I couldn’t help myself since once again, courtesy of Netflix that I dived into this one.
This was one of the few times that I watched Gao Yuan Yaun since I wasn’t a major fan of her back in the days. It wasn’t her fault–as I later realized–because she was often cast in similar roles so I thought her acting was lacking. However, I felt that she did better in modern series and/or movies than in ancient settings. She was so lively and lovable that lit up the whole movie and set the stage for what was to come. So, we soon found out that her life was much more complicated than the early morning wakeup scene led on. However, her sorrowful days were short-lived–thanks to her encounter with Kevin and how they ended up changing each other’s life perspectives for the best. That also unleashed a chain of events as she became more confident with herself and took notice of her surroundings thus leading to her finally meeting Sean. Her world became quite chaotic and unpredictable as her fate was tied with Sean for the upcoming years. However, in some ways, she still retained her innocence and kindness. Sure, she could get so mad and became so scary at times, but overall, she was a gentle person. I felt Yuan Yuan brought out all those sides of Chi Yan really well. It was like walking into her world and going on a journey with her–whether through the good or bad. It was somewhat addicting to watch in a sense. Sometimes the plot was ridiculous–to say the least, but her character was never dull.
Despite reading a bit of spoiler–mostly how the second movie was perceived, I felt like I enjoyed the second movie more. Yes, I said it. The first movie was somewhat innocent and genuine–mostly because of Chi Yan’s personality and how she saw the world along with Kevin’s character. Yet I felt the second movie had its own charm. Although there was a lot of repetition of the first movie playing itself into the second movie, I felt it worked well with tying in with the first one because it reminded us of how such details in life could repeat or could also happen to someone else. For instance, Paul and Yeung Yeung having a pet octopus, Genie, like how Chi Yan and Kevin had Froggie. Interestingly, both pairings also failed in the end. The similarity with how Sean also filmed Yeung Yeung and tried to guess her song–but failed. Hilariously, his ring ended up being used by Paul to propose to Yeung Yeung later when he told her he had figured out the song she was singing already.
Daniel’s lack of appearance in the second movie angered many people–as I read various reviews. I totally understand that for loyal fans of the first movie–and also for his own fans as well. However, I felt the addition of Mariam and Vic–although sending the plot off the rails–made the movie tenfold more hilarious and also cranked up the hype. Daniel fans will probably kill me for it, but I felt the first movie was really bland at times with Daniel’s story. I guessed his character was supposed to be a counterbalance to Louis’ craziness, considering how they were from the opposite spectrum. However, I think I lost interest in his character around the time he became perfect when he met up with Chi Yan again. I didn’t want him to continue moping in sadness and drowning in his wine. Yet I felt his perfection was a turn off for me, feeling like his character just stepped out of an idol drama, too good to be true. Although it completely made sense with Chi Yan’s decision at the end of the first movie with her choosing Kevin, I felt they could have developed her story with Kevin a little more. It was like Johnnie To was already planning the second movie hence leaving it open or something. Because seriously, I saw it coming a mile that it wasn’t going to end well, especially how she looked back when she saw Sean on the way to the restaurant right before the proposal happened. There was still too much baggage and too many unresolved feelings. Not to mention how I was never completely sold on their pairing because of their lack of chemistry. They radiated off the “friends” vibe major time. Yes, they had some intense scenes and even shared a passionate kiss near the end of the first movie, but I didn’t feel anything at all. Hell, I felt Yuan Yuan had way better chemistry with Vic–who was supposed to be portraying her brother. Perhaps, that was why Vic was chosen and how it ended up being a misunderstanding for the majority of the parties thus leading to the big fight near the end of the second movie.
Once again, although having Mariam and Vic in the second movie sent the plot off the rails, it had somehow in its twisted way helped majorly with the main plot. It ripped right through the so-called normal lives of the others–or how Chi Yan had wanted to move on and was ready for the wedding ahead. What brought the second movie to a whole new level of craziness was the confrontation between Sean and Chi Yan and eventually leading to the big fight in Suzhou. I couldn’t even imagine what in the world the plot was going toward even. Everything was so chaotic, so random yet had to happen for things to finally resolve. In fact, the big fight wasn’t the highest level of craziness either. Because at least that fight was somewhat relating back to the fight between Sean and Kevin like the first movie. In actuality, the plot reached peak craziness around the time the wedding rolled around. Who could have guessed Sean would pull such a move? He scared half of the population present to death–while the other half just wanted to film it on their cameras to share it online (probably). What made it crazier yet hilarious was the part where Paul decided to spring a proposal and added to the already chaotic atmosphere after Kevin and Paul had succeeded in rescuing Sean from his crazy climb. I literally laughed out loud because I couldn’t believe it. We got to hear Vic sing “It’s Not That Simple” (沒那麼簡單) but that was seriously random. Also, Paul acted like it wasn’t a big deal after he got rejected and then even jumped into the pool to retrieve Yeung Yeung’s other shoe before heading to the elevator to send her off and even helped her put ’em back on again.
Many are probably thinking that I side with Louis’ character, Sean, hence downplaying Daniel’s character, Kevin. But honestly, I didn’t even like Sean at all throughout. Partially, it had to do with the plot. But overall, he was a let down throughout. Okay, saying “at all” might be a stretch. I actually quite liked his character as the movie started–as it was with Daniel’s character as well. I initially thought his character had more depth than that. Seeing how he saw her and wanted to cheer her up. I knew he had a crush on her at the beginning and was trying to get her attention. It was cute and all. But it went completely downhill as in he was dead to me right after he fell to temptation and slept with Angelina. He didn’t have to explain anything to her, seriously. She misunderstood. If he didn’t show up, it was obvious that she got the wrong idea. So if he wanted to be a gentleman and explain, fine, do it and leave. Yet it turned out, he was just using his weakness as an excuse. Whether his high testosterone issues were a real medical condition or not, it was never addressed throughout. So that led me to assume that it was just there to add to the humor, which wasn’t funny to me. It just degraded women or put the blame on them just because he couldn’t control himself. With Angelina, it could be said that she tried to seduce him but it was his choice to react or not. But the other women appearing throughout in there? It was hard to swallow with making it like it was partially their fault or something for dressing sexily. Then there was also the whole saying about there were two types of men, etc. Sean wasn’t the only one who said it but Joyce also said it later to Sean. I felt it was a slap in the face that it was a principle in general that they just accepted. (Not to mention how it wasn’t just sending a message to women to just accept it or live alone in misery–or something to that extent, but also send out a message that men are all alike–aka generalizing them.) So yeah, those two things combined made me despise Sean even more. Sure, it was his life, he could live it however he wanted. But I found it super hypocritical that he would get overly jealous–whether it was Chi Yan or Yeung Yeung–when they were spending time with another man. Then what bugged me more was seeing how his turnaround after his failed proposal to Chi Yan had led to his out of control womanizing schemes. It reminded me of the whole disaster with How I Met Your Mother steering Barney right back to his old habits just like that and dismissing his past growth completely. Anyway, contrary to the character, I felt Louis’ portrayal was very convincing.
In a way, to sum up Sean, Chi Yan, and Kevin’s relationships all around, Kevin was actually the one who brought Sean and Chi Yan together. If it wasn’t for Kevin, Chi Yan wouldn’t be able to change her outlook on life and gain her confidence again thus finally seeing Sean–who was trying to get her attention for so long. Their links were different on many levels but it wasn’t possible without one or the other being because their course of actions had affected all one way or another. Again, I seriously felt Chi Yan was better off with Kevin like the first movie had ended, considering how it was ironic that she ended up with such a womanizer–and how she had detested what her ex-boyfriend did to her. But I guess the second movie wanted to take back Chi Yan’s safe choice and chose to let her end up with the one she actually loved–for better or for worse. It was just how Yeung Yeung said, telling her not to hide anymore.
Aside from that, I felt that it was such a shame that Paul and Yeung Yeung couldn’t end up together. It would be seriously chaotic if they did since Yeung Yeung and Sean would end up in the same family. Well, even more chaotic than before. But I felt it was just a shame that Vic and Mariam didn’t end up together. Their chemistry wasn’t bad at all. I enjoyed watching the scenes where they went out to eat and talked and just be random at times. Their interactions were so natural and so addicting to watch. The fact that both of their portrayals were so on par that saved the movie a little more.
After all that was said, my favorite character was surprisingly John. Yes, John was such a minor character or so it seemed yet I found him hilarious throughout. Regardless of how intense the main plot got, he was always there to contribute with much humor. Of course, he had no clue how comical he was yet his silly actions seemed to dissolve somewhat of the hectic atmosphere. I initially thought he would be Chi Yan’s asshole boss who would eventually fire her. The reason why I thought that was because during the meeting at the beginning of the first movie, he was trying super hard to deescalate the situation during the meeting and he was sweating so bad, I thought he would use Chi Yan as a scapegoat to get past that obstacle. But it turned out, he was really supportive of her and actually acknowledged that she was really hardworking and talented. He even risked his job to defend her when she saw Sean and called Sean “asshole” but he diverted it to himself. He also tried to convince Chi Yan not to quit and later became her ally with spying on different parties for her and reporting the events to her. It was refreshing, especially how it was known within those industries that there was major backstabbing going on. In the second movie, he was seen chiding Chi Yan and telling her that he shouldn’t be seen with her because he might get fired yet he still managed to give her information at times regarding Sean–or others. Yes, he seemed nosy overall but he truly cared for Chi Yan as a friend.
*All images were collected around the net hence belonging to their rightful owners.
It has been a while since I watched a serious movie. I especially watched this because of Vic. Yes, I liked some of the other cast members too, but when I saw Vic’s name while browsing on Netflix, I had to jump in. And for the record, I didn’t watch the previous movie, Z Storm. Like I said, I was just jumping in for a Vic movie, considering how I haven’t watched him since The Flame’s Daughter. So how was it?
First off, the many familiar faces were making me feel nostalgic for some reason. Then there were the fresh faces to keep the balance with the rest of the audience as well. It was a typical cop movie yet brought forth many interesting characters to crank up the hype for the plot. I especially enjoyed Louis and Julian’s, Luk Sir and Lau Sir, banters at various points. I also loved Ada’s Wong Man Ling’s cleverness and her quick-witted nature. She proved to be a great asset for the team with her deduction skills and her fast reactions at times. Moreover, Tammy Tam’s kickass scenes brought another level of greatness into the movie. We got to see her contribution to the team as an overall when she was with them, but also individually when she was sent to Shenzhen to track a certain lead. It was intense and showed her capabilities at the restaurant. Although she encountered a setback during the fight scene, it showed a realistic side of the situation. That little delay didn’t deter her though since she soon got up after having some help and chased after the two suspects and managed to get their license plate as well.
Perhaps, the weakest link among the many characters and/or cast was Dada Chan’s Ebby Lau. I felt her best scenes were actually with her brother, Lau Sir, and not Vic. The highlight of her appearance (and it showed through her acting) was the part at the bar where she confronted her brother–even if she didn’t say it out directly in regard to their relation, but just told their tragic story from her point of view. Moreover, the scene where she called Luk Sir to the bar wasn’t too much of a scene for her, but it showed that she cared for her brother, despite her tough words previously. It was hard not to soften a bit after witnessing her brother’s devasted state. Her second touching scene with her brother was obviously the scene where he came to negotiate the terms and exchange himself for her. It showed their bond and it made her realize that he had changed, no longer the gambling addict like in the past. He was willing to sacrifice himself for her, that they were family. If I was able to list all the good parts of her, why was she the weakest link, right? I thought her playful scenes were a bit out of place for the rest of the movie–although that was just a part of her character. I felt she was a bit unnatural when she was interacting with Vic’s character, trying to get him to notice her more. Perhaps, her playful side and her carefree nature were what drawn Song Yan Sheun in, and made him realize other things in life. Yet Dada’s performance wasn’t as solid as the scenes that I mentioned above. I liked the serious talk at times that she had with Vic’s character though. In those scenes, she seemed more natural. Perhaps, she wasn’t that good with comedy? I never watched her before so I don’t know. But that was my interpretation when I saw her in this movie.
Although I said Dada was the weakest link in here, she was still crucial to the plot–especially tying back to Vic’s character. However, I felt the most irrelevant character must be Bowie Lam’s Terry Lun. Sure, he was the one who leaked the information to ICAC about the misdeeds within the Jockey Club thus leading to the launch of the investigation in the first place, setting forth a chain of events. Yet I felt if it wasn’t him, it could just be anyone else discovering it and leaking the information out. That same principle applied to the pen that he discovered later thus leading to his death. Anyone else could have discovered and died too and it wouldn’t make a difference if his character wasn’t there. I felt having the character around was just a notch too bloated for the already crowded star-dubbed cast. It didn’t really contribute much to the plot as an overall. It only stretched out some more details and a side distraction regarding Luk Sir’s background. Sure, having his character there made him suspicious and sort of covered up who the real culprit within the club was–as it was revealed near the end. Yet again, as I mentioned before, they could have just plugged in some random person at that club and it would have the same effect. Considering how he wasn’t the main villain–or wasn’t even one of the masterminds of the grand scheme anyway, it was a waste of time for his story arch, to say the least.
The ending? It made me feel like I was choking by the time the final battle scene rolled around. The fact that they teased us with allowing Vic’s character, Song Yan Sheun, to be present for the most crucial moment was clever in some ways. However, it turned out to be a major disappointment as seconds passed and he was out of the picture again. It seemed like a slap in the face for Vic fans. I knew that Luk Sir and Lau Sir were the highlights of the movie, considering how they were introduced and how their story played out later. However, considering how Vic was listed among the top three main leads, I felt it was justified that the rest of us felt robbed. He also appeared first as a setup for the first nerve-racking chase scene and later became the reason for half of the police force’s headaches. Perhaps, having him appearing less throughout created this mysterious aura for him. Yet it didn’t make me feel better with all the teasing throughout with the occasional scenes here and there of his background. Then, it was humanizing him during the scenes with Ebby. To finally, dismissing him completely as another character among all these twisted schemes by the so-called masterminds.
What saved the ending for me was knowing that Shek Sau’s character, Ha Chi Yin, didn’t escape in the end. He was caught by Luk Sir’s team when he was at the airport, attempting to make a clean exit out of the country. If he had escaped, I don’t think anyone would’ve lived it down. But I had to admit having him being the villain was a surprising twist for me, considering how I was betting (pun intended) Bowie Lam’s character to be the villain-aka the one being in cahoot with the other dude.
So recommended? I felt it was a really good movie on its own. Since I didn’t watch the other movies relating to the theme–as said before, I can’t comment. But by itself, it was good. It was just not a good movie to catch for Vic fans. Sure, his role was unique in its own way. I felt he lived up to the challenge of taking on yet another role in a serious movie. However, if you were fangirling, there was no point, lol. Let’s face it, any fangirl would be greedy to want more of their favorites. I’m guilty of that too and I’m not going to lie.
*All images were collected around the net hence belonging to their rightful owners.
Key: Bold = Chinese Green = Pin Yin Sea Green = English Teal = Vietnamese
看歲月如夢 聽誓言如風 回首往事已朦朧 kan sui yue ru meng ting shi yan ru feng hui shou wang shi yi meng long Seeing the years passing by like a dream, hearing the vows uttered like that of the wind moving, recalling the past yet it has faded Nhìn năm tháng thôi đưa như là giấc mơ, lắng nghe lời thề như gió thổi, hồi tưởng lại dĩ vãng như đã nhạt nhoà 為你喝的酒 為你忍的痛 誰記得誰願帶走 wei ni he de jiu wei ni ren de tong shui ji di shui yuan dai zhou All the wine that was drank because of you, all the pain that was endured because of you, who still remember and who is willing to take it away? Những giọt rượu vì em mà uống, những nổi đau vì em mà chịu đựng, ai vẫn còn nhớ và ai lại tình nguyện mang theo? 用一身傷口 換一夜寂寞 不該為愛再停留 yong yi shen shang kou huan yi ye ji mo bu gai wei ai zai ting liu Using a body full of wounds to exchange a night of loneliness, don’t let love repress your steps Dùng tấm thân đầy thương tích để đổi lại một đêm cô đơn, đừng để vì tình yêu mà dừng chân lại 放開你的手 面對我的愁 無力分辨是對是錯 fang kai ni de shou mian dui wo de chou wu li fen bian shi dui shi cuo Loosen your hands and face my sorrows since I no longer have the energy to distinguish right from wrong Hãy thả lõng đôi tay em ra và đối diện với nỗi sầu của tôi, tôi đã không còn sức để phân biệt được đúng hay sai 站在飄著細雨的街口 讓這往事歷歷上心頭 zhan zai piao zhe xi yu de jie kou rang zhe wang shi li li shang xin tou Standing at a street corner with rain falling lightly, allowing past memories to appear within heart Đứng tại gốc phố đầy những hạt mưa bay bay, để cho những chuyện dĩ vãng hiện rõ trong lòng
曾是我期待已久的溫柔 為何又從我手中灑落 ceng shi wo qi dai yi jiu de wen rou wei he you cong wo shou zhong sa luo The gentleness that I’ve long craved, why has it fled from within reach? Sự ôn nhu mà tôi đã ao ước từ lâu, sao lại vuột khỏi tằm tay? 誰知道我一生痴心一場夢 你又忍心讓我夢醒成空 shui zhi dao wo yi sheng chi xin yi chang meng ni you ren xin rang wo meng xing cheng kong Who knows that my infatuation of a lifetime has turned into a dream? How could you cruelly let my dream turned into nothingness? Ai biết được cả đời si tình của tôi chỉ là một giấc mơ? Sao em lại nhẫn tâm để tôi mộng tỉnh thành không? 我甘心付出所有 請願承受折磨 留不下你為我守候 wo gan xin fou chu suo you qing yuan cheng shou zhe mo liu bu xia ni wei wo shou hou I’m willing to give everything, willing to endure all the tortures, not able to let go of what you’d done for me Tôi cam tâm trao ra tất cả, tình nguyện nhận lấy giày vò, buông xuống không được những gì em đã làm cho tôi 一生痴心一場夢 終究還是難脫命運捉弄 yi sheng chi xin yi chang meng zhong jiu hai shi nan tuo ming yun zhuo nong A lifetime of infatuation has turned into a dream; in the end, I wasn’t able to escape fate’s cruel joke Cả đời si tình đã thành một giấc mơ, cuối cùng cũng khó thoát được bị vận mệnh trớ trêu 當春雨秋風走過 當你驀然回首 是否你會告訴自己 深愛過我 dang chun yu qiu feng zou guo dang ni mo ran hui shou shi fou ni hui gao su zi ji shen ai guo wo The moment when the spring rain and the autumn wind had passed, when you suddenly turned around, was it because you’ve told yourself that you’ve once loved me deeply? Lúc mưa xuân gió thu trôi qua, lúc em bỗng nhiên quay đầu nhìn lại, phải chăng em đang nói với mình rằng đã từng yêu tôi sâu đậm?
This list combines both female and male artists–and it’s top 50 so some from the other lists might not make this one.
Translations:
1. Zhu Yi Long / Chu Nhứt Long
2. Deng Lun / Đặng Luân
3. Yang Zi / Dương Tử
4. Zanilia Zhao Li Ying / Triệu Lệ Dĩnh
5. Jackson Yee / Dịch Dương Thiên Tỉ
6. Xiao Zhan / Tiêu Chiến
7. Yang Mi / Dương Mịch
8. Wang Yi Bo / Vương Nhứt Bác
9. Di Li Re Ba / Địch Lệ Nhiệt Ba
10. Ju Jing Yi / Cúc Tịnh Y
11. Yang Yang / Dương Dương
12. Hu Ge / Hồ Ca
13. Li Xian / Lý Hiện
14. Luo Yun Xi / La Vân Hy
15. Li Qin / Lý Thấm
16. Wang Jun Kai / Vương Tuấn Khải
17. Luo Jin / La Tấn
18. Lay Zhang Yi Xing / Trương Nghệ Hưng
19. Tiffany Tang Yan / Đường Yên
20. Jin Dong / Cận Đông
21. Li Yi Feng / Lý Dịch Phong
22. Angel Wang / Vương Âu
23. Cecilia Liu Shi Shi / Lưu Thi Thi
24. Victoria Song / Tống Thiến
25. Alan Yu / Vu Mông Lung
26. Tamia Liu Tao / Lưu Đào
27. Zheng Shuang / Trịnh Sảng
28. Liu Hao Ran / Lưu Hạo Nhiên
29. Guli Nazha / Cổ Lực Na Trát
30. Wang Kai / Vương Khải
31. Angel Zhao / Triệu Kim Mạch
32. Guan Xiao Tong / Quan Hiểu Đồng
33. Roy Wang / Vương Nguyên
34. Zhang Ruo Yun / Trương Nhược Quân
35. William Chan / Trần Vỹ Đình
36. Xu Kai / Hứa Khải
37. Huang Zi Tao / Hoàng Tử Thao
38. Jiang Shu Ying / Giang Sơ Ảnh
39. Ray Ma Tian Yu / Mã Thiên Vũ
40. Li Yi Tong / Lý Nhứt Đồng
41. Xing Fei / Hình Phi
42. Yang Chao Yue / Dương Siêu Việt
43. William Feng Shao Feng / Phùng Thiệu Phong
44. Vin Zhang / Trương Bân Bân
45. Yukee Chen / Trần Ngọc Kỳ
46. Zhu Ya Wen / Chu Á Văn
47. Lei Jia Yin / Lôi Giai Âm
48. Jiang Xin / Tưởng Hân
49. Lu Han / Lộc Hàm
50. Wendy Zhang / Trương Tử Phong
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