No Reserve Promo Clips

Promos for myTV Super Broadcast

Trailer @ myTV Super All Star Summer


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Promos for TV Broadcast

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Extended Trailer

Will Power Review

Producer: Tsui Ching Hong
Genre: Modern, legal
Cast: Wayne Lai, Moses Chan, Fala Chen, Christine Ng, Jason Chan, Sire Ma, Vincent Wong

Review:
I was worried that Will Power would be another terrible legal drama, but to my surprise, it turned out better than I expected. I appreciate that there are more court scenes than I can count on one hand (looking at you, Awfully Lawful). I like that there are not one-sided arguments and that the arguments have at least some legal basis (ahem, Friendly Fire). Of course, it’s not perfect by any means, but if you wanted 100% accuracy, you should probably go to the local courthouse. That being said, if this series is used as any measure, there are about six lawyers and one judge in Hong Kong. Conflict of interest laws? What is that?

Will Power is different from most legal dramas in that the majority of cases are integrated into a bigger storyline. There aren't random characters running around, which gives the leads more screen time and opportunity for development. The story is appropriately paced, such that 32 episodes does not feel like too much for once. The series builds nicely towards the climax, where there are a few good twists. I was disappointed, however, that the writers took the easy way out in the finale.

I’m glad that the romance did not detract from the legal cases. The relationships were mature, with no crazy geometric shapes or unnecessary drama. In fact, it had some humorous moments, as the two big lawyers turned into petty men in front of their girlfriends.

With 2 TV Kings, their acting was a joy to watch. I like Moses a lot better in serious dramas than comedies. Wayne does not look as tired as his previous dramas. Both were great acting as professionals. The ladies didn’t have a big role. Fala had better emotional scenes than in Triumph in the Skies II, but after her break-up with Vincent, she was regulated to a “be supportive/worried-looking” role. Christine didn’t have a chance to shine either. All she had to do was sit and be judge-like. I noticed an odd twitch to her eyebrow sometimes, which made me feel like she’s about pull out a Beauty at War scheme.

Arguably the best actor in this series is Chung King-fai. It’s great that he’s not in a preachy-grandfather role. He is devious and manipulative with a perfected smirk. Elliot Ngok, which I usually find overdramatic, has thankfully toned it down. Another convincing performance by Power Chan as a mentally challenged character; he deserves consideration for Best Supporting Actor again. Poor Vincent Wong for taking 23 slaps. He may have gone a tad overboard in some scenes, but generally did well. Susan Tse and Mary Hon are veterans at doing the “keeping a secret for 20 years” thing.

The worst acting goes to Jason Chan. He seemed perpetually at lost about where to position himself and what to do with his hands. Compared to Bullet Brain, Sire Ma actually did better and part of the reason is because she’s up against Jason. Still, she was an unconvincing rape victim, alternating between too composed and too hysterical. But no worries, Jason was an even worse boyfriend of a rape victim. He also lays claim to the title of most unconvincing defendant facing murder charges.

Conclusion: How much willpower does it take to finish this series? Surprisingly, it carries itself.

Rating: 4/5


Related posts:
Will Power Overview and Preview of Cases
Theme Song
Promo Clips

Will Power - Preview of Cases

Case #1: The Yacht Gift
Moses helps a wealthy businessman (Du Yange) win his case to get a refund for a luxury yacht. But the businessman unexpectedly dies from overexcitement. It turns out the yacht was supposed to be a special gift for his daughter. How can the estate trustee properly administer his will in accordance with his dying wish?




Case #2: Roast Goose Store
What is more important: sticking to traditions or keeping up with modern trends? Two brothers of a famous roast goose store each have their own opinions. Elder brother Yu Yang is persuaded by his foreign-educated son (Max Cheung) to expand the business. Reform vs traditions – which is right and which is wrong? Or does the brand left by their late father have a deeper meaning?




Case #3: Dragon-Headed Stick
Elliot Ngok is the estate trustee for triad leader Lee Ka-Ding. After Lee Ka-Ding’s death, Elliot’s law firm took custody of his assets, including a dragon-headed stick. The stick itself did not have any real value, but whoever possessed could command the underworld. Eric Li wants to get hold of the dragon-headed stick so that he could become the next leader of the triads. He decides to hire Moses to open litigation on the case.




Case #4: Sunset Elegy
Is there an age limit on love? Especially when a younger person is in a relationship with a rich elderly person, is it always for the money? Samantha Ko used to be an ordinary office worker, but now she is the widow of an 80-year old man and embroiled in a legal battle over his inheritance. No one would believe that Samantha and retired principal Bowie Wu were truly in love. His three children think that Samantha was only after his money and refuses to give her a share of his wealth.


Overview - Will Power
Will Power Promo Clips

Overview - Will Power

Hong Kong's two famous lawyers Wayne Lai and Moses Chan are facing off against each other in court. Wayne turns the tables to win the case, but it nearly costs him his life. After that, he changes his perspective on life. Senior Counsel Elliot Ngok is impressed and invites Wayne to work with him on a big inheritance case. Meanwhile, Moses is forced to return to his mentor Chung King-Fei's law firm due to debt problems. He begins to work with King Sir's daughter Fala Chen on cases. Fala is initially dating the wealthy Vincent Wong, but things go astray due to Vincent's grandiose yet unambitious attitude, giving Moses a chance to chase after her. The inheritance case is ready to go on trial with Wayne's ex-wife/Moses' ex-girlfriend Christine Ng sitting as the judge. As the two men prepare for another court battle, they begin to realize there is another truth to the case and the key person is related to Wayne's apprentice Jason Chan. They inevitably brew up a big storm in the legal world...


Preview of Cases
Will Power Promo Clips
Official Poster for Will Power

Official Poster for Will Power

Someone went overboard on the photoshopping...

Overview - Will Power
Will Power Promo Clips

Will Power Promo Clips

Overview, Preview of Cases, Official Poster

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Promo #6-8



Extended Trailer

TVB Trends: May-December Relationships

Old enough to be her dad? Age disparity obviously isn't a problem for these TVB lovers...


John Chiang & Liu Xuan in Grace Under Fire - 32 years

Elliot Ngok & Ada Choi in Gem of Life - 31 years



Damien Lau & Tavia Yeung in Silver Spoon Sterling Shackles - 30 years



Pal Sinn & Grace Wong in Awfully Lawful - 27 years



Wayne Lai & Sire Ma in Bullet Brain - 23 years



Francis Ng & Fala Chen in Triumph in the Skies II - 21 years



Francis Ng & Myolie Wu in Triumph in the Skies - 18 years



Wayne Lai & Natalie Tong in Bullet Brain - 17 years



Frankie Lam & Linda Chung in Forensic Heroes - 17 years



Alex Fong & Kate Tsui in A Great Way to Care - 16 years



Yvonne Lam & Tsui Wing in Come Home Love - 15 years



IN UPCOMING SERIES


Lawrence Ng & Tracy Chu in The Hippocratic Crush II - 24 years

Dayo Wong & Kate Tsui in My Prime Lady - 19 years

Michael Tse & Eliza Sam in Sniper Standoff - 17 years



Joe Ma & Linda Chung in Tiger Cubs II - 16 years



Wayne Lai & Myolie Wu in No Reserve - 15 years

What other odd couples have you seen?


Another TVB Trend - Rape Scenes

Symbolism in Bullet Brain

A netizen pointed out how the characters in Bullet Brain can be used as symbolism for international relations. This was probably not TVB’s intention, but at least it’s something interesting from a boring series. (Read Bullet Brain Review)

Disclaimer: This is not meant to be a political statement in any way. 

Dai Hei/Columbo (Wayne Lai) = Hong Kong

Initially a simple-minded person, he becomes intelligent after an accident. Hong Kong used to be just a small fishing town, but became prosperous as result of WWII.

Ping On (Pierre Ngo) = Macau

After an accident, he switches brain cells with Columbo and becomes the new Columbo. After the transfer of sovereignty of Macau, it replaced Hong Kong’s flourishing development.

Mui Mui (Natalie Tong) = China

She gave up on Dai Hei (cession of Hong Kong) for her own benefit (Opium Wars). Once he becomes the brilliant Columbo, she wants him back (handover of Hong Kong).

Szeto Nam (Natalie Tong) = Tibet

Always causing into trouble; the reason for Mui Mui’s (China) craziness.

Eva (Sire Ma) = Britain

She was at Columbo’s (Hong Kong) side through bad times. She negotiated with Mui Mui (China) regarding his future.

Fei Lung (Edwin Siu) = Singapore

Good, disciplined, youthful. He does well in everything, but is still not favoured by Eva (Britain).

Louis Kim (Joe Junior) = USA

As Secretary for Security, he has the power to make decisions that affect everyone.

Edward Scott (Brian Burrell) = Philippines

Corrupt, hated by everyone

Tong Kai Ming (Geoffrey Wong) = Taiwan

He was once with Mui Mui (China), but was later murdered by her, reflective of how the Kuomintang was defeated by the Communist Party.

Choi Tin (Lau Dan) = Malaysia

Extreme corruption; used to have poor relations with Edwin (Singapore), but now live together.

Joanna Rose (Corinna Chamberlain) = Portugal

Took care of Ping On (Macau), but left after his accident (Macau handover) and never interfered anymore.

Hospital Director Lee (Tang Ying Man) = United Nations

Examines Columbo along with other experts, showing his concern for Columbo’s (Hong Kong) condition. Has influential power that even Louis Kim (USA) listens to his advice.

Bullet Brain Review

Producer: Lee Tim Sing

Genre: Science-fiction

Cast: Wayne Lai, Pierre Ngo, Sire Ma, Natalie Tong, Edwin Siu

Plot: A brilliant detective goes head-to-head against criminals and outsmarts them at every turn to keep Hong Kong safe. But I must have accidentally flipped the channel to another series about schizophrenia, stupidity and the supernatural.

Review:

The problem with this series is not with storytelling. Some viewers may have found it confusing that the backstory is given in separate parts, but it is actually quite straightforward. We know the brilliant Detective Columbo used to be very dumb but nice. Something happened to make him smart yet arrogant, but that something isn’t revealed right away. Simple.

No, the problem is with the story itself. First, this "detective" series isn't about solving cases, but Lee Tim Sing already warned about that before its release. What I had expected was a battle of wits between Wayne and Pierre since that was how the series was advertised. The battle of the wits never happened. Actually, if you really think about it, Wayne with IQ of 283 was outsmarted by Pierre with IQ of 203 most times, but he got lucky. Still, we got a weird lighting fighting scene, if that helps. 

What this series turns out to be is Wayne and Pierre taking turns vowing to help the other find their “conscious” back. Why is this so important anyways? The idea might sense for Pierre’s character since he was clearly evil. But for Wayne... sure, he was one arrogant bastard, but he was not evil. Aside from the bank manager case, nothing else he did was immoral, so I don’t understood Pierre’s desperateness to “save” Columbo by changing him back to the stupid Dai Hei.

Further adding to the problem with this series is the heavy focus on Sire Ma. She is, by far, the most annoying, immature, dumb madam EVER!! “9527, this is an order!” *teary-eyes* “Bo Bo!” Goodness, can someone explain to me how she could have been an elite graduate from Scotland Yard? And someone please tell Tim Gor that this diary thing is an absolute drag (recall Fala Chen in No Regrets?)

There are three versions of Wayne Lai in Bullet Brain and he performed well in two of them. As Columbo, he was absolutely despicable and displayed so much arrogance. You want to wipe that smug look from his face, which is exactly what Columbo is – the most hated man at the police station. As Dai Hei, he was a shy and innocent man. He shows the character’s insecurity as he tries to hold onto everyone’s hand. Wayne is able to draw a clear distinction between the two characters so that the continuous flashbacks are not confusing. Where he goes downhill is when he regained his memory and intelligence in the second half of the series. As Dai Hei x Columbo, all he did was look constantly worried or grieving.

Pierre Ngo did well until his character became smart and evil. After that, he was overly exaggerative in a bad way. While Wayne’s exaggerative gestures was to show Columbo’s arrogance, Pierre just came off as crazy. His hair and his laugh were plain weird.

Sire Ma… No words can describe my frustration with her. No doubt that her annoying character makes it easy to hate on her, but her acting definitely contributes to the annoyingness. A lot of times, she just stands there as stiff as a stick. Her emotional scenes need work and her pronunciation could see improvement.

Edwin Siu was the stereotypical good guy. There’s nothing special about him, except I would have loved it if he could slap some sense into Sire. Actually I thought he would have ended up with her, but instead Sire gets to be with her “Bo Bo”, which makes no sense whatsoever.

Natalie Tong was the shining star in Bullet Brain. She was very, very convincing as a deranged lady and she can easily make the switch to “normal” 40-year old in front of others. The last scene before her death was so touching that I actually got teary-eyed. She was even better than Wayne in that scene. Playing the daughter role, her best scene was when she sat with a slightly satisfied smile after pushing Pierre out of the car. This is definitely a breakthrough for Natalie; a pity she was cast aside in favour of Sire.

Conclusion: Stick to normal crime-fighting next time.

Rating: 1/5

Official Poster for Bullet Brain

Comment: Very science-fiction feel to the poster. I'm really looking forward to seeing Wayne!


Overview - Bullet Brain
Trailer at FILMART - Day 2
Bullet Brain Theme Song

Overview - Bullet Brain

The story takes place in Hong Kong in the 1960s. Wayne Lai, a kind-hearted character, illegally enters into Hong Kong and joins the police force with the help of his father’s friend Joe Junior. After one incident where he was shot in the head, the bullet fragments stimulated brain cell development and his IQ level increased exponentially. Wayne suddenly turned into a brilliant detective who can crack any case. But at the same time, he also changed into a ruthless person. The only exception was to his friend and partner, Pierre Ngo, whom he still gave some regard to. Joe Junior, sensing a brewing problem, appoints female officer Sire Ma to monitor Wayne, however Sire is always defending Wayne instead. This causes difficulties in the previously stable relationship between Sire and colleague Edwin Siu. Meanwhile, Wayne meets Natalie Tong, a social butterfly who looks exactly like his first love. All these relationships become extremely complicated. Not wanting to see Wayne veer on the wrong path, Pierre comes up with a plan, but it ends up injuring Wayne and causing another big change in temperament…

There is only one major case about a dissolved corpse throughout the whole series. The case is draws on the facts from a real case in 1989. 

Listen to Bullet Brain Theme Song

Character Map: