*** out of *****

According to Wikipedia, the first real fairy tale appeared in Egypt around 3,300 years ago, when stories were propagated verbally rather than written down. It’s no wonder that these fables captured people’s imaginations; they were scary and dark, funny and cute, and most involved some good lessons on how to live like a champ. It’s no surprise that they survive today, in much the same form as when they were whispered to rapt crowds around that Egyptian campfire all those centuries ago. Penelope is one such tale - a quirky, old fashioned story of honor, truth and dignity and of loving someone for who they really are. (more…)

I’ve always been a fan of science and what it’s done for us - everything from calculus to space exploration to funny animal videos on YouTube.  It’s especially true if I’m feeling ill; if I need healthcare, I’m 100% behind modern medicine and the fantastic drugs it’s brought us.  I recognize that some people get results with alternative medicine, but I’ve always seen it as a bit far-fetched.  That is, I did, until I blew out a knee last year - bad enough that I thought I’d need surgery.  The chiropractor I visited told me he was going to try something different, and zapped my knee with a type of phaser/light particle machine thing.  I tried not to laugh at first, but a few days later, although not 100% cured, I was back to taking stairs two at a time.  Color me convinced. (more…)

After living in Thailand for a while, eating the cheap and delicious food that can be found on every street corner and under every umbrella, it’s easy to lose touch of what constitutes really good western food. After a few dozen meals in most Thai restaurants, a piece of meat that’s 1/8^th of an inch thick and labeled a ‘steak’ starts to sound totally logical. And don’t even get me started on the ‘American Breakfast’.

But, much like Serpico fighting to keep honor amid a less-than-stellar surroundings, one man in Thailand is working to keep really good western food available to all. Bob Coombes has been running Choice Foods for nearly 40 years, offering up high-quality meat and deli food to restaurants (and average Joe Somchai’s) who appreciate that a real steak should be thick, tender and full of flavor. (more…)

With Pattaya’s slow but steady rise out of the realm of red light districts and after-hour shenanigans, new developments are going up faster than a Lego city built by a child high on Red Bull. As more and more companies rush to buy up a finite amount of land, the best spots are being snapped up and the top views taken over by taller and taller towers.

But like an old friend (or at least a neighbor who’s lived in his house longer than you have), the Amari Orchid remains where it has for years, at the north end of Pattaya Bay. And now more than ever, it dominates the area with the November 2007 opening of its Ocean Tower wing, a 5-star, 297-room tower of power that caters to those who appreciate style as much as they appreciate quality. (more…)

***out of *****

Well, this is the movie that finally made me decide. After decades of asking myself whether it’s better to watch the movie or read the book first, it’s definitely better to read the book after you’ve seen the movie. As a film on its own, The Golden Compass is beautiful to look at and fleetingly fun, but when you compare it to Phillip Pullman’s tome on which it’s based, it’s surprisingly shallow and cold, rushing forward without a lot of coherence and lacking the stark sense of imagination, detailed character development and sense of wonder that made the book an instant classic. (more…)

**** out of *****

When someone makes a film that’s described by disparate critics as ‘new, invigorating, fresh, exciting’ etc, it’s usually not because they made a good film about an old concept - it’s usually because they made an old concept new again. Strangely enough, my High School English teacher was right - there really are only three conflicts: man vs. man, man vs. nature and man vs. himself. Everything is just a variation on that concept and most of it’s been done. The genius of Cloverfield, produced by Hollywood’s new ‘it’ boy J.J Abrams, is at its core a monster movie, plain and simple. But he twists the presentation, making it a much more personal story than we’re used to, and throws in some state-of-the-art special effects, genuinely creepy set pieces and some amazing sound effects work (although you might have to amp up the geek quotient to really appreciate the last one). (more…)

**** out of *****

When I first heard that they were going to make an Iron Man movie, I was a bit skeptical. Let’s be honest - the character is no Batman or Superman, and I (unfairly) clumped the movie in with the purportedly upcoming Green Lantern, Wonder Woman and Aquaman movies - nice idea, but their characters have relatively small fan bases and seem a bit old fashioned for today’s movie-going audiences. But as time went on, I kept seeing and hearing things that kept me interested - could this possibly be a rare instance of a comic book movie taken seriously and treated with respect? Luckily, that’s a big 10-4, good buddy - Iron Man is true to its source material, perfectly cast, action-packed and great fun from start to finish. (more…)

If you charted the changes in the shipping and logistics industry, you’d likely end up with a graph full of dramatic spikes and deep valleys. In a business where great changes happen on a year-to-year or even month-to-month basis, staying afloat is a task that has seen many established companies succumb to forces beyond their control.

But a fine example of a company who has ridden out the storm time and time again is GAC. An early photo of the company’s humble beginnings in Kuwait contrasts greatly with the global shipping group as it exists today: a grainy black and white photo of a tiny shop house on a dusty street with the words “Gulf Agency Co” above the door. As it moves full steam ahead into the 21^st century, LM sat down with Johan Vermeiren, GAC Thailand’s Managing Director, to talk about the company’s changing value structure, employee training program, new logo and even his favorite beer. (more…)

Censorship in Thailand has a long and complicated history, with the powers that be resorting to everything from watered-down news reports to blurred nudity to outright denial, depending on the year and topic. Despite the 1932 introduction of democracy and its associated liberties, film freedom has largely been ignored. It’s hard to believe, but Thai films in 2008 are judged using guidelines that date back to 1930. (more…)

For decades, Bangkok’s Chinatown has been one of the most popular draws for tourists visiting Thailand’s bustling capital city. The sidewalks that line the traffic-clogged streets are crowded with vendors selling everything from live seafood to unidentifiable fruit to gold-paint Mandarin calligraphy on demand, and tiny streets (called sois in Thai) jut off at crazy angles every ten meters or so, disappearing into shadows, their exit points a total mystery. (more…)