HKMagazine_974
HKMagazine_974
HKMagazine_974
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Introducing…..<br />
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(And the BEST BBQ Ribs in town,<br />
hands down!)<br />
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& Creole Cuisine<br />
Tel: 2530-9880 Fax: 2530-9881<br />
www.magnolia.hk<br />
44 HK MAGAZINE FRIDAY, JANUARY 11, 2013<br />
This year, the rules of weight loss<br />
are changing forever!<br />
Introducing brand new<br />
ProPoints<br />
Available in<br />
G.O.D. and the<br />
HK Magazine<br />
Online Store.<br />
Our biggest innovation in over 15 years!<br />
Discover the new world of weight loss:<br />
Central YWCA: Mon 12 pm, 6 pm, & 8 pm<br />
Pokfulam Kennedy School: Mon 4:30 pm<br />
Kowloon USRC: Mon 6:30 pm<br />
Razor Hill The Bay Practice: Wed 6 pm<br />
Hong Kong Cricket Club: Thurs 11:30 am<br />
Mui Wo, Lantau Island: Wed 7 pm<br />
For more details call 2813 0814 or<br />
visit www.weightwatchers.com.hk<br />
FILM<br />
The Sessions PPPPP<br />
(USA) Drama/Comedy. Written and directed by Ben Lewin. Starring John Hawkes, Helen Hunt,<br />
William H. Macy, Moon Bloodgood, Annika Marks and Rhea Perlman. Category III. 95 minutes.<br />
Opened Jan 10.<br />
Based on the life and writings of the late American writer and journalist Mark O’Brien, a victim of<br />
childhood polio that left him immobile and in an iron lung, “The Sessions” takes a wry look at the<br />
emotional and sexual lives of the disabled. Here, writer-director Ben Lewin, who also suffered<br />
from polio as a child, has created an emotionally driven storyline that nevertheless becomes<br />
difficult to watch at times.<br />
Set in 1988, we meet Mark (John Hawkes) as a 38-year-old man. Despite having spent most<br />
of his life in an iron lung, Mark has successfully attended the University of California Berkeley,<br />
become a journalist and poet (by painstakingly typing out his thoughts with a stick held between<br />
between his teeth), and, with the help of his assistant Vera (Moon Bloodgood), is able to get out<br />
and about on a gurney.<br />
Despite all his accomplishments, however, at 38 years old, Mark remains a virgin.<br />
He wants to finally lose his virginity, and after seeking advice from his priest, Father Brennan<br />
(William H. Macy), he is given the green light. (Father Brennan believes that God will give Mark,<br />
a devout Catholic, a pass on account of his profound disability.)<br />
After some research, Mark finds a sex surrogate—certified professionals who have<br />
intimate relationships with their patients for therapeutic purposes—and arranges an<br />
appointment with Cheryl (Helen Hunt). Cheryl has never had a patient like Mark, who is thin,<br />
fragile and barely able to move. However, she establishes her ground rules and takes him on<br />
as she would with any other patient. During the sessions, Cheryl helps Mark become more<br />
comfortable with his body. But, as their relationship progresses, her professionalism starts to<br />
fade and she finds herself falling for Mark.<br />
The three leads all play their characters well and give believable performances. With<br />
such physical limitations, Hawkes had to rely heavily on his voice to give his character heft,<br />
while William H. Macy’s character brings humor to the story with his supportive and openminded<br />
outlook.<br />
Originally named “The Surrogate” and premiering at the Sundance Film Festival in 2012, the<br />
film received rave reviews and was therefore pushed for commercial release and renamed “The<br />
Sessions.” However, the extravagant film festival buzz, overwhelmingly positive critical reviews<br />
and constant praise might have overhyped the movie somewhat for those of us who are less<br />
enthusiastic about sex’s finer details. Warning: less adventurous moviegoers might find themselves<br />
averting their eyes during the difficult and very explicit therapy sessions. Rani Samtani<br />
HK PICKS<br />
Jack Reacher<br />
(USA) “The Usual Suspects” writer<br />
Christopher McQuarrie directs his second<br />
feature. Starring Tom Cruise, this action/<br />
crime drama tells the story of a homicide<br />
investigator, Jack Reacher (Cruise), who<br />
investigates the death of five victims who<br />
were shot by a sniper. The police catch<br />
the culprit, but the accused insists on his<br />
innocence and demands to see Reacher. As<br />
he digs deeper into the case, a complex tale<br />
begins to unravel. Also starring Rosamund<br />
Pike, Robert Duvall, Richard Jenkins, Werner<br />
Herzog. PPP BC, AMC, UA, GH, MCL, GC.<br />
Keep The Lights On<br />
(USA) When filmmaker Eric (Thure Lindhardt)<br />
meets closeted lawyer Paul (Zachary Booth),<br />
a romance begins to flourish behind closed<br />
doors. Their relationship is marked by<br />
moments of passion and frustration that<br />
challenge Eric’s self-worth and compels the<br />
audience to take a deeper look at their own<br />
toxic relationships. Written and directed by<br />
Ira Sachs, this broody drama is the winner<br />
of the Teddy Award at this year’s Berlin Film<br />
Festival. PPPP BC.<br />
Les Misérables<br />
(USA) This star-studded film adaptation of<br />
Cameron Mackintosh’s musical is about<br />
ex-convict Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman) and<br />
his experience of redemption in 19th century<br />
France. The Golden Globe-nominated film<br />
features Russell Crowe as Inspector Javert,<br />
Anne Hathaway as the single mother forced<br />
into prostitution Fantine and Amanda<br />
Seyfried as her illegitimate daughter Cosette,<br />
who is under Valjean’s care. Also starring<br />
Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham<br />
Carter. PPPP BC, AMC, UA, GH, MCL, GC.
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