Top five films to watch in Hong Kong this week (January 25-31), from All the Money in the World to Downsizing
Oscar nominees Christopher Plummer, as misanthropic billionaire John Paul Getty, and Frances McDormand, playing a bereaved mother seeking justice for her murdered daughter, are among the stars of this week’s must-see films
Click on film titles to read SCMP.com reviews
No Kevin Spacey, no problem. Despite coming in as an eleventh-hour replacement for the disgraced actor, Christopher Plummer – newly feted with an Oscar nod for his troubles – more than anchors this kidnap thriller with his powerful turn as the misanthropic billionaire John Paul Getty. (Opens on January 25)
An Oscar favourite with seven nominations – although Martin McDonagh is surprisingly snubbed for best director – this engrossing tragicomedy about a bereaved mother’s quest for justice features great performances from acting nominees Frances McDormand, Sam Rockwell and Woody Harrelson. (Now showing)
Cheung King-wai ( The Taste of Youth ) takes inspiration from a real-life murder case for his first fictional feature film. This morally ambivalent tale of emotional abuse is mesmerisingly brought to life by Stephy Tang Lai-yan as a jaded policewoman and Rachel Leung Yung-ting as the young murderer. (Now showing)
4. Youth
An elegy to youthful sensuality and idealism at a time of political upheaval, director Feng Xiaogang’s sentimental drama follows members of a Chinese military dance troupe from the dusk of the Cultural Revolution to the disheartening aftermath of the 1979 Sino-Vietnamese war. (Opens on January 25)
5. Downsizing
Director Alexander Payne (Sideways, The Descendants) takes a bold and rewarding plunge into sci-fi territory with this high-concept satire, which pictures a world in which some humans elect to be shrunk to five inches tall – only to find all kinds of social melees still troubling them even in miniature form. (Opens on January 25)
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