So far, it’s already looking to be a banner year for the film industry. Three of the movies currently playing in Hong Kong cinemas have won major awards, with some winning Oscars and Golden Globes. So what are you waiting for? Snag some tickets and grab some popcorn – there’s much to see.

Moonlight
In theatres now

In what has been described as a coming-of-age story, Moonlight follows the life of Chiron – a gay black man – from childhood to adulthood as he struggles to find his place in the world while growing up in a rough neighbourhood of Miami. The film won both Best Drama Motion Picture at the Golden Globes and Best Picture at the Oscars (after an awkward mix-up in which La La Land was mistakenly named the winner).

In case you need another reason to see this moving film, several scenes in Moonlight are being compared to scenes from movies directed by Hong Kong’s very own Wong Kar-wai, whom Moonlight director Barry Jenkins has named as one of his film idols.

Manchester by the Sea
In theatres now

Casey Affleck, best known for his roles in Good Will Hunting and Gone Baby Gone, won Best Actor awards at the Oscars and Golden Globes for his portrayal of Lee, a working-class man from Massachusetts who suddenly becomes the legal guardian of his nephew when his brother dies. Perhaps not the most cheerful plot, but still an important film.  

As The Guardian puts it: “It is achingly raw and heartbreaking, and it will most likely devastate you. If that sounds like something you’d rather not experience, then it’s probably best to turn away now. But if you are able to stomach it, this film proves immensely rewarding.”

La La Land
In theatres now

By now, you’ve probably heard something about this charming musical starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone. And for good reason. With a number of awards under its belt, the film is hard not to love. It tells the story of Mia and Sebastian, an actress and jazz pianist trying to make it in the ‘City of Stars’ – Los Angeles. They accomplish things they never would have been able to do alone, but they also have to make sacrifices along the way.   

The film ends up being more movie than musical, with just enough song-and-dance numbers to keep viewers captivated, without the cheesiness that sometimes turns people off of classic musicals.

Logan
In theatres now

X-Men fans won’t want to miss Hugh Jackman’s last stand as Wolverine. It is the final action-packed chapter to feature one of Marvel Comics’ most popular characters – “a fan-favourite anti-hero with memory issues, a grumpy demeanour, and those adamantium blades,” according to Slate.

“But it isn’t another loud, character-crammed, Easter egg–stuffed mutant adventure,” Slate’s review continues. “Instead it has a small cast, a dust-flecked setting, a tragic explanation for why most of the other X-Men are not there, and an aging, defeated Logan, who has never been more in need of redemption and who has never felt farther from it.”

Beauty and the Beast
Opens 16 March

Those who grew up watching the original cartoon version (1991) of this classic Disney musical – as well as those who loved watching it with their kids – will likely find the new, live-action rendition to be a rush of nostalgia. The film will feature many of the catchy tunes that viewers came to love in the original version, while also including three new original songs.

It is an unlikely love story between the ‘Beast,’ a prince who was cursed and turned into a monstrous creature, and Belle, the woman he imprisoned in his enchanted castle in exchange for her father’s freedom. Even better, it stars Emma Watson, the beloved actress who played everyone’s favourite witch, Hermione Granger, in the Harry Potter series.

Text: Emily Petsko