Sunday, September 27, 2015

Overview - Under the Veil



Appearances are an illusion, reality is seen in the heart. Even if people have similar appearances, their minds can lead them to different actions and results. Through three folk tales, Under the Veil will bring out thought-provoking messages about the true meaning of life.

Hairpin Exchange
During the Song Dynasty, the Crown Prince (Stanley Cheung) suspects that one of the ministers is plotting treason. He secretly sends a spy (male Kristal Tin) to infiltrate the Liao state and collect evidence. The spy's twin sister (female Kristal) volunteers to act as her brother's double while he is away. Although they fool everyone else, the brother's wife grows suspicious. Kristal uses various methods to resolve her predicaments. At the same time, she re-encounters her ex-lover Raymond Wong, which throws her heart into upheaval. However, Raymond has suffered from amnesia after a serious illness and has forgotten everything from the past. The Crown Prince suddenly goes missing and a spirit bird (Katy Kung) delivers a message to Kristal's brother. The search for the Crown Prince is full of climactic moments. Kristal suffers a huge blow, which puts her life in danger. Raymond finally remembers everything and is heartbroken...




Justice Luk
When a flood in the capital damages the Ten Kings Temple, the scholar Wayne Lai does everything he can to save the statute of Justice Luk (Willie Wai), thereby forming a special bond with the Justice. After Wayne miraculously experiences resurrection after death, he returns home to his wife Sonija Kwok, but finds that they have nothing to say to each other. Wayne visits a brothel to drown his sorrows and meets a well-known prostitute (Sonija II), whom he instantly clicks with. Remarkably, Wayne asks the Justice to switch the heads of his wife and the prostitute. But later, Wayne finds himself missing his wife. Suddenly, a fire breaks out at the brothel and Wayne desperately tries to save his wife. He asks the Justice to switch their heads back, but runs into many difficulties...




Chasing Fish
Bosco Wong's family had fallen into financial trouble, yet the date of his arranged marriage to Eliza Sam is approaching. He travels to her home to explain the situation. Along the way, he saves a carp (Eliza II). Grateful towards her saviour, the carp secretly follows Bosco via a water route. At Eliza's house, the penniless Bosco is looked down upon and only provided with a shack to stay in. In order to get closer to Bosco, the carp transforms herself into Eliza and spends time with him at the shack. They slowly develop feelings for each other. Bosco unintentionally becomes a local hero after standing up against injustice for the villagers and Eliza suddenly shows interest in him again. Fearful that she will lose Bosco, the carp transforms herself into Eliza and causes trouble in her family. No one can differentiate between the real and fake Eliza. The carp willingly accepts heaven's test to prove her true love towards Bosco...




Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Sunday, September 20, 2015

Captain of Destiny Theme Song

The theme song for Captain of Destiny is "Sail" (揚帆), sung by Fred Cheng.



The ending theme song is "Next Century" (下世紀), by Ruco Chan.


The sub-theme song is performed by Linda Chung, named "A Never-Changing Heart" (一顆不變的心)



Tuesday, September 08, 2015

StarHub TVB Awards 2015

The annual StarHub TVB Awards are here! Voting has started and will end on October 23 (You can vote here). This year is a hard year to pick for, and that's not because there are too many good candidates. Nonetheless, here are my picks:

Favourite Actress


Can we give a dual award to Nancy Wu and Kristal Tin just for this scene?

Runner-up: I'm impressed with how natural Grace Chan was in Raising the Bar.
Least favourite: Don't even get me started on Linda Chung in Tiger Cubs II.


Favourite Actor


Ruco Chan did an exceptional job in Eye in the Sky, so I'm picking him even though he's nominated for a different series.

Runner-up: Ben Wong nailed the mannerisms of a barrister.
Least favourite: Moses Chan, for the repetitive and uninteresting roles he had this year.


Favourite Supporting Actress


I've really like Natalie Tong's subtle performances in her last few dramas.

Runner-up: Elena Kong was a rare highlight in Smooth Talker.
Least favourite: Ivana Wong over-exaggerates in almost everything I've seen her in.


Favourite Supporting Actor


Vincent Wong was solid and had great chemistry with Josie Ho in Tomorrow is Another Day.

Runner-up: Raymond Cho deserves some recognition.
Least favourite: Can't decide between expressionless Benjamin Yuen and over-the-top Oscar Leung.


Favourite Female Character


Elena Kong's character in Smooth Talker was entertaining.

Runner-up: Giselle (Grace Chan) is actually very sweet if you just ignore the sexual harassment case.
Least favourite: Madam Chung. Do I need to explain further?


Favourite Male Character


I have a good feeling about Ruco Chan's prince role in Captain of Destiny.

Runner-up: Pass.
Least favourite: Wong Cho Lam was too excessive in Come On Cousin.


Favourite Drama


Eye in the Sky, even though it could have been so much better.

Runner-up: I surprisingly liked Limelight Years. It was a soothing series to watch.
Least favourite: Watching Tiger Cubs II felt like 1.5 hours of torture every week.


Favourite On-Screen Couple


I guess Edwin Siu and Priscilla Wong did have chemistry in what little scenes I saw of them.

Runner-up: I can't even pick a second couple that I liked.
Least favourite: Joe Ma and Linda Chung?! Oh my gawddddd!


Favourite Theme Song


None of the theme songs were particularly memorable.

Runner-up: As above.
Least favourite: Fred Cheng's voice is not really suited for the style of the Officer Geomancer theme song.


Favourite Variety Show Categories
No picks for the variety show categories, but special shout-out to Not Far But Away, which gave the audience some perspective into North Korea.


Wednesday, September 02, 2015

Overview - Captain of Destiny



While chasing a thief on a speedboat, Cheung Chau police officer Grace Chan is caught in a waterspout and brought back in time to the Qing Dynasty. She meets Tony Hung, a pirate of the Red Flag Fleet, and Ruco Chan, the 11th imperial prince. Grace uses historical facts from her e-book to broker peace between the two groups. However, Lam Lok Lam, the captain of the Red Flag Fleet, and his wife Maggie Siu are suspicious of this girl who came from nowhere. Grace's ability to predict the future attracts the affections of Tony and Ruco, leading to a messy entanglement of love and friendship. Grace also meets her great-grandparents Mandy Wong and Joel Chan. The antics of this quarrelsome couple leaves Grace laughing and crying at the same time. Tony is suddenly embroiled in the power struggle at the palace, while Ruco is unwittingly being manipulated by the consorts Elaine Yiu and Susan Tse. Ruco falls victim in the palace struggle and decides to give up everything for love. He deserts the army and leaves with Kelly Fu, and later encounters the Siam pirate captain, Oceane Zhu. The waterspout reappears in the midst of a solar eclipse. While trying to help Grace, Tony is brought to the future too...


Captain of Destiny Promo Clips