Top five films to watch in Hong Kong this week (February 8-14), from Black Panther to Wonder Wheel

The Academy Awards are only one month away, don’t miss some of the nominated films that are opening this week – and more

Film reviews

Edmund Lee

Published: 7:01am, 8 Feb, 2018

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1. The Shape of Water

Having won the best feature film award from the Directors Guild of America earlier this week, the Mexican fantasy film maestro Guillermo del Toro has now become a firm favourite for the best director Oscar for his engrossing fairy-tale romance, which is also leading the Oscar race with 13 nominations. (Now showing)

2. Black Panther

A superhero film as grounded in pop culture as it is in racial history and African folklore, Fruitvale Station director Ryan Coogler’s Marvel feature is a thoroughly rousing stand-alone adventure which sees the titular black superhero (played by Chadwick Boseman) tackle power politics in a futuristic city. (Opens on February 13)

3. The Post

Steven Spielberg makes a strong political statement with this fascinating newsroom drama, which salutes press freedom and brave reporting by recounting efforts of The New York Times and Washington Post staff to publish the Pentagon Papers, despite pressure from the Richard Nixon-era White House. (Now showing)

4. The Outlaws

A real-life turf war in Seoul’s Garibong neighbourhood provides the gritty setting for Kang Yoon-seong’s punchy thriller, which casts Train to Busan star Ma Dong-seok as a no-nonsense police officer embroiled in the bloody mayhem caused by a rising Chinese-Korean gang, led by Yoon Kye-sang’s sadistic mobster. (Now showing)

5. Wonder Wheel

We’d understand it if you couldn’t bear to watch another film by Woody Allen, as he facesrevived allegations of sexual abuse. Still, few could deny that this is really a tour de forcefrom Kate Winslet, who plays a waitress desperately juggling an unhappy marriage with her broken acting dreams. (Opens on February 8)

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