Monday 16 December 2013

Farewell Message

Hi everyone,

Sadly this would be my last post for HK TV Critic for the rest of 2013 and throughout 2014 until next year December. I just got my high school study score for a subject and I did miserably. Much that I want to keep on writing posts, I think I will need to control myself and allocate more time for my studies next year (my last year of high school) before I get to know which university I get into. Even though this blog was a truly short one, I do thank you all for the comments and I will see you guys again perhaps once I get my score back and I can happily tell you guys that my sacrifices throughout the year was worth it. Like tonight's anniversary awards ceremony, the speeches from artists mentioned how being serious, hard-working and determination is what it takes to be successful, so perhaps I can take this from TVB for my career as a student. I do wish you all Merry Christmas and live well!

Best Wishes,

TVB Anniversary Awards Ceremony 2013 Thoughts and Review

First.... Woah!!! This years anniversary awards ceremony was truly surprisingly. I expected TVB would change it up a little bit but its gone so different! 

Most Improved Actor
Winner: Vincent Wong (Friendly Fire, Season of Love, Sergeant Tabloid, A Change of Heart, Will Power) 


Yay!!! Congratulations to Vincent! He has improved the most this year especially with his role in Will Power! His speech was clear, humble and optimistic for the future. 

Most Improved Actress

Winner: Eliza Sam (Inbound Troubles, Triumph in the Skies II, Sniper Standoff, The Hippocratic Crush II)




Expected win but a rather deserving win! From the nomination clip I couldn't see any other candidates whose popularity or acting skills may have been near Eliza, even Priscilla Wong who has Sandy Yu promoting her like hell. 

Best Actress in a Supporting Role 

Winner: Elena Kong - Triumph in the Skies II



Congratulations! Elena Kong finally won an award! Even though I don't think TITSII should be her representative role, I admired how she is always hardworking and willing to take 'heavy-flavour' roles! She was really surprised when announced she was the winner and she was really emotional! 

Best Actor in a Supporting Role 
15. Benz Hui - Bounty Lady 





Really surprising win! Don't take me wrong as I am proud for Benz to take the award but I just never thought a veteran like him would win given TVB wants Edwin or Him to win so much! I bet you deep inside Edwin he was disappointed losing to all 4 nominations! Oh well frankly I think Benz was amazing in Bounty Lady. He said his speech in a really joyful way and the content on how people shouldn't blame TVB was right in a way.

Most Popular TV Female Character 

Winner: Yiu Man Ying - Brother's Keeper (Kristal Tin)




Woo! Go Kristal! Her humble speech was really touching but I don't really buy it how she 'never' thought she would win because deep in there she should have a clear picture that she was the most likely winner. Well Congratulations to her because her character in Brother's Keeper was truly the most popular! By the way I find it rather weird how they made the Popular TV awards being presented at the very end as it sort of overshadows the Best Actor/Actress Awards. 

Most Popular TV Male Character 

Winner: Koo Ha Yeung (Jayden) - Triumph in the Skies II (Chilam Cheung)




Expected win and congratulations to Chilam! I found it rather funny how he mentioned his not really well liked by people from TVB (he didn't win the Best Actor Award where 50/50 of the votes is from audience/judging panel). Even though he wasn't my favourite character in TITSII, he was truly the most popular amongst the audience! By the way I like how he gave recognition to Francis Ng for teaching him so much and I was surprised Francis Ng was able to come half way in that I nearly thought he would get an award!!!

Best Actress in a Leading Role 

Winner: Kristal Tin - Brother's Keeper



Although expected I don't agree on this award for Best Actress. There were much more truly deserving Best Actresses such as Tavia Yeung (major improvement from HCI), Joey Meng, Ada Choi and Esther Kwan! Nevertheless, I do like her emotional speech and I do wish her well for her TV Career. By the way poor Linda for having high hopes for winning Best Actress (she wore black dress as the pattern for previous Best Actresses) and at the end she ended up with nothing... But looking at it in the positive perspective, I think it is a gain for her because there would be no complaints from viewers. I believe Linda Chung will get her opportunity in the future (perhaps Tiger Cubs 2?)

Best Actor in a Leading Role

Winner: Dayo Wong - Bounty Lady




Now this is what I call surprise! I was half-expecting Chilam, Franics or Kenneth to take this award but suddenly it was Dayo. Congratulations to Dayo for Best Actor even though I feel like this award was wasted. Wasted not because Dayo didn't deserve it but he didn't need it or care about it. If you have heard the phone call you would of known he had no idea what was going on and was just being thankful like it was a joke. I do however praise Dodo for making a quick and clever initiative to call Dayo about the win even though I am slightly suspicious on how quickly they were able to get a microphone and Dodo's mobile phone so fast. I guess I am over-thinking...

Best Drama

Winner: Triumph in the Skies II 




Definitely no surprises for this one but I am overall satisfied so congratulations!. TITSII may not have the best storyline but given that it bragged the biggest cast, gained the most popularity and had the highest ratings there was no way TVB would give it to another drama (except Brother's Keeper but that series had its own flaws anyway). By the way they are going to make a movie version of TITS but I don't think its necessary and it may over-milk the series like 'EU'. 

Other mentions: Sorry but I am disgusted on how Priscilla and Tony won Best Informative Program and Best hosts. That for me was the biggest disappointment of the night. 

Overall, this years TVB awards ceremony was enjoyable to watch but shockingly horrible in terms of time management and atmosphere. The speech background music tried to make it so emotional but it was rather distracting. Oh and can somebody fire the crew who keeps on telling people to shorten their speeches? There was so much time left that they basically had nothing to do so I was pretty grumpy with them. I also didn't like how the tone of the awards ceremony was more like an anniversary gala rather than an anniversary ceremony like back in 2012? Costumes worn by everything were good and the results were great though!

Reference to my predictions: I got 8/10 right I think which I am happy with! 




Tuesday 10 December 2013

Overall Review of HK TV Series in 2013

It's already December and nearly all the dramas for this year have been broadcast. Firstly, I want to say Merry Christmas to everyone and feel free to read my thoughts and opinions for this year's TVB series. Surprisingly, I have watched all series for this year but for some I have skipped bits and pieces.

Come Home Love
愛·回家
Tsui Yu-on (producer) Sandy Shaw, Sin Tsui-ching (scriptwriters); Lau DanTsui Wing,Lai Lok-yiYvonne LamFlorence KwokCarlo NgAngel ChiangJoey LawQueenie Chu
Thoughts: Obviously I didn't watch every episode but I did catch up with some episodes. I found this series very light-hearted, but failed to show the real and true struggles of working in an office environment. I found that 500 episodes was too much to grasp, and this series failed to live with the other hype of other sitcoms such as Off Pedder or Virtues of Harmony. Nevertheless, it's still good to watch for those with spare time.

Notable Mentions: This series gained a lot of popularity during the time when Beauty at War and Bullet Brain was airing, as netizens praise Come Home Love to be more entertaining and logical than the other series airing then.

Rating: 3/5 (Good Series)

Missing You
幸福摩天輪
Fong Chun-chiu (producer); Chan Ching-yee (scriptwriter); Linda ChungJason ChanLin XiaweiRam ChiangCilla KungCalvin Chan

Thoughts: I liked how this series takes in a new direction in terms of plot and helps people finding their missing loved ones. Much that I liked the story-line, there was no intriguing factor for me to watch this series, and the acting was really raw from the 'newbies'- Lin Xiawei, etc. Jason Chan was frankly below average.  

Notable Mentions: This series was mocked for having a weak cast, with only Linda Chung being the only major star. It doesn't matter to me if there are big stars or not, as long as the acting is adequate. But guess what? Unsurprisingly the acting was only average as well.

Rating: 2.5/5 (Strictly for Linda fans) 

Inbound Troubles
老表,你好嘢!
Wong Wai-sing (producer); Lung Man-hong (scriptwriter); Roger KwokWong Cho-lam,Joey MengIvana WongLouis CheungAngela TongTommy WongHelena LawMimi ChuBowie Wu
Thoughts: A very entertaining series that dared to explore the social barriers between Hong Kong and Chinese Mainlanders. Wong Cho Lam was enjoyable to watch as usual and Roger Kwok had good chemistry with Joey Meng. Ivana Wong mat be good at singing but I am not too sure for acting. Other supporting and 'green veterans' portrayed their role really well.  

Notable Mentions: Wong Cho Lam was scolded by scriptwriters for claiming to be the one who thought of the gags and contributed writing the script for the series, taking credit for something the scriptwriters did most of the thinking. I don't think Wong Cho Lam intentionally tried to take all the claim for himself.

Rating: 4/5 (Comedy drama fans - Must Watch)

Season of Love
戀愛季節
Kwan Wing-chung (producer); Wong Kwok-fai, Cat Kwan (scriptwriters); Kenneth Ma,Myolie WuKate TsuiRon NgNancy WuHim LawVincent WongToby LeungOscar Leung
Thoughts: Another unusual serial structure that TVB has taken with different love stories for every season. I found it rather confusing and detaching if you miss an episode or if you don't know what is happening. Other than that though, I found this series lacking exploration about 'love', except of course in Nancy Wu's autumn season where she was really awesome! Overall, it is watchable. Just don't expect too much.

Notable Mentions: The first week of Seasons of Love reached a record low rating of 19 viewership points for a prime-time TVB series. This was the Summer Season with Him Law and Toby Leung having their love story. Perhaps it teaches a lesson to TVB that you shouldn't have supporting artists being the only lead?

Rating: 3/5 (Perhaps skip Summer and watch Autumn/Winter/Spring instead.)


Sergeant Tabloid[a]
女警愛作戰
Nelson Cheung (producer); Cat Kwan (scriptwriter); Niki ChowMichael TseMandy WongMatthew KoOcéane ZhuKoni LuiGrace WongBenz HuiQueenie Chu
Thoughts: I found this series as a come-back for Nikki Chow for her rather nice portrayal as a cop and Michael refreshing to finally stop being Laughing Gor and act some other roles. I liked Mandy's signature role as the bossy madam but I am sick for her repetitive acting style for being angry and unreasonable.  

Notable Mentions: This series was warehoused in TVB; it was shown overseas in 2012 and then finally shown in Hong Kong in 2013. Although warehoused it still managed to grab a high position as having the highest rating for TVB series in 2013. Well done!

Rating: 3/5 (Good Series)

Bullet Brain
神探高倫布
Lee Tim-sing (producer); Ip Kwong-yam (sriptwriter); Wayne LaiNgo Ka-ninSire Ma,Edwin SiuNatalie Tong
Thoughts: I wasn't sure if I should have wanted to watch this before it was shown since I don't like the casting of Wayne-Sire-Edwin-Natalie but I guess their chemistry turned out alright. Natalie surely was a surprise as MiuMiu, and Sire Ma started off pretty good but then I got pissed at her excessive crying. Wayne and Pierre had nice acting but the uninteresting and illogical storyline was a pain to bear. 

Notable Mentions: Hong Kong viewers slammed this series as disappointing and illogical. Wayne Lai even admitted it was illogical, but he said it was an experiment and they expected the negative reception. 

Rating: 2/5 (Biggest dud but do watch it for the imaginative concept)

Slow Boat Home
情越海岸線
Leung Choi-yuen (producer); Ng Siu-tung (scriptwriter); Raymond WongRuco Chan,Aimee ChanSelena LiElaine YiuMatt YeungCilla Kung

Thoughts: Another light-hearted series that went over the board as a messy and unattractive series.I really couldn't care any less about Ruco-Selena's on and off relationship and Raymond and Aimee's relationship was just so sudden. 

Notable Mentions: This series was recognized for relieving all the horrible dramas such as Bullet Brain and Beauty at War being shown. Kenix Kwok and Frankie Lam supposedly criticized the scene where Ruco and Selena kissed from one falling off the ladder. Yeah, I agree with them that it was so cliche and random. 

Rating: 2.5/5 (Watch it if you want to know more about Malaysia)

Awfully Lawful
熟男有惑
Lam Chi-wah (producer); Chan Kam-ling, Wong Kwok-fai (scriptwriters); Roger Kwok,Johnson LeePal SinnRaymond ChoSharon ChanSelena LiJoyce TangGrace Wong
Thoughts: Refreshing series that had potential to become popular but failed miserably because of its inconsistency and lack of court scenes. Roger Kwok's acting was superb and Sharon's try as the lead was ok. Raymond Cho to me was entertaining and suspenseful but at the same time rather weird. 

Notable Mentions: The segement where Bella Lam was having plastic surgery to improve her looks was teased by netizens as demeaning Korean ladies. 

Rating: 2.5/5 (Rather Awful)

Karma Rider
師父·明白了
Chan Yiu-chuen (producer); Miu Tin (scriptwriter); Raymond WongPriscilla WongMak Cheung-chingYoyo ChenLeung Ka-kiHelena LawKaty KungCilla KungMatt Yeung
Thoughts: I don't know what to say for this series because it was a bit draggy but my gut feeling tells me I liked this series. Priscilla's first go as the lead ended her being quite natural but her acting: horrible! Raymond Wong got so much praise but I found him pretty wooden. Honestly though it is a meaningful drama.

Notable Mentions: Netizens were complaining every week on how Priscilla's acting was horrible and this series was boring to watch. 

Rating: 3/5 (Don't watch it if you're not patient)

Always and Ever
情逆三世緣
Chong Wai-Kin (producer); Yip Tin-shing (scriptwriter); Bobby Au-YeungEsther Kwan,Ngo Ka-ninMandy WongBen WongDerek KokRebecca ZhuRam Chiang,Benjamin YuenSammy SumChristine Kuo
Thoughts: I was sort of worried that this series would end up like Back to Three Kingdoms where it started off good and ended up illogical, but this series only ended up rather cheesy. Magnificent acting by Esther and Bobby was competent as always. Pierre was great but it was too similar to No Regrets. Rebecca Zhu had improved a lot as well.  

Notable Mentions: Bobby survived a heart condition that stopped him from working from fortunately he recovered to start production again. 

Rating: 4/5 (Intriguing and Imaginative) 

Amy Wong (producer); Ng Siu-tung (scriptwriter); Ruco ChanLinda ChungEdwin Siu,Kristal TinLouis YuenLouise LeeLau KongLouis CheungJoseph Lee
Thoughts: I don't know why I gave this series such a high rating since I found so much flaws in the plot and inconsistencies in the story, but I think it was the suspense and excellent acting that redeemed this series. Ruco Chan finally had a role that was worthy for Best Actor, but on the other hand Linda finally ruined her signature innocent-like characters by having the worst written character ever. Kristal Tin was surprisingly really good to watch but I found her too loud sometimes (and also nearly over the top). Edwin Siu frankly wasn't good enough to be lead actor but he was adequate enough to play his character. This is perhaps my most favourite series for 2013.

Notable Mentions: Many people voiced out their disappointments for Linda.  

Rating: 4/5 (Watch it for the acting and interesting setting)

The Hippocratic Crush II
On Call 36小時II
Poon Ka-tak (producer); Lam Chung-pong (scriptwriter); Lawrence NgKenneth Ma,Tavia YeungLouisa SoHim LawMandy WongBenjamin YuenEliza SamKoo Ming-wahTracy ChuBen WongDerek KokPaisley Hu
Thoughts: Biggest disappointment ever yet I like how they have most of the characters from the prequel. They added so much characters to this story but only Lawrence and Tracy really deserved to be added. Tavia was great in expressing her emotions and Kenneth was convincing as the caring and loving husband. I am not going to comment much since it hasn't finishing airing yet but I like how this series is thought-provocative which is why it distinguishes itself from other nonsense series. 

Notable Mentions: There were a flow of complaints for little screen-time for Tavia and Kenneth. 

Rating: 3.5/5 (Tavia-Kenneth fans only)

Friendly Fire
法網狙擊
Man Wai-hung (producer); Ng Lap-kwong, Tong Kin-ping (scriptwriters); Michael Tse,Tavia YeungSammy LeungSharon ChanLouis YuenBenz HuiAlice ChanVincent WongOscar Leung
Thoughts: The arguments in the courts were not realistic, the acting was a bit predictable but hey it was fun to watch! Everyone in my opinion did a good job, even Sammy. Tavia reminded me of The Other Truth whereas Michael Tse reminded me of E.U but as a lawyer instead. Alice Chan stole the show and Samantha Ko should get most improved... too bad she's not even nominated for it. 

Notable Mentions: This series managed to get good ratings despite its 'graveyard timeslot' but it was scolded for being unrealistic *cough cough the scene where Alice crushes Benz but he still manages to go home* 

Rating: 3.5/5 (Watch it with half a brain then you will like it)

The Day of Days
初五啟市錄
Leung Choi-yuen (producer); Chan Ching-yee (scriptwriters); Raymond WongSonija KwokSunny ChanLin XiaweiMatt YeungPatrick TangMak Cheung-chingCilla Kung
Thoughts: This series was such a waste of time and opportunity for Sonja and Sunny, whom both acted well but this series was nothing creative. 

Rating: 2.5/5 (Watch it for celebration of Chinese New Year)


A Great Way to Care II
仁心解碼II
Marco Law (producer); Kwan Chung-ling (scriptwriter); Alex FongTavia YeungYoyo MungBen WongEdwin SiuAimee ChanRam ChiangPower ChanOscar Leung
Thoughts: I watched A Great Way to Care I, and I think both series was on par with each other. Tavia Yeung surprised me with her amazing portrayal as the crazy Ah Yan. Overall, a really nice series where everyone acted good enough except for Joey Mung. Why? She looked so wooden and emotionless all the time. 

Notable Mentions: There were arguments and questions whether Tavia or Joey is the main female lead. I think both are but Joey Mung is slightly more of a lead since she slightly had more screen-time. 

Rating: 3.5/5 (Nice drama)

Reality Check
心路GPS
Lee Yim-fong (producer); Lau Chi-wah (scriptwriter); Louise LeeRuco ChanEvergreen MakPriscilla WongRebecca ChanStanley Cheung
Thoughts: An interesting drama which explores on the theme of your children being filial and problem of gambling and the struggles in families. Although this series was random to watch, there were memorable scenes where it may touch you, or may not. Louise and Ruco have such a great motherly-son chemistry.  

Notable Mentions: People complained that this series got too dark and depressing. To a degree I agree but for the story to advance they need to change the mood of the series. 

Rating: 3/5 (Thoughtful drama)

Beauty at War
金枝慾孽貳
Jonathan Chik (producer); Chow Yuk-ming (scriptwriter); Sheren TangAda Choi,Christine NgMoses ChanKenny WongEddie Kwan
Thoughts: Yay! I survived watching this series! It was the most boring series you will ever encounter, with all talking for every scene. This is the series that I am the most disappointed with, given that War and Beauty is one of my most favorite. Frankly, Sheren looked too worried all the time and I couldn't bear Moses's creaky voice. Credit however goes to Ada Choi for her splendid acting! I did however liked how this series connected well with the prequel, but it was too boring to much. I guess Jonathan Chik really doesn't understasnd that his supposed to produce an entertaining series, not a drama on philosophy. 

Notable Mentions: Sheren blamed the scriptwriter for 'flying papers' and hard to understand plot blah blah blah. Apparently she's blacklisted by TVB but I don't think she gives a damn. What a tragic ending for the War and Beauty series to end up after 8 years. 

Rating: 1.5/5 (Watch the last episode only and skip the rest to not ruin your perception of War and Beauty) 


A Change of Heart
好心作怪
Nelson Cheung (producer); Pang Mei-fung, Leung Yan-tung (scriptwriters); Michael Miu,Bosco WongNiki ChowJoey MengMandy WongVincent WongElaine Yiu,Benjamin YuenJJ Jia
Thoughts: I really liked this series. Everyone did great! Joey Mung should get Best Actress and congratulations for Bosco to get Best Actor at the Starhub Awards.

Rating: 4/5 (Highly suspenseful and entertaining series) 


Triumph in the Skies II
衝上雲霄II
Au Koon-ying (producer, scriptwriter); Joe Chan (producer); Lo Mei-wan (scriptwriter);Francis NgJulian CheungMyolie WuFala ChenRon NgKenneth MaNancy Wu,Him LawElena Kong
Thoughts: Every lead and supporting artist in this series did well except for Myolie Wu. 40 episodes to be was way too long but it ended up with alright. The problem was that there were nothing that urging me to sit down watching it like crazy. 

Notable Mentions: Fala Chan was teased for not crying during the scene where she discovered her boyfriend was planning to propose to her. Big deal.. Oh, and the theme song!

Rating: 3.5/5 (Very good series)

Sniper Standoff
神鎗狙擊
Kwan Wing-chung (producer); Ng Lap-kwong (scriptwriter); Cheung Siu-faiMichael Tse,Kathy ChowKate TsuiEliza SamJoseph LeeAlice Chan
Thoughts: I felt like dejavu every time I watch this since it was so similar to Tiger Cubs. Michael Tse again acted like Laughing Gor with the same 'I am cool' acting style and Kate Tsui's face on botox look annoyed me but she was convincing. 

Notable Mentions: Netizens were mocking Kate Tsui to be wearing high-heels as a police officer. 

Rating: 3/5

Will Power
法外風雲
Tsui Ching-hong (producer); Law Chung-yiu (scriptwriter); Wayne LaiMoses ChanFala ChenChristine NgJason ChanSire MaElliot NgokChung King-faiVincent Wong
Thoughts: I was excepting this to be a comedy drama but it ended up being so serious! Wayne and Moses both did well except Christine Ng was too bland to watch. The court scenes are were interesting. 

Notable Mentions: This series was criticsed as being not worthy for an anniversary series. 

Rating: 4/5 (Wayne Lai proving himself after Bullet Brain that he is not a 'plastic' TV King)

Bounty Lady
My盛Lady
Man Wai-hung (producer); Leung Yan-tung, Lo Mei-wan (scriptwriters); Dayo Wong,Kate TsuiSharon ChanLouis YuenBenz HuiElena KongToby LeungJazz Lam
Thoughts: Wo! Dayo's comeback series. High entertaining! Thumbs up for May Chan and Laura!

Notable Mentions: Criticsed as demeaning for Hong Kong middle-aged ladies. 

Rating: 4/5

Overall, this series TVB series didn't live to the success of 2012. Oh well, I still have hopes for TVB to produce good dramas in the future so I haven't lost hope yet..