Soi Cowboy in limited release in London

The abstract Anglo-Thai film noir Soi Cowboy opens at London's Institute for the Contemporary Arts on Thursday, June 11, for a two-week run.

It's by British director Thomas Clay and produced in Thailand by DeWarrenne Pictures, with cinematography by Sayombhu Mukdeeprom. To recap, here's what I wrote about Soi Cowboy when it was released in Thailand:

The movie takes its name from a neon-splashed red-light district in Bangkok, which is presumably where the film's first two main characters met. The street doesn't really play an integral part in the film, though it is seen in passing during the daytime.

The first half of the film is in black and white, and follows a couple -- a corpulent Dane (Nicholas Bro) and his tiny but pregnant Thai girlfriend (Pimwalee Thampanyasan) -- as the two go through their humdrum daily routine, mainly consisting of the great Viagra-popping Dane looking forlornly at the little woman, hoping she'll have sex with him. The second half of the film switches to brilliant color and takes place in the countryside, where a young guy has come to collect his older brother's head.

The trailer makes use of the country-gospel song "Where We'll Never Grow Old", which is sung by Art Supawatt. In the film, the performance is during a dreamy, Blue Velvet-like sequence in a parlor. A scratchy-sounding 1920s version by Alfred Karnes is used over the opening credits ...

Soi Cowboy debuted in the Un Certain Regard program at last year's Cannes Film Festival, and garnered critical acclaim. It was in competition at the Stockholm International Film Festival in November, and it won Best Foreign Director and Best Foreign Female Actor awards at the Melbourne Underground Film Festival in October. The film has also been featured at the Sarajevo Film Festival, Rio International Film Festival, Warsaw International FilmFest, Vienna International Film Festival, Leeds International Film Festival, Oslo International Film Festival and Mar Del Plata Film Festival. It played once to a capacity crowd during last year's Bangkok International Film Festival.

It has since been featured at the Miami International Film Festival.

The London run is being handled by Network Releasing, holder of the U.K. and Ireland rights.

Producer Joseph Lang will be present for Q&A at the screening on Friday night, June 12.

Additionally, Dr. Stan Glick's AsianCineFest has reprinted interviews with director Thomas Clay and actor Nicholas Bro . Head on over and have a look.

There's a U.K. trailer for Soi Cowboy on YouTube, and it's embedded below.



Update: DVD Times has a review (thanks Logboy). Network Releasing is planning to issue the film on DVD later in the year.

Update 2: Time Out London has an interview with Thomas Clay.

(Thanks Maxim!)

Don't tell anyone, but Moderndog is touring U.S., U.K.

Thai rock band Moderndog (or Modern Dog, โมเดิร์นด็อก) has set dates for a tour of the U.S. and the U.K., starting in San Francisco on June 14, and hitting clubs in Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and New York and then London and Manchester.

The dates and venues are at the Moderndog forum. Before the band takes off, they're giving a "Private Performance" on Tuesday night, June 9, at the Thailand Cultural Center.

The band's music has been featured in several Thai films -- their song "...Before" ("...ก่อน") is the opening and closing credits theme to Wisit Sasanatieng's Citizen Dog. Other film credits include Final Score and Hormones -- ตาสว่าง (live performance), "Hoo Dtaa Sa-Waang" (music video, with Thep Po-ngam) is featured in both those GTH films.

The distinctive rock formation in background of the photo is featured on the cover of their latest album, Ting Tong Noi (ทิงนองนอย), released last year.

Donald Richie: Tropical Malady is the new Rashomon

Apichatpong Weerasethakul has said that among his new projects is a work with the eminent Japanologist and film critic Donald Richie. When I last heard from Joe, as Apichatpong is called by Westerners, he was getting ready to go to Japan.

Richie is returning the favor by writing a review of the book, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, in The Japan Times. Richie catches the newspaper's readers up on Joe's career and his films and sums up (cache):

The full Apichatpong story up to now is admirably presented in this new collection. It contains James Quandt's magisterial survey of the films themselves; Tony Rayns' full survey of the shorter works; Benedict Anderson's superb survey on the Thai reception of "Tropical Malady;" Karen Newman on the installations; Kong Rithdee on the religious affiliations of the director; several essays by the director himself; some interviews and exchanges; and comments by Mark Cousins and Tilda Swinton. There is also a full filmography and bibliography and a listing of the contents of the massive retrospective of which this is the catalog.

The major films themselves are available on DVD from, among other sources, Amazon, and I strongly recommend them. Tropical Malady is the new Rashomon.

The book is not yet available outside Europe. The few copies that have found their way to Asia have been handed out personally by Joe. Released last month by the Austrian Film Museum, the book can be ordered from Wallflower Press.

Thailand's film ratings still on the way

Although Thailand's new film-rating system was "officially" to go into effect on June 1, there has been an apparent delay in its implementation.

In cinemas, it's business as usual, with no notices about the ratings system posted anywhere. Nor do movie ads and posters bear any marks that would indicate the films are being rated.

From what I understand, there is a delay in bureaucratic procedures at the ministerial level. I haven't heard a set date for when when the system will become known to the general movie-going public. I'll admit I'm somewhat anxious to see what it's going to look like and how it will be promoted.

An article today by Channel NewsAsia's Thailand correspondent Anasuya Sanya makes it clear that the Culture Ministry eventually plans to let the public know what the films are rated, both at cinemas and for home viewing. And filmmakers are still unhappy. Here's a snip:

Chaweerat Kasetsoonthorn, secretary general, National Culture Commission, said: "With a rating system, the audience, especially parents, can decide on appropriate movies, both in theaters and on DVD, for their children. I think it's even more satisfying to the audience - they can determine which rating is right for them."

But filmmakers like Nonzee Nimibutr are not so sure, since the Thai government still retains the option to ban films outright.

He said: "If we have a rating system, there is no need to also ban films... The new law is still as vague as the old one. It's not clearer. There is still room for ‘double standard’. There can be different criteria for each movie."

The Culture Ministry refutes this and says the ratings can serve directors well when they are making a movie.

Chaweerat Kasetsoonthorn said: "In fact, the rating system is even better for the filmmakers, since they now have guidelines. They can make a movie that will suit the audience or age group they want (to attract)."

That's some pretty strong "yeah, but" double talk from Chaweerat, who doesn't address Nonzee's points about the law being unclear.

Yes, the filmmakers at long last have guidelines. Fine and dandy. But there's still censorship. Films can still be cut and banned if they are deemed to be inappropriate for vague reasons of "national security".

Also, bureaucrats and special-interest groups outweigh film-industry figures on the ratings panel.

For audiences, the ratings that will most effect them are G, for general audiences, and the age restrictions: 13+, 15+ and 18+, indicating the minimum suggested age for viewing. There will be no ID checks for these films, according to an earlier article by the Bangkok Post's Kong Rithdee.

They are recommendations. Friendly guidelines. Smiling, happy film ratings.

An additional, rather harsh 20+ rating is not a mere suggestion -- it's a frowny-faced you'd-better-be-20-or-else rule -- there's supposed to be ID checks for those, and penalties if the law isn't followed.

I have a feeling there won't be many 20+ movies shown in Thailand. Those that are, will be controversial or at the very least, limited releases, similar to the NC-17 rating in the U.S. There might be some directors who will overtly try for the 20+ rating, just to drum up publicity. But I think such attempts will be frowned upon by peers and critics.

A concern I have is whether Thailand will following the example set by the ratings systems in neighboring countries -- Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines, which are actually much more strict with films than Thailand.

So what I am bitching about, right? Sigh.

Well, anyway, for example, a film that's rated R in the States, for viewers 17 and older with a parent or guardian, might get cut down to say an NC-16 in Singapore after tweaks by censors to tone down the sex, language (yes, language, for Christ's sake) and violence.

Is Thailand going to start watering down foreign releases too? Under the censorship system, there has been blotting out of naked behinds and genital regions and pixellation of axe blows and spattering blood. But the censorship practices have never been consistent. Sometimes the films are censored, sometimes they are not. Under the ratings, there should theoretically be no reason for any more of that pixellation or cutting nonsense.

There's also that weird P rating, which Anasuya's article doesn't address -- probably because it's so damn confusing anyway. That's P for "Promote", or as I suspect, P for "Propaganda". These are films that will be promoted for all Thai people to see. I don't know what the criteria for such films would be, or who makes the decisions to put films in the P category.

Enough for now. I'm heading to the cinema, to see unrated films while I still can.

On DVD in the U.K.: Fireball, 4Bia

Making what I believe is its first appearance on English-subtitled DVD is Thanakorn Pongsuwan's Fireball, a gritty, action-packed sports drama in which the object of the game is to make one basket without being crippled or killed.

With all the shaky cam, and jarring, close-cropped framing of the bruising Muay Thai-basketball action, I think Fireball might play better on the small screen, and a recent review by Something to Sing About strengthens that notion. Perhaps one day I shall see it again.

4Bia, the four-part horror omnibus from the thrill specialists at GTH was previously issued on DVD in Hong Kong. I've been enjoying it thoroughly. Thinking about watching it again, actually. Looking forward to the sequel.

Black Hole DVD Reviews got 4Bia on DVD from Malaysia, gave it a look and a mixed opinion. And that's cool too.

Both due for release in the U.K. on October 19, Fireball and 4Bia are listed at Play.com.

(Thanks Logboy!)

Conan Stevens explains it all about Bangkok Adrenaline

The Thai version of the foreigner-stuntmen extravaganza Bangkok Adrenaline departed cinemas this week after a three week run that saw the locally produced action film up against such Hollywood heavy hitters as Star Trek, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Angels & Demons and Crank: High Voltage, as well as the Thai comedy smash Saranair the Movie.

According to 7-foot-tall actor-stuntman Conan Stevens, who also co-wrote the film, it did pretty well considering.

More people might've gone to see it, but it was it only released with a Thai soundtrack. Conan explains why on his website:

Apparently this is to stop the movie being filmed with a camera in cinema and then being uploaded to the Internet and torrent sites, in fact a very smart move. If the English version or even Thai version in English language was uploaded it would drastically devalue the International rights sales which are still being finalised.

The currrent theory is that no one but Thais will want to watch Bangkok Adrenaline in the Thai language so there is little chance it will make it to the torrent sites and even from there not many foreign downloads will ensure.

Which also means that the [Thai] DVD release of Bangkok Adrenaline is going to be all Thai with no subtitles, with the possibility of a English language version coming out in about nine months time or more.

Count me as proof of the "no one but Thais" theory working. I didn't go see it, much as I wanted to. When it came down to buying a ticket, I just couldn't bear the thought of sitting through a dubbed movie.

I hope it gets released with its original soundtrack eventually.

Chaya says she didn't lie about Cannes award

Revenge Tragedies filmmaker "Oom" Pornpatchaya Supannarat gave a press conference on Wednesday in an effort to end the controversy that has ensued since media reports last week falsely said she'd won an award at the Cannes Film Festival.

Daily Xpress, which was among the media outlets picking up the inaccurate report, has the story in today's paper:

Insisting that she had not lied, Pornpatchaya explained she had received compliments on her film in an e-mail from the film market that runs in parallel with the Cannes festival. She claimed she misunderstood the e-mail to mean she had won an award.

Khao Sod newspaper broke the original story after Pornpatchaya told them her film had been a success at Cannes. The story gathered pace when Channel 3 aired an interview with her on May 25 and 26, and hit the headlines in May 26’s Daily Xpress. We ran a correction on May 28.

Pornpatchaya then gave an interview to Channel 3 to clear up the mess. When that didn’t help matters, she decided to hold Wednesday’s press conference, where she apologised for the confusion.

Inside baseball: I wish I had caught the Daily Xpress story (PDF) before it went to press, but the story was routed through a different desk than the entertainment section and put on a page handled by someone else, and by the time I caught up to reading it, it was too late. That's my explanation.

I know the difference between the "Official Selection" and Short Film Corner.

But I still don't understand how Daily Xpress got the story wrong when its reporter actually talked to Chaya and her producer Prachya Pinkaew.

I talked to Chaya the day after the Daily Xpress story ran, and her explanation about the misunderstanding seemed acceptable at the time. But that night she went back on Channel 3 and kept on with her explanation, which has only fuelled the controversy further.

I had tried to tell the young director, in so many words, "shut up and go make your movie", and I wonder if she would have followed that advice if the controversy would have died.

Probably not.

Pantip has threads about this issue here and here. And Manager has stories here and here.

The Bangkok Post's Kong Rithdee, who returned from Cannes to be surprised by the controversy, wrote a story about it last Friday (cache), and then a strongly worded column on last Saturday's Opinion page (cache):

She used a few English terms in her interview, she told me, and maybe the reporters of the Thai paper who broke "the story" didn't entirely get her meaning. And by saying on TV that she was part of the "Official Selection", she didn't mean official as in official, but official as in the Short Film Corner, though she knew that it meant not-so-official; and on TV she was too slow to explain her point to the host.

She went on Channel 3 again yesterday. I thought she'd say sorry that her misunderstanding - if she insists it's only a misunderstanding - had misled the viewers (including my mother!). And I thought the same TV host would admit that he was, at least, partly to blame for spreading the false information because he'd failed to do a fact-check prior to the interview.

But no. No admission, no sorry. They wouldn't let the 15 minutes of fame become a lifetime of shame, so the session on Friday bordered on a twisting of the truth that would have stunned even the most pliable contortionist. Cannes, they said, is such a complex film festival that we're confused about the awards. The host spent much time defending his subject. Is it such an undignified gesture for the people in this country to publicly say sorry? Not the politicians, not the bureaucrats, not the filmmakers - and not the journalists. (Had this happened in Korea, someone might have hanged himself!)

The saddest thing is the real talent who genuinely was in the Official Selection this year wasn't interviewed by any TV channel.

That would be Pen-ek Ratanaruang, the director of Nymph, the only Thai film in the "Official Selection" of the 62nd Cannes Film Festival.

Update: Pornpatchaya's apology seems to have been accepted. Kong Rithdee writes about the trappings of fame in his Saturday, June 6 column (cache):

Pornpatchaya finally said it was a misunderstanding, and she publicly apologised on Wednesday - a welcome gesture that came a little too late. Whether she skilfully lied or grossly misunderstood, is, I believe, only for God to decide.

Update 2: Revenge Tragedies actor Gary Daniels comments:

I have known Chaya Supannarat for the past 18 months personally and professionally. She is one of the most dedicated, hard working and professional film makers I know and one of the most honest people I know. Chaya would never lie for personal gain or any other reason. I have followed what has been going on in the Thai media and I know Chaya did not lie and it was all a misunderstanding. If you want to judge Chaya please judge her on her work and please do not attack her personally or her integrity. Chaya is a wonderful human being. We have all made mistakes at one time or another and have needed understanding and compassion, please extend those same courtesies to Chaya at this time. Thank you.

And hopefully for everyone, there will someday be a chance to judge Chaya on her work alone.

David Carradine dead in Bangkok

Actor David Carradine, who was in the midst of a career comeback after appearing in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill, has died in Bangkok.

According to an item on The Nation website, police said Carradine was found in a hotel room in Bangkok on Wednesday. Further press reports have conflicting details.

Carradine was 72.

Aside from the two-part Kill Bill in 2003-04, Carradine was perhaps best known for his role as the fugitive half-Chinese Shaolin monk Kwai Chang Caine in the 1970s eastern-western TV drama Kung Fu. He also portrayed folksinger Woody Guthrie in Bound for Glory in 1976, acted in Ingmar Bergman's The Serpent's Egg in 1977 and co-starred with half brothers Keith Carradine and Robert Carradine in the 1980 western The Long Riders.

In Bangkok cinemas, he was recently seen as a martial-arts guru in the Rob Schneider comedy Big Stan and as a perverted elderly Chinese mobster in Crank: High Voltage.

Update: A more detailed report by The Nation says Carradine was in Bangkok to shoot a movie and he was staying at the Nai Lert Park Hotel, where he had checked in on June 2.

Update 2: A BBC report, quoting the actor's personal manager, says Carradine was in Bangkok working on a movie called Stretch. Also, for blast back to the recent past, read this account of a Q&A session gone awry with Carradine and Haskell Wexler at a screening of Bound for Glory.

Update 3: Bangkok Post has a breaking news item. Celebrity website TMZ.com is on it, as well as New York Times and CNN.

Update 4: Bangkok newsman ThaiCam says on Twitter "BBC report UNCONFIRMED ... suicide UNLIKELY, per an interview with his longtime friend here." A comment here says: "From what I know about David Carradine both personally and through friends, it would seem to be highly unlikely that he committed suicide by hanging himself." A recent castmate of Carradine's says in an e-mail: "David was definitely full of life and energy, this is not good news."

Update 5: I teared up just a bit in reading Conan Stevens' recollection of working with David Carradine recently on Yuen Woo-ping's True Legend in China.

Update 6: Friday morning's Bangkok Post has a more detailed story, which backs away from the standard suicide claim -- routinely when a foreigner dies in Thailand, police attribute the cause to suicide, no matter how ridiculous that seems. A cord bound his hands and neck, there was a strange footprint on the bed and they are investigating whether his drink was tampered with (cache). The story says Carradine was working on a movie called Strand.

Update 7: It's now Friday afternoon, and updates are still coming in. Sydney Morning Herald and Associated Press say the death may be accidental. The Nation has an updated report too. Entertainment Weekly has a quote from his personal manager Chuck Binder:

"Knowing him, I can't imagine it was self-inflicted. I've worked with him for six years. There's no way. He was happy. It just doesn't make sense."

Update 8: It's Saturday night. I'm watching Kung Fu Season 1. But what's on the Internet? Comments on Yoon's blog. More speculation here. Tabloidy story on Fox News. Stretch producer Charles Gillibert tells TMZ Carradine still had scenes to film, so they are rewriting the script. IndieWire rounds up the tributes. Now back to Kung Fu and "King of the Mountain".

Update 9: Tuesday morning, early. Local newspaper Thai Rath has published a photo of the death scene, but Bangkok Bugle thinks it might be faked. Either way, I don't want to look. There's more speculation at Absolutely Bangkok and quality commentary at Movieline. Also, here's a view from inside Bangkok's Hollywood community.

Update 10: Wednesday afternoon. One more link. Tulsie writes about breaking the story.

Film program goes online for World Comedy Film Festival

Finally, the website for the World Comedy Film Festival has listed the films it will be showing. So in addition to stand-up comics, gala ceremonies and junkets around Thailand by celebrities to boost tourism, they are actually going to show films at this film festival.

There are four main sections: International Competition, Short Film Competition, World Comedy and Asian Comedy. Plus there's Special Programs, but those haven't gone live yet.

Here is the International Competition:

• The Wedding Game, directed by Ekachai Uekrongtham (Singapore/Malaysia) -- Real-life Singaporean celebrity couple Fann Wong and Christopher Lee star in this romance as a pair of superstars who are only pretending they are going to get married. It's also the opening film.
• Wash (CUCI), directed by Hans Isaac (Malaysia) -- Actor-director Hans Isaac stars with Malaysian funnymen Ac Mizal, Afdlin Shauki and Awie as a group of aspiring cleaners who enter the Window Washing Olympics.
• Thor at the Bus Stop, directed by Jerry Thompson and Mike Thompson (USA) -- The God of Lightning is on a journey through American suburbia.
• The Silent Wedding (Nunta Muta), directed by Horatiu Malaele (Romania) -- A couple's wedding is ordered to be halted by the Russian army because Stalin has died.
• Dachimawa Lee, directed by Ryoo Seung-wan (South Korea) -- In this spoof of 1960s and '70s spy movies, a superspy faces off against a shadowy figure behind the plot.
• Friday, 12, directed by Vladimir Zaikin (Russia) -- A horror spoof in which everyone in a small town is a psycho.
• My Only U, directed by Cathy Garcia Molina (Philippines) -- Vhong Navarro and Toni Gonzaga star in this romance about a woman who's facing a family curse -- the everyone dies before they reach 25.
• Singh is Kinng, directed by Anees Bazmee (India) -- Akshay Kumar stars as Happy Singh, a troublemaker in a Punjabi village who is dispatched to Australia to retrieve the Indian gangster Lucky Singh. A detour to Egypt and Happy's love for a girl (Katrina Kaif) make the trip more interesting.

The Short Film Competition has one Thai entry, Run (วิ่ง วิ่ง วิ่ง) by Watthanadech Ketsuan, about a young man who believes that nothing can stop him.

Southeast Asian entries in the Asian Comedy section are What Does Your Heart Say? by Saw Teong Hin from Malaysia; Epidemic of Laughing (Dich Cuoi) by Do Minh Tuan from Vietnam (1989); Hon Truong Ba Da Hang Thit by Quang Dung Nguyen from Vietnam and starring Johnny Nguyen; Cinlok by Guntur Soeharjanto from Indonesia; and Blind Pig Who Wants to Fly by Edwin from Indonesia.

Among the World Comedy section is Certifiably Jonathan, a mockumentary featuring one of my all-time favorite comedians, Jonathan Winters.

Among the special programs, there's supposed to be the "Chronology of Siamese Humor". Hopefully that will be made final soon.

Update: Showtimes have been added. If you click on a film you're interested in, you can see when it's playing and fill out your available days accordingly.

Thai trailer for the Thai version of Pen-ek's Nymph

Todd Brown at Twitch says there are two versions of Pen-ek Ratanaruang's new thriller Nymph (Nang Mai, นางไม้) -- one the quiet arthouse thriller that played to mixed reviews in Cannes and the other a "more commercial and horror tinged" cut that will play for Thai audiences.

To go with that Thai version, there's now a Thai trailer, which is louder and jumpier than the international sales trailer from Fortissimo.

Now, I wonder about all this: Would the Thai version have played to a more positive reception at Cannes? Are there really two versions? What are the differences? Could it be just a marketing ploy by Five Star to fool arthouse-wary audiences into watching an arthouse film by calling it a horror film?

Pen-ek did something similar with his previous film Ploy, with an international "erect nipples" version that played at festivals and a censored edit for Thai theatrical release. However, it's apparently the original international version of the film that went to DVD in Thailand and elsewhere.

I wonder which version of Nymph will ultimately be sold?

Ordinarily I get a little miffed at knowing there's a different version of the film being shown at festivals than in Thailand -- resent the idea of it actually -- but in the case of Nymph, it sounds like the Thai version might be "better".

Twitch has the Thai trailer, and it's on YouTube, and I've embedded it below.



Update: Daily Xpress reports that there will indeed be two versions of the film and that both will be shown in Thai cinemas.

(Via TwitchFilm.net; photo via Deknang)