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Alpha Dog Trailer

admin — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 07:28:10 +0000

The new Alpha Dog trailer has hit the web, and well… all I can say is that I’m getting less and less impressed with this project the more I see of it. I know, I know… a lot of people are saying good things about it. Fair enough. I have no reason to question that. All I’m saying is that from where I’m sitting Alpha Dog is looking more and more like a bust every time I see something new. This trailer is just a continuation of that. The first Alpha Dog trailer I saw a few months back really surprised me… because although the buzz has been “This is Justin Timberlake’s Break out role!”… the trailer showed him saying NOTHING at all. And now this new Alpha Dog trailer comes along, and it seems to be diminishing his role in the film even further. Actually, this trailer makes it appear that Timberlake is nothing but a 4th or 5th character (which may very well be the case). Either way, it is becoming clear that this is indeed NOT Timberlake’s film. As for the Alpha Dog trailer itself… I’m not impressed. At this point to me it looks like a high school film project gone bad. But trailers can be deceiving, so let’s wait and see when the movie actually comes out. If you’d like to see the new Alpha Dog trailer you can just go here.

Chow Yun Fat In US Remake of Hard Boiled

Any serious action film fan knows the John Woo classic Hard Boiled all too well. It has been suggested that it could very well be the greatest action film of all time. Today it looks like actin fans have a reason to celebrate! According to Movie Blog Allumnist Todd (who now runs the fantastic TwitchFilm) is reporting that a North American version is planned, and to once again star Chow Yun Fat. Here’s what Todd had to say:It appears as though Chow Yun Fat has finally struck upon a sure fire method of repeating his massive Hong Kong success in North America: by repeating his biggest role. Word in Hong Kong’s Apple Daily is that Chow Yun Fat will be starring alongside an American actor in a remake of Hard Boiled, arguably one of the best action films ever made.Now, I normally don’t like the idea of Asian films being “remade” into english… but for some reason I think this particular project would be suitable for the transition. What do you guys think?

Around The Web – March 15th 2006

Here are some of the other things going on in Movie News today: – Michael Douglas slams Brad Pitt for leaving wife and Renee Zellweger and Julia Roberts for Short marriages Ummm… I like Michael Douglas an all… but shouldn’t someone remind him that he left his wife once too? – Theater owners excited about upcoming films this year – Benicio Del Toro is The Wolf Man Ok, I think this is a GREAT idea – Jennifer Lopez, Luke Wilson, John Travolta and Shirly MacClaine all set for Dallas the Movie – George Lucas talks Star Wars TV Series.

*18/701/13*

Old Patong: Dutch Jeff (Thai mp3)

admin — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 07:27:59 +0000

I first met the big Dutchman at Thai Garden Restaurant, at the time he, his wife Dao & newcomer, David Polman had formed a company, with Jeff & Dave being co general managers, while Dao really did everything from dishes to curry, and with a hardworking attitude and smile. Jeff was a large man, at 6′2″ and 250lbs, the bald headed Dutchman seemed to be talking constantly. When first met, he seemed overbearing, slightly redneck and at times you wish he’d just shut up. After getting to know Jeff, he became very personable, often funny, constant joker with a knowledge of history that most had no idea of. The gentle giant had been a part of the Underground in Holland during WWII, helping the Allied cause, so much so, that when the war ended, he was given immediate immigrant status in USA, where he turned his demolition skills to the construction industry. Jeff floated around, when Viet Nam war got going, he resided in Saigon as an “advisor”, his favorite story there was how he took a month old baby reeking of fever, immersed it carefully in an ice bath and saved the childs life, after local “Dr’s” had given up on the child and left it to the “tiger balm” medics locally. Jeff had been to Thailand for various “reasons” during the war and after the war, he moved first to Bangkok, living around Sukumvit for several years before he finally made the plunge and relocated to Patong beach. One of the first expats living in “the old green house”, Jeff rented this place for about 4yrs with his wife Dao. After meeting David, setting up biz in the newly formed Thai Garden, things changed rapidly, when Jeff scurried off to Penang to re up his visa, Jeff being a true Dutchman, never spent one satang more than he had too, taking the baht bus to HadYai, then onto Butterworth. By the time he returned a week later, David and Dao had run off to Songkla, Nikon Si Tammerat and Koh Samui for a “holiday”. Jeff knew the score, Dao had played around before with SAS pilots,etc and he knew better than to get into a brawl with his so-called new biz partner, instead, he simply moved out of the “old green house” and back into what at the time was considered the remote village of Baan Nam Sai Yen, actually just 3 kilometers to the east, on the other side of the rice paddy located at the base of the rubber tree’d mountains. Dao moved in with David, they got Thai Garden up and running, Jeff and David still ate lunch together daily, Jeff would often come around just after the paper boy had delivered the Bangkok Post, as long as I can remember, Jeff never actually bought anything at Thai Garden, but would read the paper after another customer had left it there. Jeffs favorite hobby at the time was to “acquire” paper back books, he’d only take those in almost new condition, that had been “left” in the restaurant, Jeff, within several years had thousands of books in his little house, he’d built from the ground up. Life went along fine for Dutch Jeff, he enjoyed his new found single life, floated from one party to another, in Old Patong, a party could start at noon and last til those purchasing the drinks and food left a few days later or a month later! Jeff seemed to know where the partys were and you’d see him enjoying the good life, at a Dutchmans price…:-) Jeff, at times could be obnoxious, but one the whole he was a good fella and would help most anyone in need. In Old Patong, not many people or things really needed help however, but the big Dutchman could be seen helping a neighbor dig a well or helping a Yachty pull his boat into deeper water as the tide rapidly ran back out to sea. At one party, another expat took Jeff to be a person the opposite of a Dutchman, in other words, a German, Jeff was belittled for blabbing so much, but in the end, he won all hearts when he left the party say “Merry Christmas everyone”, most had gotten so uptight and/or drunk, they forget what day it was, but Jeff didn’t. Jeff went on to marry a local gal, Panom, they soon had a little boy, “Jep Noi”, he’d bring the boy along on his 50cc Honda, barely enough power to get the big Dutchman about, but all liked lil Jep Noi and his lil sister Tanui, about the same time Dao named her dog Tanui also, this was just part of the little passive agressive nature of things, but Jeff let it roll off his back like duck in water… Crazy Dave would get incensed when lil Jep Noi would use Thai Gardens as a hognam, but the rest of us, who didn’t have to clean it up, roared with delight as the lil boy would run around and under and over tables, knocking things astray with a little kick here or a grab there. Then Jeff, Jep Noi would be off and down the road to the next celebration of life. In Old Patong, the celebration never really ended. btw, although Dutch Jeff hasn’t been around since the early 90’s, you might have seen him! He played the Russian Ambassador in the movie “The Killing Fields”, but that’s another story of Old Patong, where most anything could and would happen…:-

*1/701/13*

A Bangkok Tour (Thai cd)

admin — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 07:27:15 +0000

The Grand Palace Many people who visit thai-blogs.com are looking for ideas for their next holiday to Thailand. For most people, their holidays always start and end in Bangkok. Some people like to get out of the city as quick as they can. However, the city has a lot to offer. What I am going to briefly describe for you today is a basic one day tour that you can easily do yourself. No need to pay for tour guides or rent a driver for the day. My brother is in Bangkok for the weekend. It is his first time in Thailand. This is my summary of a good introduction to Bangkok for day one. We started our tour at Siam Square. It is a good central area with plenty of shopping malls and hotels. When I stay in Bangkok I quite often stay at the Asia Hotel (see thaihotelfinders.com) as it has a direct link to the sky train. It is only one stop away from Siam Square. From here our first destination was the Grand Palace and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. Traffic was light and we made good progress by taxi. Whenever taking a taxi in Bangkok, always make sure that he turns on the meter. This should start at 35 baht. The Thai word for meter is the same so just say ?bert meter? if he hasn?t turned it on. Our trip only cost 65 baht (present exchange rate is 35 baht for one US dollar). Don?t take a tuk tuk. They will try and cheat you. It was about 10.30 a.m. when we arrived at the Grand Palace. The taxi dropped us off at the main entrance. Make sure you are dressed suitably which means long trousers and shoes with a closed heal. If you are wearing shorts you can borrow a wraparound at the entrance. The entrance fee for the Grand Palace is 250 baht. It is free if you are Thai. We first went into the Temple of the Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Kaew). This place is simply stunning and should be a must if you are visiting Bangkok. As some of you may know, this was my second visit this month. I could easily go again. Next door to the temple is the Grand Palace. The King no longer lives here but you can admire the architecture and watch the changing of the guard. We were just over an hour here though during my previous visit I was there more than two hours. A long-tailed boat on the Thonburi canals We then exited the Grand Palace and turned left walking towards the river and Chang Pier. Our intention was to rent a long-tailed boat for an hour to explore the Thonburi canals on the other side of the river. Even before we reached the pier we were met by touts who wanted to sell their tours. The last time I had done a boat tour must have been four years ago and it cost 400 boat to rent a boat. The first tout wanted 800 baht each! I told him we weren?t interested and kept walking. We eventually found the counter for the tour boats. Unfortunately, even though he was cheaper, he still wanted 900 baht for the two of us. I told him I wasn?t interested as it was way too expensive. As we were walking out, one of the earlier touts came running up to us and said 600 baht for the two of us. Still a bit expensive but this is the price the Bangkok Tourist office had told me that they now charge. Bangkok used to be known as the Venice of the East. Unfortunately most of the canals have been filled in now to create new roads. However, on the opposite side of the river, in Thonburi, there is still an opportunity to see how Bangkok people have lived for generations. The boat we rented was a long-tailed boat much like the one pictured above. We started on the mighty Chao Phraya River and soon entered the much quieter canals on the other side. In less than ten minutes, we had left the city and were literally in a jungle. All of the houses were single stories and either side were banana trees and palm trees. There aren?t any roads here and the postman and other essential services all come by boat. Along the way you will see river life in action as well as some real floating markets. Our tour was about one hour. You can choose to take longer tours. There are a number of places that you can stop at along the way such as the Royal Barges Museum. For myself, one hour is more than enough. The Reclining Buddha at Wat Pho Before we left on our boat tour, I told them that we wanted to finish at Wat Arun (The Temple of Dawn) which is on the opposite side of the river to the Grand Palace and a bit further south. This saved us on fees for transport to our next stop. As this had a private landing, we had to pay a fee of 20 baht for the boat to stop here. I have talked about Wat Arun before. This is a 82 metre high prang which is decorated with broken Chinese porcelain. This was quite common at the time as the Chinese used it as ballast in their trading junks. For their return journey there was no need for the ballast. Other unwanted ballast included the statues which can be found at many of the Bangkok temples. When we arrived at the temple we walked to the far end first where there is a small market. We walked through this for a while until we found a small entrance. Temples are free for Thai people and Buddhist to visit. This one is 20 baht for foreigners or free if you use the same entrance as we did. There are donation boxes if you want to help with the renovation of the temple. I think the last time it was covered in scaffolding was about five years ago. It is badly in need of a face lift again. From the public pier, we used the ferry to cross the river to the opposite bank. This was only 3 baht each. Looking back we had some fine views of Wat Arun so don?t forget to take some pictures. Once we arrived on the other side we walked straight out to the main road. To our left was the boundary wall of the Grand Palace. To our right was the buildings belonging to Wat Pho. We used the nearest entrance and as soon as we were inside the temple we turned right. To our left was the big building which housed the Reclining Buddha. But, I wanted to leave that to last as it is the highlight. I first wanted to explore the other areas. Wat Pho is considered the center of traditional Thai massage. Indeed, the temple is also known as Thailand?s first university. Instruction was given by paintings on the wall and the statues of different yoga positions. In one of the cloisters you will find a large collection of Buddha images. The three large chedis commemorate the first three Chakri kings. This temple is actually much older than them as it predates the founding of Bangkok. The temple dates back more than 300 years. In one of the temples, the ashes of King Rama I are kept under the main Buddha image. I forgot to say before that the ashes of King Rama II are under the principle Buddha image at Wat Arun. The Reclining Buddha is of course the highlight of any visit to this temple. That is why we decided to save it for last. As we were going into this building, I noticed a side entrance where people were charging foreigners 50 baht to enter. Again, we had mistakenly come in through the wrong entrance. Never mind, there are donation boxes where you can help with the upkeep of the temple. The Reclining Buddha is absolutely stunning. You really need a wide angle lens to get it all in your picture. The length is 43 meters and the feet are covered in mother of pearl. Some guidebooks call this the longest Reclining Buddha in Thailand. But, it is the third longest that I have seen. The longest one is in Bang Phli in Samut Prakan. However, I think there will be longer one in the future in Suphan Buri. Before you leave this building, you can make a donation to buy a bowl of pennies. You then drop these into a long row of bowls for good luck. Jim Thompson?s House By this time it was already after two o?clock and we were in need of a break and some lunch. Don?t forget, with the heat in Thailand you not only need to use sun protection, but also drink plenty of water. If you don?t you will regret it later. Bottled water should be about 10 baht but they might charge you more in tourist areas. We decided to catch a taxi back to our starting point and have a late lunch at the MBK shopping mall. The taxi ride was 80 baht this time. The shopping mall is air-conditioned and so it was a welcome relief form the heat. It is a good idea to spend the middle of the day in one of the shopping malls. On the 6th floor of MBK you will find the large food court. You have to buy coupons first. We bought 100 baht of coupons which was just enough. It doesn?t matter if you buy too much as you can get them refunded after the meal. We bought a choice of two curries on rice for 40 baht. Water was 10 baht per bottle. Our next destination was Jim Thompson?s House. This is within easy walking distance of MBK. We took the exit to the National Stadium sky train station and crossed to the other side of the road. Here we turned left and kept waking to the far end of the sky train station. Near here we saw a sign that directed us to turn right down a small lane. The house is at the far end just before a canal. For people who don?t know, Jim Thomposn is largely responsible for the revival of the Thai silk industry and for propelling it onto the international stage. But, we didn?t come here for the silk. Jim lived in a group of Thai traditional houses which today is opened as a museum containing many of his art collections. If you want to see traditional Thai houses then this is a good place for you to come. The cost is only 100 baht per person. You have to join the tours that take you around the garden and through the house. You are allowed to take pictures outside but not inside the house. The Erawan Shrine By this time it was starting to be a long day for us. We were hot and our feet were beginning to ache. But, we had one more stop. We walked back to the main road where we rode an escalator up to the sky train platform above the road. We wanted to do one final stop. This was the Erawan Shrine near Chit Lom station. From the National Stadium we had to go one stop to Siam and then change tracks and then go one more stop to Chit Lom. This is the station for several big shopping malls including Central World. The Erawan Shrine was full of local and foreign merit makers. People come here to wish for good luck. If their wish comes true then they offer the spirit things like wooden elephants and food. They also pay for traditional Thai dancers to perform for the spirits. This is a great place to sit and watch the activity for a while. It is also a great place to enjoy Thai dancing for free! Well, that was the end of our day long tour. I don?t think you would want to do much more than that. Maybe spend the rest of the day in one of the local shopping malls like Central World or Siam Paragon. Maybe even watch a movie. If you are up to it, you could go and watch Muay Thai at one of the boxing stadiums. Over the coming weeks I will give you some more ideas of places you can visit in Bangkok. But, I think today is a good tour of some of the highlights.

Trip to Pattani

After the Chinese New Year bomb blast, despite all the negative response and advice, I decided to go with a long time no see hometown friend Phil, to visit Pattani, the Muslim centre of the South. The night before leaving for Pattani, we were briefed and cautioned by a friend who is a high ranking government official based in Pattani. Having such a lovely moment with his family around the beautiful beach of Songkhla, our two hours of conversation was mostly centered around the situation in Pattani. The description was saddening but interesting and provided us with new insights. It was like listening to the life of someone from another planet! After all the discouraging remarks of our planned trip to Pattani the next day, I decided to take the risk as Phil promised to take care of me should anything happen . ? I was getting excited and a little uneasy as our car was approaching Pattani. We stopped by a road side stall selling sea coconut. Asking about the situation in Pattani, the trader seemed reserved and reluctant to answer our questions. It was the first time I took the fresh sea coconut and the sea coconut juice, right here in Pattani. Equipped with a borrowed bullet proof jacket, I left Phil in the car to have a quick tour and take snapshots of the tourist attractions- The beautiful Pattani Central Mosque, The ruined Kru Se Mosque, the Shrine of Chao Mae Lim Ko Nieo. (pic) The Pattani Central Mosque/The ruined and cursed Kru Se Mosque (pic) The Shrine of Chao Mae Lim Ko Nieo at the road side/The closed candle shops Pattani is popular for its annual Chao Mae Lim Ko Nieo Fair which was to be held from 1-7 March. The annual fair pays homage to the Goddess Cho Mae Lim Ko Nieo with a colourful procession, walking on fire and swimming across the river near Dechanuchit Bridge. According to the traders around here, in the past there would be at least 80 to 100 tour buses each day bringing thousands of worshippers to the fair each year. However, there were hardly any buses now. We also drove around the town to have a feel of the atmosphere. Contrary to what I thought that there would be a lot of Islamic structural buildings, the town seems quite modern and well developed, though a little quiet. It even has more Chinese New Year decorations than in Betong. (pic) The quite Chao Mae Lim Ko Nieo and the quite dried seafood stalls (pic) Pattani town/One of the CNY decorations in the town The next day before saying good bye to this town, we were attracted by a bird competition crowded with thousands of people with beautiful cages hanging in the big compound area. As usual, I get excited about new things and couldn t help to join the crowd, asking questions and taking pictures until the driver rang and advised me not to stay too long. Phil told me that I was the only lady among the crowd. Before coming, Phil assured me that it would be an exciting and unforgettable journey. Indeed it was, but no matter how normal it seems and how exciting the journey, we couldn t help the feel of uneasiness and tension in our heart. I d opt not to come again! One of the bird competition sites (Tomorrow: Betong is roaring!)

*8/701/13*