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Thailand punches above its weight in film creativity and cross-border appeal. Here's why A Useful Ghost tells the story of a widower and his dead wife who returns to haunt a vacuum cleaner. (Supplied: 185 Films) A Useful Ghost, an internationally acclaimed new film from Thailand, features a woman who dies from dust pollution and returns to possess her husband's vacuum cleaner to protect him from suffering the same fate. It's a sly commentary about power inequality, queer love, and pollution. Written and directed by Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke, the indy film premiered at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival and was the first Thai film to win a Critics' Week grand prize, or Grand Prix. The award recognises early filmmakers. A Useful Ghost was Boonbunchachoke's debut feature and the first "proper film shoot" he had been on. Judges described the film as bold, free and unclassifiable, "a first feature that plays with genres, bends the rules, and offers a vision that is both intimate and universal." It's just the latest in a slew of Thai drams turning heads abroad as the industry builds on its reputation for distinctiveness and creativity. Last year, humorous tear-jerker How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies set a new Thai record for international box office takings. Mad Unicorn — a series about a start-up courier service — reached fourth on Netflix's weekly top 10 for non-English series last month. A Useful Ghost was the first Thai film to win the Critics' Week Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival. (Supplied: Pakkawat Tanghom) Other successful productions included Master of the House and Ready, Set, Love, and Hunger, both on Netflix. According to audience analytics firm Media Asia Partners (MPA), Thai content among South-East Asian nations had the most cross-border appeal in Asia. The "travelability" of Thai content (how much of it was consumed overseas vs domestically) was even catching up to Japan, the agency found. So, what is it about Thai cinema that’s pulling audiences from around the globe? 'Thai film is like Thai food' Thai people loved a good drama, A Useful Ghost writer-director Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke told the ABC. He said they measured a film's success by how emotive it was, driving creators to make dramatic and emotionally rich films. "One of the criteria of whether a film is good or not, is do I cry when I watch it?" "Thai film is like Thai food — the flavour needs to be strong," he said. Thai film is bold and strong, like its food, another cultural export by the government. (Supplied) "Culturally authentic" hyperlocal elements in film also resonated with audiences, said Mary Ainslie, an associate professor in film and media studies at the University of Nottingham. Besides seeing representations of local identity, these depictions appealed to foreign audiences because that knowledge made them "cultural insiders", she said. "That's about constructing yourself as a very cosmopolitan person, and that's very attractive." Unbridled creativity Being over-the-top is not limited to drama series or movies. Advertising is often where film directors cut their teeth before producing feature films and Thai commercials have a reputation for being "consistently" creative and unconventional, said Paul Nagy, the chief creative officer at VML Asia Pacific. Mr Nagy judged the film adverts at the 2024 Cannes Lions awards when Thailand won nine awards from 210 entries — the second highest win-to-entry ratio in the Asia-Pacific. A Useful Ghost was Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke's first feature film. (Supplied: 185 Films) "One of the major takeaways for me last year was just how incredibly creative and joyful the work coming out of Thailand was," he said. "It stood out head and shoulders above the rest of the world compared to what everyone else is doing." He said the Western world often followed formulaic narratives in storytelling, whereas Thai creators threw out the rule book and leaned into what felt most interesting. "They don't feel the same kind of constraints as the rest of the world in the same way to tone things down," Mr Nagy said. This made it fertile ground for creative story telling as nothing was too over-the-top he said. He cited as an example a government road-safety advertisement where a motorcyclist's brain came out the back of his head the faster he went, a metaphor for him losing control. Thai advertising is known for its creativity. "If you're learning your film trade in the advertising industry in Thailand you're unconstrained. "That's why they do such exciting film work when they leave the advertising industry." He said with how sophisticated AI has become at creating traditional advertisements, the rest of the world needed to quickly learn from what Thailand was doing to remain competitive. "We are moving into an era where average is going to be invisible and that's one thing the Thais never are … and that's their starting point." Economic growth and digital connectivity Much of the latest wave in Thai cinemas was the result of a rapid modernisation and an increasingly affluent middle class, said Dr Ainslie. Thailand has the eighth-fastest broadband internet in the world and 91 per cent of its population is connected to the internet, according to the Digital 2025 report by Meltwater and We Are Social. The global average is 68 per cent. Dr Ainslie said modernity was no longer limited to large cities like Bangkok and Chiang Mai because the provincial rural population was now affluent, middle-class who were "globally savvy", well-connected, and had travelled overseas. Thai directors were also being trained abroad and returning home and studios had started conglomerating into oligopolies creating an ecosystem of cinema and production companies, she said. Film as 'soft power' Thailand is recognised by international film producers as an attractive filming destination because of its scenery, affordability, and labour force with mature production and English-language skills, aspects the Thai government is capitalising on. Dr Mary Ainslie says the Thai government has been pivotal in supporting the film industry's growth through incentives. (Supplied: Mary Ainslie) This has created even more opportunities for Thai crew to work alongside international productions to hone their craft to an even higher standard, Booncunchachoke said. Last year, 491 foreign films like Jurassic World: Rebirth and shows like White Lotus were shot in Thailand which generated THB 6.58 billion ($309.8 million) for the economy. Along with Pad Thai, mango and sticky rice and Muay Thai, the Thailand's government has identified film as another cultural export instrumental to its influence by persuasion, or soft power. In November 2024, the prime minister met with executives from Netflix, HBO, Disney, and the Motion Picture Association, The government also announced increases in cash rebates of up to 30 per cent for eligible foreign productions if they employed Thai cast and crew, used designated tourist areas as film locations, and portrayed Thailand or its culture in a positive light. A Useful Ghost draws on a famous Thai ghost story of Mae Nak. (Supplied: 185 Films) Becoming Thai-pecast The Thai Film Office is part of the government's tourism department and has been integral in growing the industry, but Dr Ainslie warned the incentives biased certain productions which could also lead to a typecasting of Thailand. This could be frustrating for filmmakers wanting to make other kinds of films, she said. The lack of diverse depictions could also result in the curating a history to fit a certain state agenda. "If you construct an image, the image ultimately becomes truth, becomes a representation," Dr Ainslie said. "It becomes an imagined community. It becomes invented tradition." One example was the "salacious and hedonistic" depictions of Thailand associated with sex tourism, lawlessness, and drugs seen in The Hangover Part II and The Beach. A Useful Ghost takes on local and universal topics like pollution, power dynamics, grief, and a famous ghost story. (Supplied: 185 Films) "It is an image that is very profitable, but in some ways, it is an image that is based upon exploitation," Dr Ainslie said. After the pandemic, young Thai people participated in widescale anti-government protests. Boonbunchachoke hoped media and cinema would follow suit in challenging the establishment, but felt that traction for freer expression had waned. Nonetheless, he noticed some commercial film studios beginning to take risks beyond their "comfort zone" of crowd-pleasers and join independent films in taking on darker and grittier topics. He has also noticed independent film houses starting to censor themselves less and becoming more creative in how they criticised the status quo. "I think nowadays [these film makers] kind of know and [are finding] new ways to speak and talk about the issue without compromising too much," he said.

Air strike on Buddhist monastery in Myanmar kills more than 20 people An aerial attack has reportedly killed more than 20 people and injured about 30 others. (AP) In short: An air strike has killed 23 people sheltering at a Buddhist monastery in Myanmar's central Sagaing region, according to witnesses. The attack injured about 30 other people, of which 10 were in a critical condition, a resistance group member said. Myanmar's military junta did not immediately comment on the incident at the monastery. An air strike on a Buddhist monastery in Myanmar's earthquake-struck Sagaing region has killed 23 people, including four children, according to witnesses. A member of a resistance group said the overnight aerial attack on the monastery in Lin Ta Lu village, in Sagaing township, injured about 30 other people, of which 10 were in a critical condition. The resistance member — who spoke on condition of anonymity — said 23 civilians were killed when a jet fighter dropped a bomb on a building in the village's monastery at about 1am. They said more than 150 people from nearby villages had been taking shelter there to avoid recent fighting in the region. Myanmar's independent Democratic Voice of Burma online media reported the death toll could be as high as 30, however the number could not be immediately confirmed. The Buddhist monastery was bombed in the early hours of the morning, according to witnesses. (AP) Hlaing Bwa, the head of the pro-democracy group that administers parts of the central region, and a local resident both described the attack as an air strike by the State Administration Council, Myanmar's military junta. The military did not immediately comment on the incident at the monastery, located about 35 kilometres north-west of Mandalay, the country's second largest city. In the past, the army has said it only attacks legitimate targets of war and has accused the resistance forces of being terrorists. The monastery housed about 200 people displaced by nearby fighting between the army and pro-democracy forces, Hlaing Bwa said. The nature of the attack could not immediately be verified. Military conducting air strikes despite quake Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021, triggering a civil war. After peaceful demonstrations were put down with lethal force, many opponents of military rule took up arms. Large parts of the country are now embroiled in conflict. Days after a devastating magnitude-7.7 earthquake hit Sagaing on March 28, the junta announced a temporary ceasefire to provide humanitarian relief and help rebuild the region, after similar moves from armed anti-junta groups. The earthquake has damaged buildings in Mandalay, Myanmar's second-biggest city. (Supplied: Ko Myo) However, the military has continued to launch air strikes and artillery attacks on rebel-controlled areas, including those already destroyed by the quake, which killed almost 3,700 people. The military has increasingly used air strikes to counter opposition forces, including the armed People's Defence Force in Sagaing region, a stronghold of armed resistance. Photo shows A long line of people, including children, hold silver bowls in a queue The UN is investigating 53 alleged attacks launched by Myanmar's military after it called a ceasefire against rebel groups. The resistance has no effective defence against air attacks. The monastery attack comes weeks after hundreds of soldiers took part in an offensive with tanks and aircraft in an area about 5km from Lin Ta Lu to regain territories controlled by the resistance groups. Thousands of people from nearby villages were displaced to the other towns and villages including Lin Ta Lu, the resistance fighter said. Nay Phone Latt, a spokesperson for the opposition's National Unity government, said the military had been trying to retake areas controlled by the resistance ahead of a planned general election later this year. The poll is widely seen as an attempt to normalise the military's seizure of power through the ballot box and to deliver a result that ensures the generals retain control.

Back when I and others, were gleefully saying "Epstein didn't kill himself", I had no way of knowing that MAGA would adopt said rumour and fledge it into a full blown conspiracy theory, with which, they are now hauling, senior Trumpanzees, over the coals.../.

Problem beeing that the US do not charge Japan or Corea but American importers. I would be interested to know how many of the obviously non-iformed US citizens realise this.

One for MPIH See how many landmarks you can name ? You should do better than me. 😊

See what happens when the Epstein subject comes up. The World is Watching

Let’s see…70’s teen heart throb Bobby Sherman died…a few weeks back…a few others but I’m drawing a blank…

55555 Hippo Moo Deng celebrated her first birthday on Thursday. Thailand's internet-famous pygmy hippo Moo Deng celebrated her first birthday on Thursday. Crowds have been invited to a four-day festival at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo. Her handlers are scheduled to auction off her belongings — though it's unclear what Moo Deng owns. Thailand's internet-famous pygmy hippo Moo Deng has celebrated her first birthday, leaving behind the animal infancy which boosted her to worldwide fame. Crowds have been invited to a four-day festival at Khao Kheow Open Zoo where Moo Deng — meaning "Bouncy Pork" in Thai — frolicked to stardom and amassed five million social media fans. The first day of the extravaganza falls on a Thai public holiday and the agenda includes a lecture on "Moo Deng's cheekiness" while a skincare beautician has paid $4,500 to sponsor her fruit-festooned cake. Her handlers are also scheduled to auction off her belongings — but it is unclear what possessions Moo Deng has accumulated in her short life at the Chonburi province zoo. A visitor wears a hat of hippo Moo Deng while celebrating her birthday. There were hopes her stardom would spotlight the plight of the endangered pygmy hippo, native to West Africa, with only about 2,500 left alive according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. But social media and search engine metrics suggest Moo Deng's popularity peaked around late September last year before dramatically declining. "Moo Deng went viral very quickly when she was born," said Joshua Paul Dale, an academic who teaches courses on the phenomenon of "cuteness" at Japan's Chuo University. "Maybe part of our appreciation of cuteness is knowing that it's something that doesn't last very long." Moo Deng at the height of her fame last year. Moo Deng's blubbery rose-blushed face launched a thousand memes and a plethora of merchandise including piggy banks and popsicles — prompting her owners to trademark her likeness. The pint-sized pygmy hippo quadrupled ticket sales for the zoo where her small and sparse enclosure was once broadcasted by a 24/7 live stream. Moo Deng is part of a pantheon of captive animals who have enjoyed flash-in-the-pan popularity for their cuteness online, including Melbourne's Pesto the penguin. Pygmy hippos have a life span of between 30 and 50 years. While Mr Dale predicts she may lose the limelight to longevity, he says Moo Deng could enjoy enduring appeal as fans recall "how unbearably cute she was when she was very, very small and just born". "That can kind of continue on and affect our relationship with cute things, even when they grow up," he said. AFP

The Phoenician Scheme 2025 An offering from Wes Anderson - starting to see that people love or hate Wes' movies. This one I liked a lot. Not a stretch to say, a star studded cast, most of them in cameos, these are the one's I recognised - Benicio Del Toro, a couple of Hanks, Willem Dafoe, F. Murray Abraham, Rupert Friend, Mia Threapleton, Michael Cera, Riz Ahmed, Bryan Cranston, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Richard Ayoade, Jeffrey Wright, Scarlett Johansson, Bill Murray and Benedict Cumberbatch I also enjoyed Andersons' The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) and The French Dispatch (2021) Asteroid City, not so much.

Been binging on Goliath. First 2 seasons 👍.....Second 2 seasons took on a bit of an arty direction. Enjoy anything with BBT

What’s the difference between a Lentil and a Chickpea? Putin doesn’t have a Video of Trump and a Lentil

Got my retirement visa extension valid until 30. September 2026. multiple entries. I guess it kicks in after my current non-O 90 days visa expires. Timeline: 4. July 2025. Friday: consultation, paperwork, copies at Thai Visa Center, payment (1 hour) 7. July Monday - opening bank account. TVC staff was at the bank branch to assist (TVC car picked me up, 40 minutes at the bank, brought me back home) 8. July Tuesday - processing 9. July Wednesday - my passport with 1 year retirement extension and multiple entries and my bank passbook in my hands. A messenger delivered it about noon. It was very quick, possibly, I got lucky and was within a batch of other applicants that they process once a week or in 10 days. Absolutelly great service by Thai Visa Center.

on Tariffs - note Thailand in the list _____ Key elements and direct excerpts from Trump's tariff letters: The letters, addressed to the leaders of 14 countries, were posted on Truth Social and outlined new tariff rates—ranging from 25% to 40%—that would take effect on August 1 if a new trade deal was not reached. Trump warned that any retaliatory tariffs would be met with further increases: "If for any reason you decide to raise your Tariffs, then, whatever the number you choose to raise them by, will be added onto the 25% that we charge," (as seen in the letters to Japan and South Korea). The letters generally followed a standard template, with the only major difference being the specific tariff rate and country addressed. Trump sometimes used the word “only” before the tariff rate, implying generosity: "We are imposing only a 25% tariff..." The letters included a willingness to negotiate: "...I will perhaps, consider an adjustment to this letter if you open your markets to more U.S. goods and reduce tariff and non-tariff barriers." The letters explicitly stated that tariffs on autos, steel, and aluminum would be handled separately, under existing or additional Section 232 tariffs. Summary: The letters were formal, addressed to heads of state, and included a deadline (August 1) to avoid the new tariffs by reaching a trade deal. They warned against retaliation and offered the possibility of negotiation if the recipient country made concessions to open their market to U.S. goods. The tone was aggressive but left room for further talks and adjustments. Countries and rates mentioned: Japan: 25% South Korea: 25% Myanmar: 40% Laos: 40% Cambodia: 36% Thailand: 36% Bangladesh: 35% Serbia: 35% Indonesia: 32% South Africa: 30% Bosnia and Herzegovina: 30% Kazakhstan: 25% Malaysia: 25% Tunisia: 25% _____

Trump says he's 'not happy' with Putin and blames him for 'killing a lot of people' in Ukraine - LINK

If you ever wanted to see a false flag operation here 'tis - 10 people, all that fire power, messages sprayed on cars, only one wounded. Who dunnit? LINK Should the troops be sent in? 5,000, 10,000...?

On Vietnamese flavours - I went to a "brand new" Pho shop in Middle Earth on Sunday. It is our custom to take the old fella, (me) to lunch after Tak Baht at the local Lao temple, and MLG found this Pho place, so we went. As we stood in the long cold 8°C queue on the pavement outside, I asked MLG how she found the place, she said Tik Tok. I said, you just want to stand in the cold 'cause you found it on Tik Tok and want to post about it. At which point about half the queue's male members turned and gave me the "I've got one too" look. However, two big pots of soup, plenty of prep and they were churning through them at about 4 pax a minute, The Pho was good, the plastic stools and little tables authentic, price OK. I'll wait for Tik Tok to lose interest, before I go again.

Gentlemen, a thousand ways to spend what is left of xx (xxx ?) years. Usual age of retirement (65) has been 14 years ago , retiring would actually mean sudden death to me. I am keeping on selling engine components which has always been my great pleasure, most people I am dealing with are half my age. I simply wouldn´t know what to do otherwise. Can´t play golf. It finally depends if stop working looks like a relief or a disaster. Recent health checks are promising, maybe with 80 I quit working but I am not sure. I let you know. Poor Khunsanuk did not have a chance to think about retirement, we should feel blessed as we are still alive.

Just watched “The Alto Knights.” Robert Dinero plays both Frank Costello and Vito Genovese, the 2 mob bosses who battled each other for power years ago. Good movie.

The closest thing to “authentic Thai street food” here in the USA is maybe down in LA on the weekends. While San Francisco is widely touted as a “restaurant town” or “foodie paradise,” I trend to disagree. Thai food up here, other than what my wife makes, is mostly garbage cooked for farangs who don’t know any better, it’s mostly food Thais generally speaking don’t eat. In general, I am tired of spending money on bad restaurant food. Prices here are just insane to begin with, adding bad food and bad service with an expected/almost demanded 20-30% tip is a no go. Pad Thai gong here is about $25USD all in…small portion and usually terrible…hamburgers can set you back $30+ in some places…but not to worry, the dump promised to lower the price of everything…

1.5 years more or so until full retirement…in the mean time, I have vacation, surgery time off, unpaid time off and a bit of work along the way…of 18 months or so left, I figure I’ll be off work about 50% or more…

I've got probably around 3 years to go unless of course I win Lotto 😛. As MPIH said, $ are important and will determine the lifestyle you live. However routine and some form of hobby or recreational activity are paramount. I have watched many an expat lose it all financially, emotionally and mentally moving to LOS. One to the point he bought a bar, got robbed blindly by his Thai business partners and drank to a point where he needed a liver transplant. No thank you. Personally I would probably do some volunteer work probably on the boarder. That and photography which I excel at in comparison to Old Hippie and his appalling efforts 😊 THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER