bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Clarence Tsui

Paul Fonoroff

Richard James Havis

New Releases
A Better Tomorrow (IIB) (Korean)
See review on this page.  
Hereafter (IIB)
See review on next page.  
Villain (IIB) (Japanese)
Korean-Japanese director Lee Sang-il's  adaptation of Japanese novelist Yoshida Suichi's  love story about a woman (Eri Fukatsu)  who chooses to run away with a murderer. CT
Bangkok Traffic Love Story (IIA) (Thai)
Romantic comedy set in Bangkok revolving around a 30-year-old woman struggling to find true love and her relationship with a handsome engineer working on the city's Skytrain system. Adisorn Trisirikasem  directs. CT
High Lane (IIB) (French)
Action thriller about a group of friends whose mountain climbing holiday turns out to be more perilous than they expect. Fanny Valette stars. Not reviewed.
Bestseller (IIB) (Korean)
Psychological thriller about a prolific author (Eom Jeong-hwa)  who attempts to make a comeback after being accused of plagiarism. Not reviewed.
General Releases
Beloved Berlin Wall (IIA) (German)
Peter Timm directs and writes a romantic comedy set in 1989 about an East German border guard who falls in love with a West German woman who moves into a flat next to his watchtower at the Berlin Wall. Felicitas Woll, Maxim Mehmet and Anna Fischer star. CT  
The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest (IIB) (Swedish)
Film adaptation of the third instalment of Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy sees Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace)  accused of a triple murder and under threat from powerful forces. Also starring Michael Nyqvist. Not reviewed.
Gulliver's Travels (I) 
Jack Black stars as a lowly slacker transformed into a celebrity when he inadvertently ends up in Lilliput, a land  populated by much smaller people. Rob Letterman directs. CT
 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I (IIA) 
The young sorcerers' lives take a dark turn in their attempt to seek and destroy the items which provide evil Lord Voldemort with power and everlasting life. Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint star. David Yates directs. RJH
If You are the One 2 (I) (Putonghua)
Ge You and Shu Qi star in Feng Xiaogang's dramatic comedy sequel set two years after a couple met and fell in love. PF
Karigurashi no Arrietty (I) (Japanese and Cantonese versions)
Produced by Hayao Miyazaki's Studio Ghibli, Hiromasa Yonebayashi's directorial debut is based on Mary Norton's  novel The Borrowers, in which miniature-sized people, living under floorboards in homes, lead a parallel existence with their human counterparts.   CT
The Kids are All Right (III)
Part comic, part dramatic portrait about a family headed by a pair of lesbians (Julianne Moore and Annette Bening)  whose two children - conceived by artificial insemination - seek to bring their birth father (Mark Ruffalo) into their lives. Lisa Cholodenko directs.   CT
Let the Bullets Fly (IIB) (Putonghua)
Jiang Wen stars in and directs a Chinese western revolving around a bandit  masquerading as a new county governor who goes up against a lawless town's main bad guy. Also starring Chow Yun-fat,  Ge You  and Carina Lau Kar-ling. CT
Love and Other Drugs (IIB)
Based on the autobiography of a Viagra-peddling pharmaceutical sales executive, Ed Zwick's  film revolves around the shaky relationship between a cynical  Pfizer employee (Jake Gyllenhaal)  and a young woman afflicted with Parkinson's disease (Anne Hathaway). CT 
Lover's Discourse (IIA) (Cantonese and Putonghua)
Directorial debutants Derek Tsang Kwok-cheung and Jimmy Wan Chi-man's look at four relationships in various states of decay. Eason Chan Yik-shun, Karena Lam Ka-yan, Mavis Fan Xiao-xuan, Kay Tse On-kei and Jacky Heung Cho star. PF
Marriage with a Liar (IIB) (Cantonese)
Chrissie Chau Sau-na and Law Chung-him  star as a young couple who decide to experiment with infidelity after having an argument three days before their wedding. Yip Lim-sum directs. CT  
Megamind (I) (English and Cantonese versions)
Stereoscopic animated feature about an alien who conquers the world but gradually loses his taste for villainy. Features the voices of Will Ferrell and Tina Fey for the English version, and Jan Lamb Hoi-fung  for the Cantonese version. LKW 
Norwegian Wood (IIB) (Japanese)
French-Vietnamese director Tran Anh Hung  tackles Japanese writer Haruki Murakami's best-known novel, a story set in the 1960s about three twenty-somethings whose emotional entanglements are heightened by the social turmoil of their radicalised times. CT
The Road Less Travelled (IIA) (Cantonese and Putonghua)
Poignant drama played out on a Hong Kong-Guangzhou expressway revolving around a Hong Kong truck driver (Louis Koo Tin-lok)  and a mainland woman (Huang Yi) running a roadside diner in Guangzhou with her husband. Karen Mok Man-wai also stars.  LKW 
The Social Network (IIB)
A dramatised version of how university student Mark Zuckerberg invented Facebook. Jesse Eisenberg  stars. David Fincher directs. CT
Take Off (IIA) (Korean and English) 
South Korean film about a coach's tortuous attempt to ready his ski-jump team for the upcoming Winter Olympics. Kim Yong-hwa directs. CT
The Tourist (IIA) (English, French and Italian) 
Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie star in an action thriller about an American tourist on a trip to Europe  whose  romantic relationship with a stranger leads to a web of intrigue  and danger. CT 
Tron: Legacy (IIA)
A reboot of the landmark 1982 film, with Garrett Hedlund  playing a 27-year-old who finds himself sucked into a virtual universe in which his long-disappeared father (Jeff Bridges) has spent the past 20 years. Olivia Wilde  also stars. Joseph Kosinski directs. CT 
Art House
Under the Sea
Omnimax show about coral reef creatures and the impact of global climate change on them and their underwater environment. English shows Sat-Sun, 8.30pm; otherwise in Cantonese. Narrations in Cantonese, Putonghua, English and Japanese are also available through headphones. Daily (except Tue), 1.30pm, 5pm, 8.30pm, Space Museum, 10 Salisbury Rd, TST, HK$24, HK$32 Urbtix. Inquiries: 2721 0226. Ends Feb 28    
Arabia: In Search of the Golden Ages
Omnimax show about the Arabian peninsula - home to millennia-old civilisations that have thrived in some of the world's harshest conditions. English shows Mon, Thu, 7.20pm; otherwise in Cantonese. Narrations in Cantonese, Putonghua, English and Japanese are also available through headphones. Daily (except Tue), 3.50pm, 7.20pm, also Sat-Sun, 12.20pm, Space Museum, 10 Salisbury Rd, TST, HK$24, HK$32 Urbtix. Inquiries: 2721 0226. Ends April 30   
We are Astronomers
Sky show introducing the latest methods used by astronomers to explore the universe. English shows Wed, Fri, 6.10pm; otherwise in Cantonese. Narrations in Cantonese, Putonghua, English and Japanese are also available through headphones. Daily (except Tue), 2.40pm, 6.10pm, also Sun, 11.10am, Space Museum, 10 Salisbury Rd, TST, HK$24, HK$32 Urbtix. Inquiries: 2721 0226. Ends  Jun 30   
Morning Matinee
The Film Archive presents a programme of three Cantonese films from decades past starring Patricia Lam Fung (1940-1976), including the following film. Ends Jan 21. Film Archive, 50 Lei King Rd, Sai Wan Ho, HK$20 Urbtix. Inquiries: 2739 2139 
Two City Girls
Drama revolving around a pair of female urbanites with markedly different personalities - one of whose younger brother is the boyfriend of the other. Starring Ting Ying and Patricia Lam Fung. In Cantonese. Jan 21, 11am, Film Archive.
Israeli Film Festival 2011
The Leisure and Cultural Services Department and Consulate General of Israel present a programme of eight Israeli films, including the following five. Until Jan 23. Film Archive, 50 Lei King Rd, Sai Wan Ho; Science Museum, 2 Science Museum Rd, TST East; and Space Museum, 10 Salisbury Rd, TST, HK$40 Urbtix. Inquiries: 2734 2900
The Assassin Next Door
Actioner revolving around a Russian female assassin (Olga Kurylenko) who befriends her neighbour, a supermarket clerk (Ninette Tayeb) who longs to break free from her abusive husband. In Hebrew and Russian with Chinese and English subtitles. Jan 21, 7.30pm,  Film Archive. 
The Debt
Thriller about three Mossad agents hailed as heroes for apprehending a notorious Nazi doctor who was thought to have committed suicide after the second world war. Stars Gila Almagor, Neta Garty and Yehezkel Lazarov. In Hebrew and German with Chinese and English subtitles. Jan 22, 5.30pm,  Space Museum. 
Eli & Ben
Drama about a schoolboy who has to face the possibility that his architect father is morally fallible after the police arrest  him  for bribery. In Hebrew with Chinese and English subtitles. Jan 22, 8pm, Space Museum.
Out of Sight
Daniel Syrkin's  mystery drama about a blind Princeton University PhD student (Tali Sharon) who returns to Israel  in a bid to discover why  her beloved cousin decided to commit suicide. In Hebrew with Chinese and English subtitles. Jan 23, 5pm, Science Museum. 
Five Hours from Paris
Romantic drama about a  divorced taxi driver who wants to go to Paris and whose life has the potential to change for the better after he meets his son's choir master. In Hebrew and Russian with Chinese and English subtitles. Jan 23, 7.30pm, Science Museum. 
Royal Opera House Ballet  and Opera
MCL presents a programme of four shows featuring performances by Britain's Royal Ballet and Royal Opera, including the following three. Until Jan 30. MCL JP Cinema, JP Plaza, 22-36 Paterson St, Causeway Bay; MCL Kornhill Cinema, 4/F, Kornhill Plaza South, 2 Kornhill Road, Quarry Bay; MCL Telford Cinema, Telford Gardens, 33 Wai Yip St, Kowloon Bay; and The Grand Cinema, The Grand Cinema, 2/F Elements, 1 Austin Rd West, Kowloon, HK$120, HK$150 mclcinema.com. Inquiries: 2418 8841
La Traviata
Richard Eyre directs and Antonio Pappano conducts the Royal Opera performing Giuseppe Verdi's opera about a  courtesan whose romantic relationship with a man named Alfredo threatens to bring scandal upon  his family.  Starring Renee Fleming and Joseph Calleja. In Italian with English subtitles. Jan 22, 29, 7pm, Jan 23, 2pm, The Grand Cinema.
La Boheme
John Copley directs and Andris Nelson conducts the Royal Opera performing Giacomo Puccini's romantic opera about a Parisian poet who falls for his seamstress neighbour.  In Italian with English subtitles. Jan 22, 7.30pm, MCL Kornhill Cinema, Jan 23, 3.30pm, MCL Telford Cinema, Jan 29-30, 7.30pm, MCL JP Cinema.
Swan Lake
Boris Gruzin directs the Royal Ballet performing the romantic ballet about a prince who falls in love with the Swan Queen; with music performed by the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House. Jan 28, 7.30pm,  MCL Kornhill.
Classical in Cinema
iMagine presents a HD programme of classical music concerts and operas, including the following four. Until Jan 2012. AMC Festival Walk, U/G Level, Festival Walk, 80 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon Tong; AMC Pacific Place, L1 Pacific Place, 88 Queensway Rd, Admiralty; Broadway The One, Broadway The One,  6-11/F, The One, 100 Nathan Rd, TST;  and Palace IFC, Podium Level 1, IFC Mall,  8 Finance St, Central, HK$75-HK$120 www.amccinemas.com.hk and www2.cinema.com.hk. Inquiries: 6336 3595
Aida
Iano Tamar and Tatiana Serjan  star in a production of Giuseppe Verdi's opera about an Ethiopian princess bought into slavery in Egypt who becomes torn between her family and an Egyptian general she loves. The show was set against the backdrop of Switzerland's Lake Constance at the Bregenz Festival.  In Italian with Chinese and English subtitles. Jan 22, 5pm, Feb 12, 5.20pm, Broadway The One, Jan 29, 5pm, Feb 13, 5.20pm, Palace IFC.
3 Stars in Vienna
Concert film in which Bertrand De Billy conducts soprano Anna Netrebko, tenors Placido Domingo and Rolando Villazon and the Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien performing works by Jules Massenet, Giacomo Puccini  and others. Jan 23, noon, Palace IFC, Jan 29, noon, AMC Festival Walk.
Beethoven by Karajan
Concert film in which Herbert von Karajan conducts the Berlin Philharmonic performing Beethoven's Symphony No 7 in A Major and Symphony No 9 in D Minor, Choral. Jan 23, 11.30am, Broadway The One, Jan 30, 11.30am, Palace IFC.
Cyrano de Bergerac
Placido Domingo stars in Franco Alfano's operatic adaptation of Edmond Rostand's play about a big-nosed man of many talents who falls for a beautiful woman but believes that his physical appearance will make it impossible for her to love him. In French with English subtitles. Jan 30, 5pm, AMC  Festival Walk. 
The Best from the  Archive Collection
The Film Archive presents a programme of 25 films that represent the best of its film collection to commemorate its 10th anniversary, including the following 13 films. Until Feb 27. Film Archive, 50 Lei King Rd, Sai Wan Ho, HK$30 Urbtix. Inquiries: 2734 2900
Garden of Repose 
Zhu Shilin's dramatic adaptation of of Ba Jin's novel about the corruption of modern Chinese values through the spoiled younger generation of two families. In Putonghua with Chinese and English subtitles. Jan 22, 2pm, Film Archive.
The Dream Encounter Between Emperor Wu of Han and Lady Wai
Tong Tik-sang's cinematic adaptation of his Cantonese opera about an emperor whose love for a concubine prompts his jealous empress to scheme to cause harm to the other woman. In Cantonese. Jan 22, 7pm, Feb 12, 7pm, Film Archive.
It Was a Cold Winter Night (aka Cold Night)
Lee Sun-fung's adaption of Ba Jin's Wintry Night about the troubled relationships involving a man, his wife and his mother during and after wartime. In Cantonese with Chinese and English subtitles. Jan 22, 9.15pm, Feb 11, 7.30pm, Film Archive.
The Song of Love
Dramatic adaptation of novelist Zhang Henshui's romantic tale of love between an aspiring painter and a songstress. Tso Kea directs. In Cantonese. Jan 23, 2pm, Feb 12, 4.30pm, Film Archive.
Motherhood
Tso Kea's melodramatic adaptation of Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen's Ghosts revolving around a fatherless man whose mother disapproves of the woman he falls for. In Cantonese. Jan 23, 4.30pm, Feb 26, 2pm, Film Archive.
The Story Between Hong Kong and Macau
Tso Kea's  romantic melodrama revolving around an unfortunate songstress who is struck by tragedy several times in her life. In Cantonese. Jan 23, 7.30pm, Feb 26, 4.15pm, Film Archive. 
Blood-stained Azaleas
Lee Sun-fung's melodrama about a rich widow (Pak Yin) who seduces and then tries to corrupt an upstanding young man. Ng Cho-fan co-stars and scripts. In Cantonese. Jan 29, 2pm, Feb 27, 9pm, Film Archive.
The Three Murderers
Lee Tit's detective mystery, loosely based on a Guangzhou murder case, about what occurs after a woman walks out on her  family for a bad man  and a life of crime. In Cantonese. Jan 29, 4.30pm, Feb 19, 2pm,  Film Archive.
Violet Girl
Chor Yuen  romance about the complications that ensue after a telephone operator (Lui Kay) working the nightshift agrees to a blind date with a mysterious woman. In Cantonese. Jan 29, 7pm, Feb 18, 7.30pm, Film Archive. 
The Strange Girl
Patsy Kar Ling stars in this drama about a beautiful woman whose relationship with her sister takes a turn for the worse after she develops psychological problems. Lui Kay co-stars, scripts and produces. In Cantonese. Jan 29, 9.15pm, Feb 27, 6.30pm, Film Archive.
Wine, Women and Money (aka Booze, Boobs and Bucks)
Grace Chang (aka Ge Lan) stars in a satire about what happens when a businessman attempting to save his crumbling company asks his wife to seduce an insurance manager. In Mandarin. Jan 30, 2pm,  Film Archive.
Wong Fei-hung: the Duel Against the Black Rascal 
Kwan Tak-hing stars in this kung fu actioner that is part of a long-running series about a legendary martial arts hero. Also starring Sek Kin and Kenneth Tsang Kong. In Cantonese. Jan 30, 4.15pm, Film Archive.
Story of a Discharged Prisoner (aka Upright Repenter) 
Sixties era-social drama about a safecracker (Patrick Tse Yin) who finds it hard to stay away from crime after his release from Stanley Prison. Patrick Lung Kong directs. In Cantonese with Chinese and English subtitles. Jan 30, 7pm, Feb 26, 9.15pm, Film Archive. 
Pina Bausch - From Stage to Silver Screen
The HK Arts Festival and Broadway Cinematheque present the following Festival Plus programme of seven films by and about the late German choreographer/dancer, Pina Bausch. Until Jan 23. Palace IFC, Podium Level 1, IFC Mall, 8 Finance St, Central, HK$75 www2.cinema.com.hk. Inquiries: 2388 6268
The Plaint of the Empress
Pina Bausch directs a film without a formal narrative that, instead, is a collage of changing seasons and moods reflecting the futility of human activity and the perpetual search for love. Some German dialogue. Jan 22, 3.20pm, Palace IFC. 
Kontakthof with Ladies and Gentlemen over 65
Pina Bausch's film revolving around a group of 25 senior citizens with no prior dance or performance experience enacting mating rituals and a jazz-and-tango-fuelled sexual frenzy. In German with English subtitles. Jan 22, 5.15pm, Palace IFC.
Waltz + Pina Bausch
Double bill consisting of: Pina Bausch's performance film version of one of her 'sunny period' dance pieces (with some English and German dialogue); and Anne Linsel's documentary profile of the late  choreographer (in German with English subtitles). Jan 22, 8pm, Palace IFC.
Cafe Mueller + Probe Sacr?(aka Rehearsing Space)
Double-bill comprising: Pina Bausch's work in which two different realms meet, the first existing within a dark magical place, the second within the 'normal' world (no dialogue); and Detlef Erler's film in which  Bausch rehearses a dance based on the music of Igor Stravinsky with Kyomi Ichida, a long-time member of her company (some German dialogue). Jan 23, 5.50pm, Palace IFC.
Bluebeard
Pina Bausch directs a dance theatre work that uses a wife-killer and his victim as a metaphor to portray the complex battle of the sexes. No dialogue. Jan 23, 7.45pm, Palace IFC.
Kick-Ass 
Matthew Vaughn's  adaptation of Mark Millar's ultra-violent comic features Aaron Johnson  and Chloe Grace Moretz  as young heroes who want to rid society of crime even though they don't have any special abilities. In English with Chinese subtitles. Jan 23, 11.50am, Broadway Cinematheque, Prosperous Garden, 3 Public Square St, Yau Ma Tei, HK$45 bc.cinema.com.hk. Inquiries: 2388 0002 (See Don't miss, below)
Morning Matinee (Chinese New Year Specials)
The Film Archive presents four comedies released in the 1960s and 1970s on the eve of the Lunar New Year, including the following one. Jan 28-Feb 25. HK Film Archive, 50 Lei King Rd, Sai Wan Ho, HK$20 Urbtix. Inquiries: 2739 2139
My Grandson
Fung Fung's family comedy about a man who, fearing his father's disapproval of his choice of bride, moves to the countryside and even resorts to faking madness in a bid to get away from the older man. Starring Patricia Lam Fung, Cheung Ying-choi, Leung Sing-po and Fung Bo-bo. In Cantonese. Jan 28, 11am, Film Archive.  
Those Were the Days
In commemoration of the 20th anniversary of German unification, the Goethe-Institut HK presents the German Film Forum programme of five films about particular periods in German history, including the following one. Until Mar 11. HK Film Archive, 50 Lei King Rd, Sai Wan Ho, HK$50 Urbtix. Inquiries: 2734 9009
Goodbye Lenin!
Wolfgang Becker's comedy about a man (Daniel Bruehl) who does what he can to prevent his loyal communist mother (Katrin Sass) from suffering a huge shock after she wakes up from a coma still thinking that there is an East Germany. In German with English subtitles. Jan 28, 8pm, Film Archive.



Film