NATCHA ON FILM — This week’s Thai films continue to be subpar as usual, but at least they keep surprising us with bad plots. The Thai trend of “internet idols” and their competition has finally been turned into a script for the movie “Arwasarn Loak Suay,” while “Krasue Kreung Kon” puts a comedy horror twist on the classic, filth-eating Thai ghost. Meanwhile from Hollywood, we have yet another Steve Jobs movie and “45 Years,” which offers an interesting look at the marriage of a seemingly happy senior couple.
Arwasarn Loak Suay
Made by Kantana, the same people who brought you Gossip Girl Thailand, this movie is based on a topic trending among teens today: internet idols or individuals who become famous on social media by posting their selfies and vlogs.
“Arwasarn Loak Suay” focuses on Care, a pretty teen who is a internet idol admired by everyone. Things take a terrifying turn when another internet idol, jealous of Care’s popularity, teams up with her friend to kidnap Care and torture her. (Well, that escalated quickly)
Due to its violent content, the movie will be released as two versions for two age groups: 18 years old and above, and 20 years old and above.
The film is supposed to be a thriller/horror film related to social media, similar to American film “Unfriended” which was released in 2014. (It was also bad.) Seeing how Thai teenagers really love drama and their internet idols, this film is probably going to be popular among the teen crowd (only the ones over 18, obviously).
Krasue Krueng Kon
A film way worse than the previous one is Krasue Kreung Kon, a low budget horror comedy film. I hate these so much but they just keep coming out.
“Krasue Kreung Kon” is about a gang of five midget villagers whose duty is to protect their village from the krasue, a classic female Thai ghost who can separate her head from her entire body. The krasue causes problems and wreaks havoc among the villagers, so one villager is turned into a krasue (don’t ask me how) in order to fight them and bring peace to his village.
I’ve seen a lot of bad low budget horror comedies but this one seems to be the worst one yet.
Steve Jobs
Disappointed with Ashton Kutcher and his lame performance in “Jobs”? Well here’s a slightly better version of the horrible 2013 film.
“Steve Jobs” – as the title implies – is a dramatized film about the man who revolutionized technology for average consumers. This one showcases the Apple CEO’s drive to make technology accessible for all, and the sacrifices he made to reach his goal. The film shows it ultimately affected his relationship with his family and results in his health declining. “Steve Jobs” explores the trials and triumphs of the late Jobs and his quest to revolutionize the way we think about technology.
I definitely feel like the acting in this version will be way better than the Ashton Kutcher film, but from an aesthetic perspective, if it were possible to glue Ashton Kutcher’s face onto Michael Fassbender’s body, then I’d say we’d have the ultimate Steve Jobs film. Sorry, Michael.
45 Years
You’d think senior married couples have to be soulmates in order to be together for such a long time, but this film says differently.
“45 Years” takes a profound look at marriage and the secrets that couples keep from each other. The film features an ageing married couple who are one week away from their 45th anniversary and are planning a party to celebrate with their friends. However, a letter arrives in the mail for the husband saying that the body of his first love was found frozen and preserved in the Swiss Alps, causing the man to rethink his whole relationship with his current wife. Who knows, by the end of the week, there may not be a party to celebrate!
I really like the plot of the film because it destroys the whole stereotype of old couples living happily ever after together, and it shows that even though you might have been together for a long time, problems in the relationship are inevitable.
Tangerine
Just when you thought Christmas films were long gone, Thailand surprises you with a late release of a film that was meant to be out about four weeks ago. Mind you, this isn’t your typical Christmas movie.
“Tangerine” is about a sex worker named Sin-Dee Rella (I know!) who is released from prison on Christmas Eve back onto the mean streets of L.A. She finds out that her pimp, who she fell in love with, hasn’t been faithful during her 28 days of confinement, and seeks revenge on the woman who tempted away her man. Her adventure to find the girl takes us through various subcultures of L.A., showing us a side we normally don’t get to see.
It’s interesting to note that the entire film was shot on an iPhone. Lluckily the cameraman didn’t have vertical video syndrome.
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