Devil Beside You [Taiwan]

Written by Bridget Au

"I was really surprised as I expected another young-girl-playing-young girl (read: boring, annoying and horrible) performance, such as those by TVB Shirley Yeung and the like. Rainie is actually wonderful to watch."

SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!

Chinese Title
"Er Mo Zai Shen Bian"/"Ngok Mor Joi Sun Bin" (Mandarin/Cantonese; translates to devil by one's side)

No. of episodes
14

Year
2005

Based On
The Japanese manga "Akuma de Sourou" (translates to Devil Does Exist) by Takanashi Mitsuba
Theme Songs
1. Opening: "Chou Nan Ren" (Jerk/Bad Man) - Huang Yida

2. Closing: "Ai Mei" (Ambiguous) - Rainie Yang *also an interlude

3. Interludes: "Li Xiang Qing Ren" (Ideal Lover) - Rainie Yang, "Yi Miao de An Wei" (A Moment's Consolation) - Huang Yida, "Set Me Free" - Huang Yida

Cast
Rainie Yang Chen Ling as Qi Yue
Mike He Jun Xiang as Jiang Meng (Ah Meng)
Kingone Wang Chuanyi as Yuan Yi
Tsai Pei Lin as Qing Zhi
Ivy Fan Xiao as Li Xiang
Masuyama Yuki as Yang Ping
He Du Lin as Jiang You Hui (father to Ah Meng)
Ge Wei Ru as Huang Xue Wei (mother to Qi Yue)
Wu Zhong Tian as Ah Shen
Tang Qi as Grandma Jiang
Katherine Wang Kai Di as Mei Di

Plotline
The series begins with second-year university student Qi Yue finally accumulating the courage to confess her crush on Yuan Yi, the captain of the school's basketball team. Unfortunately, her efforts backfire when she accidentally hands her confession letter to Ah Meng, a first-year student who is the son of the school's president. Ah Meng, who has secretly had feelings for Qi Yue for some time, uses this to his advantage to blackmail Qi Yue into becoming his slave. Terrified of Ah Meng's reputation as a bully and of the possibility of her secret crush being revealed, Qi Yue agrees. As they get to know each other, however, Ah Meng and Qi Yue become involved in a relationship, though it is far away from smooth sailing. The real nail in the coffin arises from the fact that Ah Meng's father is set to marry Qi Yue's mother i.e. our perfect little couple has found itself in the taboo situation of becoming step-siblings.

They are supported by friends who are privy to their little secret but the appearance of Ah Meng’s grandmother (who sees right through the young couple) and the upcoming wedding of the parents forces Qi Yue and Ah Meng to come clean.

Review
Many have compared this series to the hypnotically popular Meteor Garden, which is also based on a Japanese manga and has the familiar archetype of good-poor girl/bad-rich boy. However, I'd argue that there are some important differences between the two series. First, though both series are adapted from Japanese manga, the overall feel of Devil Beside You resembles that of a comic book much more than that of Meteor Garden. It is fast-paced, the opening credits and a few scenes are animation-heavy, and some of the acting is almost cartoonish.

As well, though both series exploit the good girl/bad boy coupling, if one looks more carefully, the characterization is actually very different. Shan Cai is the good girl from MG; she loves her friends and family but she is very undecisive when it comes to love, though when she finally decides on who she wants, she is determined to make it work. She has a strong personality, and is sometimes even annoyingly bull-headed. Qi Yue from DBY, is also strong (probably more so in her own subdued way) but at the same time she is a sweet soul. She has a heart of gold, loves her friends and especially her mother. She is fundamentally different from Shan Cai in that she knows from the beginning (and more importantly, is willing to admit) that she loves Ah Meng after acknowledging that her crush on Yuan Yi was simply infatuation. In this sense I find Qi Yue a more level-headed, believable character, as I found it really annoying that Shan Cai couldn't decide on whether she wanted Lei or Dao Ming Si until almost the end of the series.

Speaking of Dao Ming Si, he may seem identical to Ah Meng on the surface but in reality they couldn't be more different. They both play basketball, both are idolized by the girls in their schools, and both have a tough guy exterior, but the similarities stop there. Whereas Dao Ming Si is immature beyond belief, Ah Meng has a kind of wisdom and maturity that goes far beyond his young 19 years. Yuan Yi mentions this in the series, and this is due to Ah Meng's painful past of being neglected as a child. One could say that Dao Ming Si and Ah Meng have similar backgrounds, but both have dealt with their past in extremely different ways. Ah Meng has adopted a determined, devil-may-care (no pun intended) attitude but he evidently cares very much for his family, friends, and especially Qi Yue. Dao Ming Si, on the other hand, has become a selfish jerk who only learns how to really love Shan Cai after some time, while his friendships really aren't that compelling. Ah Meng is also much more willing to both confront and admit his emotions.

Another important difference? Qi Yue and Ah Meng sleep together at the end of the series (finally, something realistic – teen sex!), where Dao Ming Si was constantly mocked by F4 for how he was destined to remain a virgin due to Shan Cai’s views on sex (i.e. sex after marriage).

Though DBY is shorter than MG and also plays more like a comic book, the actual content of DBY is actually more intriguing, especially when one considers the relationships. Whereas MG only had two relationships that were actually interesting (mainly the Dao Ming Si-Shan Cai pairing and the relationship between Dao Ming Si and his mother and sister), DBY boasts some very compelling relationships (besides the Qi Yue - Ah Meng relationship) that could have been explored more.

1. Qi Yue and her mother: They are friends first and mother and daughter second, which makes their interaction both heartfelt and funny.

2. Ah Meng and Ah Rang: The two brothers with a troubling relationship that is mended at the end. Ah Rang does everything to try to destroy Ah Meng, but in reality he just wanted his older brother's attention, whereas Ah Meng has always been deeply envious of Ah Rang for his mother's apparent favouritism, and in the end, they each learned where the other one was coming from.

3. Qi Yue and Li Xiang: Although there is a petty the-boy-is-mine hatred between the two, there is also a kind of grudging respect, especially on behalf of Li Xiang. Li Xiang sums up her feelings about Qi Yue in a very honest scene with Yang Ping. She says "I've always thought that nice, innocent, caring people like Qi Yue were the dumbest people in the world...When she yelled at me, I thought, how could someone who barely knew me so honestly care about me? When I look at her, I suddenly feel so ugly. I'm not angry at her because Ah Meng is attracted to her innocence and friendliness, I'm angry at how she can so honestly face others and herself. On the surface, I just hate her, but in reality I envy her..."

4. Qing Zhi and Yuan Yi: A very realistic portrayal of teen/young adult relationships. The character of Qing Zhi is especially reflective of how girls behave and think in relationships, for example when she forces Yuan Yi to choose between her and his love for basketball.

5. Ah Meng and Yuan Yi: From fighting over the same girl to building a friendship from being teammates, they understand each other in a very subtle way, and also get along though they bicker often. I felt this relationship wasn't explored enough. .

On Acting
Mike He/Ah Meng
I'm probably the only girl who doesn't think Mike He is handsome. In this series he has too much hair, whether it was styled as an 'updo' or just hung down. Half the time I couldn't even see his face. Anyways, his acting was really shaky at first - sometimes he was expressionless, and sometimes he overacted. I didn't like him at all at the beginning. His smug 'devil' look was too over-the-top and exaggerated, but gradually he improved and grew into the role of Ah Meng and gave it a certain kind of intensity and emotional angst. He has phenomenal chemistry with Rainie Yang and they make a very believable, bickering, but sweet couple.

Rainie Yang/Qi Yue
I was really surprised as I expected another young-girl-playing-young girl (read: boring, annoying and horrible) performance, such as those by TVB's Shirley Yeung and the like. Rainie is actually wonderful to watch. Physically she is perfect for the role: cute, pretty, and tiny and thin as a ragdoll. At the beginning she's just cute and funny (with her cartoonish expressions), but as the series moves along there is a certain depth, consistency, and even honesty in her performance as the compassionate and genuine Qi Yue. I love her performance in here as she managed to bring out the maturity and selflessness of her character very well. She definitely has potential as an actress in terms of acting ability, though her appearance will probably prove to be a barrier since she is much too girlish to take on a more mature or sexy role.

Other Characters
Tsang Pei Lin gave a very good performance, giving Qing Zhi extra spice and oomph, though her voice gets pretty irritating after awhile. Wuang Chuanyi is really, really ugly and gives an average performance as decent fellow Yuan Yi. Ivy Fan was very good too as Li Xiang, her best scene is the one when she confesses her true feelings in the scene mentioned above with Yang Ping. Speaking of Yang Ping, I had no idea that the actor was Japanese, maybe he was raised in Taiwan? Anyway, he was incredibly likable as well. Other notable performances go to Tang Qi (who played Yu Sao in MG), whose role is small but the impact is definitely there; and Wu Zhong Tian who was dreamily gentlemanly as Ah Shen. He Du Lin and Ge Wei Ru are funny but get cartoonish sometimes as the lovey-dovey parents.

Music
Like Korean dramas and Meteor Garden, the background music for this series is excellent and appropriate. Special mention to the closing theme and interlude "Ai Mei" (Ambigious), sung with much girly emotion from Rainie, who manages to sound sweet but strong, kind of like Vicki Zhao actually. And the lyrics are perfect for the relationship between Qi Yue and Ah Meng.

To Watch or Not to Watch, That is the Question
As I mentioned, many interesting facets could have been explored more, but as a short, comic-based series it does the job and even exceeds some expectations. A must-watch for Meteor Garden fans, and also recommended for others who need an entertaining quick-fix.

Rating


From the Grapevine
Rainie Yang is most known for her membership in the now-disbanded Taiwanese girl group 4 in Love. Her original English name was Lily until she joined the group, whose manager named the four girls Rainie, Cloudie, Sunnie and Windie. She is the only 4 in Love member still involved in the entertainment business, and has been romantically linked to Hong Kong teen singer-actor Shawn Yue (with whom she denies any romantic involvement, past or present). She has said that Mike He is the best kisser out of all her male co-stars, although they have never dated but are good friends.

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CIB Files [TVB]

Written by Joanne Lee

"I thought this series was unique. Not so much on the storyline, but the way that it was presented."

SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!

Cantonese Name
Ying See Ching Bo Fo

Number of Episodes
20

Released In
2006

Cast
Bowie Lam Bo Yee – Tony (Chung Shun)
Wong He – Mark (Chung Jing)
Maggie Shiu Mei Kei – Samantha (Hui Sum Yin)
Christine Ng Wing Mei – Emily (Ching Mei Lai)
Supporting Cast
Wai Ka Hung – Daniel (Kwok Ming Wah)
Kenny Wong Dak Bun – William (Hung Hou Cheung)
Chan Hung Lit – Albert (Chung Gam Yuen)
Catherine Chow Ka Yi – May (Ching Mei Mei)
Rachel Kan Muk Wah - Joey
Joey Chan Jou Yee – Michael Chung
Joe Junior – Mo Sir
Yue Yeung – Jim (Jim Yan Keung)
Queenie Chu Wai Man – Rachel Yu

Summary
I'll use actor/actress names to avoid confusion) – (may contain spoilers)

Bowie and Wong He are brothers who are both policemen. At the start of the series, Bowie is already working in the CIB (Criminal Intelligence Bureau). Wong He has just finished his undercover assignment and is transferred over to work in CIB. Bowie is married to Christine, and they have a teenage son, Joey.

Christine works at a magazine company, along with her sister Catherine Chow. Maggie has just changed jobs, along with her assistants Rachel Kan and Ken, and they start to work at the same company as Christine. Both Maggie and Christine pretend to get along at the start, but in actual fact they are constantly trying to undermine each other.

In the first few episodes, you discover that Maggie's mum has alzheimers/dementia, but throughout the series, you also see that there are two other women who she calls 'mum'. Catherine discovers the real reason and spreads it through the company. This increases the warring between Christine and Maggie, and they stop pretending to get along at all.

Bowie and Wong He's father, Chan Hung Lit, returns to Hong Kong and we find that his sons do not have a good relationship with him. He feigns illness, and Wong He takes him in.

There are also many minor storylines evolving around the supporting cast, and there are also many more supporting cast members than what I've listed above – as well as numerous recurring characters (like the OCTB). The co-workers at the CIB headquarters have large roles, as well as the boss of the magazine company and his wife (played by Bel Lau Hiu Tung).

There are various CIB cases throughout the series, not many of them lasting more than an episode. Despite the series being called 'CIB Files', the main focus of the series seems to be the relationships and communication of the characters, as opposed to the police cases.

Evaluation of leading characters and performances
Tony (Chung Shun)
Tony is happily married to Emily, and they live in a nice apartment with their son Michael. He is relatively high ranked in his department, and it seems as if he has it all set out for him in terms of his career and family. He doesn't get along with his father because he blames his father for leaving his mother (and the family) when he was younger. His work at CIB clashes with Emily's work at the magazine, because his police cases are supposed to be very much confidential. For the years that they have been married, Emily knows to step out of the room when Tony is talking about his cases, or else he will leave the room. This system seems to work for them, but it may also have affected their communication – resulting in problems further down the track.

Bowie Lam as Tony
Bowie wasn't bad as Tony, but he wasn't fantastic in any way either. I don't think it was Bowie's fault, because the character is hardly very in-depth for any kind of breakthrough performance. It's similar to many of his previous roles – an amicable professional, who has underlying communication issues with those around him. His rapport with the other actors and actresses was pretty good though, especially considering his character came into contact with so many others.

Mark (Chung Jing)
Mark has worked undercover for a couple of years, and when the series starts, he goes to testify in court – but not before you see him leaving the house…ironing his tie, making sure the taps are off, windows are shut, lights are off, stove is off, etc. He is an extremely cautious individual, but towards the end of the series, you stop noticing it – either because they stopped emphasizing it or because you get used to it (I thought it was the former). He is stubborn and professional, but a tiny bit naïve at the same time. He starts off with a girlfriend, but he only started going out with her because he wanted his undercover to seem truly believable. He starts a relationship with Bonnie, but she actually has several guys who she has stringing along.

Wong He as Mark
I'll start by saying I never liked Wong He. I have seen several of his older series, and I've since tried to avoid his series altogether. The fact that he was in this series almost made me not watch it, but the rest of the cast and the story encouraged me to. I can't say that I really really like him after this, but he has certainly risen in my impression of him. He suited the character fantastically, and he added so many subtle expressions and motions that made his character just that little bit more special and in-depth. He had the advantage of playing a really nice character, but either way, he did a great job. He managed to make you see, but overlook all of Mark's annoying traits by covering it with his good ones.

Samantha (Hui Sum Yin)
Samantha is a headstrong and smart. She has had a string of failed relationships, for one reason or another, and made a decision to concentrate on being a strong professional female. She treats her three mothers very well, and has a great heart – but is wary of others to begin with, and quite suspicious as well. When it comes to people who she truly cares about, she is unwavering in her loyalty to them, but sometimes she jumps to conclusions about people without hearing them out.

Maggie Shiu as Samantha
Maggie has often played headstrong characters but they're usually more 'cool' than Samantha. Maggie perhaps overdid some of the fake nice-ness in the early parts of the series, but that was probably the point. Anyway, she was fabulous as it went on. She delivered her lines naturally and really made the character of Samantha into a three-dimensional person. She was suitably cool and direct if she needed to be, but also very deep and thoughtful in other situations. Despite some comments about her new hairstyle, I thought it was very cute and fashionable.

Emily (Ching Mei Lai)
Emily was always a smart, career orientated woman. She put down her career to raise Michael, and only resumed working after Michael was going to school and relatively grown up. She always wanted to be what she thought was the perfect housewife – the ones who would have dinner on the table for her family when they arrived home. However, because of her high position in her job, she never had time to cook – therefore she would buy take-out and put it in dishes, pretending that she had cooked it. She is quite stubborn as well as suspicious and towards the end of the series, it really shows…but at the very end, she redeems herself.

Christine Ng as Emily
I didn't like the character of Emily towards the middle-end, and Christine did a really good job to make me so passionate in my dislike. The superficial niceness at the beginning was perfect, she captured it so well. It's nice to see her playing a smart character too, instead of the ditzy characters that she seems to have been playing a bit of lately.

Evaluation of the supporting characters and performances
Wai Ka Hung – Daniel (Kwok Ming Wah)
I'll start by saying I saw him in the opening credits, and already disliked him. I remember the actor from Healing Hands III and the character was so irritating that it put me off the actor completely. He is equally as annoying in CIB, but as the series went on, you realize that it just wouldn't be the same without him. He added a bit of a comical element, and as annoying as it was, you had to laugh.

Kenny Wong Dak Bun – William (Hung Hou Cheung)
It was a relatively small role. He didn't really seem necessary at all, and it was such a small character that there wasn't much characterization. You saw that he was trying to get promoted by doing all the wrong things, and his superior disliked him for a pointless reason which you discover in the last episode. Nothing wrong with Kenny, just the character was a little pointless. And he's also called William Hung, which is no doubt a send-up of a certain other William Hung.

Chan Hung Lit – Albert (Chung Gam Yuen)
A role that's different from most others that I've seen him in. More flirtatious, more fun-loving, but I must admit that sometimes I still struggle to understand what he's saying if I don't look at the subtitles. He wasn't bad, and he had good chemistry with the other characters.

Catherine Chow Ka Yi – May (Ching Mei Mei)
Catherine Chow was good. She really made me dislike May. May is Emily's sister, and constantly tries to do little things to mess around with Samantha. She strays from doing horrible pranks on a professional level, to personal attacks. She doesn't really get any better in the end, but she cools down a little and has her redeeming moments.

Rachel Kan Muk Wah – Joey
Joey is Samantha's faithful assistant, and is similar to May in that purpose. She isn't quite as scheming as May is, except for the one time when she framed May for putting a virus on the computer network – but at that stage, I hated May so much that I figured it was her come-uppance. Rachel looks quite pretty in this series, and Joey does a good job in providing Samantha with a confidante of sorts.

Joey Chan Jou Yee – Michael Chung
He really impressed me as a teenage actor. He delivered his lines quite naturally, and had great chemistry with the actors/actresses who he had scenes with. The character of Michael was quite nice; he is overall a good boy. And the young actor really was great.

Joe Junior – Mo Sir
Not too much to say other than his hair. His comb-over to be exact. It really stood out. Apparently it's a send-up of a real high ranked policeman, which is great, because I'd hate to think that they did that to Joe Junior's hair because they thought it looked good.

Queenie Chu Wai Man – Rachel Yu
For her first series, she wasn't bad. Quite unnatural when saying her lines, but at least she did have a little expression. She definitely has room for improvement, but for a first series, I thought it was acceptable. The character seemed naïve and young, and I don't think it really suited Queenie – she looks a little older and a little classier.

Chemistry
Tony and Mark (Bowie and Wong He)
Physically, they really do look like brothers. And their chemistry was good too – you really did believe that they had known each other for years and years, and were family and familiar. Tony and Mark have similar personalities, whilst being different enough to lead the different lives that they ended up with.

Tony and Emily (Bowie and Christine)
They sometimes look like they're really comfortable with each other, and at times they look like they're being terribly superficial. However, that was the point of the characters – they had a communication problem. I thought Bowie and Christine had much more chemistry in this than they did in Misleading Track, but it's hard to create any sparks when you're playing a long-married couple.

Mark and Samantha (Wong He and Maggie)
There was SO much chemistry here. Maggie and Wong He aren't two people who I would have picked as a suitable couple, but once you saw them together on screen, it just worked so well. They really created sparks, and they seemed so comfortable with each other the whole time. As friends, they were nice and chatty, when Samantha was angry at him, it was hilarious, and as a couple, they were just so cute. This is the second time that they've co-operated, and I really wouldn't mind at all if they went for a third.

Samantha and Emily (Maggie and Christine)
Emily and Samantha are similar in many ways. The both of them are smart, suspicious, and cautious. They often predict the moves and motives of the other, and are both just as direct and cold, or suitably fake when needed. They worked really well together when they were feuding, and seemed natural enough when they were almost friends. I suppose it seemed very rushed that they were fighting and then suddenly seemed close, but it didn't seem too out of place – women are fickle, and if the both of them have good hearts, usually you can learn to be civil. And if there are common interests, which there are in this case, then a friendship isn't out of the question.

Overall
I thought this series was unique. Not so much on the storyline, but the way that it was presented. The first episode was a little confusing because it kept skipping around locations and times, but it reveals things part by part and by the end of the episode, you understand what just happened and you've also found out most of the character's relationships.

There are many inside jokes in this as well – the comb-over of Joe Junior, the fact that Kenny's character is 'William Hung', an imitation PTU scene, two imitation Infernal Affairs scenes, the fact that OCTB were terribly intense, and more. It does seem a little lame, but it makes you laugh, even if only for a second or two.

I also like how the previews are always misleading – you watch it and think that you've been completely spoilt because you know what's going to happen, but then when you watch the episode, you find out that it's not like that at all. The series in general is quite misleading, they try to make you think that somebody did something or that something will happen, and then you find that it was all wrong. I think this would have something to do with Chik Kei Yi and his atypical filming styles – although the ending was a little typical. The very ending was nice, but unexciting.

I definitely recommend it, but probably only if you're watching it in Cantonese – it is rather colloquial. I really enjoyed it, and it is a modern series so you feel like you can relate to. I wanted to give it 5/5, but I can't say it was perfect, but it was close. And the clothes and accessories worn by the ladies were just gorgeous.

Rating

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La Femme Desperado [TVB]

Written by Black Eyed Susan

"Although it is a light-hearted series, there is a deeper meaning behind it. It will make you reflect on your own life and not only the women, but the men as well."

SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!

Chinese Title (Cantonese)
Nui Yan Mm Yee Tsow aka It’s Hard Being a Woman

Released in
2006

Cast
Sheren Tang – Hoi Kiu aka Hilda
Melissa Ng – Ko Chi Ling aka Ko Ling
Michael Tse – Man King Loong aka ah Man
Raymond Lam – Chai Fun aka Siu Chai
Kenneth Ma – Ko Chi Lik aka ah Lik
Kate Tsui – Hoi Suen aka Ida
Leung Ka Yan – Ko Wing Tim aka Tim Sok
Cindy Au – Kong Ching Ching aka Crystal
Jacqueline Law – Huen Bo Ting aka Venus
Savio Tsang – Ma Sai Hing aka Pluto
Lee Ka Sing – Ko Chi Lan
Nathalie Wong – Kwan Ka Jung
Mary Hon – Tong Lai Chu aka Chu Jie
Ching Ho Wai – Lau Wai Sin

Summary
It isn’t easy being a woman in modern society. Some women live for their career, other for their family. In the end, they all want to combine both in their life. Let’s introduce Ko Chi Ling. She is a woman who grew up in a traditional, chauvinistic and patriarchal family. Since she was little, she has been taught to never disobey her father (or her husband), that a woman’s place in the family is lower than that of a man and that every woman should find herself a safe haven. However, when Ko Ling discovered that her haven wasn’t really that idyllic and her husband was cheating on her, she summoned all her courage and stood up against a man for the first time. In the meantime, enter Hilda. She is totally the opposite of Ko Ling. An independent, strong and successful career woman as well as Ko Ling’s new boss. Despite their contrasting personalities, they became close friends and even ‘sister’. Ko Ling is the only person who knows that under the hard business woman image, Hilda is actually longing for her own family. More specifically, she wants to have her own child without having to deal with the father as she has lost faith in all men. Soon Ko Ling is pursued by Siu Chan, who is 7 years her junior, her subordinate as well as her former tutoring pupil. And after a one-night-stand with Ko Ling’s ex-husband, Hilda got pregnant. Can Ko Ling accept a toyboy and work out the many problems that such an age difference brings? Will Hilda ever tell ah Man that he is actually the father and involve him in his daughter’s life?

Performances
Sheren Tang
Throughout the entire series Sheren gave a very strong performance. She was solid and consistent. I don’t think I have detected a weak spot in her acting. Her feelings were conveyed very realistically and at the right time. One of the few actresses who knows how to use her eyes to subtly express her emotions. She really nailed down this portrayal of a modern and independent woman who lives for her career. This character reminds me of ‘Yu Fei’ in “War and Beauty”.

Melissa Ng
Melissa’s portrayals have always been consistent. Her character resembles closely to Yung Ka Man in “Fantasy Hotel”. I actually had a feeling of déjà-vu. Even though it is a similar character, you can’t deny that she did deliver a good performance. I especially like her in emotional scenes where she manages to convey the right emotions. There’s nothing more to add, but I am still waiting for her breakthrough role.

Michael Tse
His portrayal of Man King Loong was on par with that of Sheren Tang’s Hilda. Only the fact that everyone hated his character at the beginning, yet loved him by the end of the series shows how realistic and true his performance was. His facial expressions range from tenderness when he is holding Hayley to shrewdness like in the beginning. He really stood out and grabbed my attention. Great performance!

Raymond Lam
What a difference with Fung Hang Lit in “Lethal Weapons of Love and Passion”! His current character is totally the opposite from the mature, calm and intelligent Fung Hang Lit. He knows how to use his facial expressions to bring out Chai Fun’s immaturity and impatience. Examples are widening the eyes, a bright childish smile, but at times also a quite exaggerated display of enthusiasm and excitement. Raymond has shown with this character that he is more than able to handle various roles.

Kenneth Ma
I was actually quite surprised that they have cast Kenneth in the role of the chauvinistic ah Lik. Her certainly doesn’t look like one, but he pulled it off nicely. Although he is still a bit stiff in some scenes, his voice does lack some authority and his face is often pulled in a big frown, but he does exude some chauvinism through his positioning and big gestures-attitude. His performance was OK, but like I have said before I don’t think he is leading material.

Kate Tsui
It was rather a pleasant surprise to discover that her performance wasn’t too bad as I believe this is her first series. There is something natural about her, although her facial expressions seems to be lacking. She tends to crumple her face a lot in emotional scenes without conveying a particular emotion. She also often talks in a shouting manner as well as regularly overacts her feelings. However, her overall performance is tolerable and I am looking forward to her future roles.

My favourite scenes
• Hilda wanted to test Chai Fun to see if he was really the perfect guy to conceive a baby with. As they know, he was very loyal to the girl of his dreams, so Hilda ordered Ko Ling to seduce Chai Fun and thus test his loyalty. Ko Ling was extremely nice and flirty to Chai Fun, she even wore a sexy dress to seduce him. However, both women didn’t know that Chai Fun’s dream girl was actually Ko Ling, so he was really trying his best to resist her which lead to quite some funny scenes.

• When ah Man found out that Hilda was pregnant, he offered her to be the ‘father’ of her unborn child. He continued to tell Hilda how he has became the man he was now and why he longed to have his own child. Very touching and emotional scene with a great performance from Michael Tse.

• After Hilda quit her job, she took her belongings and left the building. On her way out, she saw ah Man and Ko Ling having an argument. There she discovered that it was actually Ko Ling who has betrayed her. Her facial expression was priceless as ah Man told her almost triumphantly that it really wasn’t him who has betrayed him. He then said: “It is even more horrifying when good people do bad things compared to bad people.” This quote really depicts reality.

• When ah Man and Hilda found out that ah Lik had a crush on Hilda’s sister, Ida, ah Lik told them that he didn’t know how he should pursue her. Hilda and ah Man showed ah Lik how he should act when he goes out with a girl to a restaurant. The contrast between how ah Lik behaved and how Hilda and ah Man did, was just so funny. And I was thinking by myself how come I never have had such a date the way ah Man and Hilda showed it.

Comments
• I have always been quit wary about relationships between older women and younger men. Knowing that this series will have such a relationship initially turned me off. However, curiosity and Raymond Lam convinced me to give this series a chance. Although it hasn’t changed my opinion about these kind of relationships, but I have enjoyed this series a lot. Besides Melissa Ng and Raymond Lam pulled it off really well as the chemistry between them was really sweet.

• Frankly, from the three female characters I disliked Ko Ling the most as the series progressed. I wouldn’t like to have a friend like her. The reasons for betraying Hilda were only mere excuses, especially when she claims that they are ‘sisters’. I know that gullibleness is part of someone’s personality and you can’t really change that, but she should have had more faith and trust in her ‘sister’.

• This is one of the rare series where the TVB scriptwriters did their best to create three-dimensional characters. Every character is flawed and like in reality, their personality will undergo changes in reaction of certain events that will occur in their lives. For example, Chai Fun was a carefree person in the beginning, but since his marriage he felt pressure for the first time. Or Hilda, who is a straightforward and cunning career woman, but mellowed down considerably by motherhood. Very real and true to the life that we all know.

• I thought the second version of the ending was a bit unnecessary. Is it really that important for Ko Ling and Chai Fun to get married again? Does ah Man really need to know that Hayley is in fact his real daughter? In my eyes, life can be even more blissful when one is a bit ignorant. The fact that in the second version Ko Ling and Chai Fun are getting married again gives me the impression of too perfect and too happy. It gives me the feeling that all women crave for marriage. Seems to be a bit too traditional for my liking.

The verdict
With a quite refreshing and good flowing plot as well as a great cast, I can’t not recommend this series. Although it’s a light-hearted series, there is a deeper meaning behind it. It will make you reflect on your own life and not only the women, but the men as well.

Rating

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HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL [Telemov]

Written by Funn Lim

SOME SPOILERS

Released In : 2006


After listening to the song Breaking Free every day on Flyfm, finally I got a chance to watch this highly popular series with really catchy tunes. The story is fluffy, almost too perky for my taste but the dance moves and choreography as well as the cute Zac Effron, Ashley Tisdale and Lucas Grabeel saved the day. They even got this segment called Dance Along which was fun as we the viewers get to learn a few dance steps of the Wildcat sequence. The song is highly contagious and the boys and girls can certanly dance very very well. In fact that is my most favourite song of this made for TV movie, except there aren't really many songs. The only weak point was Venessa Hudgens who is pretty but acting not there. I am confused whether she sang the songs herself because I read imdb.com the lead, Zac did not sing the songs which was disappointing. He sang a few word in the balcony scene and I thought he could sing. But he could dance, the better dance is of course Lucas who plays the rival in a school play. Fun stuff if you ask me.

The reason why I brought up this topic is also because the director of this movie was Kenny Ortega and suddenly it hit me; this was the very same man who directed Disney's Newsies and a very young (as in 17 year old) Christian Bale!! I was very excited to learn this pointless fact. I just get excited with any association with Christian Bale actually. But imagine that; almost 18 years or so later, here the same guy directing the same genre and still the touch and go type of storyline. But like Newsies, High School Musical is charming, fun, cute and in the end entertaining. Zach Effron could be the next teenage star, although I wonder how young he is.

Highly recommended.

SOME INFO
By
Disney

Genre
Made for TV movie musical of a musical within a musical

Plot summary
Gabriella Montez is a shy, studious new student at East High School; but that all changes when she is forced to sing at a karaoke contest with Troy Bolton, the captain of the school's basketball team. After spending time with each other, both realize they share a passionate love for music and singing. But will they retain this love when their school is telling them they cannot be together?

Cast list & more
imdb.com

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LADY IN THE WATER [Mov]

Written by Funn Lim

SPOILERS ... SPOILERS ... SPOILERS

Released In
2006

Directed by
M. Night Shyamalan

Cast
Paul Giamatti .... Cleveland Heep
Bryce Dallas Howard .... Story
Jeffrey Wright .... Mr. Dury
Bob Balaban .... Mr. Farber
Sarita Choudhury .... Anna Ran
Cindy Cheung .... Young Soon
M. Night Shyamalan .... Vick
Freddy Rodríguez .... Reggie
Bill Irwin .... Mr. Leeds
Mary Beth Hurt .... Mrs. Bell
Noah Gray-Cabey .... Joey Dury
Joseph D. Reitman .... Long Haired Smoker
Jared Harris .... Goatee Smoker
Grant Monohon .... Emaciated Smoker
John Boyd .... One-Eyebrow Smoker

Plot
by IMDB.com

Apartment building superintendent Cleveland Heep (Giamatti) rescues what he thinks is a young woman from the pool he maintains. When he discovers that she is actually a character from a bedtime story who is trying to make the journey back to her home, he works with his tenants to protect his new friend from the creatures that are determined to keep her in our world.

Comments
First of all, the poster is amazing. Very strange looking and yet fantasy like.

By now it must be revealed that this movie has no twist like you often see in Night's movies. For me there are tiny small interesting relevant twists but not major one. The plot is simple. A sea-nymph known as narf and calls herself Story is stranded on land to deliver a phrophecy to a writer she has never met. She must return to the sea via a huge eagle before her time is up but before she can do that she is being hunted by srunts, dog-like creatures who are sent to killed narfs. And so it is up to a janitor with a sad past and a motley crew of very varied type of characters who must figure out their purpose in this grand scheme of things before Story can be sent back home. In doing so each discovers their unique place in this world, the world being a small apartment complex.

What I love about Night's movies is that he often takes big issues and shrink it into a small world with very few characters and yet manage to give some powerful insights into humanity. Some may laugh at the words scrunts, narfs, Story or even the fact that Night casts himself as probably the one character that the whole messy thing about narfs and scrunts came about. Truth be told many may see that as ego in the making but you know, Night can act pretty well and I think his character, the writer that Story was looking for who will face a rather depressing end which we the viewers will not see is rather not so much involved. He is mostly standing at the back and the main dialogue and work rests on the shoulders of other characters, mainly Paul Giamatti's Heep.

Each character has his or her uniqueness. You may say some characters are type-cast but I disagree. I have no problem with strong or singular characterisation because that is what Hollywood lacks these days. And what is even better is this story I believe is pretty original and intense. Slow, yes very very slow but like the best dessert you have ever tasted, sometimes taking some things slow will only enhance the pleasure, and Night's movies are such. Even the slowest of them all, Unbreakeable has a message and I am sucker for movies with a message.

Night's stories are heavy with messages and his thoughts about humanity. They're not arrogant thoughts but personal observation of a man who refuses to conform to the Hollywood standards of boring rehashed plots. His stories may not be totally 100% coherent or original, but when it comes to a purpose, like Night's view of humanity and what each individual's purpose in this big world, there is always a message of sort. Hope maybe. Faith maybe. Beliefs maybe. His movies are quite religious, I sense the influence of Buddhism, Hinduism and even Christinity and that's why I love his movies.

Signs remains as his best movie todate. And in some ways Lady In The Water is like Signs. The characters are similar, you can compare the character of Mel Gibson's reverend who lost his faith in God after his wife's tragic death and how he regained it when he saw that no all that happened are pure coincidences and that God has a bigger plan for all of us AND the character by Giamatti who is a doctor who lost all hope when his family was tragically killed and he removed himself from the world and hid in a small apartment complex until he met Story and he began to accept that life is filled with a sense of purpose and therefore a sense of hope for the future. I find Signs and Lady In The Water very similar in theme and because of that however slow this movie was I very much enjoyed the story. Of course Night can't help but take a swipe at film critics but the film critic in this movie represents a section of society who think that they know what role each person plays and therefore what is good or bad for each of us. He could be a manifestation of arrogant world leaders who can't see beyond their assumptions and presumptions that sometimes some things aren't what or how they seem. There are more of such metaphors and interesting characters that those who enjoyed this movie can always come up with their own interpretation, their own views. That is the magic of Night's movies. They're not so restrictive that there is only one explanation and yet not too wide that you get suck into its vastness and get lost in the seemingly endless twists and turns of senseless plot.

Which is a great pity many left without finishing this movie. Watching this movie I admit requires a great amount of patience. You must not go in expecting to see a horror movie, a fantasy movie or a movie with twists after twists. This is not The Village or Sixth Sense. It is something akin to Unbreakeable plus Signs, but perhaps with more symbolism. Night says this is his most personal movie todate and I can see that very clearly because this is like a window to his inner soul, his beliefs. Not many writers and filmakers make such movies anymore with such certainty and such skill. Even taking away all the symbolism and just concentrate on the few minutes of thrills and horror, Night can still scare you and make you jump on your seat. But what is amazing is that this movie also makes you laugh in a good way. It is witty and I find some jokes or rather how the characters reacted very humorous.

But I have my complaints.

For one Story seems to spend an awful amount of time underdressed and under the story itself. She doesn't seem as prominent when such fuss has been made about her throughout the story. The speed in which people accept that Story is unique and a narf is quite unbelievable. The fact that people just follow along the janitor to save a complete stranger who says she is some fantasy like being is also a weakness in this story. Whilst almost everyone seems to have a bit of hesitation in believing their purpose in this grand scheme of things, they seem to have very little hesitation in believing the almost fairy tale like story of Story and her connection to everybody. In fact no hesitation at all. And the ending was abrupt. The only ending we are sure of is the writer, his sister and in some ways the janitor. Maybe I am too pampered with the usual Hollywood storyline of drawing must draw the intestines also. I can't complain much although I wished there was perhaps a summary of what happens to each character in this story and how they lived on after Story went away.

All in all, this may not be Night's best movie or his most profound or his slowest or most boring or scariest or funniest. It is like in between of all that. In my humble opinion, it may be Night's very average movie which for many dissenters translate as Night's worst movie. Which is a pity if many think like that. For an original movie written, produced, directed and acted by one man, it is a great feat. It made me think, it made me jump, it made me cry, it made me question my purpose, it filled me with hope and most importantly, slow as it was, it entertained me.

It is not a messy movie nor is it a great movie. It is in the end a movie that will grow in reputation as the years roll along because this movie requires some slow burn type of digestion. Like Sixth Sense (which I watched again when I heard a producer when accepting his lifetime award I think during BAFTA singing praises and giving the movie the highest praise ever) it feels different to me as I watched it again. It felt profoundly deep, relevant in my life. That is the effect of Night's movies and I am very sure a year from now the dissenters may feel the same away about Lady In The Water.

Watch this movie without any expectation and believe me, you may gain some insights into your own life. Night is still a master storyteller. I just hope for his next movie he does a 100% thriller because this man is also good at suspense.

By the way the musical score in this movie is amazing.

Note
For those who has watched the movie and would like to read a very good analysis on the meaning of this movie, TRY THIS. You will need to create an account first. Once you did, look for LADY IN THE WATER and the scroll to the bottom at the message board and look for The Meaning Of This Movie, Pt 1.

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