NOW SHOWING
Maimee Samui Sabrab Ther (Samui Song)
In this Thai crime thriller, Chermarn Boonyasak plays Viyada, a soap opera actress unhappily married to a rich foreigner (Stephane Sednaoui). Her husband is a follower of a spiritual cult led by a charismatic leader (Vithaya Pansringam), who has a habit of luring female disciples into his bed. Sick with her marriage, Viyada finds a glimmer of hope when she meets a hitman (David Asavanond) who offers to free her from her misery. Directed by Pen-ek Ratanaruang.
The Shape of Water
In this dark fairy tale set during the height of the Cold War, Sally Hawkins plays Elisa, a mute who works as a cleaning lady in a topsecret science centre in Baltimore. A mysterious aquatic creature is brought into the centre, and Elisa becomes his only friend. When the sadistic security chief (Michael Shannon) wants to kill the creature for fear of the Soviet spies getting a hold of its biological secret, Elisa has to rescues him. The film has been nominated for 13 Oscars. Directed by Guillermo Del Toro.
Downsizing
Matt Damon stars in this social satire about mankind’s inability to find peace and happiness. He plays Paul, a married man who decides to undergo a process called “downsizing”, which shrinks his body into the size of a finger, then he joins a community of “small people” in a suburban utopia where their pygmy size minimises their need for food, money and other necessities. Until Paul starts questioning the deeper questions about life, which sends him on another existential adventure in Norway. Directed by Alexander Payne.
Wonder Wheel
Kate Winslet, Justin Timberlake and James Belushi star in this romantic drama by writer-director Woody Allen. Winslet plays Ginny, a sensitive ex-actress stuck in an unhappy marriage with her husband. They live on Coney Island, and their precarious situation takes a turn with the arrival of Mickey (Timberlake), a handsome lifeguard.
The Last Recipe
A famous chef renowned for making wonderful meals receives a challenging and mysterious order: to satisfy a dying man’s last wish, the chef has to cook a special fish dish whose recipe belongs to another famous chef who lived in occupied Manchuria in the 1930s. Directed by Yojiro Takita.
The Post
In this newsroom drama, Tom Hanks plays editor of The Washington Post in a critical period when the Pentagon Papers, which proved the US government had been lying about the Vietnam War to the public for more than two decades, had been leaked. Meryl Streep plays the socialite publisher who has to face the toughest decision of her life: to publish or not publish the documents that may ruin her newspaper. Directed by Steven Spielberg.
The Maze Runner: The Death Cure
The third Maze Runner film follows the same group of young survivors after an apocalypse. This time Thomas (Dylan O’Brien) and friends will have to race against time to find a cure to a deadly virus ravaging Earth. Directed by Wes Ball.
The Florida Project
This acclaimed family drama is set around a cheap, gaudy motel on the outskirts of Florida, near Disney World. The film follows sixyear-old Moonee, a lovely mischief maker, and her mother as they struggle to make ends meet and to find slices of happiness in their lives. Willem Dafoe plays a hotel caretaker in a role that has been nominated for an Oscar. Directed by Sean Baker.
Padmaavat
Set in 1303 AD India, this epic period drama stars Shahid Kapoor, Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone as Queen Padmavati. The queen is happily married to the king of a prosperous fortress (Kapoor), until an ambitious Sultan (Singh) hears of her exceptional beauty and wages an obsessive love and war for the Queen of Mewar. Directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Limited release at Paragon this week and at Major Sukhumvit, Rama 3 and Pattaya next week.
12 Strong
Chris Hemsworth leads the cast in this military action film. It tells the story of 12 special forces soldiers sent to Afghanistan after the 9/11 attacks. Their mission is to gain the trust of local Afghan warlords in order to launch an operation against the Taliban. Directed by Nicolai Fugisig.
Bleeding Steel
Jackie Chan is still going strong at 63. In this sci-fi action film he stars as a special forces agent who fights to protect a young woman from a sinister criminal gang. At the same time he feels a special connection to the young woman, like they met in a different life.
Darkest Hour
Gary Oldman plays Winston Churchill in this historical drama set during May 1940 as the Nazis threaten to conquer Europe. Battling internal politicking as well as an imminent foreign invasion, Churchill has to steer the UK out of its worst crisis in history. Directed by Joe Wright.
The Commuter
Liam Neeson finds himself once again in a dire situation which forces him to become an action hero. He plays a businessman who, during one of his daily train commutes to work, is caught up in a criminal operation that puts every passenger’s life in danger. Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra.
9 Satra
This Thai animated film tells the story of a young man fated to rescue an empire from the rule of the ogres. A martial arts expert, the man teams up with a Chinese pirate, a monkey, and a benevolent giant to take back the land from the invaders.
Call Me By Your Name
Set in northern Italy in 1983, the film follows the awakening of desire in 17-year-old Elio (Timothee Chalamet), a smart and sensitive boy and son of ancient Greek scholars. When a handsome American professor called Oliver (Armie Hammer) visits his house during a balmy summer, Elio goes through an emotional rite of passage that transforms him forever. Directed by Luca Guadanigno.