Monday, May 29, 2017

GOD OF WAR 荡寇风云 Movie Review


Synopsis

During the 16th century, Japanese pirates proliferate along the Chinese coastline. In 1557, the pirates take over Cengang in Zhejiang. After months of futile advances, Commander Yu (Sammo Hung) finally defeats them under the leadership of newly promoted General Qi (Vincent Zhao). The pirates, however, manage to escape.

No sooner has Qi identified the key weakness of the Chinese army than he starts remapping the coastal regions to eradicate the pirates. When he finds the villagers of Yiwu loyal and courageous, he drafts them into his own army which soon becomes a formidable force against the pirates, with tactics developed specifically against them. In 1561, the pirates regroup and once again attack the coastal cities of China. With both the cities of Xinhe and Taizhou under attack, Qi's army is caught between two fires.

Even though most family members of his soldiers are located in Xinhe, Qi makes the tough decision to go to Taizhou and leaves his wife in charge of the fight against the pirates in Xinhe, knowing that the defeat of the pirates’ elite team in Taizhou will bring long lasting peace to the coastal cities.


But one month into the battle of Taizhou, there is still no clear winner and loser....

Production Information

Distributed by
MEDIA ASIA FILM DISTRIBUTION (HK) LIMITED

Presented by
MEDIA ASIA FILM PRODUCTION LTD
BONA FILM GROUP CO., LTD.
EAST WAVE FILMS GROUP CO., LTD.

Co-presented by
HUAXIA FILM DISTRIBUTION CO., LTD.
MEDIA ASIA DISTRIBUTION (BEIJING) CO., LTD. SHANGHAI SHENGYUE DRAMA AND FILM MEDIA LTD. HUBEI YANGTZE RIVER FILM GROUP CO., LTD.
SUN ENTERTAINMENT CULTURE LIMITED

Production
PEOPLE'S FILM PRODUCTION (BEIJING) CO., LTD.

Executive Producers
PETER LAM,  YU DONG,NI ZHENGWEI

Produced by
CHENG CHUN PONG PAUL

Directed by
GORDON CHAN

Administrative Producers
CHAN HING KAI, SHIRLEY LAU, CHEN QINGYI
QIAN DAJUN LIANG WEINIAN

Screenplay by
XIONG ZHAOZHENG, MARIA WONG, FRANKIE TAM
WU MENGZHANG

Starring : VINCENT ZHAO, SAMMO HUNGWAN QIAN, KOIDE KEISUKE, 
KURATA YASUAKI

Director of Photography
ISHIZAKA TAKURO (JSC)

Production Designer
YAU WAI MING ALFRED

Costume Designer
WONG PO YEE

Japanese Costume Designer
WADA EMIKO

Original Music
SHIGERU UMEBAYASHI

VFX Director
WONG WANG HIN EDDY

Sound Designers
TU DUU CHIH CHIANG LIEN-CHEN

Length : 128 min


ABOUT THE DIRECTOR

GORDON CHAN

A veteran Hong Kong director and screenwriter, Gordan Chan has directed many best-selling movies in Hong Kong and China, including Beast Cops, 2000 A.D., Fist of Legend, Painted Skin and The Four trilogy.



ABOUT THE CAST & CHARACTERS

VINCENT ZHAO as Qi Jiguang
A Ming Dynasty general famous for fighting against the Japanese pirates, Qi was  revered not for his physical prowess but for his knack of making heroes out of his companions.

Best known internationally for playing Wong Fei Hung in Once Upon a Time in China IV & V, Wushu champion Vincent Zhao also appeared in many action movies and television series, including The Blade and Hero Cheng Sing Kung which earned him a Best Actor nomination at the Golden Rooster Awards.


SAMMO HUNG as Yu Dayou
An upright commander who had fought side by side with Qi, Yu was Qi’s boss before Qi got promoted. Since he was not keen on ingratiating with the capital officials, he was repeatedly framed and had a bumpy journey during his army career.

A legendary Hong Kong action actor, Sammo Hung has starred in over 75 and worked in over 230 films. His performance in Painted Face has won him Best Actor at the Asia Pacific Film Festival and the Hong Kong Film Awards. His role in Ip Man 2 also won him Best Supporting Actor at the Asia Film Awards.

WAN QIAN as Madame Qi – Wang
The daughter of General Wang Dongzhi, Wang married Qi at the age of 18. She was no ordinary lady in her generation who would spend her life reciting poetry and painting. Wang had been well trained in martial arts since childhood and was more capable than most men of her times.

Wan Qian was born on May 14, 1982 in Hunan, China, also known as Regina Wan. She is known for Paradise in Service, The Laundry Man and Threads of Time.


KOIDE KEISUKE as Yamagawa
The descendant of the shogun who was the mastermind behind the Japanese pirates, Yamagawa was good at long gun operations. Young and inexperienced, he was eager to make his name in the invasion of China.

Keisuke Koide was born on February 20, 1984 in Tokyo, Japan. He is an actor and is known for Cyborg Girl, Kisaragi and Feel the Wind.


KURATA YASUAKI as Kumasawa
The commander of the joint operation of pirates and ronin, Kumasawa was extremely competent in the use of terrain tactics to fight a long and weary war. He aimed to win any battle without a single casualty.


Kurata was born on March 20, 1946 in Ibaraki, Japan. He is an Actor and producer, he is known for Fist of Legend, So Close and Blood: The Last Vampire.

Review

The movie provides audience with a visual treat of war fought in both open ground and tight building area. It is a challenge of war strategy between the Japanese pirates and the Chinese army. 



Nowadays, most war movie do not have a strong storyline but this movie choose to be different. It has a storyline filled with love, humor, respects and patriotism. There also the portray of pirates who go for money and women. The movie also try to send a message of respects to women which is uncommon in the early China. 


The epic fights are enjoyable to watch. The use of inventive weapon by the Chinese during the war was interesting. I have not seen such a weapon being used in any war film. Is there really such a weapon for close combat. You need to watch the movie to find out what is this interesting weapon. 


Overall the movie is interesting and sometimes gripping in some scenes. It just make me sit up with excitement. The subtle humor also contributed to the lighter moments in the movie. Well directed and executed by the actors. I will give it a rating of 4/5. A worthwhile movie to watch if you are Chinese war film fans. It will be showing in cinema on the 1 June 2017. 














Movie Trailer


Monday, May 22, 2017

LG Signature lead the way with her home appliances in a modern home



Ultra-premium LG brand, the LG Signature lead the way with her intuitive, sophisticated technology with a modern minimalist designs. Together LG partner with two-time winner of Asia's Best Pastry Chef, Janice Wong of 2am:dessertbar, to bring about a multi-sensory edible art journey.




At the launch, mediacorps celebrities were there to add to the excitement to the launch. It was a pretty exciting event with music played by musicians in an orchestra style together with a conductor. 




"Our driving principle is to ensure that the essence of our products is preserved from idea generation through to the end-user experience." said Mr. Brian Park, Vice President of LG Electronics Singapore."LG SIGNATURE is the embodiment of everything that is important to LG and we hope to convey that philosophy to customers who appreciate great products from strong bands."





Refrigerator

Intuitive and revolutionary with its award-winning Door-in-Door design which took one step further by adding an InstaView Door-in-Door feature, which makes the opaque Door-in-Door compartment transparent with a simple knock. In addition, it is powered by LG's Inverter Linear Compressor.




OLED TV W7 Series

Timeless design and top-of-the-line technology. A trendsetter in its category, the TV is the winner of numerous awards, including the highly acclaimed CES 2017 "Best of Innovations" Award.





Air Purifier

Unique design that departs from the usual boxy look. Visual experience through the Rain View Window, which users can view the air purification process and the inner workings of the air purifier. It features an advanced Watering System, which harnesses the power of water to filter out harmful chemicals and contaminants while quickly bringing the room to comfortable humidity levels. 




Washing Machine

Maximum Efficiency with LG TWINWash. The minimalistic design is the highlighted by the beautiful touch-enabled Quick Circle User Interface which is embedded in the glass door. It comes with LG's proprietary Centum System, which improves the washing machine's durability and energy efficiency with an advanced suspension system. Noise emission is greatly reduced because it minimizes the tub's vibrations during a wash cycle.



With LG Signature, it leads the way to better technology and comfort in home appliances. One thing for sure, I just can't get enough of Chef Janice's desserts. They are very delicious.





More information on the specifications of LG Signature can be found in :




Wednesday, May 10, 2017

SIAM SQUARE สยามสแควร์ Movie Review


Review

This is a horror mystery movie. Although not so much horror, but more of a mystery. Initial part of the movie, I was a bit confused but as the movie start to develop, it gets clearer. The young casts are good looking with majority of them are of Thai Chinese.



As usual, in any horror movie, there are shocked moments from the ghost. Two seats away, the two girls were holding their pop-corn boxes as part of their shield during those scary moments. Honestly, I don't find them scary. 



If you are into horror or mystery movie especially those from Thailand, this movie will suit you perfectly. My rating is 2.5 / 5. It will start showing in cinema from 11 May 2017.



Casts and Production Information

Production Company
:
Welldone Mediumrare
Executive Producer
:
Somsak Techarattanaprasert
Producer
:
Jatusom Techarattanaprasert
Director
:
Pairach Khumwan
Production Manager
:
Sirikarn Thanapaisansiri, Nattapan Yaemkaekai
Screenplay
:
Ekaraj Monwat, Teepanun Petchsri, Chanchana Homsap, Pairach Khumwan
Director of Photography
:
Pithai Smithsut
Production Design
:
Lerpong Pu-on and team
Costume Design
:
Chayanuch Sawekwattana
Makeup Effects
:
Sawitree Sukhumwat
Editor
:
Manussa Vorasingha
Sound Recorder
:
Sarawut Pantha
Music
:
Siwach Homkham, Pokpong Jitdee
Sound Design
:
Arthit Wongmetta / Mellow Tunes
Sound Mixing
:
One Cool Production
Cast
:
Isaya Horsuwan, Thanabodee Jaiyen, Purim Ratanaruangwatana, Thanyawee Chunhaswasdikul, Morakot Lew, Ploy Sornnarin, Nattasit Kotimanaswanich, Atikhun Adulpokatorn, Manapat Techakampu,  Anongnart Yusanont




Synopsis

When two best friends May and Jublek are hanging around at the tutoring school in Siam Square, all lights go off. It’s not just the building – it’s a blackout in the entire Siam Square, Bangkok’s most famous nerve center of young people.

When the lights come back on, the two friends are reminded of a story told among students: Many years ago a girl went missing in Siam Square. Her spirit has haunted the place, and every time there’s a blackout, she will appear to take someone with her.

The frightening tale takes hold of May and Jublek, as well as their group of  friends who attend the same tutoring school. They being to experience unusual incidents, and the myth of the Siam Square spirit becomes more powerful in their minds. Besides, the 10 friends have to worry about the entrance exam and romantic conflicts that come between them.


Siam Square is no longer a fun place. With every strange happening, they come closer to the dark truth. Now they have to face the reality and try to correct the situation before it is too late.



















Movie Trailer





Official Facebook Page


Check out the Behind The Scene

Tuesday, May 9, 2017

天公仔 LUCKY BOY Movie Review


Gala Premiere

Check out my video on the gala premiere


Review

An affection for a girl that started from a very tender age. Great acting from the three guys who grew up chasing girls. A fun loving movie from a local production. With the director vast experience as a award winning script writer in mediacorps, he definitely excel in this movie as a director. He also very detail for things in the movie. The movie settings started from 1970s. You get to enjoy some of the beautiful songs as it passes through the years. Somehow, the movie bring back some old nostalgic music, places to those who have good old days memories of yesterday. 

The casts are familiar to our local Singapore audience. I guessed it is our local brand of humour that bring all races together in Singapore. Something that we can appreciate.  There are some touching moments as well as one shocking news somewhere in the middle of the movie. I guessed life is unpredictable. 

The movie has the backing of Jack Neo, Clover Film Singapore and MM2. Watch it in cinemas from 18 May 2017. 

My rating is 3.5 / 5


Synopsis

Luck has never shone on Lin Yu since birth. Following a series of unfortunate events, his Mother, Wu Zhi seeks divine intervention despite her husband, Lin Chong’s displeasure, and the fortune teller predicts that Lin Yu will meet with misfortune throughout his life and the safest bet is to maintain a low profile and live life with the motto – do less and make fewer mistakes.

Lin Yu has been holding a torch for a classmate Qing Qing since childhood days. He lost touch with Qing Qing when the latter withdrew from school suddenly. Through his teenage years, Lin Yu constantly searched for Qing Qing and often being mocked by his childhood buddies of Da Jie and Ray.

Just as what the fortune teller prophesize, when he finally meets Qing Qing, she is happily attached. Even when she breaks off with her beau, the two stays chummy but couldn’t go beyond friend-zone.

After a series of life-changing incidents over decades, Qing Qing returns to attend a class reunion  only to realize that she has mistaken that Lin Yu all these years...

从出生那天起,林羽的运气就不佳。一连串的“差一点”和倒霉事相续发生,尽管父亲-林冲不以 为然,母亲-吴芝执意寻求相士为林羽解命。结论是林羽这辈子运气不好,最好少做少错。从此母 亲就教诲林羽低调生活。

林羽打从小学时代就暗恋青青,但她突然退学,没留下任何联络方式导致两人失联。从此,林羽 一直探听青青的行踪,同学兼损友大杰Ray 看到他对青青如此难以忘怀,一直拿他开玩笑,直 到他碰到青青那天!

虽然林羽与青青终于碰上,但两人的缘分似乎不到。 要不是青青与男友热恋中,就是林羽表白失 败,两人终究没能成功在一起…

多年以后,几经转折,大家经历了不同的际遇。 青青回返参加同学聚会时竟然发现他这么多年来 一直误会林羽…

Movie Information

MOVIE TITLE 电影名称
LUCKY BOY 天公仔
RELEASE DATE 上映日期
18 MAY 2017
DIRECTED BY 导演
BORIS BOO 巫培双
SCREENPLAY 编剧
BORIS BOO, LIM TECK, DANNY YEO
巫培双、林德 、杨君伟
GENRE 类型
COMEDY, DRAMA 喜剧片、剧情片
LANGUAGE 语言
MANDARIN, ENGLISH 华语、英语



Casts & Production Information

DIRECTOR/ SCREENWRITER – BORIS BOO 巫培双

Boris has been in the media industry for 19 years, in which he spent more than 6 years as a Scriptwriter in MediaCorp Studios Chinese Drama Division, conceptualizing and writing more than a hundred scripts for various local sitcoms, short films and variety programs.

From 2003 to 2011, being the Creative Director of J Team Productions, Boris was heavily involved in most of the company’s movie screenplays and played a pivotal role in all the J Team Productions.

In 2007, his work Just Follow Law was nominated for Best Original Screenplay in the 44th Golden Horse Awards. In the following year, his script The Ghost Blog came in Third in the Film & TV Co- Production Meeting organized by the Golden Horse Awards Committee. In 2009, Boris made his directorial debut as a co-director to Jack Neo’s Where Got Ghost? The movie grossed S$2.8 million and RM5.25 million in the box office for Singapore and Malaysia respectively. He went on to direct his full feature Aku Tak Bodoh (Malay remake of I Not Stupid 2), Phua Chu Kang, The Movie, Greedy Ghost, showing his talent and ability to take on movies of various genre. His recent works include  Filial Party (2014). 

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER - JACK NEO 梁志强 

Jack Neo is one of the most prolific filmmakers in Singapore. He started his career on television in 1980 and became one of the most successful and recognisable celebrities in Mediacorp for his comedic roles on both film and television. His two most notable cross-dressing roles on film and television are Liang Po Po and Liang Xi Mei, both skits in the long-running comedy variety show Comedy Nite. He also set up his own production house and artiste management company, J Team Productions. Since then, he became a filmmaker and created his first film, Money No Enough. The  same year, Neo received the Best Director Award at the Silver Screen Awards in 1998 for his short film and was also awarded with the Lifetime Achievement Award in the following year in recognition of his contributions to Singapore's media industry. In 1999, Neo made his directorial debut in That One Not Enough.

In recognition of his achievements and contributions towards Singapore's media industry, Neo was awarded the Public Service Medal Award in 2004 and the Arts Cultural Medallion Award in 2005. He continued to clinch many various awards such as the local 'Top 10 Special Achievement Awards' from the Special Achievement in the Arts Award, and also the prestigious Best Actor and 'The Most Popular Singapore Movie' awards by Malaysia Golden Wau Awards 2013.

Neo's films have participated in various film festivals round the world and had won various awards. Locally in Singapore, some of the films are top grossing box office numbers. His most successful movie, Ah Boys to Men, broke several box office records in Singapore and became the highest- grossing movie within a short span of five weeks. Its sequel, Ah Boys to Men 2, broke the box office record yet again. In 2015, Neo released a short film ‘That Girl’ as part of the omnibus 7 Letters to commemorate Singapore's 50th year of independence and Long Long Time Ago and Long Long Time Ago 2 in the first quarter of 2016. And in 2017, Neo produced both local CNY movies, Take 2 and The Fortune Handbook.

CAST & CHARACTERS

WANG WEI LIANG 王伟良 as LIN YU 林羽

Wang Wei Liang started his career in the entertainment industry as a “Getai” singer before  catapulting to fame through the Jack Neo’s movies Ah Boys To Men series. Later on, in 2014, he took on a leading role In Jack Neo’s movie The Lion Men. Wei Liang was awarded OMY Best Newcomer Award in 2012 and with a flair in hosting and singing, he is seen in the local variety field co-hosting shows like GeTai Challenge, BENGpire and Let’s Go Dating. His latest works include Ah Boys to Men 3: Frogmen, and the movie was crowned the highest grossing opening weekend Asian movie in Singapore of all-time.

VENUS WONG 王敏奕 as QING QING 青青

Venus Wong is an up-and-coming Hong Kong actress who graduated from New York Film Academy. The 25-year-old made her acting debut in the 2008 horror film Forgive and Forget, directed by Patrick Kong and later starred in the EEG film, Diva, and The Midas Touch. More recently, Venus was lauded for her brilliant performance in TVB (HK) drama, Never Dance Alone, starring as the younger self of award-winning actress, Rachel Lee. She also starred in the 2015 local movie, King of Mahjong as well as in 2017 Mediacorp’s Toggle original series, K.O.

CHEW CHOR MENG 周初明 as LIN CHONG 林冲

Chew Chor Meng, a well-known household name, started his career in MediaCorp Studios after winning Star Search in 1990. Since then, he has never failed to make it to the Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes in Star Awards, since its inception in 1994. He was able to immerse himself so well into his characters that viewers often have a lasting impression of his roles. This was evident when he bagged the Best Actor award in Star Awards 2000 in "Hainan Kopi Tales", and his popularity has also spread across the causeway as he was voted the Most Popular MediaCorp Male Artiste in Malaysia in 2000. His latest works include MediaCorp Channel 8 “118 II”, the sequel to 2014’s long-running heartland drama.

CHEN XIUHUAN 陈秀环 as WU ZHI 吴芝

Chen Xiuhuan started her acting career at the age of 18 after attending the Singapore Broadcasting Corporation's drama training course. She became one of the biggest local TV stars of the 1980s and early 1990s, best known for her iconic portrayal of a lovable alien in 1988’s fantasy drama Star Maiden, followed by the 1990’s sports drama, The Winning Team, as a volleyball player. In 1997, she left the entertainment scene at the height of her popularity to get married and become a full-time housewife. She briefly returned to television in 2005’s A Promise For Tomorrow and has also appeared in several children's programmes since. Lucky Boy marks her return and sees her reunion with long-time on- screen partner, Chew Chor Meng.

JEREMY CHAN 田铭耀 as DA JIE 大杰

Jeremy Chan was talent-spotted from Project SuperStar II and recognised for his head of corn rows, cheeky humour and unique ‘Japanese-looking’ charm. Later that year, Jeremy made his hosting debut in On the Beat, MediaCorp’s top rated variety show. He subsequently went on to host for On the Beat II, III, IV, V. In 2009, he made his acting debut in Table of Glory, a MediaCorp Channel 8 drama. In  2010, he made his film debut in Being Human, a J team Productions movie. His latest works include MediaCorp Channel 8 “118 II”, the sequel to 2014’s long-running heartland drama.

ROZ PHO 傅丽安 as LIN MEI LING 林美玲

Roz, or Rosalind, is a familiar face to most teenagers and young adults. She debuted in her first Singapore and Hong Kong collaboration feature film, Street Angels at the age of 16. Roz has been actively taking up acting classes for 17 years and in 2003, she starred in MediaCorp Channel 5’s  drama Light Years. She went on take on leading roles in other TV dramas Heavenly Fathers, Parental Guidance and Pawn of Love. In 2008, Roz debuted in the popular US television movie, Kung Fu Killer. Her recent works includes MediaCorp Channel 5’s long-running drama, Tanglin and co-hosting of clicknetwork.tv (Singapore’s online TV network) program, Hypehunt.

TERENCE THEN 邓国强 as RAY

Terence Then is a dancer and choreographer best known for his appearances on the local comedy YouTube channel, Wah Banana. He runs his own channel where he posts choreography videos. In 2016, Terence made his film debut in the local movie, 4 Love.

PRISCILLA LIM 林茜茜 as WAN WEN 婉文

Priscilla Lim is a budding actress who has taken up various roles in Mediacorp Channel 8, Channel U dramas, as well as variety shows on Starhub cable channel. Her recent work includes 2016’s  Mediacorp Channel 8 Drama, The Queen and Mediacorp Toggle original series, I Want To Be A Star.

MELODY LOW as YU MEI 玉妹

Melody Low is a freelance actress-model. She started her modelling career at the age of 15 and is best known for her appearances on the local comedy YouTube Channel, cheokboardstudios. Before gaining online fame in 2014, Melody joined Miss Universe Singapore 2012 and made it to the top 14 finalist. The same year, she came in top 10 of Singapore FHM Models and was the winner of Miss Singapore Super Import Nights. In 2015, Melody made an appearance in Ah Boys To Men star, Tosh Zhang’s hip-hop music video, Lingo Lingo and local rapper Shigga Shay’s music video, ShiGGa Morning. She made her film debut in the R21 erotic thriller, Siew Lup early this year.

Movie Trailer




Movie MV





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