Pupusa
Terra Firma
First of all, Yue Lao still lives up in the clouds, hooking people up with magical silk threads. He still has a list of couples who are predestined to be together. He now has a divine assistant, the Red Maiden, played by a fresh-faced Jessica Hsuan. She’s clumsy and chatty, has a weakness for chocolates, and tends to go rogue when it comes to matchmaking. Jessica can do comedy and is quite lovable here.
The rest of the cast are mere mortals in love, sometimes hilariously so. The leading man, Deric Wan, works as a parrot trainer at Ocean Park (and no, he never rises to become the park’s CEO). Joey Leung has a small but memorable part as his insecure best friend. Cutie Mui and Louis Yuen play a mismatched couple whose romantic hijinks will crack you up.
Amy Kwok always seems to be stuck in unlikeable roles. Her character is unreasonable to the point that she dumps a guy who genuinely loves her, all because of a stupid lie from her ex. Fact-checking is clearly not in her book. Neither is trust and good communication. She’s supposed to be the female lead, yet somehow ends up looking like “the other woman.”
Without giving away too much, I will say that the ending is so bad it almost ruins the whole series. In the end, are we to believe that destiny trumps free will? That you can’t be with the person you love and must accept whoever Heaven ordains for you? If the show wants us to believe in true love, then it has failed miserably.
Esta resenha foi útil para você?
The show’s success was in the good writing and perfect casting. I say perfect casting because not all the actors were great actors. They just fit their roles, or rather the roles fell within their abilities. That’s not to say there were no great actors in this series. There were plenty.
TV legend Adam Cheng played Wong Tin, a billionaire with a heart of gold. He was brilliant and idealistic, which could be boring if not done right. Adam played this character with enough vulnerability to make him interesting. Your heart will go out for his Wong Tin. This man was under constant attack by business rivals, his own daughter, and even fate. Instead of brooding about it, he took control of his own destiny. He was not just the leading man, he was an inspiration.
I applaud Kiki Sheung and the writers for creating the character of Cheung Hok Wah. This was one of the strongest female characters I’ve seen in Asian dramas. Wah was cool as ice and ruthless when she wanted to be. When sitting around the table with a bunch of male scumbags, she always had a card up her sleeve. When with Adam, she was his equal and his match in every way.
Ekin Cheng and Adia Chan earned their reputation as the golden couple of that era. Their love was not flashy, but simple and touching. These two were so sweet they even made littering look romantic. And despite all the emotional baggages, their relationship stayed healthy and was built to last.
The most annoying character award went to Amy Kwok’s Wong Lui. She was a whiny poor little rich girl who blamed everyone but herself for her problems. Luckily, Amy was able to pull the character back at the right moment, before you really hate her.
Finally, there was Roger Kwok as Poon Long Ching. This guy was smart enough to do damage, but really too stupid to do anything productive. He was a horrible excuse for a human being, although he never saw himself as a villain. He rationalized and made excuses for every lousy, selfish thing he ever did. I’m sure we all came across a Long Ching in our lifetime, or have had a Long Ching moment ourselves. Watch Roger's acting here, then watch him again in Square Pegs. Calling him a fantastic actor is an understatement.
The plot relied too much on coincidences (was Hong Kong really that small?) and felt contrived at times. Many scenes were clearly designed to tug at your heartstrings. If you have a heart, you will cry buckets and buckets. When Wah asked Tin if he can live life without her, he gave a short but profound answer: “Every time I think of you, I know only happiness, not sorrow. Whether you are by my side or no longer exist in this world, there is no difference.”
Esta resenha foi útil para você?
Our leading man is Yuen Wah doing what he does best: physical comedy. Unlike his useless role in Marvel’s Shang-Chi, he gets to shine here as the quirky Taoist master Chong Tin. He is well-matched with an equally quirky Louisa So. Their relationship is a refreshing change from your typical dreamy romance. For those who like to see a younger and hotter pairing, there is Halina Tam with a baby-faced Daniel Chan to drool over.
This show wouldn’t be nearly as interesting without the supporting characters. Who could forget the bumbling police chief played by Woo Fung? Who wouldn’t cry for the elderly Mr. Yam who sacrifices much for his despicable son and grandsons? Who wouldn’t be intrigued by Dong Siu Hong? He looks like someone who could be the hero, the leading man, until he makes some questionable choices and sinks deeper and deeper into a hell of his own making.
The jiangshi myth has ties to the opium trade, a crisis that crippled China and left it at the mercy of the west. The writers do not shy away from this dark topic. We see China undergoing a great shift, during which its people must either adapt or be left behind. There are those who adapted to do good, like Chong Tin. Then there are those who lost their way, like Siu Hong. The series showed us that change is poignant. Change is also scary, for who would want to be turned into a jiangshi?
Esta resenha foi útil para você?
Hu Ge, with his chiseled good looks, is the undisputed Su Zhe. I always think his face is far too thin and his shoulders too narrow, but this makes him physically perfect to play the sickly Su Zhe. He has a naturally melancholy face and a haunted look that’s almost eerie, fitting for a man coming back from the dead. The best part of his acting is his body language. You can see the subtle differences in his posture when he is calculating and determined, compared to when he feels hurt and tortured. His is a carefully crafted and deliberate performance. Credit to the director for taking advantage of Hu Ge’s strength as an actor.
Wang Kai, with his chiseled good looks, is the undisputed Prince Jing. This man is hotheaded, impulsive, and inflexible at times. He will stand by what is right even if it kills him (and possibly his followers, too). The good thing about him is that he's fully aware of his own faults and willing to shoulder the consequences of his actions. Unlike the stoic Su Zhe, the prince wears his heart on his sleeve, which is why Wang Kai is ideal for the role. Other than looking ultra-masculine, he has very expressive eyes that hint to all sorts of emotions boiling beneath the surface. In real life, a man with such a pure heart will find it near impossible to make it far in politics. But if Prince Jing ever make it to the top, you know he will make the world a better place.
Su Zhe and Prince Jing do make a great team, with one serving as the brain and the other the heart of the operation. They are each other’s foil, each making up for the qualities that the other person lacks. Their friendship and their struggle give us hope that we can change the world without sacrificing our integrity and the very things that make us human. Hu and Wang is one of the greatest onscreen duo ever. Every scene with the two of them is worth watching and rewatching.
Also worth rewatching are scenes where the men engaged in a battle of wits and will: Su Zhe vs. Xia Yu, Su Zhe vs. Xia Jiang, Xia Jiang vs. Yan Que, Su Zhe vs. Emperor, Prince Jing vs. Emperor. These scenes are a thousand times more suspenseful than the bloody battle sequences. They lead you to question what kind of life is worth living, and what kind of things are worth fighting and dying for.
Romance is never the focus here. Prince Jing’s wife is barely a blip and Su Zhe’s relationship with Princess Ni Huang is sidelined for most of the series. Liu Tao really shines as Ni Huang in the last few episodes. I never knew she has such a beautiful singing voice.
The first 20-plus episodes are draggy, to the point that I almost quit watching. There is an excessive use of deus ex machina. Minor characters that you really don’t care about pop in and out of the story. A lot of time is wasted on watching people bow to each other and walk around. I get the need to properly set up the story and characters, but this is just an inefficient use of screentime.
The direction is weirdly inconsistent. It feels like there’s two different directors at work here. The acting can be “pose-y” and a little unnatural in some scenes. Sometimes the actors just stand around like mannequins on display. Maybe it’s a stylistic choice, but it’s not one that I personally like.
Despite the flaws, this series will always be a classic to me.
Esta resenha foi útil para você?
Alex Fong lives up to the idea of dream man Fei Yun Fan. He was debonair in "Before Dawn" and he is still debonair now, if not even more so. The man ages like fine wine. He oozes confidence, but is vulnerable when it comes to the leading lady. He has such sex appeal that you hardly notice their age gap. So, must Yun Fan be old enough to be Zi Ling's father? Probably not, but this is Qiong Yao's semi-autobiography and she was similarly involved with a much older man. This is her fantasy, after all.
Next to Alex, Bao Jian Feng doesn't compare favorably as the second lead. His Chu Lian seems dazed and confused half the time. In the other half, he is dull. He's cute certainly, but still dull as dirt. Bao Bao's fans would be better off watching his other works.
Qin Lan's talents are wasted in the role of Lu Ping, who is more of a plot device than a person. Like Chu Lian, she is eye candy but not too much so. As a couple, their main purpose is to be outshined by Yun Fan and Zi Ling.
The character of "613" is annoying and not funny at all. Qiong Yao has been trying to add humor to her remakes and it invariably fails. She really should stick what she can do: romance and family drama.
Zhang Jia Ni as Zi Ling is surprisingly not annoying, which nowadays is an accomplishment. She has chemistry with Alex, but it doesn't make up for her lack of acting experience, which is painfully obvious in many scenes. They should've cast a capable actress who can add more depth to the character, or at least give a more convincing performance. Qin Lan herself would make a better Zi Ling.
It would be wrong not to mention how beautiful this series is, visually. It has the feel of a European fairy tale. We get to see Paris and Provence in all their glory. There are many romantic shots of our couple standing in a sea of lavender, by a stone castle, or on an ocean side cliff. The views just take your breath away.
Esta resenha foi útil para você?
Esta resenha pode conter spoilers
At first glance, there was nothing interesting about this series. It was just another period romance with a political angle. There was the time travelling, which was totally random and made no sense in the context of the theme. But somehow, halfway through, the series turned into something special. Liu Shi Shi’s Ruoxi was the reason why the first part of the series was so bad. She was also the reason why the second part was so good. Ruoxi took up about 99% of the screen time, a huge burden for any actress to carry. Liu Shi Shi did not have a good grasp of her character in the beginning. She played a modern woman transported into the body of a sixteen-years-old girl, then proceeded to act cute, childish, and completely unlike her real 20-something self. She didn’t give the impression of someone lost in time, trying to a survive in a completely new world. Her worst scenes were the lighthearted ones, like when she was bickering with Mingyu or teasing the princes. Liu just didn’t have that sparkle. She was very pretty, but once she smiled and showed her teeth, the magic was lost. It wasn’t until the second half that you start to appreciate her. She was at her best in scenes that called for anguish and tears. There was a restrained, elegant quality to her acting that fit with the pensive mood of the series. Most importantly, she finally clicked with Nicky Wu’s 4th prince.
The show was excellent in showing the slow and painful breakdown of Ruoxi and the 4th prince’s relationship. There was no stupid misunderstanding, no disapproving parents, no evil people to split them up. These were two people who loved each other deeply, but can’t bring themselves to accept each other’s failings and flaws. It was achingly sad and beautifully acted.
The whole time travel thing was just a gimmick and a really bad one. This was a story about relationships and how love was not always as simple as we wished it to be. Love was not ideal, but still beautiful nonetheless.
Esta resenha foi útil para você?
The Youth of Liang Shan Bo and Zhu Ying Tai
1 pessoas acharam esta resenha útil
Esta resenha pode conter spoilers
There are many adaptations of the Butterfly Lovers, and this one is the “cutesy” version. Even the theme song is cute. Our lovers here have lots of friends. They joked, they danced, they frolicked in the fields. Everything was light and fluffy. Then suddenly there was murder, disfigurement, and rape. The shift in tone was so unexpected that it left me cold and a little disgusted. Noel Leung was a lovely and talented actress, but totally unsuited for this version of Ying Tai. She looked too mature and tried much too hard to be cute. She did well in the sad parts but seemed forced in the funny scenes. The part where Ying Tai fooled her parents with that fake looking mustache was embarrassingly bad. Unfortunately, there were too many scenes like it. They should’ve chosen a different actress, someone who could handle both comedy and melodrama.
Lo Chi Cheung was a dorky but sweet Shan Bo. John Chan as Ma Wen Cai was a total creep who will make your skin crawl. Their acting was impressive, given that in real life Lo is a reputed playboy and John a family man happily married to Noel.
This was supposed to be a comedy, but most of the cast were not that kind of actors. The only one with real comedic timing was Wu Meng Da as the teacher. It was brave of the producers to try to do something fun and different with an old tale. They just tried to do too much, so the show sort of collapsed under its own weight.
Esta resenha foi útil para você?
The best way to watch this show is to focus on the romance and tune out everything else. The love story is easily the strongest element here.
The show wants to you think that it’s a love triangle plot, but it really is not. Andy Chen is credited as one of the two male leads, but he is more like a second lead in terms of screen time and character growth. He's just eye candy here. The real male lead is Peng Guanying. The romance is a hate-slowly-turned-into-love progression. This never gets old because there are so many variants the writers can do with it. And this variant is a good one, playing on the strengths of both Peng Guanying and Zhang Hanyun: he is super alpha, and she super cute. It’s very rewarding to watch Yuwen Yong soften towards Qingsuo, and her slowly giving in and allowing herself to fall in love again. With so much time devoted to building this relationship, the ending is just plain ridiculous. There was no foreshadowing, just “bam, we have to throw this in to be historically accurate.” Again, this is what you get for trying to blend too many genres.
The costumes are beautiful and intricate, albeit a little over-the-top. So much so that they get in the way of the actors and make things awkward. There are some scenes where Qingsuo can’t properly embrace her man because her headdress could take out his throat.
I recommend this series, but with discriminate use of your fast forward button.
Esta resenha foi útil para você?
Kade, our time traveler, is more than just your cute, feisty heroine. She speaks her own mind, but never forces her modern views on others. She did change some people’s views, but through her own sincerity and sweetness. Her curiosity and enthusiasm are infectious (I’ve never seen anyone so excited to use an ancient pit toilet before). Her fangirling of the famous historical figures is hilarious. Bella Ranee played the role to perfection. Credits to the script writer for expanding on her relationship with her grandma and mother. Those extra scenes are touching and adds that much more depth to the character.
If Bella carries the show, then Pope Thanawat is the one that carries the love story. He’s Thailand’s answer to Tony Leung, an actor who can act with his eyes. Like Tony, he’s not good-looking in a conventional sense, but those eyes and that smile - they carry a girl across the oceans and back. His Por Date is dashing and aristocratic, like he just stepped out of those old paintings. This makes it all the more comical when Kade causes him to do things that are completely undignified.
The chemistry between Bella and Pope is like nothing I’ve ever seen, so natural and effortless. It’s one of those rare, indescribable things you have to see to believe. The supporting cast are spot on, every single actor large or small had a good grasp of their character (a credit to the director). The script and original novel are brilliant. All these elements came together to make this an international hit. So when is Channel 3 going to realize that it takes more than some koo-jin to make a quality show?
The sets and costumes are a feast for the eyes. The camera doesn’t waste time lingering on the props, but they are always there in the background and the corners of your eyes. These details bring Ayutthaya back to life. You see the grandeur and prosperity, but you also get glimpses of its dark side: the treatment of women, the slave system, and the xenophobia. The show is intelligent enough to showcase, but not glorify, ancient Thailand. It presents politics/history the same way, with an open mind and allow us viewers to think for ourselves.
Given that there’s a lot of time-traveling, body switching dramas out there, this is the one that ruins all the others for me. Kade doesn’t travel back in time “just because.” There are very specific reasons why. These are clearly explained and woven into the theme of the story. Everything comes together in the end. It is a happy ending. I’m just sad that it has to end. Good thing this is an infinitely rewatchable series. There are still so many little nuances and details to discover even after 3-4 viewings.
Esta resenha foi útil para você?
South Korean shows are becoming good at taking old ideas, putting their own twist on it, and executing it perfectly. Being set in the distant Joseon period, the crew had to make sure everything from the costumes, the sets, to the props, all go together to create a sense of realism. It felt as if we were right inside that world. They were not afraid to make their actors look dirty, tired, and unattractive. Even the extras were done right, down to the zombie makeup and creepy jerky movements. The production value was sky high with hordes of zombies, bloody battle scenes, and even an undead ship. It was on par with Hollywood, and even better at times.
The acting was on point, nothing over-the-top or melodramatic. Ju Ji Hoon gave a very restrained, believable performance as an initially clueless prince who was learning to care about his kingdom and people. Jeon Seok Ho’s cowardly nobleman was not just a comic relief. You get a sense that he was on his way to redeem himself somehow. Heo Joon Ho as Lord Ahn was just cool without even trying. The show slowly built the characters so that you care about them, instead of just killing them off randomly for the shock value.
It was smart of them to leave out the romance. The plot had to enough substance to stand on its own. It didn’t need to be bogged down with a love story or worse yet, a love triangle. But what sets this series apart was how they used the plague to point out the social inequality that existed then, and still exists now. That was more scary than the zombies.
Esta resenha foi útil para você?
I'd love to see more work from this director, who firmly says no to ham and pretty posing, keeping it natural and believable. His style reminds me of Yin Tao, where the magic is in the tiniest of details. Peach Blossom Valley comes alive under his vision as an isolated and idyllic place with its own rustic culture and… lousy food.
The writers understand that every good romance also needs good character development. We have a leading lady who is learning to trust that people outside Peach Blossom Valley aren’t all bad. And we have a leading man who is learning to trust… someone other than himself. They don't try to be too cute and clever with the dialogue, relying on show rather than tell.
And show us they did. Huang Yi's large expressive eyes remind me of Vicky Zhao, while Wang Hong Yi plays his part with such control, conveying feelings with nano-expressions and the merest flicker of the eyes. His Zuo Jing Lun is so keenly attuned to Qing Qing's every move that you feel like his entire world revolves around her. It's interesting to note that Qing Qing falls in love with him twice, not because of how he treats her but because of how he treats others. Now that’s the kind of maturity and unselfishness I like to see in my romance heroine.
Like Peach Blossom Valley itself, this is a hidden little gem of escapism. It has a definite place on my rewatch list for Valentine's season.
Esta resenha foi útil para você?
The heart, and the moral center, is the Western Duke Ji Chang. His kindness is shown, not told. His love for his sons, both estranged or adopted, will move you to tears. Li Xue Jian’s performance reminds me very much of Ian McKellen’s Gandalf. Although old and frail, he emanates warmth, wisdom, and a kind of quiet strength. The physical and mental abuse he suffers is beyond what most people can imagine, but he does not let it break him or waver his belief. I stay tuned just to watch Ji Chang survive it all and see the sun rise on his legacy.
Ji Chang’s foil is the very virile, very tyrannical King Zhou. This is a man so morally bankrupt that he would eat his own son if it gets him what he wants. Kris Phillips looks the part of a brute, with just enough charisma that you can see why a battalion of young men would admire him, even willing to die for him. His relationship with the fox demon Da Ji lends a whole new meaning to the term “animal magnetism.”
The younger actors are more than just bare-chested eye candy. Yu Shi and Chen Mu Chi are well cast in their roles as the sons of Ji Chang and King Zhou, respectively. You see something of their father in both men, yet each is still his own person. Assuming the movie follows the book, you’ll understand the poignancy of their friendship and how it will be sorely tested in the future. Yang Jian, one of my favorite characters, isn’t given much to do here and rightly so. I just wish they made him more of a badass warrior like he is in book. Ci Sha’s portrayal of Yang Jian, while cool, is a little tame.
Can the writing be improved upon? Absolutely. The book has a lot going on, making it extremely hard to adapt into a movie. The writers are right in trimming it down and focusing on a few plot lines. The end result is still in the spirit of the Fengshen Bang, placing kindness and compassion above blind loyalty to an unjust regime.
I'm looking forward to the next installation.
Esta resenha foi útil para você?
The show sticks pretty closely the novel, both in terms of plot and characters. Luxiao Lingtong is not just another actor in a monkey suit. He is a monkey who learns to act and behave like a human. Sun Wu Kong has very real human emotions, and you can see all that in Luxiao Lintong’s bright, expressive eyes.
The special effects are rough, so the director wisely keep those to a minimum. The production team rely more on practical effects, which are quite ingenious. I will never forget the underwater palace, the ginseng tree, and the spider demons shooting webs out of their belly buttons!
The video quality is far from HiDef, but the haziness lends a dreamlike, fantastical feel to the show. The costumes and character designs are beautiful and taken straight out of the Buddhist and Taoist pantheons.
This series is clearly made by people who love and respect the original work. They don’t seek to put their own mark on it or “update it for a whole new generation.” They don’t try to follow the latest trends, show off the latest technology, or cater to the whims of the audience. They honor the vision of the author. To me that’s what makes it a classic.
Esta resenha foi útil para você?
Esta resenha pode conter spoilers
As far as Jin Yong adaptations go, this one is subpar. It does have a few bursts of brilliance, but every time I rewatch it I see more flaws. It’s hard to get past the poorly-written characters and hammy acting.Lin Yu Shen is a brilliant actor who needs no dialogue. He can convey so much emotion with just his eyes, gestures, and micro expressions. His Miao Ren Feng is both a hero and a victim. Unfortunately, he spends way too much time being a victim, especially of a loser like Tian Gui Nong.
Qin Jun Jie is a bit of a miscast here. He can act, although his smile is less like a hero and more of a rogue. His demeanor is more suited to irreverent roles like Linghu Chong or Wei Xiaobao, but not a straight up hero like Hu Fei. Unlike the cliffhanger in the book, Hu Fei does get closure on his relationship with Miao Ren Feng in a very emotionally-charged scene. I’m ok with them killing off Miao, but I have a big problem with Hu Fei not avenging his death. For someone whose entire journey is about revenge and justice, this feels like a betrayal of Hu Fei’s character.
Hu Fei’s two love interests are woefully underdeveloped. We only get to see the tough side of Yuan Zi Yi but not nearly enough of her tragic backstory, making it hard to understand her motivations and why she would choose nunhood over Hu Fei. Cheng Ling Su is too perfect to be real or interesting.
The screenwriters really don’t know what they’re doing in making “gray” characters, especially with the likes of Tian Gui Nong, Nan Lan and Fu Kang’an. They waste so many scenes trying to show Tian as a family man only to undo it all at the very end, painting him as a flat, irredeemable villain. As for Nan Lan, the actress couldn’t grasp the complexity of the character. Instead of a woman being torn between two men, she just toggles between them like a light switch. And Fu Kang’an somehow gets his own love story which drags out like a boring palace drama.
Then there’s the overacting the nth degree, especially from veteran actors like Peter Ho and Liu Xue Hua. Many of the supporting actors are so exaggerated they might as well be cartoons. The climatic scene with the extras is just cringe because the director somehow decides that extras can act.
The fight scenes are competent, keeping the wirefu to a minimum. But even the best kungfu choreography is no good if viewers don’t care about the characters. Except for Miao Ren Feng, the rest of them are either annoying or forgettable.
Esta resenha foi útil para você?
A lot of time is wasted on slo-mos and long gazes. Pope and Bella can act with their eyes, but their romantic gazes mean nothing without a proper foundation of a love story. So he loves her because she appeared in his dreams? And she falls for him after he shielded her from a flying piece of wood (of his own making, I might add)? It's flimsy. She's just as likely to fall for Methus, who not only saved her but also has more in common with her. But of course that never happens, because we are told ad nauseam that Bella and Pope are "destiny," which is codeword for lazy writing.
The political conspiracy is equally sloppy. The writers build up this mystery of the man in the iron mask. In the end, he turns out to be some random guy we never seen before and don't really care about. There is a plot twist, albeit a poorly set up one, also involving an evil mastermind that we don’t care about.
The time traveling subplot is nonsensical, at best. What makes Methus so special that he gets sent back into the past? Nothing, except that it’s his “destiny.” Fortunately by this point, my brain has already packed up and left for vacation. As for the comedy aspect, the gags are done in the typical over-exaggerated Thai style. It is not enough to save the movie.
Perhaps this review is too harsh. I'm just tired of the dull writing and direction that completely waste the talents of the cast. Pope, Bella, and Ice all deserve a better script.
Esta resenha foi útil para você?
