Kheaw Aa-Kaard

• Directed by Thanadol Nualsuth and Thammanoon Sakulbunthanom
• Produced by Poj Arnon
• Starring Kwankao Sawetwimol, Akara Amartayakul, Apinya Sakuljaroensuk
• Relased in Thai cinemas on April 29, 2010; rated 18+
• Wise Kwai's rating: 3/5

Karma comes back to bite the innocent and the not-so-innocent in The Intruder (Kheaw Aa-Kaard, เขี้ยว อาฆาต), a snakes-in-the-apartment thriller that is heavy on the melodrama and woefully short on camp but still entertaining for shocking body horror and snake bites that made me jump.

The action takes place in a down-at-the-heels, moldering apartment building that was built in the 1980s on the eastern edge of Bangkok in what is known locally as Nong Ngoo Hao -- the Cobra Swamp. Despite its rundown appearance and constant threat of snakes -- a vigilant guard spreads sulfur to keep the slitherers at bay -- the building is a popular dwelling for flight crews at the nearby Suvarnabhumi Airport and young hipsters griping about the poor Internet connection. There's also a family with a small child and a rock band that plays thrash metal too loudly.

Characters are briefly introduced and quickly dispensed with as the building is swiftly consumed by an all-out CGI snake invasion. Worm-shaped cobras fill the hallways, snarl the power cables and strangle the phone service. They fill an elevator car and wriggle their way under a corpses' skin.

The survivors are narrowed down a small group that tries to stay one step ahead of the snakes. Akara Amartayakul is a doctor specializing in snakebites who just happens to be visiting the building when the snake-swarm strikes. And it just so happens he used to date the building's landlady, played by Kwankao Sawetimol.

There's also the family with the little girl, whose dad has been carrying on with a young woman in the building. So there's more tension between the mom and dad.

Apinya Sakuljaroensuk is rather subdued as a cub reporter for a TV station. She has the only phone that works but won't let the others know that because she's secretly captured phone-cam video clips of the serpentine carnage and has been sending them to her producer.

And there's a crazy old mystical auntie (Wasana Chalakorn) who knows why this is all happening but is powerless to stop it.

The characters that matter have backstories that are filled out piecemeal in between meals for the snakes. The people have as much depth as the digital reptiles. And, disappointingly, there's no cool catchphrase uttered by the hero Golf Akara, who's too grim and fatalistic to let loose with any colorful lines. Have to leave that to Samuel L. Jackson in Snakes on a Plane.

The best bits are the massed snake strikes. Mouths full of gleaming fangs zip in and take chunks out of a guy's arm. The cobras grow fat as the body count rises. The CGI creations are mixed here and there with the real thing. After all, something with real fangs bit a couple of the actors during the film's production, incidents that were duly reported in the media, likely at the urging of master promoter, producer, story writer, costume designer and snake-oil salesman, Poj Arnon.

In the end, The Intruder slithers toward the moralistic and takes a cynical view of the media's role in the reptilian ruckus, implicating everyone, except perhaps for anyone who paid to see the movie. The most appreciative audience for The Intruder might actually be snakes, but they don't carry cash.

From http://thaifilmjournal.blogspot.com/2010/05/intruder-kheaw-aa-kaard.html

Kon Thai Ting Paen Din

The film was inspired by Thai historical heroes who sacrificed themselves to fight against the invasion of the Han tribe. Set in southern Mongolia over 1,000 years ago, a small tribe called Tai was a colony under the power of the Great Han who enslaved them. Oppressed by the Han, the Tai united to strike back for their freedom, justice, and country.

Title: Kon Thai Ting Paen Din
Director: Nirattisai Kaljaruek
Starring: Arnas Lapanich, Than Thanakorn, Sara Legge
Website: www.konthaithemovie.com
Release Date in Thailand: 28 April 2010

Noo Kan Pai

Thai tattoo movies are a unique subgenre of Thai films, though off the top of my head I can only give a few examples.

Of course there's Killer Tattoo, but that isn't really what I'm thinking about here.

It's about the Thai spiritual tattoos that are said to convey supernatural powers that protect the wearers from bullets and blades.

You'll see the tattoos around, worn by policemen, soldiers, motorcycle-taxi drivers and other hard-working men in Thailand.

The ink is very much in evidence in historical battle epics like Bang Rajan 2.

The recently released Buddhist thriller Nak Prok (Shadow of the Naga) made a cheeky reference to the "power" of the tattoos and showed one of the main characters receiving one from a monk.

The tattoos are applied with an ink-dipped needle that's attached to a long stick.

Supernatural tattoos were a focal point of the 2008 action movie Hanuman: The White Monkey Warrior, in which the characters assumed the powers of the mythical gods they had tattooed on their backs.

Another 2008 tattoo-action movie was Haa Taew, literally "five columns", which refers to the five lines in a tablet of Buddhist scripture that is usually tattooed on the shoulder.

Lots of young actresses and models are getting these haa taew tattoos on their delicate little shoulder blades. Other women get little scrolls on the small of their back.

They're following the example of Angelina Jolie who came to Thailand some years back and got one from Ajarn Noo Gunpai, the recognized master of the yantra tattoo. There's lots of videos dedicated to Noo Gunpai.

It was Noo Kanpai who produced Haa Taew and now he's made another movie -- an action-packed biopic about his own life.

According to the legend of Noo Gunpai, the master first started to study about magic spells and yantra tattooing at the age of six. When it was discovered the tattoos conveyed magical powers, everyone wanted one, even as Noo Gunpai tried to remain modest and avoid infamy. The full title is, check this out, Noo Gunpai Seuk Maha Yan Ying Kan Sanan Jor (หนู กันภัย ศึกมหายันต์ ยิงกันสนั่นจอ), something about fighting furiously and loudly.

Khet Thantap, Bin Bunluerit, Suebsak Pansueb and Supakorn Kitsuwan star with a special appearance by Noo Gunpai himself. Keep your eyes peeled on the trailer (embedded below) for a familiar pair of policemen -- probably the last appearance by the two of them together. Arinthawit Chomsri directs. It's released by Oom Maharuay Film and opens today.

From http://thaifilmjournal.blogspot.com

Ong Bak 3

The legend of Ong Bak 3 begins after Tien (Tony Jaa) has lost his fighting skills and his beloved stepfather at the Garuda's Wing cliff from the raid led by Jom Rachan (Saranyu Wonggrajang). Tien is brought back to life with the help from Pim (Primrata Dechudom) as well as Mhen (Petchai Wongkamlao) and the Kana Khone villagers. Deep into the meditation taught by Phra Bua (Nirutti Sirijanya), Tien finally is able to achieve 'Nathayut'. His talents are put to the test again when his rivals including the Golden-Armored King's Guard (Supakorn 'Tok' Kijusuwan), the mysterious killers in black, and Bhuti Sangkha (Dan Chupong) return for the final massive showdown.

Title: Ong Bak 3
Director: Tony Jaa, Panna Rittikrai
Starring: Tony Jaa, Dan Chupong, Primrata Dech-Udom
Website: www.ongbak3movie.com
Release Date in Thailand: 5 May 2010

Chocolate

Director: Prachya Pinkaew

Hallelujah. Girls with Guns are back with a big fat old fashioned no hold back kickfest that will bring on orgasmic hot flashes for those of us who worshipped the likes of Moon Lee, Yukari Oshima, Cynthia Khan, Michiko Nishiwaki and Kara Hui in the 1990’s. Tough, resilient women who could make a roomful of men cry for their mother. Those days are gone in Hong Kong, but at least for some 90 delirious minutes it is back in Thailand. Actress Yanin "Jeeja" Wismitanant is the real deal with years of Muay Thai training behind her and a fervent desire to make a go of it in a man’s action world. The bruises and cuts she received while filming are testament to this. With a facial resemblance to Yukari Oshima, Jeeja also has many of her physical skills – extremely quick and limber kicks, acrobatic moves and a risk taking attitude. She doesn’t emit Yukari’s power yet, but for a debut performance this is spectacular beginning with hopefully more to come. Of course, Jeeja is more likely to be compared to her countryman and inspiration Tony Jaa, but at least at this point she doesn’t come close to his ability to overwhelm you with his moves – i.e. no running across the heads of a line of men. Still, this one-two punch makes Thailand the action capital of the world for now – at least for those who like their action real and rough.

Chocolate is directed by Prachya Pinkaew, who was the guiding force behind Ong-Bak, Born to Fight and Tom Yum Goong, but unlike those films he actually gives this one a decent if not complicated story line that has at least a bit of characterization and sentiment. On the other hand there may be those who find the premise offensive. Not only is the main character autistic, but her toughest challenge is fighting another person who is autistic - this one practicing a shaking break dancing form of kung fu. It will be interesting to see how the US distributors handle that angle after someone picks it up.

Zin (Ammara Siripong) is a tattooed moll/enforcer/collector for a nasty Thai kingpin of crime. When a Japanese Yakuza (Hiroshi Abe) invades his turf, Zin falls for him and the two fall quickly into bed. The Thai kingpin doesn’t appreciate this and forces the Yakuza to return to Japan – not knowing that Zin is carrying his child. Zin leaves the gang – leaving her big toe behind as payment – and sets up home right next to a Muay Thai training facility. The child is a girl – Zen – who turns out to be autistic, but she grows up like any girl in Thailand – loving her mother, eating chocolate and watching Tony Jaa movies on TV. The only difference is her “special” skill as some autistic children have – extremely acute hearing, rapid fast reflexes and an ability to incorporate any fighting style into her being. Her quick reflexes allows her to swallow buzzing flies and catch balls (and knives) thrown at her from any direction.

Year’s later mom comes down with cancer and she and her portly friend find a black book with outstanding debts owed to her mother. They decide to collect them. Fortunately for the viewer these men don’t want to pay them back and they all own small businesses – ice factory, chocolate wholesaler and meat market – with lots of employees who think it will be fun smacking around a young clearly disabled woman. They couldn’t be more wrong. The three different locations create lots of opportunities for various weapons and acrobatics as Zen bounces around like a ball on speed as she smacks them all down to size. Like most martial arts films of this nature, the fights get bigger and more complex as they progress – the best most bone breaking being left for last.

The Thai kingpin comes back into the picture and in the finale Zen has to take on hoards of oncoming men in a scenario that will likely remind many of the finale in Kill Bill. But it shifts from this interior set up to an astonishing set piece that takes place on the multi-level ledges of the building – so purely Hong Kong that I almost wet my pants – as dozens of men chase after Zen to only go crashing below hitting every ledge and sign along the descent – absolute hold your breath and pray stuntwork. Taking a page out of Jackie Chan, the film accidents roll over the end credits and they are painful to watch. As much as I love this stuff, there is a part of me that feels like this is feeding Christians to the lions for entertainment – but if so – bring on more lions. This one ranks right up there with the best of the Hong Kong Girls with Guns films and it just felt so good.

From http://asian-cinema.blogspot.com

9 Wat (Secret Sunday)

See you at the temple

A Buddhist-horror flick aims to cash in on the spiritual aspect of Songkran

Starring James Mackie, Sirapan Watnajinda, Penpak Sirikul. Directed by Saranyu Jiraluck.

As we're tumbling back towards the time of Babel, when humans seem to speak the same language but actually don't, here comes a religious distraction in the form of a Buddhist thriller. The new Thai horror film 9 Wat (literally ''9 temples'') lays siege to the cineplex lobbies hoping to cash in on the spiritual dimension _ if there's still any left _ of Songkran, the wet week when people not only make fools of themselves on the street but are in the mood to pray and make merit. Some think it's best to do so at nine temples, the most effective way to ensure our good fortune.

Well, we may actually need 999 temples to summon enough good omen to see us through this sticky mud. Who'd want to go see a ghost on the screen when we're all becoming ghosts ourselves, walking around in a half-slumber? Exorcism is needed, sure though no movies (or art?) seem capable of that, let alone a well-meaning yet pretty routine superstitious horror like this.

The story is moulded in the form of a road movie. Two young lovers, Nat and Poon (James Mackie and Sirapan Watnajinda) are driving to Chiang Mai on a vacation. They stop to visit Nat's mother (Penpak Sirikul), a devout Buddhist, who tells her son to make merit at nine temples along the road to ward off misfortune. Nat, a cool guy and a graphic designer to boot!, regards his mother's warning as nonsense, and he portends no sign when a young, charismatic monk turns up and asks for a ride with the two lovers to the North.

Along the way, as expected, strange visitations appear to Nat and Poon, who's gradually afflicted more by hallucinations of varying repulsive degrees. The monk knows something though he doesn't say it, or at least not until the final act when the storm arrives and every past life revealed.

The director is Saranyu Jiraluck, a young veteran in the film business but a first-time feature director here. He shows verve and cadence in orchestrating the horror setpieces, but in general the man is bogged down by the shaky script. 9 Wat is conceived through the supernatural Buddhist prism that sermonises _ and trivialises _ the force of karma and turns it into a popular plot twist. In an event that we've seen a film with a challenging attitude like Nak Prok, in which the lines separating monks and criminals are blurred, or in the event of a discussion on the role of monks in political uprisings, the monk in 9 Wat follows the traditional image of peace and wisdom, more a symbol than a full character. He may be the image that we all want to see during Songkran, but perhaps he's not complex enough to represent the intertwining fates and realities the film is intent on projecting.

From Bangkokpost