Monday, June 04, 2007

I spent the whole of Vesak Day watching my hk show. And it reminded me again why I love hk drama so much. Now that US TV shows are on hiatus, I finally have time to watch/rewatch my hk shows.

I just finished a show by Ma Jun Wei and now I finally understand why minghui likes him so much. He looks good with specs and has a nice voice. I keep telling chit that maybe I have something for guys with the surname 'Ma', because Ma De Zhong is one of my favourite TVB actor too.

So when I was just watching the shows, I can't help but realise the difference between hk drama and US TV. I can safely point out that both are equally captivating(maybe because I am a tv junkie).

US TV shows boast good storyline, great plots and unusual themes. Shows like Heroes and Friday Night Lights win the audience over with their impressive plots and themes. As for Grey's, with a team of great writers and producers, it is no wonder that it claims the No.1 spot.

The thing about the American actors is that they do act well, but pale in comparisons to the Hong Kong actors. I can only think of Hugh Laurie when I think of impressive American actor. And maybe Felicity Huffman. But Hugh is British to start with. Anyway, I think it is hardly the actors that captivate the audience, the plot needs to stand out on its own to be able to do well.

However if you look at Hong Kong TVB dramas, they do not have super elaborated plots like US shows. They have no special effects nor scientifically enthralling stories like CSI or Numb3rs. The story lines are hardly bold, due to a relatively conservative Asian society. But what is it that makes them so successful?

The actors.

TVB actors are trained professionals who do their job very well. You hardly get newbies who act like a piece of log(think Channel 8 newbies) or normal performance from the veteran actors. When the veteran actors act, they shine. I think if you were to compare the leading actresses in TVB and American TV, you will know that the TVB actresses can cry on a whim. That alone makes their whole act more convincing than than some prime time actresses who cant even shed a tear when required.

A good example of superb acting will be one by Guo Ke Yin in Jiu Dian Feng Yun. She is already a household name but I felt that she did exceptionally well in that show. Together with Joe Ma, they made it so hard for the audience to guess who was the 'bad guy' or 'good guy'.

Because they kept lying to each other, there are a couple of scenes that were emotionally charged but she carried it off very well. I remember there was one scene when she had to quarrel with Joe Ma and to initiate a breakup. She flared up and when she turned to leave him, her tears flowed as if they had already knew how to synchronise with the scene. Fabulous performance, as expected of her.

Maybe because in TVB, the scripts are completed and the whole story is finalised before they start shooting, that makes TVB dramas flow more smoothly than US TV. US TV shows adopt a much more flexible method where scripts are written episode by episode and they shoot each episode weekly before airing it. This makes room for changes but it sometimes also disrupt the fluidity of the show.

Okay I shall rant no more. I heart MaJunWei and MaDeZhong (:

And to karen: please go for consultation with him! at least u have the chance to. I didnt because he was overseas for business trip. :(

Debs, FOC are lame thats why I never went for any. Which orientation camp did you sign up for?



MaJunWei and Ron Ng



Looks good when he frowns. hahaha



I like the both of them together. It's so 'awwww'



Ultra dashing in a suit, hor michelle? (: