cross-published at Rotten Tomatoes)

That voodoo you do so bad

It's not only in Thailand where movies and other works run into trouble with the culture police.

In Malaysia, there's a film called Dukun that would probably be a big earner, if only it could be released.

The Associated Press covers the tale.

It's a fascinating story, really, about a female witch doctor who was convicted and hanged in 2001 for the murder and hacking up of a politician. Reportedly, on the gallows, her last words were "I will not die!"

The movie, Dukun, has a fictional character whose actions closely mirror the true-crime story.

The movie is highly anticipated and would likely do great business for audiences who are still very much fascinated with the case and with the occult in general. However, the Malaysian censors take a dim view of such things.

It's uncertain at this time if the film will be released or if the director will submit to editing and reshoots.

(Cross-published at Rotten Tomatoes)