Film
New Releases
Toast (IIA)
See review on this page.
Love You You (IIA) (Putonghua)
See review on this page.
Friends with Benefits (IIB)
Romantic comedy about two people (Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis) who wish to have sex with each other but remain buddies. Not reviewed.
Mural (IIA) (Putonghua)
Gordon Chan Kar-seung's period fairy-tale romance revolving around a young scholar who falls for a resident of the Land of Ten Thousand Blossoms he first spotted depicted on a temple mural. Not reviewed.
Seeking Justice (IIB)
Nicholas Cage stars in an action-thriller about a teacher who enlists the services of a vigilante group to help him settle the score after his wife is assaulted. Not reviewed.
The Thing (IIB)
Sci-fi-horror prequel to John Carpenter's 1982 cult classic set three days before the earlier film and revolving around a paleontologist (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) who joins a Norwegian scientific team that has stumbled across an extraterrestrial ship buried in the ice in Antarctica. Not reviewed.
The Woman Knight of Mirror Lake (IIB) (Putonghua)
Huang Yi stars in Herman Yau Lai-to's historical drama about the exploits of Chinese female revolutionary and poet Qiu Jin. Not reviewed.
General Releases
1+1 (I) (Cantonese)
Short film about a man and his granddaughter whose home will be torn down by the government to make way for a railway route to be constructed through their village. Mo Lai Yan-chi directs. Not reviewed.
3 Idiots (IIA) (Hindi, Urdu and English)
Raju Hirani's Bollywood comedy about two friends (R. Madhavan and Sharman Joshi) who embark on a journey to find their lost buddy (Aamir Khan). CT
1911 (IIA) (Putonghua)
Historical drama about the revolt against the Qing dynasty led by Sun Yat-sen (Winston Chao Wen-hsuan) and Huang Xing (Jackie Chan) that gave rise to the founding of the Republic of China. CT
A3DII Ayumi Hamasaki 3D Concert (I) (Japanese)
Shot-in-3-D concert film featuring a headlining performance by the J-pop singer-songwriter. Not reviewed.
The Days of Noah 2: Apocalypse (I) (Cantonese)
Christian documentary about a Chinese-Turkish expedition team that spent seven years conducting research amidst trying conditions at Mount Ararat. Not reviewed.
The Help (IIA)
Tate Taylor's adaptation of Kathryn Stockett's civil rights-era novel about a white college graduate who decides to write a book about the black women who have spent their lives taking care of prominent southern white families. CT Johnny English Reborn (IIA)Comedy-spy thriller about a secret agent (Rowan Atkinson) who is summoned back by MI7 to England after years of living in forced exile in Tibet to lead a mission to foil the assassination plot of the Chinese premier. CT
Life in a Day (IIA) (various languages)
Documentary shot on a single day - July 24, 2010 - that enlisted the global community to capture a moment of their lives on camera to show future generations. CT
Mayday 3DNA (IIA) (Mandarin)
Stereoscopic 'concept film' that combines footage from the Taiwanese Mando-pop group's 2010 DNA concert tour and three fictional stories about people lured to a May Day gathering. CT
Midnight in Paris (IIB) (English and French)
Woody Allen's romantic comedy about a Hollywood screenwriter (Owen Wilson) who wanders about Paris late one night. CT
One Day (IIA)
Romantic drama following a man and a woman who meet on the day of their college graduation in 1988 and get together one day a year for the next two decades. CT
Osamu Tezuka's Buddha: The Great Departure (IIA) (Japanese)
Animation about the life of a sheltered Indian prince turned inspirational holy man. Not reviewed.
Paradise Kiss (IIA) (Japanese)
Live-action adaptation of Ai Yazawa's manga revolving around a teenage girl asked by a student group that owns fashion brand Paradise Kiss to be the company's model for its final runway project. CT
Pina (I) (German, English and Korean)
Wim Wenders' 3-D dance documentary about the late German choreographer Pina Bausch (1940-2009) and her work. CT
Point Blank (IIB) (French)
Crime action thriller revolving around a man who, after his pregnant wife is kidnapped before his eyes, is ordered to do a dangerous criminal's bidding if he wants to see his wife again. CT
Real Steel (IIA)
Hugh Jackman stars in a sci-fi action drama centring on a washed-up ex-boxer turned promoter who feels he's found a champion in a discarded robot. CT
Shark Night 3-D (IIB)
Thriller about a weekend at a Louisiana Gulf island cabin that turns into a nightmare for a group of college students as underwater predators hunt them down. Not reviewed.
Sleeping Beauty (III)
Drama centring on a university student (Emily Browning) who has a part-time job in which she is put to sleep for erotic sessions with wealthy old men. CT
The Sorcerer and the White Snake (IIA) (Cantonese)
Tony Ching Siu-tung's adaptation of the Chinese legend about a powerful monk (Jet Li Lianjie) who battles demons and slays monsters, going after a herbalist and his demon wife White Snake. LKW
Spy Kids: All the Time in the World in 4-D (I)
Action comedy about a retired spy (Jessica Alba) who is called back into action to stop the evil Timekeeper (Jeremy Piven) from taking over the planet with the help of her new twin step-children. Not reviewed.
What's Your Number? (IIB)
Romantic comedy about a woman (Anna Faris) who looks back at the past 20 men she's had relationships with and wonders if one of them might be her true love. CT
Art House
Opera Sisters
The Leisure and Cultural Services Department presents a programme of eight films starring Cantonese opera performers Tam Sin-hung and Yam Bing-yee, including the following two films. Until Nov 25. HK Film Archive, 50 Lei King Rd, Sai Wan Ho, HK$20 Urbtix. Inquiries: 2734 2900
The Lion's Roar
Cantonese opera film based on an opera story inspired by the affair of poet Su Dongpo, revolving around a shrewish woman (Pak Suet-sin), her husband (Yam Kim-fai) and an innocent young woman (Tam Sin-hung) used as a pawn in a complicated web of love, jealousy and imperial court intrigues. In Cantonese. Oct 14, 11am, HK Film Archive.
Fun in the Factory
Comedy centring on a young college graduate who is sent by his father to go incognito into the family-owned factory, to check on the staff and to spot untapped talent. In Cantonese. Oct 21, 11am, HK Film Archive.
Repertory Cinema 2011: Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton
The Leisure and Cultural Services Department presents a programme of 27 films starring Charles Spencer 'Charlie' Chaplin (1889-1977), Buster Keaton (1895-1966) and Harold Lloyd (1893-1971), including the following five films. Until Oct 23. HK Film Archive, 50 Lei King Rd, Sai Wan Ho; HK Science Museum, 2 Science Museum Rd, TST East; and HK Space Museum, 10 Salisbury Rd, TST, HK$55 Urbtix. Inquiries: 2734 2900
Steamboat Bill, Jnr
Buster Keaton directs (with Charles Reisner) and stars in a comedy about a spoiled brat whose father makes him undergo tough training to turn him into a responsible man who can take over the older man's steamboat company. Silent with music and English intertitles. Oct 14, 7.30pm, HK Film Archive.
The Circus
Charlie Chaplin directs and stars in a comedy-drama centring on a tramp wrongly accused by the police of being a pickpocket who finds shelter, friendship and love in a circus. Silent with music and English intertitles. Oct 15, 2.30pm, HK Film Archive.
City Lights
Charlie Chaplin directs and stars in this romantic comedy-drama as a tramp who meets a blind flower-selling girl, then tries to earn money to pay for surgery that could give her sight back. Silent with music and English intertitles. Oct 15, 4.30pm, HK Film Archive.
Limelight
Charlie Chaplin directs and stars in a semi-autobiographical comedy-drama revolving around a fading comedian and a suicidally despondent ballet dancer who must look to each other to find meaning and hope in their lives. Also starring Claire Bloom and Buster Keaton. In English with Chinese and English subtitles. Oct 16, 7.30pm, HK Science Museum, Oct 23, 2.30pm, HK Film Archive.
Modern Times
Charlie Chaplin directs and stars in this romantic comedy-drama about a tramp turned blue collar worker who struggles to live in modern industrial society with the help of a young homeless woman. Silent (with spare English dialogue) with music and English intertitles. Oct 21, 7.30pm, HK Film Archive.
A Lean Night 2011 - Fresh!
The HK Arts Centre presents a continuing programme of films from the first decade of this century, including the following two films. Oct 15-23. HK Arts Centre, 2 Harbour Rd, Wan Chai, HK$50 Urbtix. Inquiries: 2582 0273
Hidden (aka Cache)
Michael Haneke's thriller about a married couple (Daniel Auteuil and Juliette Binoche) who are shocked to find surveillance video tapes of them left on their front porch. In French with Chinese and English subtitles. Oct 15, 2.30pm, Oct 22, 7.30pm, HK Arts Centre.
You, the Living
Roy Andersson's tragicomedy comprising 50 disjointed vignettes featuring a variety of urban dwellers that experience highs and lows in their day-to-day lives. In Swedish with English subtitles. Oct 15, also Oct 22, 5.30pm, HK Arts Centre.
The Marvellous Spinoffs: The Work of Union Film Affiliates
The Leisure and Cultural Services Department presents a programme of 10 spin-off productions made for other companies by moonlighting Union Film personnel, including the following three films. Until Oct 16. HK Film Archive, 50 Lei King Rd, Sai Wan Ho, HK$30 Urbtix. Inquiries: 2734 2900
The Noble Family
Ng Wui's comedy adaptation of radio storyteller Li Ngaw's novel about a man who tries to save his cousin from decadence by asking his own fiancee to seduce the cousin. In Cantonese. Oct 15, 7pm, HK Film Archive.
It Was a Cold Winter Night
Lee Sun-fung's adaption of Ba Jin's novel about the troubled relationships involving a man, his wife and his mother during and after a period of conflict. Starring Ng Cho-fung. In Cantonese with Chinese and English subtitles. Oct 16, 2pm, HK Film Archive.
The Actor's Romance
Ng Wui's melodrama based on Qin Shou'ou's popular romance novel Qiu Haitang about an opera actor who elopes with his former lover after she faces having to marry a powerful general. Starring Cheung Wood-yau. In Cantonese. Oct 16, 5pm, HK Film Archive.
Azaan
Bollywood drama centring on an army officer who, over the course of his esponiage work, discovers that his younger brother is a suspected terrorist. In Hindi with English subtitles. Oct 15, 9.30pm, Golden Gateway, G/F The Gateway, 25 Canton Rd, TST, HK$120, HK$150. Inquiries: 2366 7725
From Novel to Film 2 - Critics' Choice 2011
The Leisure and Cultural Services Department presents a programme of six film adaptations of novels, including the following film. Ends Oct 16. HK Film Archive, 50 Lei King Rd, Sai Wan Ho; HK Science Museum, 2 Science Museum Rd, TST East; and HK Space Museum, 10 Salisbury Rd, TST, HK$55 Urbtix. Inquiries: 2734 2900
The Lonely Wife
Satyajit Ray's romantic Indian period drama about a merchant's beautiful wife whose previously peaceful life is dramatically changed when her husband's younger brother turns up and attracts her attention. In Bengali with Chinese and English subtitles. Oct 16, 2.30pm, HK Science Museum.
Last Romance
Yonfan's romantic coming-of-age drama about two best friends (Cherie Chung Chor-hung and Maggie Cheung Man-yuk) who fall for the same handsome man (Shingo Tsurumi). In Cantonese. Oct 16, 4pm, MCL JP Cinema, JP Plaza, 22-36 Paterson St, Causeway Bay, HK$70. Inquiries: 3413 6688
Classical in Cinema
Romeo et Juliette
Film of the Salzburg Festival production of Charles Gounod's operatic adaptation of William Shakespeare's tragic romantic story about two star-crossed lovers (tenor Rolando Villazon and soprano Nino Machaidze). Yannick Nezet-Seguin conducts the Mozarteum Orchester Salzburg and Konzertvereinigung Wiener Staatsopernchor. In French with Chinese and English subtitles. Oct 16, 7pm, Palace IFC.
HK Asian Film Festival 2011
Life Without Principle
Johnnie To Kei-fung's crime drama follows a gangster (Lau Ching-wan), a bank officer (Denise Ho Wan-sze) and a policeman (Richie Jen Hsien-chi) on one chaotic day, their desperate scramble for cash leading each to make morally ambiguous choices that could lead them - and others - to ruin. In Cantonese with English subtitles. Oct 18, 7.30pm, The One, Oct 19, 9.50pm, Broadway Cinematheque.
You are the Apple of My Eye
Giddens Ko's adaptation of his autobiographical coming-of-age novel about a mischievous high school student, his friends and the girl he'll never forget. In Mandarin with English subtitles. Oct 19, 7.45pm, Broadway Cinematheque.
Frozen
Wang Xiaoshuai's drama centring on a performance artist (Jia Hongshen) who decides to make his suicide his last work of art. In Putonghua with English subtitles. Oct 19, 7.50pm, The One, Oct 22, 6pm, Broadway Cinematheque.
Cut
Amir Naderi's drama centring on an obsessive cinephile (Hidetoshi Nishijima) who must repay his brother's debt in two weeks after the brother is killed by yakuza. Also starring Takako Tokiwa. In Japanese with English subtitles. Oct 19, 9.45pm, Oct 22, 3.50pm, The One.
Weekend Lover
Lou Ye's urban tale of misguided romance and youth disaffection revolving around a pair of high school lovers forced to separate after one of them is sent to jail for accidentally killing a classmate. In Putonghua with English subtitles. Oct 20, 7.40pm, Palace IFC, Oct 22, 8.10pm, The One.
Kaidan Horror: Classics I - The Arm + The Whistler
Double bill of short films comprising: Masayuki Ochiai's adaptation of Yasunari Kawabata's supernatural story about a man who convinces a woman to let him borrow her arm for a night; and Shinya Tsukamoto's adaptation of Osamu Dazai's tale of a woman who spies on her dying sister's secret love life after her own romance is dashed by her father. In Japanese with English subtitles. Oct 20, 8.10pm, The One, Nov 8, 8.10pm, Broadway Cinematheque.
Summer Palace
Lou Ye's romantic drama chronicling the personal and political upheaval spanning over 16 years in the life of a restless young woman (Hao Lei). In Putonghua with English subtitles. Oct 20, 9.35pm, Oct 30, 4.50pm, Palace IFC.
Tatsumi
Eric Khoo's animated tribute to manga artist Yoshihiro Tatsumi combines Tatsumi's short stories and events from the artist's life. In Japanese with English subtitles. Oct 20, 9.50pm, The One, Oct 31, 8pm, Palace IFC.
Himizu
Sion Sono's coming-of-age drama centring on a teenager with a violent father and negligent mother who becomes obsessed with getting back at those around him. In Japanese with English subtitles. Oct 21, 7.20pm, Oct 23, 12.05pm, Oct 25, 9.50pm, Palace IFC.
Devil Nail Clippers + The Decisive Moment
Double bill comprising; Jimmy Wan Chi-man and Derek Tsang Kwok-cheung 's dark comedy about a woman (Zhou Xun) who confesses to her boyfriend Ji-wen that she can only eat nail clippers and, convinced that there are others like her, asks him to open a nail clipper shop for other nail clipper eaters out there (in Putonghua and Cantonese with Chinese subtitles); and Wong Wai-kit's short film about a newspaper photographer and his traumatised photojournalist partner (in Cantonese with Chinese and English subtitles). Oct 21, 8.10pm, Oct 25, 10pm, The One.
KINO/11 - Recent German Film Productions
Goethe-Institut HK presents a programme of 13 German feature films, including the following two. Oct 20-31. AMC Festival Walk, U/G Level, Festival Walk, 80 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon Tong; AMC Pacific Place, L1 Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Admiralty; Fringe Club, 2 Lower Albert Rd, Central; HK Arts Centre, 2 Harbour Rd, Wan Chai; and HK Science Museum, 2 Science Museum Rd, TST East, HK$60 Urbtix and respective cinemas. Inquiries: 28020088
The Poll Diaries
Chris Kraus' drama, set on the eve of the first world war, centring on a 14-year-old German girl (Paula Beer) who upon finding a wounded Estonian anarchist on her aristocratic family's estate hides him and secretly nurses him back to health, aware that her deed could trigger a deadly chain reaction. In German, Estonian, French and Russian with Chinese and English subtitles. Oct 20, 7.30pm, HK Arts Centre, Oct 31, 9.20pm, HK Science Museum.
Four Minutes
Chris Kraus' drama revolving around an 80-year-old woman (Monica Bleibtreu) who teaches the piano at a German women's prison and one of her students, a former music prodigy imprisoned for murder (Hannah Herzsprung). In German with English subtitles. Oct 21, 7.40pm, AMC Pacific Place, Oct 29, 3.50pm, AMC Festival Walk.