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Paul Fonoroff

New  Releases
The Great Magician (IIA) (Cantonese)
See review on this page.
The Darkest Hour (IIA) 
Stereoscopic thriller centring on five young people who find themselves stranded in Moscow, fighting to survive in the wake of a devastating alien attack. Starring Emile Hirsch, Olivia Thirlby and Rachael Taylor. Not reviewed.
General Releases
3 Idiots (IIA) (Hindi, Urdu and English)
Raju Hirani's Bollywood comedy about two friends  who embark on a journey to find their lost buddy (Aamir Khan). CT
3-D Happy Feet 2 (I) (Cantonese and English versions)
Animated musical comedy tale in which the hero of Happy Feet (2006) is now a father who, as his son struggles to realise his talents in the Emperor Penguin world, also has to contend with a new threat to his Utopian singing and dancing penguin community. CT
3-D Sex and Zen: Extreme Ecstasy (III) (Cantonese)
Stereoscopic reworking of Stephen Shiu Yeuk-yuen's 1991 soft-porn feature about the outrageous adventures of a scholar as he searches for the secrets of sexual pleasure. PF   
Alvin and the Chipmunks 3 (I) (Cantonese and English versions)
Animated comedy that has Alvin, the Chipmunks and Chipettes having fun aboard a cruise ship until they get shipwrecked and are marooned on a tropical island. CT  
The Awakening (IIB)
Horror-thriller, set in post first world war England where many of the bereaved seek solace in spiritualism, about a hoax exposer (Rebecca Hall) who visits a boarding school to explain sightings of a child ghost. CT
Datong: The Great Society (I) (Cantonese, Putonghua, English and French)
Evans Chan Yiu-shing's docudrama about Qing dynasty political reformer  Kang Youwei (Liu Kai-chi) who went into exile in Sweden. Also starring Lindzay Chan and Chiang Ching. YT
Flying Swords of Dragon Gate (IIB) (Cantonese and Putonghua versions)
Tsui Hark's 3-D wuxia epic revolving around the mysterious saviour of a pregnant palace maid who helps her escape and seek refuge at a desert inn, with imperial assassins led by a powerful eunuch in hot pursuit, and a righteous warrior following in their wake. Starring Jet Li Lianjie, Zhou Xun and Chen Kun. LKW 
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (III)
David Fincher's suspense-thriller take on the late Swedish writer Stieg Larsson's best-selling crime novel about an odd couple's investigation into the truth behind the disappearance of a teenager along with a string of unsolved serial murders that took place in Sweden in the 1950s and 60s. Starring Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig.  CT 
Melancholia (IIB)
Lars von Trier's drama with sci-fi overtones about two sisters (Kirsten Dunst and Charlotte Gainsbourg) who find their already strained relationship challenged as a mysterious new planet threatens to collide with earth. CT 
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (IIB) (English and Russian)
The fourth instalment of the Mission Impossible action adventure-thriller series sees Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his new team going rogue to clear their organisation's name after they are falsely implicated in a bombing at the Kremlin. CT
My Name is Khan (IIA) (English  and Hindi)
Shahrukh Khan  stars in a romantic musical drama about a South Asian living in the US who, after his stepson is accidentally killed in a racially incited assault, embarks on a journey to tell the US president that he is not a terrorist. CT
New Year's Eve (IIA)
Garry Marshall's star-studded romantic drama-comedy in which the lives of several couples and singles in New York intertwine one New Year's Eve. CT
Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall (I)
Film version of Andrew Lloyd Webber's romantic musical adaptation of French writer Gaston Leroux's  story about a bitter man, deformed since birth, who lives in the sewers underneath the Paris Opera House and the young woman he falls for.  CT  
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of  Shadows (IIA)
Robert Downey Jnr reprises his role as the legendary detective and Jude Law returns as his colleague, Dr Watson, in Guy Ritchie's period crime drama pitting the pair against criminal mastermind Professor Moriarty (Jared Harris). CT 
The Skin I Live In (III) (Spanish)
Pedro Almodovar's drama-thriller adaptation of French crime novelist Thierry Jonquet's story revolving around a plastic surgeon (Antonio Banderas), haunted by past tragedies, who creates a type of synthetic skin that withstands any kind of damage - and his human guinea pig (Elena Anaya). CT 
Speed Angels (IIA) (Cantonese, Japanese and Putonghua)
Jingle Ma Chor-sing's romance-actioner revolving around a group of female racers who use their skills on the tracks to express their dreams, love and desires. Starring Tang Wei. CT  
Texas Killing Fields (IIB)
Crime drama revolving around a small town detective who teams up with a cop from New York City to track down a serial killer who dumps his victims' mutilated bodies in a Texas marsh. Not reviewed.
Turning Point 2 (IIB) (Cantonese)
Michael Tse Tin-wah  reprises his role as undercover cop Laughing Gor who, this time around, goes looking for information in a prison. Also starring Francis Ng Chun-yu. YT
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 (IIB)
The latest instalment of the vampire romantic fantasy series sees Bella (Kristen Stewart) and Edward (Robert Pattinson) dealing with the chain of consequences brought on by their nuptials, honeymoon and the birth of their child. CT 
We Bought A Zoo (I)
Drama-comedy about a widower-journalist (Matt Damon) who  decides to start anew with his family by buying a home that comes with a wildlife park in need of revitalisation. CT
You are the Apple of My Eye (IIB) (Mandarin)
Giddens Ko Ching-teng's adaptation of his autobiographical coming-of-age novel about a mischievous high school student, his friends and the girl he will never forget. CT
Art House
HK Independent Film Festival 2011-12: Part 3.1: Indie Nations
Ying E Chi presents an international programme of independent films, including the following eight. Until Jan 16. HK Arts Centre, 2 Harbour Rd, Wan Chai, HK$50 Urbtix. Inquiries: 2836 6282 
Jean Gentil
Drama about a middle-aged Haitian man who, after losing his job as a French professor, begins a desperate search for work in Santo Domingo (the capital of the Dominican Republic). Starring Jean Remy Gentil. In Haitian Creole and Spanish with English subtitles. Jan 12, 7.30pm, HK Arts Centre.
The Knot
Drama about a woman who meets her former male teacher again 14 years after  they had a scandalous affair when she was in high school. In Japanese with English subtitles. Jan 12, 9.30pm, HK Arts Centre. 
A Japanese Village - Furuyashikimura
Shinsuke Ogawa's documentary about the lives and concerns of  residents of a village located high on the slopes of Mount Zao in Kaminoyama, Yamagata Prefecture.  In Japanese with English subtitles. Jan 14, 2pm, HK Arts Centre. 
Days After n Coming
Extended version of Lo Chun-yip's short documentary to be continued, looking at protests taking place in various parts of Hong Kong in 2010. In Cantonese with Chinese and English subtitles. Jan 14, 7pm, HK Arts Centre. 
Flowers of Evil
Romantic drama about the romance that develops between a carefree Parisian and a young Iranian woman sent away by her parents to escape the violent upheaval after the 2009 presidential  election in her homeland. In French and Persian with English subtitles. Jan 14, 9.30pm, HK Arts Centre.
Speechless + Today Has Been Weird
Double bill comprising: Simon Chung's drama centring on the bonds that form between a silent westerner found naked on a riverbank in a remote part of southern China and an orderly at the hospital he is sent to (in Putonghua with Chinese and English subtitles); and Quentin Lee's  short film inspired by the true story of a murder that took place in New York in 2005 (in English). Jan 15, 7.30pm, HK Arts Centre.
Between Two Fires
Agnieszka Lukasiak's  thriller revolving around a Belarussian mother who, after leaving her home country with her young daughter, is put in a refugee camp in northern Sweden where she meets and falls for an Algerian man, and is forced to make a decision that threatens to turn her life into a nightmare. In English, Swedish and Polish with English subtitles. Jan 16, 7.30pm, HK Arts Centre.
Remembering Ricky Hui (1946-2011)
The HK Film Archive presents a programme of four films featuring the late comedian-actor-singer Ricky Hui Koon-Ying, including the following two films. Until Jan 27. HK Film Archive, 50 Lei King Rd, Sai Wan Ho, HK$20 Urbtix. Inquiries: 2739 2139 
Security Unlimited
Michael Hui Koon-man directs and stars in this Hui brothers comedy about the misadventures of three employees of a private security company. In Cantonese with Chinese and English subtitles. Jan 13, 11am, HK Film Archive.
Plain Jane to the Rescue
John Woo Yu-sum's working-class comedy centring on a homely woman (Josephine Siao Fong-fong)  who  goes from job to job but whose latest undertaking sees her tutoring a genial gentleman whose son wants his father's inheritance all to himself. In Cantonese with Chinese and English subtitles. Jan 20, 11am, HK Film Archive.   
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives 
Apichatpong Weerasethakul's whimsical drama about a dying man who spends his last days in the countryside surrounded by his loved ones. In Thai with Chinese and English subtitles. Jan 13, 7.30pm, HK Arts Centre, 2 Harbour Rd, Wan Chai, free, reservation required. Inquiries: 2582 0200
The Inspired Island: Ports of Mists Documentary about Taiwanese poet Zheng Chou-yu that makes use of his words, as well as imagery and music, to evoke a vibrant era of poetry. In Mandarin with English subtitles. Jan 14, 11.45am, Jan 28, 2pm, Broadway Cinematheque, Prosperous Garden, 3 Public Square St, Yau Ma Tei, HK$55; and Feb 1, 8pm, Palace IFC, Podium Level 1, IFC Mall, 8 Finance St, Central, HK$75 www.cinema.com.hk. Inquiries: 2388 0002

The Inspired Island: The Coming of Tulku 
Documentary about Chou Meng-tieh, a 90-year-old Buddhist-influenced poet whose bookstall on Wuchang St was an iconic part of Taipei's 60s and 70s literary scene. In Mandarin with English subtitles. Jan 14, 1.30pm, Feb 2, 4.50pm, Broadway Cinematheque, Prosperous Garden, 3 Public Square St, Yau Ma Tei, HK$60; and Jan 15, 1.30pm, Feb 5, 11.05am, Palace IFC, Podium Level 1, IFC Mall, 8 Finance St, Central, HK$80 www.cinema.com.hk. Inquiries: 2388 0002
The Tramp in Hong Kong:  Re-imaginations of Chaplin's Charlie
The HK Film Archive presents a programme of five Hong Kong films with Charlie Chaplin-like characters, including the following four films. Until Jan 15. HK Film Archive, 50 Lei King Rd, Sai Wan Ho, HK$30 Urbtix. Inquiries:  2739 2139 
Great Chums
Fung Fung stars in and directs this comedy about a petty thief who resolves to turn over a new leaf after coming out of prison and who befriends a group of impoverished street vendors who have resolved to help one another overcome difficult situations. In Cantonese. Jan 14, 2pm, HK Film Archive.
Laughing Time
John Woo Yu-sum's comedy about a homeless wanderer (Dean Shek Tin) who befriends a poor orphan and falls in love with a singer who he later has to save from the clutches of a slave trader (Karl Maka). In Cantonese with Chinese and English subtitles. Jan 14, 5pm, HK Film Archive.
Let's be Happy Tonight
Comedy revolving around a squatter named Charlie (Cheng Kwun-min) known for his ingenious home-gadget inventions who together with a pair of song-and-dance entertainers (Chan Chai-chung and Lydia Sum Tin-ha)  seek to stage a show for the enjoyment of all in their neighbourhood. In Cantonese. Jan 15, 2pm, HK Film Archive. 
Flower Girl
Yee Chau-shui  stars as a street tramp in love with a blind flower girl in this musical comedy remake of Charlie Chaplin's City Lights that transposes the story from Depression-era US to early 1950s Hong Kong. Also starring Hung Sin-nui. In Cantonese. Jan 15, 5pm, HK Film Archive.
100 Must-See Hong Kong Movies
The HK Film Archive presents a programme of 100 Hong Kong films from 1916 to 1999, including the following film. Until 2014. HK Film Archive, 50 Lei King Rd, Sai Wan Ho, HK$30 Urbtix. Inquiries: 2734 2900 
Man on the Brink
Alex Cheung Kwok-ming's 1981 crime drama about an undercover cop (Eddie Chan  Ngai-dik) struggling to maintain  his integrity against corrupting influences. In Cantonese with Chinese and English subtitles. Jan 14, 7pm, Jan 18, 7.30pm, HK Film Archive.  
The Inspired Island: Home In Two Cities 
Documentary about Lin Hai-yin who was considered the doyenne of Taiwanese literature and looked upon as a selfless mother figure who nurtured a generation of the island's writers. In Mandarin with Chinese and English subtitles. Jan 15, 12.15pm, Palace IFC, Podium Level 1, IFC Mall, 8 Finance St, Central, HK$65; and Feb 5, 6.10pm, Feb 18, 2pm, Broadway Cinematheque, Prosperous Garden, 3 Public Square St, Yau Ma Tei, HK$40 www.cinema.com.hk. Inquiries:  2388 0002
HK Arts Festival: Festival Plus
The HK Arts Festival, Unitel Classica and Classical in Cinema present a programme of four Mozart operas filmed in high definition from the Salzburg Festival, including the following film. Until Jan 15. The Grand Cinema, 2/F Elements, 1 Austin Rd West, Kowloon, HK$150 (tickets from respective cinemas). Inquiries: 2196 8170
The Magic Flute
Film of the Salzburg Festival staging of Mozart's opera about a prince who, with the help of a magic flute, goes on a quest to rescue the Queen of the Night's daughter. Christian Gerhaher, Genia Kuhmeier and Paul Groves  star, Pierre Audi directs,  and Riccardo Muti  conducts the Vienna Philharmonic. In German with Chinese and English subtitles. Jan 15, 4pm, The Grand Cinema.
The Inspired Island: The Untrammeled Traveller 
Documentary about the homecoming journey of Yu Kuang-chung, a writer known for his works about longing for the homeland. In Mandarin with Chinese and English subtitles. Jan 16, 8pm, Jan 29, 11.30am, Palace IFC, Podium Level 1, IFC Mall, 8 Finance St, Central, HK$75 www.cinema.com.hk. Inquiries:  2388 0002  
M+ Bamboo Cinema
M+, the new Museum of Visual Culture in HK, presents the following outdoor screening programme of five Hong Kong films with Cantonese opera associations. Jan 24. West Kowloon Bamboo Theatre, West Kowloon Cultural District, free. Inquiries: 2200 0103
Princess Chang Ping
John Woo Yu-sum's Cantonese opera version of the Chinese legend about the  against-the-odds love affair between a Ming dynasty princess and a scholar. Starring Lung Kim-sung  and Mui Suet-see  In Cantonese with English subtitles. Jan 24, 2pm, West Kowloon Bamboo Theatre.
Let It Be
Rex Ng Kwok-leung's  2004 experimental short film  cuts and weaves into  various storylines involving the fate of Cantonese opera luminaries Yam Kim-fai and Pak Suet-sin's  fictional characters and the fate of HK in 2003 after Sars. In Cantonese. Jan 24, 4pm, West Kowloon Bamboo Theatre.
The Spooky Bunch
Ann Hui On-wah's supernatural comedy about a Cantonese Opera troupe invited to perform on Cheung Chau who gets mixed up with a platoon of ghost soldiers seeking revenge. Starring Josephine Siao Fong-fong and Kenny Bee. In Cantonese with English subtitles. Jan 24, 4.45pm, West Kowloon Bamboo Theatre.
The Sorrowful Lute
Tso Kea's adaptation of Charles Vidor's Love Me or Leave Me about a Chinese opera aficionado yearning for stardom who attempts to exploit a triad boss' fascination with her only to find herself unable to escape his obsessive control. Starring Fong Yim-fun and Ng Chor-fan. In Cantonese. Jan 24, 6.45pm, West Kowloon Bamboo Theatre.
The Dutiful Daughter Zhu Zhu
Melodrama showcasing Connie Chan Po-chu  as a teenage show girl who struggles to achieve her dream of becoming a Cantonese opera actress. In Cantonese. Jan 24, 8.45pm, West Kowloon Bamboo Theatre.



Film