SuckSeed: Huay Khan Thep

This movie was simply A-Mazing. I'm usually not the kind of guy to watch teen comedies or that such, but this movie was so good, I had to write my first review for this film. What can I say, everything about it is great. This film really made me laugh out loud literally nearly every five minutes and the rest of the time, with a broad smile. Not only is it funny, but the story and acting are also executed perfectly. As the story gets more emotional near the end, it really shows us another side of the movie that really makes it great: the value true friendship and love. It may sound like a really corny film for a macho guy to watch but I guarantee you that you'll enjoy it if you're under 30. I think this film should receive more attention because nearly everyone thinks thai film makers only make horror and tony jaa films. No one would really expect such a movie coming from the same famous film production company that made those good horror movies.

I was given the chance to sit down and watch the 2011 Thai movie "SuckSeed", and of course I jumped at the offer, as I enjoy Asian cinema, and "SuckSeed" was a movie that I had never heard about prior to getting the chance to watch it.

Well, I must admit that "SuckSeed" fell quite short of my usual movie interest and utterly failed to entertain me. I managed to endure about an hour of the movie, then I just had to give up. Why? Well, because I didn't care an ounce about the storyline or the characters, nor were I at any point entertained by what transpired on the screen.

"SuckSeed" is definitely aimed at a younger audience, which I am not a part of. And whatever director Chayanop Boonprakob had on heart with this movie was something that just failed to captivate me.

I can definitely see how the movie would be interesting for a younger audience, no doubt about it. But I was not in that target audience.

It should be said that the movie was nicely produced and filmed, and I am sure that the actors and actresses in the movie were doing good jobs. But I hardly noticed, because the characters didn't matter one bit to me. In fact, all the male characters in the movie just seemed like one and the same to me.

I am rating "SuckSeed" a mere three out of ten stars, and this is not a movie that I have any intention of returning to finish at any given time. The movie was just a massive swing and a miss for my liking.

If you're wondering about the title of the movie, that's the name three high-school kids give to their band, in tacit acknowledgement of their actual musical abilities vis-à-vis their peers. But while their band may, for the lack of a better word, suck, rest assured that this high- school musical drama doesn't- in fact, it has plenty of spunk, loads of verve and infectious spirit to make it one of most original and lively Thai films we have ever seen.

First-time feature film director Chayanop Boonprakob is also the co- writer of the film, and he brings 'oomph' to what could otherwise have been a standard teenage drama about friendship, falling in love and getting the girl. Koong (Patchara Jirathiwat) and Ped (Jirayu La- ongmanee) are the two protagonists- the former confident and ostentatious, and the latter shy and reserved. But despite the differences in personality, Koong and Ped have been childhood friends and it is Ped whom Koong turns to one day to start a rock band and compete in the Hotwave Music Awards for high-school bands across the country.

His motivation is less than noble- Koong's twin-brother Kay is a talented guitarist in a rock band called The Arena and the object of affection of many high-school girls, so Koong decides to follow in Kay's footsteps partly to upstage him and partly to attract girls. The one they attract is their primary-school classmate- a sweet, charming girl called Earn (Natcha Nualjam)- whom Ped has had a crush on since they were young.

In fact, Boonprakob begins the film from their early childhood years when Earn lends the musically clueless Ped a cassette tape after their music class- a Loso song if you must know- that marks the start of Ped's feelings for Earn. Nonetheless, the older Ped is equally timid to admit his feelings to either Koong or Earn, and even more so when Koong declares that he likes Earn. And like any such teenage rom-coms, you can probably guess that Ped and Koong's affections for the same girl will turn their bond of friendship sour.

Still, Boonprakob and his four other writers boldly take liberties with formula by getting Koong to pluck up his courage to tell Earn his feelings halfway through the movie, such that Earn will leave their band even before they start competing to join The Arena. Just as well, Boonprakob doesn't miraculously turn Ped, Koong and their drummer Ex (Thawat Pornrattanaprasert)'s band into some kick-ass team by the end of the movie- rather, the trio pretty much remain true to the name of their band, which is coincidentally the title of their self-composed song too.

Sure the movie celebrates the underdog spirit, but kudos to the scriptwriters for keeping their film real and not resorting to a happily-ever-after ending in order for the band to go from zero to hero. Rather, the make-believe embellishments come in the form of music-video interludes featuring popular Thai rockstars- Pu Blackhead, Big Ass, Paradox, So Cool and Bodyslam. Some of these references will likely be lost on a non-local audience, but these vignettes are nonetheless colourful and entertaining.

A lot of the movie's raw charm also rests on the chemistry of the young cast. Jirathiwat does go over-the-top quite often, but he nails most of the funny lines and the setups well. La-ongmanee gives a pleasantly sensitive performance as Ped, especially in portraying his character's suppressed affections for Earn. But the scene-stealer here is newcomer Nualjam- the daughter of veteran Thai blues axeman Laem Morrison has a natural unaffected charm and awesome musical talent on the guitar.

Contrary to what its premise may suggest, this is more than just a teenage drama for the high-school crowd. Indeed, it celebrates the best and the worst of adolescent years- standing out, fitting in, falling in love, and most of all, holding on to our dearest friendships- with such exuberance and empathy that you can't quite help but be moved and stirred by it. Add to that some infectious rock tunes, and this is one high-spirited celebration of being the best you can be- even if you may suck!

• www.moviexclusive.com

This movie tell abput friendship, have a good plot and really funny to watch. I laughed a lot at this movie and at the same time I also cried

The Thai production house GTH was probably synonymous with the horror genre, until last year's romantic drama and surprise hit Hello Stranger made one sit up and take notice that they too are capable of churning out hits outside of their established genre. SuckSeed just proved once again that they are as comfortable as the Japanese in taking the zero to hero formula and coming up with an awesome coming of age tale of a group of students trying to make it to the finals of their high school rock band contest, and comes complete with the requisite love story, comedic antics and plenty of rock music to make up the soundtrack.

Directed by first time helmer Chayanop Boonprakob, SuckSeed tells the story of good friends Ped (Jirayu Laongmanee) and Koong (Pachara Chirathivat), opposites in character with the former being the shy boy nursing an infatuation toward fellow classmate Ern (Nattasha Nauljam), and the latter being the daring buddy with the slightest of attention spans, having to dabble in plenty of hobbies but never settling for any, until his envy of his twin brother Kay's success with his band Arena made him want to start his own, besides the notion of assuming that being in a band will mean being an automatic chick magnet. Roping in basketballer turned drummer Ex (Thawat Pornrattanaprasert), the trio obviously don't have the talent necessary to entertain nor perform, but that doesn't mean that they're giving up in true blue zero to eventual hero formula, willing to even parody themselves by calling their band SuckSeed, where first you have to suck, before success will come. After all, once you hit rock bottom, the only way is up, no?

And this is the surprise package that delivered where it mattered, be it the musical numbers, thanks to real life Thai bands and/or their frontman making cameo appearances (one of my favourite Thai songs came on as the first, how cool is that?), the more dramatic moments or the comedy where the actors, mostly first timers as well, will put some veterans to shame with their exuberance. While the story was written by a host of writers, it didn't fall prey to the too many cooks spoiling the broth syndrome, where the end product would turn out to be rather scattered and piece meal. Rather, SuckSeed proved to the contrary, with the ensemble cast playing (pardon the pun) their hearts out in their roles.

One may think of it as being quite generic at times, with subplots like unrequited love, teenage romance, sibling rivalry and the likes that pepper movies featuring teenage characters, but the delivery of its charismatic leads here more than make up for it, especially between Jirayu Laongmanee and Pachara Chirathivat as best buddies, and that between the former and Nattasha Nauljam in their romantic angle. Chayanop Boonprakob also utilizes different techniques to keep things varied and interesting, where animation also came into play more than once to spice things up in style especially in its manga inspired moments when dealing with introducing of band members, or even the rebirth of SuckSeed in phoenix style where it rose out of its ashes after two members got burnt by their failure to snag the girls they fancy, and decide to pour their energies into making their band a success. Or not.

Like Japan's Beck this year which also had the formation of a band as its premise and the focus on the relationships between band members, SuckSeed is the Thai equivalent, and powers its way into one of my favourites this year. It's a complete film as much as emotions go in its roller coaster ride, where friendship, romance, comedy and rock all fuse together in synergy to bring forth a crowd pleaser. Highly recommended and an inspiration to those who suck - I Need You! Want You! Love You!