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~