The Mermaid - 美人魚 - Mei Ren Yu

美人魚 (The Mermaid) is an 2016 film from director and producer Stephen Chow. The film was produced by both Hong Kong and Zhong Guo production companies. The film stars Deng Chao, Jelly Lin (Lin Yun), Show Luo, and Kitty Zhang (Zhang Yuqi). The supporting cast include a who's who of Chow's previous colaborators and cameos from Tsui Hark, Wen Zhang, and Kris Wu. The movie is currently the highest grossing film in Zhong Guo. Ever.

Deng Chao plays Liu Xuan, a rich business guy that buys an island. Because the island has dolphins inhabiting it, it is designated as a environmentally protected area where no development can take place. However, he uses technology to drive away the dolphins and gets a permit to develop. However, the mermaids live there and are now plotting to kill Liu. They want to kidnap him, figuring that his death will stop the development.

I'll only go so far with the plot. If I tell more, it'll ruin the surprise. I went into the movie having seen the terrible trailer that basically tells of a tail of a mermaid kidnapping Liu.

I loved this movie. I laughed out loud through out the movie. There was one scene that was so funny, that I was crying from laughing so hard. There were several scenes that are homages to classic TVB dramas of the 1980s and to the basic Kung Fu movies of the 1980s and 1990s. Similar homages are also paid in other Chow movies. This one is no different, just done differently. As a kid that grew up watching TVB and 1980s HK movies, came to age during the early 1990s HK kung fu films, I felt nostalgia to the nth degree watching this.

I watched the movie at an local AMC with a friend who isn't familiar with Chow and he thought it was one of the better films out of Zhong Guo he's seen. He laughed through out the movie too.

I am rambling here, but this movie isn't going to win any artsy fartsy awards. But it has won my laugher and will be on repeat viewings for years to come.

Journey To The West: Conquering The Demons - 西遊:降魔篇

Journey To The West: Conquering The Demons (西遊:降魔篇) is an 2013 film out of Zhong Guo. The film stars Wen Zhang and Shu Qi. The supporting cast include Huang Bo, Show Lo, and Chrissie Chau. The movie is the highest grossing film out of Zhong Guo. It also was the highest grossing film for several months in early 2013.



Chen is a demon hunter that travels where evil energy is strong. Chen lands in a fishing village and takes on a fish demon. When he tries to turn the demon via love, another demon hunter comes and captures the demon through brute force. Chen goes back to his master for advice. The master tells him that his path is right and not to waver. Chen than finds the den of a pig demon. When the brute force demon hunter that captured the fish comes to his rescue, they are both defeated. When Chen ask his master for advice, the master points him to the Monkey King Demon. On the way there, Chen is faces with some obstacles. The other demon hunter is Duan and falls in love with Chen. Duan risk her life to save Chen over and over.



This movie was very well made. If you watched enough cartoons, movies, and dramas from Zhong Guo, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, the story of the Journey To The West and the Monkey King will show itself. It is like the Brothers Grimm tales of the "western" countries, but the Asian countries have Journey To The West among other stories.



This movie was Wu Li Tou to the max. You would expect that from the forefathers in Stephen Chow. From nose bleeds, to getting K'd, it was a flashback to the HK movies hi jinx of the 1980s and 1990s that made me love HK cinema so much.

Shu Qi is showing her age whilst trying to play a youngster, but she did pull it off. This is Shu Qi that got all of Asia forgetting her teen coming out party. Shu Qi keeps on keeping on and we all love her for that.

海派甜心 - Hi My Sweetheart - Upcoming

The hype machine for 海派甜心 is going strong this week. They have officially given this idol drama the name of "Hi My Sweetheart". And, this past Sunday, in its future broadcast slot, showed a whole "watch me" hype show titled, 你是海派我甜心.



Many a teasers were released this week as well. From the new stuff the hype show, I am looking forward to this. It gives me the feeling that this will be as good or better than Corner * With Love.

海派甜心 - Sweetheart - Upcoming

海派甜心 (Sweetheart) is an upcoming idol drama out of Taiwan. Set for broadcast starting November 1, 2009 on CTS starring Show Lo and Rainie Yang.



As you can see from the pictures, the drama isn't going to be taking itself very seriously.



I am looking forward to this as I like both the stars and the very lovely Maggie Wu is on in a supporting role.

轉角*遇到愛 - Corner * With Love

轉角*遇到愛 (Corner * With Love) is a 2007 drama out of Taiwan. The two main stars are Show Luo and Barbie Hsu. There's a large supporting cast, but they too many to list.

Lang, played by Show, is a oyster egg cake cooker at a restaurant in Shanghai serving Taiwanese style dishes. Lang is there because he got tricked into coming here. An agent told him that someone wanted to but his comic strip. Xin Lei is a piano playing daughter of a rich Taiwanese family in Shanghai . Xin Lei has the world at her heels along with a "perfect" fiance.

How in the world can these two meet and eventually fall for each other? Its a little thing I like to call drama magic. Because in real life, it could and would never happen. Xin Lei's family business goes under and she's literally kicked out into the streets to fend for herself. In a strange turn of events, both lead protagonist head to Taiwan for the remainder of the series.

The version I watched was a China version and the episodes were like 22 minutes long. It was quite annoying to skip the opening and ending titles so often. Had I know this before hand, I would have rented the Taiwan version with only 19 episodes. The China one broke it up into 40 episodes.

The like the series for the most part and would recommend it. There was rumors of a sequel, but Barbie's been busy with a movie career of late.

Catch for a good glimpse of Shanghai and for two of more appealing leads in Show Luo and Barbie Hsu.

籃球火 - Hot Shot

I finally finished the 16 episode Taiwanese drama 籃球火 (Hot Shot) starring Jerry Yan and Alan Luo. This is one of those series that I relegated to watching when I am washing dishes and when I am waiting for a Netflix DVD.

The series is about Alan trying to play basketball. Alan eventually lands on a college team and falls for a girl that reminds him of a friend from his childhood. Jerry is a basketball star in Taiwan and has recently transferred to the same school. Jerry and Alan end up on the same team and going after the same girl. Jerry and Alan soon become good friends, but the affairs of 2 generations before affect their lives.

The basketball is paired with the logic of wuxia quite liberally. The references to these guys playing in the NBA are used to emphasize that skillz are abundant. It was a novel concept and quite annoying at the same time. As a baller since my junior high days and religiously watching the Lakers. That whole basketball mixed with wuxia didn't enhanced the story for me. Instead, it made is more unbelievable and cheezy.

The story was quite interesting away from basketball and the comedy was ok. The hype for this series was quite high. I don't think it lived up to the hype.

Not the best of dramas for Jerry and Alan. There are better Jerry and Alan dramas.