Showing now is the original Netflix “House of Cards”, a political thriller about the destructive power behind the White House, which wrapped after 6 seasons. The show was the first original online series to receive nominations from Primetime Emmy Awards in 2013, and has since received 53 Emmy nominations to date. Even if you are not a fan of politics, you’ll enjoy the drama, fall in love with Claire Underwood’s costumes and be enthralled by several excellent plot twists!

Also streaming is the first original Netflix series from South Korea, “Kingdom”, which admittedly is about zombies but also has a linear political plot.

The British series “Bodyguard” is a thrilling drama focusing on a war veteran David Budd (Richard Madden) who is assigned as a private security specialist to protect a Conservative Home Secretary Julia Montague (Keeley Hawes). Both are initially at odds as David is forced to choose between responsibility and self-belief, but eventually the relationship crosses over from a cautious professional alliance into a personal tryst. Responsible for her safety, will Budd turn into her biggest threat?

How will the world’s greatest country survive if the President and all the senators were assassinated? “Designated Survivor” may provide the answer. Tom Kirkman (Kiefer Sutherland), a former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, is named as a designated survivor after an incident destroys the United States Capitol building and claims the President’s life. How will Kirkman hold on to his new position through the bad times?

“Suits”, sets in a fictional law firm in New York, allows a sneak view of the other side of politics. The show begins when Harvey’s promotion requires him to recruit a graduate of Harvard Law. He chooses Mike Ross who accidentally shows up during an interview session. But Mike doesn’t actually have a law degree. Will Ross get caught?

“The Hunger Games”, a dystopian trilogy, is set in the fictional land of Panem, which is divided into 13 districts with Capital as its control centre. Ever since District 13 rebelled against Capital and was destroyed, the Hunger Games have been held every year as a punishment for the rebellion. The trilogy starts when Peeta and Katniss are selected to represent District 12 in the Hunger Games. The film stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth.

“Six Flying Dragons”, a South Korean historical series, combines imagination with the story of the foundation of the Joseon Dynasty in which six dragons battle for supreme control.

The last one is the action thriller “Homeland” which is now available on Netflix for the whole six seasons. Season 7 is currently in production. It’s told through the eyes of Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes), a CIA analyst who struggles with mental health and family issues while leading the global war against terrorism.

Actors Vivian Hsu, David Wang and James Wen, directors Eric Khoo and Billy Christian and executive producer, Cheang Pou-Soi were present to share insights about the upcoming productions, which in Thailand will be available on HBO’s online streaming platform, HBO GO and the on-demand service, HBO On Demand.

“Over the past 7 years, we have recognised the significance and importance of locally produced programming. Since 2012, the number of Asian original productions has been increasing and they have all proven to be very effective for us. We are encouraged to learn that our Asian productions are working well across the region, especially those in local languages,” said Jonathan Spink, chief executive of HBO Asia.

Series premiering soon on HBO Asia’s network of channels are “Dream Raider” – HBO Asia’s first science fiction drama series. The eight-episode hour-long series brings together production expertise from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan and features a cast and crew including actors Vivian Hsu, David Wang, Jason Wang, Weber Yang and Ellen Wu. Set in the near future, “Dream Raider” features a misfit team of scientists and cops that are trying to get to the bottom of a criminal conspiracy that exploits human consciousness. The series opens with a criminal police officer who is investigating a case of missing girls and uncovers a mysterious cutting-edge technology that enables them to enter the dreamscapes of others to find the truth. The series is produced with the support of the Taipei Film Commission and Taipei Cultural Foundation.

 “Food Lore” is an eight-episode hour-long anthology series that explores the human condition with narratives inspired by and showcased through the perspectives of Asian cuisines, weaving tales of the tastes and aromas that have filled the Asian souls – tales of longing and forbidden passion, of connection and loss, of childhood memory.

Helmed by award-winning Singaporean filmmaker Eric Khoo, the series is shot in eight countries across Asia and directed by some of Asia’s most talented storytellers including Don Aravind (Singapore), Billy Christian (Indonesia), Takumi Saitoh (Japan), Ho Yuhang (Malaysia), Erik Matti (Philippines), Pen-Ek Ratanaruang (Thailand) and Phan Dang Di (Vietnam).

“Food Lore” is produced as part of a two-year partnership with the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) in Singapore. Through a series of workshops and collaborations with local companies and talent on HBO Asia Original productions, the partnership aims to develop the content production capabilities of Singapore’s media industry.

“The Teenage Psychic” continues on from the success of the first season with the eight-episode hour-long second season. The coming-of-age Taiwan drama series returns with Kuo Shu Yau reprising her lead role as Xiao Zhen, a psychic born with the ability to see spirits and learning to use her abilities to help others. Starring alongside her will be new cast members including two-time Golden Bell Award-winning actress, Wen Chen-Ling and rising star, Fandy Fan. The new season sees Xiao Zhen back from her summer break and determined to have a fresh start at school, but life is not that simple, especially when she is still coming to terms with the loss of the love of her life. Things get even more complicated with the arrival of Zhan Xiao Tong (played by Wen Chen-Ling ), a soft spoken yet resourceful new member of the drama club. Juggling the multiple pressures from school, the drama club and the demands of the spirit world, things are about to take a turn for the worse for the 17-year-old.

“The World Between Us” is a 10-part hour-long Taiwanese drama series that follows the aftermath of a mass-shooting where all parties involved – the killer, the victims, the victims’ families, the media and the defence teams, whose fates are all intertwined. Shot entirely in Taiwan, the series features an all-star ensemble cast from Taiwan including Alyssa Chia, James Wen and Wu Kang-Jen. The series is directed by award-winning filmmaker, Lin Chun-Yang and written by the Lu Shih-Yuan. The series is produced by Taiwanese broadcaster, Public Television Service (PTS), and will be jointly distributed by HBO Asia and Catchplay outside of Asia. “The World Between Us” premieres in Asia on Sunday, March 24 with two back-to-back episodes from 8pm onwards exclusively on HBO except in Taiwan where the series will be available on HBO, PTS and CATCHPLAY.

Two new episodes will debut at the same time every Sunday. The series will also be available on HBO GO via AIS Play and AIS Playbox.

 All visitors to the Grand Palace in Bangkok will have admired the murals that illustrate the 500 episodes of the Ramakien, the Thai version of the Ramayana. Yet few can claim to know the whole story of the epic. In textbooks it’s split into fragments and even khon (masked classical dance) performances tend to only to stick to one chapter at a time.

That’s all about to change thanks to the groundbreaking animation “Ramavatar : Murals Brought to Life”, which is being brought to selected theatres nationwide starting next month and at no charge to viewers.

Up until now, it has only been possible to visualise the whole story at Wat Phra Sri Rattana Satsadaram, aka Wat Phra Kaew or the Temple of the Emerald Buddha and while the murals stretch for more than two kilometres, it’s pretty well impossible to grasp the entire story in one visit.

Director Atipat guides deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Kreangam, centre, and the Culture Minister Veera Rojpojanarat around the exhibition.

Speaking at the animation’s premiere last week, deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam noted that the story is in every corner of Thai society yet hidden in plain sight. There are hundreds of Thai words we use in our daily lives that are from the Ramakien. Siam’s monarchs have always tried to tell the story, with King Phutthayotfa Julalok the Great, or Rama I, who made Rattanakosin the capital of Siam in 1782, presiding over a glorious renaissance of art and culture that would forever stand the test of time. The King commissioned court poets to author the epic “Ramakien”, proclaimed it the national play and had the Ramakien murals painted along the cloister walls surrounding the Temple of The Emerald Buddha.

“The great murals comprise 178 scenes telling the story from the beginning to the end, but few people have a chance to go through it frame by frame. The result is that they don’t know the whole story,” says Wissanu.

“This animation completes my dream to see the murals comes alive on screen. It brings the paintings on the wall to life,” he adds.

It’s taken more than a decade for culture buff and director Atipat Kamolpet to fulfil his dream. Twelve years ago, the director came up with the idea to bring the murals to the public in a multimedia format that blended khon with the artworks. Culture minister Vira Rojpojanarat –the ministry’s director-general at the time – set out to find funding to bring the project to life but it has still taken 12 years.

During that period, Atipat was granted funding to make the Dhammaraja episode in 2010 to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the accession to the throne of the late King Rama 9.

“The Ramakien is fun and its content relates more to our life than we realise. It crops up in everything from words, beliefs and entertainment. So I want to bring this to everyone,” Atipat says.

And so “Ramakien”, the play written by King Rama I, has become “Ramavatar: Murals Brought To Life”. Experts from various fields worked together, arranging for the mural images to be captured in gigapixel resolution for actual-sized representations. More than 1,000 important characters were photographed in detail. Character movements were based on khon dance poses. Special effects were added to enhance emotions and realism. A working group made up of the best minds in various disciplines finally succeeded in rejuvenating our national cultural heritage. The “Ramavatar” compiles hundreds of paintings from scenes 24 to 49 of the total 178 scenes at the Grand Palace.

“Ramavatar” picks up at the beginning of the story in heaven when the demon Nonthuk, who has been abused by the angels, is granted the powerful diamond index finger from Phra Isuan (Shiva). He uses the finger to kill masses of angels as he claims his revenge. Phra Isuan assigns Phra Narai to kill Nonthuk and so Nonthuk is reborn as the 10-faced and 20-handed giant Tosakant on Earth. Phra Narai is reborn as Phra Ram with a mission to take down all the demons including Totsakant. The conflict starts when Totsakant abducts Nang Sida (Sita), Phra Ram’s wife, and so Phra Ram starts a journey to the Kingdom of Lanka, along the way meeting the monkey chief Hanuman who helps him rescue Sida. The “Ramavatar” ends at the point when Phra Ram arrives in Lanka before a series of wars begin.

Kompin Kemgumnird, who directed the Thai animation blockbuster “Khan Kluay” and who is the animation supervisor on the project, says he and Atipat brainstormed on how far to go in the story and in what dimension but after developing it, decided to keep the power of the murals.

“I am glad to be involved in this project. After years working in animation, it is a good opportunity to learn our roots and make our animation work unique,” says Kompin.

And what better time to release the animation that this year, when Unesco has listed Thai khon as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity.

The entire project has cost Bt12 million, with all of it provided by the Culture Ministry.

Kompin adds that by using modern animation techniques, the team was able to keep the essence of the murals despite their flat dimension. They also studied khon to be able to properly adapt khon gestures to the animated movements.

“But even after we made the mural characters’ movement like khon, it still looked weird so we decided to keep the character of the murals as much as possible,” says Kompin.

Director Atipat Kamolpet, left, with producer Nonzee Nimibutr.

The murals at the Grand Palace have gone through massive restoration work every 50 years in the Rattanakosin Era, which is now is its 237th year. To date, the murals have been restored four times, the major work taking place for the 150th year anniversary back in 1932. The restorations, says the director, always involve a degree of new drawing and painting. When the restorers started work in 1932, the original painting was so badly damaged that it had to be recreated. The new version is different in style with the characters given more muscle and an anatomy obviously influenced by the western art of fresco painting. In many ways, this made the gestures similar to khon movements.

“Producing the animation was inspiring. The production bridges two generations as we brought in khon artists to teach the animation team the postures,” says Atipat.

“The murals are a unique national treasure with their own identity and I wanted to keep it that way on screen. Obviously that comes with a price –it doesn’t look real and complete like the animation we are used to today. The audience should be open-mined in watching this film and allow themselves to be embraced by the beauty of our treasure.

Acclaimed movie director Nonzee Nimibutr, who is the producer, says that the animation attempts to entertain the audience and inspire the younger generation to learn more about the mural paintings.

The animation opts to use the Thai version of characters’ names, for example Phra Isuan instead of Shiva, Nang Sida instead of Sita and Phra Ram instead of Rama.

“It makes sense to do that as it is based on the Thai mural paintings,” says the director.

Largely narrated, the animation has little dialogue, though the major characters do speak. Actor David Asavanond is cast as the giant demon Tosakant.

“I’ve loved the Ramakien since I was young so I am very glad to join the project. I like the concept in the fight between good and evil. However, I am impressed by the role of Hanuman and the way that the universe is his playground,” says the actor.

As the mural painting has a flat perspective, the team has worked hard to match the details to the script, completing it by using technology and visual effects.

“When we look at the mural, we have a bird’s eye view so I shifted to eye level on the movie screen. From there we worked at giving the picture greater depth and adding colour and tone to show the beauty of the mural,” says the director.

Atipat is planning to produce two more parts to complete the story of Ramakien but is still struggling to find the funding. In the meantime, he is also working to get more sponsorship to allow him to take the animation to a wider audience.

“Ravavatar” will be shown nationwide starting over the Songkran holiday and will also show in Jakarta, Indonesia on April 24 and at Yogyakarta on April 25 when Thailand becomes the chair of Asean.

BOX

On a screen near you

“Ramavatar : Murals Brought to Life”, will be screened at 2.30 and 4pm as follows:

April 13-14 at SF World Cinema at Central World

April 17-18 at SFX Cinema Central Khon Kaen

April 20-21 at SFX Cinema Maya Chiang Mai

May 4-5 at SFX Cinema, Central Festival Pattaya Beach

May 11-12 at SF Cinema Central Plaza Surat Thani

In the meantime, viewers can enjoy an interactive character introduction using the QR Code, which can be scanned through Line or QR Code Reader applications.

For more information and reservations, visit Facebook.com/ramaavatar.animation/.

 The hotly anticipated final season of award-winning comedy series “Veep” and “Barry” Season 2 debut on April 1, on HBO and HBO GO via AIS PLAY and PLAYBOX.

The HBO Documentary “The Inventor: Out For Blood In Silicon Valley” shows on March 19 and HBO Film’s presentation of “Native Son” on April 7, exclusively on HBO GO. All the above titles premiere in Asia at the same time as the US.

“The Inventor: Out For Blood In Silicon Valley” examines the rise and fall of Elizabeth Holmes and her multibillion-dollar healthcare technology company. Academy award-winning Director Alex Gibney (HBO’s Emmy-winning “Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief”) delves into the riveting tale of how Theranos CEO Holmes set out to change the world and ended up committing a massive medical fraud, a classic example of how truth is more dramatic than fiction. The documentary screens on March 19 at 8am..

“Veep” stars Emmy and Screen Actors Guild Award winner Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Selina Meyer, who is hitting the campaign trail as she runs for president hoping to regain the highest office in the land, despite the scandals and blunders that have followed her and her staff for years. New episodes debut on Mondays also at 9.30am with repeats at 10.30pm the same day.

Bill Hader and Henry Winkler reprise their Emmy-winning roles in “Barry” returning for its eight-episode second season also on April 1, same time as the US at 9am, with a same day encore at 10pm. Created and executive produced by Hader and Alec Berg, the dark comedy series showcases the life of a depressed war vet-turned-hitman who finds passion and romance in a local acting class while on a job in LA.

“Native Son”, based on Richard Wright’s seminal novel of the same name, debuting the same time as the US on Sunday April 7 at 9am exclusively on HBO GO. The film will also be available on HBO on Wednesday 10 April at 10.15pm.

The modern reimagining of Wright’s 1930’s-set coming-of-age drama follows Bigger Thomas, a young African-American man who takes a job working for a highly influential Chicago family — a decision that changes the course of his life. Directed by first-time director and renowned visual artist Rashid Johnson from a screenplay by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks (“Topdog/Underdog”), the drama had its world premiere in January at the Sundance Film Festival.

It’s been almost 10 years in the making and has seen countless actors associated with the cast but the military action thriller “Triple Frontier” has finally made it to the screen and once again, the credit goes to Netflix.

The project was first touted by former journalist Mark Boal, who wrote and produced the Oscar-winning movie “Zero Dark Thirty” directed by Kathryn Bigelow back in 2010, and originally had Tom Hanks and Johnny Depp in the lead roles.

Nine years later, a tighter tale of five friends, all military veterans, reuniting to rob a South American drug lord for their personal profit, has emerged and is now streaming on Netflix after a short run in selected US theatres earlier this month.

The latest Netflix movie “Triple Frontier” stars, from left, Ben Affleck, Oscar Isaac, Charlie Hunnam, Garrett Hedlund and Pedro Pascal as a group of ex-soldiers who reunite to rob a drug lord in South America.

Producer Chuck Roven was in Singapore last weekend along with actors Ben Affleck, Charlie Hunnam, Garrett Hedlund to promote the film. He explained how it was developed a decade ago at Paramount Film Studios but ran into difficulties until it was picked up by Netflix and handed to director JC Chandor, who also collaborated on the script with Boal.

British actor Hunnam, 38, told the press that the evolving incarnations of this film didn’t diminish its attraction, at least for him.

“We were really excited when the Netflix project landed on our desks. We knew that a film co-written and made by a director of JC’s calibre would be original and exciting but also substantial in terms of the themes it was dealing with,” says the actor who has appeared in “Pacific Rim” and the TV series “Sons of Anarchy” and took the title role in Guy Ritchie’s “King Arthur: Legend of the Sword”.

Affleck concurred, adding that any project that’s been around for that long obviously had something worthwhile otherwise no one would keep coming back to it and trying to get it made.

Isaac plays Santiago “The Pope”, who discovers the whereabouts of the hidden money and persuades his fellow special forces team to steal it.

“When a movie falls out of favour or is not conceived, people walk away and no one ever talks about it again. This one kept coming back up because at its roots is a story about soldiers who do come home and face very difficult challenges,” the 46-year-old actor said.

The story focuses on Santiago “The Pope” (Oscar Isaac), whose working as a security contractor in South America. After learning that a drug lord keeps a massive amount of money stashed away in a secluded jungle location, he starts planning the heist. He reconnects with his former Special Ops team and convinces them to join him in stealing the loot. Tom “Redfly” Davis (Affleck) is a divorced dad and a failed property salesman, William (Charlie Hunnam) is managing his brother Ben (Garrett Hedlund) on the MMA circuit, and Francisco “Catfish” (Pedro Pascal) is a new father who has been busted on a drug charge. Now out of the army and struggling to pay their bills, they readily agree.

“You’ve been shot five times for your country and you can’t afford a new truck,” Santiago tells Tom to convince him to join the mission.

It is important to note, however, that “Triple Frontier” is neither a psychological drama on PTSD soldiers nor an action heist. Rather, it mixes in heist drama with camaraderie in a storyline that doesn’t focus on high-octane action. And the stunning scenery from the locations in Hawaii, Colombia and California ensures the movie is never boring.

Struggling in civilian life after coming out of the military, the special force soldiers embark on the mission that doesn’t go as planned.

The title comes from the notorious border zone between Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil and has been kept even though the story has changed.

Prior to the start of shooting, the cast attended a workshop with former special force members who shared both their fighting skills and their civilian life experience and thoughts after demobilising.

Hunnam adds that they also served as onset military advisers.

“It was an amazing resource. On the set, these military advisors were always watching but very rarely came and told us how we should have played a scene. But there is a moment in the film where I sustain an injury. And of course because of the Hollywood dynamic, it was way overacted,” says Hunnam. “They came over and told me about a couple of their reallife experiences involving massive injuries and told me that I needed to hold it together. It was amazing to get that sort of insight in real time and make sure we depicted situations correctly.”

Hedlund, who has played a soldier in six of his eight films, learned both from the special force team and his personal experience – he comes from a military family.

Director JC Chandor, second right, on the set with actors Isaac, centre, and Hunnam, second right.

And although the story focuses on a group of exsoldiers, Affleck says “Triple Frontier” is not so much a male story but rooted in the factual truth that in the Special Forces, men make up the majority.

Asked whether the film portrays toxic masculinity, Affleck says that it reflects the hard truth that 95 per cent of the people pointing guns at each other or killing each other are men. “That is simply true. This kind of violence is perpetrated by men, on men. Of course women are victims of violence as well, but this way of solving problems through violence is endemic to men,” he says.

“So it’s natural to tell a story about men. There’s no real emphasis on hierarchy or being tougher than other people. It helped me understand that true strength comes through compassion, empathy, teamwork and camaraderie.”

Hunnam also believes that “Triple Frontier” is not a film that celebrates “toxic masculinity”.

“It’s a specific story about specific people. The reality is that the special forces are dominated by men. It is slowly changing I think there are a couple of female Navy SEALS, Rangers and DELTA… We certainly explored the question of whether or not the mission would have unravelled in quite the way it did if there had been more gender equality and we had a woman’s point of view in there,” he explains.

Affleck, who was in the spotlight last year after going into rehabilitation for alcoholism, was also asked about his career and why he hops between independent and blockbuster projects.

“People are trying to make movies that are interesting in multiple ways just like it used to be in the 1990s and early 2000s. I started out with “Chasing Amy” and “Armageddon” and then did “Shakespeare in Love”. I have tried to fuse the sensibilities of popularity and artistic in my career. Some are successes, others major flops and that makes it an interesting challenge,” says the two-time Academy Award winner.

Asked about the futility of fame, Affleck says: “You accomplish something and people get to know about that, but if you’re an actor whether in films, on TV or, these days, on a streaming platform, you kind of become a star in your own reality show. You’re not writing, you’re not directing and you have very little control over things that you don’t necessarily want to participate in,”

Hunnam adds: “I would say almost everything about being famous is somewhat futile and irrelevant. Fame should be the perfume of great deeds. I’ve been in this business for 20 years and it seems the defining characteristic for real success in this business is the desire to be a storyteller with purity and authenticity.

“Success in this business is predicated on wanting to do as good a job as you can and being compelled to tell stories. Those that come in coveting fame and money and all the trappings tend to crash and burn really quickly.”

Hunnam adds that acting is a difficult job and makes for a difficult and uncertain career. “Obviously you can’t compare it to being a Special Ops member, a rocket scientist or a brain surgeon but it is a fairly difficult job and it’s fairly difficult to sustain. People sometimes ask me for advice, which I find preposterous. I tell them to look into their heart. I tell them, ‘if you need to do this, if your life won’t be fulfilled without doing this, then do it but you will have to dedicate everything to work and be prepared to make sacrifices and face hardships. And if you’re successful, then you have to keep moving forward and to keep going to work.”