Opening Soon

Rule#1
(Singapore/Hong Kong) Part cop-thriller, part horror, Singaporean director Kelvin Tong’s first Hong Kong outing stars Shawn Yu as a rookie policeman assigned to a mysterious department that specializes in the paranormal. Starring Ekin Cheng, Stephanie Che, Fiona Xie. Opens Sep 4.

The Strangers
(USA) Hot on the heels of “Funny Games” remake, this similar horror about a couple being tormented in their vacation home ditches the intellectual pretexts of the former in favor of a balls-to-the-wall fright orgy. Directed by Bryan Bertino. Starring Liv Tyler, Scott Speedman. Opens Sep 4.

Opening

The Edge of Love
(UK) Matthew Rhys, Keira Knightley and Sienna Miller find themselves in a turbulent ménage a trois in this portrait of Welsh poet Dylan Thomas and the two women of his life. Directed by John Maybury. Opened Aug 28. BC, UA

Forgive and Forget
(Hong Kong) Prolific romcom director Patrick Kong tries out a new genre with this creepfest about how dead boyfriends can be a killer to forget. Starring Andy On, Alice Tseng. Opened Aug 28. BC, UA

Funny Games
(USA) See review, above.

Made of Honour
(USA) Wedding comedy in which Patrick Dempsey prances around as a bridesmaid of the girl he wants to marry (Michelle Monaghan). Directed by Paul Weiland. Opened Aug 28. BC, UA 

HK Picks
REC
(Spain) A young TV reporter and her cameraman run into more than they bargained for on a night assignment, in this handheld horror that makes “Blair Witch” look like a picnic in the park. Directed by Jaume Balagueró, Paco Plaza. Opened Aug 28. BC, UA

Continuing

Cyborg She
(Japan) A college loner meets the girl of his dreams only to discover she’s a cyborg he invented the future, in this sci-fi romantic comedy from popular Korean director Kwak Jae-young.. BC, MCL, UA

The Dark Knight
(USA) See Christian Bale, Heath Ledger and the SAR at their darkest in the Batman film everybody’s been waiting for. Directed by Christopher Nolan. 5 Stars. AMC, BC, BEA IMAX, MCL, UA

Election
(Hong Kong) Tammy Cheung’s documentary about the Legco election of 2004 may not be quite as riveting as Johnnie To’s triad extravaganza, but it offers plenty of insight into the bumps on Hong Kong’s road to democracy. BC

Elite Squad
(Brazil) Jose Padilha’s blistering portrayal of the Special Police Operations Battalion in Rio de Janeiro has critics up in arms over its open embrace of street justice and police brutality. Starring André Ramiro, Wagna Moura. 4 Stars. BC, MCL

Get Smart
(USA) Steve Carell plays bumbling agent Maxwell Smart in this resurrection of the classic TV spoof of the CIA. PP AMC, MCL, UA

Hellboy II: The Golden Army
(USA) The red menace returns bigger and angrier than ever in Guillermo del Toro’s sequel to his 2004 comic book adaptation. PPPP AMC, BC, MCL

Help Me Eros
(Taiwan) Lee Kang-sheng directs and stars in this bizarre experimental film about a depressive who tries to escape his urban alienation through sex and marijuana. BC

I’m Not There
(USA) Heath Ledger, Christian Bale, Marcus Carl Franklin, Ben Whishaw, Richard Gere, and Cate Blanchett all play Bob Dylan in this critically acclaimed biopic from Todd Haynes. 3 Stars. BC, MCL

I Just Didn’t Do It
(Japan) This taut courtroom drama about a man falsely charged with sexual harassment takes a critical look at the Japanese legal system’s 99 percent conviction rate. Directed by Masayuki Suo. Cantonese subtitles only. BC, MCL

Journey to the Center of the Earth
(USA) Jules Verne’s classic gets a 3D update in this clunky adventure starring Brendan Fraser. PP AMC, BC, MCL

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
(USA) Jet Li plays an ancient Chinese emperor who returns from the dead in another resurrection of the blockbuster many critics believe should have been left buried. Also starring Michelle Yeoh, Isabella Leong. 2 Stars. AMC, BC, MCL, UA

Star Wars: The Clone Wars
(USA) See review, p.34. AMC, BC, MCL, UA

Arthouse

bc Sunday
Marie Antoinette
(USA, 2006) Sofia Coppola’s colorful recreation of France’s most iconic queen as a teen pop idol had French critics booing themselves blue in the face at Cannes. Let them eat cake. Starring Kirsten Dunst, Jason Schwartzman. Tickets $45 from Urbtix. Sun, Aug 31, 12:15pm. Broadway Cinematheque

Girls Are Flowers
(1966) This bittersweet musical comedy from Wong Yiu spawned numerous sequels and catapulted starlet Connie Chan to fame. Fri, Aug 29, 7:30pm.

The Young Swordsman
(1964) Different factions fight to land the secrets of the ninth style of the Buddha’s Palm in this martial arts classic. Directed by Ling Wan. Starring Tso Tat-wah, Patricia Lam Fung. Sat, Aug 30, 2pm.

An Emerging Society
The best of Cantonese cinema from the 60s. Through Aug 31. Tickets $30 from Urbtix. All screenings at the Film Archive.

The Strange Girl
(1967) This eerie, experimental romance by Wong Yiu revolves around a love triangle between Patsy Kar Ling, Lui Kay and Miu Ka-lai. Sun, Aug 31, 12:15pm.

HK Picks
The Youth
(1969) Chor Yuen captures the youth of the 60s through the tangled relationships of a dozen college students. Sun, Aug 31, 2:30pm.

Summer International Film Festival
The annual program presented by Hong Kong International Film Festival Society. Through Sep 15. Tickets $60/$36 from Urbtix. Full listings at www.hkiff.org.hk.

Yesterday Today Tomorrow
(1970) Patrick Lung Kong’s famous thriller about an unknown disease ravaging Hong Kong was heavily censored initially for its allegorical allusion to the 1967 riots. Sun, Aug 31, 5pm.

Om Shanti Om
(India, 2007) Shah Rukh Khan plays a struggling actor trying to woo a superstar (Deepika Padukone) in 1970s Bollywood in this epic Valentine to Hindi cinema. Directed by Farah Khan. Fri, Aug 29, 7:30pm; Thu, Sep 4, 7:30pm. UA Langham Place

Shame
(Sweden, 1968) Ingmar Bergman’s exploration of the soul-destroying effects of war revolves around a musician couple on an idyllic island whose lives are shattered by a nightmare invasion. Fri, Aug 29, 9:30pm. Arts Centre

Dragon Hunters
(France/Germany/Luxembourg, 2008) This 3D adaptation of the French cartoon series follows warrior Lian-Chu and his pals as they set out to slay a dragon keeping the world in darkness. Sat, Aug 30, 4pm. UA Langham Place

Childhoods
(France, 2007) Six portrayals of the childhoods of the history’s six greatest directors - Ingmar Bergman, Alfred Hitchcock, Fritz Lang, Jean Renoir, Jacques Tati and Orson Welles – searching for possible defining moments. Sun, Aug 31, 7:30pm. Grand Cinema.