Customer Reviews

Amazing Thailand

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I am Thai and I believe that this documentary (or travel diary) was made from the heart of someone who took extensive efforts to learn and assimilate another culture. At least it was the feeling that I got. Someone made an issue of Thai words being mis-pronounced. The pronounciation was not perfect, but I knew exactly what he was referring to. Getting the correct tone is difficult. However, I do not see it as bad pronounciation, but rather as a testimony to the extent that someone has taken to even pronounce it as good as it was pronounced given that the narrator was not a native Thai speaker. Good job and I wished that people would see the effort as opposed to trying to find imperfections in something so distant from the intent of the film. All world travelers will enjoy the personal approach. If you expected Hollywood, then this may not be for you. This is a film made from the heart for true-hearted travelers.

I have always wanted to go to Thailand and I bought this DVD in the hope of convincing my husband but I honestly think it had the opposite affect! If you are just planning to go to Bangkok than this DVD may be useful for you as about 2/3rds of the DVD is based on Bangkok. It also shows Chaing Mai but only really covers Thai cooking and massage classes and doesn't really show what there is to do there.
I got my hopes up when the DVD moves to the South of Thailand and the islands (the area I am most interested in seeing) but it actually only spent about 7 or 8 minutes on this!
I was considering putting my copy back on to sell but I don't think it is very fair to make anyone else suffer through it!
I have found the Insight Guides (discovery channel) Thailand book much more interesting and useful and worth the money.

Summer 2006 planning a trip to Thailand we purchased several guidebooks and DVD's. While this DVD was more expensive than some others we purchased it was by far the best. Very informative with nice video segments. I agree with another reviewer that the thai words and titiles were spoken with a terrible accent however it was still an outstanding video. Well worth the price. Our Thailand vacation was an incredible trip. In addition to purchasing guidebooks I suggest reading Wikitravel Thailand on-line for extra travel information.

I would like to thank Mr. Polluck for his review of my film, Amazing Thailand. I appreciate the fact that he gave the film three stars.

He pointed out in his review that I mispronounced several Thai names and misidentified a location in Pattaya. In response, there are many ways to pronounce Thai words and I have never heard a Westerner pronounce ANY Thai word the exact same way the Thai's do. I have learned in my ten visits to Thailand that simply making an effort to correctly pronounce the word will put a smile on the face of any Thai.

As for the Walking Street issue, I acknowledge and apologize for this small error. If you look close enough, you will find mistakes in any film, book or article.

Anyway, thanks for reviewing the film and happy traveling!

Mike Shiley,
Director and Producer
Amazing Thailand

I was highly disappointed by this documentary.
I am more of a backpacker, so I found this documentary lacking a lot of content.
He even dedicates a full minute to talk about how he dropped his camera into the river at the floating market.

At the beginning there is a basic description about the culture and religions. Useful information: he claims 95% of population in Thailand is buddhist, but there is also a considerable amount of population that practice Hinduism. When you go, do not touch the monks and, if you go to a buddhist ceremony, make sure to cover your arms and legs (out of respect).

Other than that he mentions places that can easily be found in the Lonely Planet guide.

Why pay first rate for a fourth rate production? The video is largely overexposed, and the Thailand that you get to see is basically one trip taken by one person. So, if HE didn't happen to film it on THIS trip, it won't be there. And, of course, no aerial or underwater shots...they take money and talent. A better title would be "How I Spent Your Money Taking A Trip in Some Small Part of Thailand."

Amazing Thailand is a pretty good resource. We have planned a trip to Tailand and it was useful in deciding where to spend our time.

I liked the video footage of Thailand. If you love the LOS, then you'll likely enjoy this. The narration is horrible, mispronouncing every thai word, but again the video footage is good. If this person has really been to Thailand 7 times like he or the narrator anyway states, why is every thai word totally mispronounced. Also the mention of Walking Street as being just a motorcycle ride away in Bangkok, is totally wrong. Walking Street is a couple of hours away in Pattaya. Anyway, I love seeing anything thai, so I did enjoy it.