The Best Movie Critic   +  review

Dispatches from Siam: Sawatdee Khap!

Ben here with some bad news and some good news. Since the earliest days of The Movie Advocate, our adventurous, rascally pal Ed Day has been sending us dispatches from his home away from home in Old Siam. Through Ed's snarky and often criminally brief communiques, we've learned that Thai cinema has not only Tony Jaa to offer us, but also painfully dull comedies and a whole world of bad, low budget action. Because of Ed, we've enjoyed a nonstop barrage of ridiculous trailers and even wilder behind the scenes gossip. Remember the Insee Thong stunt death? That was crazy!

All good things must come to an end, and I'm sad to report that Ed will be making his way slowly but surely back to the states, smuggling himself and his lady friend in the rat infested bellies of countless Pacific cargo ships. It's all for a good cause, however: In a few short months Ed will be a dad! In his own words, "I'm sure you heard about the knock up. I'm very proud." What a charmer.

Ed and family will settle down for the time being in the cultural oasis of Austin, TX. So who knows? Maybe instead of "Dispatches from Siam" we'll have "Dispatches from Movie Mecca" soon enough. Hopefully we can convince Ed to recap and reflect on his time as a Thai moviegoer once he gets settled into his new home. For now, however, it's time to say "Sawatdee Khap!" to Dispatches from Siam. Ed's left us with one last tantalizing bit of Oriental madness before signing off...

We're coming to America! I wouldn't put an exclamation point, but Neil Diamond is chiming through my head. I have nothing good to say about any recent Thai films, but I'm uber-excited about this one:

-Ed

In case you're just joining us, here are some links to the old Dispatches from Siam:

Saturday Killer and My Best Bodyguard

Insee Thong

Ong Bak 3

Ong Bak 2