TV Drama Review #180 - Survivor's Law 2 律政新人王 2

No.of Epis: 20
Year/TV Station: 2007-2008/TVB
Cast:
Kenneth Ma ~ Xin Wan Jun (MK)
Ella Koon ~ Sun Li Li Lily
Sammul Chan ~ Zuo Wei Ming Vincent
Selena Li ~ Zheng Cai Yu
Synopsis: (edited from Wikipedia)
Xin Wan Jun (MK) was wrongly accused of taking drugs. Despite his background, he hired a famous lawyer to help him, and not surprisingly, he won. The lawyer, Brandon (Waise Lee), became his idol, and MK aimed to be a lawyer like Brandon.
Years later, MK beats Brandon's wife, Brenda in a case, and starts working in TB&B. There he meets a stubborn, rich, and spoilt lawyer, Lily, who only cares about her looks and likes to go shopping. They became enemies soon after that.
MK also meets Vincent, who's lawyer licence was suspended for three years. After splitting with his former girlfriend, Jessica, Vincent falls in love with Cai Yu, who's working in a cafe. After Vincent resumes his post as a barrister, he represented Lily's father's company as their lawyer and went against Cai Yu, her family, and his best friend MK in court. Cai Yu thought he betrayed them and only cares about himself & initiats a breakup.
In a court case, MK finally confesses to Lily, but she didn't like him because of his background. But after MK jumps into the sea (to swim back to get to a court case) and ends up in the hospital, she starts to like him. During the court case over Bao Bao's custody, she proposes to him and asks for custody, which they got, and they eventually get married in court.
Cai Yu is admitted into hospital after being hit on the head & falls into a coma. She later gives birth to a baby boy named Jophy. Vincent, while trying to uncover Noel's crimes, knocks his head against a drawer & suffers from amnesia. Vincent is later accused of murdering MK's friend and injures Lily's father...
Slacker's review:
I didn't watch the first series of "Survivor's Law", but basically the plot for the sequel is not related to the previous one. So, no worries! Sammul's character Vincent was the only one remained in the sequel, while the rest were brand new characters.
"SL2" plot was pretty similar to other lawyer-themed dramas. There's romance, family relationship, various court cases etc. Some of the cases were pretty short (less than an epi), and there were no big twists from most of the cases. I thought I enjoyed the interactions b/w characters, lots of humourous incidents and touching scenes-MK & Bao Bao. The only unrealistic part of the drama was how the lawyers behaved in court. We get to see confessions of love, lawyers late for court, lawyer wearing a wedding gown to court etc. I thought that wouldn't happen in reality? I could see that the drama wanna make MK and Lily out of the norm, but it's just so unreal.
Nice to see Kenneth leading a drama, and I liked MK, though he was quite crappy at times. MK was not those typical lawyer who came from a upper class family. He seemed to be flirtatious with girls (but he's just being nice to them), and he didn't look professional (he didn't wear suit to work, except when he has to appear in court etc). So of coz, he didnt' seem to gel well with the rich girl Lily la. Haha! But I really like seeing them together, it's just funny to see that MK couldn't handle her. Nice chemistry with Ella & the child who acted as Bao Bao.
Had seen Ella in her previous drama, I thought her acting was not bad. She did a great job in portraying Lily, who's actually quite a naive person. I didn't like Lily initially coz' she wasn't serious about her job, and the reason why she became lawyer was really...childish. But nonetheless, I saw the change in her as she worked with MK & Vincent. Liked her scenes with Bao Bao too...but she really spoilt the child la.
Long time didn't see Sammul's drama. I wasn't impressed with his portrayal of Vincent. His expressions seemed to be stiff, and Vincent was quite a boring guy actually. I hoped to see Sammul in a refreshing role someday, his acting didn't seem to be improve over these yrs.
Selena's Cai Yu was a self-sacrificing woman, and I only started to like her after she broke up with Vincent, and became an independent woman. Cai Yu became one of the impt roles towards the end of the drama, though she was "aslp" most of the time. Nonetheless, glad to see her ending up with Vincent, though the guy couldn't recall their past.
The other support cast was great, especially Brandon & Brenda. Their r/s was one of the major side-plots in the drama. Brandon's psychological problem did dragged throughout the drama, and he finally overcomed it on the final case (kinda unrealistic too). I just wished that Brandon cld have regained his confidence sooner. Another major side-plot was the romance b/w MK's bro Wan Jin & Lina, it's a bittersweet romance.
Themesong "Xuan Ze Wo" by Kenneth Ma. His singing was alright, but there's still room for improvement.

TV Drama Review #175 - Word Twisters' Adventures 铁嘴银牙

No.of Epis: 20
Year/TV Station: 2007/TVB
Cast:
Jordan Chan ~ Chen Meng Ji
Charmaine Sheh ~ Nalan Qing Qing
Michael Tse ~ Fang Tang Jing
Synopsis: (edited from Wikipedia)
The most difficult thing for an articulate legal expert is not to win a lawsuit but to bargain for a twist of fate. Plagued by a mysterious family curse, Chen Meng Ji, who comes from a legal family, is forced by his mother to fool around and devotes all his time to run a brothel despite his great talent. As a result of a careless mistake, he is embroiled in a legal dispute, through which he gets to know the eloquent Nalan Qing Qing, though Qing Qing is the only reason for the legal dispute and he knew her before. Meng Ji also meets his opponent Fang Tang Jing, who's known as the no.1 lawyer.
Qing’s articulation has not only won her a legal gown bestowed by the Qianlong Emperor but also an arranged marriage to marry Fang Tang Jing. However, evil official He Shen helps Qianlong to settle the marriage and let Qing Qing marry Meng Ji instead. Despite her love for Jing, Qing cannot decline the Emperor’s offer and finally agrees to marry Ji. The lovelorn Jing later meets a girl Yi Yi, but later he got himself caught up in a murder case. Qing tries to save Jing but in vain. Luckily, Ji offers to help and manages to pull Jing out of the trouble. Qing later gets framed for attempting to kill the crown prince, and Ji helps his wife to rebut the evidences produced by He Shen. However, Qing suddenly falls ill as Ji is going to win the case. To save Qing, Ji decided to take the blame and admitted that he's the real manipulator.
Slacker's review:
WTA is an ordinary case-cracking drama with some romance-comedy storyline. Honestly, the plot and cast was not spectacular, but I still watch it for Jordan & Charmaine. (as the on-screen couple seemed interesting..) Plot wise, the flow was alright, and the incidents happening in the drama were sort of expected. Not much of a surprise. Towards the end of the drama, the storyline seemed kinda crappy. Fang Tang Jing changed his Manchu hairstyle and dressing into ang moh styled (he was saved by the mayor of England...). Then, suddenly he could speak english and add some english words here and there in his sentence. It's funny, but too lame la.
We all know Jordan is good in comedic roles, so Meng Ji was not a difficult character for him. His performance was not bad, and his chemistry with Charmaine great too. The two of them were bickering non-stop from Day 1, and even after they got married. But soon, I think both of them were used to each other and helped each other out...like how he helped Qing Qing with her cooking (Qing can't cook...and it wld be a disgrace if a married woman can't cook.) Also, the self-combed women incident when the women planned to attack Qing and Ji. Hahaha...They turned out to be a lovely couple.
Actually, Charmaine is not young anymore to act such a role, but she managed to pull if off nicely. I like to see Qing Qing helping her dad at work, and I like to see her bickering with Ji. Although she had romance scenes with Jing....I don't really want them to be together! Jing is just too serious la..no fun! Lolz!
Michael was great...his character Jing was more challenging compared to Jordan and Charmaine. Jing had experienced failure before he became a lawyer. But then, He Shen refused to let him off, and continued to make his life difficult. So, he lost his bride to Ji, and later, he nearly wasted his life again. Jing had another romance line with Suki Chui, but sadly, Jing's lover left him once again. Poor guy sia. Anyway, it's fun watching the trio cracking case together...and I was glad that Jing moved on with his life...till he became "fake ang moh". Lolz!
The other support cast like Yuen Wah and Hui Ying Hong were great. Suki Chui's performance was not bad for a newcomer. Yi Yi's story was quite sad too..haiz~
Themesong "Niu Ji Wang" is sung by Jordan Chan.

TV Drama Review #172 - The Ultimate Crime Fighter 通天干探

No.of Epis: 37
Year/TV Station: 2007/TVB
Cast:
Moses Chan ~ Wei Jin Long
Yuen Biao ~ Yuan Huo Xin
Gigi Lai ~ Huang Jing Ying
Yoyo Mung ~ Jiang Ya Ru
Kevin Cheng ~ Zhuang Wen Xi
Maggie Siu ~ Lin Chu Yu
Synopsis: (edited from Wikipedia)
Famous for his unparalleled kung-fu skills, Huo Xin has cracked a large number of difficult cases, which makes him very popular within the police force. Despite the recognition he has achieved, Huo Xin quits his job to become a monk. But later, as luck would have it, he gets back to Hong Kong again, where he experiences a series of mysterious, supernatural events.
With the assistance of Huo Xin, Wei Jin Long, an undercover police officer, manages to solve a big case. Later, Long returns to his police inspector position. Xin believes that there is a special bond between him and Long. Long dates Jing Ying, whom he used to bicker with. However, Long and his bosom friend Ya Ru have been very close to each other. Feeling upset, Jing Ying starts going out with her boss Zhuang Wen Xi, which leads her to the point of no return…
To seek revenge, Long has shown his complete disregard for law and order. He is ready to sacrifice himself and even Huo Xin to reach his goal. Things are happening as Huo Xin predicts.
Meanwhile, Huo Xin knows what will happen to him and decides to push Chu Yu back to her husband.
Slacker's review: This drama was actually quite nice to watch initially. The cases were linked with supernatural events, thus it seemed to be rather unique compared to other case-solving dramas. Plus, Huo Xin can know what happens before an event actually occurs. However, this plot did not continue for long. It was skewed towards Jing Ying's death case and it simply dragged too long for the case to be solved. Seriously, there's no need for 37 epis. (I think 25~30 is enough.) After a case ended, it was not continued with another new case straight away. The storyline spent 2-3 epis to let the characters built up chemistry. That's good actually, but then the drama lost the excitement between cases. So, the storyline was rather inconsistent to the previous part, as we didn't get to see any more supernatural stuff, and Jing Ying's case turned out to be Jin Long's revenge show.
Moses's acting was really good, and his character gave him lots of chances to show his acting skills. He was so funny when he acted as the Thai gigolo. I like how Moses was back in his suit and he's all serious during work. He did pretty well with his "couldn't-be-bothered" attitude & expression to JY too. Then, JL finally realised he loved JY all along...but JY was with WX. (Jealousy and anger were all written on his face...) Though I didn't like how JL's character changed after JY died, Moses's performance after JY died was excellent. He's kinda like a "living dead", thinking only about revenge, and forgot his principles as a law enforcer. He went literally "crazy", threatening his colleagues and even his friends. JL actually became WX as he continued to do the wrong thing...hunting down WX's bro WK,who witnessed him killing WX. This is one of the most "developed" character I have ever seen in TVB dramas.
As compared to Moses, Yuen Biao's performance seemed to be average. As a kungfu action actor, I didn't blame him la. He did well for his character...a super righteous guy. Though I find HX's romance with CY kinda awkward, i think his chemistry with Maggie wasn't bad. However, YB's chemistry with Moses was the best. Haha!
Gigi Lai looked so different here. E.W kept saying that JY was so ugly. Yes...our pretty Gigi gotta act such a character. So, she's not those "can only act pretty" actress. JY is quite a "dreamy" person, and she got jealous too easily, and she's too nice. I was very sad when JY had to die. Without her, the drama seemed to be missing something. Butta, together with other characters (except JL), JY was pretty one-dimensional.
Yoyo's YR was her usual "boyish" character. I think Yoyo's performance was not bad, but nothing new. She's another righteous fella, but becoz' of love, she's willing to sacrifice her career for JL.
ZWX..this kind of character normally wld get a B lister to act, so dunno what happened to Kevin ah...offended mgt ah? (Joking...) Anyway, it has been sometime to see Kevin in such a role. Though he's nt a male lead, his character was one of the main characters in the back part of the drama. Kevin's acting always bothers me. He's alright, but not exceptionally good. He was evil in the drama, but I thought his acting didn't bring the best out of him, as compared to Moses. Kevin really needs to buck up in his expressions.
As for other cast like Maggie and Nat Tong...they were not bad. I really like JY's dad..though he's ridiculous at times. Hahaha..
Ending theme "Ci Wo Yi Si" by Moses Chan.
Overall, I think "TUCF" is still quite a gd drama to watch, despite its flaws. It's not the mainstream police dramas which focused only on the cases & romances. There are lots of Buddhist philosophies in the drama. For e.g. the life cycle of the tree is one classic illustration of 轮回.

TV Drama Review #161 - The Drive of Life 岁月风云

No.of Epis: 60
Year/TV Station: 2007/TVB
Cast:
Damian Lau ~ Hua Wen Han
Michael Miu ~ Hua Wen Shuo
Sheren Tang ~ Wang Shao Fen
Raymond Lam ~ Hua Zhen Bang
Charmaine Sheh ~ Rong Xiu Feng
Jessica Hsuan ~ Hua Qing Yu
Joe Ma ~ Wei Yong Biao
Myolie Wu ~ Fang Bing Yi
Feng Shao Feng ~ Hua Zhen Min
Liao Jing Sheng ~ Hua Wen Hong
Ron Ng ~ Xian Jie Qiang
Toby Leung ~ Hua Qing Lin
Synopsis:
In the early 90s, Hua Wen Han is the CEO of Guo Wei, a big company in the steel industry. His 2nd brother Wen Hong resides in Beijing and he's in-charge of his father-in-law's car factory. Han's 3rd brother Wen Shuo is the GM of Guo Wei, and his wife Shao Fen is the daughter of the founder of Guo Wei. After several incidents, Shao Fen's father passed away while Han gain full control of Guo Wei. Both Shuo and Fen hated Han and migrated to Canada.
Han's eldest daughter, Qing Yu works as an accountant in Guo Wei, while his youngest son Zhen Bang returns from his studies and eventually work in Guo Wei, with his good assistant Zhi Ming & secretary Bing Yi. Bang engages in property speculation with Xiu Feng, and causes Guo Wei to go into liquidation. Han started a new small company with the help of his capable assistant Yong Biao and Yu. Bang is send to Beijing to work under Hong, but later he suggests to set up Hua family's own factory. Han supports his idea and gave up his steel company, causing Biao to be upset and later works for his scheming uncle, Wei Tian Xing, who's Han's enemy. After learning about the truth of her mother's death, Feng annouces that the wedding is cancelled and she will take revenge on her wedding day with Bang. The three brothers finally unite themselves again and set up Hua Zhe automobile. On the other hand, Feng and Biao, who hated Hua family find themselves fighting against each other on Tian Xing's will.
Slacker's review:
This is one of the TVB big productions together with China's CCTV. Sometimes it was compared with "Heart of Greed" as they were both "mega dramas with top artistes". Personally, I think TDOL's storyline is much more interesting than HOG. TDOL's storyline stretches from the early 90s all the way to 2007. There were lots of developments, and twists & turns to the characters and storyline. Although the drama is rather predictable in terms on the story flow, we still get to enjoy nice performances from the cast.
For once, I finally saw a TVB drama where most of the characters were not one-dimensional. Nearly all of them had moved along the lines of "Good & Bad". There were only a few pure baddies, like Wei Tian Xing and Joe Ma's Wei Yong Biao (though they eventually turned good the last minute). There were a few pure good ones too, and out of them, I really disliked Jessica's Qing Yu. (I had been scolding her from the day she decided to be with Biao..lolz!) I really like how the drama progressed after the 40 mark. The intensity built up as we saw how Biao started to play his revenge "sweetly" on everyone. Actually I thought Joe's performance was the best here, coz' Biao's such a scheming fella till he can lie with a straight face. He can still lie to his most beloved person and never realised that he's digging a grave for himself. (Though I really wished that they wld let him go on with his mistake in the last epi, "turn into a new leaf" is not a bad option la.) The veterans, like Damian, Michael, Sheren etc were equally good in their acting. I like how Damian's Han decided to do something illegal for Feng's mum. That's a drastic change for a super strict good guy. Even Han's wife's character was not always good...that made the couple interesting. Michael's character was more challenging when he's a slacker till his failed suicide. (After that, he FINALLY bucked up...but that makes him "less interesting" too.) Sheren's tai-tai image really didn't look good to me, but I like her character transformation...from a tai-tai who didn't know anything to a professional who worked in a bank. Charmaine's character was not that interesting until she "turned bad". Personally, I think her sudden hatred for the Hua family was kinda unrealistic. Feng kinda over-reacted...Anyway, Charmaine's acting was not bad la, she gotta act revengeful while still having Bang in her heart. Raymond's character seemed suitable for Ron Ng, who used to have a playboy plus slacker image. However, we had a switch this time round, Ron got a super nice guy character, but Raymond's equally good in portrayal of Bang. I didn't really like Bang..he's too rash, too ambitious (without thinking of the consequences), and he just "gave up on himself" after Feng cancelled their wedding. He's one guy who always fight for justice (tt makes him in the "pure gd guys league".) Sadly, Raymond was outshadowed by the other actors. Jessica...I don't know why she accepted this role...it's really a "no-kick" character for her. (And she reminded me of her role in another old TVB drama where she fell in love for another baddie..) I disliked how Yu disapproved Bang and Feng getting back together. (She has forgotten how her family objected her relationship with the evil Biao.) So, she has actually no right to say anything at all. I also disliked how Yu "psycho" herself to believe that Biao is innocent...really felt like using something to knock her to her senses. Lolz!
Myolie, Ron and Toby's role were much smaller here. Actually i was rooting for Bang-Yi couple, but I already knew that they won't end up together..soobbzz. In the end Yi was paired up with Min, which I think they cld have developed it abit more. (Coz' it seemed kinda sudden for Min to like Yi la..they looked more like friends..) Ron's character was made to "sleep" towards the end of the drama, but luckily they decided to "wake him up" in the last few epis. Ha..I still didn't like Toby, she's younger than Ron but she looked so much older than him. Acting wise, ok la..but not much improvement.
The other Chinese actors were alright, though I had to get used of listening to their real voices while switching to the dubbed voices for the HK actors.
Themesong "Tian Zhe Yang Lan" is a half canto, half mandarin song by Hacken Lee and Steve Chou. I am sad that they didnt use Raymond's "Ai zai ji yi zhong zhao ni" as insert song! Instead, they throw lots of insert songs by those Chinese singers...yaks!
Well, TDOL is one above average drama from TVB...worth to catch!

TV Drama Review #155 - Fathers and Sons 爸爸闭翳

No.of Epis: 25
Year/TV Station: 2007/TVB
Cast:
Bobby Au Yeung ~ Min Tian Ci/Lv Jia Quan
Yoyo Mung ~ Jin Mei Zhuan Amy
Wong Hei ~ Gao Qing
Tavia Yeung ~ Luo Si Xi Joey
Chris Lai ~ Lv Jia Sheng
Synopsis:
Top-ranked market research manager Min Tian Ci is an expert at price comparison. Tian Ci who relishes his yuppie lifestyle has been longing for an early retirement. He finally reunites with his god-father who happens to be Gao Qing's father. Tian Ci & Gao Qing are not in good terms initially, but slowly they become good friends as they become single dads. Tian Ci and Amy have been good partners and friends. Amy nearly got married with her long time boyfriend, who turned out to have another woman behind her back. One day while Tian Ci is preparing to go overseas with his girlfriend, his ex-mother-in-law came to his house with his son. Tian Ci is shocked and do not know how to handle the kid. On the other hand, Qing, who's only concern abt his daughter, has been requested to get a divorce by his wife, who felt she's neglected. At Qing's darkest moment in his life, his soulmate Joey is by his side. Tian Ci finally meet his father who abandoned his mum and him in macau. His father happened to be Amy's ex-boyfriend, and he's set to destroy Ci's career after he knows his father & Ci's relationship. Qing finally patched up things with his father, but he soon discovered the secret which his father has been hiding for yrs.
Slacker's review:
One of the highest rating drama in 2007. Actually I have high expectations for this drama, but somehow the plot is too predictable, and I was somehow disappointed with the development of the storyline and characters. Well, this drama focused alot on the relationship b/w fathers and sons. Many of us are closer to our mums, but I always admired those single dads, coz' it's also not easy for them to handle family problems. Our 2 characters Ci and Qing were imperfect daddies, but they're learning how to be a better father day by day. I like their interactions with the kids..very natural and funny. Somehow, the females here are more like supporting characters. But that's ok...I like Bobby and YoYo...their chemistry is good. Wong Hei and Tavia are not too bad, but somehow i didn't think Tavia suited Hei..lolz! And of coz i was sad that they didn't end up together! Ha Yu is as gd as usual...but watching him here made me realised how much i missed him in "Heart of Greed". Chris Lai did surprised me with his playboy image, but luckily he turned good and worked against his brother.
Themesong "Qin Jin" by Eason Chan....a rather ordinary song by him.
Well, tvb productions are always watchable, even if they are really average. "Fathers and Sons" is a heartwarming drama, but there's too much rivalry between Ci and the Min family towards the ending...

TV Drama Review #147 - The Green Grass of Home 缘来自有机

No.of Epis: 20
Year/TV Station: 2007/TVB
Cast:
Sunny Chan ~ Cai Jia Sheng Caustic
Christine Ng ~ Ye Man Zhi Stella
Chris Lai ~ Cai Jia Bao
Natalie Tong ~ Weng Hui Ru
Synopsis:
Stella is an agressive and demanding interior designer who likes to buy luxury goods and hardly has any close friends. Betty, her colleage is her arch rival but the person who betrayed her happens to be her good friend Candy. Stella's family has endless quarrels between her sister and siter-in-law. Stella starts to have sensitive windpipe and her condition gets worse with the polluted environment. Caustic, who is the renovator and works for Stella decides to help her improve her conditon by forcing her to stay with her dad at the New territories. With less pollution and living a healthier lifestyle, Stella gets better and changes her attitude. She becomes good friend with Caustic and has feelings for him. However, Caustic's ex girlfriend Yoyo appears and Stella could only encourage him to confess his true feelings to Yoyo.
Caustic's brother Bao Bao is very shy & timid and stays at home most of the time. He gets to know Hui Ru after a misunderstanding and starts to fall for her. However, Hui Ru is only interested in Caustic...
Slacker's review:
A typical tvb drama with an environmental friendly theme. It's gd to raise environmental awareness in a drama, but sometimes it seemed to be kinda over, or unrealistic. That's why I did find Nat Tong's Ru kinda annoying at times. Idealistic ppl can be quite annoying..haha!
The storyline was quite alright...it may seemed plain but it's quite interesting. I like to see how Stella and Caustic bickered, but I didn't like scenes b/w Stella's sis and sis-in-law..very noisy ah! Chris Lai's acting was quite gd here...he portrayed the shy Bao Bao very well. Sunny Chan is as usual la...the super nice guy. I like Christine Ng's image! She's super chio with make up and branded clothes. Hahaha! Actually Sunny & Christ made a gd couple sia...gd chemistry.
Themesong "Ping Fan" by Leo Ku...need to listen a few times before u start liking it.
Wld recommend to TVB fans...perhaps we can put a little effort to save our earth.

TV Drama Review #145 - The Family Link 师奶兵团

How long? 21 epis
When & which tv stn? 2007/TVB
Who's in?
Sheren Tang ~ Meng Jia Jia
Michael Tse ~ Joe Fang Yan Zu
Cecilia Yip ~ Hilary Ding Mei Xiang
Derek Kwok ~ Bill Zhuo Jin Biao
Kiki Sheung ~ Cao Mei Er
John Chiang ~ Gao Yong Quan
Kenneth Ma ~ Gan Cheng Jun
Leila Tong ~ Shu Xiao Man
Fala Chen ~ Angela
What's it abt?
Jia Jia, Hilary & Mei Er are 3 good friends who stay at the public housing estate. Jia Jia & Hilary used to compete with each other since sec sch days, and their competiton continues as they fight for the position of the parent committee. Gao sir's sis-in-law Xiao Man returns from the States, and wants to find out about her best friend Yoyo's death. Xiao Man suspects that the 3 housewives are the culprits who indirectly caused Yoyo to commit suicide, and decides to make them speak the truth and creates many problems. Cheng Jun, Yoyo's husband keep speaking good words for the housewives, and later, he and Xiao Man fall for each other.
The 3 friends soon had marriage woes themselves. Jia finds out that her husband Joe likes to cross-dress as woman; Hilary finds out that her husband Bill is close with his boss Angela; Er's husband runs away from home to escape from loansharks, but he keeps a mistress when he's hiding in China.
The housewives of the estate later come up with a co-op to sell things in the neighbourhood. As they face poor business, Xiao Man comes up with an idea for them to take nude pics to promo their co-op. On the other hand, Xiao Man is worried that her missing brother might have been dead, and together with the 3 friends, they find out that the murderer is....
Love & Hates:
Plot-This drama is not purely about the housewives. From the start, they had put in the mystery of Yoyo's death to add the suspense factor. So actually i was quite curious who's the murderer, though it's quite obvious la. Hahaha! But just as you thought xxx is the fella, the last epi gave one last twist to the truth. That was an unexpected twist. Nice one. Haha!
The storyline was rather standard, we all know that the 3 friends would have their own problems with their hubbies, but what was interesting was what caused their marriages to nearly break. For example, Joe cross-dress as woman and danced with his "Super 4" in the club and Hilary kena VD from Bill. I gotta admit the "Super 4" performances are rathering "challenging" as not many ppl cld accept such a concept. Overall, the plot is not too bad, though I didn't like the scenes with the rich and poor housewives competing each time. Personally i thought that this drama wanna glorified housewives la, but i think some situations were not that realistic. Ending epi is as rush as usual....not much kick.
Cast-Thumbs up...I think all of them did pretty well. Sheren and Michael's chemistry were not too bad, glad to see them as a couple after "La Femme Desperado". I thought Michael's performance was bloody good in the cross-dressing scenes. He really looked feminine leh! Sheren's acting was the best when Jia suffers from anxiety problems.
Cecilia Yip's acting was not bad, though i was rather irritated by her character Hilary. Hilary always wanted to return to rich tai-tai status, but finally she had found out what's more impt.
Kiki Sheung... I wanna scold Er stupid as she's afraid of her hubby's mistress..really wanna give that mistress a tight slap. Haha!
Kenneth Ma is not a main character here, but his acting was pretty good, with a good switch from a super nice guy to a man with hidden secrets. I disliked Leila's Xiao Man until she finally become friendly to the housewives. Haha..nice chemistry with Kenneth...and i like their ending.
I was watching "Heart of Greed" at the same time, so I couldnt adjust to Fala's hussy image in this drama...well she really looks different with more make up and nicer dresses.
Themesong- "Ban Bian Tian" by Miriam Yeung. Nice song!
Worth watching?
Wld reco to TVB fans...a light-hearted housewives drama with a littie touch of suspense.

TV Drama Review #144 - Heart of Greed 溏心风暴

How long? 40 epis
When & which tv stn? 2007/TVB
Who's in?
Lee Sze Ki ~ Ling Qiao/Da Ma
Ha Yu ~ Tang Ren Jia/Da Bao/Bao Bao
Susanna Kwan ~ Francis Wang Xiu Qin/Xiao Ma
Moses Chan ~ Tang Zhi An/Pretty Ok/Xiao Bao
Bosco Wong ~ Gilbert Tang Zhi Yi/Jiao Jiao
Chris Lai ~ Tang Zhi Huan
Fala Chen ~ Tang Zhi Xin
Raymond Lam ~ Alfred Cheng Liang
Linda Chung ~ Chang Zai Xin
Yoyo Mung ~ Shui Ming Xia/Shui Bai Bai
Tavia Yeung ~ Jackie Zhuo Wen Li
Michelle Yim ~ Ling Li
Louis Yuen ~ Ling Bo
What's it abt? (edited from Wikipedia)
Tang Ren Jia owns a seafood products store,Tang Ji. He has 4 children; An,Yi,Huan,Xin. He is married to Qiao and has a second wife Qin. Qiao has cancer and didn't expect to survive and wants Qin to take care of Tang Ren Jia after she dies. However, Qiao recovers and Qin thinks that she has no power in the family because she has no true status and becomes a woman stirring a range of petty acts. She seeks the family fortune and in order to do that she causes trouble in the family.
An has a liking for Zai Xin, who's a legal clerk working in a law firm. However, she only has eyes on Alfred, who's her senior and a successful lawyer. Things went wrong b/w Zai Xin & Alfred after Shui Bai Bai became the 3rd party.
Yi is the most educated children in the family, after returning from the States, he plans to start his own business and met Jackie, who's wife of a rich man. After facing many hurdles, both of them finally got married, but Jackie's family are very greedy and keeps wanting the Tang Household to give them money.
Huan, who's Qin's only son just graduated from Uni. He's a kind hearted boy and is very closed to his other siblings. However, after Qin did so many evil acts, he starts losing faith in his mum and is stuck b/w Qin & the Tang Household.
Xin, the youngest of the children, had 3 gd pals, Zai Xin, Shui Bai Bai & Cao Bing. An innocent girl who's the candy of the family.
Later, Qiao's cancer comes back and she dies leaving her struggling family behind.
Qin starts planning evil ideas with Zai Xin's brother Chang Zai De after Qiao passed away. They have been plotting for years to find a means to take the family fortune and even create false accusations about her own family to the media. Qin forms her own support group from Bo and Jackie's family to help plot against the Tang household to gain their family fortune. She drove Tang Ren Jia into severe illness and eventually die from stroke.
The two sides begin their war on each other on court, with Zai Xin representing the Tang Household.
Love & Hates:
Plot-Actually the plot is very typical..HK-styled family drama. However, what makes it interesting is how Wang Xiu Qin turns the Tang Household into chaos. I was cursing & swearing at her from the day she start doing evil acts. Hahahha! Oh ya...Ling Bo and Jackie's family are really horrible too. Without them, this drama wld be too boring la. So, good job to the scriptwriter. Hahaha! Alfred & Zai Xin' take up the biggest part of all romance scenes. I didn't like them quarrelling too often though. Ending was a little shocking for me, coz I didn't expect An & Xin to be together. (Oh! Spoilers!!) Anyway, i am glad tt An is not alone la.
Cast-Thumbs up to the cast!! Oh my....almost perfect. The veterans are really damn good. Xia Yu is really such a cute & funny daddy. Even though he kena stroke in the end, he still has the energy to make Wang Xiu Qin so mad! Shiok!!! Lee Sze Ki is perfect for her role..she has the wei yan, and knows when to be soft and when to be tough. Susanna! Her role is really irritating, but good acting sia. Hen zhi ru gu...haha!
Now I know why Moses outbeat Xia Yu to get the best actor award...Pretty Ok is one of his best roles. No more handsome guy liao. Pretty ok doesnt wear nice clothes, he's super lame but can be dead serious. I loved his scenes with Da Bao. I like how he always stand by Zai Xin's side when she needs help. (How i wish i cld have such a loyal friend...very hard hor.)
Linda is pretty good too....though I didn't like her crying too often la. Her "getting suspicious" expressions were pretty good ne...getting on my nerves. But i can understand that, she can't fully trust Alfred mah.
Raymond isn't the main lead in this drama, but actually I thought his scenes were more than Bosco? Ha! Raymond didnt disappoint me in his acting, but he looked really tired or haggard leh. Where's the handsome fella? Well, I already know that Alfred wld urhem in the drama..but it's still sad to know that la. Nice chemistry with Linda too.
The others, Bosco, Chris, Fala, Tavia...are pretty ok..but nothing new from them. I didn't like Tavia's character initially, but glad that she has changed for the better.
I don't know why Yoyo wanna act as Shui Bai Bai...she's gd, but given her positon now, she won't have to act in such a minor character.
Themesongs- Opening theme "Jiang bu chu sheng" by Susanna...this song can speak for Qin. Ending theme "Xin Ling" by Raymond & Linda. Love this song!
Worth watching?
A must-watch for all tvb fans. Sister drama "Moonlight Resonance" has start airing in HK liao. Do check it out.

TV Drama Review #133 - The Slicing of the Demon 凶城计中计

How long? 20 epis
When & which tv stn? 2007 (overseas)/TVB
Who's in?
Sunny Chan ~ Tu Si Hai
Bernice Liu ~ Huo Qian Yao
Michael Tse ~ Shui Ru Chen
Angela Tong ~ Pan Ji Yue
What's it abt?
During Ming dynasty, executor Tu Si Hai met Sui Ru Chen, who helped him to conquer his fears of executing people. They became sworn brothers and went to Chang Long Town, a town which is full of superstitions. Unknown to them, the town has a hidden secret. Both of them met a wealthy & powerful man Huo Tian Ming & his daughter Qian Yao. Chen was in love with her at the first sight. Unknown to Hai, Chen has ulterior motive to come to this town. Weird accidents started to occur after Hai chopped off a figure's head, which turned out to be another executor. Hai started to find the clues and found Chen & himself involved. To plot his revenge, Chen gave up on Yao and later Hai & Yao got married. Just as Chen finally thought he has revenged for his dad, the real truth behind the 2 men's secret revealed....
Love & Hates:
Plot-This drama tries to be mysterious with a mix of superstitions. Sadly, the storyline didn't quite meet my expectations. It wasn't very mysterious to begin with, and it started to drag somehow. There's more focus on the relationships b/w the cast, and of coz' the evil-doings by the baddies. The twists were kept to the back, just as we sort of think that we knew what's gg on, the final twist changed everything. That's a nice one, but not enough to keep me interested throughout the show. And of coz, we all know that those superstitions, and what devil are all made up by men...not much kick la.
Cast-Though Sunny Chan is the main lead here, Michael Tse totally outshined him. Sunny's always stuck with a super nice guy role, and he's really too nice here. How i wish he wld stop sacrificing himself. Btw, he won't be looking that weird (see pic) throughout the show, it's only when he needed to execute ppl. Chemistry with Bernice was lacking, but I wld say it's becoz' of Bernice's weaking acting.
I think this might be the 1st drama I've seen with Bernice leading as female lead. I watched the canto version, and she's too modern in her expressions and way of speaking (maybe it's becoz i watched the canto version...the conversations weren't 白话 enough). Her acting was slightly better after Yao got married, but I cldn't see any sparks b/w her & Sunny. Perhaps, she's better with modern roles...Also, Angela Tong definitely did a better job here...It has been quite sometime since i last commented on how weak the main leads were...
Michael Tse is well-known for his evil roles, and he has been gaining recognition during recent yrs. I gotta say Chen is someone full of development, he's not someone u can easily read through, and I think Michael did pretty well in portraying Chen. His chemistry with Angela was great...though he loved her, he still gotta sacrificed her. You can see his agony, but wanna humptump him for his evil deeds. He's the guy who's controlling the storyline from epi 1 till the end. (Thus, making Sunny like a supporting role..)
Same goes for Angela...she's really great. I like how she portrayed Yue, a contradicting character...she fell for someone she shouldn't love, but her love didn't make her blind...she's always ready to sacrifice herself for Chen. The scenes when Yue was suffering from internal poison were nicely done too.
The other characters were alright...nothing too spectacular.
Themesong sang by Bernice...not very nice to me.
Worth watching?
It's not a must-watch, and it's not abt those crime solving case, since there's only 1 big case here.

TV Drama Review #104 - ICAC Investigators 2007 廉政行动 2007

How long? 5 epis
When & which tv stn? 2007/TVB
Who's in?
Prison Courier - Sunny Chan, Fiona Yuen, Kenny Wong
Sand Castle - Raymond Wong, Anna Yao, Edmond Leung
Credit Unlimited - Danny Lee, Shirley Yeung, Lo Kar Ying
Out of Line - Michael Miu, Ron Ng, Theresa Fu
Empty Wagons - Adstrid Chan, Power Chan
What's it abt? (from ICAC Investigators'07 website)
"Prison Courier" is about a bribery case involving a Correctional Services Department officer; "Sand Castle" is about a short-piling scam; "Credit Unlimited" is about a multi-million credit fraud scam; "Out of Line" is about a misconduct in public office case involving a police officer; "Empty Wagons" is about a bribery and smuggling case involving a Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation staff
Love & Hates:
ICAC is back into action again. Well, the drama's plot is quite standard, which focused on how ICAC worked during their operations. Nothing new if you have watched other series before. I think the more interesting cases would be "Credit Unlimited" & "Out of line".
Worth watching?
Would recommend to those who like dramas related to police or ICAC.