The Star Online: Entertainment: Movies
The Star Online: Entertainment: Movies |
- Paying for his sins
- Singapore bans satirical local film
- Esquire names Mila Kunis 'sexiest woman alive'
| Posted: 09 Oct 2012 03:50 AM PDT Enter the seedy underbelly of the Thai mob world in the film, Antapal (The Gangster). Director Kongkiat Khomsiri wanted to depict gangsters as everyday people in his latest film, Antapal (The Gangster), who just happen to be involved in criminal activities and lots of violent goings-on. Inspired by Thailand's worrying situation in the 1950s, when it was experiencing the full force of gangsterism, Khomsiri kicks off his tale with two characters – Dang and Jod (portrayed by Somchai Kemklad and Krisada Sukosol Clapp, respectively) – in Bangkok, during the said period. Dang and Jod are feared by the older folk while some of the younger ones want to emulate their seemingly glamorous life. Despite being a thug, Jod has his own moral code – which sets him apart as one of the more honourable guys in the underworld. In an e-mail interview, actor Clapp described Jod as a man caught between two worlds – someone who holds on to the dignity of being a gentleman and a gangster, even when no one else seems to offer him the same courtesy. It is this very contradiction that attracted Clapp to the role. The 41-year-old actor explained: "(He is) a violent man who operates with much purity; someone who doesn't want to be where he's at, but does so through loyalty. A man with dreams, but knows they will never come true." Things really start to go haywire for the two hotshots when military man Field Marshall Sarit Thanarat is put in charge of the country. This man decides to put a stop to all criminal activities, especially those that involve drugs, gang fights and gambling. Nevertheless, with all the power play, a corrupted and hypocritical establishment starts to emerge. At the collapse of order, Jod begins to question his life and think about giving his dream of getting out of "the hood" a more serious thought. According to Clapp, Jod is no different than anyone else – it is only the circumstances and fate that are working against him. "There's an ugliness in all of us. I believe most people are born decent and civilised, but when pushed far enough we can sometimes become animals." In that sense, too, violence is very much part of the formula when it comes to storytelling in this genre. Since Antapal is based on the country's history, director Khomsiri took great pains in showing the passage of time with cultural influences (rock 'n' roll to hippie lifestyle), social changes and different forms of violence to capture the moment in time. Clapp theorised that audiences are perennially interested in this theme because the protagonist in this type of film dares to defy the system. Of course, these films also feature the visually-enhanced (cinematic) blood and gore that audiences like. "Gangsters make up their own rules. They do what they believe is correct by their own codes and 'religion'. It's a fantasy that we're all drawn into, because in our real lives we have to live by the law ... be it the law set down by our parents or the law in the towns we live in. Unfortunately, gangsters often dictate the law through violence, and I have to admit that violence is an attraction to the masses. No one would go see a gangster movie without violence." Although Clapp himself never mixed with gangsters, he has had his own brush with fights during his younger days. "I have been beaten up by seven or so guys in a nightclub," he revealed. "And the only time I've ever acted like a gangster was when my wife's ex started to harass us. Maybe I was immature, but I felt 'it' at the time and told him, 'This is Thailand. Don't mess with us in Thailand'. He never bothered us again." To get into the role, Clapp worked hard on getting his body to be as hard as possible while making sure he was neither too big nor bulky. "I wanted to become 'vascular' and layered, so I worked out like hell to become, basically, a muay Thai fighter in a gangster's body." While violence is the result of this lifestyle, Clapp thinks the message behind the film is totally something else. He said: "Ultimately, Antapal is a story about friends. Nothing lasts forever, except, maybe friendship." Born to a Thai mother (who is a singer and the owner of Siam City Hotels And Resorts chain) and an American father, Clapp has always been into physical activities. He was an athlete before getting into performing arts – he formed the music band Pru with his older brother in 2001, and got his first movie role in 2003 (the same year he got married). Between being involved in sports and becoming a performer, he studied anthropology at Boston University in Massachusetts. "I reached college level in the sports arena but soon realised I wasn't good enough to turn pro. I then studied anthropology but started missing the adrenaline of letting it all out before the crowd. That's where an athlete, a singer, a stage actor, and perhaps a politician, are one and the same – these are professions in which you can sometimes become another being and move the crowd. "Through anthropology, I enjoyed studying people, and through sports, I enjoyed the emotional pressure to perform. That's when I thought acting and singing might fit the bill. But sure, the rush is much stronger as a singer on stage than a film actor." Acting and singing aren't the only things Clapp is currently involved in. "I've just finished building a hotel called The Siam. My mum always told me to never put your eggs in one basket. You gotta try to have many passions and do your best to make them happen. "Not everyone is Mick Jagger or Meryl Streep who can perform forever. Ultimately, showbiz is a young man's game. I don't yet have any films in the pipeline, but I do think I have one more album left in me." > Get into the ring with Antapal (with English subtitles) from Oct 11. |
| Singapore bans satirical local film Posted: 09 Oct 2012 12:48 AM PDT SINGAPORE: Singapore has banned a satirical local movie three days before its theatrical release because it was deemed offensive to the island's ethnic Indian minority, a media watchdog confirmed Tuesday. "Sex.Violence.FamilyValues" had originally been rated suitable for viewers aged 18 and above, but a review panel concluded that one of the three stories in the 47-minute independent movie was unsuitable for public exhibition. "An overwhelming majority of the panel members have expressed that the film should not be allowed for public exhibition in view of its overt racial references which are demeaning and offensive to Indians," said a statement sent to AFP by the Media Development Authority (MDA). "Should the film owner wish to pursue the matter, they may lodge an appeal with the Films Appeal Committee." The film's Facebook promotional page carried a news report about the ban on Tuesday, generating strong criticism of the MDA and calls for Singaporeans to be allowed to judge the movie for themselves. Despite the ban, a trailer showing local film and stage star Adrian Pang making fun of a co-actor's Indian ethnicity in a story entitled "Porn Masala" could still be viewed Tuesday on the film's official website. The website described the movie, which premiered last week and was due to open in a cinema for a limited run on Thursday, as "three iconoclastic stories in a short film that pitches political correctness out the window of Singapore mainstream cinema". The Straits Times said the film was made by first-time director Ken Kwek, 33, for just Sg$100,000 ($81,000). Singapore has relaxed censorship rules on film nudity and violence in recent years. But it has strict laws against inciting racial or religious hatred in a predominantly ethnic Chinese society with Malay and Indian minorities. The movie was banned on the same day an ethnic Chinese executive of a national labour group was sacked for insulting members of the Malay community in a Facebook posting. -AFP |
| Esquire names Mila Kunis 'sexiest woman alive' Posted: 08 Oct 2012 10:55 PM PDT Actress Mila Kunis has been dubbed "the sexiest woman alive" by Esquire magazine in its November issue out this week. Kunis, 29, a one-time star of the TV comedy "That '70s Show," was lauded by the men's magazine on its website as "the most beautiful, opinionated, talkative, and funny movie star that we've all known since she was nine." As a grown-up, the native of Ukraine electrified audiences with a solid performance opposite - and sometimes in bed with - Oscar-winner Natalie Portman in 2010 ballet movie "Black Swan." She recently showed her comic chops in the surprise summer hit, "Ted." Near year she will star in "Oz: The Great and Powerful," and she is the voice of Meg Griffin on the animated Fox comedy "Family Guy." Runners-up this year included Jessica Chastain, Anne Hathaway, "Precious" star Gabourey Sidibe and newly divorced Katie Holmes. Kunis joins the ranks of past Esquire choices, including Oscar winners Charlize Theron and Halle Berry, and last year's winner, Rihanna. - Reuters |
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