ONE SUNNY MORNING (2011, BK Lim, Singapore, A+)

What I like very much about ONE SUNNY MORNING includes:



1.How the film opens and ends. I think there is some kind of poetic touches between the opening and the ending of the film. I'm not sure what the ending of this film means. Does Juan just think about his love for Nick? Anyway, I hope he returns to Nick.



2.The flirting scene at the swimming pool. I think it is quite sexy and funny. I like the bird's-eye view shot which shows Nick on the bridge.



3.The mysteries about the personal life and the motivation of Juan. Maybe the film doesn't intend to make them mysteries. I'm just not sure about them after seeing it for only one time. But I think it is good that the film doesn't tell them straightforwardly or explain everything too clearly.



I'm not sure why Juan leaves Nick. Does he really not love Nick any more? Does he ever love Nick at all? Does he have any other reasons why he leaves Nick? A Thai friend of mine guesses that Juan may have a wife and a child, and the photo near the end of the film may be the photo of Juan's child.



4.The film doesn't look down on both Nick and Juan. The film doesn't portray Juan as a heartless villain/anti-hero and doesn't portray Nick as just a funny, lusty gay guy. The film seems to indicate that their love might be real, at least temporarily, and each of them has a heart.



The mentioning of Michelangelo Antonioni in the ending credit makes me understand from which film the mime scene is inspired. I think it is inspired by BLOW UP. :-)



In conclusion, I like ONE SUNNY MORNING a lot, and I think it does quite well in portraying the problems in the lives or in the relationships of some gays. What I wish after I saw this film is that I hope Nick will find a true love after Juan. I hope Nick will find someone who really loves him, someone who doesn't have a wife and a child, someone who doesn't care about the oppressive society we live in, someone who will be truly worthy of Nick's love. That's the story of the sequel of ONE SUNNY MORNING playing in my own imagination. :-) :-) :-)



The photo below does not come from the film. It is just a photo of the main actor of the film.

30 DAY CINEPHILE CHALLENGE: DAY 25

http://www.facebook.com/pages/30-Day-Cinephile-Challenge/184987868220596?ref=ts



Day 25: An actor/actress who you feel is wasting his/her talent on crappy films – Nophand Boonyai. I think Nophand is one of the most talented Thai actors, but he stars in one of the worst films ever made – BOA (2006, Chanin Muangsuwan). Fortunately, he can show his real talents in many stage plays.

FAVORITE MUSIC VIDEOS 19: YOU DON'T LOVE ME, YOU DON'T LEAVE ME – Jeasmine

I like the actor in this music video very much. I think he is very handsome.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZC4tQUtybU

DESIRABLE ACTOR 5: SURIYONT ARUNWATANAKUL from LOMA, GLAR TAR FUN (2011, TV series)

DESIRABLE ACTOR 4: GODFREY GAO from ALL ABOUT WOMEN (2008, Tsui Hark)

THE CINDERELLA (2011, Saravuth Intaraprom, A)

I like the article written by Anusorn Tipayanon in Bioscope Magazine Issue 114 (May 2011) very much. This article is about the horror film THE CINDERELLA (หนังผี) (2011, Saravuth Intaraprom, A). I think I even like this article more than the film.

What I like in THE CINDERELLA includes:

1.It really looks like a grade-B film.

2.The performance of Anchalee Saisoontorn (WONDERFUL TOWN, PANATIPATA)

3.The scene in which Anchalee tries to "perform" to deceive the serial killer.

4.The opening sequence.

5.How the film exploits male actors.

6. If I remember it correctly, there is a poster of MIMIC (1997, Guillermo Del Toro, A-) in this film. I think the inclusion of this poster is very apt.


Saravuth has also directed BOYFRIEND THE MOVIE (2007, B+), CROC (2008, A+), BORING LOVE (2009, A-), and THE SNOW WHITE (2010, A+/A). BOYFRIEND and BORING LOVE are gay films. THE SNOW WHITE and THE CINDERELLA are horror films. CROC is a gay horror film. I think I prefer his horror films to his gay films because his films lack "the human elements". I mean his characters don't really look like "human beings" to me. There is something crude in how he treats his characters. This weak point is a very important thing in gay films, but it is not an important thing in a horror film.

This photo shows Siwawat Suppinyo and Haris Nopparit, two supporting actors in THE CINDERELLA.

More photos from THE CINDERELLA can be viewed from the link below:
http://www.magazinedee.com/webboard/webboardpreview.php?id=38279

GOOD NEWS FOR TODAY

1. The program Big Cinema on Channel 7 will soon air EYES DO NOT WANT TO CLOSE AT ALL TIMES, OR, PERHAPS ONE DAY ROME WILL ALLOW HERSELF TO CHOOSE IN HER TURN (1970, Jean-Marie Straub + Danièle Huillet)

2.The DVDs of OUT 1 (1971, Jacques Rivette, 12 hours 53 min) will be widely released in Thailand. You can buy them at 7-Eleven's stores near you.

3. James Cameron will produce a 3-D film about the apocalypse, titled LIGHTS TOTALLY OUT, directed by Philippe Grandrieux.

4. Manop Udomdej will direct a Thai version of I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE (1978, Meir Zarchi), starring Pichet Gonggarn, Peerawat Herabut, Akapan Namart, and Chaiwat Thongsang as the rapists. Chuntana Kittiyapun will star as the rape victim.

5. A new Thai film is secretly in production. The names of the crew and the film cannot be revealed at the moment. The only available information is that the film is inspired by many sources, including the comic books CRYSTAL DRAGON, BLUE SONNET; the TV series SUKEBAN DEKA 2, PLOENG PAI; the films BREMEN FREEDOM (1972, Rainer Werner Fassbinder), CÉLINE AND JULIE GO BOATING (1974, Jacques Rivette), MUANG NAI MORK (1978, Permpol Choei-aroon), THE SLEEP OF REASON (1984, Ula Stöckl), SWORDSMAN II (1991, Ching Siu-tung), and the character Sailor Saturn from SAILOR MOON TV series.

6. Nadech Kugimiya will star in a new film directed by Poj Arnon, which is a remake of BEAU TRAVAIL (1999, Claire Denis).

7. The new film of Lav Diaz will be 12-hours-and-7-minutes long, and it is loosely adapted from 127 HOURS (2010, Danny Boyle). The suffering of the character is guaranteed to be felt by the audience in this version.

8. Sununta Naksompop will remake WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN (1988, Pedro Almodóvar), starring Sununta, Duangdoen Jithaisong, Nisaluck Srinakarn, and Neeranuch Atiporn.

9. REQUIEM FOR THE VIRGIN PAINTING is a new Thai film about the secret love of a gay nobleman in the past. The film is inspired by four sources: BEHIND THE PAINTING (2001, Cherd Songsri), EDWARD II (1991, Derek Jarman), LUDWIG (1972, Luchino Visconti), and LUDWIG – REQUIEM FOR A VIRGIN KING (1972, Hans Jürgen Syberberg).

10.Jirayu La-ongmanee will star in a new film by GTH. Suchada E-aim (สุชาดา อีเอม) will star as his lover in this remake of HAROLD AND MAUDE (1971, Hal Ashby).

11. After SHUTTER (2004, Banjong Pisanthanakun + Parkpoom Wongpoom), Hollywood will remake another Thai film – BIRTH OF THE SEANEMA (2004, Sasithorn Ariyavicha).

12. L'AVVENTURA (1960, Michelangelo Antonioni) will be remade by a Thai filmmaker. The story in this version will concern a group of bourgeois people who go on living their lives after their friends disappeared "without any explainable reasons" in May 2010.

13. A JUDGEMENT IN GOLDEN SAND HOUSE is a new Thai film adapted from two sources: the novel GOLDEN SAND HOUSE written by G. Surangkanang in 1950, and the film LA CÉRÉMONIE (1995, Claude Chabrol).

DESIRABLE ACTOR 3: Howard Wang in SOMEONE CARES...CARE SOMEONE (2011, Kullachat Jitkajornwanit, A+)

KRABAT (2008, Marco Kreuzpaintner, A+)

What I like very much in this film includes

1. It reminds me of old-styled fairty tales, like SNOW WHITE, THE SLEEPING BEAUTY, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, THE TWELVE DANCING PRINCESSES, etc. But it is still entertaining. I think it is very difficult to make an old-styled fairy tale "entertaining" as a feature film these days, because if the story is too familiar for the audience, it would lack suspense and become too predictable.

2. There are not too many events in the story, which makes it different from such films as THE LORD OF THE RINGS (A+), THE VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TRADER (2010, Michael Apted, A+/A), or THE GOLDEN COMPASS (2007, Chris Weitz, B), etc. Many current Hollywood fairy-tale films try to cram too many events into their 120 minutes. The stories in these films sometimes move too fast. They are adapted from long novels. On the other hand, the story in KRABAT makes me feel as if it is adapted from a short story.

3. I like the dark atmosphere in this film. It is nearly as compelling as the dark atmosphere in HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE (2009, David Yates, A+) and HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART 1 (2010, David Yates, A+/A). I think the dark atmosphere in KRABAT is what makes it different from THE LAST AIRBENDER (2010, M. Night Shyamalan, B+). While I was watching KRABAT, I wondered how the hero could defeat the villain, because the villain looked so powerful. And that makes KRABAT exciting. While I was watching THE LAST AIRBENDER, I was sure that the hero would defeat the villain, because the hero looked so powerful. And that makes THE LAST AIRBENDER boring.

4. I like the lack of humor in KRABAT. There are some funny moments in KRABAT, but not too many. If there are too many funny moments in KRABAT, it would destroy the dark atmosphere in the film. It would make the danger less threatening, the situation less frightening. It would make KRABAT become like a Hollywood animation adapted from a fairy tale.

5. Some magical practice in this film looks a bit believable for me, like the magical practice in LONG KHONG (2005, Kongkiat Khomsiri, Seree Phongnithi, Pasith Buranajan, Isara Nadee, Yosapong Polsap, Putipong Saisikaew, Art Thamthrakul, A+), NECROMANCER (2005, Piyapan Choopetch, A), MIDNIGHT OFFERINGS (1981, Rod Holcomb, A+), and THE INITIATION OF SARAH (1978, Robert Day, A+).

However, I also would like to change something in KRABAT, including:

1. I would make it as a gay film, in which all the boys in the mill have orgies every night. Poj Arnon should consider remaking KRABAT.

2.The heroine wouldn't look so innocent or helpless like this. At least she should be able to defend herself as good as Christina Ricci in SLEEPY HOLLOW (1999, Tim Burton, A-).

3.The film should have no resolution, no explanation, or no happy ending, like THE CURSE (1988, Ralf Huettner, A+).

4. The film should start as a fairy tale, and then develop into a real horror film. Maybe like KURONEKO (1968, Kaneto Shindô, A+).

5.The soundtrack should be less obvious. I think both KRABAT and GERDA'S SILENCE (2008, Britta Wauer, B+) suffer from the overuse of soundtrack.

This is the photo of Marco Kreuzpaintner.