Your ultimate guide to Bangkok
Discover the best events, attractions, restaurants, bars, clubs and more in the city
Interview: Wanchana “Colonel Bird” Sawasdee
If there's an actor who's best known for playing the part of the patriotic hero, that would be Wanchana “Colonel Bird” Sawasdee. The occasional actor is best known for his role as King Naresuan, the beloved warrior ruler of Ayutthaya during the late 16th century, in MC Chatrichalerm Yukol’s Legend of King Naresuan film series. For a span of eight years, Wanchana reprised this lead role in five of the franchise’s six movies. Off-screen, Wanchana is a full-time soldier who currently serves as an assistant spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence. At home, he’s a loving husband and a devoted father to his son Win. Wanchana is a man’s man, a decent sort through and through. So you can imagine our surprise when he shook things up a bit by taking on the role of Suea Fai, a Robin Hood-type Thai outlaw in the 1940s, in Khun Pan 2, the sequel to the 2016 blockbuster Khun Pan. The sometime actor sits down with Time Out to discuss the challenges of taking on a role that’s so dissimilar to his personality, and his grand ambitions for his son. Playing a thief and an outlaw? That doesn’t seem like you. What made you decide to take on this role? I was interested in taking on this role as it is very different from King Naresuan. In the movie, I play Suea Fai, the infamous outlaw who commanded a large bandit group in the central region of Thailand. History has it that his people were exploited by the government so they decided to make money in their own way, which included robbing from the
What's the deal with... Twopee
Thai hip hop is experiencing a new high. It was part of the mainstream music scene 20 years before going underground to give way to the electronic genre, but now Thai hip hop, which has an affinity with rap music, has resurfaced following the trend in the global music scene. Like how it usually is in the world of entertainment, people come and go and then return. And this is where you see the real-deal artists, those who are capable of surviving change and the test of time. Twopee is one of those survivors. Starting out as one-half of Phuket-hailing rap duo Southside (formed with Freddy V who is now pursuing his studies), Twopee, or Pitawat Pruksakit outside of the music scene, has spent many years surfing the ups and downs of the Thai hip hop scene. One of his claims to fame include winning a respected rapping contest for two consecutive years, which led Twopee to becoming part of the Thaitanium family of hip hop artists. But it wasn’t until he become a coach on competition TV series The Rapper, that the talented musician became a national sensation. He was also one of the headliners at W Hotels’ global music event, Future Rising. After ten years in the music industry, Twopee is finally enjoying the height of his career and having the time of his life. He sits down with Time Out to look back and look forward. Sereechai Puttes/Time Out Bangkok How did you become a rapper? It started when I was about 13 or 14. Hip hop hit me so hard—Eminem’s music, especial
What to do in Bangkok
Find more things to do in Bangkok this week
Latest restaurants and cafés review
Silpa Bhirasri's House
The historic building has been carefully renovated and is now open to the public as a café and gallery. Craftsman Roastery brews refined cuppas on the first floor, while a gallery has been set up one floor up. Prototypes of some of Silpa Bhirasri's sculptures are now on exhibit.
Latest bars review
Cactus
Soi Yen Akart has recently welcomed the area’s first proper watering hole. The rooftop bar Cactus brings a touch of palmy California to the leafy alley with the festooning of prickly cactus and fire pits against view the palm-filled lawn. The lofty space fashions Mid-Century modern motifs like pine-green cushions and edgy abstract artworks. The concoctions are created by the world-renowned Joseph Boroski and are designed to be refreshing-yet-strong like the low-ABV West Hollywood Spritz which mixes Fernet Blanca, Campari and cucumber.
New movie releases
Searching
After David Kim (John Cho)'s 16-year-old daughter goes missing, a local investigation is opened and a detective is assigned to the case. But 37 hours later and without a single lead, David decides to search the one place no one has looked yet, where all secrets are kept today: his daughter's laptop. In a hyper-modern thriller told via the technology devices we use every day to communicate, David must trace his daughter's digital footprints before she disappears forever.
The Meg
Imagine a trashy empty-calories combo of Sharknado and the gore-and-nudity-heavy Piranha 3D—two horror movies loaded with lovable dumbness. Then dial back those expectations by several nautical miles, deep into mild PG-13 territory, and you have The Meg, a disappointment for fans of pure summer nonsense (I count myself proudly among them). Developed over decades from a 1997 Michael Crichton–lite science-fiction novel by Steven Alten, the movie is a Jurassic-sized pretender, summoning a 75-foot Megalodon shark—the movie’s CGI is somewhat watery—but little in the way of menace, suspense or even goony laughs. No one is coming to The Meg for originality, but connoisseurs of Jason Statham’s lunkheaded charms will find his portrayal of Jonas—a guilt-ridden rescue diver who thinks he’s quit the game until his ex-wife gets trapped on the bottom of the Mariana Trench—limited. (The mope-ragey Sylvester Stallone of Cliffhanger would have killed in this.) Accompanying Jonas to a high-tech underwater research station off the Chinese coast are a wise-cracking billionaire investor (Rainn Wilson, soaking his every line in ironic geekery and spoiling the mood) and a somber team of scientists led by Suyin (Li Bingbing), a single mom with an adorable tyke in tow. The funniest moments are fleeting, like the creature’s enormous dorsal fin—as huge as a tent—displacing water with a sound louder than a motorboat, or someone uttering the trailer-ready bit of ridiculousness, “Are you saying we opene
Westwood: Punk, Icon, Activist
Since igniting the punk movement with ex-partner and Sex Pistols' manager Malcolm McLaren, Dame Vivienne Westwood has been redefining British fashion for over 40 years, and is responsible for creating many of the most distinctive looks of our time. The film blends archive, beautifully crafted reconstruction, and insightful interviews with Vivienne's fascinating network of collaborators, guiding us on her journey from a childhood in postwar Derbyshire to the runways of Paris and Milan. This is an intimate and poignant homage to one of the true cultural icons of our time, as she fights to maintain her brand's integrity, her principles and her legacy in a business driven by consumerism, profit and global expansion.
Detective Dee: The Four Heavenly Kings
A bold and exciting new entry into the smash hit wuxia fantasy franchise from master action director Tsui Hark, DETECTIVE DEE: THE FOUR HEAVENLY KINGS sees the detective embroiled in his most difficult case yet. Accused of wrongdoing by Empress Wu, Detective Dee must defend himself against this formidable foe, all while investigating a crime wave that has engulfed the city, marked by strange and seemingly supernatural occurrences.
The latest Time Out interviews
Where to stay in Bangkok
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.
