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Midsommar
Review by Joshua Rothkopf Unusually for a horror director, Ari Aster knows the real world is awful enough. Life doles out plenty of pain. Hereditary, his 2018 feature debut and probably the scariest movie in a decade, basically went: My grief over a family tragedy is so unbearable, it must be caused by witches. (When that turned out to be the case, you weren’t shocked so much as relieved.) Midsommar, Aster’s ruinous, near-psychedelic latest, goes something like this: My grief over a family tragedy is so unbearable, it’ll make me cling to a bad boyfriend. If that doesn’t sound like horror to you, allow me to introduce you to many toxic relationships. And if you’re still unconvinced, Aster will hit you over the head with a giant hammer wielded by Swedish pagan cultists. Horror is what happens to people who are already emptied out and vulnerable. It’s an insight that has already yielded Aster two world-class performances, first from Hereditary’s Toni Collette as a ragged, raging mother at sanity’s end, and now from Midsommar’s apple-cheeked Florence Pugh as Dani, an Ativan-popping grad student trembling with concern for her suicidal sister. Pugh is exquisitely neurotic in these early scenes—she’s such a handful that when the movie cuts away to the guy squad of her frustrated boyfriend, Christian (Jack Reynor, deft in a tricky part), all of them seething in unison at her constant imposition, you almost feel sorry for them. But then comes the wail from deep inside Christian’s p
Crawl
One day destined to be seen as a stealth metaphor for climate-change denial—a brutal Florida hurricane plunges a house and its broken family into disaster—Crawl will, for the time being, serve nicely as a merely okay giant alligator movie. Competitive college swimmer Haley (Kaya Scodelario, in square-jawed Sigourney Weaver mode) sneaks her way into the storm’s path to check in on her divorced dad (Barry Pepper, born to this kind of trashy fun), whom she discovers in the crawlspace below their old house, unconscious and a victim of gator abuse. Both become trapped down there, with relative safety only feet away. That gives them plenty of time to talk through her abandonment issues while dodging sharp teeth. A depressing lull takes over once you realize that pretty much the whole movie is going to transpire in a cellar, which reminds me of the joke about “such small portions”: It’s gunky, vermin-infested—and so underlit! Director Alexandra Aja used to be a visual genius; he had a brief flourish during the torture-porn years of High Tension, The Hills Have Eyes remake and Piranha 3D, all his. Crawl’s concentrated setting could have been an exciting challenge for him, but it’s one that Aja never quite exploits. Neither do screenwriters Michael and Shawn Rasmussen, though they do give Pepper a deliriously dumb line, which is all you need from a horror time-waster like this: “We are going to beat these pea-brained lizard shits.” Follow Joshua Rothkopf on Twitter: @joshrothkopf
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
Review by Joshua Rothkopf The most thrilling idea—thrilling in a good way—of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark comes in its first few minutes, when we’re introduced to Stella (Zoe Colletti), an introverted 1968 Pennsylvania teen who’s obsessed with horror: watching it, reading it, even conceiving it. (She’s got a typewriter and a love of Night of the Living Dead to prove it.) The notion that horror could be a conduit for creativity and healthy individuation is the same one that attended the release of Alvin Schwartz’s darkly clever ’80s and ’90s children’s books of illustrated short stories, on which the film is based. At the time, Schwartz was attacked by cultural watchdogs, but he’s no doubt having a raspy posthumous chuckle at the long shadow of his influence. Drawn from several of his tales, this decent-ish movie adaptation, about a gang of kids chasing down small-town terrors that are both supernatural and varsity-jacket clad, hews closely to our cultural moment of Stranger Things and It. Still, the film emits its own frequency, one that might be especially audible to thoughtful young viewers. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark has the fingerprints of The Shape of Water’s Guillermo del Toro all over it (he cowrote the script and produced), from his celebrated penchant for expressive creature design, to some strenuous political signposting—that’s a lot of Nixon and Vietnam War footage on those TVs, buddy. Yet there’s a sincere fondness for the power of imagination, one
The latest Time Out interviews
The cast of The Naked Director
Japan is known the world over for promoting the unique and unconventional, even in it adult movie offerings. Japanese porn has satiated the passions and desires of people all over the world. It is kinky, submissive and role play-centric, and quite antagonistic to country’s generally conservative attitude. The country’s porn industry owes its leading position in the global stage to Toru Muranishi, whose wild imagination and progressive vision, gave rise to a different brand of Japanese AV (adult video) films in the ’80s. The Naked Director, an Netflix original series starring acclaimed actors Takayuki Yamada in the lead role, Shinnosuke Mitsushima and Tetsuji Tamayama, showcases the journey of Muranishi in revolutionizing the Japanese, and eventually the global, porn industry. We sat down with the stars of the film, and found out more than we expected—about the movie and about Japanese porn. The Naked Director/Netflix What are your thoughts on Toru Muranishi? Yamada: He is self-centered and forced many people to work for him. On the other hand, he has many unique and imaginative ideas and likes to do what others haven’t done before. He transformed pornography from an underground industry into to a form of entertainment that’s acceptable by society. How did Toru Muranishi feel when he learned that Netflix was making a series based on his life? Did you meet him in real life? Yamada: Yes, we did meet Muranishi. He was quite optimistic about having a series made ba
Genius Gangster
The arts and music scene in Bangkok is always changing and evolving, and into this highly prolific arena comes ShapeShifter, a music performance that puts focus on visuals as much as sound. The idea might sound a bit cliché but, trust us, ShapeShifter is everything but. The concept was created by a group of creatives called Genius Gangster, comprised of Voranat “Urk” Voraphitak, a graphic designer and owner of musical instrument store Sathon Chainsaw; Chanida “Kook" Voraphitak, founder of graphic design brand Cuscus the Cuckoos; and Gunn Leelhasuwan, one of the masterminds behind popular bars Asia Today and Teens of Thailand. ShapeShifter is basically a platform where people who specialize in different art forms can gather, collaborate and work with each other’s distinctive skills and talents. Genius Gangster Sereechai Puttes/Time Out Bangkok Each of the founders’ unique taste in art and music served as inspiration. “I like clubs with loud music and everything, but most of the clubs that I’ve been to seem to only put effort into the sound but not the visuals,” Urk explains. “When I started working in this industry, I realized that I can make every element equally good. So every time we do our events, we really put our mind and dedication to all the elements. Like when we do the visuals, we do it like it’s a film, and not just pictures that respond to the music.” Most of the time, when you attend different events hosted by the same curator, you can already prede
Kanta Siddidharm
Soft-spoken and slightly reserved, Kanta “Toiting” Siddidharm has the kind of personality that you’d wouldn’t expect from someone who interned in the kitchen of Noma, the renowned two-Michelin-star restaurant that’s credited for introducing New Nordic Cuisine to the world. Now back in Thailand, Toiting heads the fermentation lab of innovative eatery Charoenkrung 80/20. We sit down with the young chef to learn about her time at Noma and find out what’s she’s bringing to her current kitchen of residence. How did you end up working for Noma? I watched many documentaries on Chef René Redzepi and Noma, and my time at Gaa gave me an insight into his contribution to New Nordic cuisine. And three years ago, I had an opportunity to dine at the restaurant. Even though I did not totally understand their food, I was really impressed and enjoyed the experience. So I came back to Thailand, sent them my CV and requested for an internship. It’s unbelievable, but they replied to my email within one day. Sereechai Puttes/Time Out Bangkok What was your role in the kitchen? As an intern, I had to do almost everything [involving the labor-intensive work], from cleaning up the kitchen and restaurants to foraging for vegetables. We would work from 7:00 a.m. until 1:00 a.m., with two days off every week. On days we had to go foraging, it usually started around nine in the morning and last until midnight. It was really tough. What did you learn at Noma? I had never seen or worked in
The cast of Stranger Things
At the end of the last season of Stranger Things, Eleven was able to close the portal between the Upside Down and the real world, killing the Demogorgon creatures that had massacred almost everyone in Hawkins National Laboratory. But unbeknown to the people of Hawkins, the closure of the gate failed to kill the shadow monster, which was shown ominously hovering over the city’s water tower in the final scene. You will soon find out what sort of mayhem is bound to come to Hawkins. Stranger Things 3 is back this year and will be ready for streaming on Netflix on 4 July. Time Out Bangkok was invited to Tokyo for an exclusive interview with Noah Schnapp (Will Byers), Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin Henderson), Caleb McLaughlin (Lucus Sinclair) and Sadie Sink (Max Mayfield), who reveal hints of what’s going to happen in the next season. Netflix Stranger Things 3 takes place in the summertime “Season three is different from the first two seasons. The last two seasons had a fall, wintery vibe, while the summer is bright and fun,”McLaughlin says. The story takes place during the summer break, so we will get to see the Hawkins gang enjoying their homework-bereft freedom, which includes hanging around a spanking-new shopping mall. The introduction of Starcourt Mall, however, paves the way for a discussion on capitalism and its effect on small towns. The kids are now teenagers, so get ready for some romance (and drama) The boys and girls are kids no more in the forthc
Best hotels in Bangkok
Waldorf Astoria Bangkok
The stunning, brand-new Waldorf Astoria Bangkok shoots up from the bustling Rachaprasong intersection like a flower; in fact, it was designed to look like one—a magnolia, to be exact. Inside, design elements by Hong Kong-based architect Andre Fu—such as wrought iron sculptural panels and an assortment of intricate chandeliers—pay homage to local Thai culture as well as the Waldorf legacy. The property boasts 171 rooms and suites, each with interactive entertainment systems, well-stocked mini bars and sprawling bathrooms with rainfall showers, high-tech toilets and toiletries by Salvatore Ferragamo. Guests have access to three restaurants, two bars and a tea room lounge; our favorites are the Front Room, a lobby-level eatery serving innovative Nordic-Thai fare, and the top floor Champagne Bar, offering flutes of bubbly to be enjoyed on plush green velvet couches overlooking the city below. A small (three rooms) but lovely spa sits next to the open air, rooftop pool, scattered with giant wicker chairs and affording one of the best views from the property. There's also a 24-hour fitness center, as well as the aforementioned lounge, Peacock Alley, perfect for whiling away the hours between city exploration and dinner—look for the clock behind the bar, a quiet nod to the storied hotel brand's first property in Manhattan (every Waldorf Astoria has a version of the first location's beautiful wall clock). Time Out tip: Book ahead at the spa and the Front Room, both popular must-d
SO Sofitel Bangkok
Gorgeous views and unique designs are the key reasons you’ll love SO Sofitel Bangkok. Located a few blocks away from Lumpini Park, the enclaves lush greenery can be spotted from most rooms. Room styles are crafted around four different themes: earth, water, wood and metal. The Earth rooms are embellished with playful, curvy walls inspired by prehistoric cave paintings found in Pha Taem National Park in Ubon Ratchathani. Metal rooms are decked out like an urban refuge with minimal, modern decor and pristine white furniture. The Wood room, on the other hand, is inspired by a traditional Northern Thai wooden house, while the Water room—the sexiest room of all—features concrete walls and semi-transparent glasses partitions.
Out of town
Check-in: Renaissance Koh Samui
If you’re looking to experience an extraordinary holiday, Renaissance Koh Samui might just be the place for you. Though you have the option to indulge in your usual tropical holiday activities, like sunbathing or chilling by the pool, Renaissance’s new global marketing campaign, titled “Discover This Way,” may just convince you to venture outside of your comfort zone—and even outside of the hotel—for an entirely unique travel experience. The Discover This Way program features activities within and beyond the hotel led by a Samui-born and raised navigator who knows every best bit of the island. Renaissance Koh Samui, located on the picturesque Lamai beach, has been a staple for many travelers for decades—not so surprising since the accommodations, facilities and impeccable service have never failed to impress. Deluxe rooms offer views of the 50-meter Leelawadee lap pool (said to be the longest pool on the island) and the resort’s lush grounds, while pool villas offer the ultimate privacy and spacious rooms consisting of 4-poster king-size bed. Your Renaissance journey starts soon as you check in, with Punchbowl Rituals, a cocktail-making session by the beach. A mixologist will guide you through the process of making a unique drink using only Thai ingredients —we’re talking lemongrass, galangal, Thai chili, hot basil, kaffir lime, and fresh cane syrup, all of which are mixed with renowned Phuket spirit, Chalong Bay Rum. After the session, you’ll be seated at the Navigator’s
