Monday, August 13, 2007

MEMORY OF THE LAST DECEMBER (A+++++)

THIS IS MY COMMENT IN BIOSCOPE WEBBOARD
http://www.bioscopemagazine.com/smf/index.php?topic=367.30

ตอบน้อง nanoguy

--ถ้าไม่อยากให้ข้อความหาย ก็ขอแนะนำให้พิมพ์ลง MICROSOFT WORD แล้ว SAVE เป็นระยะๆค่ะ ดิฉันมักจะเขียนทุกสิ่งทุกอย่างลง MICROSOFT WORD ก่อนเสมอ แล้วกด SAVE ทุกๆ 5 นาทีเพื่อความปลอดภัย

--พูดถึงการให้คะแนนสอบแล้ว วิชาที่ให้คะแนนสอบได้ง่ายและดีสำหรับนักศึกษาที่สุดวิชานึงคือวิชา MYTHOLOGY เพราะวิชานี้มันเน้นท่องจำอย่างเดียว ไม่ต้องอาศัยความคิดวิเคราะห์อะไรทั้งนั้น แค่ท่องให้ได้ว่าเทพองค์ไหนเคยแย่งผัวเทพองค์ไหน เทพองค์ไหนต้องการนักรบหนุ่มคนไหนในสงครามกรุงทรอยหรืออะไรทำนองนี้ เพราะฉะนั้นนิสิตก็เลยตอบข้อสอบในวิชานี้ได้ถูกต้องหมดทุกข้อเกือบหมดทุกคน จนอาจารย์ไม่รู้จะตัดคะแนนนิสิตยังไงดี อาจารย์ก็เลยหักคะแนนนิสิตจากการสะกด GRAMMAR แทน คือถ้านิสิตคนไหนเขียนตอบแล้วผิด GRAMMAR ประเภทลืมเติม S เติม ED ผันเวิร์บผิด หรืออะไรทำนองนี้ ก็จะถูกตัดคะแนนทันที ถึงแม้ว่าจะเขียนเนื้อหาได้ถูกต้องก็ตาม แต่ถึงแม้จะใช้วิธีการแบบนี้แล้ว นิสิตส่วนใหญ่ก็ยังทำคะแนนได้สูงลิบลิ่วอยู่เสมอ (ก็มันไม่ต้องใช้ความคิดนี่นา)



FILMS SEEN BETWEEN 1-12 AUG 2007

1.MEMORY OF THE LAST DECEMBER (2007, Artit Chotesajjanun, A+++++) 41 min
This film is about a young guy who works in a shrine and knows beforehand when he will die. He knows that he will die from a heart failure and he only has about one month left. He seems to achieve nothing meaningful during the last month of his life. He tries to get revenge on some bad people, but it backfires. He strikes a friendship with a prostitute. He reminisces about something in the past. He realizes that he still wants to do many things but he has no time left to do them. However, he seems to pass away with a very calm mind.

I feel very ecstatic watching the ending of this film. I don’t know if I misunderstand something in this film or not. Maybe my love for this film right now is based on my misunderstanding of the film. I don’t know if I will ever have a chance to watch this film again to check if I understand it rightly. Anyway, as for now, this film makes me feel very great.



2.TWILIGHT VIDEO IN AFTERNOON (2007, Rachawadee Komolsut, A+++++) 17.22 min
This film consists of three music videos. The first one shows scenes of beautiful nature. The second one shows scenes of lovely dolls. The third one show scenes of murder.

I like the first and second music videos very much. I think they have something in common with Tossapol Boonsinsukh’s films. Both Rachawadee Komolsut and Tossapol Boonsinsukh seem to have the magical power to change anything mundane into sublime by using their own cameras, instead of magical wands. I think the third music video is very interesting, too. And it helps Rachawadee distinguish herself from other Thai experimental filmmakers.


3.ALONE (2007, Teera Prachumkong, A+++++) 20 min
This ghost film scares me very much. I’m still trying not to think about this film or else I would not be able to sleep.


4.NEGATIVE THINKING (2007, Satit Ngernthong + Nattapong Kampueng-un, A+++++) 20 min
This film is about three boys who are strangely connected to one another. One of the boys disguises himself as a girl.


5.GRINDHOUSE: DEATH PROOF (2007, Quentin Tarantino, A+++++)
This is surely one of my most favorite Hollywood films of this year. I think I have never seen any films like this before.


6.THE SIMPSONS MOVIE (2007, David Silverman, A+)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0462538/


7.UGLY IS BEAUTIFUL (2007, Sukapat Lohwatcharin, A+) 26 min


8.WEAK (2007, Dhan Lhaow, A+) 20 min
This film is about a girl whose car hit a guy and made that guy a cripple. The film seems to give no definite answers to these characters’ problems. Or maybe I misunderstand the film. Or maybe there will be a sequel.


9.YOU’RE (2007, Saran Srisingchai, A+) 5 min
This is a black and white, silent film. It seems to have no story, just images of some people’s activities in dark surroundings. The images are very seductive.


10.THE CAGE (2007, Weerapol Padungcheewit, A+) 20 min
This film has a dream-within-dream-within-dream structure, and is quite haunting. It’s about a guy who has a nightmare about being ditched by his girlfriend and is trapped inside his house.


11.HAIRSPRAY (2007, Adam Shankman, A+/A)
I like the spirit of rebellion in this film very much.


12.GRIEN (2007, Kasemsak Poosri, A+/A) 10 min
This film is about internet conversation of a psychotic.


13.FARMER FIELD SCHOOL (2007, Supong Jitmuang, A+/A) 38 min
This is a documentary in a TV-style. What I like about this film is some interesting information presented in the film. This film tells me that in some farming communities in rural Thailand, what destroys the farmers is the group community themselves. There are many Thai farmers who suffer from the use of chemical fertilizer and chemical pesticide. Some farmers suspect that these chemical products are the cause of their illness and the cause of the ruination of the earth and many farm insects. So these farmers stop using chemical products and try to use some organic fertilizer and herbal pesticide instead. But they can’t do it for a long time because they face the pressure from the group community. Whenever any farmer stops using chemical products, other farmers in the same village will call that farmer “stupid” or “crazy”. The Thai farmers who understand the cause of the problem cannot stand being called like that from other villagers for a long time, so they have to start using chemical products again. It is very ironic, it is very sad, but it is true. The Thai farmers who are clever and intelligent are called “stupid” and “crazy” by other Thai farmers. The rural group communities don’t want anyone to behave differently. But by not allowing anyone to behave differently, they are destroying themselves little by little.

Fortunately, some people try to help solving the problems. Now there are many farming schools spreading around Thailand to teach farmers to stop using chemical products. These schools use the strategy that they must teach a “group” of farmers in each village. They can’t teach only several farmers in each village, because these several farmers would not be able to behave differently from other farmers in the same village for a long time. But when a group of farmers behave differently from other farmers, the farmers in the same group can help support each other and thus they won’t feel too pressured from their narrow-minded communities. After a while, they will be able to prove to their communities that by behaving differently, they can be successful in growing rice, improving the earth, and improving the ecological system.


14.WHERE THE HAPPINESS? (2007, Jenjira Tanasilpkul, A+/A) 7.33 min
This film is like a cute advertisement. It tells the story of a girl who hates her boring job and boring, repetitive life, until she learns to look at the bright side of life. The comedic acting of the leading actress is perfect.


15.GING-NAAK (2007, Surachet Choodech, A+/A) 15 min
This film is about a girl who tries to cure her ill grandmom by using some parts of a magic tree. The cinematography is great. The technical aspects of this film look perfect for me.


16.NGAO MUED (LIGHT IN THE BACK) (2007, Naddawan Sittilertprasit, A+/A) 10 min
This film is about a boy who is so addicted to videogame that he causes some troubles. His mother tries to stop him. She goes to the videogame shop to look for him. Then the mother starts playing the videogame with her son out of curiosity. Will she become addicted too?


17.THE THIN WHITE LINE (2007, Prachuab Palitpolkarnpim, A+/A) 25.3 min
The story of this film is like a soap opera, but fortunately, the film is not too melodramatic or too sentimental. It’s about a boy and a girl living in the same house. They fall in love with each other, but their love faces the big obstacles from the secret of their parents.


18.LONELY HEARTS (2006, Todd Robinson, A)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0441774/
I like Alice Krige and Jared Leto in this film very much.


19.THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM (2007, Paul Greengrass, A)
Very exciting.


20.RATATOUILLE (2007, Brad Bird, A)


21.HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX (2007, David Yates, A)
Obviously my most favorite among the Potter series. I think the fighting scene in this film is as exciting as the one in QUEEN OF THE DAMNED (2002, Michael Rymer, A+)


22.NEON: EPISODE I (2007, Nathan Homsap + Dhan Lhaow, A) 22 min
I don’t understand this film at all in the first viewing. Is this film a sci-fi? Will there be a sequel? If I don’t understand it wrongly, I think this film seems like the beginning of a sci-fi about alien invasion. But there is no alien yet in this film. The film seems to tell a story about three guys living in the same house. There is a strange sound effect attacking the ears of the viewers all though the film, and I love this sound effect very much.

This film seems to be very different from other cult films directed by Nathan Homsap + Dhan Lhaow that I saw in the past. But I think this film is still very interesting. The tone of this film seems to be serious, not as funny and playful as other films by these directors. But this film is still as weird.

I think the links below might be connected to the directors of this film.
http://prodry.blog.com/
http://prodry.blog.com/885243/
http://prodry.multiply.com/
http://dhanlhaow.multiply.com/
http://thisisgis.multiply.com/
http://www.shompy.com/midnighritual/l39177_ukuk.html
http://www.shompy.com/thisisgis/l39163_ukuk.html
http://www.myspace.com/thisisgis

These directors also make SLURPY BOY, which is a dogme film number 155.


23.LITTLE CHILDREN (2006, Todd Field, A)
I don’t like the ending of this film.


24.PAH AND WENDY (2007, Megan Cossey, A) 14 min
This is a documentary about Thai lesbians.


25.30 DAYS OF MY GRANDMOM (2007, Ormjai Bussabong, A) 10.3 min
A family documentary. There’s nothing extraordinary about this grandmom. This film is just an expression of love from a granddaughter. And this kind of love, though ordinary, is always wonderful.


26.THE WITNESS (2007, Romrawin Chumjean, A) 10 min
This film is about a woman who witnesses something looking like a crime, so she bravely decides to find out what really happens. The film is quite exciting and unpredictable.


27.2:29 (2006, Ruttikarn Jojaidee + Sandusit Glin-iam, A/A-) 30 min


28.KHUU RAET (THE ODD COUPLE) (2007, Nopparat Puttarattanamanee, A-)
I like the telephone operator scenes very much.


29.STORY OF 2549 (2007, Komjak Tongjib, A-) 1.3 min, animation


30.LIFESTYLE ART PROJECT – THAILAND: THE ART OF A TRAVEL EXPERIENCE (2007, Steven P. Perkins, A-) 26 min
This is a documentary about the working process of an American artist who used many things he found in Thailand as inspiration for his artworks. What I like the most in this film is the connecting of the scenes depicting the things he found and his artworks.


31.MY STORY (2007, Puwanes Atiganit + Nattachai Pakdeerach, A-) 15.48 min
A boy can see the event in the future about the death of his girlfriend, so he tries to prevent it. I think this film is fine, though a little bit too predictable.


32.VIDEO CLIP (2007, Pakpoom Wongjinda, A-/B+)
I like the raincoat scene very much, but I don’t like the ending.


33.TAM KWAM SANGOB (STOP MISSION) (2007, Ekarach Glinmontha, B+) 6 min
I saw this film on the fourth of August, but now I can’t remember what this film is about. I’m ashamed of my memory.


34.BECAUSE I SAID SO (2007, Michael Lehmann, B-)
What happened to Michael Lehmann who directed HEATHERS? I think Diane Keaton is fine in this film. The boys are very handsome. The conversation scenes are quite good, but I hate the story.


This is a photo of Gabriel Macht, the leading actor of BECAUSE I SAID SO.

http://www.allmoviephoto.com/photo/2007_because_i_said_so_010.html
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1004/1095390730_211b06369b_o.jpg
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1144/1094530933_d783251ba0_o.jpg





1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Thank you very much for liking my movie. I don't have a real short film. Most of my movies is music video or experimental.
You can visit me at
www.myspace.com/livemessgeforlove
or http://stuchick.bloggang.com
Thanks again.