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Let’s Be Cops
(USA) Damon Wayans Jr. and Jake M.
Johnson team up for another one of those
dumb buddy cop movies… except they’re
not cops. It all starts at a neighborhood
costume party, but the ruse goes awry when
a string of events bring them face to face
with real life gangsters. Presumably they all
got really drunk first? Maybe...? Should you
if you decide see this movie? Yep.
The Maze Runner
(USA) It’s yet more ways people in the
future like to knock off teenagers: This
time in the form of magical mazes. Thomas
(played by Dylan O’Brien from TV’s “Teen
Wolf”) arrives, with no memory, outside a
maze which his fellow “gladers” have been
trying to solve and escape for two years. It
all (unsatisfyingly) resolves too fast at the
end of the movie. Looks like the filmmakers
have a lot of explaining to do in the next
one. PPP
My Voice, My Life
(Hong Kong) Hong Kong filmmaker Ruby
Yang won an Oscar for her 2006 AIDS
documentary “The Blood of Yingzhou
District.” She’s back full-force in a new,
heartrending documentary about a group
of under-privileged and disabled Hong Kong
kids who band together to produce their
own musical in just six months. Hear that
sound? Yup, it’s yet more Oscar buzz.
Paradise in Service
(Taiwan) “Paradise in Service” is all about
young Taiwanese men who are sent to do
military service in the outlying islands. It’s
the late 60s, and Pao (Ethan Juan) is posted
to Unit 831—a brothel on Kinmen island. He
finds himself risking his life for his country…
but maybe gets some lovin’ out of it as well.
The Way He Looks
(Brazil) Daniel Ribeiro’s first full-length
feature is all about a visually impaired teen
who falls in love with his new classmate,
Gabriel. A movie about a gay, blind teenager
with rumbling hormones—and a naive and
joyful look at first love, petty jealousies and
friendship during the teenage years. And
when it comes down to it, haven’t we all
been there too? PPP
Welcome to New York
(France/USA) Inspired by the Dominique
Strauss-Kahn affair (the French politician
who got charged for sexually assaulting a
hotel maid in New York), indie filmmaker
Abel Ferrera takes the story to the big
screen. Gerard Depardieu plays the sly,
rapey politician Devereaux with a chronic
sex addiction. While you’d expect a ton of
juicy sensationalism, all you get is a weirdly
paced two hours with the disgusting,
heaving mess of guttural noises that is
Depardieu—we don’t know whether to
shudder or laugh. P
Whiplash
(USA) Think of the strictest teacher you’ve
ever had, turn it up a hundred notches, and
you’ve got Terence Fletcher (J.K. Simmons).
Miles Teller (“That Awkward Moment”) plays
Andrew Neyman, a new drummer at the
best jazz orchestra in New York City, who
studies under the formidable perfectionist
professor. Will Neyman learn to play like the
greats, or will he break under the pressure?
Film Festival
New Japanese Cinema in 1980s
These gamechanging examples of 80s
Japanese cinema are a treat for all arthouse
fans. Catch Oguri Kohei’s “Muddy River,”
(Oct 26; Nov 9), a bitter look at a harsh world
as seen through the eyes of three children
in the 50s. “Fall Guy” (Nov 1) sketches an
unusual comedic-romantic triangle between
a costume drama star, his girlfriend, and
a stuntman. And what would be Japanese
cinema without a story based on some
manga? Kaneko Shusuke’s “Summer
Vacation 1999” (Nov 16, 30) teaches us
what it really means to party like it’s 1999,
with four young girls playing four beautiful
boys in this story about boy love. Looking
for moody, black-and-white drama? Don’t
miss Hayashi Kaizo’s 1987 “To Sleep so
as to Dream” (Nov 15, 23), made in the
style of a turn-of-the-century silent film
complete with dialogue written as intertitles,
about a detective who finds a mysterious
piece of lost film. Meta-tastic. Some of the
screenings will be held at the Hong Kong
Science Museum, so be sure to check online.
Through Nov 30. Cinema, Hong Kong Film
Archive, 50 Lei King Rd., Sai Wan Ho, 2739-
2139. $55 from www.urbtix.hk. and
www.thegrandcinema.com.hk.
Halloween
Screenings
CineFan: Rosemary’s Baby
As October draws on, it’s high time to get
a little spooky: revisit Roman Polanski’s
classic horror-thriller “Rosemary’s Baby”
starring Mia Farrow and John Cassavetes
as a couple in New York who move into
a new flat next to some eccentric elderly
neighbors. But when they plan to have
a child, a sinister force creeps in, and
Rosemary begins to doubt if everything is
as it seems… Note that the screening is
free seating, so snap up the last remaining
tickets, quick! Oct 25, 7:30pm. The Grand
Cinema, 2/F, Elements, 1 Austin Rd. West,
West Kowloon, 2196-8170. $75 from www.
thegrandcinema.com.hk.
CineFan: The Shining
A screening of Stanley Kubrick’s horrific
masterpiece during Halloween week? Sign us
up! For those who haven’t seen the classic
psychofest based on Stephen King’s novel,
it’s about an alcoholic writer (Jack Nicholson
in his iconic role as Jack Torrance) and his
family, who spend winter at an isolated
hotel… built on a Native American burial
ground. How do they get from “okay, already
kinda creepy” to fullblown axe-murdering
“Here’s Johnny!”? You’ll just have to see it to
find out. Oct 26, 2:30pm; Oct 29, 7:30pm. The
Grand Cinema, 2/F, Elements, 1 Austin Rd.
West, West Kowloon, 2196-8170. $75 from
www.thegrandcinema.com.hk.
Somersby Lawn Silent Cinema:
Shaun of the Dead
Halloween may be over by the time this
happens, but what better way to celebrate
than by watching “Shaun of the Dead”—aka
one of the greatest zombie movies ever—on
a grassy lawn? Well, maybe watching it
down at the Winchester and waiting for it
all to blow over. Somersby and Kronenberg
drinks will be provided, so all you need to
do is sink into your deckchair, pop on the
headphones, and try to ignore the groaning
coming from right behind your head…
Nov 1, 8:30pm. The Pulse, 3/F, 28 Beach Rd.,
Repulse Bay. $160 from www.hushup.hk.
HK MAGAZINE FRIDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2014 37