Land Of Wealth- my final thoughts

After 6 interminable weeks, I finally finished the series Land of Wealth. Remember some time ago I gave quite a positive review about the first 10 episodes of LOW? Well, I guess it's time for me to turn the tables against this series which has one of the most major disapointment of the year.




Don't leave, read on to find out more



If you have read Metal's review before, he mentioned that it was only after 18 episodes when "LOW wakes up and realises that it has a story to tell". That is SO true. I liked the first 10 episodes because they managed to trick me into thinking that 'everything is just building up' and that 'more excitement is ahead'. Unfortunately after the next 8 episodes I was going to switch off my television. But I still pressed on.


For the next 14 episodes, things did get more exciting. Not only exciting, but also messed up, and screwed up. I feel like the producers are still in control of the story line. That's a good thing. But I do not understand why did they choose to mess up the story line like that.



I couldn't make myself love the story. The political and banking parts are not exciting enough. The love parts were messed up, vexatious, and left the audience with lots of regrets. It was so twisted, everyone married the person they do not love, no one gets to be w/ someone he or she truly loves. Couples are ripped into pieces and the pieces are thrown everywhere and anywhere.



ok I'm exagerating, but i'm just trying to show my disappointment.


It could be a masterpiece


Look at the grand costumes, the gorgeous scenery, the upbeat themesong and themevideo, four lovely main characters, and the awesome performances from the leads and supporting cast. All these is useless if the story line sucked, but it's also a waste of money and resources to create these beauty. LOW could have been the best series of the year, but because of the lousy story, it has become one of the worst series of 2006. (Not as bad as War and Destiny which I gave up on after 8 episodes... at least i made it thru 32 episodes of LOW)


The perfect couples broken up

I wasn't paying much attention to Moses and Sonija as a couple but soon realised that they were very much the focus of the series. I started to like them tgt quite quickly, especially because Sonija's character was so energetic and cute, all the way up till episode 22 or 23, when a stupid misunderstanding changed their relationship so badly without any turning back. It just made me miss those days of their innocent and cute interaction.

Steven and Tavia were the number one reason why I wanted to watch LOW, but also the number one disappointment. Their chemistry was definitely present, and it really rocked. But the scenes with them are really WAY TOO LITTLE. In fact MANY of their scenes were cut. It gives me a feeling that the producers hate them tgt. Also, in the end the story got really twisted as well. Another stupid misunderstanding break them apart. Tavia marries Moses and all of a sudden does not seem to love Steven anymore. Steven gets tagged by a not very pretty girl called Erica Yuen. Tavia dies, and I don't even see Steven at her funeral...

the scenes which got cut:

- the snow storm scene which looks totally gorgeous got so truncated. I still enjoyed it, but it was WAY too short!

- The scene where Tavia and Steven were getting buried alive by horse thieves. I saw the filming of it and I cried, but in the actual series it got cut...

- Steven standing at the side looking and crying when Tavia dies. In the version I watch, there is no Steven at all when Moses carries Tavia out of the prison

Give me those scenes! I want to watch them so badly...

In the year of 2006, the costume dramas looked the most promising, but also turned out the most disappointing. Watching LWOLAP, DOP and LOW gave me quite similar feeling. It made me thinkg 'Why can series look sooo awesome from the outside but turn out to be just a beautiful empty shell?' This can make u feel very dejected and upset. Of course, among the bunch, LWOLAP was a much much better series, with awesome characters and a story which kept me very much interested, unlike DOP and LOW which i was watching half-heartedly most of the time.

The Verdict

My suggestion, give this series a cursory glance, don't skip it totally. You need to have a feel of teh grandness and beauty of Land Of Wealth. It's cinetography is one of the best in recent years. However, don't pay too much attention to the story, it can make u very vexed. Like I said, performances rocked but the story sucked. Browsing and watching selected scenes where ur favourite actors and actresses perform is more than enough.

Maiden's Vow- the Review

Finally completed this series! Here is my long review... pls enjoy (:

This review is really hard to write, because this series is made up of 4 different stories and 4 different sets of characters. Maiden’s Vow is a story which lasts 4 generations, showcasing how the gender concepts and Woman’s social status have changed over the past century.

Dai Sze Ga (Charmaine She) narrates the story right from the first generation, that is, the story of her great-great grandmother Ngai Yu Fung (Charmaine She), who lives in the Qing Dynasty. At that time, women had no say at all in their marriage. Their happiness was always put last, everything else was more important. Yu Fung and Yu Ci fell in love from young, but to save the Ngai family, Yu Fung had no choice but to marry into the Wong Family. Wong Yue Lam (Sammul Chan) is Yu Fung’s terrible husband. He is very stupid, unreasonable, and only knows how to squander away his family’s wealth. Yu Fung had to suffer a lot in the Wong family. Thankfully, Yu Ci, who became a cook in the Wong family, was there to be her guardian angel. After the downfall of the Wong, Yu Fung and Yu Ci started the ‘Phoenix Restaurant’ together to support the useless people in the Wong family. From a small teahouse, the restaurant became bigger and bigger, and even the Empress Dowager patronized their restaurant. Finally, all the struggles are over, Yu Fung and Yu Ci can finally be together. Yet at this time, tragedy struck and both of them died together in a bomb incident…

The second generation is the story of Sze Ga’s great grandmother Wong Ji Kwan (Charmaine She), the daughter of Yu Fung and Yue Lam. She is a passionate, patriotic teenager, who loves to study. Ji Kwan also believes in ‘freedom in love’. Everyone thinks she is very rebellious, but she only wants to be with the one she truly loves. Ji Kwan falls for her teacher Lei Kat Cheung (Joe Ma). However, due to their teacher and student relationship, everyone objected to their relationship, and they had to elope. Kat Cheung was also a revolutionist. Eventually, he became a spy who works for the country. The couple had to go through a lot of separations and reunions. In the end, Kat Cheung had to escape, and never came back, leaving Ji Kwan and her unborn child…

The third generation features Sze Ga’s mother, Bak Wai Zan (Charmaine She), who is Ji Kwan’s granddaughter. Wai Zan and Doi Lap Yan (Joe Ma) were a happy married couple. However, there are some problems. Lap Yan believes that the man should go out and work and the woman should only stay at home and complete the chores. Hence he does not allow his wife to go out to work, even though she is very smart. Wai Zan decides to go out to work secretly, and ended up having to opposite Lap Yan. This whole story then became an office battle between men and women. Meanwhile Wai Zan and Lap Yan’s relationship became worse. At the end, Wai Zan realizes that the Phoenix restaurant is her family’s business and decides to take over it and save it from closing down. While combining efforts to do so, Wai Zan and Lap Yan finally made up. Lap Yan also realized that his chauvinistic ways were unacceptable and changed for the better.

The story fastforwards to the 21st century. Sze Ga and Ah Zan (Sherming Yiu) are best friends. Sze Ga believes in true love, but not marriage. She thinks that marriage is just using a certificate to tie each other down, and they can file for divorce any time, any day. Ah Zan is a more ‘promiscuous’ girl. She goes out with multiple guys and toys with feelings, but she is still a nice girl. Fong Ka On (Joe Ma) is Sze Ga’s cohabiting boyfriend, but they broke up due to misunderstanding. After Ka On leaves, Sze Ga finds herself pregnant with Ka On’s child. Sze Ga decides to be a single mother, with the support of ah Zan and ah Kat (Sammul Chan), her ex-boyfriend who turns out to be homosexual. Meanwhile, they were all working together to reopen the Phoenix restaurant. In 2 years, Sze Ga transformed from a nameless beer promoter to a top famous successful business woman. At this time, Ka On comes back. After many twists and turns, all the misunderstandings finally come to an end and the two are reconciled. Ka On proposes to Sze Ga, however, Sze Ga knows that marriage is not the best option for her…


Love Factors

Charmaine She- the last generation Doi Sze Ga
I have to say this is the character which stands out the most in the entire series. From the first episode, you start to hear her voice already, and look forward to seeing her, wanting to know what Sze Ga’s character is like. When her character first appears, you may be very surprised to see that Sze Ga is a very wild and ‘not-so-good’ girl. But soon enough, you’ll find that she has a very warm heart, she is strong, and she has a very uniquely likeable character.

Charmaine She- the best actress
I don’t know if any actress can be as versatile as Charmaine. I have to say that Charmaine’s performances are AMAZING. She is able to make all 4 characters shine, and prevent us from getting bored with her performances (unlike Joe Ma). Her tears were tragic in the first generation. In the second generation, acting as her very own daughter, she convincingly acted cute and youthful (really loved her in here). Her comedy expressions were very successful in the 3rd generation, and I don’t need to say anymore about the last generation. In a way you’ll feel that this series was specially made for Charmaine to win the Best Actress award.

Sammul Chan- the best supporting actor
Sammul only appeared in the 1st and last generation, but both times his appearance took me by surprise. In the first generation, I was surprised by how thrashy his character is. This is the first time I see Sammul play such a completely hate-able character. He was definitely convincing, and I really felt like slapping him. In the forth generation, I was surprised again when Sammul’s character turns out to be gay and falls in love with Joe! Oh my god… Despite that, this unique character turns out to be another success. I loved ‘Ah Kat’. I loved how he supports Charmaine as a friend. He is the greatest friend you can ever hope for.

So-So Factor

Joe Ma
I cannot say Joe’s performance is bad, but to me it was just plain. I only liked Joe in the 2nd generation (his teacher look was very refreshing) and the last generation, where he is the rich and high-class accountant. I think Joe Ma suits high-class educated characters the best. His ‘innocent’ character in generation 1 and his ‘funny’ character in generation 3 just wasn’t the best…

OVERALL COMMENTS

The Story
All in all, the story wasn’t bad, although I found the last part of the 2nd generation boring and most of the 3rd generation flat. The rest of the story was a laudable effort. The last story was the highlight of the entire series, and also my favourite. I was able to enjoy it from the beginning to the end without feeling bored at all.

The Chemistry

Charmaine and Joe
I cannot say they don’t have chemistry, but I also cannot say that their chemistry rocked. But after seeing them for so many episodes in so many different stories, I must make myself believe that they do have chemistry…

Charmaine and Sammul
100%- match-able, whether they are ‘sisters’ in the last generation or ‘hardworking wife and useless husband’ in the first generation. I love their chemistry together!

Sherming Yiu and ‘Pang Pang’
I don’t know who this actor is, but the two of them were quite cute in the last generation.

The performance
Charmaine She gets the best actress award, I don’t have to say more. Joe Ma is good, but Charmaine is better. Sammul is the ‘most improved’ and ‘best supporting’ actor. He is a good actor. Sherming Yiu can be the ‘best supporting actress’. Her performances were great, even though her character was too mean. I would also like to mention Elaine Yiu. I know she sucked in Safe Guards, but this time her character in the 2nd generation was very comfortable to watch. Let’s hope to see more improvements from her (but no more leading roles please)

The Verdict
If you are a Charmaine or Sammul fan, you can NOT miss this series. If you’re not, you should still watch this series, but you may want to get your fast forward button ready for the 3rd generation.

Chirp chirp crow crow

The following content is not very healthy for Bernice fans

Raymond Lam........ Bernice Liu....... Both of them ace in their own ways. Raymond is charming, Bernice is beautiful. They are cute off screen and onscreen (e.g.: in Survivor's Law, in Raymond's MV)

but but but, there is one thing they can NOT do together

and that is to.......

sing a duet.

I'm so sorry but I think I have to put the blame on Bernice. When Raymond meets Bernice in a duet, Raymond's voice is like the chirp, Bernice's voice is like the crow. The contrast is great, and it's hard to stomach... (With sufficient editing and ample takes, Bernice may be able to sound palatable on recording. But when she sings live it is just weird, her voice gets shaky. )

It won't be so disturbing if these two didn't sing together. I was listening to their rendition of andy lau's classic song 一起走过的日子, where Raymond made a perfect entrance, and then Bernice voice woke me up from the dream I was entering...

Then I remembered, I few years ago, I had the EXACT same feeling. That was when Raymond and Bernice sang 'Beauty and the Beast' at TVB's 37th anniversary. Raymond's singing was excellent and mesmerizing, but Bernice's singing just spoilt my 2 minutes of pleasure. Raymond's voice is the stable type, Bernice's voice is just too young/shaky/I-dunno-how-to-describe. They just don't go...

Thank goodness all these are one-time live performance. Enjoy the chirp, endure the crow, and forget about the entire thing (=

I should be getting Raymond's album soon. CAN'T WAIT!

Currently Watching... Land Of Wealth

Recently, I have watched the first 10 episodes of the series. Having heard many bad reviews, I watched this series half-heartedly. Very true, I was yawning thru the first 2-3 episodes of the series. But to my surprise, I soon started loving it. The story builds up very slowly, but very nicely. There is one word to describe this series- beauty. The beauty of the scenery, beauty of the costumes, beauty of the dialogues, and beauty of Tavia Yeung captivated me.

Costumes

Not only Tavia's costumes, every other character's costumes, from supporting to main characters, from young to old characters, are all very pretty! Maybe it's because of all the fur, they give the costumes some sort of class.

Poetic Dialogues

Say the dialogues of Dance Of Passion are beautiful? Why not look at the dialogues of LOW. They are so poetic and beautiful! Sometimes you may not understand what they are talking about (for e.g. when Steven is reciting some ancient poem). This is when you look at the subtitles, and realise that the poems are actually quite meaningful.

The Characters

All the 4 main characters are so lovely in this series. Supporting characters like Stephen Wong and John Chiang are likeable too. Even minor characters like the old man who mentors the trainees and John Chiang's loyal servant are quite interesting to watch. The number one character i hate is Lau Dan's character, as well as his entire family...

Steven and Tavia

In terms of looks and characters, Steven and Tavia are really the PERFECT match for each other! Their story reminds me of the story of LITCOL, but theirs make me feel a lot sweeter. I already know they are not going to end up together, so I can only savour every single scene of theirs for now...

What will LOW become

From what I heard and read, the story is going to screw up big time later on. That will be really disappointing. Breaking Steven and Tavia up with a MISUNDERSTANDING is also one of the worst things to look forward to.

So what will Land Of Wealth become? Will i love it or hate it? I need to watch on to find out. But I will take pretty long because my channel only broadcasts 1 episode per day.

On The First Beat- review

Cast: Ron Ng, Sammul Chan, Michael Tao, Sonija Kwok, Joey Yung, Kate Tsui, Kenny Kwan
Episodes: 30
Producer: Wong Wai Sing

Story:
After 27 weeks of training, the cadets have finally graduated and are out to be a real policeman and to serve the public. They are all matured and ready to deal with greater challenges, and dangers ahead…

In this sequel, Ron and Sammul continue to be best of friends, along with their respective girlfriends, Tavia and Fiona. In the first episode, Tavia leaves for Japan to study, embarking on a long-distance relationship with Ron. Meanwhile, Fiona got killed by a ruthless criminal in the second episode. Sammul and Ron were devastated, but their lives continued…

2 years later, Ron and Sammul met Michael, who always seems to be picking on them. Eventually they learned that Michael only wants to help them. Michael had a broken marriage with Sonija, who is also a policewoman. The two go through many ups and downs, breaking up and getting back together again… Joey is Michael’s little sister who is a very nice girl. Ron slowly realizes that his love for Tavia has faded and Joey is the one he loves…

Meanwhile, Ron, Sammul and many other cadets got chosen to join the PTU. They go through even more intense training, their jobs get more challenging, and the crimes they fight get exciting….

Who is a good policeman, who is not? How will Ron solve his relationship problems? Will Michael and Sonija have a happy ending? And will Sammul finally let go of Fiona? Watch this series to find out.


Love Factors:

Ron Ng
Since Men In Pain, this is the second time I’m putting Ron as a love factor. I just enjoy watching the changes of Ron’s character as the series progresses. From a stubborn, inconsiderate and impulsive little boy in The Academy, Ron becomes braver, calmer, nicer and smarter in On The First Beat. The changes are subtle, so you need to watch the series to slowly feel the changes, and fall in love with Ron’s character. I also think Ron’s acting improved, or maybe he simply suits this kind of characters better.

Sonija Kwok
In this series, Sonija is a very cool and professional policewoman. I like her portrayal of the character, and surprised by her very much improved performance.

The story
I like the story, in fact, I like it quite a lot more than the story of The Academy. The different kinds of duties of the police are portrayed in a very realistic fashion, from settling petty domestic disputes to fighting street protesters to arresting the major criminals. Not only do we understand their duties more, we also learn more about the politics in the police force, understand the characters more, and also see many different sides of the society. All in all I think the scriptwriters did a great job writing the story.

Sequel or original?
Like I said, despite no Tavia, no Fiona, no Michelle Yim and no Michael Miu in this sequel, I prefer the story of the sequel to the original. It is more exciting, and less cheesy. I prefer the themesong of the sequel as well. Oh can you feel, our sweat and tears, we’ll over come hard ship and fear… oo~ so upbeat!

Dislike Factor
Kate Tsui
Kate’s character is already annoying, but Kate, as an actress, makes her even more annoying by being sooooo noisy! I hate the way she yells. But Man Jing is still acceptable. Kate did show SLIGHT improvements from The Brink Of Law to On The First Beat, though there is still a long way to go…

Pity Factor

Michael and Sonija
After going through SO much, the two still didn’t get to be together in the end. I pity Sonija the most, the way she died was really sad…

Tavia Yeung
I really don’t understand why Ron can stop liking such a sweet girl like Tavia. Tavia is the kind of girlfriend every one dreams for, but Ron left her with nothing but a broken heart…

Sammul Chan
First, his dad left him in the last episode of The Academy. Then, his girlfriend left him in the 2nd episode of On The First Beat. And from what I see, Sammul’s character will probably stay single for the rest of his life. Poor guy, why must he live such a hard life?

How Come Factor
At the beginning, Michael's character sucked. If he wants to help Ron and Sammul, why must he make himself so hateful and refuse to admit that he wants to help them?

Chemistry Factor

Michael and Sonija
Michael and Sonija make a refreshing but great pairing. Their characters may be very different, but they complement each other and match well. However, their story is built mainly on misunderstandings, it may get a bit tiring. Nevertheless it is still quite a memorable chemistry.

Ron and Joey
If you didn’t watch The Academy, you will think that Ron and Joey make a cute couple. Very true, they do have some chemistry. But if you watched The Academy, and witnessed how Ron and Tavia built up their relationship, it is very hard to accept that Ron stopped loving Tavia. If Ron’s feelings for Tavia can change so quickly, his feelings for Joey probably won’t last either…

Sammul and Sonija
Sammul and Sonija were more like friends than lovers. It’s a very refreshing and unique kind of chemistry, and it’s nice to see how they confided in each other and helped each other through their problems.

The Performance
For the male leads, Michael’s performance was the most solid. Sammul and Ron were also very good. Sammul is the same Sammul you saw in The Academy. Ron is also about the same, but more mature and likeable. For the female, Sonija was the best to watch. Joey was only okay, many other actresses can play her character. Kate was annoying, but she did do her character some justice.

Overall: worth watching?
Yes

The Brink Of Law

Episodes: 25

Producer: Mui Siu Ching

Cast: Steven Ma, Bernice Liu, Ron Ng, Shirley Yeung, Kate Tsui, Michelle Yim, Elliot Yue, Stephen Wong etc.

The Story:
Maintaining justice and fighting crime is everyone's duty. This is what Steven believes, and what the story is about.

The whole story revolves around the police, Steven and partners, Nikola the company, and the Tung family. At the beginning, the police were only interested in Michelle Yim and her brother, as they suspect them being involved in illegal gambling business. But as the story progresses, more and more of the dark side of the Tung family begins to unfold....

Love Factors

The Story
is really exciting! Like a roller coaster ride, all the twist and turns and ups and downs make you finish the series really fast...

The Villians
are the true highlight of the entire series. Michelle Yim first, honestly this is the first time i see Michelle act as a villain and I AM impressed. She can be really ruthless, but she truly loves her sons. Very interesting character. Shirley Yeung surprised me totally, with her performance and with her character. At first I thought she was just a petty bitch, but slowly I realised how scheming, hypocrite and relentless she is. I especially like the way she changes expression. One moment she pretends to smile, once they are gone, her entire look changes. Awesome! Elliot Yue is a wolf in sheep's skin. He's a great actor, but I absolutely HATE his character, especiallywhen he kills his own brother and his own son, you'll realise how selfish this guy is... Basically, without these villains, the whole series is an empty shell, and I won't even watch it

Stephen Wong
I'm really surprised and impressed by Stephen Wong's performance in this series, especially the 2nd half. His character is lovely and also pitiful. His performance is a big thumbs up. His ending made me cry. I'm starting to like Stephen now, and I hope tvb starts promoting him more and giving him more good roles.

HATE factor
Kate Tsui
I can think of 10 or 20 or more actresses who would do a better job than Kate for this role. As a newcomer, Kate's acting is almost unpalatable (in this series). As a fashion designer, Kate's hairstyle and dressing sense totally sucked. Learn from Shirley! Basically, this is a series Kate fans (if any) really want to forget...

The themesong and the themevideo
I watched it 25 times but i still don't like it

Pity Factor: the innocent lives lost (there are so many)
First it was Kenneth Ma, then it was Ron's father. Both deaths were so sad, and such a pity. But what made me REALLY depressed were the death of the two good boys: Ron and Stephen. The Tung family were really dark, almost everyone in the family is evil. Ron and Stephen are the only two angels in the Tung family. However, they have a sorry end just like the rest of their family. Ron didn't have to die, if he didn't turn back when Elliot called him. Stephen's suicide made me cry. He was so helpless. He had a kind heart, but cannot accept the truth about his evil parents, and also all the betrayal from the ones he truly loved. He could be a great man, he had a bright future ahead, and the thought of his tragic end is really really depressing...


Overall comments

The Story
The story wasn't very deep, but it was very exciting, and also managed to showcase many different sides of human. All in all it was worth the time

The Performance
To me, Michelle Yim stole the whole show, followed by Shirley Yeung. Steven Ma is solid as usual, but overshadowed by the villains. Bernice is really pretty, but I still think her acting can improve, a lot more... I liked Ron Ng's performance at the beginning, but it sort of fell flat after a while. Ron's performance in OTFB is much better. Kate Tsui... I bashed her enough, so I'll leave her alone. Most improved actor goes to Stephen Wong. Yoyo Chan also did quite a good job for a newcomer.

watch it, or not?
Yes

I'm back... finally

Really sorry that I have disappeared for such a long time. I hope my readers are still around, because it has been REALLY long. I was so caught up with my own life that I almost forgot about this blog. But after watching 22 episodes of On The First Beat, I decided to proclaim now...

I love Ron Ng~ His character has matured subtly but radically from The Academy until On The First Beat. I am not surprised that Tavia, Kate and Joey all love him so much, because I do too. ^.^

I will try to write a review for OTFB after I'm done with it, a pretty good series indeed... I may also write a review on The Brink Of Law which recently finished, and Maiden's Vow (which I'm still in the midst of watching over cable TV)

Stay tuned, tvb keep rocking~

More NBOL pictures

Currently watching- New Breath Of Love

Before the hype of The Drive Of Life begins, let's talk about Raymond's new mainland series New Breath Of Love starring Raymond Lam, Chen Yi Rong, Alex Fong Chung Sun, An Yi Xuan and many more. Over the past few days, I have finished watching 10 episodes of this series. I don't like the title, and I still don't, because I think it is boring. But actually the title does fit the series well. Watching this series is like a breath of fresh air, very refreshing, and in some way enlightening. NBOL deals with many different perspectives of love. They are interesting to learn, and not too hard to understand. Raymond and Yi Rong make a great couple, I just love watching them together so much. Let's hope this series gets better and better for the remaining 16 episodes...

ancient princess- Tavia Yeung

Tavia is one of my, if not favourite actress in TVB. She may not steal the thunder every time, but IMO, she still shines in her every single role. I'm a big fan of her ancient looks. Tavia suits her ancient outfits too well. There are 3 outfits/sets of outfits I like the most. First, it was in Whatever It Takes. My impression of that series is vague now, but I still like her outfits. Second, it was in Twin Of Brothers. Gosh she looked so perfect, and cool in them. I was crazy over Lei Sau Ling's beauty for quite some time, and for some reason Tavia's look reminded me of Kristy Yeung. The last one was of course Land Of Wealth. I love Tavia's outfits since the day of the costume fitting. Haven't gotten to watch this series. I heard good and bad comments about this series, but it's okay. I just want to watch this series to enjoy Tavia's awesome outfits and great performances...

TVB ancient prince 2- Raymond Lam

In many interviews, Raymond will always say, he doesn't want to be 'stereotyped' as the 'ancient king', and wants to try out more modern characters. I totally agree you should never stereotype your roles. But for some reason, I just love watching Raymond portraying those ancient characters so much. I love the way he holds the heavy bow in Lofty Waters Verdant Bow. I love the way he plays the flute in Eternal Happiness, and I love the way he rides on horses in Twin Of Brothers. In fact, it was 'Kau Chung' in Twin Of Brothers which converted me into a die-die-hard Raymond fan...

The Characters:

Raymond has played many types of ancient characters: the dopey type like in LWVB and EH, the playful type in Face To Fate, the tragic type in Blade Heart, the political type in A Step Into The Past and TOB etc. That is my favourite type, because I love seeing the mean and ambitious Raymond the most. There is also the angsty type, like in Lethal Weapons Of Love and Passion, which I really like, but I think the screenwriters screwed up some parts of the story, and that is a pity. Soon in the "four great constables", you'll get to see the angsty and emotional ancient Raymond again, and hopefully, tgt with a good script. (:

outfits= no good?

Sometimes Raymond's ancient outfits can look a little weird, which makes me pissed with the producers. But sometimes, they can be really unique, and nice...

Raymond as the king in ASITP. A not-so-perfect but promising performance, plus the best king outfits. Totally love it!!

Twin of Brothers- Messy, crazy, especially the hair, but I love it more and more each day

Face to Fate- a series with one of the most screwed up outfits. Should be thankful Ray still looks pretty decent, not to mention CUTE

Angsty Raymond, totally love his poise + his hair!

My ideal ancient hair style for Ray, too bad he only appeared for less than 15 minutes in this...

to know who's my ancient 'princess' (there is only 1), stay tuned to find out!

TVB ancient prince 1- Steven Ma

You and I have all watched countless tvb ancient series, acted by various different actors. TVB has way too many actors. But who is my true ancient prince? Recently I'm watching the series Safeguards (ok I know I'm slow). And omg I'm in the process of being converted into a diehard Steven Ma fan. Anyway, steven has acted in many many ancient series, and aced in all of them. His ancient characters can be split into two types: the tragic scholar type like in Where the Legend Begins and Perish In The Name Of Love, or the funnier type, like in Better Halves, A Change Of Destiny, or the upcoming Gentle Crackdown 2. Steven is an awesome comedian, but I still like his tragic characters the most. Somehow, when he speaks, his back is really straight, his voice is really deep. It makes you believe that Steven really comes from that era...



"Where the Legend Begins" and "Perish In The Name Of Love"= the tragic type

"A Change Of Destiny" and "Better Halves"= the funny Steven

Who is my other ancient prince? Stay tuned to find out!

TVB mid-2007 analysis

Whoohoo time really flies and we're in the middle of June already. Why do I keep feeling that 2007 is a good year for TVB? Simple: the new stars are improving (e.g. Linda Chung, Selena Lee, Fala Chen), the old stars are coming back (Gallen Lo, Maggie Cheung, Esther Kwan, Anita Yuen), the scripts are getting better (to some extent), the posters are getting beautiful. Maybe because this is TVB's 40th year. 40 is an important number and that is why TVB has to ROCK.

What are the series of 2007 like?

The series which became the talk of the town is Heart Of Greed. This series made me addicted, but I can still think of ways to improve it. The other series I in love with is The Brink Of Law. Watching it was like riding on a roller coaster.

Two other series which got pretty good reviews and ratings are The Family Link and A Change Of Destiny. The two older warehouse series which got aired and gained good ratings are War And Destiny and Ten Brothers. The series which I'm watching now and finding pretty interesting is The Slicing Of The Demon (interesting, but weird ya). Series like Devil's Desciple and Best Bet and Life Art are the ones with their lovers and their haters. Eventually I'll still watch ALL of them (on TV/ by download) and experience their good and bad moments. Basically none of these series are CONDEMNED, if you get what I mean.

So let's just say, TVB has passed decently for the first half of 2006.

Is there more to come?

DEFINITELY YES! Here are what I'm looking forward to...

The series which are coming...

1) Cadets On The Beat

"Oh can you feel, our sweat and tears, we'll overcome, hardship and fear..."

I'm pretty upset that Tavia Yeung got written out, because I really like this actress, + her awesome chemistry with Ron in The Academy. BUT, I've come to terms with it and I'll still give COTB a chance. In fact, I'm looking forward...

2) The Seventh Day

Will producer Wong Sum Wai be able to make another series on par with UTCOL, or even a better one? I believe yes...

3) The Drive Of Life

I've already seen two trailers of this series, and they look awesome. One tricky problem about this series is its length, and HOW and WHEN CCTV is going to air it, because that will have a direct impact on the ratings in HK. BUT, that does not matter to me because TDOL will still have my biggest support. The most important thing is still the quality of the production.

"Don't forget I'm still in the warehouse!"

Is it because TVB has too many series to air? Or for some other reason, these series are taking DANGEROUSLY long to be released...

1) Master Of Tai Chi

Because Ray and Myolie are already in TDOL and because of Melissa being pregnant, I won't be surprised if MOTC only gets released at the end of 2007. By then, this series is going to break the record of the longest time between completion and release. It was one of my most wanted series of 2006, and then it became my most wanted series of 2007. I hope, I hope, and I HOPE it won't become my most wanted series of 2008. Poor Vincent Zhao, his first, and probably last series with TVB gets buried in the warehouse, waiting for its day to see the light...

2)"Sau San Chuen"

Sorry I don't know the english title of this series. I'm talking about the fantasy series starring Sunny Chan, Benny Chan and Linda Chung. Won't it be weird seeing Linda's performance in INVERSE-CHRONOLOGICAL order?

3) The Ultimate Crime Fighter

A crime fighting series with some supernatural elements. Same producer as UTCOL, Yummy Yummy etc. etc... It was in the 2006 sales promotion... It was also one of my more looking-forward series of 2007. Let's hope it will get its chance to see the light soon too...

Heart of Greed- The review

The Story
The Tong family is famous in Seung Wan for selling abalone. They own 31 shops all over the district and possess 600 million dollars worth of inheritance. These 600 million dollars are a blessing, but they are also a misfortune. From the outside, the Tong family seems like a perfect family to live in, with lots of warmth, laughter and happiness. However, beneath the peaceful surface, the hearts of greed are stirring up lots of currents...

The whole story began because of one person, Susanna Kwan. For thirty years, she could not swallow the fact that she does not have a ‘real’ status in the Tong family. Hence, she keeps creating trouble for the Tong family, no matter how well her husband, Ha Yu treats her, no matter how many times the big wife, Lee Sze Kei forgives her, no matter how much money she already has…

In the Tong family, there are also four children, whose names represent: peace, relax, happiness and joy. Moses Chan is the eldest son, and also the most filial out of all. However, because he is an ‘illegitimate’ child, he faces a lot of problems when handling the family affairs, even though everything he does is for the family’s good. Bosco Wong is the second son. He is basically kind, but too impatient. He fell in love with a rich man’s wife Tavia Yeung, and that gave the family lots of problems. Chris Lai is the son of Susanna Kwan. He is a very innocent boy, but has a horrible mother. Because of that, he is trapped in the middle of two sides. Fala Chen is the youngest daughter, who behaves like a kid, but she is also very filial. These four children live up to their name, and bring lots of laughter to the family. Because of them, the older ones spend lots of time, effort and money, just so that they have a better future.

Meanwhile, Moses meets Linda Chung, and was willing to be her guardian angel. Moses, Linda, Raymond and Yoyo developed a very interesting love rectangle, even though it is a complete different story from the Tong family’s part.

Love Factors

Dai Kai- Lee Sze Kei
It is safe to say, Dai Kai is the most respected member of the Tong family, and she deserves this amount of respect. Without her around, the whole Tong family will fall apart. She is a wise mother, an understanding wife, and she has great ways to deal with the bad ones. Basically, everything she does is right, and every speech she gives is an inspiring one. Even later on, when she is down with the disease, Dai Kai didn’t stop caring for her family until her very last breath. This is indeed a powerful and very worth-remembering character, even though she only appears until episode 28.

Talking about performance, there are two words to describe LSK’s comeback performance: ‘SOLID’ and ‘AMAZING’. Gosh I really love watching her every single performance! I love it when she is firm, I love the way she lectures the different people, and I also love her emotional scenes. One line I remember the best is in episode 13, when she told Susanna, ‘This is not the court, I don’t need evidence to prove your guilt! My eyes are the evidence!’ I will never forget how she said that line! I was going to stand up and applaud! And that was probably how many other felt.

Dai Bao- Ha Yu
Compared to his wife, Ha Yu is a bit useless, because he is more gullible, and his heart is too soft. However, he is also a great father, who loves his family and his kids. You will love him the most before he dies, because of the interesting ways he fights with Susanna. One of his scenes you can NOT miss is at the end of episode 35, when he tells Susanna ‘I Love You’. Gosh I totally love that scene. Ha Yu’s performance is also very very solid from the beginning to the end.

Lei Yi- Michelle Yim
A loving and capable Aunt who takes good care of the family’s business, a very different Michelle from what you just saw in The Brink Of Law, but again, totally solid performance.


Sai Bao/ Dak Dak Dei- Moses Chan
No doubt, Moses is the ‘pillar’ character of the entire series, and I love his character. Moses is a great son, a great brother, and a great friend to have. He may seem dorky and old-fashioned, but he is the most mature and sensible one. I really love the way he protects his family and his younger siblings, and how he is always there for Linda.

Performance wise, I didn’t like Moses’ performance at the beginning, because I found it exaggerated, and confusing. But everything just gets better and better. Soon, I found myself loving his jokes, the way he speaks and acts, and even the way he cries. Yes Moses cries very well (though not very often) in this series. The tears just well up in his eyes, but there’s no sound, it’s very heartbreaking…

Improvement Factors

Seung Joi Sum- Linda Chung
Moving away from the Tong family, let's talk about Ms Linda Chung. Gosh she really did improve! If you don’t understand what improvement is, watch the first scene of episode 37. But actually it's not only that scene. You can really feel her improvements and increased confidence in this series. Plus, her dressing sense is awesome in this series. It is easy to like watching her, and falling in love with her name ‘Seung Joi Sum’.

Yan- Fala Chen
Youthful, energetic little sister, very lovely indeed! Fala did improve quite a lot in her acting and her cantonese.


Give-me-my-screen time! factors

Bosco Wong and Tavia Yeung
You will see the most of them when they were getting married and when Tavia was accused of having an affair. Besides that, Bosco and Tavia’s screen time is actually very little, even less than the ‘guest star’ Raymond Lam. I think even Chris Lai has more screen time than them. I think the producers should develop their story a bit more, especially because Tavia is such an awesome actress. Her crying scenes were totally awesome.

Sui Mak Mak- Yoyo Mung
Yoyo is Linda’s best friend, who is constantly in search of her true love but to no avail, only to fall for Alfred. For some reason I think Raymond and Yoyo's characters match much better, but they fall in love at the wrong time. If Raymond met Yoyo before Linda, then things will be perfect. Anyway, Yoyo’s role is actually very small. At times, you may even forget that she’s in this series!

Dislike factor

Sai Kai- Susanna Kwan

From the beginning to the end, Susanna NEVER stops creating trouble for everyone. It’s annoying, it’s tiring, and it really makes you hate her to the core. What I hate the most about her is how she twists facts to fit her own agenda. Perhaps, this will be the ‘most hated character of the year’. Anyway, Susanna gave an awesome performance, and also sang a marvelous themesong. Sometimes I feel really tired for her, because she has to yell so much!

Kau Fu Bo- Louis Yuen
Another greedy man who is also very annoying; he keeps switching from good to evil back and forth, it gets confusing.

Tavia’s family, especially the mother
This is a family which is SERIOUSLY hungry for money. Every time I see them, I feel like yelling at the screen, ‘If you want money, go earn it yourself!’ I don’t know what kind of upbringing is this, but I’m glad Tavia is different from them.

Linda’s brother
An utterly cheap man ugly inside out

The excessive blog scenes
In this series, Raymond and Linda like to blog a lot, and tell the audience about what they feel about their love life. Their blog entries are all pretty touching, but there is simply TOO MUCH. Some of them got to go! Also, the song ‘My Love Will Get You Home’ gets played way too many times. I like the song 'Vincent' much better.

The sloppy courtroom scenes
I think the courtroom scenes are too short and very substandard. It just makes the series seem a little lame towards the end. It’s like the court is a playground for these rich people…

Don't-blame-me factor
Alfred- Raymond Lam
In this series, Raymond plays Linda’s boyfriend, who bring her lots of sweetness, but also lots of tears. I didn’t really fancy Alfred’s character at first, because he was impatient, and not a very caring boyfriend. Like what he said about himself, ‘I never understood what it is like to be truly nice to someone.” Moreover, he cheated on Linda. That is why many people cannot forgive him. But maybe I can, because I can't help associating his sad family background to his playboy character. In fact you can't really call Alfred a playboy, he just wants to find someone who knows him better...

And surprisingly, after episode 29, things started to change. Alfred turned out much more devoted than I expected. It is true that when you don’t lose something, you won’t know how important it is to you. Losing Linda made Ray realise he loves her the most, and that changed him 180 degrees. For 7 episodes Raymond did everything he could to redeem himself, and this is when you will start to love him more and more. It’s a pity he never knew that Linda had already forgiven him, a big big pity…

Pity factor

Raymond Lam
If you have seen the themevideo it is not hard to guess that Raymond dies in this series. But it is also a great surprise that the producers chose to kill off this character. The most important reason why I pity Raymond is not because he died, but because he never got to know that Linda forgave him before he died. The thought is very de pressing… The ending of episode 36 and the beginning of episode 37 is really sad, makes you shed lots of tears… However, watching the rest of episode 37 gives you a strange feeling, because the aftermath of Ray’s death is a little weird, maybe that’s just what I feel…

Chris Lai
Foon Foon is such a good boy! Yet, he has such a horrible mother. Really pity him, to be trapped in the middle of two sides. Fortunately, he is able to tell right from wrong.

How come factor

The 2-in-1 story
If there has to be one bad thing about this series, it has to be this. The Tong family catfights, and the Moses, Linda, Raymond, Yoyo love rectangle are really NOT RELATED. Even though I enjoy BOTH stories A LOT, it is tiring and awkward to see the scenes jump randomly from one line to another. I think the love story should be filmed as a separate shorter series, and I’m serious. I really can’t accept the fact that these two stories are force-fit to such a large extent. I keep wishing Linda, Raymond and Yoyo could be more related to the Tong family. I just hope Raymond and Linda could fight more cases related to the Tong family. I just hope the courtroom scenes weren’t so lame…

What about the ending?
There are 3 words to describe the ending—rushed, unfair, surprising
Let’s talk about Susanna first. Boy I really think her ending is lame. For 39.5 episodes this woman gave the Tong family nothing but trouble, trouble and trouble. But in less than 10 minutes, she shed two drops of tears, repented, and the Tong family accepted her again? I also don’t understand why the producers keep pushing the blame to Linda’s brother, because Susanna was already evil to begin with. Basically, I think the producers were way too kind to her. Her ending was way too fast, and way too easy.

What about the other evil ones? Okay I don’t care about Tavia’s family or Linda’s brother, but what about Louis Yuen? He is part of the Tong family, and I’m quite sure he is better-natured than Susanna. Did the producers forget about him?

Then finally, it’s the Linda and Moses thing. I was surprised that Linda and Moses ended up together, but I’m okay with that, because it’s good to move on and find your own happiness. I just found it too sudden. Why did Moses have to buy a ring? Why did Moses have to say ‘Marry me?’ We watched 39.9 episodes of Linda and Moses being good friends. It’s hard to stomach 0.1 episode of them being ENGAGED.

Favourite scenes:
Episode 13: Who is the human, who is the ghost
Lee Sze Kei gave one of the most powerful lectures. She said two golden lines. The first line was, ‘this is my home, not the courtroom, I don’t need evidence , my eyes are the evidence!’ The second line was ‘who is the human, who is the ghost, I can tell!’ These are the two lines i'll never forget

Episode 16: Bosco and Tavia’s wedding
There was a lot of trouble during Bosco and Tavia’s wedding day. That made Bosco mad, it also made Tavia cry. I really love watching Tavia cry, and watching how Lee Sze Kei solves all the problems. The best part is of course, when the family performs. The whole scene was really grand, and really touching. Basically, don’t miss episode 16.

Episode 21: Chasing Susanna out
During the last two episodes, you will be very puzzled why did Lee Sze Kei forsake her own family. At the end of episode 21, you will understand why.

Episode 35: I will not give you a single cent!
This is the scene where Ha Yu comes out of the hospital and chased the villains out of the house. Ha Yu told Susanna he will not give her a single cent. I love the way he says that. I love the way he finally wakes up and protects his children. Another awesome scene.

Episode 36/37: Please forgive me
Let me warn you first, Raymond’s death scene was really sad! We all know, Raymond’s biggest wish was to get Linda’s forgiveness. But at the phone booth in his last breath he did not say a single word about that. He talked to Linda like it was a normal conversation. Linda had no idea she was going to lose him, but Raymond’s eyes were tearing. The way Raymond said ‘Bye bye’ was so emotional! After that, the police called Linda. Linda was shocked. She said ‘I just talked to him on the phone how can it be him?’ She was in denial until the doctors pushed him out. Linda screamed and cried until your heart shatters. But the saddest part is when Linda pieced the broken pieces of the seashell, and found the words ‘please forgive me’ engraved on it. That is Raymond’s biggest wish, but it was never fulfilled until he died…

Episode 38: Ha Yu’s death scene
Even at his deathbed, Ha Yu managed to trick Susanna. It was a cool death scene. I really hate Susanna, who didn’t even allow her husband to leave in peace! What kind of woman is that!

Episode 38: Chris Lai stands up for himself
Chris Lai tells the reporters that yes he has a very good mother, and he started telling many stories. It was then you slowly realize it wasn’t Susanna he was talking about, but Lei Sze Kei. That was cool ~.~ The scene ended with a powerful slap. O.o I really don’t think Susanna should slap him, because every single word he said was right!

Worth Watching?
You CANNOT miss this series. If you miss this series, you might as well not watch any series this year. Yes there are flaws. But if you skip this series because of those flaws, you are missing out a lot…

HOG going to say good bye, Alfred going to say goodbye...

This is what tv drama like to do to you. Let the character do some wrong. Then, make him do everything to redeem himself. And before you finally decide to forgive him, they take him away from you. His tears, her tears and my tears are going to torture everyone inside out. Aw mann I can't wait to watch episode 36 and 37 of HOG, but I also can't bear to see alfred die!

Going to miss it

HOG portrayed really well the kinship b/w the family and the different roles each member plays. I've really never enjoyed a drama so intensely for a long time. So of course I'm going to miss it, A LOT. It has also been some time since i was SO drawn into a love story. It was really moving

the two-story factor

one major drawback of the series is that it is like two different series force-fit into one. Two different groups of people from two different worlds on the same screen, the only pathetic link being Moses Chan and the courtroom scenes towards the end. However, having said this, I have to say that it is two EXCELLENT stories. The most intensive family drama, and the most emotional love story. Yes, they don't go, but if u enjoy them separately, it is a brilliant enjoyment

5 more episode of HOG, 1 more episode of ray, I'll treasure it well!!

HOG- The new RY chemistry!

Just like to share an emotional kissing scene between ray and yoyo in episode 27.

Basically, Ray and Yoyo finally started their 'affair'. Basically, Ray's love for Linda is dying, but, he does not want to be a jerk. So he asks Yoyo out and wanted to break up with her.

Yoyo then starts to say many things. She told Ray this is not her first time being the third party. She said, 'every time he comes, I would wish he could stay abit longer, I would wish he wouldn't leave'. She admits that it's miserable, and the tears started to well up in her eyes.


The scene continues...


Yoyo: Actually I also feel very happy. This time, I went to Taiwan again. Once I got down the plane, I went back to the disco. Even though this time round you're not around, and there is no earthquake, but when I'm dancing alone, I remember being with you the last time, and that makes me happy.


Actually we have no idea when will there be another earthquake. When will the sky fall apart, no one has any idea. We will not know what our future will be like. The things we don't know, why don't we not care about it? Isn't it enough for us to know that we're serious about each other?

"Hmm?" The way Yoyo said "hmm?" was so emotional, so 'cai leung'...
The expression on Ray's face was priceless. He finally gave in to the temptation. The passion and the remorse all in one face. I can't capture the right image, you've got to watch that scene urself. It's just a split seecond, i loved that expression.
the scene ends with a very short but emotional kiss. I wish it could be a little longer, but it was enough to make me touched.

Actually, you can't help it if love has died, just have to deal with it well. Of course what Ray and Yoyo are doing is not sth which impresses anyone, but I can really feel their chemistry, very moving, two lonely hearts...