Bangkok Cinema Scene: Movies opening May 21-27, 2009

Krasue fad Pop

The comedy Krasue fad Pop (Krasue vs. Pop) pits two of Thailand's female ghosts in a battle.

Krasue is Southeast Asia's gut-munching flying vampiric head that trails its entrails around. She's been depicted in lots of films, like 1981's Mystics in Bali, 2002's Krasue, Yuthlert Sippapak's Krasue Valentine and that recent award-winning Sylvania light bulb commercial. Pop is perhaps less well known. A demonic spirit that likes to eat people's livers and possess women's bodies, she's been depicted in the enduring Baan Phi Pop series that started in the 1980s. Its most recent installment came out last year. There's also 2001's Body Jumper (Pop Weed Sayong), which is actually quite a bit of fun.

In Krasue fad Pop, just as the ghosts are ready to rumble in a remote village, a group of college students arrive.

Nang Nak's Intira Jaroenpura (why Sine, why?) and Prangwalai Tepsatorn star.

This looks simply awful, and I might be inclined to watch it just to see if it's as bad as it looks, but there's no English subtitles.

Also opening

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian -- Ben Stiller's struggling inventor character has finally hit the big time, but the lure of his old night watchman job at the magical Natural History Museum lures him back. He finds his beloved old exhibits are being mothballed. His miniature friends the Roman centurion (Steve Coogan) and the cowboy (Owen Wilson) are being crated up and packed with foam peanuts. They are accidentally shipped off to the Smithsonian Institute, and Ben's character mounts a rescue. Robin Williams returns as Teddy Roosevelt. The slapping monkeys are back too. New to the cast is Amy Adams, who plays lost aviatrix Amelia Earhart. Christopher Guest is Ivan the Terrible. There's also Al Capone, General Custer and Napoleon. Also at IMAX.

Righteous Kill -- Al Pacino and Robert De Niro were first in a movie together in The Godfather II, thought they did not share any scenes, because De Niro was playing Pacino's character's father, Vito Corleone, in flashback sequences. They next met in the Michael Mann heist drama Heat, but only shared the screen briefly. Fourteen years on, the creaking old pair somehow wedge their way into the frame and chew up the scenery in Righteous Kill, a crime drama in which they are playing veteran New York police detectives trying to piece together old and new cases. It's at SFW CentralWorld.

Rule Number One -- In this Hong Kong movie by Singaporean director Kelvin Tong, Shawn Yue and Ekin Chen are a pair of cops who are assigned to a mysterious unit that handles calls dealing in the supernatural. This movie might actually be good, but I'll never know because it's showing only with a Thai-dubbed soundtrack and no subtitles.

Also showing

Loo Zihan Is a Film-Maker -- Singaporean actor and filmmaker Loo Zihan will be on hand for a screening some of his films on Saturday, May 23 at Democrazy Theatre Studio in Bangkok. Zihan is perhaps best known for his role in Ekachai Uekrongtham's Pleasure Factory as the young soldier who's taken to Singapore's Gayleng brothels to lose his virginity. He's an accomplished filmmaker as well. Among the works being screened will be his 2007 debut feature Solos, which he co-directed with Kan Lume, as well as the short films Threshhold, Autopsy, Untitled and Sophia Raffles. The Bioscope magazine forum has full details on the films. Saturday's event is organized by director Thunska Pansittivorakul and ThaiIndie.com. The venue is on Soi Sapankoo, off Rama IV Road, near Lumpini subway station, exit 1. The showtime is at 7.30pm. Admission is free, but the place only has 80 seats, so reservations are recommended. Call (086) 759 7112.

Sambai -- The second video from Preduce skateboards premieres at 7pm on Saturday, May 23 at the Scala theater in Siam Square. It's directed by Op Sudasna and features the Preduce team and friends skateboarding in Thailand, China, Singapore, Malaysia, Switzerland, USA and other locations around the world. That will be followed by an after party at Club Culture near Paya Thai Skytrain station. DJs include Dragon, Maft Sai, Octo and Red-I from Manila. Singha beer is free until 11pm. Check Bangkok 1080 for more.

Recommended viewing

Catch Let the Right One In at House on RCA. It's a poignant, melancholy coming-of-age tale of a bullied 12-year-old boy in a 1980s Stockholm neighborhood who becomes friends with a girl who's a vampire.

Aside from that, I would also recommend Star Trek. As a fan of the original series, I really dug it. Saw it twice and am thinking about a third viewing. If you've never watched any Star Trek movies or shows before, this is a perfect introduction.