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Edmund Lee

Click on the film titles to read SCMP.com reviews.


1. You Were Never Really Here
Known for uncompromisingly sombre films such as Morvern Callar and We Need to Talk About Kevin, Scottish director Lynne Ramsay has made arguably her best film yet. This haunting revenge thriller stars Joaquin Phoenix as a traumatised army veteran who tracks down missing girls for a living. (Opens on August 2)


2. Mission: Impossible – Fallout
Action filmmaking seldom gets better than this, the stunning sixth instalment of the espionage thriller series. Returning director Christopher McQuarrie more than delivers on the trust put in him as he showcases one outrageous stunt after another. A must-see for adrenaline junkies. (Now showing)


3. Men on the Dragon
The joys and sorrows of middle-aged Hong Kong men are portrayed with poignancy and cheeky humour in this ensemble drama about a corporate dragon boat team. Director Sunny Chan Wing-sun has a uniformly excellent cast to thank for helping his debut film stand out from the pack. (Opens on August 2)


4. 24 Frames
The late Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami remained an explorer of the film form to the very end. This posthumous feature offers us one last reminder of his ability to rethink the visual image – in this case, he made still photos come to life in 24 short films with the help of computer-generated imagery. (Opens on August 2)


5. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
This 1982 film about a boy who befriends an alien creature is one of the greatest examples of Steven Spielberg’s aptitude for heart-warming family entertainment. Its sense of childlike wonder still sets a benchmark for all mainstream filmmakers. (August 3, part of the Hong Kong Kids International Film Festival)
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Film reviews

Top five films to watch in Hong Kong this week (August 2-8), from You Were Never Really Here to Men on the Dragon

Joaquin Phoenix in a haunting revenge thriller, Tom Cruise in the stunning MI:6, the joys and sorrows of middle-aged Hong Kong men, the ultimate boy-meets-alien movie and Iranian master’s last film are this week’s must-sees

A still from Men on the Dragon, whose uniformly excellent cast elevates this debut feature.

You Were Never Really Here’s Joaquin Phoenix and Lynne Ramsay on shooting film in eight weeks and becoming soul mates

Set of thriller that won best screenplay award and best actor for Phoenix at last year’s Cannes was the craziest Ramsay has ever been on; Phoenix explains how they went out of their way to make it ‘the anti-James Bond’

Handout image shows Joaquin Phoenix (R) and Lynne Ramsay (2nd L) in You Were Never Really Here (2017). 26JUL18 [01AUGUST2018 FEATURES] CREDIT: Amazon Studios

Joaquin Phoenix in a still from You Were Never Really Here.

Handout image shows Joaquin Phoenix in Amazon Studios' You Were Never Really Here (2017). 26JUL18 [01AUGUST2018 FEATURES] CREDIT: Amazon Studios

Handout image shows Joaquin Phoenix and Judith Roberts in You Were Never Really Here (2017. 26JUL18 [01AUGUST2018 FEATURES] CREDIT: Amazon Studios

Joaquin Phoenix and Ekaterina Samsonov in a still from You Were Never Really Here.

Joaquin Phoenix (right) and Ekaterina Samsonov in You Were Never Really Here.

Culture

Film & TV

Joaquin Phoenix in a haunting revenge thriller, Tom Cruise in the stunning MI:6, the joys and sorrows of middle-aged Hong Kong men, the ultimate boy-meets-alien movie and Iranian master’s last film are this week’s must-sees


Joaquin Phoenix in a haunting revenge thriller, Tom Cruise in the stunning MI:6, the joys and sorrows of middle-aged Hong Kong men, the ultimate boy-meets-alien movie and Iranian master’s last film are this week’s must-sees.
