tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52772059639785975492024-03-17T23:03:40.622-04:00TVB InteractionIrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03761963266985932287noreply@blogger.comBlogger191125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5277205963978597549.post-61407462866459979512020-12-26T16:29:00.000-05:002020-12-26T16:29:19.691-05:00TVB Anniversary Awards 2020: Predictions and Picks<p>This year has without a doubt been a complete mess, and it's time for a sense of normalcy (if only for my own sanity) with TVB Interaction's yearly anniversary awards post.</p><p>Every year we joke TVB is nominating everyone, but TVB has truly outdone itself by nominating nearly every last person, including many in the wrong category. Complete newcomers are nominated in the Most Improved category, guest stars who barely registered a blip in their series are nominated in the supporting categories, and supporting actors are competing in the leading actor categories. </p><p>See the full list of nominations <a href="http://hyn5-hyn5.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2020-12-16T05:30:00-06:00&max-results=8">here</a>.</p><p><b>Best Actor</b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcYLkBieBG16GqohGCchZ0cqPYerimqQAnEXpWGGWZnXmYApI12OpeDZ9LjqMhbzMBsR2PaOoMsSVOWDIMsSHmzYOLi2HyHicZb1z2udJr-XmF8ft1Vnw8_PNpCIwbkFZb6DynC40zqBA/s500/raymond.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="325" data-original-width="500" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcYLkBieBG16GqohGCchZ0cqPYerimqQAnEXpWGGWZnXmYApI12OpeDZ9LjqMhbzMBsR2PaOoMsSVOWDIMsSHmzYOLi2HyHicZb1z2udJr-XmF8ft1Vnw8_PNpCIwbkFZb6DynC40zqBA/w400-h260/raymond.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p><b>Top 5: </b>Moses Chan, Wayne Lai, Raymond Lam, Kenneth Ma, Vincent Wong</p><p><b>Predicted Winner: </b>Raymond Lam</p><p><b>Personal Choice: </b>N/A</p><p><b>Snub:</b> Frankie Lam for "Life After Death" </p><p>Ouch to a petty TVB not even bothering to nominate Frankie, who recently wrapped up a stint as Vice President of ATV, despite a whooping <i>22 nominees</i> in this category. Mark Ma, who I was cheering to win Best Supporting Actor, was instead nominated here. Admittedly, it can be difficult to categorize second lead roles, particularly for series with smaller casts, but Mark would have made for very strong competition in the supporting category. Moses and Wayne are the perpetual top 5 nominees, but I wouldn't be surprised if Shaun or Joel kicked out one of the TV Kings for their performances in "Brutally Young." It's hard to see anyone besides Raymond Lam winning to make up for all the years he narrowly lost, though I have heard rumbles of Lau Dan being a black horse. While it was enjoyable to see remnants of the Raymond of yesteryear who got be more lighthearted and charming, he was severely sidelined and underdeveloped, much like everybody in "Line Walker"'s painfully over bloated cast ensemble. He did what he could with the material given to him, but it will very much be a delayed win rather than one deserved for the particular series he is nominated for. And with a lack of competition, I don't particularly care either way.</p><p><b>Best Actress</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGz4-EjEjP2PszHp9FJ0KGMXHKpYSIFvti-kl_72M2Vv3_7Shxf1Xp2r1lTmowVRgmnB3_dYa3HecWZMwygqOhy-6fSUc4RA3z6-p8BQOkC3l0mdhAdcug4bCvGZgj_a0VDLNlxat9nv0/s959/mandy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="639" data-original-width="959" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGz4-EjEjP2PszHp9FJ0KGMXHKpYSIFvti-kl_72M2Vv3_7Shxf1Xp2r1lTmowVRgmnB3_dYa3HecWZMwygqOhy-6fSUc4RA3z6-p8BQOkC3l0mdhAdcug4bCvGZgj_a0VDLNlxat9nv0/w400-h266/mandy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><b>Top 5: </b>Selena Li, Katy Kung, Mandy Wong, Ali Lee, Sisley Choi</p><p><b>Predicted Winner: </b>Mandy Wong</p><p><b>Personal Choice: </b>Ali </p><p>Alrighty guys, if Katy wins for a clearly supporting role (and more importantly, not even a <i>good </i>one - for the last time, bulging your eyes is not acting!) in "Death by Zero," I will be livid. I feel like I say this every year, but this is definitely the weakest competition for Best Actress yet. Even with a lesser 18 nominees here, while no one in the Best Actor category is less than a second male lead, this category is littered with supporting actresses including Crystal Fung and Samantha Ko for "Al Cappuccino." The "Lo and Behold" actresses arguably should be in the supporting categories still, but I am more forgiving for a sitcom where the focus shifts much more between characters. </p><p>I've heard Mandy is the hot favorite to win after going home empty-handed despite an acclaimed performance in "Threesome" in 2018. I don't have particular issues with Mandy winning, but she was also clearly a supporting role in "Line Walker" and hardly had room to really display her acting chops. Mandy is someone who is clearly capable of giving a memorable, strong performance, but in recent years has been relegated to boring, uncomplicated roles (she played a straight-edged cop in both her series this year) and this in turn has also made her performances boring. Hopefully, a TV Queen win will finally give her meaty roles again. </p><p>Like with Best Actor, there is no one I am supporting to actually win, but if I had to choose, Ali probably gave the best performance of the bunch. While many current actresses seem to only excel in one type of role, after watching her as "Cash" in "Death by Zero," I am persuaded Ali is the most versatile and chameleon-like, having played villain, dramatic, and comedic roles well. She is uninhibited in her acting, which allowed Cash's silly and funny side to shine without making her cartoonish or exaggerated. Though not Best Actress level (then again, who is these days?), I was also impressed with Sisley, who noticeably improved from the first "Legal Mavericks 2" and did much better in her emotional scenes.</p><p><b>Favorite Male Character</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZu9RYcjDzp6KQjdheDhadt0s8IWdoU34E5FRlmDooRsF7L4IwiZIpbXDcX3xCK5pSAgcZCzelWrWbvjmVVRr1AgyNJJKKygP91zwgbOgXOhU3tRj1_Um6Pt_lFiI_6XGUmosLD7lH7gs/s1200/joel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZu9RYcjDzp6KQjdheDhadt0s8IWdoU34E5FRlmDooRsF7L4IwiZIpbXDcX3xCK5pSAgcZCzelWrWbvjmVVRr1AgyNJJKKygP91zwgbOgXOhU3tRj1_Um6Pt_lFiI_6XGUmosLD7lH7gs/w400-h225/joel.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><b>Top 5: </b>Joel Chan, Moses Chan, Vincent Wong, Raymond Lam, Michael Miu</p><p><b>Predicted Winner: </b>Joel</p><p><b>Personal Choice:</b> Joel</p><p>I am surprised how much I have come to genuinely enjoy Joel's acting in recent years and how much screen presence he now has, especially in "Brutally Young" as the charismatic gangster with a good heart. Vincent could possibly win again, but given Joel went unrecognized last year for "Barrack O'Karma," hopefully he will be able to go home with something this year. Moses' "Zero" is also Moses at his best, playing a suave, confident, and clever yet humorous assassin but just restrained enough he was not over the top and annoying (the same cannot be said for his performance in "Beauty and the Boss"). </p><p><b>Favorite Female Character</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2n4UaJQTZhGHuWA4BxeXhNDdASXVfaXaJIANVnVALSVsleEYiqwhlXXon8BPK-8lmYr0-zaVBvj0-cFJthvlMDNfj1R_emli16uP0GBh7s24-oM-OwXCEUgAwGxNurhuUPmwHU5PNlu8/s640/katy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="640" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2n4UaJQTZhGHuWA4BxeXhNDdASXVfaXaJIANVnVALSVsleEYiqwhlXXon8BPK-8lmYr0-zaVBvj0-cFJthvlMDNfj1R_emli16uP0GBh7s24-oM-OwXCEUgAwGxNurhuUPmwHU5PNlu8/w400-h268/katy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><b>Top 5: </b>Selena, Sisley, Mandy, Ali, Katy </p><p><b>Predicted Winner: </b>Katy</p><p><b>Personal Choice: </b>Ali</p><p>I'm throwing stones a little here, as Selena, Sisley, and Ali have all won this award already. Mandy could win if someone else pulls an upset for Best Actress, but after that, Katy is probably next in line. She garnered buzz for "Death by Zero" (admittedly, not the good kind), and she is nominated for "Hong Kong Love Stories," which has been receiving praise despite its bad time slot.</p><p><b>Best Supporting Actor</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcjaQ4cUuQ5oNIeugbeU_1sKmceUtCoPACtZFDuhBpSjcH0xeGANXLRBpR-NNiuYKZOBKV5-m2uP7P1sbeNSUqs7itJ5VK-0JLmUEyh7w52fYy15r0ee825MGzbrVP_C7fNB9s-7dTiso/s400/brian.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="242" data-original-width="400" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcjaQ4cUuQ5oNIeugbeU_1sKmceUtCoPACtZFDuhBpSjcH0xeGANXLRBpR-NNiuYKZOBKV5-m2uP7P1sbeNSUqs7itJ5VK-0JLmUEyh7w52fYy15r0ee825MGzbrVP_C7fNB9s-7dTiso/w400-h243/brian.png" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><b>Top 5: </b>Brian Tse, Tsui Wing, Benz Hui, Bowie Wu, Kent Tong </p><p><b>Predicted Winner: </b>Brian</p><p><b>Personal Choice:</b> N/A</p><p><b>Snub: </b>Anthony Ho for "Brutally Young"</p><p>While he certainly effectively creeped me out in "Death by Zero," I'm still not convinced Brian Tse is a strong actor. With the moderate buzz he received for the series, and the excessive amount he was hounded by the press this year because of the Ashley Chu and Jackson Lai scandal, TVB may be looking to give him some encouragement. </p><p>Although not a nominee in this category, I would have supported Mark. I always get nervous when TVB dramas portray characters with any kind of disorder, but Mark clearly took great care in portraying a doctor with autism spectrum disorder, nailing subtle mannerisms while making the character lovable and realistic. It was particularly impressive after watching him as the guy next door in "Lo and Behold," and I look forward to seeing him in more roles. I was not a fan of Tsui Wing's character in "Al Cappuccino" at all, but he is always a solid supporting actor so I'd love to see him win one year. </p><p>Anthony got to play a very substantial and meaty role in "Brutally Young" compared to his usual characters and was sympathetic and likable, so it's surprising he did not even get a nomination. </p><p><b>Best Supporting Actress</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdT5fy8KGKkK-Xt-LU2ILigRb6XQH4m_ECB5FB0MUPPjHjKqtD2zPvEpOsIeATQpqtRldXWzFoRK3Zx8SERviUJPiC2z5Ci76aCOMtE2WWmpws5qqKoAFrcYVj0K61qYBUN0nyNJHz4dc/s1920/winki.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1283" data-original-width="1920" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdT5fy8KGKkK-Xt-LU2ILigRb6XQH4m_ECB5FB0MUPPjHjKqtD2zPvEpOsIeATQpqtRldXWzFoRK3Zx8SERviUJPiC2z5Ci76aCOMtE2WWmpws5qqKoAFrcYVj0K61qYBUN0nyNJHz4dc/w400-h268/winki.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><b>Top 5: </b>Moon Lau, Yoyo Chen, Angel Chiang, Winki Lai, Suet Nei </p><p><b>Predicted Winner: </b>Winki</p><p><b>Personal Choice: </b>Winki</p><p><b>Snub: </b>Vivien Yeo for "Brutally Young"</p><p>There's actually some competition in this category! It's a difficult toss-up for my personal choice between Moon and Winki, but Winki edges out for me. Moon's sweet and affable "Bei Bei" character admittedly has a special place in my heart and her passing over storyline in "The Exorcist's Second Meter" was touching thanks in large part to Moon's performance. Similar to Yoyo, Winki showed in "Al Cappuccino" she is capable of playing far more than the "leng mui" characters she started off in. She played the tough-as-nails big sister character well while conveying the character's more tender side who just wanted to a regular OL. And of course, she had wonderful chemistry with Owen. Winki is probably my favorite of the more up and coming actresses and I'd be more than happy for her to win. </p><p>Yoyo is a black horse, having received good buzz for "Life After Death," and based on merit of performance alone I wouldn't go with Yoyo as she had a rather small supporting role where she mostly got to play the loyal, flirty, and fun friend. However, she has gone from mostly only believably playing cute, young girl characters to naturally playing a charming and sexy mature young woman here. With her focus on being a mother, TVB has put her on the sidelines for years, and if she does win, I hope it will propel her to be promoted and receive major roles, much like this award has done for previous winners. </p><p>Although she received a Favorite Female Character nomination despite departing TVB this year, Vivien was snubbed for her performance in "Brutally Young" in this category. This is the most emotive Vivien has been, having needed to communicate without speaking, and it is sad her best performance came just as she decided to move on from TVB. </p><p><b>Most Improved Actor</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOnliOpReHj_4gqTXmDDPAs90c7vMjQZtxHGkmjM5d23EqDoPomJgM07821CdkTqq0O6Bm_KqNmCgH4QliTM9mc7LSbl2Q6HaAs5vgD54ejqeCo1n6vNBZDLr4jX4rTy_q7rmgRnVEbgU/s1920/mark+ma.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1281" data-original-width="1920" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOnliOpReHj_4gqTXmDDPAs90c7vMjQZtxHGkmjM5d23EqDoPomJgM07821CdkTqq0O6Bm_KqNmCgH4QliTM9mc7LSbl2Q6HaAs5vgD54ejqeCo1n6vNBZDLr4jX4rTy_q7rmgRnVEbgU/w400-h268/mark+ma.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><b>Predicted Winner: </b>Mark Ma</p><p><b>Personal Choice: </b>Mark Ma</p><p>In a more ideal situation (for me at least), Mark could win Best Supporting Actor and Brian Tse could win Most Improved, as this is more reflective of their acting progress and experience. Hopefully, Mark has this in the bag. Of all the categories, this is probably the only one I'd genuinely be a bit upset about if my personal choice didn't win, especially if it went to one of the much more green actors I can barely remember the name of. </p><p><b>Most Improved Actress</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSrLw7Zh2SqNiOdQzE0WMo-GuBaUsIZpmZ6-szsSiRdo42roc-MOMqpgy2wGGlM8t60JHY3uar4zaWJ61JPOWBZ3PWwIH1C961BOa8IMSrBzemCZnnH9-vsZpdiEFxWhhrWLoUSjvMfCc/s279/moon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="181" data-original-width="279" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSrLw7Zh2SqNiOdQzE0WMo-GuBaUsIZpmZ6-szsSiRdo42roc-MOMqpgy2wGGlM8t60JHY3uar4zaWJ61JPOWBZ3PWwIH1C961BOa8IMSrBzemCZnnH9-vsZpdiEFxWhhrWLoUSjvMfCc/w400-h259/moon.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><b>Predicted Winner: </b>Moon Lau</p><p><b>Personal Choice: </b>Gloria Tang </p><p>If we're talking about actual improvement, Gloria has easily improved the most, having been unwatchable during her debut but becoming much more natural and likable in recent series such as "The Exorcist's 2nd Meter." Moon is a relatively heavily promoted actress that has yet to win this award, but Angel Chiang may very well pull a win for "Al Cappuccino," though I still don't find her very believable as the sexy, flirty triad boss. </p><p><b>Best Partnership</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGYkySVGTP_tQ3-sqGTQ0OL9WkI9-Vcp0LZQrtquAL0bd2lXOwJa2YWrFvvlgalwRRi0vEBzPJgAZG9sqgCpVD-hblmPEwrRxKc7cJwuTcVCy2Z-AoaendY7YzV7uag_fdN6JEGUuPz-E/s279/vincent-owen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="181" data-original-width="279" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGYkySVGTP_tQ3-sqGTQ0OL9WkI9-Vcp0LZQrtquAL0bd2lXOwJa2YWrFvvlgalwRRi0vEBzPJgAZG9sqgCpVD-hblmPEwrRxKc7cJwuTcVCy2Z-AoaendY7YzV7uag_fdN6JEGUuPz-E/w400-h259/vincent-owen.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><b>Predicted Winner: </b>Vincent Wong, Owen Cheung, and Brian Chu in "Al Cappuccino" </p><p><b>Personal Choice:</b> Vincent Wong, Owen Cheung, and Brian Chu in "Al Cappuccino" </p><p>While Vincent's romantic storylines with all four females in "Al Cappuccino" were haphazard and undeveloped (and overall just plain confusing), Vincent and Owen once again pulled off a great bromance and Brian was a welcome added dynamic. Vincent and Owen are probably my favorite male partnership overall, as they are unafraid to get physical with each other while also being great banter partners. I'm also a big fan of Kenneth and Hubert's partnership, but much more so in the original than in this year's sequel given their characters were often more at odds with each other. </p><p><b>Best Theme Song</b></p><p><b>Predicted Winner: </b>Raymond Lam and HANA's subtheme for "Line Walker"</p><p><b>Personal Choice:</b> Man, I don't care. </p><p><b>Best Drama</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfBJRfE-ilCf2xip9oxKBNYHML4DxQikZUU3XXgHPEyJ614ClRAHbCAcXzRubbmkeVyTEp__qRRbPOiA3a3hf4rSNUQmbxrtR1YfH_6ErG54w-Cfq1cHMIJf1whg2yMGL_mnc2ngNUSNE/s1053/Death_By_Zero.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1053" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfBJRfE-ilCf2xip9oxKBNYHML4DxQikZUU3XXgHPEyJ614ClRAHbCAcXzRubbmkeVyTEp__qRRbPOiA3a3hf4rSNUQmbxrtR1YfH_6ErG54w-Cfq1cHMIJf1whg2yMGL_mnc2ngNUSNE/w304-h400/Death_By_Zero.png" width="304" /></a></div><p></p><p><b>Predicted Winner: </b>Line Walker 3: Bull Fight</p><p><b>Personal Choice: </b>Death By Zero</p><p>"Line Walker 3" is the big anniversary production with the big cast and overall just part of a major franchise (that I wish would end). While it started off promising, the series already had obvious difficulties integrating characters from the original and the prequel, particularly Benjamin and Priscilla's characters. With the addition of numerous new characters, there was always too much going on and no individual character could be fully developed, leading to a mostly convoluted and disjointed storyline. I was looking forward to watching Kenneth as a villain, but he mostly bulged his eyes. </p><p>The dark comedy vibe where a heavy and rather violent subject matter is balanced with witty humor is common in American media such as superhero shows, but not at all with TVB, so I was very hesitant about "Death by Zero." While the tone takes getting used to because of its novelty for a TVB series, it is executed well. This tone and style is of course not everyone's cup of tea, especially much of TVB's target audience, but is very much up my alley so I was pleased with the freshness. While I wish some characters such as Samantha's were better utilized and some minimized, Moses and Ali in particular shined, along with supporting players like Timothy Cheng. Sure, it gets a bit absurd at times and some of our assassins seemingly just kill in plain sight, but it's a hell of a fun and fresh ride and more than deserving of "Best Drama." </p>Irishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03761963266985932287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5277205963978597549.post-29188295694905674582020-01-04T22:17:00.000-05:002020-01-04T22:20:29.904-05:00TVB Anniversary Awards 2019: Predictions and PicksAnother year, another disappointing list of nominations and lack of competition...<br />
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<b>Best Actor</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXrnlNHt1VYLjFLPq3EIs73zFkB50-ovJMk0iFSHxBI21TP8M9BxT_kx3gUWnofiR6AiCpNSR8cGfXK9UAx_dSGUnBJZhF4pwBV79YkTZXHcbFGVdau9a6JoumrVAjjpKskXJK5bfEhmI/s1600/kenneth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXrnlNHt1VYLjFLPq3EIs73zFkB50-ovJMk0iFSHxBI21TP8M9BxT_kx3gUWnofiR6AiCpNSR8cGfXK9UAx_dSGUnBJZhF4pwBV79YkTZXHcbFGVdau9a6JoumrVAjjpKskXJK5bfEhmI/s400/kenneth.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b>Top 5</b>: Philip Keung, Benjamin Yuen, Kenneth Ma, Vincent Wong, Joel Chan<br />
<b>Predicted Winner: </b>Kenneth<br />
<b>Most Deserving:</b> Philip<br />
<b>Personal Choice: </b>N/A<br />
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Will Kenneth finally win or will Philip pull an upset as the dark-horse candidate? Kenneth's character was disappointingly uncomplicated and unchallenging in an otherwise relatively solid series so watching him win for this series will not be as rewarding, but there is no doubt that he has been passed over for Best Actor time and time again. If Philip does pull an upset, Kenneth will have "The Exorcist's Meter 2.0" next year and "Ma Kwai" is a much stronger character though not particularly challenging to play either. Just please don't give the poor guy "Favorite Character" again.<br />
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<b>Best Actress</b><br />
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<b>Top 5: </b>Kara Wai, Miriam Yeung, Selena Li, Natalie Tong, Nancy Wu<br />
<b>Predicted Winner:</b> Miriam Yeung<br />
<b>Most Deserving: </b>Did not watch The Defected and have not finished Barrack O'Karma, so hard to say<br />
<b>Personal Choice: </b>N/A<br />
<br />
It's Kara v. Miriam v. Selena, which is quite an interesting frontrunner list given that none of these artists are TVB managed artists (or in Selena's case, not TVB managed anymore), so the typical TVB politics/favorites game will not help you guess the winner. Kara is disadvantaged from "The Defected" having aired so much earlier in the year, so it's likely between Miriam and Selena. Miriam likely has the edge.<br />
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<b>Favorite Male Character</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
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<b>Top 5:</b> Benjamin, Kenneth, Joel, Vincent, Pakho Chau<br />
<b>Predicted Winner: </b>Joel<br />
<b>Most Deserving:</b> Joel?<br />
<b>Personal Choice:</b> Pakho<br />
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Pakho's "Ho Tin" is my favorite character of the year. He is arguably too good to be true, but works as a better developed twist on the rich second-generation archetype that Pakho plays with charisma and likability. Benjamin may be rewarded for losing 20 pounds for his character in "The Defected," but has won this award before and like with Kara, is disadvantaged by the series' early air date. Given the critical acclaim of "Barrack O'Karma," Joel could likely inch out the others for this award.<br />
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<b>Favorite Female Character</b><br />
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<b>Top 5: </b>Natalie, Selena, Miriam, Mandy Lam, Koni Lui<br />
<b>Predicted Winner: </b>Selena<br />
<b>Most Deserving: </b>Selena<br />
<b>Personal Choice: </b>Mandy<br />
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If Selena does not win Best Actress, it will feel like a slap in the face for her to not win this award. Then again, I said something similar about Mandy Wong for "Threesome" last year, and look what happened there...<br />
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Mandy is not as much of a screen stealer in "Lo and Behold" this year since her character has left the company and become the lady boss at her and Jack's bar, but remains one of my favorite characters to watch.<br />
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<b>Best Supporting Actor</b><br />
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<b>Top 5:</b> Tsui Wing, Matthew Ho, Eric Li, Stanley Cheung, Tony Hung<br />
<b>Predicted Winner:</b> Eric<br />
<b>Most Deserving:</b> Eric<br />
<b>Personal Choice:</b> Eric<br />
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I actually have no idea who will win. This is a rehash for those who follow me on Twitter, but while I’m indifferent to all the other categories this year, I do feel passionately Eric should win. TVB has long typecast him into minor villain supporting roles but he has always performed well with the material given to him. He played a villain again in “The Man Who Kills Trouble,” but this time as the first supporting male in a meaty character who gets a redemption arc. He has great screen presence as the triad leader, and while his redemption arc is quite condensed, he gives a subtle performance in the last few episodes that prevents his redemption from feeling abrupt. What was abrupt though was Eric’s departure from TVB after receiving his largest role to date. He likely would have had a good chance at winning given he has received positive reception and attention for the series had he not left, but no longer a managed artist, TVB has nothing to gain. It’s anyone’s game now considering no other candidate who has generated much buzz, so I’ll hold onto hope Eric can emerge victorious.<br />
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I am pleasantly surprised though at the number of nominations long-running sitcom “Lo and Behold” received, particularly in this category. While the quality TVB’s dramas has left much to be desired for years, the sitcom has consistently been entertaining and fun.<br />
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<b>Best Supporting Actress</b><br />
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<b>Top 5: </b>Moon Lau, Katy Kung, Jeannie Chan, Samantha Ko, Zoie Tam<br />
<b>Predicted Winner:</b> Moon<br />
<b>Most Deserving:</b> N/A<br />
<b>Personal Choice:</b> Koni<br />
<b>Snub: </b>Koni and Joyce Tang for “Lo and Behold”<br />
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Andrea So gets a nomination, but not Koni? Joyce has at least been previously nominated. The sitcom is now in its third year and Koni has yet to receive an acting nomination (though she is nominated for Favorite Character). She has improved significantly as an actress and is natural and entertaining.<br />
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As per usual with this category in the last few years, I'm just making random guesses now. TVB just likes awarding younger actresses it is preparing itself to heavily promote. My gut says the award will go to Moon or Jeannie. Jeannie had the more interesting character in "The Ghetto Fabulous Lady" it seems, but Moon is the better and more charismatic actress.<br />
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<b>Most Improved Actor</b><br />
<b>Predicted Winner: </b>Owen Cheung<br />
<b>Most Deserving: </b>Owen<br />
<b>Personal Choice: </b>Kalok Chow<br />
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Will TVB take pity on Owen for shelving all his series? I expected him to win last year so this is probably his year. Kalok Chow has great comedic timing in "Lo and Behold" and seems to have improved considerably since the sitcom first started.<br />
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<b>Most Improved Actress</b><br />
<b>Predicted Winner: </b>Kelly Cheung<br />
<b>Most Deserving: </b>Gloria Tang<br />
<b>Personal Choice: </b>Iris Lam<br />
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Kelly is the most heavily promoted of the bunch and has already been cast in leading roles. Gloria has improved a ton since her unwatchable early roles. I thought Iris showed potential in "Lo and Behold," but she got to shine in "Girlie Days" as Kristal Tin's daughter. I usually don't care for the young daughter and son roles, but Iris was incredibly natural, sweet, and charming and the actress herself seems passionate about acting.<br />
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<b>Best Partnership</b><br />
<b>Predicted Winner:</b> Joel and Selena<br />
<b>Most Deserving:</b> Joel and Selena<br />
<b>Personal Choice:</b> N/A<br />
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Four nominations for "Lo and Behold"! I do like Koni and Stanley in the sitcom a lot, but don't feel incredibly strongly about anyone. If Joel and Selena somehow manage to not get any major award, they should at the very least get this one since their pairing was so well-loved. Mandy Lam and Jack Hui are another possibility, but the buzz for the pairing has died down since Mandy's win last year.<br />
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<b>Best Theme Song</b><br />
<b>Predicted Winner: "</b>Can You Hear Me" by Kayee Tam for "Big White Duel"<br />
<b>Personal Choice: </b>Theme song by Miriam Yeung for "Wonder Women"<br />
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I really like Kayee's voice and glad she has gotten to sing more theme songs, but goodness this song was overplayed and had awkward and cringeworthy English lyrics. Why are TVB's English subtheme songs so bad? How hard is it to have someone check the lyrics for grammar? Meanwhile, I recently watched HKTV's 2015 series "The Menu" for the first time, and thought the English sub theme "Can't Let Go" was absolutely lovely. Amazing how writing decent, grammatically correct English lyrics can help!<br />
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<b>Best Drama</b><br />
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<b>Predicted Winner: </b>Big White Duel<br />
<b>Most Deserving: </b>Barrack O'Karma<br />
<b>Personal Choice:</b> Wonder Woman<br />
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"Big White Duel" is the safe choice as it was both a heavily-promoted series that was both critically and commercially successful (at least by TVB's standards these days). Barrack O'Karma is the black horse candidate though that could very likely win too.Irishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03761963266985932287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5277205963978597549.post-75649947809418748422019-12-28T12:19:00.000-05:002019-12-28T12:19:25.120-05:00"Wonder Women" Review <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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What TVB's last anniversary series of the year lacked in plot, it made up for with its characters in spades. "Wonder Women" has a very simple plot that follows a woman moving on from her unfaithful husband by rebuilding her career and falling in love. It has the formula of a typical lighthearted series, but succeeds because of its unlikely cast and character ensemble.<br />
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<b>The female trio's friendship</b><br />
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<b>Miriam Yeung</b> and <b>Pakho Chau </b>are the core of the series, but the three girls' friendship were my second favorite part. While there are countless series that feature close male brotherhood, one of my many gripes with TVB is the poor portrayal of female friendships (or lack thereof). Male characters go through thick and thin with and for each other, but female TVB friendships tend to come off as much more superficial and surface-level. They go shopping and to the spa, but that's pretty much it. While Miriam, <b>Alice Chan</b>, and <b>Rebecca Zhu</b>'s characters are definitely shown going shopping and out to eat, their friendship is actually fleshed out. You feel the trust, warmth, and bond between them. The friendship feels genuine rather than cliquy, and I truly appreciated that the writers here took the time to develop and put a focus on this sisterhood. Additionally, these female characters are written dynamically as well with their strengths as well as their flaws.<br />
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Of course, this friendship would not have been so enjoyable to watch if not for Miriam, Alice, and Rebecca's chemistry. The trio's casting seemed odd and random to me at first, especially given that Rebecca is considerably younger than the other two, but they mesh and play off each other incredibly well. Pakho’s “Ho Tin” also adds a very fun dynamic to their friendship. I was cracking up right with Lam Fei at the scene where Fung Wah and See Lui were waiting to see who Ho Tin would want to drop off first to see who he was interested in, only for Ho Tin to come out and ask them to decide amongst themselves who wanted to be first.<br />
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By far the individual performance I was most surprised by was Rebecca's. She has been a rather bland and forgettable actress for years, but last year she showed considerable improvement in "The Stunt," particularly in her emotional scenes. She displayed fantastic comedic timing here that we have not seen before, and her emotional scenes are done very well too. The scene in episode 23 where a crying Rebecca is trying to get Miriam and Alice to talk and reconcile is heartbreaking and convincing. "See Lui" could have easily been written as a one-dimensional ditzy trophy wife, but the script and Rebecca's performance thankfully develops the character to be more dynamic. She can be overdramatic and silly but is also rather clever and smart, as well as a caring, good friend. She has a comfortable and fun chemistry with onscreen husband <b>Tony Hung</b> who has his funny moments too, but is very much outshined by Rebecca.<br />
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Alice suits these strong, career-minded characters best, so this role was no challenge for her. However, in keeping with the theme of likable but flawed characters, "Fung Wah"'s handling of her love life is more messy. While I like Alice a lot, I did not care for her storyline with <b>Jonathan Cheung</b> too much. Alice seems like one of those affable, personable actresses who could spark chemistry with a tree if she had to, so while she and Jonathan look physically mismatched, their chemistry does not completely fall flat. However, it still came off as bland and a little awkward-looking, and simply lacked the "it" factor that the main couple has.<br />
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Lastly, our leading lady Miriam is of course solid. She plays her character with sympathy and wit at all the right places with no trouble.<br />
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<b>Miriam and Pakho's relationship</b><br />
One different casting choice would have been the difference between Lam Fei and Ho Tin's relationship being enjoyable and engaging or incredibly awkward and forced. Given that these characters' relationship is the driving force behind the series, TVB got lucky and struck gold with this couple.<br />
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The series succeeds in large part because Miriam and Pakho surprisingly have so much chemistry. Miriam is an award-winning actress while Pakho also has acting experience and just seems like an easygoing person, so I went in expecting there to be some chemistry, but nothing to shout about. The physical incompatibility does not hinder them but rather adds to their romantic storyline, showing that age and appearances are not everything. The two are so natural and at ease with each other, sparking many laughs early on when they are a bickering landlord and tenant and later good friends, but very sweet as they become a couple. It was rewarding to see Lam Fei finally accept Ho Tin. The relationship is also rewarding to watch because Ho Tin is not the savior to Lam Fei's damsel-in-distress. He is right alongside her supporting her as she picks herself up and moves on, as are her friends.<br />
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The series takes the character archetypes of the cheated ex-housewife, the career woman, and the trophy wife and fleshes them out a bit more with the women. Meanwhile, Ho Tin is the rich second-generation with a heart of gold. The man is a chronically unemployed almost 30-year-old relying on his father's debit card who literally started the series by paying exorbitant rent so he could stalk his ex-girlfriend to get back together with her just so he could dump her! There were many reasons to not like him, particularly when he failed to be straightforward to Ms. Lui about not having feelings for her and his general lack of direction in life, but they are overshadowed by how caring and thoughtful of a person and friend he is not only to Lam Fei, but to Kai Kai, See Lui, Fung Wah, and Jonathan. While I am a fan of Pakho and his music, I did not like his character in "Another Era" and he was noticeably rather wooden in what I saw of "Line Walker: The Prelude." There was much apprehension about whether Pakho could perform or even deserved this leading role, including even from myself, but he is charismatic, affable, and natural as Ho Tin, and makes us can't help but love him for his positive traits rather than focus on his more negative ones. His scenes with Kai Kai are particularly sweet, and while TVB's child actors are typically pretty annoying, "Kai Kai" is rather natural and adorable, especially given his lack of prior acting experience.<br />
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One detail I would have liked to see is Ho Tin realizing what career he is passionate about and pursuing that. While it would have been fine for Ho Tin to realize he is interested in medicine, there was no indication of that and he seemed to pursue it simply because he was already halfway done with medical school and thought it would make his father and Lam Fei happy.<br />
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<b>Other noteworthy aspects</b><br />
<br />
<b>Raymond Wong </b>has long been a solid, talented actor, and it is a shame that TVB seems to not know what do with him anymore in the last few years, mostly casting him in boring characters or low-production series. He is convincing and absolutely detestable as "Kim Hung." It was rather puzzling that his former father-in-law (played by <b>Benz Hui</b>) never truly yelled at Kim Hung for breaking his daughter's heart yet still treated him as a son so long after the divorce.<br />
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Other than its characters and relationships, the series is also just very funny and in a refreshing way. Rather than relying on typical over-the-top humor or craziness, there are many humorous and clever moments that aren't played so deliberately. Notable scenes include when everyone is enjoying hot pot inside while Kim Hung is sitting outside in the hot with his glasses fogging up and the dancing scene with "Wing Boss" and "Old Sim" with everyone watching. The humor keeps the series going, and the episodes that suffer from feeling slow-moving are ones that are too serious or focus on boring aspects like the business deals.<br />
<br />
This is the second series this year that focuses on a woman moving on from a failed marriage after "Girlie Days," and it is interesting to see how the two series executes its similar themes. While that is by far the inferior series, I liked "Girlie Days" for how Kristal Tin's career storyline is done. She finds an outlet and regains control and direction of her life by working out (as a personal trainer), and it becomes where she is most confident and in her element, and we see it along the way. Lam Fei is shown moving on with the endless support of her friends, which is certainly another realistic take on it that paid off given these cast and characters, but the portrayal of her career development left much to be desired. After she transitions from the cooking booth to a higher role, there are a few scenes here and there of her running around with files and going to boardroom meetings that felt like they were simply tacked on to remind us Lam Fei is a career woman now. The magazine covers showing Lam Fei was now a successful chef and restauranteur in the finale made me realize I wish we could have gotten to see more of this along the way.<br />
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<b>The Ending</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b><i><span style="color: red;">*spoilers!*</span></i></b><br />
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Like with many TVB series, "Wonder Women" would have benefitted from just being 20 episodes long. The episodes after Ho Tin recovers from his amnesia still boosts some individual fun scenes, but overall feel like an unnecessary coda. After 24 episodes of easy, relaxing watching in a universe that feels mostly grounded in reality, Jonathan's sudden death after trying to save <b>Maggie Yu</b>'s unhinged, annoying character was an absurd curveball that was uncalled for, especially given that they just brushed over his actual cause of death. To me, it also felt a little too on-the-nose that Fung Wah lost her love after Lam Fei told her she could not find love and marriage because she had disrupted another marriage. While Lam Fei obviously did not mean it, Fung Wah's ending still felt like the ultimate slut-shaming and her karma for having a one-night-stand with Kim Hung, whom she did not even know was marrying Lam Fei. It harms Fung Wah's character yet is inconsequential to the series itself, so it was nonsensical to include this plot point. If the writers really wanted drama for the end, Jonathan falling into a coma and eventually waking up would have been sufficient. It was also unnecessary to include the scene where we find out Jonathan had a twin if they were not going to resolve that, unless the plan is to film a sequel. Thankfully, Lam Fei and Ho Tin are eventually reunited to have a happy ending, though given the age of social media, it is odd that they did not speak to each other at all for six years. Not even birthday texts? It would have been understandable if they decided not to be in a long-distance relationship, but it was bizarre they appeared to have completely cut off contact with each other.<br />
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<b>Conclusion</b><br />
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I watch a lot of television and rarely watch movies. TV appeals to me more because I love becoming invested in characters and watching them grow. There is more time to watch characters, relationships, and storylines develop. While this also gives writers ample time to mess up, create filler, or spin in circles, if done correctly, TV shows have more of an opportunity for payoff. "Wonder Women" does not have a concrete plot. Yet, this is the first TVB series in a long time that I genuinely feel like I will miss watching because in the span of 25 episodes, I got to know, like, and care about these characters. The scriptwriters put an effort here into developing the three female characters and Ho Tin to seem like real, flawed people with feelings and thoughts as well as develop their relationships with each other. It is an effort that pays off here to make an overall entertaining, easy, character-driven watch, proving you don’t need a big, flashy plot full of twists and turns to be engaging. It will not be everyone’s cup of tea given the more relaxed, uneventful nature of it, but for fans of character-driven series, TVB proves it can still be capable of making them.<br />
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<b>Rating: 4 stars</b>Irishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03761963266985932287noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5277205963978597549.post-57219503180105581372018-12-30T17:56:00.001-05:002018-12-31T00:14:28.168-05:00"Fist Fight" Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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To keep producing the same old TVB drama, or to go completely off the deep end to create the anti-TVB drama? That is the question many TVB producers and scriptwriters seem to ponder, and "Fist Fight" is able to find a happy medium between the two approaches.<br />
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"Fist Fight" has many elements familiar with typical TVB series' DNA: from the bickering pair, to revenge, to family, and more. It also uses themes that have been previously used and mixes it with fresher ones, coming together to create a drama that features everything from telepathy, boxing, security, government corruption, conspiracy, to the internet and virtual reality. While this sounds like it could easily end in a hot mess of a drama that tries to do too much, the result is a multi-dimensional series that can keep a viewer on the edge of his or her seat, and require the viewer to stop and think a little to hang on for the crazy ride. </div>
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This balance of fresh and familiar is ultimately what allows "Fist Fight" to stand apart from other series this year. While it takes the requisite two to three episodes to set up the characters and general plot, the pace becomes quick and easy to get into afterwards, unlike past "risky dramas" like "When Heaven Burns" that try to be more artistic and can become draggy instead. </div>
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It seems like producer Lam Chi Wah <a href="https://www.jaynestars.com/news/fist-fight-producer-talks-tvb-ratings-and-his-shows-intentions/">drew</a> inspiration from the highly serialized and genre nature of many American shows these days (with some viewers commenting the premise is eerily similar to Netflix's "Sense8"), and this influence is apparent. As the series shifts away from the bodyguard agency and more on the three male leads themselves, "Fist Fight" becomes increasingly complex with more and more elements at play and viewers are left trying to put together the puzzle pieces of what becomes the show's primary mystery. The blend of genres and themes is ambitious and screams more "American streaming drama" than "TVB drama," but there is also the familiar mixture of drama, action, comedy, and romance. </div>
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Throughout all this, it even throws in some social commentary through its discussion of virtual reality and the "dark web." While some of this becomes confusing, and the use of virtual reality becomes almost laughably far-fetched in the last stretch of episodes, it does raise some interesting questions about the dangers advancements in technology can bring. </div>
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"Fist Fight" boosts a younger cast, which is in line with its fresh nature, and thankfully they overall deliver.</div>
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<b>Vincent Wong </b>is fantastic as always these days as "Fever Cheung." With a different actor, "Fever" easily could have become irritating to watch with his arrogance and self-confidence. Instead, Vincent makes him charming, funny, and entertaining. The character regularly says "If you can guess what I'm up to, I wouldn't be Fever." It was refreshing to watch a protagonist who you could not always predict the next move of, consistent with the character's innovative and out-of-the-box mindset. </div>
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<b>Mat Yeung </b>as "Leo" plays a great straight man to Vincent's "Fever." The character is aloof and "cool" as well as untrusting of others, and Mat looks and plays the part without being wooden, while also excelling in his emotional scenes in the last episodes. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ZJqH5yl-XSxzIN6uzX-nve2WFG1hYXaEwnxo-HrVa1E35tqlrAfznH_DZMrlB2pY9fADyyGjjzLyQSOzMagGjYvX90yXrjqtApcKp3UH5ZJ8UuKCJHbYYUNfEtQMEjVnRnyBFGZ7jTA/s1600/mat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="288" data-original-width="512" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ZJqH5yl-XSxzIN6uzX-nve2WFG1hYXaEwnxo-HrVa1E35tqlrAfznH_DZMrlB2pY9fADyyGjjzLyQSOzMagGjYvX90yXrjqtApcKp3UH5ZJ8UuKCJHbYYUNfEtQMEjVnRnyBFGZ7jTA/s400/mat.jpg" width="400" /></a>Another refreshing aspect of "Fist Fight" was how smart "Fever" and "Leo" are, albeit in slightly differing ways. While many TVB series love revving up the dramatic irony where the viewer is left screaming at the screen about how a character could be so oblivious, our leading men catch on to everything we realize about the villains and suspicious characters and more. With Fever and Leo's mutual preference for relying on themselves rather than trusting others, it was incredibly entertaining seeing the two try to outsmart the other (and failing, because the other would always eventually catch on) before they finally agreed to work together.</div>
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While still awkward and wooden in his most dramatic scenes, particularly in early ones when he is still a cop, <b>Philip Ng</b> showed improvement from "A Fist Within Four Walls." Philip also shows once again that his forte is in more comedic, lighthearted scenes. His voice still goes too deep when angry, but he is more natural and very likable in lighter scenes, particularly those with Rebecca Zhu. "Iron" is very impulsive and hotheaded while still a cop, and while those traits do not completely go away, he mellows in the second half and appropriately steps into the role of an older brother figure who is capable of taking a step back and looking at the situation more calmly. Consequently, Philip becomes much more enjoyable to watch too, and while he still has a long way to go, he demonstrates that he can be cast for more than just his action moves.</div>
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Unsurprisingly, there are less praises to sing for the female cast. This largely has to do with the fact the series is focused on brotherhood, making the females secondary characters who mainly exist as love interests for the men.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXkAcWDA-OZ0SESFD9lncwG-IthWC4E35gAwq-4vhlLv31G4alT77tjGk-2l1uebYdTABB0wYngA3D6zg_YOw8SY64BgvzThRPjPl1xMkEbJf0y9SfnS2ljyncOkhp9R6yIQogZF4lsqE/s1600/kaman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="288" data-original-width="512" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXkAcWDA-OZ0SESFD9lncwG-IthWC4E35gAwq-4vhlLv31G4alT77tjGk-2l1uebYdTABB0wYngA3D6zg_YOw8SY64BgvzThRPjPl1xMkEbJf0y9SfnS2ljyncOkhp9R6yIQogZF4lsqE/s400/kaman.jpg" width="400" /></a>Shining the most though is <b>Kaman Kong</b>, despite the character's ridiculous name of "Sitting." I have noticed Kaman's potential and surprisingly already rather natural acting since "My Ages Apart." In her first substantial "adult" role, she is still as affable and lovable as ever, while also performing well and evoking sympathy in her emotional scenes. She and Vincent share an easygoing and sweet chemistry as the series' resident bickering pair turned lovers. The bickering pair trope can get old, but I enjoyed the pair's progression into a couple, though I groaned at one specific development in "Sitting" in the second half. Thankfully, it was not too grating to watch. After finishing this series, I wish Kaman would have won Most Improved Actress this year. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLPoak9JAS7OYnbgekS4FAmJUczcLEw-l4KrKhHGEINx37-g_0xkVXMoiHOSGMzhAJmBcZIFuwnT0tNnzlbIdUh55UaPc1jEIUSp8D6G4OPzuxKDKzJJxzdod4S4PFYpmYCYrkL8v3xJ4/s1600/philip-rebecca.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="288" data-original-width="512" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLPoak9JAS7OYnbgekS4FAmJUczcLEw-l4KrKhHGEINx37-g_0xkVXMoiHOSGMzhAJmBcZIFuwnT0tNnzlbIdUh55UaPc1jEIUSp8D6G4OPzuxKDKzJJxzdod4S4PFYpmYCYrkL8v3xJ4/s400/philip-rebecca.jpg" width="400" /></a><b>Rebecca Zhu </b>performs adequately enough as "Ching Ching" without being too interesting, but she shares great chemistry with Philip. The "immediately good friends turned something more" was a good contrast to Fever and Sitting as a bickering pair. The scene where Ching Ching and Iron finally get together is probably my new favorite get-together scene with how adorable and hilarious Philip is running back and forth across the street. </div>
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<b>Tiffany Lau </b>had a difficult debut role in that she had to go through training and had many boxing and action scenes. Character-wise, she is more of a supporting player than female lead who is easily the most disposable. She is likable but her Cantonese is distractingly and heavily accented. She and Mat have enough chemistry to not look awkward, but it is nothing noteworthy.</div>
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Other notable performances included <b>Toby Chan</b>, who<b> </b>takes a break from her typical boring pretty girl characters to play a bad-ass bodyguard, and <b>Jack Hui </b>as Fever's loyal confident and friend. </div>
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Although the series is not without its fair share of predictable twists or unrealistic turns, and the death-toll became very high, it was refreshing to watch the series and not always be able to see what was going to happen next just based off context clues and what has happened in other similar series. Any viewer could see <b>Shek Sau </b>would at least be a semi-villain, but I enjoyed being able to keep guessing as to who exactly did what, just how evil a character was, and who the ultimate villain would be. </div>
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"Fist Fight" was an ambitious series, from the nearly six-month commitment it took to film the series with its location-filming and many action sequences, to its mix of genres and complex storytelling. Despite its flaws, this different direction is executed well enough that it is worth commending, even if it became more unrealistic and convoluted towards the end. Hopefully, other producers and scriptwriters will take a page from "Fist Fight" to more create entertaining and fresh series that can take risks without completing shedding the feeling of familiarity and accessibility that comes with watching a TVB series. </div>
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<b>Rating: 4.25 stars</b></div>
Irishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03761963266985932287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5277205963978597549.post-54150846967414686932018-12-23T16:32:00.001-05:002018-12-23T16:32:21.382-05:00TVB Anniversary Awards 2018: Results + Comments<b>Lifetime Achievement Award: Nancy Sit</b><br />
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TVB usually hits the nail on the head with these (unfortunately I can't say that for much else they do). Nancy is a TVB fixture with a career that has spanned more than 60 years, so of course this was deserved.<br />
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<b>Professional Actor Award: Angelina Lo, Timothy Cheng, Jimmy Au</b><br />
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All three are spot on. Angelina Lo is TVB's best bitchy mother-in-law, while also great at playing loving mothers, or bitchy mothers who have a soft side. Timothy Cheng still gets tasked with villain roles a majority of the time, but always delivers. Joel ended up winning Best Supporting Actor last year over Jimmy for "The Unholy Alliance," which just made more sense because as solid as Jimmy was, his character was still relatively minor. This gives him acknowledgment for his years of playing everything from villain roles to loyal and strong ones to comedic ones.<br />
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<b>Most Improved Actor: Matthew Ho</b><br />
Matthew was obviously going to win since Owen was only in variety series this year, and the rest of the competition was pretty trash (sorry Hubert, still loved you as Shek Kam Dong). I didn't watch "Life on the Line," but this award seems warranted, especially since he was already the hot favorite to win for his performance as "Siu Tung" last year, though TVB decided to finally award Mat Yeung instead.<br />
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<b>Most Improved Actress: Crystal Fung</b><br />
You know TVB really pulled a fast one when even the winner herself is visibly completely befuddled as to how she won the award. Crystal has literally acted in one series so far ("Apple-colada"), therefore she has nothing to improve on. I was particularly surprised Crystal won considering TVB seemed itching to give this to Louisa Mak. I'm not even sure which winner would be worse, but from a logistical standpoint, it is definitely worse to give it to someone who has had no opportunity to even try to improve yet. I'm glad Crystal acknowledged this in her speech though, and that she said she'd work hard to improve to actually earn this award.<br />
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<b>Most Popular TV Partnership: Edwin Siu and Raymond Cho for "Two Men in a Kitchen"</b><br />
You don't need to look any further than the pair's matching red suits and going up to get their award hand-in-hand to know these two are best buddies. Their friendship is so apparent, TVB even gave him this award two years in a row even though they had no incentive to!<br />
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The highlight of the night though was Edwin dropping a bombshell and thanking his <i>wife </i>Priscilla in his acceptance speech! He was so awkward and nervous about it, and while some found it cringeworthy, I found it hilarious - clearly, Priscilla is the more eloquent in this relationship. ;) I'm surprised they managed to keep it a secret since April! These two don't get much press since people just don't seem to care, but they have long been one of my favorite real-life TVB couples. They are very low-profile yet seem so genuinely sweet and fun (as evidenced by Edwin's first failed proposal on a roller coaster, and Priscilla proposing the second time).<br />
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<b>Most Popular Series Song: Hana Kuk's theme song for "Life on the Line"</b><br />
I'm SHOCKED! Nah, just kidding.<br />
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<b>My Favorite TVB Drama (Singapore and Malaysia): "Threesome"</b><br />
Glad that "Threesome" got <i>some </i>acknowledgment! Clearly, Singapore and Malaysia appreciated this series that TVB cast aside, cut down, and then banished to weekends much more than Hong Kong.<br />
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<b>Best Supporting Actor: Oscar Leung for "OMG, Your Honor"</b><br />
This was slightly surprising given that he was not a buzzed-about nominee (but then again, who was in this category?). Given his years of solid performances and what sounded like a more major character in "OMG, Your Honor" though, it was still deserved. Despite hitting a surge in popularity in 2012 and 2013's "L'Escargot" and "Tiger Cubs," TVB has seemed to have cast him aside into minor supporting and gangster roles again in the last few years, so I'm sure this unexpected win was encouraging for Oscar. And you know Oscar genuinely did not expect this, since he wore sneakers and said he would've put more effort into his look had he known he would win.<br />
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<b>Best Supporting Actress: Mandy Lam for "Come Home Love: Lo and Behold"</b><br />
Probably the most deserved award of the night (minus the veteran honorees)? Mandy was a hot favorite to win last year, and in one of the biggest "WTF" moments in recent anniversary award memory, Rebecca Zhu won instead. I have usually liked Mandy despite playing very small roles, and am happy she has been gaining recognition. Of all the winners of the night, Mandy seemed the most balanced, looking genuinely grateful while also being very well-composed and eloquent in her acceptance speech, despite a turbulent career that included fighting (and winning!) a battle against cancer seven years ago.<br />
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<b>My Favorite Male Character: Kenneth Ma for "Deep in the Realm of Conscience"</b><br />
Kenneth's expression when his name was announced, as well as his acceptance speech, was the most unintentionally hilarious moment of the night. While his colleagues, including Ruco and Ben, looked genuinely happy for him, Kenneth looked visibly in disbelief that he was winning this award for the <i>third </i>time. I usually hate when actors wear a "black face" when giving acceptance speeches, but this win was so absurd that Kenneth's complete failure to hide his sassiness in his speech, which included remarks such as how he did not pay anyone for the award, cracked. me. up. I think Kenneth himself knew he didn't have much of a chance for Best Actor this year, but was even more annoyed that TVB wanted to stroke his ego with this award again and just felt mocked instead. Once in a while this award really can mean something, and that you played a memorable character audiences loved. Most of the time, it's a pork award, and Kenneth's win was the epitome of that. Poor guy probably would've dropped TVB like a hot potato years ago, but knows his worth is in Hong Kong and that he would not fare well in Mainland China like his former more idol-faced colleagues like Ron and Bosco.<br />
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<b>My Favorite Female Character: Alice Chan for "Deep in the Realm of Conscience"</b><br />
I love Bobby so much, but wanted to slap him off the screen when he was presenting the leading female categories. The bit would have been fine and worth a chuckle if Bobby simply stated Jessica Hsuan yelled at him for forgetting to thank Tommy Leung 18 years ago, and he wanted to do so now. But like with most things, Bobby had to keep dragging it out and going on and on as if this was his time to give an acceptance speech. I'm assuming this was TVB's idea of humor and not completely Bobby's doing, and he was just responsible for rambling, but it was incredibly stupid, even more so with the cramped time.<br />
<br />
I realize "Deep in the Realm of Conscience" was a grand production, but I'm kinda surprised Alice wasn't nominated in this category for "Apple-colada" instead where she played a strong and sassy female protagonist instead of a villain. The Best Actress and Fave Female Character competition was clearly a race between Alice, Ali, and Mandy this year, and I was betting that if it was anyone that was the most likely to go home empty-handed, it would have been Alice. I've always liked Alice though, and did not see her winning Best Actress, so I'm glad she still received recognition.<br />
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<b>Best Actor: Joe Ma for "Life on the Line"</b><br />
This was another one of the head scratchers of the night, but probably the one I was most indifferent to. Joe has never been a great actor, nor is he a bad actor. He's just kind of...meh. But I guess it was his time. I can only be so offended when the rest of the competition besides Dicky was trash, and Dicky's series was shoved to the end of the year.<br />
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<b>Best Actress: Ali Lee for "Who Wants a Baby?"</b><br />
And TVB stabs Mandy in the back and throws her to the wayside. I can't believe TVB gave Mandy nothing. I have liked Ali since her debut, and she has quickly become my favorite new leading actress out of the lukewarm bunch we have. Indeed, she has rapidly improved, and if Mandy and Alice weren't contenders, people probably wouldn't care. Unlike most other newer generation actresses, Ali has won quite a bit of both not only TVB's favor, but<i> </i>the audience's favor. Unfortunately, by giving Ali this award so soon (just two years after winning Most Improved!) in a year with competition, TVB is unfortunately opening her up to be criticized and disliked for something that is not her fault, much like Natalie Tong when she won this award last year. And the sad thing is, her career did not need such a boost with this award. She is already popular and in-demand because her other similarly-experienced female colleagues suck. I still love you though Ali.<br />
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<b>Best Drama: "Life on the Line"</b><br />
The only category I predicted correctly this year - yikes. I'm glad "Beyond the Realm of Conscience" did not win this though, and that what seems like a deserving series did.<br />
<br />Irishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03761963266985932287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5277205963978597549.post-63227721542514180232018-11-23T23:15:00.001-05:002018-11-24T15:51:07.448-05:00TVB Anniversary Awards 2018: My Predictions and Picks Hello for the first time since February! I was considering not writing up an awards predictions post this year since I've been so busy with law school, and have only completed four series this year, my lowest number yet. However, this year marks the tenth year of these annual posts, and I didn't want to ruin that stint. Having watched so few series though, and the fact that this is the absolute weakest list of nominations yet (I know, we say this every year), this post is shorter and I won't be making guesses for top five nominations as I can't even choose one for some of these. I also left a lot of spaces blank because, as you will quickly see, I have no idea what's going on anymore.<br />
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For those wondering, the four series I've watched all the way through this year are "Daddy Cool," "Apple-colada," "The Stunt," and "Another Era," and I am currently watching "Fist Fight."<br />
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Stray observation: The protocol in years' past has seemed to be that every major actor in practically every series was nominated by default. Yet, this year's practice was to nominate every major (and several very minor) actor from a smaller number of more high-profile series.<br />
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View the full list of nominations <a href="https://casualtvb.blogspot.com/2018/11/tvb-anniversary-awards-2018-nomination.html">here</a>.<br />
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<b>Best Actor</b><br />
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Predicted Winner: Dicky Cheung<br />
Most Deserving:<br />
Personal Choice: Carlos Chan<br />
Snub: Steven Ma for "Deep in the Realm of Conscience"<br />
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<ul>
<li>The Best Actress category has been a weak spot for several years now, while Best Actor usually includes at least one notably decent-performing veteran and one younger leading actor as nominees. But...this is also pretty bad now.</li>
<li>I didn't watch "The Forgotten Valley," but it seems like Lau Kong had a substantial role, and this nomination makes me wonder if he may pull a win as a black horse candidate. </li>
<li>I actually don't think there's a high likelihood Dicky will win, but it's also fair to believe that he may win because 1) the competition sucks, and 2) it could be an act of gratitude from TVB.</li>
<li>TVB couldn't even throw Steven a nomination for starring in one of this year's anniversary series in a category that also includes Tony...ouch.</li>
<li>If Benjamin wins, I don't know what I'm going to do to myself, but it seems like a likely possibility... (Though it seems odd he's nominated for "Another Era" rather than "Stealing Seconds," which he won Favorite Actor in Singapore and Malaysia for. </li>
<li>Carlos will never win, but he really was refreshing and strong in "Daddy Cool." It takes a solid actor to hold your own against Wayne and John Chiang, but not only did Carlos did that, he was completely convincing as Wayne and John's grandfather and father, respectively. I hope he films with TVB again, but I'm sure he has even better opportunities after this performance.</li>
<li>Man I really miss watching Louis. </li>
</ul>
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<b>Best Actress</b><br />
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Predicted Winner: Mandy Wong<br />
Most Deserving: Mandy Wong<br />
Personal Choice:<br />
<br />
I watched the first two episodes of "Threesome," and did not hate it nor was I immediately drawn in, so I ended up never continuing because of how busy I was. Mandy has long shown that she is a competent actress though, and got a chance to showcase that by playing three different characters.<br />
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<b>My Favorite Male Character</b><br />
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Predicted Winner:<br />
Most Deserving:<br />
Personal Choice: Carlos Chan<br />
<br />
Yeah...I got nothing. Benjamin won this already two years ago, so another win so soon for someone who is no Charmaine Sheh or Wayne Lai seems redundant.<br />
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*Sorry to John Chiang for using such an unflattering screen capture...it seems to have gotten considerably harder to find good stills now that TVB has slacked off on uploading official promotional ones.<br />
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<b>My Favorite Female Character</b><br />
Predicted Winner: Ali Lee<br />
Most Deserving:<br />
Personal Choice:<br />
<br />
I was already surprised Ali did not win this last year (and to her female co-star from the same series who had a less popular character!), so perhaps this year is hers. I watched the first two episodes or so of "Who Wants a Baby?" and didn't find it too engaging, but thought Ali performed well from what I saw, bringing out the character's insecurities and nervousness about becoming a mother while also feeling genuinely excited and happy. The only other person who may win would be Mandy if someone pulls an upset for Best Actress.<br />
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<b>Best Supporting Actor</b><br />
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<b><br /></b>
Predicted Winner:<br />
Most Deserving:<br />
Personal Choice:<br />
Snub: Kelvin Kwan for "The Stunt"<br />
<br />
<br />
Andrew Yuen was in just a handful of episodes as Alice's boyfriend in "Apple-colada" before getting broken up with, but alrighty then TVB. I'm hard pressed to single out even one name here...did Jonathan Cheung have a major role in "Succession War"? He's always good.<br />
<br />
Obviously Kelvin is not a TVB managed artist, therefore, according to TVB, screw him, but he was certainly one of the more entertaining and memorable supporting actors this year. He never failed to steal a scene and make me laugh, but also fared relatively well in his emotional scenes, which was such a pleasant surprise since he has been criticized for being a wooden actor previously.<br />
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<b>Best Supporting Actress</b><br />
Predicted Winner:<br />
Most Deserving:<br />
Personal Choice: Joyce Tang<br />
<br />
Look, I have no idea, I just wish Joyce could get her sweet justice for losing this award to FREAKING REBECCA ZHU last year even though she has no chance this year.<br />
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<b>Most Improved Actor</b><br />
Predicted Winner: Owen Cheung<br />
Most Deserving:<br />
Personal Choice:<br />
<br />
This category is giving me a serious case of deja vu with three of the same nominees from last year and it's likely Owen vs. Matthew once again, with no Mat to pull a deserving upset this time around. Owen is the one who has already been promoted to leading actor though, so this makes most sense.<br />
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<b>Most Improved Actress</b><br />
Predicted Winner: Louisa Mak<br />
Most Deserving:<br />
Personal Choice: Roxanne Tong<br />
<br />
Louisa is the most profile, but still very green. I still love Roxanne and think she is a very likable actress who has improved a lot, but TVB really can't seem to make its mind up on whether to promote her or not. Last year she had a few major roles and one leading one, yet this year she has gone back to being sidelined, and does not have any performances to warrant a win.<br />
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<div>
<b>Favorite TV Partnership</b></div>
<div>
Odd drama choices other than the "Life on the Line" guys. The trio from "Daddy Cool" definitely deserved a nomination and "Fist Fight" would have made a decent nomination too.</div>
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<br />
<b>Best Drama</b><br />
Predicted Winner: "Life on the Line"<br />
Most Deserving: "Daddy Cool"<br />
Personal Choice: "Daddy Cool"<br />
<br />
Anniversary series and highest-rated series of the year while also receiving rather positive praise. "Life on the Line" is a pretty good recipe for a best drama win with these combined factors. "Daddy Cool" was just so fun and refreshing though, and even when the plot got a little draggy or absurd, the cast and characters were able to carry it until the end.<br />
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<b>Best Theme Song</b><br />
I'm assuming one of Hana Kuk's theme songs because she is TVB's current Jinny Ng. I have no personal choices.Irishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03761963266985932287noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5277205963978597549.post-21631701480741503212018-02-04T21:55:00.001-05:002018-02-04T21:58:07.192-05:00TVB Anniversary Awards 2017: Results + Comments<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLUkDNz1WLek-f6Ra3YfCzOdDNnQUIwBexD6VaHbcQHRjlWuKxmndt94F76fKXHpL7Cv2c6OEiI2m7oFl9f9OXfuP35PbNHjbKy4WJjZ0AbwcGQTJU2sok-3GqSAjO-Q873BUSGLmNF2I/s1600/exorcist+meter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="682" data-original-width="1024" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLUkDNz1WLek-f6Ra3YfCzOdDNnQUIwBexD6VaHbcQHRjlWuKxmndt94F76fKXHpL7Cv2c6OEiI2m7oFl9f9OXfuP35PbNHjbKy4WJjZ0AbwcGQTJU2sok-3GqSAjO-Q873BUSGLmNF2I/s400/exorcist+meter.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Global Netizen’s Favorite Drama: “The Exorcist’s Meter”</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Not a surprise and well-deserved. I’m so glad TVB didn’t give this to “Line Walker 2” and always love a good underdog story. This series had a low budget and the farest thing from a star-studded cast, but heart and creativity. There probably isn’t any other series in the last few years that dealt with the subject of human loss and love so well, much less while tying together supernatural elements.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg46h_Lij-4WrpmwJuuawPUvk_NLdJ2DiEmXe0qZr4VQGiiztAcz2HOBk7c7ZilEi4IS-Lb2jjlQRdNaNoiRfb8xRuNYNCB3zT_Aq1JydA2vGogCIwfzxMK2ml852EYgMvg4nwIfcioVGY/s1600/mostimproved.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="511" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg46h_Lij-4WrpmwJuuawPUvk_NLdJ2DiEmXe0qZr4VQGiiztAcz2HOBk7c7ZilEi4IS-Lb2jjlQRdNaNoiRfb8xRuNYNCB3zT_Aq1JydA2vGogCIwfzxMK2ml852EYgMvg4nwIfcioVGY/s400/mostimproved.jpg" width="265" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Most Improved Actor: Mat Yeung</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I said “Matthew” out loud just as the winner was announced and was completely blindsided in the best way possible when Mat’s name was announced instead. I pegged Mat as having no chance, especially as the two drama series he is nominated for did not receive much attention. Yes he’s overqualified for the award, and perhaps Owen deserved it most solely in terms of actual improvements in acting, but I am so happy that he has finally received recognition. Next stop, best supporting actor with the big boys?</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Most Improved Actress: Mayanne Mak</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I was totally surprised by this, and don’t watch variety shows so I cannot give an opinion as to whether or not Mayanne deserves it. From all the applause and cheers she received, it seems like she did, and in that respect I’m happy for her. However, I still think TVB needs to separate out the most improved acting and hosting categories. I’m mostly just glad Jacqueline Wong didn’t win (sorry Kenneth). </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Most Popular Drama Theme Song: Hubert Wu’s theme song for “The Exorcist’s Meter”</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Woo so happy Hana didn’t win for her sub theme for “Line Walker 2”! This is definitely my favorite theme song of the year. No complaints. So glad Hubert, who is a far superior singer, finally nabbed this award out of the hands of Jinny, Hana, and Co. Also loved the "Hearts of Fencing" reunion. When I first heard the theme song by 2R start playing, I was wondering why it sounded so familiar before I was flooded with memories of the series. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Most Favorite Onscreen Partnership: Edwin Siu, Raymond Cho, and Matthew Ho for “A General, A Scholar, And An Eunuch”</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I didn’t actually put this down as my prediction, but did expect this would be a very likely scenario. Edwin, Raymond, and Matthew were such a fun ensemble with chemistry while each having comedic talent in their own right. Edwin looked completely surprised and unprepared when giving the acceptance speech though, which was quite funny. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Best Supporting Actor: Joel Chan for “The Unholy Alliance”</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Top 5: Joel Chan, Jimmy Au, Andrew Yuen, Owen Cheung, Anthony Ho</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">This category was obviously one “The Unholy Alliance” co-star versus another. In the end, I’m not surprised Joel won, and that is more fitting anyway because as solid of an actor as Jimmy is, his bodyguard role in the series probably could not even have been considered a supporting role. Joel was one of the more emotional people of the night, which makes sense given he was given a second opportunity at TVB and has experienced so much more success this time around after putting in a lot of hard work. I’m looking forward to seeing more of Joel. It was sweet seeing Elaine present the award to Joel and tearing up behind him as he </span></span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">gave his speech, before regaining composure and watching him in admiration.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Best Supporting Actress: Rebecca Zhu for “A General, A Scholar, And An Eunuch”</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Top 5: Rebecca Zhu, Tracy Chu, Mandy Lam, Elaine Yiu, Sharon Chan</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I don’t think I’ve ever been so genuinely offended and confused by an anniversary awards winner in my life? While I did not agree with Katy and Elaine’s wins in the last two years for this award, at least they were for meaty roles. Meanwhile, Rebecca had the least to do of all the females in “A General.” She stood around and flirted with Matthew sometimes. What’s even more offensive is that her co-star Grace Wong did not even place into a top 5 despite giving a far superior, more entertaining performance. However, I was pleasantly surprised Mandy Lam placed for “Lo and Behold.” I haven’t been watching it, but been hearing good things about her and always like it when actors from sitcoms can get short-listed. Either Tracy, Mandy, or Elaine winning would have been better than Rebecca. And this is saying a lot, considering Tracy only had a guest starring role and Elaine gave a typical performance and already previously won. I can’t believe Sharon was short-listed for her cringeworthy, adulterer role in “Heart and Greed 3” either. This has been one of the weakest categories in the last few years, but Rebecca’s win is probably one of the most uncalled for and unfair since Fala first won in 2007 very shortly after debuting. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Favorite Male Character: Kenneth Ma for “The Exorcist’s Meter”</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Top 5: Kenneth Ma, Vincent Wong, Moses Chan, Edwin Siu, Benjamin Yuen</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Most of us definitely called this. “Ma Kwai” is definitely one of the most easily likable characters of the year. All the top five nominees’ characters were likable though, which is a nice change from some categories sometimes not even having one solid nominee recently.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Favorite Female Character: Sisley Choi for “Legal Mavericks”</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Top 5: Sisley Choi, Natalie Tong, Nancy Wu, Mandy Wong, Ali Lee</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Slightly surprising, but not that much considering it’s TVB. Sisley should have been nominated for and won Most Improved Actress instead. If we are looking solely at character, I really did like her “Din Jie” character, which was a refreshing female character who was bad ass, did not care she was unattractive, and was unapologetically herself. I would still easily choose Ali’s “Paris” over Sisley, and am disappointed Ali went home empty-handed despite giving such a solid performance in “My Ages Apart.” Unfortunately, what I dreaded would happen to Ali happened to Sisley instead. She isn’t necessarily undeserving and has genuinely improved, but she won such a major award sooner than others usually do, which has already given her criticism. TVB is hurting Sisley more than helping her by pulling this move, while the audience may have actually been happy for her had she won Most Improved. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I might be in the minority here, but I liked Sisley’s speech about how the criticism she has received for her acting made her question her self-worth, while getting to play this role helped her to finally get some it back. You can tell that the attacks and negative words have really gotten to her, but instead of questioning why people are criticizing her (ahem, Grace Chan), or letting it get the best of her her, but you can also tell she has taken it to heart and tried her best to improve. But yes, it was bizarre that she didn’t actually thank people in her speech. On another note, every main cast member except Mandy deserved praise for “The Exorcist’s Meter,” but here we are. Moon Lau should have taken her place. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Best Actor: Vincent Wong for “Legal Mavericks”</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Top 5: Vincent Wong, Kenneth Ma, Ruco Chan, Michael Miu, Moses Chan</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Expected, but still satisfying. Vincent obviously knew he was going to win barring an upset by Kenneth, so he was calm and collected and had a well-rehearsed speech. Vincent is a perfect example of someone who may not have as much experience under his belt as other winners (12 years, and just a mere three series as a leading actor), but won based on merit instead of timing, and the luck of receiving a great role he could nail. I would love to see more actors in the future winning based on the merit of performance alone, rather than it just being “the right time” or the luck of being cast in a series with high buzz. I definitely felt Vincent had the potential to win TV King when “Legal Mavericks” and his role was first announced - called it!</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Best Actress: Natalie Tong for “My Unfair Lady”</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Top 5: Natalie Tong, Jessica Hsuan, Nancy Wu, Nina Paw, Ali Lee</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My jaw dropped when Natalie’s name was called. I wasn’t angry like for Rebecca, but I was just shocked. I did not read the reports that Natalie’s fans had been campaigning for her or that she was rumored to sign a new contract in exchange for the award, so I was completely confused. I have liked Natalie for a long time and think she is a good actress, but not Best Actress caliber (she was also in the awkward position of being a second lead in “My Unfair Lady,” neither a leading or supporting actress). </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Best Drama: “My Ages Apart” </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I’m surprised that TVB didn’t give this award to “Line Walker: The Prelude” and allowed it to go home empty-handed. But if this award was going to go to any other series, I’m not surprised they decided to give it to the anniversary drama that didn’t make a splash, but at least didn’t completely tank (ahem, Heart and Greed). I am very happy this series won though, because it was a refreshing series with a great sense of humor. I am a fan of meta and satirical humor, as well as series that are not afraid to poke fun at themselves. As crazy as the main family and some plot lines could get, you could tell the writers were well-aware of its own absurdity and never took themselves too seriously. It’s something I really wish more TVB comedies could incorporate. And while it understandably dragged sometimes at a whooping length of 50 episodes, with its large ensemble, I did not feel like it dragged significantly more than series that ran just a mere 20 or 30 episodes can sometimes. I wish more people would have tuned in. </span></span></div>
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Irishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03761963266985932287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5277205963978597549.post-11151398559819357912018-01-09T23:01:00.000-05:002018-01-09T23:01:42.624-05:00TVB Anniversary Awards 2017: My Predictions and PicksHello everyone, it's time for my yearly emergence from hibernation! Unfortunately I have had a crazy and busy year, leading me to realize today that my last blog post was from over a year ago (but in my defense, TVB also decided to push back the anniversary awards until <i>the end of January</i>). Since I did not write any reviews this year, this year's awards predictions post is particularly long as it is doubling as a post with my thoughts on the series I've watched this year and the performances I saw.<br />
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<b>Best Actor</b><br />
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<b>Top 5:</b> Vincent Wong, Ruco Chan, Michael Miu, Kenneth Ma, Moses Chan<br />
<b>Predicted Winner:</b> Vincent<br />
<b>Most Deserving:</b> Vincent Wong<br />
<b>Personal Choice: </b>Vincent Wong<br />
<b>Snub:</b> Louis Cheung for "My Ages Apart" <br />
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I could see this going either way and would be pleased with either, but am giving Vincent an edge over Kenneth. With "Heart of Greed 3" being a complete failure, "My Ages Apart" barely registering a blimp on the radar, and other series starring veterans like Dicky Cheung being pushed to later this year, Vincent’s competition has ended up being much weaker than previously predicted. Kenneth is the only one giving him a run for his money, and it is interesting to see that the major contenders in the Best Actor category for the first time is between two “younger” siu sangs instead of mixed with older veterans.<br />
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Timing-wise, it certainly feels like Vincent winning is a little premature, especially given Kenneth has yet to win it. If we were to judge solely on performance though, Vincent deserves it more, as the character was multi-dimensional and called on him to be a range of things from aloof, narcissistic, manipulative, to vulnerable, and even sometimes a little goofy and fun all without being able to communicate without his eyes. I’m sure Vincent will have more interesting roles in the future, but it’s difficult to see a better role for him to win TV King for than “Man Hap,” at least in the near future. Kenneth definitely gives a strong performance as Ma Kwai that makes you feel for his unlikely hero character. He nails his scrappy, laidback, potty mouth character while injecting sentimental ness and emotion so that you can’t help but root for him. Kenneth does so well with what he is given, but he doesn’t get to show as much range or do anything new. This is certainly an appropriate time for him to win, and it would be for a strong character, not to mention for a totally unexpected but nevertheless satisfying underdog series. I’m honestly cheering for both, but still think Vincent deserves it more based on performance alone and has a slight edge. <br />
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A notable snub is Louis, who is currently being "frozen" by TVB despite being one of their most valuable actors right now. He gives an enjoyable and solid performance as usual as "Walking," and it's ridiculous that TVB is punishing him for something that was not even in his control, while Tony can get a nomination for "Recipes to Live By."</div>
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<b>Best Actress</b><br />
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<b>Top 5:</b> Jessica Hsuan, Nina Paw, Nancy Wu, Ali Lee, Louise Lee<br />
<b>Predicted Winner: </b>Jessica <br />
<b>Most Deserving:</b> *shrugs*<br />
<b>Personal Choice:</b> *shrugs*<br />
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It really is sad how weak of categories Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress have become in recent years. My best guess is that Jessica will win because there really isn't anyone else, and "My Unfair Lady" was a success that gave Jessica a resurgence in popularity. I like Jessica and she performed fine, but I couldn't get through the series and did not like her character "Mall Jie." Nina Paw for "The Unholy Alliance" would be a cool choice, but she is certainly a black horse candidate having come from a film career. Then again, Josie Ho unexpectedly won Best Supporting Actress for "Tomorrow is Another Day" in 2014, so it's not impossible. My only hope is that Ali does not win. I genuinely do think she has improved this year, and I have thoroughly enjoyed her performance in "My Ages Apart." She is natural, fun, and cute without being annoying and shows the changes and maturity in her character "Paris." For her to win Best Actress just a year after winning Most Improved will undoubtedly garner her criticism and hate that she does not deserve.<br />
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<b>Favorite Male Character</b><br />
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<b>Top 5:</b> Vincent Wong, Ruco Chan, Benjamin Yuen, Kenneth Ma, Moses Chan<br />
<b>Predicted Winner: </b>Kenneth Ma<br />
<b>Most Deserving: </b>Kenneth Ma<br />
<b>Personal Choice:</b> Kenneth Ma, Hubert Wu<br />
<b>Snub:</b> Louis Cheung for "My Ages Apart"<br />
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As stated above, Kenneth plays an unlikely hero, but one that is easy to like and root for nevertheless. Ma Kwai may be funny, but is also an underdog character who goes from questioning to how he became embroiled in the messy world of the supernatural to accepting his destiny. Should Kenneth win Best Actor over Favorite Male Character, I doubt Vincent will go home empty-handed and instead will receive this. "Man Hap" is definitely an interesting and memorable character, but with his many layers buried under an often arrogant and detached exterior, Ma Kwai was the more easily likable character. Hubert's "Shek Kam Dong" was also endearing and entertaining to watch. I enjoyed seeing him become increasingly aware of the human nature of those around him and going from involuntary alliances with Kenneth to being true friends and "brothers." Louis' "Walking" was also a fun and quirky character and as usual Louis makes him even more likable and dynamic.<br />
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<b>Favorite Female Character</b><br />
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<b>Top 5:</b> Natalie Tong, Jessica Hsuan, Nancy Wu, Ali Lee, Tracy Chu<b><br />Predicted Winner: </b>Ali<br /><b>Most Deserving: </b>Ali<br />
<b>Personal Choice: </b>Ali, Moon Lau<br />
<b>Snub: </b>Grace Wong </div>
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I'm surprised Ali was nominated for "My Ages Apart" over "Legal Mavericks" since her "Never Wong" character was quite popular. This may be an unpopular opinion, but I actually personally liked "Paris" more than "Never" since Paris was a more dynamic character where you were able to witness her growth while Never remained static. Paris went from a snobby and immature girl to someone who is much more compassionate, hardworking, and sweet, and I wish Ali had received more attention for the role. With the actress' popularity this year for "Legal Mavericks," it won't be surprising if she goes home with this award, but should a black horse candidate like Nina or someone completely random emerge victorious as TV Queen, I can see Jessica winning this too.<br />
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<b>*spoiler alert ahead* </b></div>
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Moon's character "Bei Bei" in "The Exorcist's Meter" seemed like she would just be a cutesy and idealistic character, but she was also sweet, caring, and pleasantly optimistic, and proved to be such a loyal and genuine friend. She genuinely loved and cared about Kenneth, but it didn’t feel like a blind, foolish one - she just wanted him to be happy and safe. Her somewhat unexpected death was probably the one character death this year that left me sad and wanting to crawl in a corner. I also, completely unexpectedly, quite liked Sisley's "Dang Jie" in "Legal Maverick." While she could be a bit too self-sacrificial at times, I liked the character's strength, loyalty, and how she accepted and embraced who she was (born with buckteeth and the daughter of a triad boss).<br />
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One snub I noticed though is Grace Wong, who played a pretty bad ass and fun character in "A General, A Soldier, and An Eunuch." I realize she won this award last year, but surely she still deserved a nomination in what's a ridiculously long list anyway?<br />
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<b>Best Supporting Actor</b><br />
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<b>Top 3:</b> Owen Cheung, Jimmy Au, and Joel Chan<br />
<b>Predicted Winner:</b> Jimmy Au<br />
<b>Most Deserving:</b> Jimmy Au<br />
<b>Personal Choice:</b> Jimmy Au<br />
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TVB does this ridiculous thing where they do something different for the supporting category almost every year. They've named every single nominee, the top 5, top 2, and last year, the top 3, so that's what I will go with here.</div>
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Jimmy Au became a reliable veteran supporting actor that gained a lot of attention after playing a villain in last year's "A Fist Within Four Walls" and then the loyal bodyguard this year in "The Unholy Alliance." Yet, when it came to winning awards, it was his co-star Joel who won in Malaysia. Joel has definitely dedicated himself after being given a second chance from TVB and is a solid actor. However, this category for many years now has been an older (aged 50+) veteran actors club it seems, making Jimmy seem like the more likely winner, though it could easily go either way. I was not particularly impressed by Joel's performance though since he didn't have that much to work with, and I have come to really like Jimmy, from his villainous roles, to his comedic ones like in "Come Home Love," and his dramatic but good and loyal roles like the one he is nominated for. It's always so rewarding to see hardworking actors who have gone unrecognized for decades upon decades finally win an award and receive a standing ovation from their colleagues, and a win for Jimmy would be no different. With that said, Joel is also going into his 20th year into the industry and grown as an actor in his own right, so I wouldn't be mad if he won either.<br />
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<b>Best Supporting Actress</b><br />
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<b>Top 3:</b> Tracy Chu, Grace Wong, and Elaine Yiu<br />
<b>Predicted Winner: </b>Grace<br />
<b>Most Deserving: </b>Grace<br />
<b>Personal Choice: </b>Grace<br />
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The good news is there is one decently strong nominee for this category in Grace Wong, but the bad news is that it ends there. I'm not sure if I would go as far to say as Grace's performance in "A General, A Soldier, and An Eunuch" is award-worthy, but it was definitely an enjoyable and solid one. Grace has quietly improved as an actress by heaps and bounds over the last few years, and I loved seeing her hold her own as the would-be princess turned modern-day independent woman in this male-dominated series. Plus, she earned praise for her villainous turn in "My Dangerous Mind Hunter," which she probably should have been nominated for instead (though I did not personally watch it). I'm assuming Elaine will find herself onto the short-list as well, even though she and Joel really did not have much to work with in "The Unholy Alliance." Joyce is always a strong actress and I'm still disappointed she lost this award last year despite being a hot choice, but she is nominated for a sitcom this year.<br />
<b><br />Most Improved Actor</b><br />
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<b>Predicted Winner:</b> Matthew Ho<br />
<b>Most Deserving:</b> Mat or Hugo<br />
<b>Personal Choice: </b>Mat <br />
<b>Snub: </b>Fred Cheng <br />
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After the weakest competition I’ve ever seen last year in a usually exciting or at least interesting category, all the nominees in this category actually feel deserved (except maybe host Luk Ho Ming, who I'm not familiar with). None of the actors feel prematurely nominated or too overqualified, with the exception of maybe Mat. Hubert is the weakest actor/nominee of the bunch, but he still played the role of Shek Kam Dong very well, nailing the ancient language the character used as well as the character’s sense of responsibility yet occasional awe at today’s objects. </div>
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This is now Mat’s fourth nomination in this category, having previously been nominated in 2011, 2014, and 2015. Poor guy is always a solid contender every time, but always overshadowed by someone who attracts more buzz, and this year is no different. He just never seems to be in the right series or in one at the right time, and hopefully one of these days he is. <br />
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Hugo has caught my eye since his small role and emotional scenes in “Triumph in the Skies II” as Nancy’s early boyfriend. Since then, I’ve found him to be full of potential and easy on the eyes, yet he’s always been stuck in minor roles. With the exodus of actors his luck has changed, and it has been nice to see him in increasingly major roles like the villain in The Exorcist’s Meter. This nomination was well-deserved, and one I was very happy to see. <br />
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I did not think much of Owen when I first saw him in "Come Home Love" and went into "Legal Maverick" with no expectations for him as a second lead. Yet I was surprised and impressed by his comic timing. He may have previously been known as a Chilam and Bosco lookalike, but he finally distinguished himself as Owen this year. I would like to see how he fares in a more dramatic and/or soft-spoken role than his usual more loud, upbeat, and comedic ones though before I pin him as an actor who has vastly improved.<br />
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One notable snub is Fred. With his baby face, I mostly picture him happy and more cheerful characters, so he really surprised me in "Provocateur" as the vengeful and manipulative protagonist. I never would have thought he could creep me out or scare me, but at many points in this series he did. He was the first person I pegged this year as a contender for Most Improved, and it’s a shame he was barely noticed for his performance. <br />
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The winner is obviously going to be Matthew after all the buzz he received for playing an eunuch in “A General, A Scholar, and An Eunuch.” Its a choice I agree with and think makes sense, but I must admit I am more excited by some of the other guys, because I am still not yet convinced Matthew can impressively play more than “Siu Tung," but looking forward to how he fares in his action drama opposite Joe Ma. The only one I could see having a tiny, tiny chance of pulling an upset is Owen, who nabbed Best Supporting Actor in Singapore.<br />
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<b>Most Improved Actress</b><br />
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<b>Predicted Winner:</b> Samantha Ko<br />
<b>Most Deserving:</b> Roxanne Tong<br />
<b>Personal Choice: </b>Roxanne Tong<br />
<b>Snub:</b> Sisley Choi<br />
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And then we have the female category, and while it's not a total mess, still leaves much to be desired compared to the male category. My best guess is Samantha will win, since she has the buzzed-about "My Unfair Lady" under her name, and she won this award in Singapore. I'd be indifferent to this result. I remember really liking her performance in "Friendly Fire" several years ago, but she has not left an impression on me since then.<br />
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Zoie Tam won in Malaysia though, and I wouldn't be overly surprised if she won, since she has been appearing in more and more series recently. At least to me though, her look suits very well for cool and detached characters, and not much else, making her feel dull to me.<br />
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I have been very pleasantly surprised by Roxanne Tong, who gave an okay but rather bland performance in "Come Home Love," but was incredibly endearing and natural in last year's "Between Love and Desire." I'm happy to see she was able to receive a nomination this year, since she gave another strong performance in "Provocateur" and sparked great chemistry with co-star Jonathan Cheung, and she's definitely my pick. Unfortunately, TVB can't seem to make up their mind about whether to promote her, because she seems to switch back and forth from playing more major roles to small supporting ones. </div>
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Surprisingly, Sisley once again walked away without a nomination for Most Improved. It seems strange that despite being so heavily promoted since her debut, Sisley has never been nominated for this award while Grace Chan was nominated twice (before winning the second time). It's even a little disappointing she wasn't nominated this year specifically, given that she did show improvement in "Legal Mavericks" after finally receiving an interesting character to work with.<br />
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<b>Best Drama</b><br />
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<b>Predicted Winner:</b> Line Walker 2<br />
<b>Most Deserving:</b> The Exorcist’s Meter<br />
<b>Personal Choice:</b> The Exorcist’s Meter</div>
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With its high (by today's standards) ratings across all platforms and its collaboration with Mainland China, it's hard seeing any other series besides "Line Walker 2" win. However, it's "The Exorcist's Meter" that ended up being the year's most pleasant surprise. This supernatural series looked hopelessly tacky and strange in promos and had a seemingly very weak cast other than leading man Kenneth. Yet, it ended up being the most refreshing one with its supernatural elements and mixing of comedy with some slight horror. What surprised me most though was that this low-budget supernatural series also ended up being the one with the most heart and thoughtful writing for a TVB series in years. Sure there were some inconsistencies and it felt like it sometimes got carried away, but the supernatural genre was a smart and creative platform to deal with very real things like life and death and cherishing the people around you in a way that left an impact on you. It's a black horse contender with a lot of fan support behind it, but probably not enough to trump TVB's tendency to play favorites.<br />
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<b>Global Netizen’s Favorite Series</b></div>
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<b>Predicted Winner:</b> The Exorcist’s Meter<br />
<b>Most Deserving:</b> The Exorcist’s Meter<br />
<b>Personal Choice:</b> The Exorcist’s Meter</div>
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The inclusion of this new category is puzzling, but makes me think that TVB wants to recognize it's surprise supernatural hit or maybe "Legal Mavericks" in some way without shafting "Line Walker 2" (or maybe even vice versa?). Line Walker 2 was noted for being a hit on online platforms, so it would make sense for it to win this award, but having it win both categories seems redundant, so I'm holding out for this consolation win for The Exorcist's Meter.<br />
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<b>Favorite TV Partnership</b></div>
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<b>Predicted Winner: </b>Vincent Wong and Natalie Tong for "My Unfair Lady"<br />
<b>Most Deserving: </b>Kenneth Ma and Hubert Wu for "The Exorcist's Meter"<br />
<b>Personal Choice:</b> Vincent Wong and Owen Cheung for "Legal Mavericks," Kenneth Ma and Hubert Wu for "The Exorcist's Meter"</div>
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I'm really not sure about this category, but do know Vincent and Natalie were a very popular onscreen pairing this year. I wouldn't be surprised if Edwin Siu, Raymond Cho, and Matthew Ho won for their partnership in "A General, A Soldier, and An Eunuch," which was a fun and entertaining ensemble to watch though the comedy dragged on for a little longer than it should have. I'm a little torn between which partnership I enjoyed more of the two I listed as my personal choice, but the love and compassion felt more obvious between Kenneth and Hubert and the nature of their relationship was just so unique. It was touching to see that while Hubert was only pretending to be Kenneth's long lost "brother" for Kenneth's mother, he and Kenneth came to saw each other as brothers, even if they never verbalized it. Vincent and Owen, along with Sisley, were all still absolutely hilarious and fun together though.<br />
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<b>Best Theme Song</b><br />
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<b>Predicted Winner:</b> Hana Kuk’s theme song for “Line Walker 2”<br />
<b>Most Deserving: </b>Hubert Wu's theme song for The Exorcist’s Meter<br />
<b>Personal Choice:</b> Hubert Wu's theme song for The Exorcist’s Meter</div>
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<div>
I know, I've mentioned The Exorcist's Meter a million times now, but I only managed to watch and finish five series this year, and it really was a standout this year, right down to its soundtrack. Both Hubert's theme and sub theme song were memorable and played up the emotion of every scene it was played in. I especially liked the theme song which has a nice blend with the piano and dance beats. The female dance cover of the song with Jacqueline Wong and Sisley Choi though was...so unnecessary. I also have a soft spot for his sub theme though, and listening to it just makes me think back to some of the sad scenes the song was played in and become a little misty-eyed. Of course, Hana's theme song for "Line Walker 2" will win because she's the new Jinny that we're getting shoved down our throats even though her songs are only, like Jinny's, just okay.</div>
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Irishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03761963266985932287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5277205963978597549.post-14799793255614645442016-12-24T22:18:00.000-05:002016-12-24T22:18:35.491-05:00"Dead Wrong" Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<b>*Major spoilers ahead!</b><br />
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TVB seems to follow a pattern of producing a thriller drama once every few years, and in their first foray into the genre since 2014's "Black Heart White Soul," the cast and crew have outdone themselves. As it turns out, TVB is still capable of putting together a quality drama without unnecessary glitz and glamor.<br />
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"Dead Wrong" is an epic thriller that keeps you at the edge of your seat through out all of the suspense and plot twists. The two-hour premiere is probably the best episode of television TVB has produced in years, playing out like a movie that was heart-pounding, gritty, and left me both thrilled yet stressed.<br />
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While not as thrilling and nerve-wracking after the adrenaline rush of the premiere, the series remains entertaining and well-written as our protagonist "Vincent" tries to acclimate to his job, family, and society in general again, all while finding out there is more to his kidnapping than he thought. Once it is revealed Kenny's character is the one responsible for Vincent being held hostage for 10 years in the last 8 episodes, the series is sure to be one you want to binge-watch until the very end due to the cliffhangers they keep leaving you on every episode.<br />
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Now was the kidnapping storyline realistic? Absolutely not. By the very end, we find out five major characters were involved in Vincent's kidnapping besides for the kidnappers themselves in some way, both intentionally and unintentionally. However, as I finished the drama and watched the flashbacks as well as reflected back to the beginning, I was impressed with how consistent the story was. If you look back, you realize hints had been dropped all along. For example, why was Cathy so worried when Vincent left for his business trip to Vietnam? Why were Cathy and Vincent's brother robbed immediately after leaving the bank with the ransom money? Why was Cathy always willing to go to such lengths, even risking losing her legal license, to help Vincent? In the end, everything fit together like one complicated, but well-thought out puzzle.<br />
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So yes, the storyline itself is unrealistic and far-fetched. But with TVB's natural tendency towards inconsistent and haphazard writing, it was very impressive and rewarding to see that everything checked out in the end. It felt like the writers had this road map in mind all along, instead of just writing the script as they came up with things regardless of whether it was consistent with what they had already written. This resulted in a satisfying pay off that resolved most, if not all, questions.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVrL5zGoFjndmv2RZKfclRWaLgron99j31heuLqYUdH5tWqEYH10B6ZR02EzxSWYZNBrYYyZ1WzIX4VB4c0fwXVYRUuXsr34YrTP76cEDqH44AGSQo5aLidqfeSYqful0c_TPXtkiRE-o/s1600/roger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVrL5zGoFjndmv2RZKfclRWaLgron99j31heuLqYUdH5tWqEYH10B6ZR02EzxSWYZNBrYYyZ1WzIX4VB4c0fwXVYRUuXsr34YrTP76cEDqH44AGSQo5aLidqfeSYqful0c_TPXtkiRE-o/s400/roger.jpg" width="400" /></a>Aside from the suspense and mystery though, what also needs to be commended is the emotionally-charged aspect of this drama, which makes it all the more compelling and dramatic without being soapy. Vincent is of course the main subject of inner emotional turmoil, but almost every character has skeletons in their closet, with guilt and flaws they must live with. In contrast to other dramas, they are also all ultimately forced to face what they have done in some way. It is interesting to see how everything comes back to Vincent, and how the events of his kidnapping and 10 year imprisonment have made such a profound impact on these characters.<br />
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This brings us to the cast and characters themselves. While not the biggest name cast for an anniversary series, everyone performs well, but this is an example of a rare TVB scenario where a solid cast brings to life a phenomenal script, instead of the usual "amazing cast tries to make crap look good." As a result, no doubt certain cast members delivered, but this really was a series that deserved recognition for its script and writing before its cast.<br />
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<b>Roger Kwok </b>is strong as always, but as a veteran actor who has acted in his third thriller series in the last 8 years (after 2008's "Last One Standing" and 2014's "Black Heart White Soul"), his performance as "Vincent" does not offer anything new from his previous dramatic performances. This is not to underscore how talented and professional of an actor Roger is, but perhaps the people who strongly believed Roger deserved Best Actor again this year were too focused on the intensity of the two-hour premiere. He just knows how to nail these emotional characters who come to be driven by vengeance.<br />
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<b>Joey Meng </b>also gives another strong and emotional performance. I must say, I did not really care through out the series whether "Vincent" and "Cathy" got back together, but the build up to the finale where Vincent forgives Cathy for everything and Cathy lets him back into her life again is incredibly satisfying and sweet.<br />
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Despite playing a villain who turned out to be responsible for Vincent being held hostage as long as he was, <b>Kenny Wong </b>is mostly expressionless and stoic as usual, but it works in his favor here. However, he certainly has a memorable redemption and ending scene, showing how Ah Yan truly loved Cathy by choosing to commit suicide so that Cathy would not have to kill him, putting an end to Vincent's quest for revenge once and for all.<br />
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<b>Vincent Wong </b>further shows how much he has improved and matured as an actor over the years by portraying "Max," who is haunted by memories of his kidnapping and ridden with guilt for not saving Vincent when he had the opportunity to. Perhaps if there was anything inconsequential to the overall plot though, was the love triangle between him, <b>Stephanie Ho </b>and <b>Zoie Tam</b>, but I am glad they kept it mature with Zoie's "Emma" realizing Max was in love with Stephanie's "Tracy" and stepping away. Steph is always good at these cutesy comic relief roles, but I was really hoping she would have more to do here, since she is quite good in her few dramatic scenes. The writers did much better with writing the friendship between Roger, Vincent, and <b>Tyson Chak</b>'s characters, and the actors also had much easier and fun chemistry.<br />
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Finally, <b>Rebecca Zhu </b>plays a more mature character here, as shown by her sharp short do and elegant clothes. The actress remains boring and uncharismatic, but the lengths Max and her character "Queenie" were willing to go to to keep Vincent from going down the wrong path was touching, if not a little concerning. Perhaps one plot hole that is still left at the conclusion of the series though, is why Queenie does not show a reaction when it is revealed Cathy indirectly caused her older sister Ivy's death.<br />
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If there is one major complaint I had about a character and the series though, is how never at any point in the series does Vincent go to or is asked by someone to go to see a psychologist, even though he clearly and understandably has many underlying emotional issues. I realize mental health is a more taboo subject in Asia, but the guy was underground, trapped, and alone without a regular supply of food and water for ten years. It would have made sense for him to at least see someone for a few sessions for help assimilating into society again, if not for his post traumatic stress, anger, and the other myriad of issues he was suffering from. Everyone makes many references to Max's PTSD and we see how it manifests itself through somatic symptoms. Yet, everything is somehow all fine and mighty with Vincent, and can be resolved with one scene with his child in the finale. But I'm also a psychology major who just took a clinical psychology course, so now I'm just digressing.<br />
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Overall, "Dead Wrong" is an all-around strong series with a great plot and direction, a large dosage of suspense and thrill, and some great performances by the cast. However, you can tell there was even more thought and resources put toward this series than others, from the better editing, to the gorgeous location filming in Vietnam that was actually relevant to the plot, to Stephanie's sub theme song playing at all the right moments to intensify the emotion of the scene. The series even makes use of better background music to amplify key moments, such as the powerful scene in the finale where Vincent's son goes up to him in the underground sewer and draws a picture of their family, reminding Vincent of what really matters.<br />
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Without a doubt, "Dead Wrong" is TVB's best series in years, and deserved better ratings and "Best Drama" at this year's anniversary awards, but unfortunately lost to the more buzzed about "A Fist Within Four Walls." However, "Dead Wrong" is absolutely the true critical hit that will still hold up many years from now.<br />
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<b>Rating: 5 stars </b>Irishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03761963266985932287noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5277205963978597549.post-71748125774349648882016-12-22T18:28:00.000-05:002016-12-22T18:28:05.381-05:00"Two Steps From Heaven" Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsNZPzD25x84fGiDgp9H2PSsdHqUd3w2B49bJIr8jj41-ArFscEiAi4yNG0Kj5q56nIEf2i8cNAM_ypxwTphE7RoLkBoQypCc2qcBQSRxThA9DzZvvskpjp4VgWyfCv_zvcWFuAv9H7bo/s1600/two+steps.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsNZPzD25x84fGiDgp9H2PSsdHqUd3w2B49bJIr8jj41-ArFscEiAi4yNG0Kj5q56nIEf2i8cNAM_ypxwTphE7RoLkBoQypCc2qcBQSRxThA9DzZvvskpjp4VgWyfCv_zvcWFuAv9H7bo/s400/two+steps.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b>*MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!</b><br />
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Anniversary series "Two Steps in Heaven" tries to have a little of everything, from drama through fights for power and office politics, to romance, to sitcom-like comedy, to some outrageous plot twists. The result is that there should be something you'll enjoy, however small, but the series is disjointed and lacks a cohesive plot or direction. <br />
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<b>Bosco Wong </b>leads out the cast of this effort to be everything as what has got to be the most unlikable main protagonist in years. "Sheldon" is ambitious and manipulative, to a point where he is willing to betray his friends and leave his family to the dust, even though he already has a pretty darn good job (especially after Priscilla/Edwin become the boss of Rainmakers).<br />
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Flashbacks show that he used to be a paparazzi reporter who was seriously beat up and subsequently went into PR, but dead set on more. Despite the flashbacks, viewers are left still unsure of how Sheldon became the way he did. It also still remains unclear why he carried on an affair with "Emma" for over two years. What should have been a complex character was missing layers. In fact, a few scenes seemed to hint he was suffering from PTSD or some kind of mental disorder (such as when he severely assaults a drunk man who threw up on him, and throws away the birthday cake his daughter gives him), but in typical TVB fashion, this potential storyline is thrown under the bus to just make Sheldon despicable and unreasonably ruthless.<br />
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With that said, Bosco gives one of the best performances of his career, bringing out all the not so flattering and glamorous traits of Sheldon. Of course, this is just as he announces he is officially leaving TVB.<br />
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If there is something the writers really deserve props for though, is killing off Sheldon, and in one of the most cruel and slow ways I have seen for a protagonist. It was incredibly bold, unexpected, and satisfying, but his death-bed redemption was a total cop out. It's as if the writers realized at the last minute they had made Sheldon too bad and unsympathetic, so they tried to claim he actually did love his wife and daughter all along, but it certainly did not fool anyone. I guess every smart writing move has to be balanced out with a bad one.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzeXy-bqJrK9Wn6wHMSQBloegztwYn4H74HHhYBJ9TO9VRdCL2H5BggGPl66qS7u1zNASniG1Rn-so4bZ3nfMvyoE3Zx6cSCL6dDnc48Jp_EUEEtBLyw9oQUGZmairUudL_wLcM4Da8Q0/s1600/priscilla.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzeXy-bqJrK9Wn6wHMSQBloegztwYn4H74HHhYBJ9TO9VRdCL2H5BggGPl66qS7u1zNASniG1Rn-so4bZ3nfMvyoE3Zx6cSCL6dDnc48Jp_EUEEtBLyw9oQUGZmairUudL_wLcM4Da8Q0/s400/priscilla.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
Similar to "Sheldon," <b>Priscilla Wong</b>'s "Sing Seung" leaves the audience still unsure abo<br />
ut how she became so scheming and aggressive. The backstory with her ex-boyfriend does little to explain this, and instead acts as an annoying plot point brought up every once in a while. At a length of 35 episodes, you would think the writers would have actually utilized the length to properly show character development.<br />
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Priscilla actually performs relatively well in her most mature role to date and first villain role. I did not originally see her in this kind of role at all. While she is too calm in her portrayal at times, it does reaffirm my belief that she is not as bad of an actress as a lot of people claim she is. At times she left me scared or uncomfortable, which I never thought I'd say about the fun and happy-go-lucky Priscilla. Comedy remains her strength, but I liked seeing her in a more "adult" role for a change.<br />
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Meanwhile, <b>Edwin Siu </b>proves that just being one of the main characters in an anniversary drama does not mean you need to be interesting or have any story of your own. He's an all-around too good and nice guy who marries Priscilla and realizes she is not the person he knew her as. He also wears a lot of turtle necks. That's about it. Surely Edwin has been bored at work lately?<br />
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<b>Louis Cheung </b>rounds out our trio of male leads as a balance of Bosco and Edwin's character's overly bad and overly good qualities. The sometimes foul-mouthed and sassy "Tim Siu," who is actually a really great guy who would do anything for his friends, is a type of character that Louis has perfected, and gave audiences at least one character to root for. Louis has always excelled at bringing out subtleties and layers in his characters, even if he does not have much to work with, just by nature of his acting. He really showed how "Tim," despite the humor of his character that could suggest otherwise, was such a caring and genuinely good person. The actor has truly been a gift for TVB.<br />
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A news article released shortly before the series started airing suggested that there would be breakthroughs to look for in our three leading men. Perhaps the real breakthrough though was <b>Luk Wing</b>, as "Ted." The introduction of his typical spoiled rich boy character makes it seem like he'll be one of the most annoying characters you will have ever laid eyes on. Yet, as the focus starts to shift to him, and he discovers his passions and how to apply himself, he becomes the heart of the series. As a result, it is heartbreaking when Ted is driven to death, and a void is left for the remainder of the series.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUq3Ow6tyhx61260Leb75hqh0kMJbRwh3p2QF1KpGMrjGFwT6aNYwipGfSkWEvkE4wEmAeZ1tOnRzDhZc_lmwQzpE3PHSI0qzKhEwXUDCpNFTQJKmtP76_3gAeZHl1naXBiJOb_qdZ7Yc/s1600/luk+wing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUq3Ow6tyhx61260Leb75hqh0kMJbRwh3p2QF1KpGMrjGFwT6aNYwipGfSkWEvkE4wEmAeZ1tOnRzDhZc_lmwQzpE3PHSI0qzKhEwXUDCpNFTQJKmtP76_3gAeZHl1naXBiJOb_qdZ7Yc/s400/luk+wing.jpg" width="400" /></a>Luk Wing is hilarious and lovable as Ted, stealing the screen in all his scenes without goi<br />
ng too over the top. Instead, he's just entertaining and gives the audience something to laugh about while Bosco and Priscilla are running around doing...whatever it is they were doing, to his complete oblivion. He also proves he can do drama as well, showing Ted's increased frustration and hopelessness before he finally decides to plummet to his death. His top 3 nomination for best supporting actor is well-deserved and I hope TVB will continue to give him meaty roles such as this.<br />
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As mentioned earlier, "Two Steps" tries to be a little of everything, and this meant at times it felt like a sitcom, especially in the scenes Louis and Luk Wing shared together. Perhaps one of the writers should have pitched a sitcom with these two instead, because some of the series' best moments is when they are just bickering or horsing around with each other. <b>Gloria Tang</b>'s "Maple" throws in some fun to their dynamic as well, but her acting is unnatural and at times awkward. It also annoyed me that despite being his best friend, she seemed to have no reaction to Ted's death and gotten over it in five seconds.<br />
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Also worth mentioning is <b>Kandy Wong </b>as "Da Jie," who becomes an unlikely couple with Ted. It was enjoyable seeing her in a mature role despite her babyface and height, and also proves perhaps TVB shouldn't always put their youthful and petite actresses into a box where they're always playing the little sister.<br />
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Bosco, Louis, Luk Wing, and Kandy may have turned in some solid performances, but apparently TVB thinks otherwise, as the only person who received recognition for their performance is <b>Katy Kung</b>. Also a victim of the little sister typecast, Katy gets to play a wife and mother here, and a good chunk of performance is adequate and sympathetic. However, her crying scenes are incredibly cringeworthy and show she was trying way too hard. While I'm glad Katy is finally getting some acknowledgement for her work over the years, it's unfortunate that it had to be for a performance where she was actually a weaker link.<br />
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No character is weaker than <b>Moon Lau</b>'s "Emma" though, who went from the mistress who didn't want to give up, to disappearing, to returning as someone who was just plain crazy. Moon's popularity spiked this year after an endearing performance in "A Fist Within Four Walls," but "Emma" exposes just how many weaknesses she still has an actress. Her emotional scenes are unnatural, and the character itself is hard to have any sympathy for. She should have stayed gone after Sheldon dumped her, but I guess someone had to kill Sing Seung? While that move was also unexpected, it just felt like overboard and one last ditch attempt to shock the audience. I'm just really glad the writers did not have her end up with Louis.<br />
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As mentioned earlier, the series tries to be a little of everything, then makes poor attempts to string it all together. While I greatly enjoyed Louis and Luk Wing's comedic scenes, it was always bizarre to remember that this was part of the same series where Bosco beats the lights out of a drunk man, Luk Wing eventually jumps off a building, Priscilla slowly poisons Bosco to death, and Moon stabs Priscilla multiple times with a huge knife <i>out in the middle of the street.</i> To reach the 35-episode length, they also gave random moments to supporting characters, such as Snow Suen's mummy-fetus and Claire Yiu finding out William Chan is a fan of hers from her modeling days. Instead, they could have used this time to better explain how Bosco and Priscilla became the way they did, and oh, I don't know, give poor Edwin a personality.<br />
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<b>Overall</b><br />
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Some may disagree with me, but I still found "Two Steps From Heaven" to be quite entertaining at times, if only in a soapy, mindless way. With better execution, it had the potential to be a very compelling series balanced out with elements of comedy. Instead, when looked at objectively, we're left with a bunch of strings that weren't tied together. However, for fans of Bosco (if you're fine with spending 35 episodes hating his guts that is), Louis, and Luk Wing, the series was not a complete waste of time and has its moments.<br />
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<b>Rating: 3 stars</b>Irishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03761963266985932287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5277205963978597549.post-49547025745085310742016-12-22T16:21:00.000-05:002016-12-22T16:21:11.370-05:00TVB 50th Anniversary Awards: Results + CommentsThis year's award show, if you haven't already realized, was unsurprisingly a sweep for this year's hit "A Fist Within Four Walls." Overall, the show had its entertaining moments with deserving winners as well as a few surprises. I watched the show as I wrote my post this year (after skimming it the day of so I could find out the results before class), so I hope you enjoy the commentary and screen caps.<br />
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<a href="http://www.jaynestars.com/news/2016-tvb-anniversary-awards-crowns-ruco-chan-and-nancy-wu-as-tv-king-and-queen/">Here</a> is the full list of winners.<br />
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<b>Most Improved Actress: Ali Lee</b><br />
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I totally should have seen it coming that TVB would make Tony and Edwin present Most Improved Actor and Priscilla and Natalie Most Improved Actress. As predictable as that move was though, their banter was actually entertaining and funny instead of the usual forced presenting of awards. I loved all the jokes they made about each other, starting when Tony replied to Edwin saying he has won awards too...to realize Edwin actually has not (for acting). Poor Tony looked completely blind-sided though when Edwin joked that Kenneth was the one who told him Natalie has a good figure and can cook. The banter level between Priscilla and Tony was also high as always, which was shown by this imitation of what Tony thinks Priscilla looks like in all of her series:<br />
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But anyway...Tracy gets robbed again. Ali is far from the least deserving winner in the history of this award, but Tracy is now two years overdue for this award after a critically-acclaimed performance in sleeper hit "Over Run Over." I have loved Ali in her villain and semi-villain roles, especially in "Fashion War," but her first turn as a leading protagonist in "Law Disorder," while partially the fault of a dull and poorly-written character, showed she still has a way to go and lacks the charisma Tracy has. Ali's acting is already at a better level than some of her colleagues at this point in her career, and her win is expected given how heavily she's being promoted. I do like Ali, but this was admittedly, pretty darn disappointing.<br />
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<b>Most Improved Actor: Jonathan Cheung </b><br />
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"Anybody could win and he'd be better than last year's winner!" *camera pans to Tony* Oh Priscilla, even you have to admit that other than Jonathan, Tony was still a stronger nominee than any of the other nominees this year. You knew Jonathan was obviously going to win when literally all the other guys were pointing in his direction when Priscilla and Natalie were about to announce it.<br />
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This may have been one of the more obvious winners of the night. I'm still so happy Jonathan won, and he had a sweet and concise acceptance speech. There's really not much to be said other than that, since I've already gone on and on about how he deserves this recognition in my predictions post and "House of Spirits" review.<br />
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That performance of "Stand By Me" wasn't great, but for once they sang a song and it didn't make my ears want to bleed and was even quite nice, so that's an improvement. Wasn't exactly acapella, but they're lucky I have a soft spot for this song.<br />
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<b>Best Onscreen Partnership: Tracy Chu and Vincent Wong for "Over Run Over"</b><br />
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It was nice to see a mini "Virtues of Harmony" reunion! But yeesh, it looks like Joyce Chen has barely aged since the sitcom.<br />
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Neither Tracy or Vincent took home a favorite character award, ruining my prediction that Vincent would win Favorite Male Character. I'm glad they were able to take home SOMETHING, especially considering they were only one of two nominees in this category that actually made sense.<br />
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<b>Best Supporting Actor: Raymond Cho for "Short End of the Stick"</b><br />
<i>Top 3: Raymond Cho, Hugo Ng for "Brother's Keeper II," and Luk Wing for "Two Steps in Heaven"</i><br />
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There are always several solid supporting male performances every year, so I'm glad they've brought back a short-list of nominees after announcing all darn 20 nominees for the past year or two. <br />
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Luk Wing became my last minute personal choice for this category after loving him in "Two Steps." I don't think anyone expected him to place in the top 3 though, including Luk Wing himself, as evidenced by the sheer look of shock and excitement on his face when he heard his name called from backstage. I literally jumped up from my seat from excitement for him when they said his name! It's so refreshing of TVB to give acknowledgement, even if just in the form of a top 3 nominee, to someone who is not a TVB managed artist (to my knowledge?) or an acclaimed non-TVB managed veteran.<br />
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The announcement of the winner of this category is always fun and heartwarming, with standing ovations for the unappreciated veteran supporting actors who usually take home this award, and this year was not an exception. I did not watch "Short End of the Stick" so I cannot give much personal comment, but I have always enjoyed Raymond Cho's performances and glad he finally got his recognition this year.<br />
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On a side note, Louis looked like he was getting his creep on while petting Luk Wing here.<br />
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<b>Best Theme Song: Ruco Chan and Nancy Wu's sub theme for "A Fist Within Four Walls"</b><br />
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No surprise, but since "Dead Wrong" went home completely empty-handed and "Fist" made such a major sweep, I would have wanted Stephanie Ho's sub theme for "Dead Wrong" to win. Not just because "Dead Wrong" absolutely deserved to get something, but also because it's a beautiful song in its own right that adds to the emotional factor of the series.<br />
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<b>Best Supporting Actress: Katy Kung for "Two Steps in Heaven"</b><br />
<i>Top 3: Katy Kung, Joyce Tang for "House of Spirits," and Grace Wong for "A Fist Within Four Walls"</i><br />
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This is the one award I really cannot wrap my head around. I was so looking forward to finally seeing Joyce getting acknowledgment for her strong acting. Instead, I'm just left here bitter and confused.<br />
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If there was anyone who I heard a lot of buzz about who deserved recognition for their performances in "Two Steps," it would have been Bosco, Louis, and/or Luk Wing. Katy certainly got a different role this time, playing the wife and mother instead of the little sister, and I do usually like her, but she tried too hard here. She supposedly won for her crying scenes, but those were her most cringeworthy and unnatural. She also received a big standing ovation though, so I guess I'm missing something. I never thought TVB would give this award to her, and even now that she has, I honestly don't see them being serious about promoting her like they usually do with winners of this award...<br />
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And for the second year in the row, we interrupt this broadcast so the actors can chow down on some chicken. Looks like they didn't secure a sponsorship with KFC this year though, because this time it's homemade.<br />
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Rosina Lam doesn't mind that she did not get into the top 3 of Best Supporting Actress because she now has food.<br />
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<b>My Favorite Female Character: Grace Wong for </b><b>"A Fist Within Four Walls"</b><br />
<i>Top 5: Grace Wong and Nancy Wu for "</i><i>A Fist Within Four Walls," Natalie Tong for "Speed of Life," Tracy Chu for "Over Run Over," and Joyce Tang for "House of Spirits"</i><br />
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Grace was completely shocked when her name was called, responding with an expression of disbelief that mirrors when Nancy's name was called for Best Actress last year. Like us, she thought this award could only go to lead characters! I guess TVB decided they didn't want anyone pulling double wins. I wasn't ecstatic about the results of this, but I'm not mad either. It was heartwarming yet quite funny watching her get her thanks out in between sniffling and trying to stay calm, which made her voice go up and down. I burst out laughing when she realized she almost forgot to thank her fiancee and let out a very deep "Hi." All other top 5 nominees were not a surprise except for Natalie in "Speed of Life," which was little-watched and talked-about.<br />
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<b>Best Actress: Nancy Wu for "A Fist Within Four Walls"</b><br />
<i>Top 5: Nancy Wu, Maggie Shiu for "The Executioner," Tracy Chu for "Over Run Over," Kristal Tin for "Brother's Keeper II," and Priscilla Wong for "Two Steps From Heaven</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
I knew Nancy had won for sure when Jessica said she had voted for the winner! Ah, the "Gun Metal Grey" days. She was incredibly calm (but still very gracious) this time, since we all knew it was just too obvious. It was too cute when she asked Frankie to give her a kiss on the cheek. Also, yay for Maggie getting into the top 5!<br />
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<b><br /></b>
<b>My Favorite Male Character: Benjamin Yuen for "A Fist Within Four Walls"</b><br />
<i>Top 5: Benjamin Yuen and Ruco Chan </i><i>for "A Fist Within Four Walls,"</i><i> Vincent Wong for "Over Run Over," Bobby Au-Yeung for "House of Spirits," and Louis Cheung for "Two Steps in Heaven"</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
Yeah...I saw this coming after Grace won. But while I'm okay with Grace's win, I am just not into this at all. "Duen Yiu Fung" was a pretty dull character, and was only made interesting when acting alongside Ruco, Nancy, or Grace. But, Benjamin's speech was touching. It was nice to hear him thank Jennifer even though they've broken up for supporting him for three years despite him being so busy with work. However, this award should have been Vincent's.<br />
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<b>Best Actor: Ruco Chan for "A Fist Within Four Walls"</b><br />
<i>Top 5: Ruco Chan and</i><i> Benjamin Yuen for "A Fist Within Four Walls</i><i>," Vincent Wong for "Over Run Over," Bosco Wong for "Two Steps in Heaven," and Roger Kwok for "Dead Wrong" </i><br />
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The moment I've been waiting to see since Ruco became a leading man in 2011. Oh man, was I grinning from ear to ear when his name was called. I shouldn't be surprised that even though he was teary-eyed and emotional, he was very calm and eloquent in his acceptance speech. It was too sweet when he thanked his mom and the camera panned to his mom blowing kisses at him from the audience behind tears. Congratulations, Ruco. <3<br />
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<b>Best Drama: "A Fist Within Four Walls"</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Oooh, Wayne's burns about TVB executives never willing to talk about money in negotiations and their grueling hours were too good. I was holding out on the hope "Dead Wrong" could go home with Best Drama, but alas, this really was the year of "Fist." But hey, I hope the success of the series will teach TVB to put more effort into their action series like they did with this in the future.<br />
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What are your thoughts on the winners? </div>
Irishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03761963266985932287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5277205963978597549.post-52046074481721636942016-12-08T19:58:00.001-05:002016-12-08T19:58:38.785-05:00TVB 50th Anniversary Awards: My Predictions and Personal Picks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Best Actor</b><br />
<br />
<b>Predicted Top 5:</b> Ruco Chan, Wayne Lai, Liu Ka Chi, Bobby Au-Yeung, and Roger Kwok<br />
<b>Predicted Winner: </b>Ruco<br />
<b>Most Deserving: </b>Ruco<br />
<b>Personal Choice: </b>Ruco <br />
<br />
I'll be completely honest: I was hoping that Roger's performance in "Dead Wrong" would turn out to not be another groundbreaking role so that Ruco would have the best chance possible to win Best Actor. And while this may be premature since I've only watched 13 episodes, it seems like my wish came true. "Dead Wrong" is a very well-written and compelling series and Roger performs well as always, but beyond the two hour premiere, he isn't doing anything new compared to his award-winning performance in 2013's "Black Heart White Soul" that would warrant a fourth Best Actor win. <br />
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While Ruco doesn't break any new ground in "A Fist Within Four Walls" either, it is certainly a solid performance where, unlike his past performances that mostly highlighted his capability as a dramatic actor, he is able to show a playful and more comedic side too. It's about time TVB finally awards him Best Actor.<br />
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<b>Best Actress</b><br />
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<b>Predicted Top 5: </b>Nancy Wu, Kristal Tin, Tracy Chu, Mandy Wong, Joey Meng<br />
<b>Predicted Winner:</b> Nancy<br />
<b>Most Deserving: </b>Nancy<br />
<b>Personal Choice: </b>Nancy<br />
<br />
I genuinely think that Nancy deserves Best Actress this year, and the only thing that makes this less satisfying is her premature win for "Ghost of Relativity" from last year. After a string of weaker and/or less interesting roles in the last two years such as "Ghost," "Overachievers," and "House of Spirits," Nancy really took advantage of her role "Diu Lan" in "A Fist Within Four Walls" by absolutely shining. She is fierce, funny, sassy, and strong, while easily evoking lots of compassion and sympathy from the viewers. Last year's win aside, "Fist" feels like a representative culmination of all the improvements and hard work Nancy has put into her acting over the years.<br />
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But also, everyone else kinda bombed. Maggie Shiu received critical acclaim for "The Executioner" but that's obviously not happening. Tracy Chu will (hopefully) take home Most Improved. Bad performances aside, Grace Chan and Selena Li should be in the supporting category.<br />
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<b>Best Supporting Actor</b></div>
<div>
<br />
<b>Predicted Winner:</b> Raymond Cho<br />
<b>Most Deserving: </b>Power Chan<br />
<b>Personal Choice: </b>Mat Yeung <br />
<b>Wtf?</b> Oscar Li for Fist<br />
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I'm not saying I think Raymond isn't deserving since he's always been a reliable supporting actor (though I did not watch "Short End of the Stick"), but Power has long been unappreciated and narrowly lost the award to Koo Ming Wah two years ago as well. This could be TVB's chance to make it up to Power, but my gut's telling me it'll still go to Raymond.<br />
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I about hit the table when I realized Mat wasn't nominated for Most Improved again this year, since his chances of winning seemed high without Tony Hung in the running like last year. Instead TVB opted to shoot him up into the Best Supporting category, where he has no chance. This feels like a repeat of last year where his "Momentary Lapse of Reason" co-star Rosina Lam was nominated for Best Actress instead of Best Supporting, ruining any chances of her winning an award. No, from what I saw of "Brother's Keeper II" Mat was not best supporting level, but I'm allowed to have personal biases right? (9 months after watching "Momentary Lapse" and I still strongly believe Louis, Rosina, and Mat were robbed last year)<br />
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<b>Best Supporting Actress</b><br />
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<b>Predicted Winner: </b>Joyce Tang<br />
<b>Most Deserving: </b>Joyce <br />
<b>Personal Choice: </b>Joyce<br />
<br />
Best Supporting Actress has become a weaker and weaker category over the years, to the point I literally did not put down any predictions or choices for it <a href="http://tvbinteraction.blogspot.com/2015/12/tvb-48th-anniversary-awards-results.html">last year</a>. Surprisingly though, there are some good contenders here this year and it's even a little ~unpredictable~. I won't be mad if either Rosina or Grace wins. People were ready to dislike Rosina when she first started acting a few years ago, but she has genuinely surprised me as an actress. She was out of the running before the race even began last year, and I heard good things about her comedic performance in "Stick." She definitely deserves more opportunities. Grace hasn't had a substantial role since I believe 2013's "Awfully Lawful," so it was nice to see TVB give her a dynamic role in "Fist." While not without her flaws, Grace's performance proved that she is a noteworthy actress that really hasn't been getting enough notable work the last few years. Not quite "best supporting" level, but "Chiu Ha" made an impact and a win would at least make sense. <br />
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However, my vote definitely goes to Joyce, who shows her strength in portraying tough, intelligent, and motherly roles in "House of Spirits," as well as making me laugh very hard in certain scenes. She's been long one of my favorite supporting actresses, but never seemed to stand a chance at winning an award. With "House" being one of the highest rated series of the year and her satisfying win in Singapore though, it looks like 2016 is finally Joyce's year to receive recognition. <br />
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*Random fact: I usually keep a note on my phone of memorable characters/performances for when anniversary awards season comes around. Joyce was the first (and only) person I wrote down this year when I created the note. <br />
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<b>My Favorite Male Character</b><br />
<br />
<b>Top 5: </b>Ruco Chan, Vincent Wong, Louis Cheung, Bosco Wong, Roger Kwok<br />
<b>Predicted Winner:</b> Vincent<br />
<b>Most Deserving: </b>Vincent<br />
<b>Personal Choice:</b> Ruco<br />
<br />
Ruco, Vincent, and Tracy each received four nominations, which makes me think... Is TVB setting up Vincent for a Favorite Character win? I've heard so many good things about him and Tracy in "Over Run Over" and have been a long-time fan of Vincent, so I'll be thrilled if Ruco can win Best Actor and Vincent can win this award. If Ruco does not win Best Actor, I will assume this award will go to him as a consolation prize for the second year in a row. Fingers crossed that doesn't happen. <br />
<br />
Personally though, if I were to choose any male character as my favorite from this year, it'd probably be Ruco since I did not watch "Over Run Over" (but intend to). <br />
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<b>My Favorite Female Character</b><br />
<br />
<b>Top 5:</b> Nancy Wu, Grace Wong, Tracy Chu, Joey Meng, Priscilla Wong<br />
<b>Predicted Winner:</b> Nancy<br />
<b>Most Deserving:</b> Nancy<br />
<b>Personal Choice: </b>Nancy<br />
<br />
I see Nancy pulling off a double win, and I would have no problems with that. "Diu Lan" was a wonderful heroine to root for who was dynamic and flawed yet infinitely likable and funny. Even if this wasn't a year where there were very few captivating characters in TVB series, Diu Lan was a stand out. <br />
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<b>Most Popular Series Partnership</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Predicted Winner: </b>Wayne Lai, Edwin Siu, Power Chan, and Raymond Cho for "Short End of the Stick"<br />
<b>Most Deserving:</b> Vincent Wong and Tracy Chu for "Over Run Over"<br />
<b>Personal Choice:</b> N/A<br />
<b>Snub: </b>Ruco Chan and Nancy Wu<br />
<br />
I would've thought that if TVB was going to bring in this category, it would've been to further milk the Ruco and Nancy pairing. Yet, they weren't even nominated but Carat Cheung, Apple Chan, Chloe Nguyen & Doris Chow were? And Eddie Kwan and Vivian Yeo from "My Lover From the Planet Meow"? What's going on here? Vincent and Tracy should get the award for their well-received pairing, but it will probably go to Wayne, Edwin, Power, and Raymond since the comedy quartet was also well-received in "Short End," and was a ratings hit (by today's standards).<br />
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<b>Most Popular Theme Song</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Predicted Winner:</b> Ruco and Nancy’s subtheme for “A Fist Within Four Walls”<br />
<b>Most Deserving:</b> Ruco and Nancy's subtheme<br />
<b>Personal Choice:</b> Ruco and Nancy's subtheme, Vincent Wong’s theme song and Stephanie Ho’s subtheme for “Dead Wrong”<br />
<br />
TVB can't give this to Jinny again...right? I'm putting my money on Ruco and Nancy's subtheme, which has already won in both Singapore and Malaysia. It's a lovely duet that I think complimented the scenes between the two in "Fist" very well.<br />
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However, I also really like both Vincent's theme song and Stephanie's subtheme for "Dead Wrong." The former brings out the suspenseful and dark nature of the series, while the latter brings out the emotionally-charged factor. In general, I've been loving the songs Stephanie has been singing for series soundtracks.<br />
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<b>Most Improved Actor</b></div>
<div>
<b>Predicted Winner: </b>Jonathan Cheung<br />
<b>Most Deserving:</b> Jonathan<br />
<b>Personal Choice:</b> Jonathan<br />
<b>Snubs:</b> Mat Yeung, Benjamin Yuen, Lai Lok Yi<br />
<br />
For as long as I can remember this has always been a strong category and probably my favorite one. Yet when I first saw the nominations for this category this year, my first reaction was "Seriously?" The competition for this year is sad and the weakest it's been in years. Three of the nominees are singers who TVB just started sticking into series, probably for self-promotion! I was so sure Mat would be one of the top contenders this year, but it turns out he didn't even get a nomination (which I'm very salty about), nor did Benjamin, instead getting bounced up to the Best Supporting and Best Actor (???) categories respectively. TVB once again shows they don't give a damn about Lai Lok Yi, despite delivering a chilling villain performance in the last few episodes of "Presumed Accidents."<br />
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With that said, I'm so happy Jonathan is nominated and really hope this is TVB's way of paving the road for him to win. I've loved watching him as a supporting actor the last few years. He never fails to make me laugh, but proved in "House of Spirits" he can handle drama and more major roles as well. If Jonathan doesn't win, you can find me at home on my laptop on the 19th, kicking and screaming.<br />
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<b>Most Improved Actress</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Predicted Winner:</b> Tracy Chu<br />
<b>Most Deserving:</b> Tracy<br />
<b>Personal Choice: </b>Tracy<br />
<b>Snub:</b> Roxanne Tong<br />
<br />
Last year Tracy decided to ditch the anniversary awards to go on a school trip to Europe (can't blame her), but now that she's graduated and has the sleeper hit "Over Run Over" under her belt, she has a significant chance of winning. Unlike the Most Improved Actor category though, she faces some competition from Moon Lau and newly minted lead actress Ali Lee. I would not be too mad about Ali winning and think that she has been a decent actress since her debut and getting better, but after enjoying her character in "Fist," Moon proves she is still very raw in "Two Steps in Heaven." So if Tracy has to lose to anyone, I really hope it's Ali, but Tracy definitely deserves this award. Meanwhile, poor Katy is probably going to continue to be a perpetual nominee, but never a winner. <br />
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The only notable snub I can think of is Roxanne. I was not crazy about her in "Come Home Love," but she was my favorite part about "Between Love and Desire" once the series started stalling in the second half. She was natural and bubbly with an affable charm that lit up the screen during her scenes. Yet, she was next seen on air playing a tiny role in "Fist." TVB, get on promoting her (consistently)! <br />
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<b>Best Series</b><br />
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<b>Top 5: </b>A Fist Within Four Walls, Dead Wrong, Short End of the Stick, Over Run Over, House of Spirits<br />
<b>Predicted Winner: </b>A Fist Within Four Walls<br />
<b>Most Deserving: </b>Dead Wrong or Fist <br />
<b>Personal Choice:</b> Dead or Fist<br />
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It's going to be a tough competition between "A Fist Within Four Walls" and "Dead Wong," and I myself can't make a clear decision on which I personally love more, but I'm giving the advantage to "Fist." After all, as critically acclaimed as "Dead Wrong" has been so far, the ratings, buzz, press coverage, and popularity of "Fist" easily beats everything this year. <br />
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However, in terms of writing, I personally give an advantage to the 13 episodes I've seen of "Dead Wrong," which feels much more serious and tight, whereas "Fist" felt more entertaining (with a cartoonish villain) than well-written in the last stretch episodes. <br />
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<b>What are your predictions? Who are your dream winners? Comment below!</b></div>
Irishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03761963266985932287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5277205963978597549.post-7854651171174006342016-09-18T12:33:00.001-04:002016-09-18T12:33:18.442-04:00"Between Love and Desire" Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTGLCKbKwAvxGinT6e12yiAP1ujvdD5Ebzq3B3Dm3hr4z_RQmCmGVfnOjcqjPCeVDMYAPTJ_C_HLoKlk2ZvB9Z2IWIsUgyMRsBbmmM1g6F4EvgAlj5rnLlN3dPOretGOrNSlDkTf7nLF0/s1600/BetweenLove%2526Desire2016TVB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTGLCKbKwAvxGinT6e12yiAP1ujvdD5Ebzq3B3Dm3hr4z_RQmCmGVfnOjcqjPCeVDMYAPTJ_C_HLoKlk2ZvB9Z2IWIsUgyMRsBbmmM1g6F4EvgAlj5rnLlN3dPOretGOrNSlDkTf7nLF0/s400/BetweenLove%2526Desire2016TVB.jpg" width="267" /></a></div>
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I had no particular desire (ha) to watch "Between Love and Desire," but the first half of the series is surprisingly probably some of the best written episodes of TVB of the year. It could've quietly gone under the radar as the best written series of 2016, but unfortunately fails to maintain its quality the second half.<br />
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The writers here finally grasp the concept of "show, not tell" with the use of flashbacks in the first several episodes. While there is a pretty heavy use of flashbacks in the first half, unlike in other series the device has been previously utilized in ("Burning Flame 3" comes to mind), they serve a purpose here, do not become irritating, and are executed well. They were interweaved seamlessly into the plot, allowing us to see <b>Mose Chan</b>'s character in the present while also seeing flashbacks to the person he used to be and how he developed into the person he became. They also successfully built intrigue, and I loved how the flashbacks felt like they were slowly putting together a puzzle. I have to admit that while I have never been a fan of Moses, he proves here that when he gets good material, he is capable of delivering a good and nuanced performance.<br />
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However, once the flashbacks catch up to how Moses became the man he is in the present and he realizes the error of his ways, the series loses its intrigue and coherence. It was refreshing for the writers to focus their efforts on thoroughly developing one complex character, but once "Hugo" goes back to being good, the series loses its quality and direction. Moses' performance also becomes boring as a result.<br />
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Too much of the second half focuses on <b>Brian Chu</b>, who despite being presented with a good opportunity, is still very raw and unnatural. I understand that part of completing Moses' character arc was accepting that Brian deserves to pursue what he wants, but had no interest in the large amount of screen time his story line had and it was easily what dragged the series down.<br />
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In the process of this story line, the series' tone in the second half also shifts from a "show not tell" model to a "try too hard" model. Much of the dialog, especially from Moses, seemed like it was trying too hard to be deep and metaphorical, and instead came off as pretentious. The series suddenly went from being a meaningful drama to one that deliberately tried to be meaningful, by which time it had already lost its substance.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1L9oWfTf2QyGsn-LyQAxUj1oJlpbl94vipD50uutlevPEiUSIIs_YHET60ipRHqhKhhV2I-Pf8iobJO89ZFp0vmFFbxA9uk8GG-SDX-iPfSzKMR9xpmWqp7SsHE8fnYm498xMeMBV2Fk/s1600/roxanne-ben.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1L9oWfTf2QyGsn-LyQAxUj1oJlpbl94vipD50uutlevPEiUSIIs_YHET60ipRHqhKhhV2I-Pf8iobJO89ZFp0vmFFbxA9uk8GG-SDX-iPfSzKMR9xpmWqp7SsHE8fnYm498xMeMBV2Fk/s320/roxanne-ben.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Like with Brian, "Between Love and Desire" overall suffers in the characterization department since the cast is so small and the bulk of the good writing went to early development of "Hugo." <b>Maggie Shiu </b>is good as usual, but makes no breakthroughs as the housewife who divorces her husband after realizing he's no longer the person she fell in love with. <b>Ben Wong </b>is likable as always and proves again that he can balance both being dramatic and funny and playful, but his character's pursuit of of Maggie was very confusing. He tries so hard to get her to go out with him <i>while </i>she is still married, yet as soon as she signs the divorce papers with Moses and he has a real opportunity, he suddenly backs off. Great strategy, Ben.<br />
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The resident scene stealer<b> </b>though is <b>Roxanne Tong</b>, who TVB needs to get on promoting. I found her good for a newcomer in "Come Home Love" though a little boring, but here, she is so much fun. She's natural, spunky, cheeky, and clever as "Hayley," especially in her scenes with Ben. The interactions between the two were funny and the highlight for me in the second half, and what kept me watching. However, their development as a couple was sudden (though predictable), and a little creepy too when you remember that Roxanne is Ben's dead wife's younger sister.<br />
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<b>Overall</b><br />
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"Between Love and Desire" had been my biggest surprise of the year, as I had paid no attention to it when it was filming and had no interest in it when it was announced to be airing. I so thoroughly enjoyed the first half and how the flashbacks were executed to show Moses' development as character, and it should be commended for successfully showing instead of telling. Unfortunately, the second half descends into typical aimless TVB, made worse by the fact they tried so hard to make it deep and metaphorical. All that came out of that effort was dialog that was preachy and at times, slightly nonsensical. Luckily, Ben and Roxanne kept me entertained until the end.<br />
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<b>Rating: 3.75 stars</b><br />
(4.5 stars for the first half, 3 stars for the second half)</div>
Irishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03761963266985932287noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5277205963978597549.post-91045631342819259872016-09-18T11:26:00.000-04:002016-09-18T11:26:02.550-04:00"House of Spirits" Review<div>
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<span style="color: black; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGy2Jo7AxyxaCNOlGp5CeTNjMrBBOG8IZdSdOJqBz6vwFlTjY3-2APqTU6PBUiqOjwZlL0uVaHon8hhnUysf7E7yZwiJpY84rihJZrhRy9xkTXFKAi4h1Df4DMkN8kcFaNtGD_1tnSmpQ/s400/blogger-image-459006186.jpg" width="267" /></span></div>
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"With or Without You" may not have made a splash in the ratings last year, but <b>Bobby Au-Yeung </b>proves he can still headline a talked-about comedy series. </div>
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Supernatural comedy "House of Spirits" generated buzz and high ratings (in the context of today's Internet and streaming-based world), but most of the praises sung were for its cast, and for good reason. </div>
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"House" is an average TVB comedy, which means there's some slapstick humor, but also some genuine laugh out loud moments with heartwarming moments. There is no concrete plot and t's really a family comedy drama with a supernatural twist. As a result, the 31-episode count is unnecessary and it often feels like the writers are just spinning their wheels trying to think of content to fill up the episodes, such as the subplot with <b>Chow Chung</b> and his cat.<br />
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All in all though, the series at its best is goodhearted fun. I found the early episodes where Bobby first gets to know the ghosts, played by <b>Wu Fung </b>and <b>Helena Law</b>, pretty funny despite not being a big fan of slapstick comedy. The series is however also a little grating in earlier episodes with the siblings, particularly <b>Joyce Tang </b>and <b>Koni Lui </b>constantly at each other's throats. Towards the middle though, as the family becomes close, the series is an easy and enjoyable watch.<br />
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This is completely thanks to the surprisingly great and unlikely cast ensemble, which is a mix of veteran actors like Bobby and Joyce, but also smaller names like Koni and <b>Jonathan Cheung</b>, who is able to take on his largest role to date. The chemistry between the siblings was wonderful and gave a feeling of warmth.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgprDcBpkmVq0es9Pru2Vu7tj7VcNsHBoUxr6_iFE2q0ZAK8FlaGLHLucZNYix5mHEC1G7yCsgRL1a0D54NiJDdbKywD6ArL8qq3ymMMmZKM2Uz6zEFVz23XkCAsudfu4zrUiDcHPQc-WU/s1600/joyce-nancy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgprDcBpkmVq0es9Pru2Vu7tj7VcNsHBoUxr6_iFE2q0ZAK8FlaGLHLucZNYix5mHEC1G7yCsgRL1a0D54NiJDdbKywD6ArL8qq3ymMMmZKM2Uz6zEFVz23XkCAsudfu4zrUiDcHPQc-WU/s320/joyce-nancy.jpg" width="320" /></a>Bobby gets to show his usual lighthearted humor here. While some complain that Bobby's acting is the same in all his series, in this case, I enjoyed his natural and easygoing acting and playful demeanor.</div>
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Joyce plays a tough but caring woman working to balance her life as a mother and career woman. These tough and clever roles are a piece of cake for Joyce and what she does most well in, so it's nice to see she received recognition for this. She also has her own comedic moments as well. The scene where Helena possesses Joyce's body to apologize to Koni had me barreling over with laughter due to Joyce's acting.</div>
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I have liked Jonathan a lot in the series I've seen him in. He is a natural and likable actor who excels at comedic roles, but can also do drama, and this performance further proves that. I was so pleased to see he had such a major role here, and he had no problem holding his own against a veteran like Bobby. I'm thrilled for Jonathan, who just received his first acting nomination for "Best Supporting Actor" at the Starhub TVB Awards. I hope TVB will continue to give him larger roles and that this isn't just a one and done, even if he doesn't fit the handsome boy image they look for in promoting males.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7QKLpwv6shIeSxo-otrpvgl7n88Jn9jjuY4QK2kmuwrm9PQYhPOH-QBKbgh5ozSXmZJwrepMP9whzv3no5WHB4GuiNzGHGLpOG1faLQtmtI91YQsgQVUoW2Oi-7gODwcY9_1eE0HVVpw/s1600/koni-jonathan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7QKLpwv6shIeSxo-otrpvgl7n88Jn9jjuY4QK2kmuwrm9PQYhPOH-QBKbgh5ozSXmZJwrepMP9whzv3no5WHB4GuiNzGHGLpOG1faLQtmtI91YQsgQVUoW2Oi-7gODwcY9_1eE0HVVpw/s320/koni-jonathan.jpg" width="320" /></a>Koni pulls off the spoiled princess character well, though that meant she could often be irrita<br />
ting to watch, especially in the earlier episodes. With that said, she also has her own funny moments. Unfortunately, despite pretty natural acting, her high-pitched voice probably holds her back from getting more roles.</div>
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<b>Nancy Wu </b>serves little purpose here until the very end other than being Bobby's love interest and feels a little out of place, but is still likable as the tomboyish Chan-Chan. Bobby and Nancy sounded like a terrible pair on paper and are very physically incompatible, but luckily both are professional actors who make it work and are surprisingly funny and entertaining together. I actually liked seeing them become friends before slowly becoming more. </div>
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<b>Overall</b></div>
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Bobby, Joyce, Jonathan, Koni, and <b>Bob Cheung </b>play a very convincing family, in all its bickering, dysfunctional, but loving and warm glory. The combination felt like a bit of a random one other than the Bobby and Joyce reunion, but couldn't have worked out better.</div>
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With all the praise I can sing for the cast and the moments of humor though, I do have to reiterate that the series was occasionally (or often) grating in the beginning, with a lot of filler or boring subplots. It makes for a good lazy summer watch, but if it weren't for the cast, I probably would not have bothered to go all the way through if I had watched it during a busier time. However, it does still have laughs to offer.</div>
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<b>Rating: 3 stars</b></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">On a side note though, "House of Spirits" must be the biggest offense of "overacting in a poster" I've ever seen for a TVB series...</span><br />
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Irishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03761963266985932287noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5277205963978597549.post-17850422726734706792016-09-10T23:56:00.000-04:002016-09-11T21:51:40.018-04:00"A Fist Within Four Walls" Review<div>
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With the anniversary awards season quickly looming, TVB finally has a worthy contender in "A Fist Within Four Walls," which had all the makings of a great series: strong cast and characterizations, an intriguing storyline, and appropriate pacing. "Fist" is also the first notable series this year to receive positive reception that was a grander production. While a larger budget has never been a guarantee for an amazing series, this martial arts drama utilizes its budget to make it visually appealing and convincing to compliment, instead of try to compensate, for the script. After the mediocrity and endless disappointments TVB has been feeding us the last few years, who would've thought efficient utilization and good execution was still in their vocabulary?</div>
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<b>Cast and Characters</b></div>
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It doesn't come as a surprise that <b>Ruco Chan</b>, as usual, gives another natural and emotive performance, with his dramatic scenes not being an obstacle for him at all. However, what makes him really shine here is the humor and playfulness of his character, which makes him so enjoyable to watch as "Kuen Lo." Kuen Lo could be a bit too naive and idealistic at times, but Ruco's charisma makes the kindhearted character endearing instead of annoying. It was especially cute seeing him slowly realize he was falling for "Tiu Lan" (<b>Nancy Wu</b>), as he started to act more and more shy around her.<br />
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It's a shame that Nancy won Best Actress a bit prematurely for "Ghost of Relativity" last year. While her character in the supernatural comedy shares similar characteristics to Tiu Lan, such as her stubbornness, Tiu Lan is a much more developed character that allowed Nancy to show off her range. Like Ruco, she does <br />
very well in both dramatic and comedic scenes. She's feisty, bossy, and stubborn, yet funny, compassionate, upbeat, and fun. She was definitely the scene stealer here and this is her most memorable role of the last few years. This is the closest to a Best Actress-worthy performance from a young actress the last few years.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1OYUJHCUZKLJ5GwfbqhyWnAwIPMdopJfbylMeZSljSRS6-cP0AwEvCfN98Pu5_qZYhvW0t5btv2YyrJjNWxWyaHQstvZqKhG7bt4eduy8DOXaAWvsbY8edRZo_So28aXUNCgwW_CwGo8/s1600/nancy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1OYUJHCUZKLJ5GwfbqhyWnAwIPMdopJfbylMeZSljSRS6-cP0AwEvCfN98Pu5_qZYhvW0t5btv2YyrJjNWxWyaHQstvZqKhG7bt4eduy8DOXaAWvsbY8edRZo_So28aXUNCgwW_CwGo8/s320/nancy.jpg" width="320" /></a>Ruco and Nancy have undeniable chemistry, and their relationship was also written well. The script really fleshed out their relationship while the actors brought it to life, allowing the audience see Kuen Lo and Tiu Lan go from being just friends, to caring increasingly more for each other, to finally starting a relationship. They were funny, sweet, romantic, emotional, and natural. The chemistry was easy and lighthearted when it had to be, and passionate when it had to be. Ruco and Nancy are respectively each other's best costar in years. It's been quite a while since I've really "shipped" and fangirled over an onscreen TVB pair, but Ruco and Nancy have definitely secured a place on my list of favorite onscreen pairs.</div>
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As much as I like <b>Benjamin Yuen</b>'s personality and affability in real life, I continue to be disappointed in the lack of any drastic improvements in his acting. The character is a straight man type who is quiet and well-composed, which allowed Benjamin to get away with his stoic acting more, but his weaker acting really showed in more dramatic scenes alongside Ruco.<br />
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Grace gets to show off her seductive side as usual in this series, but this time in a role with much more substance. The character was quite intense as "Fa Man/Chiu Ha" was very much blinded by revenge, but Grace does relatively well. Her death was saddening and while it served as a catalyst to Benjamin realizing who the big boss was, probably could have been avoided.<br />
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<b>Moon Lau </b>is finally able to deliver a memorable performance portraying the sweet, bubbly, yet spunky and brave "Audrey." It's obvious that her emotional scenes need a lot of work, but she really does play her already likable character with such charm and brightness. I do hope that she gets more good roles such as this.<br />
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<b>Philip Ng</b> is very wooden in the beginning of the series, though it's fitting for the character. He seems to get more comfortable in the role later on, and the scene where he references his own lack of expression was hilarious. As expressionless as he could be at times, when he was able to be funny, such as when he practices what to say to his mom when returning her soup thermos, he was indeed amusing and endearing. His lighthearted scenes with his mother, played by <b>Yuen Qiu </b>(who was funny and bad ass), as well as Moon, were heartwarming and funny. While Ruco and Nancy were my favorites, Moon and Philip were very sweet and enjoyable to watch as well. It broke my heart when Philip died trying to save Moon, and his death was very unnecessary.<br />
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In addition to the strong performances and likable characters, "Fistful" has great action and stunt choreography. TVB for once did not slack off, investing in intensive training for its cast before starting filming, and getting Yuen Qiu and Philip, who is a professional martial artist and stunt choreographer. They did overuse slow motion in the earlier parts of the series, but the martial arts was overall still satisfying to watch.<br />
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For me, the series is not as "on the edge of your seat" good in the last 8 or so episodes, after the original three villains are all wiped out and the focus shifts to the real big boss. With that said, I don't think the series becomes draggy, as much as it's no longer as fast-paced as previously. It simply didn't grip me as much as before, but the characters and action were more than enough to keep me around until the very end.<br />
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<b>Overall</b></div>
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"Fist" is not without its flaws, from its cartoonish portrayal of villains to Boss Yeung's inhumane body and martial arts talent (but hey, no supernatural element here!). However, with a strong cast and tight plot that spends very minimal time dragging its feet, I can easily look past these flaws to appreciate its entertainment value without feeling like I have to dumb myself down. "A Fist Within Four Walls" sets out to tell a story and develop its characters, and it succeeds to do so while using the time allotted, not more or less. That's an accomplishment for a TVB series in general, which is known for trying to meet specific episode counts, never mind in the context of TVB's usual quality these days. It's easily my favorite series this year.</div>
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<b>Rating: 4.5 stars</b></div>
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Irishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03761963266985932287noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5277205963978597549.post-22147734629578819042016-07-22T17:51:00.001-04:002016-07-22T17:51:54.286-04:00"Presumed Accidents" Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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*<i>Warning: This review includes major spoilers about the series' plot twists and ending.</i><br />
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There are two lens for which I could evaluate "Presumed Accidents" under: my usual objective one, and the one that has only thoroughly enjoyed (and finished!) two series this year ("Fashion War" and surprisingly, "My Dangerous Mafia Retirement Plan" for those curious).<br />
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In the context of the terrible series TVB has been churning out this year, "Presumed Accidents" is one of the better series of the year. It has a solid leading man in <b>Lawrence Ng</b>, a good supporting cast full of veterans and newer faces, and mixes elements of drama, action, and suspense. However, if I look at it objectively, this so-called "crime thriller" still fell flat for me.<br />
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"Presumed Accidents" suffers the most from its incoherence, initially taking the form of a procedural drama for three quarters of the series and zoning in on various cases of insurance fraud. While these cases were usually over the top and unrealistic, some of them were still entertaining to watch.<br />
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However, maybe because I've grown tired of the procedural format these days, but my interest in these cases started to drop towards the middle of the series. I was starting to feel like these characters and the story had stalled.<br />
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Then in one episode, the writers decided to throw us a huge plot twist (more like half a dozen of them) and reveal a boatload of shocking and mind boggling information at once. The series then returns to its procedural format as <b>Sisley Choi</b>'s character tries to grapple with this new bizarre information, before abandoning the cases for a serialized story line with suspense to finish off the last third of the series.<br />
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The series' biggest problem lies in its supernatural aspect - yes, you read that right. The plot twist of Lawrence's character being an undead person, although foreshadowed in the series' opening scene, was completely unexpected since it wasn't advertised as a supernatural drama. It seems throwing in a supernatural character is TVB's idea of "creativity" these days.<br />
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As shocked as I was by the supernatural twist in Lawrence's character, I was more disappointed in its execution, which is what ended up causing me to dislike it. Although the way in which Lawrence becomes immortal is pretty crazy (apparently all it takes is a pill now, everyone!), even less explanation and exploration is put towards developing this important characteristic of his. It felt so shoehorned in that this whole story line probably could have been cut from the series to make it a typical procedural drama with little consequence other than trimming down its episode count. We do not know if there are more people like Lawrence or what he intends on doing with his life when his children inevitably die. His true identity is exposed at the end of the series, and all that comes out of it is that Lawrence up and leaves.<br />
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What left me feeling most uncomfortable though is the revelation that Lawrence is Sisley's biological father. Although I started to suspect it shortly before it was revealed, I kept denying it to myself since I thought there was no way TVB would ever go in such a direction. Boy, was I wrong. This plot twist would have been less cringe worthy if the writers hadn't spent so many episodes setting up Lawrence as being obviously romantically interested in Sisley. Perhaps we were supposed to believe that this is what the circumstances appeared to be from Sisley's eyes, which I will choose to believe to make it less disturbing, but it was nevertheless very creepy thinking back to the two's early interactions after finding out their true relationship.<br />
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<b>Cast and Characters</b><br />
<br />
With these criticisms out in the open, it is still worth noting that the cast performs adequately, or well.<br />
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Lawrence possesses a very calm and gentlemanly demeanor as George, and is enjoyable to watch despite all of the flaws of his character.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEKgHDFgo8WHt5C3oImIu2wvjdCTyGtj9-dW3IKj0BdSGbElFoZBWk-9oacMOXAwACOOCvguHZhO6fLgB7YQPjLVQhPQ65JDYkQ-1zithVm8qFAD5WAAYyQIRyP11DsAmvwGUyMCr7ck0/s1600/sisley-lok+yi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEKgHDFgo8WHt5C3oImIu2wvjdCTyGtj9-dW3IKj0BdSGbElFoZBWk-9oacMOXAwACOOCvguHZhO6fLgB7YQPjLVQhPQ65JDYkQ-1zithVm8qFAD5WAAYyQIRyP11DsAmvwGUyMCr7ck0/s400/sisley-lok+yi.jpg" width="400" /></a>Sisley does not show any regressions in her acting here, but I wouldn't say she improved<br />
much either. The actress seems to be well-aware of the criticisms of her high-pitched voice and as a result, like in "Fashion War," she tries very hard to speak her lines in a deeper register. While she is clearly working on her voice control, this understandably usually hinders her ability to act more naturally, and her emotional scenes are still raw.<br />
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Although Lawrence is a whooping 27 years older than Sisley, the maturity of Sisley's character allowed the scenes between the two in the early part of the series to be natural and not cringe worthy. This is a big pleasant surprise, as this pairing was what I dreaded most going into this series, but of course the writers had to ruin it later on.<br />
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Surprisingly, Sisley struggled more in sparking chemistry with <b>Lai Lok Yi</b>, who looks much more physically compatible with her. While Lok Yi has little problems in being natural while showing physical affection towards Sisley, she looks stiff and uncomfortable in these scenes. This reminds me of Fala, who in her time at TVB was able to create a fun and enjoyable chemistry with many of her male costars, but unable to be natural in more romantic or physical scenes. <br />
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I was probably looking most forward to this series to finally see Lok Yi in another role after three years as "John Ma." Unfortunately, his character is mostly a snooze fest through out most of the series, only serving as the man Sisley's Eunice goes to after realizing the man she was interested in was her father. Oops. However, he turns it around in the last few episodes of the series as a chilling villain when his true character becomes apparent to the others. While the script provides next to no transition from portraying Mantus as a seemingly calm and friendly character hiding a dark past to an aggressive and angry psychopath, Lok Yi does incredibly well with what he is given. He succeeded in scaring me with his performance in the last stretch of the series, acting as a villain who was quiet but seemed ready to burst at any minute, and is the first villain in a while to actually spark some fear in me. I saw no signs of the playful, clever, but kindhearted "John Ma" in this performance, and that's what Lok Yi so badly needed as he transitions back into dramas. Here's to hoping his next character is even better.<br />
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The biggest acting disappointment does not lie in Sisley, but <b>Selena Li</b>, though this is not her fault. In promoting the series, TVB seemed to want to push Selena as an intriguing guest star who plays three different and complex roles. However, we all knew "guest star" was really just a fancy word for demotion. Selena plays three undeveloped and uninteresting characters under the constraints of very little screen time, which all share the characteristic of having pretty darn bad luck. Faye, the main character that Selena plays, is weak and quite ambiguous with her actions. This is one of the weakest performances from her in a while, and it is all because of the mess of a script she was given for her characters.<br />
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<b>Joyce Tang </b>and <b>Raymond Cho</b> provide comic relief and deliver as always, but were disposable to the overall story line, though Raymond becomes more significant to the main plot towards the end. There was no use in spending so much time on Joyce's messy divorce, but I did enjoy the scenes she and Raymond shared together.<br />
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Rounding out the supporting cast were relatively fresh faces <b>Winki Lai </b>and <b>Snow Suen</b>.<br />
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Although Winki is way too young to realistically be heading a police department, I was surprised by<br />
how much more mature she looked here and how naturally she stepped into the role despite the usual student characters she plays. She's quickly becoming one of my favorite new actresses and while I had reservations of her playing more major characters outside of the student, I have more confidence in her now and looking forward to seeing her more.<br />
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Snow was very likable as the upbeat, positive, and happy I.I. Although the character annoyed me at times with how often she'd suddenly show up at Eunice's house while Eunice wasn't home, Snow's positive energy and smiles were infectious. It was sad to see her character go.<br />
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<b>Overall</b><br />
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"Presumed Accidents" isn't without its merits or entertainment value. It has a good cast and mixes different elements including drama, comedy, action, and towards the end, suspense. It's enjoyable, but suffers from its disjointedness and inconsistencies in pacing. Is it one of the better series this year? Sure, but that isn't saying much. I wanted to like "Presumed Accidents" more, but by the halfway point, I felt over it. Luckily, the last third was able to hook me back in, and I would have liked the rest of the series to have had a similar serialized, thrilling format.<br />
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<b>Rating: 3.5 stars</b>Irishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03761963266985932287noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5277205963978597549.post-74539076877570892772016-04-06T21:03:00.000-04:002016-04-06T21:03:40.717-04:00"Fashion War" Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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TVB finally offers up something different from their usual family and romance-heavy dramas, and this time it paid off. Although "Fashion War" may have initially looked unappealing to me due to the cast, it has surprisingly become the first series I breezed through this year and could say I thoroughly enjoyed. The writers waste no time diving right into the world of office politics in the intriguing but cutthroat fashion magazine industry. </div>
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Not only is office politics the theme of the series, but it takes front and center, with next to zero romance, which was surprising in a cast full of attractive females. This allowed "Fashion War" to be very plot-driven and character dynamic-driven. While it could become a little overwhelming (seriously, between all this plotting against each other and trying to protect themselves, when do these people have time to actually do their jobs?), the office politics theme was entertaining and kept me on the edge of my seat. </div>
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Although I'm glad it was not dragged out, it is another series that would have benefitted from a couple more episodes because with all the characters the series possessed, further development of them individually wouldn't have hurt. Instead, we focus more on how these characters interact with and work (or rather, compete) amongst each other.</div>
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My main concern going into this series was the cast. In particular, I haven't enjoyed <b>Moses Chan </b>in a series since probably 2002's "Family Man" and wasn't thrilled to see <b>Sisley Choi </b>leading. </div>
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For Moses, as annoyed as I could get by the pretentious aura he gave off, especially in the early episodes, I have to admit he brings out the cool and aloof image of "Yip Long" well. However, it is in the later parts of the series where he shows some emotion, such as when he expresses proudness of Ah Yan, that I really started to warm up to him. After 20 episodes though, I still just barely tolerate that skunk hairstyle.</div>
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Sisley is adequate as "Cheung Yat Ling" (or more commonly referred to as "Ah Yan"). It's obvious she tried very hard to control her voice so that it would not get too high-pitched and grating for <br />
viewers. The result is that she's likable enough, especially with her character's genuine passion for MODES in comparison to the ulterior motives everyone else has for doing what they do. Ultimately my biggest complaint is about the character Yan herself. Time and time again Yip Long and the writers remind us that Ah Yan is incredibly gifted and poised to become the next editor-in-chief and trendsetter of the fashion world. Yet, we are never shown that, other than for her messing around with the magazine spread on the wall before her first interview. We just keep getting told it. By the end, I still did not think that Ah Yan had the capability to take over for Yip Long. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWysNAtkOX5XEoq36WvCt3ThaWbqYg18i1LdXUo2giocoyW6zNCxwqGSBmvveUvllcz9MJsbvxMsTy8tFRVBNJUJe9XbeV_3ScKm8tr8ylrQCJYQn5ZnIxsHVuQ0YvvEIsgoFAVGM24yY/s1600/fw_ali.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWysNAtkOX5XEoq36WvCt3ThaWbqYg18i1LdXUo2giocoyW6zNCxwqGSBmvveUvllcz9MJsbvxMsTy8tFRVBNJUJe9XbeV_3ScKm8tr8ylrQCJYQn5ZnIxsHVuQ0YvvEIsgoFAVGM24yY/s320/fw_ali.jpg" width="320" /></a><b>Ali Lee</b> gives the strongest performance of all the females as "Kei Wan Wan" or "Vincy," though that is also in part because of her more fleshed out character. She is convincing as the smart and manipulative advertising manager without going too overboard. At the same time, she also brings out the vulnerabilities in her character. She gives off a very similar aura to Kate in regards to her more mean but strong girl look, but her acting is already much more natural than Kate's was at this point in her career. I have a lot of confidence in Ali and am looking forward to seeing her in her next leading roles. </div>
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<b>Him Law </b>rounds out the cast by providing some comic relief in the beginning. As lazy as he was in the beginning, I found it hilarious whenever he was supposedly sleeping, but still heard everything else the others would say and would chime in with a blunt but true remark then promptly go back to sleep. I enjoyed his friendship with Ah Yan, and loved how she positively influenced him to work hard and tap into his potential. "Ah Fan" states that without modeling he is nothing, but I would've liked for him to realize he truly did like working at the fashion magazine and acknowledge he had talent. However, the writing for the character got sloppy towards the end when <br />
he suddenly started showing so much concern for Vincy. </div>
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The rest of the cast is unsurprisingly mediocre, although not too cringeworthy. The series is plot-driven enough that, coupled with its large cast, made it easy to overlook the acting. For example, <b>Jacqueline</b> <b>Chong</b> says almost all her lines in the same way with the same facial expression, even though she is sometimes content and other times angry. Yet, it can be overlooked since "Danielle" is probably the most indifferent of the supporting characters. <b>Vivien Yeo </b>is probably the most confusing supporting character because she perpetually looks pretty mad or annoyed, yet we never find out "Ada"'s true motive for staying with MODES. It's definitely not because she genuinely loves MODES, and I don't buy that she has feelings for Yip Long. If there was one person who made me want to rip my hair out though, it wasn't one of the girls, but <b>Hanjin Tam </b>for his obnoxious and almost cartoon-ish character. </div>
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Mediocre acting from the supporting cast aside, "Fashion War" is worth checking out because it's very different from anything TVB has been doing lately, making it a breath of fresh air. It is a treat that for once, a series isn't being bogged down by draggy romantic storylines and instead focusing on the central plot and interpersonal working relationships. The pacing is fast and the plot is juicy. Overall, it's the most entertaining thing TVB has put out all year. </div>
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<b>Rating: 4 stars</b></div>
Irishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03761963266985932287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5277205963978597549.post-25160942018878475212016-02-08T20:55:00.003-05:002016-02-08T23:33:43.680-05:00"Momentary Lapse of Reason" Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I had a lot of reasons to just completely skip "Momentary Lapse of Reason." Premodern dramas are my least favorite to watch since they tend to be tragic in nature. Despite being a big fan of Louis and happy he received his first leading role, I also wasn't interested in seeing Tavia. However, with the quiet but strong critical acclaim, I finally decided to give in because I wanted to check out Louis, Mat, and Rosina's performances for myself.<br>
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I'm glad I finally gave this series a chance, and didn't just give up after the first two episodes. It took maybe 5 episodes, but once I got into it, I was hooked and binge watched it over the course of my 3 day weekend. Against all my (non-existent) expectations when first hearing about this series, "Momentary Lapse of Reason" has become my favorite series of 2015. <br>
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Although all four leads deliver, the main reason I enjoyed "Momentary" so much is because of <b>Louis Cheung</b> and <b>Mat Yeung</b>'s performances. The changes of their characters as well as their friendship drive the series forward and are what make it compelling.<br>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCjkZZXBhsNbTl6SwGHlvJ1cANV_VTF-SUAvM1r_Gz8tfp8NON5-XXrc2IaPOAFI9iEsIepeMV_bJxKhjh5T3HElqk-gSd6IRNSPExCKEGmQC3CmxHUUJT0LYInNVnKIa7UzejLGlB-6k/s1600/louis-mat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCjkZZXBhsNbTl6SwGHlvJ1cANV_VTF-SUAvM1r_Gz8tfp8NON5-XXrc2IaPOAFI9iEsIepeMV_bJxKhjh5T3HElqk-gSd6IRNSPExCKEGmQC3CmxHUUJT0LYInNVnKIa7UzejLGlB-6k/s320/louis-mat.jpg" width="320"></a>There is not much romantic chemistry present in this series, which may make it sound like a failure, but romance was ultimately not integral to the series despite what some people may have thought initially. Mat and <b>Tavia Yeung</b> are by no means wooden and awkward with each other, but didn't create any sparks either. Same goes for Louis and Tavia, but this is because Louis' love for Tavia remains one-sided for the entire series.<br>
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Instead, all the "sparks" happen between the incredibly close brotherhood that develops between Louis and Mat - and I have no complaints about it. It was very rewarding to watch these two characters go from being foes who were completely different cops with contrasting morals, to two people who cared so much about each other and made such a huge impact on the other's life (which is why part of the ending was such BS - but more on that in a bit).<br>
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There was a split second where I was not sure if Louis was ready to be a leading actor, although it was only because he (deservingly) had bounced up so quickly. I'm now slapping myself for ever thinking that, because Louis absolutely shines in his first leading role. He and Ruco are one of few TVB actors who excel in these gray characters. In the early episodes, he does well as the clever, "Corrupt Wah" who has no problem taking credit for other people's work and being mean-spirited. Some of his best acting though is when his character slowly starts becoming more conscientious. From feeling guilty over indirectly causing the death of an innocent man to showing compassion over his widow, and standing up for Mat when no one else would, Louis' portrays the character's change in nature after befriending Mat very well. With another actor, the transition probably would've felt sudden, but Louis' expressiveness allowed you to see "Kam Wah" rethinking himself. Although the character becomes easier to play once he is no longer corrupt, Louis does wonderfully in his emotional scenes, particularly when he found Ng Chin's lifeless body.<br>
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Kam Wah is also a character who, even when he was a corrupt cop, is very humorous and playful. This made him a lot of fun to watch and prevented "Momentary" from becoming too tragic or "heavy" to watch like most other premodern series. Some of his funniest moments are when Mat catches him doing good deeds and expressing sympathy early on, only for Louis to deny it profusely and claim he is just a creep. It was also hilarious when Louis decided to go into the walled village (where there is no police jurisdiction) to help save Mat, but not without getting himself drunk to work up the guts first. I am happy to see that Louis was able to get into the top 5 nominations for Best Actor despite this series not being a big ratings hit.<br>
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Mat had a tough task of leading alongside Louis and is not nearly as expressive as him, but certainly rose up to the challenge in his first shot at second male lead. He was able to portray the character of "Sam Yat Yin" as the righteous and serious cop he is without being wooden, and tender in his scenes with Tavia's Leung Sum. He shows the internal emotional struggle of wanting to be a good cop in a precinct full of greedy and corrupt ones who actively dislike him and what he stands for very well. His most memorable and absolutely heartbreaking scene is when he forces himself to collect the bribes from the market sellers against all his morals and beliefs. </div>
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With the path the character was taking in the early episodes and TVB's usual predictability, I had expected Yat Yin to become a full-on villain. Although he does make a terrible jerk move towards the end in a desperate attempt to move up so he can continue to fight police corruption, Yat Yin never becomes evil or even mean-spirited and simply becomes more dire in the lengths he'll take to fulfill his goal. Until the very end, he still remains a hero. This was a direction I appreciated because it made the character much more realistic as well as allow the plot to move along logically, instead of hurriedly turning him into a caricature, a la Ruco's "Ah Lik" in "Eye in the Sky." As far as secondary leading characters go, Yat Yin was absolutely integral to the story (just as much as Kam Wah) and in moving the series along. Mat got a great opportunity, and he took advantage of it. </div>
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While this is both of their first time as leads, Louis and Mat were my favorite leads to watch all year, and I hope to continue seeing them in major roles.</div><div><br></div>
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Tavia once again receives the least interesting role of an entire main cast, but unlike in the<br>
previously mentioned "Eye in the Sky," is not irritating to watch. In the end, I don't have any praises to sing, but I also don't have any nit picks with her performance. Leung Sum is likable instead of a suffocating goody two shoes. While she thinks lowly of Kam Wah initially, she does soon come to the realization he is not what she judged him to be after she gets to know him. The character cries from time to time, but it's also not an endless waterfall like some of Tavia's past dramatic series. The most heartbreaking moment for the character is in the very last episode when she sees someone who she believes is Yat Yin, but is really Willie Wai in Yat Yin's clothes. </div>
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Although playing a character who goes through many major events that can be considered either unfortunate at best or highly traumatic at worst, Rosina gives a very natural performance as "Fa Ying Yuet." There are no huge dramatic acting moments, and that ended up being what I liked. It's so easy to start equating dramatic yelling and crying with good acting. Rosina had many opportunities to overact and it would have even been understandable for the character to be portrayed as over the top. Yet, she never does, but still shows the emotions of the character. Ying Yuet ended up not having as much screen time as I thought she would, but she was a character that could have easily become grating to watch where the actress could take every opportunity to try to steal the scene. Instead, Rosina injects just enough emotion and makes her a sympathetic and intriguing character without trying to steal anyone's thunder, allowing the focus to remain on Kam Wah and Yat Yin's brotherhood. </div>
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With such solid performances playing such intriguing roles, it is very disappointing that Mat and Rosina did not win Most Improved. Based on acting merit alone, they definitely had it in the bag, but much like Vincent before his villain role in "Will Power" came along, simply did not have the buzz (or favoritism) Grace and Tony possessed. (On the bright side, Mat did win Most Improved Actor in Malaysia, while Rosina took home Best Supporting Actress in Singapore, although she was nominated for "Young Charioteers" instead.)</div>
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I enjoyed the friendship between the core four characters and the few scenes they all shared, and only wished that there had just been a few more. Unlike in recent series that try to portray friendship (ahem, "Raising the Bar"), you could feel the bond between the four despite them not sharing many scenes altogether.</div>
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In addition to our leading actors, the rest of the cast performs well too. Also providing some comic relief were <b>Brian Burrell</b>, who appears to be playing an important role for the first time,<b> </b>and <b>Amy Fan</b>. The two were very sweet to watch as a married couple. <b>Hugo Wong</b> was convincing as the corrupt and cruel police inspector. <b>Lai Kong</b> does well as always, but him as the villain is getting increasingly predictable.</div>
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<b>Ending Commentary</b> (<b><i><span style="color: red;">Spoilers ahead!!</span></i></b>)</div>
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A very satisfying ending overall, with just one major complaint. On his death bed, Yat Yin tells Leung Sum that she is the reason Kam Wah changed to be a better person, not him. While the writers do not try to drill into our heads the importance of Leung Sum on Yat Yin and Kam Wah too much, doing so at all was a disservice to how important the two guy's friendship truly was. This was inconsistent just timeline-wise, as Kam Wah had already become more conscientiousness before even developing a crush on Leung Sum. Yat Yin's death was terribly sad, but fitting, though I also wish he and Kam Wah were able to share more of a "final" scene together. </div>
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Lai Kong, Akina Hong, and Joe Tay's endings were incredibly satisfying and poetic. Akina and Joe trying to outsmart each other by poisoning the other to receive all the money for themselves, only to both die at the hands of the opposite, was brilliant and a bold writing move. </div>
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Finally, I have mixed feelings towards Kam Wah feigning memory loss. He had already lost Yat Yin, and by pretending to not remember, he was isolating himself from his two remaining best friends. However, I am glad the writers chose not to have him and Leung Sum end up together, as the latter never expressed romantic feelings for him and it would have been too sudden and convenient for her to do so so shortly after Yat Yin's death. Kam Wah continuing to watch over Leung Sum from afar may not be the happiest ending, but it was the most fitting one. A bittersweet ending was the most appropriate for "Momentary," but the characters also ended up all pretty content.</div>
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<b>Overall</b></div>
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As stated before, Louis and Mat are the heart of the series and it is ultimately about how Kam Wah and Yat Yin come to impact each other as they try to rid Tong Sai of its rampant corruption. The series makes full use of its 20 episodes, and the writing feels very tight, with none of the inconsistencies or wackiness present in many series' writing today (I enjoyed you "Captain of Destiny," but I'm looking at you). Despite being a premodern series, "Momentary Lapse" also manages to succeed more as an action series than recent typical police procedurals. Its elements of drama, action, and suspense along with its fast paced writing and strong leading performances makes you want to keep watching once you get past the set up of the first handful of episodes. "Momentary Lapse" is the most underrated series of the year, and one of the best.<br>
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<b>Rating: 4.5 stars</b></div>
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Irishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03761963266985932287noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5277205963978597549.post-66838466880412192862016-01-06T16:32:00.000-05:002016-01-06T16:32:27.187-05:00"War of the Genders" Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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TVB sitcoms in recent years are known for being lighthearted series with large ensembles that provide the occasional chuckle, but at one point they were legitimately laugh until your stomach hurt funny, and "War of the Genders" is the best example of that.<br />
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It's no wonder <b>Dodo Cheng </b>won "Best Actress" for her portrayal of Miss Mo. She fully embodied the character, from her sharp tongue, confidence, to her tendency to tell people (usually Ah Lok) to "off." She could be vicious, while still being classy and intelligent.<br />
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Yu Lok Tin could have easily been written off as a lazy, loud-mouthed, and gambling-obsessed loser, but <b>Dayo Wong</b> makes the character someone easily likable despite all his obvious flaws. What sets Dayo apart as an actor is also his ability to inject sentimentality into his characters, and here it is shown through some of his interactions with "Siu Keung" and how he truly treated him as a "brother" (as concerning as it is for a man in his 30s to be treating a cockroach as not only a pet, but his best friend).<br />
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Of course, the essence of "War of the Genders" and the absolute hilarity it brings to its audience is mostly due to Dodo and Dayo together. The bickering couple may be a classic plot device that was established long before 2000 and still used often today, but I am declaring Dodo and Dayo the King and Queen of all bickering onscreen couples.<br />
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Miss Mo and Yu Lok Tin never fail to hurl witty comebacks at each other, and Dodo and Dayo do it with such ease and comedic timing. Their constant verbal jousting made it all the more hilarious the few times Ah Lok was down and not in the mood to talk back, making Miss Mo feel uncomfortable and like something was missing. Their banter was also balanced off with some physical comedy, which resulted in a lot of trips to the hospital and police station in the earlier episodes. While I normally do not like slapstick comedy, I enjoyed the balance of the two styles and I can imagine it just made it more widely appealing to viewers. Dodo and Dayo know how to play off each other like no other comedic costars today.<br />
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The rest of the supporting cast all have their moments. The weakest link is easily <b>Marsha Yuan</b> with her almost painful to hear Cantonese, but I didn't have too much of a problem with the character herself and was even slightly sad to see her leave in the last third of the series, leaving Dayo, Dodo, and <b>Patrick Tang </b>with one less roommate.<br />
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Patrick did quite well in his debut performance and able to hold his own, which is a great feat because he was working alongside the immense talent of costars Dodo and Dayo. His character "Ah Man" was honest and passionate, which made him very likable. I particularly liked his and <b>Kitty Yuen</b>'s platonic friendship, and was disappointed to see them severely sidelined by the second half of the series.<br />
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<b>Kingdom Yuen </b>is actually 2 years younger than Dayo in real life, yet very convincingly plays his and Patrick's aunt and the maternal figure of the law firm with her librarian look. <b>Ram Chiang </b>nails the effeminate mannerisms of James.<br />
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When Dodo, Dayo, Patrick, and Marsha all lived together, there were some great moments where Patrick and Marsha, despite being the younger ones, had to hold back the supposedly more mature Dodo and Dayo from practically killing each other. <b>Wu Fung</b> was probably the only more major supporting character I did not like who I thought did not bring anything special when he moved in. Wu Fung's "Professor Mo" came in, divorced Yuen Yuen, and hastily started another relationship with Kingdom's Sin Jie, who is more age-appropriate than Yuan Yuan, but still the age of his daughter, and was just kind of there.<br />
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At 100 episodes, each of the supporting characters gets their own subplot at some point, while still relying on Dayo and Dodo as the focus of the sitcom. This prevented filler episodes and storylines that are so dominant in TVB's sitcoms today. In fact, I would have preferred a couple more episodes as Dayo and Dodo finally developing feelings towards each other and becoming a couple was a bit too rushed. Since most of the characters only received one storyline of their own, there was still a lot of room for development had the writers decided to extend the sitcom. Whether it was because TVB simply wasn't as greedy then or the cast wasn't interested in tying themselves to one project for too long, the wrapping up of "War of the Genders" at its originally intended 100 episodes allowed it to end on a high note instead of running around in circles until its miserable end.<br />
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Plot-wise, "War of the Genders" never delves into anything too serious, but also never becomes too stupid. Yes, it does get pretty silly and over the top at times, but it's all in good fun and done with heart. The supporting cast delivers, but does not steal the spotlight away from the comedic whirlwind that is Dayo and Dodo. On the second watch, I still find the sitcom absolutely hilarious and one of my favorites, and I'm sure I will continue to do so. It never fails to make me laugh, smile, and just feel good.<br />
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<b>Rating: 4.5 stars</b>Irishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03761963266985932287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5277205963978597549.post-85831208536100147822015-12-25T16:33:00.000-05:002015-12-28T16:38:09.405-05:00"Captain of Destiny" Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I had originally dropped "Captain of Destiny" after five episodes on the first try, but after having a few friends tell me it gets better, I decided to give it another shot. Next thing I knew, I had binge watched the rest in four days.<br />
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After a slow and rough start that makes "Captain" seem like much more of a joke than it really turned out to be, it develops into one of the better and most entertaining series of the year. Unfortunately, by then, most viewers had already tuned out, as evidenced by its low ratings.<br />
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Cast-wise, it is easily understood why people were hesitant and turned off by the decision to cast <b>Grace Chan</b> as the female lead and <b>Tony Hung</b> as the titular "Cheung Po Tsai."<br />
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Grace can get very irritating as "Wong Tai-Mui" with her widening eyes and love for screaming her lines, particularly in the early episodes. She does tone down more as the series goes on and becomes much more bearable as the focus shifts more to <b>Ruco Chan</b>. Do I still think she has potential? Sure, but it was definitely too early for her to receive a lead role. I thought she was quite natural in "Raising the Bar," and although she has a stronger and more assertive character here, her acting seems to have even retrograded a bit. Wong Tai-Mui could still be likable overall, but I especially disliked her whenever she was so quick to think the worst of the 11th prince. I understand having hesitations, but how about not blatantly accusing someone of framing or murdering someone without getting any information first? Aren't you supposed to be a cop?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDgMBReAAxUaXgyqCohlI5M0Jhvto8EeCDXbqZROXaNhhCf0DWrVzE6sfbB6QFsaiEHh6mTKzShVb14bB5VwVKeGUnwnOxJ4CAUFpAMTODFL9xc01CJs2ubzepnaUW8agI6bC2PQumRm4/s1600/tony.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDgMBReAAxUaXgyqCohlI5M0Jhvto8EeCDXbqZROXaNhhCf0DWrVzE6sfbB6QFsaiEHh6mTKzShVb14bB5VwVKeGUnwnOxJ4CAUFpAMTODFL9xc01CJs2ubzepnaUW8agI6bC2PQumRm4/s320/tony.jpg" width="320" /></a>I am genuinely surprised by the criticism Tony received for his performance here, even though the harshest criticism was mostly directed towards Grace. As much as I like Tony as a host and ove<br />
rall person, I had huge concerns for him coming into this series. However, I thoroughly enjoyed him as "Cheung Po Tsai" once we got past the silliness of the first few episodes. Tony was able to use his real-life playfulness and easygoing personality to play the titular character with humor and fun. His emotional scenes are unsurprisingly more raw, but the only scene I felt was particularly weak was one in the later part of the series where he confronts Ruco's character from jail. In the end, I'm not sad that Raymond Wong had to pull out of the series, but happy with the way things turned out for Tony. I'll probably receive some flack for this, but I finished this series thinking he did indeed deserve the Most Improved Actor award.<br />
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Ruco's role was increased to pick up the slack that came with casting less experienced actors such as Grace and Tony, and of course, he once again rises to the challenge. He nails the "stern but kind" role, where he was much more domineering and intimidating in the beginning before softening to become the passionate and intelligent 11th prince we loved. Timing-wise, I did think this was the right year for Ruco to win Best Actor. But even as the huge Ruco fan I am, even I must admit that solely performance-wise, this character was not a challenge for him and did not provide him with new material. I was however slightly surprised by his performance as the Bandit King, "Bowie." He needs to play another one of these baddie characters!<br />
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The rest of the cast performances are a mixed bag. <b>Joel Chan</b> and <b>Mandy Wong</b> may have been third supporting characters who didn't appear until almost halfway through the series, but they were both very entertaining and unpredictable, which is hard to come by with TVB's trite love trian<b>Kelly Fu</b>'s acting is still raw with a lot of room for improvement, but she surprisingly did not ever annoy me much. While she was overly naive and kept accidentally getting into trouble in the beginning, I came to appreciate her and <b>Otto Chan</b>'s loyalty and confidence in Ruco, and how the three really became friends. <b>Maggie Shiu</b> was enjoyable and a reliable supporting actress as usual. <b>Ocean Zhu</b>'s character was just plain weird and could have been eliminated. I ended up being most disappointed by <b>Elaine Yiu</b>'s performance having already known she received the Best Supporting Actress award for it. She would just give her best resting bitch face and say her lines in a catty way, and I stared at the screen wondering "She won an acting award for this?"<br />
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"Captain of Destiny"'s largest problem lies in the disjointedness of its two storylines: the storyline between the pirates, and Ruco's palatial drama. Both have their distinct strengths, as the pirates' provided humor and lightheartedness, while Ruco's storyline balanced it out with more substantial drama. However, it makes the viewer feel like they're watching two completely different series and made for some awkward scene transitions. There could be a very serious scene involving Ruco and his military, and then we would transition into a scene where Grace was being chased around by the pirates in white "ghost" costumes. It is not until around 20 episodes in before Ruco even meets Tony and Grace.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7pqElh1kc9PW_FGP-jOnyD8WamcManyfDB_-gPo12T1RD-VjWPi5P5oAbPCI999GQU1fYohvFrGgfu7ULIbyGN5Z_ONwnrjYch4zAEtNN4DudvAnX5-E1eCR5tY5Rr4gRv__dkqZJy9g/s1600/joel-kelly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7pqElh1kc9PW_FGP-jOnyD8WamcManyfDB_-gPo12T1RD-VjWPi5P5oAbPCI999GQU1fYohvFrGgfu7ULIbyGN5Z_ONwnrjYch4zAEtNN4DudvAnX5-E1eCR5tY5Rr4gRv__dkqZJy9g/s320/joel-kelly.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
Another major problem the series has is its plot holes and sloppy writing, particularly when it came to the romantic storylines. I understand that romance was not the focus on the series nor should it have been, but since the writers decided to include it, they should have done a better job. Grace is shown clearly falling for both Tony and Ruco and mulling over her feelings for the two men, but then all of a sudden shows that she only loves Tony. Ruco is portrayed as heartbroken over Grace, and then all of a sudden expresses an interest in Kelly, who returns the interest. This isn't a messy love triangle. This is just bad writing, and it seems like the writers changed their minds midway through writing the script, but could not have been bothered to go back and make the revisions. With that said, to my genuine surprise, I quite liked Tony and Grace together, as their relationship was allowed to grow from friendship. Any love line involving Ruco though, was thrown together very haphazardly.<br />
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Perhaps the even bigger concern people had going into the series was not the cast, but the CGI effects. Although it could still be obvious what was CGI and what was not, the effects were definitely much better than expected and the battle scene was very well-done. The series may have had many flaws, but the visual effects ended up not being one of them.<br />
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Despite its weaknesses though, "Captain of Destiny" is one of the most entertaining series of the year. It can easily be binge-watched if you just make it past the first few episodes because it has good pacing and still has many elements a solid series should have, including some interesting characters, comedy, drama, a little action, and some romance (as haphazard as it was). With all the mediocre series this year, "Captain" should not be completely written off because of its less-experienced leads and rough beginning. It is still very much a grand production.<br />
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<b>Rating: 3.5 stars</b>Irishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03761963266985932287noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5277205963978597549.post-2015833885477250942015-12-18T21:41:00.001-05:002015-12-18T21:48:33.005-05:00TVB 48th Anniversary Awards: Results + CommentsThis is probably the most entertaining awards show TVB has had in a while. TVB really cheaped out this year by just using their own artists to present all the awards. Surprisingly, this was actually a great move because the banter between the actors was for the most part entertaining. This was probably because all these actors are colleagues and have all worked with each other at some point, so the humor and usual stalling before the announcement of the winner was a lot more natural. In TVB's continued effort to try to prove they are fair, once again, there were no truly shocking winners.<br />
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<b>Most Improved Actor and Actress: Tony Hung and Grace Chan</b><br />
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Although I normally hate when it takes them forever to present an award, the whole bit with the heart rate monitors was a lot of fun, and was my favorite part of the night. The build up to Most Improved Actor was especially fun and gave the audience so many funny and entertaining moments. My favorite moments (the best translations I could provide with my shoddy Cantonese):<br />
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Matt: (on why he chose Katy Kung to come up to the stage) Because she looks pretty tonight, and she normally doesn't.<br />
*Katy gives a fake offended look*<br />
Wong Cho Lam: I demand you to come up here!<br />
Sammy Leung: I demand you to sit down!<br />
WCL: I demand you to come up here and hit him!<br />
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WCL: Don't even need to ask, Jennifer Shum right?<br />
Benjamin: *quietly and politely* Yes, please.<br />
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Priscilla: The most improved actor of the year is...Natalie Tong, the person next to her!<br />
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No surprises at all for either the male or female winner. I really was hoping Tracy or Rosina would win but knew Tracy's chances flew out the window when I realized she couldn't even make it to the ceremony. (Side note: Tracy has recently gone back to school full-time to earn a Master's, so I wouldn't be surprised if she had to miss the ceremony to study for or take finals. So relatable right?) With that said, I'm not about to riot over Grace's win or anything, but I do hope she stops screaming all her lines.<br />
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While I do think Tony's win is also premature, I think it is also worth commending that he has rose up to the challenge for his first two lead roles, both of which he stepped in last minute after the originally casted actors pulled out. This is a huge contrast to actresses such as Aimee Chan and Niki Chow who have almost always had tailor-made roles for them to help cover up their weaknesses. His acceptance speech was probably my favorite of the night and made me happy he won, even if I do think it's still a year too early. He was humble but humorous, and I especially loved when he thanked Ruco, "the brother he loves and hates," and not only thanking, but apologizing to his family and friends for not being able to spend time with them recently because he has been busy working. I'm also happy Priscilla presented the award to him, and in true Priscilla and Tony-style banter, refused to actually say his name.<br />
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<b>Best Supporting Actor and Actress: Wai Ka Hung for "Lord of Shanghai" and Elaine Yiu for "Captain of Destiny"</b><br />
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This came extremely out of the blue for me since I did not watch "Lord of Shanghai," but you know it was definitely a deserving win when Wai Ka Hung got the biggest standing ovation of the night from his colleagues. It makes me happy when actors who have been working tirelessly at TVB for many years (in his case, over 20) earn recognition. I can't help but notice the people who receive the biggest and most wholehearted standing ovations and cheers at the awards are for actors who have been working for a very long time without recognition, such as Ram and Elena in recent years. In contrast, the applause for Grace was very calm and seemed more out of general courtesy. We can all agree that we should be mature and not petty, but it must hurt when you've been working hard for so long while seeing someone else near you have a picture perfect career and raise to the top...<br />
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Elaine is a decent actress who TVB has never really given good opportunities to, so it's a shame when she finally gets promoted and wins this award, it's for a year she underwhelmed and disappointed. All I can say is, I'm glad she didn't win for her screen time-hogging annoying character with the chronic stink-eye in "Raising the Bar." I hope TVB will give her more of a variety of roles instead of the cold, detached characters. I honestly wonder if TVB really wanted to give her this award, or they really couldn't think of anyone else.<br />
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<b>My Favorite Male and Female Characters: Ruco Chan for "Captain of Destiny" and Kristal Tin for "Ghost of Relativity"</b><br />
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When Ruco's name was called, I honestly didn't know whether to feel happy for his win, or disappointed because I knew at that point he had lost the race for Best Actor. You can tell he must have felt conflicted too. He still gave a mature and eloquent speech and I'm sure he is grateful for his fans and for winning his first award, but there was still a visible sadness. But I will focus on the positive side instead and say, I'm so happy Ruco has finally won his first award in Hong Kong. Congratulations Ruco, but you'll always be my favorite. ;)<br />
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Kristal's win was not a surprise, and the fact that she has a "Been there, done that attitude" about Best Actress and was so supportive of her "Ghost" co-star meant she was a much better sport than usual winners of this award instead of giving the infamous "black face." She is definitely the most gifted comedic actress TVB has right now. Though, TVB really doesn't want to give this award to Linda huh?<br />
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<b>Best Actor and Actress: Anthony Wong for "Lord of Shanghai" and Nancy Wu for "Ghost of Relativity"</b><br />
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If Ruco was going to lose Best Actor to anyone, I'm glad it was to a critically-acclaimed actor like Anthony and not a less experienced and unworthy actor. Once again, I did not watch "Lord" so I cannot personally comment. Although after this and Dayo's truly shocking 2013 win, I'm starting to think TVB is taking this whole "Let's prove to the audience we don't play favorites and are fair" a bit too seriously...<br />
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It was obvious Nancy was going to win Best Actress after Kristal won Favorite Character. I'm still a little annoyed she has gotten so much attention for one of her weaker performances. However, the genuinely dazed and shocked reaction Nancy gave before tearing up was truly touching. I also like that she acknowledged that her performance in "Ghost" left a lot of room for improvement. This win also means that Nancy has worked up from winning Most Improved in 2008, to Best Supporting Actress in 2013, to finally Best Actress this year. Is there anyone else who has done this? Now here's to hoping Nancy doesn't fall victim to the "becomes boring after getting promoted to lead actress" curse...<br />
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<b>Best Drama: "Lord of Shanghai"</b><br />
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Deserved. Glad TVB didn't decide to give it to "Captain" or pull a completely BS move and give it to "Ghost."<br />
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<b>Best Classic Drama: "The Greed of Man"</b><br />
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*breathes a sigh of relief TVB didn't give it to "Triumph in the Skies" or pull another BS move by giving it to "Brother's Keeper" to drum up anticipation for the sequel*<br />
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<b>Best Theme Song: Jinny Ng's subtheme for "The Empress of China"</b><br />
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The one BS move TVB decided to make. This category has existed for two years, and Jinny has now won twice. Should we just rename it the Jinny Ng award next year? At least last year's win for the "Line Walker" subtheme made sense, but this was just clear favoritism.<br />
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And just for fun, other moments during the awards show I found noteworthy and funny:<br />
<ul>
<li>Tavia, Nancy, and Sharon presenting Best Supporting Actress and stating how all the winners of this award had to play tragic roles, except for Elena who essentially just got to make out with Kenneth in her winning series.</li>
<li>Kristal seems like such a fun, goofy, and straightforward person and was hilarious when she presented. I loved when she was joking about how she has caused so many good things to happen to all her male co-stars. Also loved when Anthony told her they had actually worked together before, but she said she was so intimidated by him that she blocked it out of her memory. Then she proceeded to yell at him for being so preoccupied with talking to her when it was his acceptance speech.</li>
<li>Ruco and Wayne's banter was much more subtle than the others, but still funny and enjoyable. These two totally need to collaborate (and Wayne in a role where he doesn't just spend the whole time screaming). </li>
<li>When Benz called out Ben, Kenny, and Evergreen, and for not greeting Dodo by calling them his "elders."</li>
<li>Everybody eating fried chicken, some people with gloves. This was obviously some promotional tactic (guessing KFC sponsors TVB), but it was still funny. I wonder if they got the idea from when Ellen ordered pizza at the Oscar's...</li>
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How do you feel about this year's winners? Were there any other moments you enjoyed from the awards show?</div>
Irishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03761963266985932287noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5277205963978597549.post-61928908311335092822015-12-01T17:54:00.000-05:002015-12-06T00:45:20.420-05:00TVB 48th Anniversary Awards: My Predictions and PicksIt's that time of year again! And after employing a friend to hound me to write this post, it's finally done.<br>
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I'll be frank: This year sucked. I had a hard time getting this post done because I couldn't even come up with all my predictions for a while. <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Try as I might, I did end up putting down quite a few "N/A's" because I just couldn't think of any predictions or picks, and didn't want to just put down something random (granted, that's what TVB seemed to do).</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"> It didn't help I only watched 8 series this year because I was just so disinterested in TVB's offerings this year and later became so busy with my semester. But, a tradition is a tradition! Fun fact: This is now the seventh consecutive year I am writing an anniversary awards predictions post! </span><br>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><br></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Click <a href="http://casualtvb.blogspot.com/2015/11/tvb-anniversary-awards-2016-nomination.html">here</a> for the full nominations list.</span></div>
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<b>Best Actor</b><br>
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<b>Top 5:</b> Kevin Cheng, Ruco Chan, Anthony Wong, Wayne Lai, and Kent Tong</div>
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<b>Predicted Winner:</b> Ruco </div>
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<b>Most Deserving:</b> Ruco</div>
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<b>Personal Choice:</b> Ruco </div>
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After being the quiet contender almost every year since "The Other Truth," Ruco has finally emerged as the actor with the most buzz. He has now won Best Actor in Malaysia and Singapore, which is a good indicator he'll finally be able to take the award home in Hong Kong. Unfortunately, I stopped watching "Captain of Destiny" after a few episodes so I can't specifically comment on his performance. Of course, I've only heard great things about it, because after all, it's Ruco. I do wish he had been in a stronger series where he wasn't the one thing making it worthwhile so I had watched it and been more excited, but I may go back and give "Captain" another try during break, or at least watch some of his scenes. </div>
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Anthony has also received considerable buzz, but TVB has nothing to gain from giving him the award. Then again, not that they gained anything by giving Dayo the award 2 years ago. However, Anthony has straightforwardly said he will not film more with TVB just because he wins the award. For once, I want TVB to listen to the business voice in their head. TVB. reward your most valuable asset right now in light of all the siu sangs and fa dans flocking away from your studios like they have the plague and the newer generation being nowhere near ready to take over. </div>
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I wish I was more excited for Ruco right now, but I'm sure I will be once I see my favorite finally standing up at the podium giving a lovely acceptance speech. :) Don't let me down (for the 989,482th time), TVB!</div>
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<div>
<b>Best Actress</b><br>
<b><br></b></div>
<div>
<b>Top 5:</b> Liza Wang, Linda Chung, Kristal Tin, Nancy Wu, and Alice Chan</div>
<div>
<b>Predicted Winner:</b> Liza</div>
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<b>Most Deserving:</b> N/A</div>
<div>
<b>Personal Choice: </b>N/A</div>
<div>
<br></div>
<div>
I'm hoping that if I put Liza down as my prediction, it'll come true instead of Kristal or Nancy winning. After the joke that was Kristal and Nancy both winning Best Actress in Malaysia, who knows what will go down that night though. Although it sounds like Liza did not have an exceptional or breakthrough performance in "Limelight Years," I'd much rather her win for yet another consistent performance in a little-watched but generally well-received and modest "Limelight Years" then Kristal for a consistent performance for the silliness that was "Ghost of Relativity." Nancy is an even worse choice. I love Nancy and think she is a wonderful actress, but this was weaker than her typical performance. Her character did not give her much to work with. Kristal at least was able to display more comedic talent. Unfortunately, Nancy probably has the largest chance just on the grounds she's yet to receive the award. Overall, no female delivered a mind-blowing (or even somewhat fresh and above lukewarm, really) leading performance this year.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilGHKmaPO0nd4EHvqhOasBjNu5jPUHBEHCTnC0W0AOZpnnq5UvnvePyUFCcTHiJup368uztblDcAfDIhDQsEFZBrgl-je3CEzZ-Nq9AvBonMCSCDuFkDvj8Yf2SgFqYauBG7ZcVCSHiac/s1600/tony.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilGHKmaPO0nd4EHvqhOasBjNu5jPUHBEHCTnC0W0AOZpnnq5UvnvePyUFCcTHiJup368uztblDcAfDIhDQsEFZBrgl-je3CEzZ-Nq9AvBonMCSCDuFkDvj8Yf2SgFqYauBG7ZcVCSHiac/s400/tony.jpg" width="400"></a></div>
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<div>
<b>My Favorite Male Character</b><br>
<b><br></b></div>
<div>
<div>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Top 5: </b>Kevin Cheung, Louis Cheung, Ruco Chan, Tony Hung, and Anthony Wong</span></div>
<div>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Predicted Winner:</b> Tony</span></div>
<div>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Most Deserving:</b> Ruco</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Personal Choice: </b>Vincent Wong</span></div>
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<div>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Snub: </b>Johnson Lee for "Officer Geomancer"</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div>
<div>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">If Ruco wins Best Actor, he may either be yet another person to pull a double win, or Tony will receive the award. Either is fine by me, but I think it will be Tony's titular "Cheung Po Tsai" since the favorite character awards are still half determined by TVB's call and half by fan votes. I really did not watch many series this year but if I had to pick a favorite male character, it'd probably be Vincent in "Brick Slaves" because he was a comical, sweet, nice, and caring guy, but still knew to set limits to his niceness and when to put his foot down. </span><br>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">If Oscar managed to get nominated for yet another repetitive loud-mouthed and gangster-like role though, Johnson totally should've been able to grab a nomination for the same series as well. </span><br>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>My Favorite Female Character</b></span><br>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b><br></b></span></div>
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<div>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Top 5:</b> Grace Chan, Kristal Tin, Nancy Wu, Liza Wang, Linda Chung</span></div>
<div>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Predicted Winner:</b> Grace</span></div>
<div>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Most Deserving:</b> N/A</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Personal Choice: </b>Priscilla Wong</span></div>
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<div>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Wtf?</b> Vivien Yeo</span><br>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">My money's on Grace though the overall response to her character (though more specifically Grace's performance) has been negative. Priscilla's character in "Madam Cutie on Duty" was probably my favorite of the year because she actually made me laugh (and not in a "she's so stupid" way). She was sassy, fun, and her initial mocking of housewives to only realize she was slowly morphing into one herself and learning to appreciate them was very entertaining. But uh...what is Vivien's "Ghost of Relativity" character doing here? Why is this stupid series getting so many nominations??</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDjrbCxyT1VNxmvlT2S7c_v2knRKKSDjcdo3HzJBJoHEPT8nM4_DspGlIlwOqF4ETgA7uzZb25rj_yUdDkSgP1BI1d8Yd_Ht66yW_s8kC4kVYHJJPfKzyQ_KPCRZxR1LkvfG3_smKR1DU/s1600/joel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDjrbCxyT1VNxmvlT2S7c_v2knRKKSDjcdo3HzJBJoHEPT8nM4_DspGlIlwOqF4ETgA7uzZb25rj_yUdDkSgP1BI1d8Yd_Ht66yW_s8kC4kVYHJJPfKzyQ_KPCRZxR1LkvfG3_smKR1DU/s400/joel.jpg" width="400"></a></div>
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<div>
<b>Best Supporting Actor</b><br>
<b><br></b></div>
<div>
<div>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Predicted Winner: </b>Joel Chan </span></div>
<div>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Most Deserving: </b>Joel</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Personal Choice: </b>N/A</span><br>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Snub: </b>Geoffrey Wong for "Come Home Love"</span><br>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This category was disappointing for me because the supporting actor category, for as long as I can remember, has always been very tight. Even if there weren't many exceptional performances, there were many solid choices. And yet this year's list looks haphazardly thrown together. Quite a few of these actors are nominated for minor supporting roles. Again, I haven't watched enough series to make my own choice and none of the series I've seen possessed any award-worthy supporting performances. I'm going to go with Joel for my prediction since I have heard good things about his character and performance there and have previously thought he's a pretty decent actor too. I'm not sure what TVB thinks of him or if they have intentions to further promote him, but if they do, this would be a good chance. </span><br>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I guess TVB didn't want to nominate any more actors from "Come Home Love" since the indirect sequel is currently airing, but that still doesn't make sense to me since the original didn't finish airing until the midway through the year. Since this list seems to have so many fillers anyway, I would've liked to see Geoffrey Wong be nominated for portraying "Damon" in the sitcom, as the actor never fails to make me laugh and is one of my favorites to watch. To the best of my memory, Lau Dan and Griselda Yeung were the only ones ever nominated. </span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Best Supporting Actress </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span></b><br>
<b><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></b></div>
<div>
<div>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Predicted Winner: </b>N/A</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Most Deserving:</b> N/A</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Personal Choice:</b> N/A</span></div>
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<div>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Wtf? </b>Elena</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Snub:</b> Rosina Lam (Lin Xia Wei) </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div>
<div>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This is definitely the weakest category this year, which resulted in my sad (lack of) predictions and choices here. All of these actresses either gave weak or ordinary performances, or are otherwise likable actresses nominated for very small and irritating roles (ahem, Vivien and Celine). </span></div>
<div>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div>
<div>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I don't even have Elena to fall back on again this year because she's nominated for a guest role in "Raising the Bar." For a good minute I couldn't even remember her being in the series. She was not a notable guest star, she was just a judge that was friends with Ben, Ram, Timothy who maybe what, had 3 or 4 casual conversations with them? </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div>
<div>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I did not watch "Momentary Lapse in Reason," but I had pegged Rosina as a strong contender for this award months ago after being surprised by all the praise about her performance and how she was more impressive than Tavia (though, that's not saying much these days due to her boring characters). And then the nominations list came out and she was nominated for Best Actress instead. I don't understand how TVB categories people sometimes. </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">So thanks TVB, for taking away the one damn prediction I had for this category. I surrender. I've got absolutely nothing, which is why there's a big fat question mark instead of a picture here. I just hope Elaine Yiu does not take home the award.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFaOgh2gUzL3tLqisoSPZxWaOF6ksJGPY0vIR5riEc2lcumxagxJmhg8IKTh01WZwcHvXQ1xsPgGv1_et-Ud7OxViXbuPCm8iAP8V6ymnm2w6fbUz26l8wBu5mUfNEy7FKHOG_mskrByM/s1600/tony_eye.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFaOgh2gUzL3tLqisoSPZxWaOF6ksJGPY0vIR5riEc2lcumxagxJmhg8IKTh01WZwcHvXQ1xsPgGv1_et-Ud7OxViXbuPCm8iAP8V6ymnm2w6fbUz26l8wBu5mUfNEy7FKHOG_mskrByM/s400/tony_eye.jpg" width="400"></a></div>
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<div>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Most Improved Actor</b></span></div>
<div>
<div>
<br></div>
<div>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Predicted Winner: </b>Tony Hung</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Most Deserving:</b> Matt Yeung</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Personal Choice: </b>Matt</span></div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Snub: </b>Lai Lok Yi</span><br>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">It's good to still see pretty decent competition in both Most Improved categories. With the exposure he's received this year and a high-profile role and series under his belt, it's hard seeing this award go to anyone besides Tony. I've liked Tony since his debut last year and will not mind if he wins, but do feel like solely acting wise, it's too premature and I would ideally prefer him to win next year. However, my gut tells me Tony will be winning this year, and Benjamin Yuen the next year (Yes, I already have a prediction for next year). </span><br>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span>
Matt has steadily improved over the years to become a solid actor. He has been nominated for this award several times over the last few years and always been a strong but unfortunately quiet contender. Similar to Vincent before his win two years ago, there has always been someone generating more noise than Matt. Last year it was Louis, and this year it's Tony, though I do think he stands a better chance this year. Even if he doesn't win, which is likely, I do hope TVB continues to promote Matt more instead of sticking him with the cheating boyfriend roles.<br>
<br>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Lai Lok Yi's acting has vastly improved just portraying "John Ma" over the course of "Come Home Love's" three year run. I remember him being quite unnatural in the character and coming off like he was trying too hard, but by middle of the impossibly long sitcom, Lok Yi really became John Ma to me. It disappoints me that of the three chances he had to be nominated for this award over CHL's run, TVB still passed up the last chance. The real test for him now though, is how he will fare playing different characters...</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdXeahSPtNrsBdMXcK4a1RIudiONWti97E7poBt8b8f14egnXFnjHzU0zWv8GjFomUBhz0KFQ3_2lcOw9GObFNBU30aj8x9RKPpF1L2F3h6iRCoGfRr1IkTh1pPoqmRHyIz8pRmDQfA_k/s1600/tracy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdXeahSPtNrsBdMXcK4a1RIudiONWti97E7poBt8b8f14egnXFnjHzU0zWv8GjFomUBhz0KFQ3_2lcOw9GObFNBU30aj8x9RKPpF1L2F3h6iRCoGfRr1IkTh1pPoqmRHyIz8pRmDQfA_k/s400/tracy.jpg" width="400"></a></div>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span>
<b style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Most Improved Actress</b></div>
<div>
<div>
<br></div>
<div>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Predicted Winner:</b> Tracy Chu</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Most Deserving: </b>Rosina Lam </span></div>
<div>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Personal Choice: </b>Tracy</span></div>
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<div>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">TVB probably favors Grace more and at the very least, giving this award to her this year makes more sense than last year when she first debuted. </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">With how dead set they are on promoting Grace, I wouldn't be surprised if she won. I won't be extremely pleased though because I was not impressed with Grace's acting in what I saw of "Captain," and it was obvious she is not ready to be a lead actress yet. </span><br>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I also wouldn't be surprised (and would be extremely relieved) if the award went to Rosina or Tracy. I'm going to go out on a bit of a limb here and go with my gut by saying I think Tracy will get it. She won in both Singapore and Malaysia. I can't personally comment on Rosina's performance, but will take people's word for it that she gave a breakthrough performance. In which case, it would be a shame to see her go home empty handed. I'm still personally rooting for Tracy though, who absolutely lit up the screen in "The Fixer" in the second half of the series with her upbeat energy and charm as "Duck Duck."</span><br>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Best Series</b></span><br>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b><br></b></span></div>
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<div>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Top 5:</b> "Captain of Destiny," "Lord of Shanghai," "Ghost of Relativity," "Eye in the Sky," "Raising the Bar"</span></div>
<div>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Predicted Winner:</b> "Captain of Destiny"</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Most Deserving: </b>N/A</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Personal Choice: </b>N/A</span><br>
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I don't think TVB does a top 5 for Best Series anymore, but I'll go for it anyway. In an otherwise very quiet year where some of the anniversary series managed to finish airing with next to no media attention, it can't be denied "Captain of Destiny" was the most buzzed about series, even if it was mostly criticism. Perhaps TVB may also go the critically acclaimed route instead and give it to "Lord of Shanghai." "Ghost of Relativity" had the highest ratings and for whatever reason was very popular, so it's almost guaranteed a top 5 slot as well. "Eye in the Sky" also garnered a moderate amount of buzz, if not just for Kevin and Ruco. To round out the top 5, I picked "Raising the Bar" simply because I recall it receiving more attention, particularly for the titular four females, when it aired despite it having an early time slot. I don't have a favorite series this year though, or even one I think I clearly enjoyed above the others.</div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Most Popular Series Song</b></span><br>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Top 3:</b> </span>Alfred Hui and Hubert Wu's theme for "Eye in the Sky," <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Fred Cheng's theme for "Captain of Destiny," and Joey Yung's theme for "The Empress of China"</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Predicted Winner: </b>Fred's theme for "Captain of Destiny"</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Most Deserving: </b>Alfred and Hubert's theme for "Eye in the Sky"</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Personal Choice: </b>Stephanie Ho's theme song for "Raising the Bar"</span><br>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">As far as I know, I believe the three I listed were the most popular theme songs of the year, but the winner isn't as obvious this year as it was last year. Which is a good thing, because that means no songs were looped over and over again on end! Looking at you, "Line Walker." I personally prefer Alfred and Hubert's theme for "Eye" over Fred's as it was a dynamic duet fitting for the series' more suspenseful genre. However, my overall personal favorite was Stephanie's theme for "Raising the Bar" because it was so fun, catchy, and happy, and most of all it was reminiscent of older lighthearted TVB series. The nostalgia factor was on high for that song, or at least it was for me.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Most Popular Classic Series</b></span><br>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><b>Predicted Winner:</b> "Triumph in the Skies"</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Most Deserving:</b> "The Greed of Man"</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Personal Choice: </b>"War of the Genders"</span><br>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">How did TVB come up with these nominations? Why are "Brother's Keeper" and "Lives of Omission" here? This category already seems like BS, which probably means the oh so overrated "Triumph" will win, though it should definitely be the prolific "The Greed of Man." I'll always have a soft spot for "War of the Genders" though!</span><br>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">So what are everyone else's predictions and personal choices? How many series did everyone even manage to finish this year? Please feel free to comment and discuss!</span></div>
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Irishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03761963266985932287noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5277205963978597549.post-50855987487934899952015-09-08T22:10:00.001-04:002015-09-08T22:10:47.871-04:00"The Fixer" Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMbPEcfcgkKpYctcSpVjE9zmRrW34f2_sYxvB6NsHZZ5amDXaBZdnOGN9jO_x7JdbVZRIQ32zNTGicjoiclZxPBtDxPGq-xHqME_eMXL9wwuyxW-PePEZhLdh45zy-44bPKq-u2NBctjs/s1600/TheFixerTVBDrama.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMbPEcfcgkKpYctcSpVjE9zmRrW34f2_sYxvB6NsHZZ5amDXaBZdnOGN9jO_x7JdbVZRIQ32zNTGicjoiclZxPBtDxPGq-xHqME_eMXL9wwuyxW-PePEZhLdh45zy-44bPKq-u2NBctjs/s400/TheFixerTVBDrama.jpg" width="268" /></a></div>
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My feelings toward "The Fixer" can best be summed up as ambivalent. "The Fixer" starts off with probably one of the most promising premises so far this year, but greatly suffers from poor direction and pacing.<br />
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I went into the series thinking it'd be reminiscent of "Catch Me Now," one of my all-time favorites, with its gray characters, refreshing ensemble, and blend of action and comedy. I was quickly disappointed because the team here is a far cry from the Robin Hood-like gang of "Catch Me Now," who do good deeds albeit through illegal or questionable means. Although <b>Chin Ka Lok</b>'s team does not simply accept money from anyone who needs their help, his monologue in the finale saying that he had come to the realization he had not been helping people solve problems all this time, but helping them to avoid responsibility, rings very true.<br />
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Although this made me not actively root for the team as much, I was able to put these misguided expectations aside after a few episodes and instead find its real problems elsewhere.<br />
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"The Fixer" had great potential to be an entertaining and compelling action drama, but mostly fails in its first half by being roughly 75% draggy family drama and with maybe a 25% focus on the problem solving. I normally like or am indifferent to <b>Gigi Wong</b>, but her character here is a waste of screen time. This is not the actress' fault, but the scriptwriters for dragging her arc out so long and making the huge mistake of focusing on her and the brother's estrangement. Although I cannot say I know much about Alzheimer's, it drove me up the wall and just seemed too convenient that Gigi could recognize her <i>youngest </i>child as a grown up, married woman, yet thought her middle son was a child still in elementary school.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjavH8HzKQIiddh3SDv1jlA2a8zL4ErJQzhWtMQfzi8vGxWcDLY9BGJF-SlJppgtJuvyKadCpvnoUjq2MbAmVJtaKBRWjE0J3FOE6pan22LF-OX247fAJ37g2ym8kFbXXvzw0xxhvc404c/s1600/tracy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjavH8HzKQIiddh3SDv1jlA2a8zL4ErJQzhWtMQfzi8vGxWcDLY9BGJF-SlJppgtJuvyKadCpvnoUjq2MbAmVJtaKBRWjE0J3FOE6pan22LF-OX247fAJ37g2ym8kFbXXvzw0xxhvc404c/s320/tracy.jpg" width="320" /></a>The series picks up after <b>Tracy Chu</b>'s character makes her entrance and completes the team. It gradually eases off of Gigi, and in the last five or so episodes it's all a whirlwind of major events. Throughout the series, I was either slouching in my chair bored from the family drama, or staring at the screen trying to process all that was happening. In the end, this is my biggest complaint. The writers spent half the series going in the wrong direction with trite flashbacks and sob stories and offering us minimal insight into the characters (other than Chin Ka Lok and <b>Benjamin Yuen</b>'s).<br />
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While it does not boast any big names, "The Fixer" does benefit from a fun and unlikely ensemble.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2f6ebqT5JQSp3eOanVGTflvgW1sNFqLSp0dtArfex4iI4z5JNQW4OG2_B5AJjYNf01MfvUknBK_kVHc4l3aysi1JkQ1rmjwInr3U4BS0PR0cMi10PAQuRKHde7dQn0kVU8sAZ7JAfpMU/s1600/CKL-Mandy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2f6ebqT5JQSp3eOanVGTflvgW1sNFqLSp0dtArfex4iI4z5JNQW4OG2_B5AJjYNf01MfvUknBK_kVHc4l3aysi1JkQ1rmjwInr3U4BS0PR0cMi10PAQuRKHde7dQn0kVU8sAZ7JAfpMU/s320/CKL-Mandy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Unfortunately, the series was unable to utilize it more. Chin Ka Lok and <b>Mandy Wong</b> are given the meaty characters with a past, and Tracy and <b>Timmy Hung </b>are mostly relegated to being responsible for comic relief, and we never get to learn too much about them. This is a shame, because although Mandy is a solid actress as usual, her character simply wasn't compelling as the female lead despite her dark past since she spent the majority of her time looking cool and detached.<br />
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However, she and Chin Ka Lok surprisingly pulled off chemistry despite the age difference and physical incompatibility. Whether it was their intimate moments or just subtle body language with each other, they appeared very at ease and natural together. Although I am still not a fan of these onscreen pairings with significant age differences, in this situation it worked just fine because both Mandy and Chin Ka Lok are capable actors, while in other pairings there is always a weak link (typically the newbie female who has to be perched up by an experienced actor).<br />
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This is the first time I've seen Tracy, and I must say, she has probably already become my favorite newer actress and I hope TVB continues to promote her. From her first scene, she lights up the screen and is very lively, a welcome contrast to Mandy's character. There were several times I actually became annoyed with "Duck Duck," particularly whenever she disrespected Benjamin by being rude or just plain childish, but overall she was a lot of fun. Tracy is natural, possesses charisma and affability, and did well with all the physical comedy she was given, something that puts her at an advantage over many other TVB actresses. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4yAdBh5z6XMM8aaNU0esJ9TKIq4SpsLqcDEGGggQcwiFxvGmWnTSGopaQ71ymWXuIbqrFu9B7KUA8z3YDr8iEFjFkMbDq2sHctAIrOz4v9rzLK7buZxzcaNPFkAldrrthtzhOIZI1kyU/s1600/timmy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4yAdBh5z6XMM8aaNU0esJ9TKIq4SpsLqcDEGGggQcwiFxvGmWnTSGopaQ71ymWXuIbqrFu9B7KUA8z3YDr8iEFjFkMbDq2sHctAIrOz4v9rzLK7buZxzcaNPFkAldrrthtzhOIZI1kyU/s320/timmy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I've always been confused by Timmy's place in TVB, as he seems to just film series whenever he feels like it. With that said, I always enjoy him whenever he does pop up because he seems like such a fun and easy going guy, and this vibe usually transfers onscreen to his typically comical characters, as it did here. He and Tracy certainly fulfilled the task of providing comic relief, both individually and together.<br />
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Benjamin is an actor who I've always found affable but can also be unreliable. He tends to cross the fine line between portraying a serious and aloof character well and being wooden. He fares much better here, where we get to see two different sides of him: the "stone face" sergeant, and the warm, dorky side he only reveals to his mom and <b>Rebecca Zhu</b>. He is adequate in his work scenes, but very endearing and entertaining in these warmer scenes where he actually gets to crack a smile. My favorite scene is when he texts Rebecca, intently stares at his phone until she replies, then is so excited when she replies that his phone falls out of his hands when he tries to pick it up.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAZqWfpYRD_Yk6RFy6qY8DB3CWLL7_LW-5c7jJQr_4ov531_1SIiVQW6fcYhS25JXeTzHwM9nLMLVnB23yFmVvSJ-3tEIrUGhptvjluZKUDZyj-SUsA2KntfaBG8fjW_YLtZhpEAkXxxA/s1600/benjamin-rebecca.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAZqWfpYRD_Yk6RFy6qY8DB3CWLL7_LW-5c7jJQr_4ov531_1SIiVQW6fcYhS25JXeTzHwM9nLMLVnB23yFmVvSJ-3tEIrUGhptvjluZKUDZyj-SUsA2KntfaBG8fjW_YLtZhpEAkXxxA/s320/benjamin-rebecca.jpg" width="320" /></a>There are some TVB actresses who look the part and can portray a police madam very well, and then there are those who just look like they're trying too hard. Rebecca is definitely not Linda in "Tiger Cubs 2" bad, but in her first appearance she comes off incredibly forced in her attempt to act professional and dominating. Her performance becomes much better as her character starts to befriend her subordinates, and as a result does not have to look so intimidating. Although I've always been indifferent to Rebecca, I loved her scenes with Benjamin. The two were just so sweet and dorky together.<br />
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<b>Overall</b><br />
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There was great potential and the cast ensemble is a pretty refreshing one to watch. Yet, this potential does not get fulfilled and instead we got very inconsistent pacing and one bumpy ride. The series virtually wastes half the episodes it was allotted by making the dumb decision to focus on Chin Ka Lok and Benjamin's estranged relationship and Gigi's Alzheimer's. Even the cases themselves were not too interesting. There were just so many problems with the direction (or rather, directions) the script writers took. And yet, there were also many entertaining moments. "The Fixer" ultimately is not a series without its strengths, but has many more flaws that could have been avoided. However, in some ways, it is still much better than many of the other series this year. As a result, I am left still feeling ambivalent instead of mostly positive or negative towards it.<br />
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<b>Rating: 3 stars</b><br />
<br />Irishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03761963266985932287noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5277205963978597549.post-47165550142169705592015-08-12T15:47:00.002-04:002015-08-12T15:47:34.543-04:00"Ghost of Relativity" Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicxn4CROMLCX8t5pIEgcOhJS3RgL6q9PjHylzMxGESEXlQu_oCGLzN7ABUM56wjc7rPRbkacnblpZUFeuuenID_aHUu8QdvKMo3kqDk_cBBX0QcghlbMPdFIkBjJCIf9o0jfN8Cbmm5s8/s1600/ghost.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicxn4CROMLCX8t5pIEgcOhJS3RgL6q9PjHylzMxGESEXlQu_oCGLzN7ABUM56wjc7rPRbkacnblpZUFeuuenID_aHUu8QdvKMo3kqDk_cBBX0QcghlbMPdFIkBjJCIf9o0jfN8Cbmm5s8/s400/ghost.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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Although "Ghost of Relativity" is appropriately paced, it also felt aimless at the same time and I was left not quite knowing what exactly went on to fill up 28 episodes. <br />
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Female leads<b> Kristal Tin</b> and <b>Nancy Wu</b> are the driving force of the series, generating consistent laughs and enjoyable entertainment. They are the saving grace in an otherwise incredibly poor ensemble. They work well together and are a very fun duo to watch, especially in the earlier episodes when Kristal has to repeat everything Nancy says. Combined with people not being able to see Nancy, there were many moments of hilarity that ensued from their interactions.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpJSFa9tEZLO5KI0QjKtFWHCVrUMxemwK2lT-60MyGgxW3IyfHFzI2UwAdf-lm_x-WPk47fo8Qzfc24xxsJRrRxGAJrPwh0mOniOwNpEawI_QgDFGqgJA6tw_s6O-Zf6kDvjaepvY6nZQ/s1600/kristal-nancy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpJSFa9tEZLO5KI0QjKtFWHCVrUMxemwK2lT-60MyGgxW3IyfHFzI2UwAdf-lm_x-WPk47fo8Qzfc24xxsJRrRxGAJrPwh0mOniOwNpEawI_QgDFGqgJA6tw_s6O-Zf6kDvjaepvY6nZQ/s320/kristal-nancy.jpg" width="320" /></a>Kristal is probably one of TVB's best comedic leading actresses because she is much more loose and fluid compared to her peers, making her acting and comedic moments very natural. Nancy in contrast plays the uptight and professional Gin well, to no surprise.<br />
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However, besides the two leading ladies, "Ghost" has nothing else to offer. The cast does have some good supporting actors such as <b>Ngo Ka Nin</b> and <b>Raymond Chiu</b>, but with such unlikable and irritating characters it just didn't matter, especially in the former's case. I much prefer <b>Vivien Yeo </b>playing cool and aloof characters in action series than doing whatever it was she was doing here. She succeeds in being an annoying seductress, but that doesn't make her entertaining to watch. Male lead <b>Moses Chan</b> has little to do and plays an awkward and geeky character that fails to be funny or interesting.<br />
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Watching the employees at the GSZ firm was beyond irritating, from the incompetent HR department to the air headed sales department, as they never got any work done. Gossiping was their real full-time job! Also, why does an architecture firm only have one licensed architect? And given that Moses' "The tilt that never falls" project had been delayed time and time again, how did the firm not go bankrupt? Perhaps the intention was for "Ghost of Relativity" to be an office comedy with a supernatural twist, but it failed because I wanted to forward any scenes that did not involve Kristal or Nancy (and often did). The episodes where the entire firm is scared out of their minds with the prospect of there being a ghost in the office were the most lame and hard to watch.<br />
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By the last few episodes, the main story line starts to become less fun to watch as well due to Nancy's character becoming more spiteful, constantly calling Kristal cheap, and writing off Kristal's genuine feelings for Moses. She does realize she has misunderstood Kristal and redeems herself in the end by finally letting go.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPf7F12cXPgws2pvKg2ys0aCCnQbHyRoBJo2knclOVphVVYvhZBMYaRuei8DteII2-ihLYBNVhsPPv8fbb6OApfxB2z1ZmTXmg-bL26Qbk-UkzilGjPuu_tNO2vSIZe0IBbM6r1e9F0Uc/s1600/kristal-nancy2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPf7F12cXPgws2pvKg2ys0aCCnQbHyRoBJo2knclOVphVVYvhZBMYaRuei8DteII2-ihLYBNVhsPPv8fbb6OApfxB2z1ZmTXmg-bL26Qbk-UkzilGjPuu_tNO2vSIZe0IBbM6r1e9F0Uc/s320/kristal-nancy2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kristal and Nancy are looking over the horizon to see if there are any better TVB series in sight.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Overall</b><br />
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There are laugh out loud moments throughout the whole series, but they are almost exclusively provided by Kristal and Nancy. Everything else was lame or unfunny. Fans of the two leading ladies will enjoy their scenes, but other than that, it's forgettable and not worth the time unless you have too much of it on your hands or have your mouse cursor always hovering over the forward button. "Ghost of Relativity" may feel refreshing initially since it was the first TVB production to air in a while, but if you look at it objectively, it is still another sub par series.<br />
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<b>Rating: 2 stars</b></div>
Irishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03761963266985932287noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5277205963978597549.post-32686809850583333702015-08-07T14:08:00.000-04:002015-08-07T14:10:13.442-04:00"Master of Destiny" Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbYe0TnGpPjfuWPsfwheXTxJ37Q03lWH_2kAOsyrFFLoGJBJgdaxDGGNiTLXBtHj7vke79a6yByd4tAzKdQWB81SsNPkhPE8vIuBbcU1_kUSJ9C8xeLprZJzj4TGxA8owoDBal5FNeWyI/s1600/masterposter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbYe0TnGpPjfuWPsfwheXTxJ37Q03lWH_2kAOsyrFFLoGJBJgdaxDGGNiTLXBtHj7vke79a6yByd4tAzKdQWB81SsNPkhPE8vIuBbcU1_kUSJ9C8xeLprZJzj4TGxA8owoDBal5FNeWyI/s400/masterposter.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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Why I started this series and managed to get through half of it can be chocked up to "I have too much time right now." By the time I got midway through, the series did get more juicy with Hawick's prison story line, so I thought "Eh, might as well finish it." Clearly, I should've used up my time watching something else. Wong Jing may have some iconic Hong Kong films under his belt, but he has either lost his touch, or just does not know how to write for television anymore.<br />
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First off, I'd like to say that I do not mind a mixture of Hong Kong and mainland China actors. There is a loss of familiarity, but just the idea of casting both does not bother me. Unfortunately, the mainland actors cast in this series ranged from adequate at best to cringe worthy at worst, and the poor dubbing further ruins everyone's performances.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3pauVB45Sa5c5IeumqFquraPkdNYxmSNbNc7bFaDyb3RqRawUrk9a99hOaQ7Gzx1rGnIji7ufX5YpWQGH_q8Co7kEYs9qCChTvfOVKDua3O9oRUSfBti3HtUoTOpZKi0OH2la3b1CqPI/s1600/edwin+kimmy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3pauVB45Sa5c5IeumqFquraPkdNYxmSNbNc7bFaDyb3RqRawUrk9a99hOaQ7Gzx1rGnIji7ufX5YpWQGH_q8Co7kEYs9qCChTvfOVKDua3O9oRUSfBti3HtUoTOpZKi0OH2la3b1CqPI/s320/edwin+kimmy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<b>Natalie Meng</b> benefits from being the main source of comedic relief in an otherwise incredibly soapy series. Her (or the dubber)'s voice can be irritating and babyish, and she is beyond annoying in the beginning before marrying Edwin's character. However, I liked Lai Yiu Fa's bluntness in the later episodes. With all the family drama and scheming, it was refreshing to see someone just saying it like it is. She's also the only one to have any decent chemistry with her male costar since both were portraying more playful characters.<br />
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Other than poor acting, the rest of the female characters, other than <b>Liza</b>'s, are written to be unlikable or sloppily written.<br />
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<b>Zhao Xiaolu</b> is probably the least offensive of the mainland actresses and quite pretty and sweet as "Suk Han," but has barely anything to do besides hopelessly pine for<b> Kenny Wong</b>'s Cho Chi Wang. <b>Kimmy Tong</b> is irritating to watch as Cho Hau Yee, who also spends her time pining over one of the Cho brothers. <b>Michelle Hu</b> as "Poon Siu Kei" probably has the meatiest female character and managed to even become someone worth sympathizing for after an unpleasant entrance into the series, but is abruptly sent to prison later and not seen again until the finale. Don't even get me started on <b>Monica Mok</b>'s villain character "Song Chi Wah," who spends the whole series plotting to take over Xin Han Li only to suddenly drop it all and redeem herself.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb8HsU646NewGzZPrHf372TXV7x9NJVYekhZBfHoaoEYPxRe7fQ3lxfIwA8uDXCdIkXxSWAHXANDTpSTPSOIMevM9pR99d3qz2g83Roa5hsSSzJo2wYJHmxtaO8k9aFvjfM4qJ8qWt8bU/s1600/hawick.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb8HsU646NewGzZPrHf372TXV7x9NJVYekhZBfHoaoEYPxRe7fQ3lxfIwA8uDXCdIkXxSWAHXANDTpSTPSOIMevM9pR99d3qz2g83Roa5hsSSzJo2wYJHmxtaO8k9aFvjfM4qJ8qWt8bU/s320/hawick.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Knowing <b>Hawick Lau</b> is a well-known leading actor in mainland China, I was disappointed and expected more from him. Hawick isn't terrible, but he's by no means great, and it looks like the Botox he's received makes it hard for him to emote at times. While he is certainly more interesting to watch as "Cho Chi Yuen" when he becomes manipulative and harsh, he mostly makes the same cold and aloof facial expressions.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2EO3NsrnpcKX7E-V9Dd42I020oubv-qwJ_HP7zFu64MJJITrW5cEfbvU0imGDYNGlt31UtpCg0rtMdn4S3NBABUpP4E8tB9G2hNzfecbdb9Gc3dKOXW1ay7QxKd8fS_uORn0DP1He_MU/s1600/kenny.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2EO3NsrnpcKX7E-V9Dd42I020oubv-qwJ_HP7zFu64MJJITrW5cEfbvU0imGDYNGlt31UtpCg0rtMdn4S3NBABUpP4E8tB9G2hNzfecbdb9Gc3dKOXW1ay7QxKd8fS_uORn0DP1He_MU/s320/kenny.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<b>Kenny Wong</b> is also mostly uninteresting and at times wooden as Chi Wang, but even further weighed down by a poorly written character. Chi Wang is the most likable brother in the first few episodes, being the most responsible and levelheaded. However, he quickly becomes the stupidest, falling under the spell of Song Chi Wah. What annoys me most is he is portrayed as an overall good and conscientious guy, yet seems to not be bothered one bit that he is obviously cheating on his wife. Kenny's acting may not be anything special, but it is the wishy-washy writing of Chi Wang that presents the most issues.<br />
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<b>Edwin Siu</b> delivers the strongest and most natural performance of the brothers, but unfortunately also has the least to do and the least screen time. At this point, the guy can portray these useless, lazy, and talkative characters in his sleep, so can we please give him a new challenge?<br />
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<b>Angie Chiu</b>'s character was unnecessary and did not culminate into anything major, turning out to just be a recurring guest star. There was little screen time and acting challenge for her, which made me wonder if Angie only agreed to take part in the series to just have some fun acting again and collect a paycheck.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZR6_PBPRdwJ28Xwi8A9uSZh_ttWgDeVsOAXw56bc08OcojZkGRDRmG3j2sHoJDKPXeseeyPM2OUjnOsjO8Jq1XLfpnsefxZCP0clMSaBPVCxeNGn6Byyo15ZUF34lB7HMCFmreGbQlAs/s1600/liza.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZR6_PBPRdwJ28Xwi8A9uSZh_ttWgDeVsOAXw56bc08OcojZkGRDRmG3j2sHoJDKPXeseeyPM2OUjnOsjO8Jq1XLfpnsefxZCP0clMSaBPVCxeNGn6Byyo15ZUF34lB7HMCFmreGbQlAs/s320/liza.jpg" width="320" /></a>In an otherwise poorly acted series, <b>Liza Wang</b> actually offers a performance different from her others. There's still snippets of the sassiness she is known for, although much more subtle, but overall Kwan Yeuk Nam is a much more serious character who is smart and strong without being neither too calculating or too nice. Liza did very well with her dramatic scenes.<br />
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The plot is full of cliched and soapy story lines, but to a certain extent this makes it occasionally funny (albeit in an unintended way) and fun to poke fun at (also unintended). The series does become more entertaining after Hawick is sent to prison and subsequently acquitted, but overall it is still a mediocre series. As poor as the writing is though, the most irritating aspect of "Master of Destiny" is still easily the mix of original Cantonese audio and dub. I finished this series because at the time I had nothing else to watch, but next time I will just go read or rewatch an old series.<br />
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<b>Rating: 2 stars</b><br />
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Irishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03761963266985932287noreply@blogger.com2