Movies and Books

[Anonymous]

As a kid I always enjoyed Ultraman, Godzilla, and the like. So i thought i'd give this genre a try with a movie called "Cyber-Ninja." The cover said "Non-stop special effects...reminiscent of 'Star Wars'" This movie was so bad it hurt. Bad dialogue, terrible effects. Even the t.v.'s power rangers is better constructed in terms of story, costumes and effects. And remember I grew up (and still like) the rubber suits of godzilla, king kong, and mothera!. [Edit by="dcolato on Oct 30, 8:22:49 PM"][/Edit]

[Anonymous]

I decided to give comedy a chance again with this (Like Water for Chocolate tail-coat riding) movie "301/302" about neighbors in an apartment building liked together through food of all things. It made me think of the old foreign film "the thief, the cook, and her lover." but in this case the execution of the movie fell flat. The concept was solid enough: a rejected cook who hungers for company, and a lone woman without any hunger or desires. promising, but unfulfilling.

[Anonymous]

Sogo Ishi's masterpeice "Angel Dust" stands out as one of my two moost favorite asian movies of all time. It is a very complex and stimulating movie which has to be seen more than once to really understand the details of it. The cinemetography was outstanding as was of course the story and I highly recommend it. Now if I could only remember the name my other favorite movie. I know it involved the concept of time. A girl reads a book about the life of an ancient woman, and although this woman is in the present her life is detailed in this past narrative....I'll keep looking for the title.[Edit by="dcolato on Oct 30, 8:21:48 PM"][/Edit]

[Anonymous]

There are many recent movies which I have enjoyed "Hero," "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," "The House of the Flying Daggers," "Fearless." They have their charm and thier mass appeal to the new wave of interest in asian cinema. The more obscure gems are the ones really worth watching.

[Anonymous]

“Thailand: the beautiful cookbook” (ISBN 0-681-15270-2). There are many if not too many Thai cookbooks out there (even a good Spanish one I sent to my relatives overseas), but this one is nice and big, with great pictures and nicely divided into courses. The four major regions of the country are represented. The book also gives some information about the country as well.

[Anonymous]

The market is full of phrasebooks and low-level disctionaries for the tourist. One of the best English-Thai dictionaries is the two-volume “New Model English-Thai Dictionary.” (ISBN 974-07-5042-7). It’s very comprehensive. With examples of usage, and multiiple meanings.

In terms of Thai-English there are two dictionaries that are a cut above the rest: the Mary Haas “Thai-English Student’s Dictionary” (Stanford University Press). This is a great tool for students and those learning the language. It is written for the learner of the language. Research the author Mary Haas, she has a very interesting life story.

The second dictionary I recommend is the McFarland “Thai-English Dictionary” (ISBN 0-8047-0383-3). This very detailed dictionary is primarily one for those with an advanced knowledge of the language.

When I was a student in Thailand I had a teacher who later went to write a Spanish-Thai dictionary.

[Anonymous]

“DK Eyewitness: Buddhism” (ISBN 0-7894-9833-2) is a great visual for students and adults alike. As with most DK books, it gives explanations with its multitude of pictures. But it is limited and gives more of an overview than being a refrence guide.

“Buddhism of Dummies” (ISBN-10: 0764553593)
(ISBN-13: 978-0764553592
is a good book that gives quick points and information about terminology and the such.[Edit by="dcolato on Feb 2, 9:39:41 PM"][/Edit]

[Anonymous]

I spent many an hour looking for the best tourist guide book. I knew most get dated quick, and without pictures to stimulate me while I was reading, there would be no point in getting one. There are three tourist guide books for Thailand that I found very useful in terms of visuals, explanation, and history. If up-to-date information is needed, there are plenty of free guides once you get to the airport. But these three are a great for the 18 hour plane ride there:

“DK Eyewitness: Thailand” (ISBN-10: 0756601746)
(ISBN-13: 978-0756601744)
Great pictures, diagrams, and information covering all 4 regions.

“The National Geographic Traveler: Thailand” (ISBN 0-7922-7943-3). National Geographic said they were pros in pictures so why not take a chance with them. They were right. The book has stunning pictures and detailed information on the country, the food, climate, etc. It’s worth the premium price.

“Knopf Guides: Thailand” (ISBN 0-375-71107-4). This is a smaller book than most but the reason I bought this first is because of the history and pictures.There is a lot of detail in this book: from the different architecture styles, to the artistic styles, this book covers a lot. It could easily be enlarged and double as a textbook for a student of Thai culture.[Edit by="dcolato on Feb 2, 9:38:43 PM"][/Edit]

[Anonymous]

The Story of Mahajanaka (ISBN 974-8364-71-2) is a story (a re-telling) by King Rama IX, the current king of Thailand. Translated decently enough it involves myths and legends. The illustrations are reminisant of the traditional Thai mural paintings. Worth the quick read.

[Anonymous]

There is niether time nor a desire to give a detailed synopsis of each of the following books, but suffice to say that I have enjoyed them:

The Falcon of Siam (ISBN 974-91949-7-7)

Anna and the King of Siam (ISBN 0-06-095488-4)

1421 (ISBN 0-965-73128-6)

Fire Pheasant (ISBN 0-7088-4466-9)

Swimming to Cambodia (ISBN 0-930452-50-x)

Kicking Dogs (ISBN 974-210-541-3)

Phaic Tan (ISBN -10: 0-8118-5365-9)
(ISBN -13: 978-0-8118-5365-1)

Tao Te Ching (ISBN 0-965-064759)

The Tibetan Book of the Dead (ISBN 0-965-64760)

Bangkok 8 (ISBN-10: 1400032903)
(ISBN-13: 978-1400032907)

Bangkok Tatoo (ISBN 1-4000-3291-1)

Thai Amulet (ISBN-10: 0425194876)
(ISBN-13: 978-0425194874)

The Travels of Marco Polo

[Anonymous]

An easy Thai history book is the 2nd edition “Thailand” (ISBN 0-300-08475-7). There many other history books that are in English that I found in Thailand, but the cost is always premium overseas, even with the generous exchange rate.

[Anonymous]

There seems to be a Tarot Deck of cards for everyone. And recently a Thai version was created: “Siamese Tarot” (Jiku’s Books http://www.thaitarotmaster.com) is cool version to have. Ever since the HBO series Carnivale prominently displayed Tarot cards in the opening I got interested in them, and these Thai ones are beautifully illustrated with Thai traditional artwork.

[Anonymous]

When my wife first cam et came to America I thought that children’s literature would be a fun way to improve her English. So I searched the public libraries for books that dealt with her home country of Thailand...now all she reads is Nicholas Sparks...

Silent Lotus (ISBN 0-374-36911-9)

The Girl who Wore too Much (ISBN-10: 0874835038)
(ISBN-13: 978-0874835038)

Hush! A Thai Lullaby (ISBN-10: 0531071669)
(ISBN-13: 978-0531071663 )

Peek!Hide and Seek (ISBN-10: 0763620416)
(ISBN-13: 978-0763620417 )

Once I was a Monkey (ISBN-10: 0374335486)
(ISBN-13: 978-0374335489)

[Anonymous]

Concerning documentaries, the best was one done by Nova of PBS called "The Genius That Was China," a four part documentary of the technological and social history of China from ancient inventions and technology through the Opium Wars to the domination by foreign powers. The series includes an unrivaled episode, number 3, on the Meiji Empire. I do not believe that this series is available anywhere, except through load libraries. I do have the complete series; however, do to copyright laws I am reticent to distribute it. NBeck

[Anonymous]

The History Channel has been broadcasting a special on Ghengis Khan. I found it very interesting especially with the information I have been learning in the seminar.

[Author]

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