Top five films to watch in Hong Kong this week (November 9-15), from Loving Vincent to The Empty Hands
A portrait of a Dutch master in oils, tennis star Billie Jean King takes on older champion and sexist Bobby Riggs, a Hong Kong karate drama, Tim Burton’s bio of director Ed Wood, and a Japanese youth romcom are this week’s picks
PUBLISHED : Thursday, 09 November, 2017, 8:00am
UPDATED : Thursday, 09 November, 2017, 8:00am
Related topics
Click on film titles to read SCMP.com reviews
An aesthetic experiment packaged as a detective story set in 19th century France, this trailblazing animation, which claims to be the “world’s first fully-painted feature film”, pays homage to the Dutch master Vincent van Gogh – astonishingly it was completely made with oil paints, rather than computer graphics. (Opens on November 9)
It’s a shame this entertaining sports comedy hasn’t made more of a splash at the Hong Kong box office since its release on Thursday. The film offers a remarkably thoughtful take on the 1973 exhibition tennis match between feminist icon Billie Jean King and self-proclaimed male chauvinist pig Bobby Riggs. (Now showing)
After lingering in romcom limbo for some 15 years, former teen idol Stephy Tang Lai-yan makes her breakthrough as a former karate pupil who picks up the sport again in her 30s. With this stirring character drama, veteran actor Chapman To Man-chat also singles himself out as a writer-director to watch. (Now showing)
4. Ed Wood
It takes one idiosyncratic director to know another, and Tim Burton’s 1994 portrait of Ed Wood Jnr is easily one of the best filmmaker biopics that anyone has put on film. Johnny Depp gives an empathetic performance as the cult director – often labelled the world’s worst ever. (November 11, part of Cine Fan programme)
5. The Night is Short, Walk on Girl
Following the acclaim for their television series The Tatami Galaxy, anime director Masaaki Yuasa and novelist Tomihiko Morimi join forces again for this surreal feature, about a man who engineers chance meetings with a mystery woman he’s infatuated with. (November 10, part of the Hong Kong Asian Film Festival)
Want more articles like this? Follow SCMP Film on Facebook
Most Popular
Viewed
- 1
![The depiction of the heroine, played by Yue Lina, has been criticised by women’s rights activists. Photo: Handout.]( "The depiction of the heroine, played by Yue Lina, has been criticised by women’s rights activists. Photo: Handout.")
- 2
![Fan Bingbing has publicly apologised for tax evasion. Photo: TNS]( "Fan Bingbing has publicly apologised for tax evasion. Photo: TNS")
- 3
![The piano duo of Jennifer Rüth (left) and Ming, known as the Queenz of Piano, who will perform their dynamic acrobatic musical show, mixing classical, pop and rock music in Hong Kong on November 17.]( "The piano duo of Jennifer Rüth (left) and Ming, known as the Queenz of Piano, who will perform their dynamic acrobatic musical show, mixing classical, pop and rock music in Hong Kong on November 17.")
- 4
![Keith Macgregor’s photo “Mong Kok street Neon Fantasy”. Photo: Keith Macgregor]( "Keith Macgregor’s photo “Mong Kok street Neon Fantasy”. Photo: Keith Macgregor")
- 5
![Sara Gilbert, left, and Laurie Metcalf in “The Conners”. Photo: Eric McCandless, ABC]( "Sara Gilbert, left, and Laurie Metcalf in “The Conners”. Photo: Eric McCandless, ABC")
Shared
- 1
![The piano duo of Jennifer Rüth (left) and Ming, known as the Queenz of Piano, who will perform their dynamic acrobatic musical show, mixing classical, pop and rock music in Hong Kong on November 17.]( "The piano duo of Jennifer Rüth (left) and Ming, known as the Queenz of Piano, who will perform their dynamic acrobatic musical show, mixing classical, pop and rock music in Hong Kong on November 17.")
- 2
![The depiction of the heroine, played by Yue Lina, has been criticised by women’s rights activists. Photo: Handout.]( "The depiction of the heroine, played by Yue Lina, has been criticised by women’s rights activists. Photo: Handout.")
- 3
![Fan Bingbing has publicly apologised for tax evasion. Photo: TNS]( "Fan Bingbing has publicly apologised for tax evasion. Photo: TNS")
- 4
![Keith Macgregor’s photo “Mong Kok street Neon Fantasy”. Photo: Keith Macgregor]( "Keith Macgregor’s photo “Mong Kok street Neon Fantasy”. Photo: Keith Macgregor")
- 5
![Chinese animation The King of Football, released in August, grossed only 1.8 million yuan (US$257,000) at the domestic box office.]( "Chinese animation The King of Football, released in August, grossed only 1.8 million yuan (US$257,000) at the domestic box office.")
Commented
- 1
![Illustration: Craig Stephens]( "Illustration: Craig Stephens")
- 2
![The conflict between China and the United States has less to do with trade than it does with value systems. Photo: AP]( "The conflict between China and the United States has less to do with trade than it does with value systems. Photo: AP")
- 3
![Hong Kong thrives on being an air-lock of free currency flows, of people, and of ideas between China and the world. Photo: Alamy]( "Hong Kong thrives on being an air-lock of free currency flows, of people, and of ideas between China and the world. Photo: Alamy")
- 4
![A banner saying “Cantonese won't die” at Victoria Park in Causeway Bay. Photo: Sam Tsang]( "A banner saying “Cantonese won't die” at Victoria Park in Causeway Bay. Photo: Sam Tsang")
- 5
![The headwinds heading China’s way are unmistakable, particularly with Donald Trump, at right, threatening to up the tariff ante. Photo: AP]( "The headwinds heading China’s way are unmistakable, particularly with Donald Trump, at right, threatening to up the tariff ante. Photo: AP")
You may also like
Self-taught musicians hit high notes on app-connected instruments
In partnership with: HKT PREMIER
Jockey Club’s Philanthropy for Better Cities Forum continues to gather insights for metropolitan social solutions
Brought to you by: The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust
Comments: