Filmmaker Yongyooth Thongkongtoon made it his mission to see 'Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull'

I went to the Cannes Film Festival this year with two missions in mind. First, I wanted to see what foreign audiences thought about "4bia", the four-part horror anthology I co-directed, which was making its international premiere in the Cannes Film Market. As it turned out, the reaction was not different from Thai audiences at all: people screamed, closed their eyes and laughed.

My first mission completed, I was next determined to be among the first to see "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull", or "Indy 4" as I like to call it. It was not that simple as I had to ask my staff to keep their eyes glued on the computer screens to book a ticket for the world premiere. The demand was incredible. It was as if we were joining the very competitive bidding on eBay.

Nevertheless, I was lucky enough to be one of the first 2,400 fans at Cannes to welcome the return of Indy, 19 years after his last movie.

As we were seated in the hall waiting for the screening, some fans started singing the "Indiana Jones" theme song and many others including me followed suit. The Indy theme filled the air.

Indy vs Boonchu

I don't want to spoil the movie; instead I'd like to share the feeling I had after the show.

To me, 20 years is such a long time for any character to stay away, and it is even tougher for such a character to return. But fans are welcoming him back. It tells me that man must be a very nice man.

It reminds me of our cute Thai character Boonchu in "Boonchu Phoo-narak", a movie that has always in my mind.

As I left the Grand Theatre Lumiere along with a crowd busy discussing whether they liked this latest "Indy" or not, I hummed the Boonchu theme song by late legendary folk artist Jarun Manopetch.

Isn't it nice that I'm going to see my old friend again this year? After 20 years, I don't care if my friend Boonchu is not as good tempered as he used to be. It doesn't matter either if he put on or lost weight. I want to see him only because I miss him so much.

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Hollywood

>> Indiana Jones - Played by Harrison Ford

>> Character - Archaeologist, adventurer

>> Series directors  - George Lucas and Steven Spielberg

>> Debut - 1981 in "Raiders of the Lost Ark"

>> Last seen - 1989 in "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" (1992's TV series, "Young Indiana Jones Chronicles" doesn't really count - no Ford in it.)

>> New episode: "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull", the fourth film in the series. It opens in cinemas tomorrow.

Thailand

>> Boonchu - Played by Santisuk Promsiri

>> Character - The son of a rice-farming family in Suphan Buri who comes to Bangkok to attend Kasetsart University. He returns home to become a farmer and start a family.

>> Series director - Bhandit Rittakol

>> Debut - 1988 in "Boonchu Phoo-narak"

>> Last seen - 1995 in "Boonchu 8"

>> New episode: "Boonchu 9", due out on July 31. The previous six episodes are available on DVD (parts 3 and 4 were skipped as a marketing gimmick).