#Kwok Wai Cheung

[maggiecheungs]

“I learned that the best way to avoid rejection is to reject others first…”

LESLIE CHEUNG as Ouyang Feng in ASHES OF TIME | 東邪西毒 (1994) dir. Wong Kar-wai

[taekwondolifemagazine]

Twilight of the Warriors is a Great Way to Spend Two Hours

August 14, 2024 (NYC)– Twilight of the  Warriors is a Great Way to Spend Two Hours. Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In (2024), is the latest theatrical release from Well Go USA Entertainment.  It is a great martial arts, action film and worth seeing in theaters. SYNOPSIS: Many years after the bloody turf war that ushered in an uneasy era of peace in Hong Kong’s underworld, the notorious Kowloon…

[saturdaynightmatinee]

CALIFICACIÓN PERSONAL: 5.5 / 10

Título Original: Mo AKA The Boxer's Omen

Año: 1983

Duración: 105 min

País: Hong Kong

Dirección: Kuei Chih-Hung

Guion: Kuei Chih-Hung, Sze-To On

Música: Stephen Shing, Su Chen-Hou

Fotografía: Lee San-Yip, Lam Wan-Kwan, Cho Wai-Kei

Reparto: Phillip Ko, Elvis Tsui Kam-Kong, Kar-Man Wai, Johnny Wang Lung-Wei, Bolo Yeung, Cheung Chok-Chow, Leung Hak-Shun, Tien-chu Chin, Ma Hon-Yuen, Wan Seung-Lam, Lai Yau-Hing, Lam Chi-Tai, Lau Chun, Gam Tin-Chue, Ha Kwok-Wing, Lam Wai, Sai Gwa-Pau

Productora: Shaw Brothers

Género: Horror; Drama

TRAILER:

[skiddo-xy]

Unique English Hong Konger Names

As a result of British colonization, most Hong Kongers have English names along side their Chinese names. However, since Hong Kong is not exactly an English speaking society, some of the names that parents choose for their children (or they choose themselves) may have unconventional spelling, sound like they're not "real names", or generally appear unusual to native English speakers. Which I find interesting because they follow "English name structures" without actually being English names.

Here are some examples I found as I was scrolling through the list of Miss Hong Kong Pageant winners, given in the format of [English name] - [traditional] / [simplified] ([jyutping] / [pinyin]) - jyutping is one of the most common ways of romanizing Cantonese (the language of Hong Kong) and pinyin is the standardized form of romanizing Mandarin. More under the cut!

Conny Kwan - 關淑芬 / 关淑芬 (gwaan1 suk6 fan1 / Guān Shūfēn)

Loletta Chu - 朱玲玲 (zyu1 ling4 ling4 / Zhū Línglíng)

Freda Leung - 梁仲芬 (loeng4 zung6 fan1 / Liáng Zhòngfēn)

Cher Yeung - 楊雪儀 / 杨雪仪 (joeng4 syut3 ji4 / Yáng Xuěyí)

Shallin Tse - 謝寧 / 谢宁 (ze6 ning4 / Xiè Níng)

Aleen Lo - 羅錦如 / 罗锦如 (lo4 gam2 jyu4 / Luó Jǐnrú)

Middy Yu - 余少寶 / 余少宝 (jyu4 siu2 bou2 / Yú Shǎobǎo)

Kenix Kwok - 郭可盈 (gwok3 ho2 jing4 / Guō Kěyíng)

Halina Tam - 譚小環 / 谭小环 (taam4 siu2 waan4 / Tán Xiǎohuán)

Chillie Poon - 潘芝莉 (pun1 zi1 lei6 / Pān Zhīlì)

Sonija Kwok - 郭羨妮 / 郭羡妮 (pun1 zi1 lei6 / Guō Xiànnī)

Marsha Yuan - 原子鏸 (jyun4 zi2 wai6 / Yuán Zǐjiē)

Myolie Wu - 胡杏兒 / 胡杏儿 (wu4 hang6 ji4 / Hú Xìngér)

Rabee'a Yeung - 楊洛婷 / 杨洛婷 (joeng4 lok6 ting4 / Yáng Luòtíng)

Queenie Chu - 朱慧敏 (zyu1 wai6 man5 / Zhū Huìmǐn)

Shermon Tang - 鄧上文 / 邓上文 (dang6 soeng5 man4 / Dèng Shàngwén)

Natalle Khor - 許佩琪 / 许佩琪 (heoi2 pui3 kei4 / Xǔ Pèiqí)

Koni Lui - 呂慧儀 / 吕慧仪 (leoi5 wai6 ji4 / Lǚ Huìyí)

Edelweiss Cheung - 張舒雅 / 张舒雅 (zoeng1 syu1 ngaa5 / Zhāng Shūyǎ)

Sire Ma - 馬賽 / 马赛 (maa5 coi3 / Mǎ Sài)

Mizuni Hung - 熊穎詩 / 熊颖诗 (hung4 wing6 si1 / Xióng Yǐngshī)

Toby Chan - 陳庭欣 / 陈庭欣 (can4 ting4 jan1 / Chén Tíngxīn)

Sammi Cheung - 張秀文 / 张秀文 (zoeng1 sau3 man4 / Zhāng Xiùwén)

Hyman Chu - 朱希敏 (zyu1 hei1 man5 / Zhū Xīmǐn)

Carat Cheung - 張名雅 / 张名雅 (zoeng1 ming4 ngaa5 / Zhāng Míngyǎ)

Sisley Choi - 蔡思貝 / 蔡思贝 (coi3 si1 bui3 / Cài Sībèi)

Moon Lau - 劉佩玥 / 刘佩玥 (lau4 pui3 jyut6 / Liú Pèiyuè)

Karmen Kwok - 郭嘉文 (gwok3 gaa1 man4 / Guō Jiāwén)

Bowie Cheung - 張寶兒 / 张宝儿 (zoeng1 bou2 ji4 / Zhāng Bǎoér)

Boanne Cheungcaijiewen (zoeng1 bou2 jan1 / Zhāng Bǎoxīn)

Carmaney Wong - 黃嘉雯 / 黄嘉雯 (wong4 gaa1 man4 / Huáng Jiāwén)

Blossom Chan - 陳熙蕊 / 陈熙蕊 (can4 hei1 jeoi5 / Chén Xīruǐ)

Denice Lam - 林钰洧 (lam4 juk6 fui2 / Lín Yùwěi)

Cecca Xu - 許子萱 / 许子萱 (heoi2 zi2 hyun1 / Xǔ Zǐxuān)

Lovelle Wong - 王敏慈 (wong4 man5 ci4 / Wáng Mǐncí)

I thought this was really fun. It's sort of lke this new trend of Americans stuffing in extra letters to common names, like turning "Jessica" into "Jessieighkah." They almost sound AI generated. List of pageants is from here and I couldn't find a single solid source about Hong Kong names so here's 1, 2 and 3!

[fayewonglibrary]

Faye Wong banked a cool $20 million last year (1998)

When it comes to annual income, Faye Wong is still the No. 1 entertainer in Hong Kong.

Newspapers there report that the Beijing-born pop queen's total earnings last year amounted to $20 million.

Coming far behind her were, in decreasing order, Jackie Chan (14.2m), Jacky Cheung (11.3m), Stephen Chow (8.6m), Aaron Kwok (8.2m), Tony Leung Chiu Wai (5.7m), Ekin Cheng (4.5m), and Sammi Cheng (4.1m).

But how did the quirky and low-key Wong manage to rake in so much? Her main source of income was the fat pay packet which EMI dangled before her when they lured her from her former record label, Polygram.

She became even richer when both record companies released her albums in the region at the same time to out-sell each other.

She also made an appearance in a mobile-phone advertisement made by award-winning alternative director Wong Kar Wai.

Easy money, if you think of how her industrious peers were burning themselves out in musicals, gigs, promotional events, and movies.

Nobody said that life was fair.

——————————————————————

SOURCE: THE STRAITS TIMES

[ineffablish]

just leslie being a whole mood

[panicinthestudio]

Further reading:

HKFP: Hong Kong democrats raise concerns over gov’ts choice of new chief justice, Andrew Cheung, March 25, 2020

[brody75]

Seven Warriors (1989)

[audreydoeskaren]

Which dramas or film have accurate costuming based on the time period/era?

Hi, thanks for the question. I will make a list of period dramas I find accurate or have heard good reviews about. I will be going in reverse chronological order of the time setting. Just to clarify, the accuracy of costuming has nothing to do with whether a drama/film is good or bad, I’m just being pedantic.

Feel free to add to this list!

In the Mood for Love (2000) 花样年华

Movie | dir. Wong Kar-wai, costume design Zhang Shuping

Set in 1962 Hong Kong. In this classic Wong Kai-wai movie, Maggie Cheung wears a whole wardrobe of 60s Hong Kong cheongsam that are both accurate and stunning. I could find very few problems with the costuming in this movie.

Everlasting Regret (2005) 长恨歌

Movie | dir. Stanley Kwan, costume design Zhang Shuping

Traces the story of the female protagonist through multiple decades, from the end of the 1940s to the 1980s. The 1940s costumes in this movie are SO GOOD they restored my faith in humanity. It shows that Zhang is actually capable of pulling off very accurate and beautiful designs, and he really doesn’t shy away from elements of the period that might appear outrageous to us today, like the shoulder pads and thoroughly curled hair. The cut, fabrics and details of clothes are all very well considered. This is a great example of costuming that does not rely on the guzhuang tradition whatsoever. The costumes for the later decades are unfortunately more of a hit and miss, likely because of widespread misconceptions about Mao era fashion.

Lust, Caution (2007) 色，戒

Movie | dir. Ang Lee, costume design Lai Pan

Set in 1937-42. Display of late 30s and early 40s cheongsam on actress Tang Wei. The costuming in this movie is not without its problems (especially with accessories) but overall it's pretty solid.

My review of In the Mood for Love and Lust, Caution.

Center Stage (1991) 阮玲玉

Movie | dir. Stanley Kwan, costume design Lai Pan

Set in the early 30s. Story about the life and death of iconic 30s silent movie actress Ruan Lingyu, featuring Maggie Cheung in cheongsam that were mostly accurate to the time and Ruan's personal style.

My review of Center Stage

The Great Magician (2011) 大魔术师

Movie | dir. Derek Yee, costume design Yee Chung-man, Jessie Dai

Set in the 1910s, one of the only and most accurate portrayals of that decade. The women’s aoqun costumes are true to the era, nicely tailored and aesthetically coherent. The hairstyles and accessories are great too. I’m not an expert on military uniforms but I find it very commendable that they attempted to recreate actual pre-WWI style European dress uniforms for the male characters instead of using stereotypical “Republican era” uniforms which are a staple in guzhuang.

Story of Yanxi Palace (2018) 延禧攻略

Drama | dir. Hui Kaidong & Wen Deguang

Set in the 1740s, also known as the 1850s, in the Qing Dynasty. The costume design got the era entirely wrong and recreated the mid 19th century instead, but if you pretend that the story is set in the mid 19th century it would be very accurate. Because the story takes place in the court, most of the costumes are Manchu court dress with occasional elements of Han fashion thrown in (sometimes incorrectly). Still infinitely better than most other Qing court dramas that dress their court ladies in Republican era Manchu fashion :3 The materials and fabrics used for the costumes are also very cool and realistic looking. From a tv history point of view, this was the first Qing drama and second overall drama (after Imperial Doctress) to put effort and money into accuracy and got somewhere, so I think it deserves a place in the cdrama costuming hall of fame.

My review of Story of Yanxi Palace

Dreaming Back to the Qing Dynasty (2019) 梦回

Drama | dir. Lee Kwok Lap

Legitimately the best Qing costuming you will ever see, I do not care that the plot is trash. Set in 1706, the Manchu costumes tend to drift toward the later parts of the 18th century, though overall the costuming in this drama reached ground breaking levels of accuracy. The attention to details, like season appropriate fabrics and patterns, differences between Manchu and Han dress and the construction of the clothing is simply *chef’s kiss* perfection. Because the plot and production were so bad, this drama did not generate much clout, which is a serious shame considering how fabulous the costuming was. This was a product of the post-Yanxi Palace climate of Qing costuming, where producers became aware that accurate costuming was appreciated and profitable. Despite all its problems, this is definitely the drama I would recommend for everyone interested in 18th century Chinese fashion. I honestly experienced historical costumer euphoria watching this.

My review for Dreaming Back to the Qing Dynasty

Song of Youth (2021) 玉楼春

Drama | dir. Gao Han

Set in the Longqing era (1567-72) in the late Ming Dynasty. The costuming here does have a ton of problems, but it’s still the best Ming Dynasty costuming I’ve seen in a long time, perhaps since forever. At least you can tell that it’s the Ming Dynasty, I’m not asking for more. I have to mention that the creator/writer for both this drama and The Story of Yanxi Palace are Yu Zheng, who is infamous for using costuming to promote his shows. While the fact that he is paying more attention to costuming in recent years is great, the way he markets the costuming is highly questionable and ignorant. He made bots or something pretending to be Koreans making claims on social media about Ming Dynasty clothing "plagiarizing” Korea (which is a bogus and Orientalist idea) so he could get back at them to gain publicity. Please do not fall for this kind of marketing gimmick.

My review of Song of Youth

The Imperial Doctress (2016) 女医明妃传

Drama | dir. Steve Cheng, Lee Kwok Lap

You might be wondering why I added this tacky drama from five years ago into this otherwise aesthetic list, this was actually the OG cdrama with historically accurate costuming. I’m including it for narrative purposes and to pay respect. Prior to this show, nobody in Chinese television had entertained the idea that they could try to make historically accurate costuming for period dramas and use that as a selling point (or maybe some did but failed to make anything remotely legitimate).The costume designers for this show actually looked for fashion history resources and recreated historical looks, with varying degrees of success. Set in the Zhengtong era (1435-49), it featured costumes sourced from all over the Ming Dynasty and even the Qing Dynasty and was an all round mess (which became a recurring problem in recent years). The reason why the costuming in this drama was so revolutionary in its day was because it finally showed a way for drama costuming to break free from guzhuang and take influence from fashion history and popular hanfu styles instead (Ming style hanfu rose to prominence around this time). While many of the costumes in this drama now look badly made, tacky or obsolete, this show was iconic and left a positive legacy. We were only able to get Yanxi Palace, Serenade of Peaceful Joy and Longest Day in Chang-an because of this show.

Serenade of Peaceful Joy (2020) 清平乐

Drama | dir. Zhang Kaizhou

Set in the Renzong era (1022-63) in the Song Dynasty. Apparently the plot isn’t great, but the costumes are relatively solid. In fact, the costuming is pretty groundbreaking in terms of historical accuracy, especially the menswear. For once the costumes actually attempt to resemble the Song Dynasty. The womenswear seems like a miss though. I’m not an expert on anything before the Ming Dynasty so I can’t comment on exactly how accurate the costumes in this drama are but they sure look satisfying.

Longest Day in Chang’an (2019) 长安十二时辰

Drama | dir. Cao Dun

Set in the Xuanzong era (713-56) in the Tang Dynasty. I read that the costumes are more accurate to a different era within the Tang Dynasty but overall the materials, patterns and cut look very authentic and beat 99% of Tang Dynasty dramas that came before it. I, for one, really enjoyed the Central Asian patterns and men’s headwear representation. This was, to my knowledge, the first Tang drama that made breakthroughs in historical accuracy, so we have to acknowledge its historical importance too. The show itself is also very well written and entertaining in my opinion so I will highly recommend this drama.

Court Lady (2021) 骊歌行

Drama | dir. Hui Kaidong, Wen Deguang

Set in the Taizong period (626-49) of the Tang Dynasty. Apparently the costumes are pretty good, though probably also accurate to a different period within the Tang (why is time travelling within a dynasty a recurring issues??).

[maggiecheungs]

Leslie Cheung in Happy Together (1997) dir. Wong Kar-wai

[taekooktimeline]

January 20, 2022

January 20, 2022 - Tae posts (and promptly deletes) on his IG a video snippet of famous Hong Kong actor and singer Cheung Kwok-Wing (aka Leslie Cheung).

https://twitter.com/thetkglobal/status/1484240502577037314?s=21 https://twitter.com/miiniyoongs/status/1484238502967615492?s=21

He edited the caption before deleting the post with the😍 emoji. (Note - I did read another post that said the 😍caption was the original. Unfortunately, I didn’t catch it myself to verify, but either way, he captioned it with the emoji one of the two times, and the other time captioned it with Cheung’s name).

https://twitter.com/thetaeprint/status/1484242442820132864?s=21

Leslie Cheung was one of the first celebrities to come out in Asia, and sadly suffered from clinical depression.

More info - https://twitter.com/moncheri_kv/status/1484239402054615040?s=21

https://twitter.com/prodk0ya/status/1484244810978390017?s=21

More info on Cheung may be found at this link - https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-43637749 

More info on Cheung’s relationship and partner may be found at the links below this photo

https://twitter.com/urmytearmyfear/status/1484245989884309506?s=21

Another - https://twitter.com/lawa_panwa/status/1432252216207757313?s=21

In less than a month Tae has emphasized LGBTQ three times. He shared the “Emily in Paris” kiss between two women in an IG post dated December 27, 2021. On January 19, 2022, he posted a snippet from the Coldplay x BTS documentary, making sure to leave in Chris Martin’s powerful message of inclusivity for all races, genders and sexualities. And now he has shared (albeit quickly deleted) this newest hint. Tae is sharing these things for a reason. All I can say at this point is to please listen to both him and Jungkook. Please love, support and respect them, and what they are saying. As a fan, we love and love. 

For cuteness - it seems like Tae is mimicking Cheung’s dance in this compilation - https://twitter.com/bts_nanak/status/1407599895003893760?s=21 may can also be found here - https://www.instagram.com/p/CY9yEantRYg/?utm_medium=copy_link

Speculation - Another interesting observation is back in April 2020, well before Taekook did the sign in their “my universe” performance, a user shared that Cheung did a specific hand gesture to Tong in concerts to express his love.

https://twitter.com/sleepy_npanda/status/1247391269417963520?s=21 and https://twitter.com/taekookalbum/status/1484285997638729729?s=21

Taekook doing the same gesture -

On the same date - Tae also posted in his stories a spliced video, with the top half being of him zooming on his eye, while the bottom of the screen was a photo taken in Malta, with Jk swimming behind the paddle boarder. Chet Baker’s “like someone in love” can be heard playing in the background. Speculation is Tae was zooming in on his eyeball, perhaps to hint to viewers to look carefully at the Malta photo, to see Jk swimming behind the paddle boarder. There is also speculation someone else filmed him, since the camera was not mirrored and you can’t zoom in if in selfie mode. Story -

more info -

https://twitter.com/thetkglobal/status/1484247595447111680?s=21 https://twitter.com/ging_jjk/status/1484248882624462849?s=21

Lyrics -

I’ve discussed the Malta photo before, which may be reviewed here - https://taekooktimeline.tumblr.com/post/670221581287653376/also-december-9-2021

[sleepysera]

Mar. 4 Headlines

WORLD NEWS

Myanmar: Crackdown on protests, widely filmed, sparks outrage (AP)

“Footage of a brutal crackdown on protests against a coup in Myanmar unleashed outrage and calls for a stronger international response Thursday, a day after 38 people were killed. Videos showed security forces shooting a person at point-blank range and chasing down and savagely beating demonstrators.”

Hong Kong: 15 of 47 activists granted bail but remain detained (BBC)

“The activists are facing up to life in prison for the charge of conspiring to commit subversion, in the most sweeping application yet of the new national security law. They include veterans of the protest movement like academic Benny Tai and politician Leung Kwok-hung, as well as younger protesters like Gwyneth Ho, Sam Cheung and Lester Shum.”

Germany: Far-right AfD becomes first party put under gov surveillance since Nazi era (CNN)

“Germany's BfV domestic intelligence service has formally placed the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) under surveillance on suspicion of trying to undermine Germany's democratic constitution, a person briefed on the move said on Wednesday. After four years ago becoming the first avowedly anti-immigrant party to enter the German parliament, the AfD now becomes the first party to be monitored in this way since the Nazi era ended in 1945.”

US NEWS

Capitol Hill: Feds on high alert after warnings about potential threats (CNN)

“Federal law enforcement is on high alert Thursday in the wake of an intelligence bulletin issued earlier this week about a group of violent militia extremists having discussed plans to take control of the US Capitol and remove Democratic lawmakers on or around March 4 -- a date when some conspiracy theorists believe former President Donald Trump will be returning to the presidency.”

Voting Rights: House passes sweeping election bill countering GOP efforts at restricting voter access (CNN)

“Republicans, however, argue that the legislation limits political speech and represents an overreach and a federal power grab that Democrats are advancing in an effort to gain an advantage in elections. Acting on former President Donald Trump's false claims of a rigged 2020 election and widespread fraud, Republican-controlled states are advancing state bills that would make it harder to vote by imposing new voter ID requirements and curbing access to early and mail-in voting that several states adopted or expanded last year to prevent the spread of Covid-19.”

Transgender Rights: Mississippi one step closer to banning transgender athletes from women’s sports (CNN)

“Senate Bill 2536, which prohibits transgender athletes from competing on women's sports teams in the state's high schools and universities, passed the Mississippi House by a vote of 81-28. The state's Senate approved the measure last month by a vote of 34-9. The legislation now heads to Republican Gov. Tate Reeves for approval. The governor, who has previously made comments highly critical of transgender athletes, will likely sign the legislation into law, though he has not weighed in on it in recent days.”

[dramaclover]

Ending & Thoughts: Legal Mavericks 2020

Initial Thoughts

When the first drama came out, I was one of the few people that wasn’t obsessed with it. I mean it was good and I like the message but I wasn’t as into it as everyone else. The bromance between Vincent & Owen wasn’t that great of a watch. And the cases weren’t as interesting. So when I went into watching the sequel, I didn’t have much expectations. Also cause sequels tend to not be as good, example Line Walker 3 wasn’t the best sequel. But this sequel proved me wrong. It was waaay more enjoyable then the first one.

Plot & Characters

Hope Man (Vincent Wong) is a blind barrister that works together with Gogo Kuk (Owen Cheung) a former police turned private detective & Deen Jie (Sisley Choi) who is Hopes legal executive. Together they solve various cases and uncover the justice behind it. New cast members included Eva Shaw (Kelly Cheung) a rival barrister, Kan Siu Wang (Pail Chun) Hopes former Master that mentored him. Kwok Lam (Jessica Kan) Hopes new apprentice & Kong Bo Chai (Lesley Chiang) an inspector police were both fun new additions to the cast.

For most direct sequels there are very rare instances where I would like the new cast additions. For example The Exorcists Meter 2.0 I hated all the new additions to the cast. But for this sequel, I like all of them - well most. For some people they believe Bo Chai & Kwok Lam were unnecessary but I find that they were a nice comic relief (with the bickering) and Bo Chai was needed since she was a police they were able to solve more cases with her help. Kwok Lam though she was born rich, she has a strong sense of justice & she would even go against her Father to pursue it. Kan Siu Wang shocked me with how he’s not as evil as you’d think. You would think he would be the ultimate boss that Hope needs to defeat but that’s not it. He likes power and money but he also knows there’s fine line between black & white.

Now, here comes my least favourite character which is Eva Shaw. And I’m sure anyone can guess why. Cause she is a Never Wong (Ali Lee) replacement. When I say replacement, I don’t mean she just takes over the empty spot & becomes the mandatory new love interest. No I mean. She is the new Never Wong. She dresses sexily, basically the same attitude & personality, strong sense of justice, falls deeply in love with Hope only to end up with Gogo. Like really? She’s literally a carbon copy. And I’m so disappointed that they decided to go down this route. They even had her dance in the rain with Hope too. Like can’t you be anymore original? Only difference is she doesn’t die. She’s also more annoying cause she’s always changing her mind. One moment she’s on her masters side but then the next moment she’s on Hopes side. Like can you just give a stable standing and stay loyal? Cause I’m exhausted with you going back & forth. She becomes more likeable as the series goes on but it was hard for me to warm up as she was just too similar to Never.

The Cases

The cases were very fun & interesting to watch. The director also has said that these cases are based on real circumstances and brings in the human side. Which rings true. The case of the “Heart Stealer” & “Fast Food Restaurant Refugee Murder” were both cases that brought a tear to my eye. For the former, it was touching to see how a mother would give up her heart just to ensure her son could live the rest of his life with no worries. The helplessness she felt and also knowing how in real life, cases like that could happen. At times like this the rich would win as they have the time & money. A lot of people think that those that always hang around 24 hours food places are gross & homeless. This case shows to not judge someone by their cover. Everyone has a backstory. The bond these group of people had for each other was eye opening. I was so sad when it showed the flashback of them singing & just enjoying each other’s company. You just feel so bad for them. I don’t want to say too much cause I don’t want to spoil to much of this case. The case of the “Silent Witness” & “Beyond Man and Woman” had good plot twists that I did not see coming. On the cover it sounded like boring cases but the background story to it ended up being surprising to watch.

The Romance

A lot of people didn’t like how in the sequel Hope & Yanice Tai (Tracy Chu) relationship became a central storyline despite Yanice passing away in the first. I personally actually liked it & didn’t find it draggy. It could be because I love Tracy as an actress. It could be because I find Hope & Yanice to be an amazing couple with a tragic love story. In this case I just find their story unfinished. As in, I never truly understood why Hope would give up Yanice. He could’ve went with Yanice instead of staying behind in Hong Kong. They’ve been through so much only for him to give it up, it always left a sour taste in my mouth. In this sequel we see him deal with the guilt & anguish to finally letting go and moving on. It also intercepted with another case so it was not random. I thought it was a nice touch for the writers to write in about her developing a tumour in her brain. Because from that she decided to pre- record a message to Hope. So we get to hear her last words & get a final wrap up in the story.

Hope & Deen Jie is odd to me. Like I’m aware that Deen Jie has a crush on him. But in this sequel she was possessive that it was uncomfortable in some parts. Hope has shown over & over again that he has no interest. Yet she’s still stuck on him. Towards the end they have a fall out because she thought Hope had heartlessly kicked her out of his firm & withheld her Fathers illness from her. She finds out later on it was cause of her Fathers order that he did that but she was still bitter. In the end she admits she was angry not cause of her Father but because she had believed he had fallen for Eva. So she was bitter out of jealousy. This part bothered me to no end. They are not dating. She knows he doesn’t like her. He never led her on, from day one he has said he only has Yanice & that he couldn’t move on. So I guess the idea that he has fallen in love again but not with her triggered her pettiness. It got to the point where she battled him in court with her helping a scumbag rapist just to spite him. Like girl, what happened to helping the helpless & doing what’s right? You threw that away for a guy? Like in the end she does the right thing but that was annoying. I would’ve enjoyed the development of Hope & Deen Jie’s love story if they hadn’t made her so petty and possessive. So for me, no I don’t like them together as a couple but enjoyed them more as friends. If anything I thought if Hope couldn’t end up with Yanice, Eva would’ve been nice. But they did a bait & switch. In the beginning they heavily made it seem that Hope would end up with Eva while Deen Jie would end up with Gogo. That was a weird but interesting twist though. I haven’t seen another drama where they would change up the love interest like that.

Gogo has always been a very casual guy so for him to end up with Eva was also odd to me. Eva has a glamorous, mature feel so I don’t find them a matching couple. But opposites attract in this case. I also thought they had no chemistry whatsoever. Eva was never interested in Gogo dispite him always flirting. She only liked Hope, it just looks like she settled for him out of the blue. I actually prefer Gogo with Bo Chai instead. They had better chemistry and he abruptly ended the relationship with Bo Chai that made her never get over him. I hated how he used her love for him to do things as a cop she shouldn’t be doing. They were engaged and he dumped her over the phone while she was trying on wedding dresses. He never ever sincerely apologized for that & he got over her so quickly. So I guess it’s good they didn’t end up together, he doesn’t deserve a good person like her. Bo Chai also never got real closure from it & her character sorta disappears towards the last episode. Gogo was also in a relationship with Never until it ended with her dying. So for him to end up with Eva whose a replica of Never just irks me.

The Good

I throughly loved Paul’s betrayal. And I also liked how instead of making him a full out villain they made him a man that knows a line that should not be crossed. He has helped bad people but in the end he was able to see the difference between good & bad. He sent one of the innocent accused to jail but he was also the one that ultimately set him free. He stole Deen Jie away from Hope but only cause he saw potential in her & knew she had way it takes to be a good barrister. He set up Deen Jie to battle with Hope not to spite him but because he knew doing this would help Deen Jie. So it’s like ultimately he’s not as bad as they portrayed him. In the end Hope even calls him Master again. I thought in the end there would be a huge showdown between Hope and him with the latter ending up in jail or something. So it was great spin to have him coming out as a semi- hero (for helping them patch things up between Hope & Deen Jie). It was unpredictable and enjoyable to see this instead.

The sequel is more case driven and I’m glad cause that’s what it made it more interesting. The first one focused more on Hopes journey to finding himself & rebuilding his relationship with his Father that left him when he turned blind (which I understand). Also talked more about friendship and focused solely on one evil villain. So the first one fell flat for me.

The Bad

I didn’t like how Hope was always in court battling the same people it’s either Eva, his Master and then Walter Wah (Hugo Wong) who is the same character from the first drama. I guess that’s TVBs way of staying in a budget instead of hiring new people to play different barristers.

It was disappointing to see Deen Jie fix her buck tooth & change her appearance so drastically. What I liked about her is how she didn’t care about the way she looked and that the heart is what matters. In the first drama Never had asked her why she doesn’t fix her teeth since she has the money. And she said she didn’t find it necessary & the inside is more important than her appearance. So for her to change the way she looked for Hope was just sighhh. But I guess the writers want the main couple to “look good”. I wonder if they always had Deen Jie become the main love interest in mind when they wrote the first one.

I also did not like how they had a cliffhanger ending. It ends with Deen Jie getting stabbed in the neck & in a coma. And of course Hope slowly coming into terms that he has fallen for Deen Jie. They did it cause they are potentially writing another sequel in collaboration with China. But with Vincent leaving TVB & the lacklustre ratings, I don’t know if it’s gonna happen anymore. But seeing how things turn out Deen Jie will probably end up with amnesia or something cause their love line will not run so smoothly. But if a sequel doesn’t happen, I can just pretend that ending did not happen and that Deen Jie is back working at his firm together solving crimes.

Final Thoughts

Everyone was great but I didn’t find any standouts. Vincent reprisal as a blind barrister is still amazing but I don’t see TVB awarding him Best Actor for the same role twice. Also he didn’t show up to the TVB Anniversary Gala which sorta shows his standing with TVB. Sisley improved for sure but I wouldn’t say she’s Best Actress material yet, it was nice to see her become the antagonist though. Kelly was nice & stable as usual. And Owen Cheung just stayed the same, nothing new was brought to the table at all. And weird enough the bromance between Hope & Gogo wasn’t as fun to watch compared to Al Cappucinos Cheung Sai Lung & Ko Ban. Here they just seemed like good friends instead of “brothers”.

I see a lot of comments about Sisley being a huge standout. And I agree with how much she has improved but I still think she still has a lot to learn. I admit her turn as the antagonist was interesting to watch but it wasn’t as great as they say. She isn’t loud acting anymore that’s for sure. But at the same time TVB is running out of actresses so I wouldn’t mind her winning so quickly.

It was lovely to see Tracy come back in a voice role. The directors had invited her back to film but she rejected the role. I wished she had accepted as it could’ve been her goodbye role since it seems she has no interest in continuing acting. She’s only doing ads & photo shoots as she slowly transitions to becoming a full time lawyer. I wouldn’t say a pity as though she’s a talented actress, becoming a lawyer is more stable. And she got married with her childhood sweetheart. I’m so happy for her but also sad as I will miss her acting. But I can always re-watch Over Run Over.

This was a better sequel then I have seen in years. Line Walker 3: Bull Fight just wasn’t as great compared to this. The Exorcists Meter 2.0 was also a downer. The plot twists in the cases and heartfelt stories made the drama all the more memorable. It’s turning out to be a great year for TVB drama watchers like me. Death by Zero, Brutally Young, Al Cappucino were standouts this year. While this drama, Line Walker 3 & The Witness do not fall far behind.

Side note: but what’s with the characters name? They’re all so strange. Man San Hap full English name Hope Man. I know it’s a play on for justice hero but dang it’s cringy. Then theres Santiago Kuk nicknamed Gogo. Like for real whyyyy. I hate that so much. “Hey Gogo hows it going”. “Gogo, I love you” blergh. Then Never Wong. Are you kidding me? She’s a court judge who chose Never as her nickname? Cherry was fine!! I guess it’s play on for “never wrong” well in this case you were wrong for thinking Never was a good name choice! And they don’t even pronounce the “r” in Never. They say it like “Neva” and it bothers me for no reason. TVB English names tend to always be questionable and I don’t care if they try to play it off as a nickname (Flashbacks to Laughing Gor, Muse, Bingo, Saving, Cash, Fever that’s only to name a few) but this is the first drama where it has this many.

[chiveburger]

finally found a cantonese version of bodies at rest with nick cheung and richie ren and so far it’s good! It’s way better and more intriguing than any other convoluted hong kong movie I’ve seen in the past year. a bunch of convicts break into a forensic facility in an attempt to locate a bullet inside a corpse. once they enter, they hold the security guard, the forensics doctor and his assistant hostage. they trick the convicts into leaving, and once they’re gone they just fucking STAY in the facility? to investigate the convict’s motive. LEAVE THAT SHIT TO THE COPPERS... get your ass away from the scene of crime?? are you serious? lo and behold they get recaptured, and in general it’s a very angsty and thrilling movie but the characters really do some stupid shit. If I was held hostage and the people left I would probably get the fuck out myself... they have some stellar actors in this movie, one of them being roger kwok. my most beloved hong kong actor. richie is also, but they dub over his voice? even though richie is one of the most famous taiwanese actors in hong kong who has spoken in cantonese for dozens of films. they didn’t have to do this... 

[bowsetter]

Wine Retailer to Buy Majority Stake in Japanese Bitcoin Exchange for $30M

Madison Holdings Group Ltd. has agreed to buy 67.2 percent of Japanese cryptocurrency exchange Bitocean for 1.68 billion yen ($15.12 million). Inclusive of fees, the wines and alcoholic beverages company will pay a total $30.12 million. According to local media reports, the deal is to be completed through a subsidiary, Madison Labs.

Also read: Cryptocurrency Exchanges Delist Dozens of Struggling Altcoins

Acquisition to Diversify Operations and Expand Income Sources

Madison is an investment holding company popular for selling top-end French wines. The $546 million-valued company is listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange’s Growth Enterprise Market (GEM), a junior segment of the bourse. The company also has interests in corporate finance activities, financial advisory services and asset management.

Bitocean is registered as a crypto exchange with Japan’s Financial Services Agency, but has not commenced trading yet. According to papers filed with GEM, sometime this month, Madison is buying the stake from “independent third parties,” in what management said was part of the company’s “diversification strategy.”

A report in the South China Morning Post (SCMP) also detailed plans by HDR Cadenza Management – a unit of HDR Global Trading, owners of crypto exchange Bitmex – to acquire a 51 percent stake in Madison Labs for $17.14 million. Both deals have yet to be closed. Raymond Ting Pang-wan, chairman of Madison, stated:

Our wine business is stable and profitable, but then it is small. It is hard to make wine trading into a very big business. This is why we have to diversify into financial technology and the cryptocurrency business – to achieve a better return for our shareholders. Virtual currencies and blockchain are getting more popular. Investing in the virtual currency sector will expand our income source.

Lured by Japan’s Robust Crypto Regulation

Pang-wan told SCMP that his company was not concerned about the current market slump, which has seen the price of bitcoin core (BTC) plummet by more than 80 percent from its December 2017 all-time-high of almost $20,000. “Bitcoin is cheap, which has created a good opportunity for us to enter the market. We are eyeing the long term, so we are not worried about short-term volatility,” he was quoted as saying.

He said the decision to enter Japan, which controls about a fifth of the global cryptocurrency trading total, was motivated by the existence of a comprehensive regulatory framework in the Pacific island nation. “We wanted to invest in a platform that was under proper regulation,” said Pang-wan.

Japan is building one of the strongest regulatory frameworks for the cryptocurrency industry, ostensibly to prevent cases of theft of investor funds. The $530 million Coincheck hack in January marked a crucial turning point in crypto regulation in the country. Today, Japan has the Virtual Currency Exchange Association, a self-regulatory body, while exchanges applying for a license with the Financial Services Authority have to go through a rigorous verification process.

According to the SCMP report, Gary Cheung Wai-kwok, chairman of the Hong Kong Securities Association, said:  “This is a small investment for the company (Madison), so it will not take too big a risk. It makes sense for the company to diversify its business to achieve higher income.”

What do you think about Madison’s deals with Bitocean and Bitmex? Let us know in the comments section below.

Images courtesy of Shutterstock.

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The post Wine Retailer to Buy Majority Stake in Japanese Bitcoin Exchange for $30M appeared first on Bitcoin News.

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[fayewonglibrary]

HELLO, HELLO (1997)

Faye Wong gets connected to handphone advertising

Jacky Cheung's done it. Chow Yun Fat's done it. Leon Lai, Aaron Kwok, and anybody who is anybody in the Hong Kong entertainment scene must do it.

Now, Faye Wong - who has always tried to go against anything commercial or mainstream - has jumped onto the speedboat that is taking Hong Kong celebrities to the fast-growing island of handphone-advertising.

The other reason why Faye is such a surprise is perhaps that, well, with how she has been communicating to her fans and the media, she is the last person you expect to be touting telecommunication equipment.

But the China-born singer, who became a mother less than a year ago, seems to know what she is doing.

She knows she is in trusty hands.

The man who is making the ad is - renowned alternative Hong Kong director Wong Kar Wai, who directed Faye's one and only movie, Chungking Express (1995)

It is also the director's first TV commercial.

Wong is not worried that doing something with mass appeal will clash with his reputation.

"I think as long as the end product looks good, it's okay," he told Hong Kong magazine City Entertainment.

Indeed, the 30-second ad is not unlike his movies.

It will probably be the darkest and most surreal phone ad the Hong Kong TV audience has ever seen - with Faye running around in snow, playing video arcade games, etc.

On working with the star again, Wong said, "There is no big difference. (She is) still as quirky. No different from the past. The main thing is she used to be quieter. Now, she is more talkative."

Pin it down to motherhood or age, but Faye Wong, who came into showbiz with the name Shirley Wang Jing Wen, is now confident and content enough to call herself just Faye.

Even her album producer and mentor, Alvin Leong, who has known her for eight years, agreed.

"When we first met, she was 19 and didn't know many people in Hong Kong. When it came to work, it was just me and her.

"Then, she was very serious and anxious about her work. Now, it is different. As long as it's done at a comfortable pace, it's fine," Alvin told Disc Jockey Magazine.

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SOURCE: THE NEW PAPER