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In Defense of Titanic

A bit of a departure from Bangkok-specific things, but Titanic opened here this week, and since I'm a movie nerd, I have a few things to say. The term ‘backlash’ has been the subject of many sociology studies. Wikipedia defines it as “a popular negative reaction to something which has gained popularity, prominence, or influence, [usually] a reflection of a collective resentment of that thing's ubiquity in culture and media.” You see it a lot in popular culture – when a band ‘sells out’ or someone becomes famous overnight. You see it in movies too, and none more than Titanic, which has had an undue amount of scorn directed at it since its release 15 years ago. I was there on December 19, 1997, opening night at Westhills Cinemas in Calgary. When the lights came up, the only thing you could hear was sniffing and snorting as women dabbed their eyes and men pretended they weren’t verklempt. But I’m here to say it publicly and out loud and I don’t care what anyone thinks: Titanic is a stunning, emotionally wrenching, technically masterful film that deserves every dollar it made and every award it won, and I got a fistfull of baht ready to see it again in 3D.

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:11+00:00Movies, Pop Culture|0 Comments

The Evolution of the Superhero Film

This particular entry isn't my normal Bangkok-focused blog post, but it's a topic close to my GeekHeart so I thought I'd put it up anyway. A few weeks ago the Bangkok Post asked me write a 2,000-word story about superhero films, which I quickly agreed to because I am a nerd. I started writing off the top of my head and soon had over 3,000 words; cutting it down to just over 2,000 was hard, but they accepted it, so I guess it's good, and they told me they liked it. Anyway, since I'm a huge geek (in the manliest way possible) and I think this is fascinating stuff, I thought I'd throw it up here. This version is my original version, which differs slightly from the one the paper printed after a bit of snipping, as they are wont to do. Enjoy, fellow geeks!

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:17+00:00History, Movies, Pop Culture, Print Media|0 Comments

Thoughts on The Hangover Part 2

The unique-ness of Bangkok is evident to anyone who's spent even a day here, and it offers some of the craziest and most unique experiences one can have. It's no wonder, then, that a movie like The Hangover - which drew the weird and wonderful out of a crazy and dangerous city - wanted to have a sequel set here. Much like any place, it's big news when a bigtime Hollywood production comes to town. Stars get glimpsed, script details get leaked, set photos get passed around, and it seems that everyone knows someone who works on, in, or around the production. It's always fun going to see the final product, so tonight I went to see The Hangover Part 2, and here's what I thought.

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:21+00:00Bangkok, Movies, Pop Culture|2 Comments

ExciTED, MotivaTED, ExhausTED: Anatomy of a TEDx Conference

Up until about 6 months ago, I only had a few basic tatters of information about TED Talks. I knew it was an annual conference, or... something. I'd seen a few talks on the website and thought it was an interesting concept, but it was only when I was invited to help organize Thailand's first TEDx event, TEDxBKK (the 'x' stands for an independently organized TED event under the main TED umbrella), did I truly get an understanding of what a powerful, important and tremendously enjoyable event they can be. The big day was February 13, 2010, and it went of superbly, thanks to a great team that really personified what TED is all about. Another reason I got a backstage view of the whole thing? I was asked to be the host.

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:34+00:00Bangkok, Culture, Movies, Music, Politics, Pop Culture, Technology, Thailand, Web Media|0 Comments

IMAX is Awesome – Except When They Lie

(This post might get a bit technical and nerdy, but I'm technically a nerd, so no apologies).

There are many things that make me proud to be Canadian, such as our diverse cultural heritage, our laid-back nature and the fact that our cases of beer have handles big enough to allow mittens to fit through them. Another thing is that IMAX is actually a Canadian company, which not a lot of people know. But the way that the famous giant film screen company has been behaving lately has made me wonder what they're thinking. Indeed, their current expansion efforts are progressing in such a way that will likely piss people off, and may even kill the once-rad name.

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:35+00:00History, Movies, Pop Culture, Technology|3 Comments

Careful! That DVD May be Fake!

The longer you live overseas, the bigger the chasm between 'normal' in the motherland and 'normal' in your new adopted home becomes. The things that seemed crazy, strange, unique, weird or even offensive when you first moved here eventually become normal, and it's often hard to remember which aspect of your new life your friends back home would find odd. I was struck with this feeling today when I read a Wired.com article on an MPAA press release instructing people how to detect counterfeit DVDs. How cute.

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:40+00:00Asia, Bangkok, Movies, Technology|0 Comments

A Few Things Thailand Has Perfected

check As with most foreigners in Thailand, I sometimes get upset with the many ineffective, inefficient quirks that Thailand has; the type of day where you say "Well, they did it this way in my country, why don't they do it that way here?" The correct answer, of course, is "Then go home, whiner." But while Thailand often lacks a certain refined efficiency in many areas, there are plenty of other areas - some of them creature comforts that we're used to getting at home - that are done far better than they ever were in the Motherland. Of course, I don't mean to dis Canada, but I think it's a fair representation of most western countries. Here's some of my favorite differences.

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:45+00:00Culture, Movies, Music, Pop Culture, Thailand|0 Comments

Censorship in Thai Cinemas

Despite Thailand's leaders promoting the country as a democracy, it's still got quite a way to go until it truly is what they claim. Nowhere is this more evident than when you go to see a movie, where scenes deemed 'harmful to Thai society' are routinely blurred, pixelated, or just plain excised. In my latest post for The Hollywood Reporter, I detail the fight that celebrated director Apichatpong Weerasethakul has with the censorship board and their outrageous, archaic decisions to cut his film; it seems that every country in the world recognizes his films as classics, except his own, which truly sucks balls. It's pretty ridiculous, actually - when you see a guy holding what appears to be a gun-shaped blob of pixels in his hand, you have to wonder what would have brought more scrutiny - a guy with a gun or a guy with a gun-shaped blob of pixels. Most people with a brain would say the former, but hey - this is Thailand. Often, the censorship isn't even noticeable until you see the movie a second time - check out the screencaps below that I got from the Thai version of Music and Lyrics, versus the international version.

Greg2016-11-17T15:49:03+00:00Current Events, Movies, Politics, Thailand|0 Comments