BK PICK

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs. (USA). In the third installation of this prehistoric animation, Scrat the squirrel, Sid the sloth, Manny the mammoth and Diego the saber-tooth tiger find themselves dodging further dinosaur-driven dangers. Jul 1.

Opening

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs. (USA). Rating 3/5.

Miao Miao. (Taiwan). Rating 3/5   Cheng Hsiao-Tse’s familiar-yet-enjoyable debut follows two girls, shy Miao Miao and sassy Xiao-Ai, as they experience first love and emotional strife. Jul 1. At House.

PICK> Nang Mai. (Thailand). Rating 3/5   Screened at 2009 Cannes’ Un Certain Regard, Pen-Ek Ratanaruang’s ghostly love story follows a young husband and wife as they travel through a remote jungle. Jul 1.

Wongkamlao. (Thailand). Rating 3/5   Petchtai Wongkamlao, a.k.a. Mum Jokmok, writes, directs and stars in this romcom, playing a hi-so khun chai who falls for a lowly teacher. Jul 1.

Upcoming

Cheri. (France/UK). Rating 3/5   Directed by Stephen Frears (The Queen), this period drama stars Michelle Pfeiffer as an aging courtesan, who has an affair with a flamboyant young man (Rupert Friend). Jul 9. At Lido.

The Secret of Moonacre. (UK). Rating 2/5  In this tepid fantasy, Dakota Blue Richards (The Golden Compass) plays an orphan who discovers that she is the last Moon Princess who must fight to end the age-old feud between her family and a rival clan. Jul 9.

Now playing

17 Again. (USA).Rating 3/5   Matthew Perry plays a high school-basketball-star-turned-loser, who gets a second shot at life when he wakes up one day and finds that he’s a 17-year-old (played by Zac Afron) again.

Anubarn Dek Khong. (Thailand). Rating 3/5   The coming-of-age comedy centers on Ohm, a kindergarten boy who, thanks to his height, can easily pass as a high school student. Things get more complicated when he falls for a high school girl.

Blood: The Last Vampire. (USA). Rating 2/5   In her Hollywood debut, Korean actress Jun Ji-Hyun (My Sassy Girl), plays a vampire named Saya who is a member of a government agency that hunts and destroys demons in post-WWII Japan.

PICK> Departures. (Japan). Rating 4/5 .

PICK> Drag Me to Hell. (USA). Rating 3/5   After a fifteen-year hiatus, Sam Raimi (Spider-man trilogy) returns to his horror roots, blending gore and scares into this shocking tale about a loan officer struggling to break free from an evil curse and save her soul from eternal damnation.

Fireflies in the Garden. (USA). Rating 2/5  Featuring a stellar cast of Julia Roberts, Willem Defoe, Emily Watson and Ryan Reynolds, this downbeat melodrama centers on a dysfunctional family who, faced with a tragic accident, are forced to relive past grudges. At SF Cinema.

PICK> Gomorrah. (Italy). Rating 3/5  Matteo Garrone’s award-winning crime drama offers an inside look into the corruption and Mafiosi-links that still plague modern-day Italy. At House.

PICK> Home. (USA/French). Rating 3/5   Narrated by Glenn Close, this is a documentary that weaves together the jaw-dropping the aerial photography of famed French photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand. Taken in over 50 countries, it tries to highlight how humans are threatening the planet. At Lido.

PICK> Let the Right One In. (Sweden). Rating 4/5  An award-winning, well-crafted thriller about a friendship between a bullied 12-year-old and the vampire girl next door. This puts Twilight in the shade. At House.

Pandemic. (Japan). Rating 3/5   Takashi Tsumabuki (Nada So So) plays a doctor who comes across a mysterious, deadly virus called Blame that spreads alarmingly throughout Tokyo. At Apex.

Roommate. (Thailand). Rating 3/5  Hoping to put on their own concert, four university students form a band called The Roommate. But things get complicated when the friends start to want more than just friendship.

Terminator Salvation. (USA). Rating 2/5 In the fourth film in the Terminator series, Christian Bale signs up as John Connor, a man destined to lead the humans against Skynet and its army of terminators.

PICK> Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. (USA).
Rating 3/5   Michael Bay’s much-anticipated sequel, sees Shia LaBeouf return as Sam Witwicky, to once again joins forces with the Autobots to fight against the evil Decepticons.

PICK> Up. (USA). Rating 4/5  From the Academy Award-nominated director Pete Docter (Monsters Inc.) comes this 3D animated comedy adventure about a grumpy retired balloon salesman who ties his house to thousands of balloons and takes off on a journey through South America.

Film festivals

French Film Festival. Catch contemporary French productions at SF World Cinema (7/F, CentralWorld, Ratchadamri Rd., www.sfcinemacity.com). Highlights include I’ve Loved You So Long, Philippe Claudel’s directorial debut which won the 2009 Cesar for Best First Film, and Captain Achab, Philippe Ramos’ unusual interpretation of Herman Melville’s classic novel Moby Dick. Tickets are B100. For more information, go to www.lafete-bangkok.com. Through Jul 1.

Week of Siam. House Rama screens Thai classics every last week of each month. Tickets are B80 and B120. Through Jul 1, it’s the “Humorous” week, so gear up for a selection of classic comedies such as Supaksorn’s Mor Song and Rak Ta Len. l 31/8 RCA, New Petchburi Rd., 02-641-5177/8. www.houserama.com.

Free screenings

FREE> Avant-garde Cinema for Designers. Presented by B52, a group of students at KMUTT’s School of Architecture and Design (SoA+D), this open-air screening showcases design-oriented movies, followed by a discussion, every Wed, 7pm. Jul 1. Life Through a Lens: A documentary about Annie Leibovitz, the famed female photographer who shoots for Rolling Stone and Vanity Fair. Jul 15. Manufactured Landscapes: Photographer Edward Burtynsky embarks on a journey to observe how industry has changed our landscape. l King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi, School of Architecture & Design, 83 Moo 8, Bangkhuntien-Chaitalay Rd., Takham, 02-470-8888, b52.cinema@gmail.com.

FREE> The Japan Foundation. Movies are subtitled in Thai and screened at 6:30pm. In June, the theme is “Bloom of Youth.” Jun 26. Gomen: Sei, an elementary school boy, falls for a junior high school girl. l 10/F, Serm-Mit Tower, 159 Soi Asoke, 02-260-8560. www.jfbkk.or.th.

FREE> TK Park. Through Jun 30, TK Park recalls the good old days as it presents a Thai film exhibition, screens a selection of Thai classics in the nang klang plaeng (open-air cinema) atmosphere and hosts talks by critics and directors. l 8/F, Zone D, CentralWorld, Ratchadamri Rd., 02-257-4300. www.tkpark.or.th.