4bia: Getting Your Thai Horror Flick On

If you're looking for a Thai horror flick to sink your teeth into when it comes out on DVD (if you can't catch it before then), a movie that's been doing well at the box office with crowds in Thailand is 4bia (aka See Prang). The film has four stories to it with one of the stories "In the Middle" directed by Banjong Pisanthanakun, part of the team that brought us Shutter and Alone.

Check out the trailer



For more on the movie go to Scheda Film, Chiangmai Mail and the official site.

Devastation in China and surrounding areas

This is bad - and things keep on getting worse. To everyone that has family out in the affected areas - I hope you got in contact with them and that everyone is safe:

A powerful earthquake toppled buildings, schools and chemical plants Monday in central China, killing more than 8,700 people and trapping untold numbers in mounds of concrete, steel and earth in the country's worst quake in three decades.

The 7.9-magnitude quake devastated a region of small cities and towns set amid steep hills north of Sichuan's provincial capital of Chengdu. Striking in midafternoon, it emptied office buildings across the country in Beijing and could be felt as far away as Vietnam.

Snippets from state media and photos posted on the Internet underscored the immense scale of the devastation. In the town of Juyuan, south of the epicenter, a three-story high school collapsed, burying as many as 900 students and killing at least 50, the official Xinhua news agency said. Photos showed people using cranes, mechanical hoists and their hands to remove slabs of concrete and steel.

Read more coverage here.

DVD: 13 Beloved

During one of my lazy nights away I got a chance to finally see the Thai suspense/thriller 13 Beloved, and it didn't disappoint. Good story, tight scenes, and it makes you think about what you'd do if you were in the same situation.

Description from Wikipedia:

13 Beloved (Thai: 13 เกมสยอง or 13 Game Sayong, also 13: Game of Death) is a 2006 Thai psychological thriller and black comedy directed by Chukiat Sakveerakul and starring Krissada Sukosol Clapp. The story, about a man who is led through progressively challenging, degrading and dangerous stunts by mysterious callers from an underground reality game show, is adapted from the 13th Quiz Show episode in the My Mania comic-book series by Eakasit Thairaat.

Check it out if you're looking for something good to watch.

More Updates and Trailers: The Contender Muay Thai

As previously talked about in a summer post here’s some more info on The Contender Muay Thai that will be shown across Asia.

The latest trailer for the new series:



Here’s a sampling of the fighters and descriptions from mymuaytai.com - where you can get a full list and more descriptions on all the fighters.

Yodsaenklai Fairtex

Yodsaenklai is one of the biggest stars of Muay Thai
today. A former Lumpini Stadium and Toyota Marathon Champion, Yodsanklai is the current reigning WBC Muay Thai Champion. He currently fights for the Fairtex
camp, he’s a dynamic south paw fighter who’s known for his technical and
methodical fighting style. He has a 131 wins, 64 Losses and 3 draws.

John Wayne Parr

Parr is fighter based out of Queensland Australia. He’s started off life as a boxer and transitioned into Muay Thai. Parr was one of the original great “Farang” (Foreign) fighters who lived and fought in Thailand. Parr currently fights out of his own gym the Boonchu gym. Parr (66-22) is known for his explosive hands and an aggressive
fighting style. Some of his achievements include: IMF World Champion, S-1 World
Champion. Parr was also voted by the “Strongest Westerner in Thailand ‘97″ by
the sports writers of Thailand.

Naruepol Fairtex

Naruepol is another star in Fairtex’s stable of fighters, In addition to his 110 -41 record he’s a former Lumpini and Rajadomnern Stadium champion. Currently he’s the no.1 contender to challenge Nopadetch Choowattana for the WBC title. Naruepol is considered tall for a Thai fighter and is very effective with his knees and elbows.

George Takei, Sci-Fi, Laser light shows, and the Seattle Symphony

Nice:

Sci-Fi Favorites

Travel to distant dimensions with Seattle Symphony! Hear music from your
favorite science fiction films, including Star Wars, Superman, Harry Potter,
2001: A Space Odyssey and more! Featuring a laser light show and narration by
George Takei, best known as Mr. Sulu on the acclaimed television and film
series, Star Trek. September 20–23. Costumes welcome!

Go to the Seattle Symphony’s site to learn more and buy tickets for this laserific event.

More on plane crash in Thailand

In one of its worst aviation disasters in a decade with over eighty-eight dead, more information is starting to come out about the airport and pilot:

From the Canadian Press:

Probe into Thai plane crash focuses on wind shear; monks pray for dead

Buddhist monks chanted prayers Tuesday for the souls of the 89 people killed in a plane crash on the southern Thai resort island of Phuket as distraught relatives began identifying and retrieving badly disfigured bodies.

From the Bangkok Post:

Airline chief defends pilot of doomed Phuket flight

“He was not hot-headed by character and had plenty of aviation experience under his belt …He was very experienced, patient and very decisive,” One-Two-Go Airline chairman Kajit Hapananont told the Bangkok Post.

From the Guardian:

Survivors angry that pilot tried to land plane in monsoon storm

Survivors of the Phuket air crash expressed disbelief and anger yesterday that their plane had been given permission to land despite a monsoon storm with winds so fierce that they bent back palm trees.