Without a prominent blocbuster opening this week, distributors scrabble to release whatever they have left in their slate before the onslaught of summer behemoths arrives. As a result it is an extremely mixed back of films hitting Hong Kong’s screens, but certainly not devoid of recommendations.

Movie of the Week: WUTHERING HEIGHTS

Directed by Andrea Arnold
(Here’s what I had to say about the film after seeing it at this year’s HKIFF)
I had received a number of conflicting reports about this one, but resolved to see it for myself on the big screen with a festival audience and it proved a surprisingly rewarding experience. I suddenly came to the realisation that I had never actually seen an Andrea Arnold film before, despite being very aware of her two previous films, RED ROAD and FISH TANK. Emily Bronte’s classic novel was something I had also not read, but I had fond memories of the Lawrence Olivier/Merle Oberon film (not to mention Monty Python’s hilarious rendition by semaphore). When Arnold’s version began I was immediately surprised to discover the film was shot handheld in full frame, but after a few minutes I completely embraced this seemingly confrontational and deliberately anachronistic approach. As a fan of Cary Fukunaga’s recent reworking of Jane Eyre, I remained unprepared for just how bold and experimental Arnold’s take would be, from the decision to make Heathcliff black, to the use of incredibly strong language, to its so-incredibly-realistic tone that any lingering teenage memories of this being stuffy Victorian trash written to make young girls go giddy immediately evaporated – or rather were trampled into the mud on the rain smattered moors. At times the film reminded me of Bela Tarr’s THE TURIN HORSE but without its patience, at others Steven Spielberg’s WAR HORSE, but without its desperation for universal acceptance. Instead WUTHERING HEIGHTS feels like it was filmed on the fly by a skilled yet petulant young woman with a distain for literature, but deep down still harbours an appreciation for the poetry of tragic romance. And I mean that as a compliment. (5/5)

THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL

Directed by John Madden
Best known for MRS. BROWN and his controversial Best Picture winner SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE, Madden does an extremely competent job bringing Deborah Moggach’s novel to the big screen. The story of a group of geriatric strangers who all brave a change of scenery by travelling east to the titular retirement home in the luxurious decadence of the sub-continent. What they discover, however, is an enterprising young owner (SLUMDOG MILLIONNAIRE’s Dev Patel) and a dilapidated residence that falls far short of that depicted in the brochure. Madden assembles an outstanding crop of veteran British actors, including Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson and Maggie Smith, to portray this mish-mash of worn down and desperate retirees looking for a peaceful yet inspiring venue to see out their twilight years. The film proved a resounding success in the UK, despite criticisms that its vision of India is outdated and archaically colonial. But those criticisms miss the point. The story shows exactly how the country copes with such cliches and expectations, and how it dispells its characters’ preconceptions, for both good and ill. The result is a film that is light, charming and unashamedly feelgood, and boasting one of the year’s most enviable casts. (3/5)

[REC] 3: GENESIS

Directed by Paco Plaza
Jaume Balaguero and Paco Plaza decided to split directing duties on the third and fourth installments of their hugely successful Spanish horror series. Plaza goes it alone this time out and almost immediately ditches the found footage aesthetic, moves the action away from the tenement building in central Barcelona to a fancy wedding in the countryside and ramps up the splattery humour to great effect. Leticia Dolera and Diego Martin are both great as the happy couple, whose special day is taken over by rampaging zombies (or demons??) who proceed to devour and infect their nearest and dearest. Part four promises to bring the series full circle, with explanations, revelations and hopefully a satisfactory finale, but in the meantime this makes for a bloody, yet highly amusing diversion. (3/5)

ACT OF VALOR

Directed by Mike McCoy/Scott Waugh
Likely to be approached with a healthy dollop of cynicism, this thinly veiled recruitment film for the Navy SEALS actually manages to entertain in some areas, not least in its awesome display of hardware and frontline tactics. Call Of Duty fans will go giddy over the first person perspective employed during covert ops in the South American jungle, while Michael Bay fans should get a kick out of watching an assault helicopter hunt down a luxury yacht, or a SEAL speedboat rendezvous with a nuclear submarine in the open ocean. Acting, dialogue and plot are all risible, but for spectacle alone this cannot be dismissed outright. (2/5)

AMERICAN PIE: REUNION

Directed by John Hurwitz/Hayden Schlossberg
The gang returns for yet another round of lewd jokes, uncomfortable parenting and rampant hormonal revelry, although 13 years after the smash hit original, Jason Biggs, Sean William Scott and the rest of the gang prove to themselves and their audience that they really are too old for this shit. (2/5)

THE KICK

Directed by Prachya Pinkaew
The director of Thai actioner ONG BAK and a cast of young Korean martial artists collaborate in this kung-fu adventure that I have yet to experience, but is by all accounts best avoided. If you see it, let us know!

FLOATING CITY

Directed by Yim Ho
This period drama starring Aaron Kwok and Charlie Young opens on Saturday. I missed last week’s preview, but will be sure to take a look as soon as I can.