LAST LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE (La Ultima Vida En El Universo) [NTSC/REGION 1 & 4 DVD. Import-Latin America] Author: Pen-Ek Ratanaruang
Film Experience Blog (Free subscription) | 11/27/2009
Do you ever celebrate the birthdays of your favorite movie folk? You should. Here are your options for 11/27 Michael Vartan, Bruce Lee 1940 Bruce Lee Chinese American trailblazer, 70s icon, legend. Without him, whose to say how long it would have taken martial arts films to gain as much international popularity? Without him, no Uma Thurman in a yellow track suit. 1951 Kathryn Bigelow director, action...
Wise Kwai's Thai Film Journal (Free subscription) | 11/27/2009
Asian Movie Pulse has a poll running that lists Pen-ek Ratanaruang's Nymph among eight contenders for Best Asian Film of 2009. It has the spooky forest romantic thriller alongside Taiwan's No Puedo Vivir Sin Ti by Leon Dai, Japan's Love Exposure by Sono Shion and Ponyo on a Cliff by the Sea by Hayao Miyazaki, South Korea's Thirst by Park Chan-wook and Like You Know It All by Hong Sang-soo, Hong Kong's...
Wise Kwai's Thai Film Journal (Free subscription) | 11/02/2009
Filmmaker ML Mingmongkol "Taono" Sonakul is back on the scene in Bangkok with a photo exhibition, Photocubism , which opened on Sunday La Lanta Fine Art . Inspired by the Cubist art movement, Mingmongkol has put together disjointed jigsaw narratives with photos from her travels over the past three years in Thailand, Burma, Vietnam, Australia, Maldives, Hong Kong, Singapore, New Zealand, the...
Twitch (Free subscription) | 10/18/2009
[Our thanks to Teresa Nieman for the following review.] I'm not sure how to feel about Nymph . Part of me feels like it's a lyrically dazzling, slow-burn tone poem that is perhaps deserving of more praise then I'm willing to give it. But mostly I think director Pen-ek Ratanaruang--who bowled me over with both Last Life in the Universe and Ploy --lost his way a little bit here. The film has so many...
Wise Kwai's Thai Film Journal (Free subscription) | 10/09/2009
Asia's biggest film festival is under way in the coastal city of Busan, South Korea, where the 14th Pusan International Film Festival is unspooling a record 355 films from 70 countries, with 98 world premieres. It's all happening in the Shinsegae mall in Centum City, a new purpose-built complex for the film industry that is being touted as " the Hub of Asian Cinema ". Thursday's opening night...
Twitch (Free subscription) | 10/04/2009
The post-viewing reflection on Pen-Ek Ratanaruang's (Last Life in the Universe, 6ixty9) latest film, a creepy languid drama called Nymph is actually better than the film itself. I happen to quite like the directors fish-out-of-water scenarios and lengthy silent reflections en route. Instead of Tadanobu Asano (albeit, Jayanama Noachai's performance is quite reminiscent of the famous Japanese actor)...
Wise Kwai's Thai Film Journal (Free subscription) | 10/01/2009
Directed by Bandit Rittakol, Ruethaiwan Wongsirasawasdi, Pen-ek Ratanaruang, Wisit Sasanatieng, Kongdej Jaturanrasamee, Prachya Pinkaew, Aditya Assarat, Chukiat Sakveerakul and Santi Taepanich Starring Supakorn Kitsuwan, Intira Jaroenpura, Arak Amornsupasiri, Winai Bandurak, Ploy Horwang, Nopachai Bongkot Kongmalai, Nopachai Jayanama, Ananda Everingham, Louis Scott World premiere on September 30, 2009...
Movie Moxie (Free subscription) | 09/23/2009
The following video clips are from the introduction and Q&A for the screening of Nymph with director Pen-Ek Ratanaruang on Thursday September 10, 2009 at the Toronto International Film Festival . See my review of Nymph here . TIFF Programmer Raymond Phathanavirangoon introduces Nymph director Pen-Ek Ratanaruang: Director Pen-Ek Ratanaruang responds to audience question on the 2 different cuts of...
Twitch (Free subscription) | 09/14/2009
When the screening of Thai omnibus film Sawasdee Bangkok ended and director Kongdej Jaturanrasmee took to the stage the affable man happily acknowledged that if the city of Bangkok had been looking for a promotional video when commissioning film makers for the Sawasdee Bangkok project then they may have hired the wrong people. Truthful these films may be, and heartfelt and touching but glamorous and...
Wise Kwai's Thai Film Journal (Free subscription) | 09/14/2009
Nymph , Pen-ek Ratanaruang's look at a marriage that falls apart when the couple goes camping in the woods and the husband leaves his cheating wife for a mysterious tree, has played twice already at the Toronto International Film Festival . It was among the Day 1 films, played again on Saturday and plenty of reviews have rolled in, with much musing about the "magical realism" of it all. Opinions...
Me You, We Two (Free subscription) | 09/12/2009
I managed to catch "Sawasdee Bangkok" at TIFF this year which consists of four short films by director Wisit Sasanatieng , Aditya Assarat, Kondej Jauranrasamee , and Pen-Ek Ratanaruang . Next up, I'm planning to watch either Air Doll or Bare Essence of Life (Ultra Miracle Love Story). I'm torn between two movies because I absolutely adore Bae Doona and Kenichi Matsuyama!
Popped Culture (Free subscription) | 09/12/2009
The 2009 Toronto Film Festival is upon us and, truth be told, it can be a little overwhelming. Will we see the next Oscar winner (or at least nominee like last year's Best Foreign Film nominee Waltz With Bashir)? Will we run into a celebrity again (over the years, Harrison Ford, Ben Kingsley, Michael Moore, Bob Hoskins, Cher and Roger Ebert)? What country's films will we fall in love with (Thailand)...
Twitch (Free subscription) | 09/11/2009
The post-viewing reflection on Pen-Ek Ratanaruang's (Last Life in the Universe, 6ixty9) latest film, a creepy languid drama called Nymph is actually better than the film itself. I happen to quite like the directors fish-out-of-water scenarios and lengthy silent reflections en route. Instead of Tadanobu Asano (albeit, Jayanama Noachai's performance is quite reminiscent of the famous Japanese actor)...
Wise Kwai's Thai Film Journal (Free subscription) | 09/10/2009
Indie filmmaker Anocha Suwichakornpong 's debut feature Mundane History ( Jao Nok Krajok ) will have its world premiere in the New Currents competition at the 14th Pusan International Film Festival. The film was financed through various sources , including script-development and post-production support from the International Film Festival Rotterdam's Hubert Bals Fund and a post-production boost from...
Wise Kwai's Thai Film Journal (Free subscription) | 09/05/2009
German director Detlev Buck's Cambodian romantic drama Same Same But Different was well-received in its premiere at the Locarno International Film Festival last month. Playing in the Piazza Grande lineup, it won the Variety Grand Piazza Award , given by critics Derek Elley and Jay Weissberg. And Derek Elley has reviewed it for Variety . Here's a snip: Based on the true story of a young Teuton who falls...
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