#prachya pinkaew

[boardsdonthitback]

Jeeja Yanin - Chocolate (2008)

[of-fear-and-love]

Tuk-tuks from Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior (2003)

[adamwatchesmovies]

Chocolate (2008)

Chocolate would be a better film if it was more comedic, if its prelude was shorter, and if Taphon Phopwandee played a bigger role during the conclusion. Will that matter to you so much as you watch Yanin Vismitananda demolishing opponents with her hands and feet? Not if you came to this martial arts film for the action.

A forbidden romance between Thai gangster Zin (Ammara Siripong) and Yakuza boss Masashi (Hiroshi Abe) puts both their lives at risk. He leaves for Japan while she gives birth to their daughter, Zen (Vismitananda). Raised by her single mother, Zen proves herself a gifted martial artist - easily replicating the moves she sees performed at the Muay Thai Kickboxing school next door or in Bruce Lee and Tony Jaa’s films despite her autism. When Zin develops cancer and cannot afford the chemotherapy, Zen’s friend Moom (Taphon Phopwandee) discovers an old book of unsettled debts owed to the former gangster. If that money were collected, Zin could afford the treatment she needs, which prompts her daughter to start checking the names on the pages.

There’s a lot about this film that’s goofy. Zen’s autism essentially gives her a superpower and she manages to learn moves that easily best opponents twice her size. Whether that’s more or less believable than the Romeo and Juliet romance between two gangsters who we see casually shooting people, I’ll leave it up to you. The thing is, it kind of works as a story happening in its own universe with its own rules. You buy it because you believe Yanin Vismitananda. As a martial artist, she’s incredible. So is the stunt choreography by Panna Rittikrai. There’s great escalation as the debtors Zen collects from become increasingly determined not to give her the money that’s owed. Think it doesn’t get any scarier than a meat manufacturing plant where everyone has cleavers and knives? That’s the third fight (second if you don’t count the scene where she beats up a bunch of teenage punks). You wonder how director Prachy Pinkaew could top themselves when we just saw a battle that had katanas and guns but you haven’t seen anything yet. Even without the end-credit bloopers showing the on-set injuries, you can tell life in Thailand must be really cheap for the stunt men and women to get themselves tossed around like this and fall from that high up. Over and over you’ll threaten to wake up the neighbors as you yell “DAMN!” and “That HAD to hurt!”.

Action-wise, Chocolate is a delight. If at first you’re looking at Vismitananda and wondering “Would she really be able to take down that guy with a single kick to the face?”, you’ll believe it completely by the end. The choreography is excellent but this movie gives you a little something more. Zen’s fighting style has a different flavour, a different personality than other people’s. You often see her feigning blows and then striking in a different way than expected to take down her opponents. It smoothly blends into several comedic take-downs that would make Jackie Chan proud. That said, the film gets awfully grim at points. It is towards the end when the tension is due to ramp up but it feels a bit like the movie didn’t quite know if it wanted to be serious or not. The bad guys leave a trail of slime. The parents are very serious in their roles. Zen is portraying a movie version of a mental disorder. Moom - as the one person who doesn’t know anything about fighting - makes you laugh, which makes you appreciate him that much more than you normally would. His friendship with Zen is sweet, particularly when he comes to her rescue in a way only he could. Stunt-wise, Vismistananda is the stand-out. Seeing her convincingly plays a teen despite being 24 at the time and performing all those stunts you'd think she'd be the one giving the best performance, but I say that award belongs to Phopwandee.

You have to forgive some story-related flaws to appreciate Chocolate but it shouldn’t be too hard, not when the movie delivers the “whacks!” and “pows!” the way it does. You’ll want to see it again so you can test whether watching a martial arts film like this one can make you learn the on-screen moves through osmosis. (International version with English subtitles, July 30, 2021)

[hotpotdragon]

The Protector (2005)

[junkfoodcinemas]

Ong-Bak (2003) dir. Prachya Pinkaew

[telomeke]

23.5 CAST AND CREW – FAMILY TIME?

Everyone knows Milk Pansa Vosbein is one of the leads in 23.5, and if you're a fan you'll know her distinctively Germanic surname (Vosbein, rendered วอสเบียน in Thai) is probably inherited from her Danish paternal grandfather.

But if you look at the credits of the series, there are other Vosbeins in the mix: 👀

One of the producers is Kai Sita Vosbein, who is apparently married to Prachya Pinkaew (director of films such as Ong Bak and Tom Yum Goong) according to this post here;

One of the Assistant Associate Producers is Chaowat Vosbein;

A member of the supporting cast is credited as Punyada Vosbein.

(top left) Milk Pansa Vosbein; (top right) Kai Sita Vosbein; (bottom left) credits listing Sita Vosbein as a producer and Chaowat Vosbein as an assistant associate producer; (bottom right) credits listing Punyada Vosbein as a member of the cast

T‌his is looking very much like a family affair! 🤩

‌

As an aside (and more food for thought) – although Aof Noppharnach Chaiyahwimhon is listed on My Drama List as one of the producers (at time of writing) and has been associated with MilkLove and the project 23.5 from way before, his name is conspicuously absent from the credits (at least of Episode 1).

‌

Can't help thinking there's more than meets the eye going on here! 👀🤨🤔

‌

[jimmylee300]

Hong Kong Action Cinema Blog 3

Last blog I took a closer look at the way John Woo directs his films, using Hard Boiled as the main example. This movie is one of his more known ones so I thought it would be the perfect movie to dive into his style of directing. Now for this blog, I am going to look at how John Woo and his filmmaking style has influenced other directors and films, in years to follow.

John Woo has a very unique style of filmmaking and directing. With action, he never makes it too over the top, and wants to make everything as realistic-looking as possible. With the use of slow-motion and the rapid switching of angles with different speeds during a fight, he is able to capture all the action while making everything seem very real. Every scene is very chaotic because he goes all out. Lots of bullets flying, weapons being tossed around, explosions, and a lot of blood. People coined the term "gun-fu" from his action scenes to describe the rapid gunfire between two people fighting head-to-head. John Woo influenced a lot of movies to come in later years of action cinema, and influenced directors and filmmakers that came after him too.

A filmmaker I'd like to discuss is Quentin Tarantino. He directs action films filled with drama. John Woo's films are mainly action but also involved some drama as well. He has had major influence from John Woo and his films and directing style of stylized violence, and he has said it himself but also it is evident through the way he directs his own movies too. Quentin Tarantino during an interview had said "John Woo was a big major hero to me at the time, I was just so influenced by Hong Kong cinema" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAck19uYAv0). What Quentin took away from John Woo is just the beauty of directing action cinema. You can film it in so many ways, but the way John Woo does it keeps everything fresh and intense. He uses intense dialogue, similar to a Hong Kong action film, and unexpected but thrilling action.

Certain ways John Woo has directed has had an influence on today's action films too. In Hard Boiled there is an action scene through the hospital that lasts two minutes and 42 seconds with no cut, it is an extremely long take from John Woo. In this scene, "the usual Woo hallmarks are on display: a hero wielding twin automatic pistols, slow motion, as well as the use of a technique rarely seen in his movies – filming the majority of the set piece in one take. The use of an unbroken shot...allowed the unseen set designers to alter the location to fit the requirements of the sequence while also enhancing the audience’s enjoyment of the action" (AllTheRightMovies).

Later action movies utilized this, such as Prachya Pinkaew’s Protector. In this movie he "has a memorable set piece that’s a perfect example of how a one take action scene can showcase both a lead character’s martial arts prowess and the imposing location he must traverse in order to confront the bad guys" (AllTheRightMovies). Prachya took inspiration from John Woo and utilized a great technique for action films to make the scene more effective.

Quentin Tarintino filmed the Kill Bill movies, which was seen as "his own take on 70s Japanese, Chinese, and Hong Kong martial arts movies including legendary actors from the era like Sonny Chiba and Gordon Liu" (Harvey Gough).

The Wachowski sisters directed The Matrix movies, which dove more into their "wuxia influence with increasingly extreme displays of martial arts" (Gough). Other notable films like Underworld, Blade 2 and Equilibrium "embraced the Hong Kong action sub genres gun fu (martial arts involving superhuman skill with guns) and heroic bloodshed (violent melodrama), which were popularized by directors John Woo and Ringo Lam in the late 80s and 90s" (Gough).

The director I mainly focused on today is John Woo, who has had a major influence on the genre of action cinema today. With his unique directing styles, it is clear why so many people use parts of his style in today's films, because it is so great and refreshing.

Sources:

[thehiddenfolders]

Плохие женщины в фильмах-Джиджа Янин в шоколаде.

[neovallense]

[boardsdonthitback]

Tony Jaa - Tom Yum Goong a.k.a. The Protector (2005)

[of-fear-and-love]

Tony Jaa in Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior (2003)

[brody75]

The Protector (2005)

[hotpotdragon]

Chocolate (2008)

[arcoirisdegasolina]

[kungfutemple]

Tom Yum Goong aka The Protector (2005)

[vhs-ninja]

Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior (2003).