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bk pick

Air Doll. (Japan) Director Hirokazu Koreeda (Nobody Knows) explores the loneliness of urban life in this drama about a life-size inflatable doll that develops a soul and falls in love with a video store clerk. Feb 11. At House and Lido.

 

PICK> Air Doll. (Japan) Rating 3/5 See BK Pick.

 

Confucius. (China) Rating 3/5 In Hu Mei’s biographical film, Chow Yun-fat plays the titular Chinese philosopher. Feb 11.

 

Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief. (USA) Rating 3/5 From Chris Columbus (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets) comes this adventure fantasy following the adventures of Percy, who discovers he’s the son of Poseidon and embarks on an adventure to find Zeus’ stolen lightning bolt. Feb 11.

 

The Wolf Man. (USA) Rating 3/5 See BK Pick.

 

Valentine’s Day. (USA) Rating 3/5 Directed by Garry Marshall, this star-studded rom-com weaves together stories of various couples and singles in Los Angeles on Valentine’s Day. Among the stellar cast are Julia Roberts, Jessica Biel, Ashton Kutcher, Anne Hathaway and Jamie Foxx. Feb 11.

 

upcoming

PICK> The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. (UK) Rating 3/5 Terry Gilliam’s typically eye-popping dark fantasy centers on immortal leader of a traveling theater troupe, Doctor Parnassus, who after striking a deal with the devil is able to control people’s imaginations. Featuring Heath Ledger’s final role as a mysterious outsider (completed by Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell). Feb 18.

 

Little Big Soldier. (Hong Kong) Rating 2/5 Jacky Chan writes, produces and stars in this comedic period film about an unlikely friendship between a lowly foot soldier and a young general (Wang Leehom) from a rival warring state. Feb 18.

 

True Legend. (China) Rating 3/5 Directed by renowned martial arts choreographer Yuen Woo-Ping (The Matrix trilogy, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Kill Bill), this action film tells the story of Su Can, a wealthy man who, after losing his fortune and his family, wanders the streets as a drunken beggar and invents a new style of martial arts, the Drunken Fist. Feb 18.

 

now playing

20th Century Boys 3. (Japan) Rating 3/5 Based on Naoki Urasawa’s acclaimed manga, the final installment of the trilogy continues to tell the story of Friend, who is now the president of the world.

 

Brothers. (USA) Rating 3/5 Tobey Maguire, Jake Gyllenhaal and Natalie Portman save this stodgy melodrama with some solid acting. When his older brother goes missing in Afghanistan, the black sheep of the family takes care of his wife and kids at home. At Lido.

 

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. (USA) Rating 3/5 In this whimsical, mouth-watering animation, an accident-prone inventor creates a machine that causes gigantic pancakes, cheeseburgers, ice cream and meatballs to fall from the sky.

 

Dorian Grey. (UK) Rating 2/5 Oliver Parker (An Ideal Husband, The Importance of Being Earnest) delivers yet another adaptation of yet another Oscar Wilde classic. Clearly cast for his chiseled looks, Ben Barnes (The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian) plays the narcissistic Grey who stays forever young while his portrait slowly ages.

 

From Paris with Love. (France) Rating 2/5 In this predictable thriller, a rather portly John Travolta stars as an unconventional special agent who teams up with ambassadorial aide (Jonathan Rhys Myers) to try and stop a terrorist attack in Paris.

 

PICK> How to Be. (UK) Rating 3/5 In Oliver Irving’s award-winning indie comedy, Robert Pattinson trades in his fangs and pale skin for a guitar. The heartthrob plays a struggling musician who, in the hope of dealing with an existential crisis, hires a self-help guru as his personal life coach. At House and SFW CentralWorld.

 

I Give My First Love to You. (Japan) Rating 3/5 Based on a popular comic, this tearjerker centers on the relationship between Takuma, who might not live beyond the age of 20 due to a heart condition, and his first love Mayu. At House and Lido.

 

Khru Baannok. (Thailand) Rating 3/5 The story of a dedicated young teacher who requests a transfer to a remote school in Isaan. 

 

Love First. (Korea) Rating 3/5 This first-date flick weaves together four heart-warming love stories. At Apex.

 

Mulan. (China) Rating 2/5 Zhao Wei (Red Cliff) plays Hua Mulan, the legendary Chinese female warrior in Jingle Ma’s (Fly Me to Polaris) live-action drama.

 

My Valentine. (Thailand) Rating 3/5 The three directors behind Before Valentine revive the love theme in this rom-com where Mild, played by AF alumni Mint Minthita, has to choose between three very different boys.

 

Pope Joan. (UK/Germany) Rating 3/5 Based on a true story, Sonke Wortmann’s historical drama tells the story of Pope Joan, a woman who disguises herself as a man and rises through the Vatican ranks, eventually attaining the papal throne. At House.

 

bk pick

The Wolf Man. (USA) In Joe Johnston’s (Jurassic Park III) remake of the 1941 classic horror, Oscar winner Benicio del Toro plays a man suffering a terrible curse that turns him into a bloodthirsty werewolf every full moon. Feb 11.

 

Solomon Kane. (USA) Rating 2/5 Based on Robert E. Howard’s pulp fiction tale, the sword-meets-sorcery flick tells the story of Solomon Kane, a wandering avenger who fights against evil.

 

The Spy Next Door. (USA) Rating 3/5 Jackie Chan faces his toughest task yet—babysitting. He plays an undercover agent who reluctantly agrees to babysit his neighbor’s kids and ends up protecting them from a Russian terrorist while he’s at it. 

 

Under the Mountain. (New Zealand) Rating 2/5 Teenage twins with telepathic powers, Theo and Rachel, have to work together to beat the evil creatures lurking beneath Auckland’s volcanoes. 

 

free screenings 

FREE> Alliance Francaise. French films with English subtitles are screened every Wed at 7:30pm. Feb 10. Se Souvenir des Belles Choses: After her mother dies from Alzheimer’s, Claire is struck by lightning and suffers memory loss. l 29 South Sathorn Rd., 02-670-4240, www.alliance-francaise.or.th.

 

FREE> Chulalongkorn International Film Festival. Through Feb 8, 2010, international films with English subtitles are screened every Mon and Fri at 5pm, followed by a discussion led by leading film critics. Feb 5. Revanche: An ex con dreams of revenge after a robbery goes fatally wrong. Feb 8. Mid-August Lunch: On a hot summer holiday weekend Gianni finds himself stuck in Rome forced to look after his mother and three other aged women. l Room 503, 5/F, the Faculty of Arts, Chulalongkorn University, Phayathai Rd., 02-218-4802, 02-218-4804. www.chulafilmfest.multiply.com.

 

FREE> The Japan Foundation. Movies are subtitled in Thai and screened at 6:30pm. Feb 5. Twinkle: To make their parents happy, Shoko and Mutsuki decide to get married even though Mutsuki is gay. Feb 6. Nana: An adaptation of a popular comic series centers on two girls with the same name, Nana. Feb 12. Lady Camellia: A divorced taxi driver falls for a geisha. l 10/F, Serm-Mit Tower, 159 Soi Asoke, 02-260-8560. www.jfbkk.or.th.

 

FREE> Open Air Cinema. Find a snug spot in the parking lot of the Goethe Institut as it screens contemporary German and Swiss films with English subtitles, 7:30pm. Feb 10. Storm: A prosecutor at a war crime trial is caught in a courtroom storm of conflict and politics. Feb 17. Die Herbstzeitlosen: After her husband passes away, 80-year-old Martha, along with her friends, decides to set up a lingerie boutique. l 18/1 Soi Goethe, Sathorn Soi 1, 02-287-0942/-4. www.goethe.de/bangkok.

 

FREE> SoA+D’s Designer Lounge. From Feb 8-11, King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi School of Architecture and Design (SoA+D) screens a design-related film nightly, 5:30-9pm. Feb 8. Pictoplasma: Characters in Motion: A documentary about contemporary character design in animation, music visuals and motion graphics. Feb 9. Building the Gherkin: A documentary about British architect Norman Foster and the building of London’s skyscraper, the Gherkin. Feb 10. Objectified: Director Gary Hustwit examines the everyday objects and the people who design them. Feb 11. 2001: A Space Odyssey: Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 sci-fi classic. l 83 Moo 8 Bangkhuntien-Chaitalay Road, Takham, Bangkhuntien. For more information, contact Namo (085-018-0726) or Ajarn Chris (087-518-9535). dlounge2010@gmail.com, www.arch.kmutt.ac
 

infoguide

MOVIE THEATERS

EGV and Major Cineplex Movie Line 02-515-5555
House 02-641-5177
Panasonic Imax Theater­—Siam Paragon 02-511-5810
Paragon Cineplex 02-515-5555    
Lido Multiplex 02-252-6498
Scala 02-251-2861
Siam 02-251-1735
SF Movie line 02-628-8888
UMG RCA 02-641-5913/-4