With much discussion sparked by Chief Secretary Henry Tang Ying-yen's remarks about young people leaning towards insurgency, the screening of Kick-Ass couldn't be more timely.

Just like the youthful activists who came out in force during the past year to protest against the government's political reform package and the high-speed rail link project, the protagonists of Matthew Vaughn's fantasy film are disenfranchised teenagers who feel they must resort to brute force to challenge the oppression and corruption they perceive to be eating away at society. Hilariously politically incorrect and unremittingly confrontational, Kick-Ass isn't pretty and it isn't for the faint-hearted - the critical jury is still out on the moral implications of 11-year-old actor Chloe Moretz spitting swear words in her role as Hit Girl - but the film does reflect a logical next step in popular culture's growing scepticism about world-saving ubermensch. Bond, Bourne and Batman are all seen as flawed individuals struggling with their inner demons.

So here comes Kick-Ass (played by Aaron Johnson, left with Moretz), a nondescript young man who dresses up in a green costume and tries to take on the evils of the world. Jan 23, 11.50am, Broadway Cinematheque. Clarence Tsui