Monday, July 18, 2011

Tatt.ly temporary tatoos

Tatt.ly is a pretty cool idea. It is an online design shop for temporary tattoos. I have a real tattoo and I like real tattoos a lot too but this is still a great idea. You can submit your own designs and choose from the ones available. It looked to me that there aren't a lot online yet but I'm sure this will change over time.


Saturday, July 9, 2011

Subtitles (English) for Thai Movies

English subtitles for Thai DVD Movies for download. When buying Thai movie DVD's in Thailand of Thai movies, about 90% of them will come without English subtitles, only a very few have English subs. This is for the reason that if distribution rights to Thai movies are to be sold in other countries, they do not want to have cheap Thai DVD copies flooding the import market. By not including English subtitles, for most people, this will render Thai DVD imports useless. There are some movies that do include English subs though but not many (Update 2011: There are more and more Thai DVDs released with English subtitles these days which is positive, so we should see more DVD subtitle rips this tear).

By offering the English subs here I do not want to encourage any download of illegal copies of Thai movies. Especially in Thailand a DVD can be had as low as 50 Baht (less than 2 USD) and a new title normally goes for around 150 Baht (around 5 USD). So I encourage everybody here to support a movie industry that actually prices their products the right way and encourages people buying them. Because they are cheap I buy a lot more DVDs in Thailand then I do anywhere else. Beware that it is not easy to find these subtitles and that some were created by movie fans so sometimes you might find a title that does not fit 100% (the words do not fit 100% to the picture). The reason is mostly that the subtitles were done for a different version (A Hong Kong DVD of a Thai movie might be cut a little different than the Thai or US version of the DVD). That being said, the subtitles here are the ones that I ALREADY tested with the Thai version of the DVDs or that I extracted directly from DVDs I bought using Subrip.

So if you have a Thai DVD of a movie listed below, everything should work just fine. If not, subtitles can still be changed to fit any DVD version with software such as Subtitle workshop which I might do a tutorial on in the future. Be warned, this is for advanced users. For displaying the subtitles you just need a media player that lets you select external subtitle files and display them on top of your DVD video. The easiest way is the free VLC Player. All you have to do is start VLC player, open the DVD with it and when the movie starts playing you just drag and drop the subtitle file onto the video picture. Voila, the English subs start displaying. Another media player that springs to mind and is good with subtitles is bs player. The free version is all you need.

Important Note:

I have collected these subtitles from many different online sources so it is very hard to credit the right people. if any of these subtitles was created by you, please let me know so I can credit you properly. Thanks.

The below list will be updated over time so you should bookmark this page and come back to see if something new arrived. List of English subtitle files for Thai movies:


#
13 Beloved aka 13 Game Sayong aka 13 Game Of Death Subtitle
4bia Subtitle

A
Ahimsa Stop To Run aka Ahingsa-Jikko Mee Gam Subtitle
Art of the Devil English Subtitle
Art of the Devil 3 (Long Khong 2) Subtitle

Thai Ghost Movies: The Horror, The Horror

What is it with Thai ghost films? With the flimsy plots, undeveloped characters, gratuitous gore and cheap special effects, its enough to make any movie critic keel over in agony. Yet, the punters keep coming back for more. Thai horror films do most of the time out-gross comedies and period dramas in the kingdom’s box offices. It’s hard to deny that Thai filmmakers are quite adept at the ghost flick genre. The chilling music, the manipulated thrills and grisly spills – it all makes for a fun, adrenalin-filled evening.


Aside from some notable exceptions like The Shutter and the well-researched Nang Nak, Thai horror films don’t usually stand on anything resembling legs in terms of cinematic value. But they sure do scare the hell out of the viewers, and isn’t that the point? Those of you who turn to jelly at the mere sight of blood may ask, why the obsession with the macabre? Is watching the slaughter of innocent people in the most blood-curdling manner some type of depraved idea of fun? Well, to horror-buffs, the answer is yes, but not because they are sadists. On the contrary, compassion often drives horror-enthusiasts to sympathize with the victims. This empathy felt with their fear is what leads to that sought-after blast of adrenalin. In academic jargon it’s the sadistic versus the masochistic. And it is this masochistic search for the ultimate ad-renalin rush that keeps horror fans glued to their cinema seats.

In Thailand and throughout much of Asia, the popularity of ghost films must also be analyzed in context of the pervasive belief in spirits, or phi, as well as the animism present in Buddhist and Southeast Asian cultures. In a country where amulets and spirit doctors are as readily available as cigarettes, ghost stories have long been part of the local tradition. Thai horror movies are often a mixture of folktales about ghosts, or mae nak, and old beliefs such as phi kraseu, or ghosts who refuse to die, possession or witchcraft. And the audience sucks it up like a vampire at a blood bank.



The horror genre in Thailand saw a resurgence after the enormous local and international success of Nonzee Nimibutr’s Nang Nak – a remake of the time-worn story of Mae Nak Phra Khanong. In the years that followed, many critics contended that Thai ghost films took a turn for the worse. That is until the release of Shutter in 2004. Directed by Pakpoom Wongpoom and Banjong Pisanthanakun, The Shutter’s simple plot of a photographer seeing ghost-like images in his photographs captivated local audiences. In recent years, the popularity of films that make up the "New Asian Horror" genre has begun to influence Hollywood, evidenced by remakes of Asian hits The Ring, The Eye and Shutter. It is clear then, that a fear of ghosts and spirits is universal, making this genre a killing at box offices worldwide (bad pun intended).

Also, check out some Thai Horror movie posters here.

Thai Movie Posters: Same Same But Different

The following article was posted on another movies site of a friend before but I was allowed to repost this here as the other site will soon be put offline. Many people don;t know much about Thai movies and therefore also not much about all the funky movie posters that were created by many Thai artists. There is some awesome stuff out there and some of those posters sell on ebay for quite some money now. But it is very hard to find any originals as there was never anybody trying to conserve these pieces of art. There were basically no people in the past who kept or collected them and many have disappeared. Enough bla bla. Enjoy the article and what is probably the biggest accumulation of Thai movies poster art on the Internet. So here it goes:

Whether adorning the cinema wall, shouting from the world’s largest billboards or peeking from inside a plastic sleeve, movie posters have always been uniquely different in Thailand.


The descriptive, exaggerated style of painting used to promote the first Thai movies has long been loved by film buffs, but has only recently become regarded as part of Thailand's cultural heritage. Characteristically, there is an abundance of detail, with the film’s heroes always dominating the painting. A package of smaller images is added around their picture, showing some events of the film to attract film goers.



They do the thing where they have a mass of as many characters as they can. It’s a sort of pastiche, which is almost like a collage because they've cut out certain parts.

A lot of the time, Thai posters would sexualize things beyond what actually happened in the movie. There is a famous old Thai film, where there's a woman lying almost diagonal across a first step. I guess it's a racey movie at the time, but nothing close to that happens in the movie.



The only time a homegrown movie could compete with a Western picture was if it was sensationalized in the poster to the extent that they often took events far further than the actual movie.

They would go over the top. The idea was that if the audience was wandering by and they had to choose between a Western movie and a Thai movie, the Thai movie had to offer, promise and deliver more in terms of the advert than the Western film because of the preconception that it wouldn't be of high production value.

Today, it is a common sight to see reproduction vintage Thai posters being picked up by backpackers from street stalls around Kao San Road. It’s not surprising that they might be drawn to the country’s unique use of the medium. In the West, audiences are used to seeing film posters with one or two primary images, usually the leading actors, a neutral background and not much else.



Shinawatra's likely return good for Thaksin Inc but not for Thailand

All dressed up in riot gear and nowhere to go. Such was the plight of two dozen Thai police officers stewing in boredom last weekend near one of Bangkok's busier nightlife districts.
Thai elections tend to be anarchic affairs for the keepers of order, with protests often deteriorating into violence. This time was different; tear gas canisters sat unused after the victory of allies of Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 coup.

...

Much is forgiven when an economy scores high growth rates. In 2010, Thailand grew the fastest in 15 years. Yet stability matters, too. The longer Thailand goes without it, the further it falls behind China. Just a decade ago, Thailand was a democratic oasis in a region of autocrats. Today, it's a political basket case.

That gets at a bigger question: why is Asia's democratic process so messy?

Thailand is Exhibit A; political demonstrations last year alone led to 91 deaths. What Thailand and its 67 million people prove is that elections aren't enough, says a report from the United Nations Development Program, titled Understanding Electoral Violence in Asia.

In recent decades, a view developed that untroubled contests were the ultimate prize. Yet, the report says, ''seeing elections as a test of democratic development, rather than a goal in themselves, provides a better conceptualisation of the processes that are needed to ensure free, fair and peaceful elections''.

read full article:

Shinawatra's likely return good for Thaksin Inc but not for Thailand

Friday, July 8, 2011

Thai Transformers in New York

CNNGo had this nice article online about a Thai artist hat recreates Transformer Autobots with recycled car parts. Apparently some people are going to pay big bucks for those now:

With the box office success of “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” in the United States last weekend, it should come as no surprise fans are rushing to check out a series of Autobot statues created by Thai artist Anchalee Saengtai.


Museum chain Ripley’s Believe it or Not! recently acquired some of Anchalee’s remarkable Transformers, all made of recycled car and truck parts, for several of its attractions around the world.


The Autobot art pieces come in 6-meter-tall and 2.5-meter-tall versions.



Fittingly, Anchalee's Autobots are made entirely with old auto parts.
They’ve been appearing in a few U.S. museums over the last few weeks, but Anchalee’s work is expected to get a huge boost this Friday when her 2.5-meter version of Bumblebee will be unveiled in the Ripley's Believe It or Not in Times Square, New York.
Created entirely from recycled junk car parts, the Bumblebee figure weighs more than 450 kilos and features arms and legs that move.......


Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Steve Aoki is coming to Bangkok again - this time at LED club (Ex 808) on RCA

Steve Aoki, scheduled to play July 28th at Led Rca.  As promised we promised a surprise, we are offering everyone who attends this event a Heineken Open Bar from 9.30pm till 10.30! Pre-Event will be available starting July 8th at total reservations by visiting www.totalreservation.com or by calling 028335555.  Tickets will also be available at the door all night on the day of the event.

World pet Angel, swimming course for your dog in Bangkok

In tree starved Bangkok (or any outside activity for dogs that is), I could imagine that World Pet Angel is actually a good business idea. It is kind of a Spa for your dog. They also offer swimming courses for your doggie, including life vests for dogs. It is pretty funny, nobody in Europe would ever take your dog to something like this but in bangkok I am sure there are enough customers.

http://www.worldpetangel.com/main.htm

Ensogo Thailand: Deals website for several Thai cities

Just found this website for some Thai cities that offers daily deals on what looks like mostly food.

http://www.ensogo.com/en/bangkok/

UPDATE: Actually I was wrong, there are not that many food deals available on Ensogo, more other stuff, it is very mixed. Just have a look.

Reuters Q&A: "How will Thai election outcome affect listed companies?"

The stock market jumped 4.7 percent on Monday and was steady on Tuesday. Here is a look at some likely stock market winners and losers under the new government.

WHICH SECTORS WILL WIN FROM POPULIST POLICIES?

Puea Thai plans easier access to credit, a jump in the minimum wage plus price subsidies that should spur consumption. This should boost the retail and property sectors.

Top convenience store chain CP All , whose shares hit a six-week high on Monday, retailer Big C Supercenter , Siam Makro and building materials supplier Home Product Center should benefit.

Puea Thai promises zero-percent mortgages, exemption from transfer and mortgage fees and a 50 percent cut in business tax for first homes priced below 4 million baht ($130,000).

Property firms will benefit as the policies will both boost demand and cut costs. Top homebuilder Land & Houses is among top picks and its shares hit an eight-week high on Monday.

Developers that focus on medium- to low-priced homes such as LPN Development , Supalai , Pruksa Real Estate and MK Real Estate could benefit the most.

Stronger demand and populist spending in rural areas should boost spending on house renovation, helping building material firms like Siam Cement and Siam City Cement .

Puea Thai is also expected to implement a policy of returning tax to first-time car buyers, which should stimulate demand and benefit car parts makers such as Somboon Advance Technology and AAPICO Hitech .

However, a big rise in the minimum wage will push up operating costs in labour-intensive industries. Hana Microelectromics , Star Microelectronic and Cal-Comp Electronics may be affected.

"If they try to introduce a 30 pct increase in six months, I think it's going to be very difficult for many, many businesses," Richard Han, chief executive of integrated circuit packager Hana, told Reuters.

"It will be a huge amount to absorb in that short space of time because manufacturers cannot improve their productivity to absorb that cost," he said.

read full Q&A here

The New York Times on Thai elections: "Shinawatras Pull Off Another Political Magic Act"

Once again the Shinawatra clan has pulled off an unlikely feat: One of the wealthiest families in Thailand has convinced the poor and politically disenfranchised that it understands their problems, feels their pain and will fight for their rights.

The paradox of a billionaire family winning Sunday’s election by championing the have-nots — a notion that flabbergasts its adversaries — was on full display here in San Kamphaeng, the Shinawatra family’s hometown.

In grubby market stalls and ramshackle shops, residents flew red flags that advertised their support for Thaksin Shinawatra and his younger sister, Yingluck, who is now in line to become Thailand’s first female prime minister.

“We are so happy and relieved,” said Somboon Kamduang, a 55-year-old resident who scratches out a living selling peanuts and beans in the market and singing in restaurants at night.


...

As Chinese immigrants who arrived in northern Thailand in the early 1900s, the family’s forebears were outsiders. But the family grew deep roots in the community, married local villagers, bought land, planted orchards, lent out money and soon became the overlords of the area.

Bangorn Auppara, 76, a resident who once worked for the Shinawatras, says the secret to the family’s success has been a mixture of hard work, resourcefulness, and “stinginess.”

The family became powerful in the area, she said, partly by lending out money and confiscating land when the borrowers could not pay back.

It’s hard to find someone here who has a bad thing to say about the family, partly because so many people in San Khampaeng work for them or rent property from them.

Most the buildings in town are owned by the various branches of the Shinawatra family, said Penphan Supittayaporn, 58, who sits behind the counter of the Shinawatra silk shop, one of the family’s businesses.


read full article here

Thai Election headlines


Thei Newspaper Election headlines with translations over at 2bangkok.com

Is Sony Releasing the PlayStation 4 in 2012? [RUMOR]

The net is abuzz today about rumors of the Playstation 4 being produced in 2012 already. Sony has always stated in the past that he PS3 will be their top product until 2014 or 2015. The guess here is that another rumor was recently posted that said the next XBox will be introduced at next year's E3 exhibition. So Sony surely has to follow as they will be last in the Next Gen game again. Nintendo already annonuced their next system this year at E3. After how the Wii crushed the competition last time while being released much earlier will for sure alse be something Sony will not want to have happening again:

Is Sony Releasing the PlayStation 4 in 2012? [RUMOR]

Monday, July 4, 2011

Thailand Election Results Graphic

Congratulations to Phua Thai Party for clearly winning the Thai elections. The below graphic still show the problem that Thailand has been facing for a long time: The nation is still very divided between North and South: