Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 20 of 21

Thread: River of Wine 《九江十二坊》

  1. #1
    Senior Member charbydis's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2001
    Location
    White Camel Mountain
    Posts
    6,288

    Default River of Wine 《九江十二坊》

    Anyone else watching this?

    I was looking forward to it since news of it came out. I watched episode 1 yesterday and it looks very good. It is a serious production and the plot has a lot of potential. Bowie Lam, Nancy Sit, Sunny Chan and Linda Chung are holding the reins and the stellar supporting cast of Elena Kong, Pierre Ngo, Jazz Lam, and Lau Kong is not bad either. This might be one of the black horse series of 2011 being so underpromoted.

    Anyone else want to discuss?
    Last edited by triumph2004; 12-03-11 at 02:50 AM.
    "Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self."
    Cyril Connolly

  2. #2
    Senior Member smurf120's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    Chicago
    Posts
    1,201

    Default

    Casting of Nancy Sit, Linda Chung, and (after Wax and Wane) Sunny Chan initially turned me off because I was thinking - is this unintentional comedic reboot of Country Spirit (with Gordon Lam)?

    It peaked my interest when I saw that Bowie was main with Pierre and Elena as supporting. I got to watch half of episode 1 - Bowie Lam is one eloquent speaker. His line delivery is aristocratic and noble, his voice is strong, steady, and clear. He doesn't change his intonation/intention to overwhelm his opponent. Although Sunny and Bowie are almost the "same" generation (late 90s), Sunny seems to get roles that are younger/wilder/naive while Bowie is like the elder stateman.

    I'm pretty intrigued by how this develops, but Nancy Sit always ruins serious dramas for me.

  3. #3
    Senior Member charbydis's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2001
    Location
    White Camel Mountain
    Posts
    6,288

    Default

    Nancy overacts a lot and her performance ruined "Born Rich" for me apart from the ridiculous plot. But if the rest of the story is solid, then I think I can ignore her. She is douing well so far.

    It is strange how Bowie looks good in Qing costume but looks terrible in costumes earlier dynasties. Either way, i think he will hold up the series just fine. Sunny hasn't had a good role in ages so i hope he also does well. Bowie looks more world-weary so he is often given bitter, mature and intelligent roles. Whereas Sunny has a high-pitched whiny voice so he appears younger.

    I am really looking forward to Elena and Bowie. their situation looks doomed.
    "Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self."
    Cyril Connolly

  4. #4
    Senior Member tweety365's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Location
    Southern California
    Posts
    3,478

    Default

    No pictures?

  5. #5
    Senior Member charbydis's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2001
    Location
    White Camel Mountain
    Posts
    6,288

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by charbydis View Post
    Anyone else watching this?

    I was looking forward to it since news of it came out. I watched episode 1 yesterday and it looks very good. It is a serious production and the plot has a lot of potential. Bowie Lam, Nancy Sit, Sunny Chan and Linda Chung are holding the reins and the stellar supporting cast of Elena Kong, Pierre Ngo, Jazz Lam, and Lau Kong is not bad either. This might be one of the black horse series of 2011 being so underpromoted.

    Anyone else want to discuss?
    $this->handle_bbcode_img_match('http://img.tvb.com/ii/10/19475/000001947414_1314343596.jpg')
    "Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self."
    Cyril Connolly

  6. #6
    Senior Member tweety365's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Location
    Southern California
    Posts
    3,478

    Default

    Charby, I can always count on you to provide pics . Thanks!

  7. #7
    Senior Member charbydis's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2001
    Location
    White Camel Mountain
    Posts
    6,288

    Default

    Currently up to Ep 9. So far so good. Nothing spectacular but it has a heart warming feeling that feels realistic and not fake like the family cheering in "Moonlight Resonance". I am slightly annoyed at how Sire Ma keeps calling Lau Kong "Ah Ba" when everyone is calling "Ah Die". Maybe it is her hometown dialect or something so i will let it go. I have to saw, the addition fo Pierre into the story really bring different layers. You expect him to be good then he does something bad. You expect him to be indifferent and then he says something caring. All his suspicions are annoying but understandable due to his upbringing.

    Sunny and Linda really look good together despite the age difference. I love in seeing how their mutual trust gradually builds up rather than love at first sight cliches. Sunny is doing much better in here than he recent works because he is screaming less and acts very calm and natural. I still want him to be a calm villian though, but I guess I have to wait for TVB to agree first.

    Bowie and Elena are showing the invisible social restraints of their characters very well. I love how their dialogue is so simple yet meaningful. It shows that kissing, hugging, saying "I Love you" is not needed by real artistes to show love. The more I hear the themesong, I more i feel the lyrics are talking about them. I really hope that they won't be doomed. The brotherly love between Sunny and Bowie is also well done silently with the actor's eyes and facial expressions.

    Two people I really want to smack is Nancy Sit and Yu Tze Ming. Both overact in their scenes however, I find it not enough to make this a bad series. Not sure if i am detecting a secret between Pierre and Nancy but we will just have to see.
    "Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self."
    Cyril Connolly

  8. #8
    Senior Member smurf120's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    Chicago
    Posts
    1,201

    Default

    I'm enjoying this series more than I anticipated for the reasons Charbydis nicely summarized. At first I thought Pierre Ngo's portrayal will just be slightly average reckus of abandoned reckless young rich boy then I realized he has layers and subtley that goes far beyond how Ron Ng/Raymond Lam/Saummul Chan would do (and you know one of them would have been cast if this was released 1-2 years ago).

    Sunny as criminal genius...hahaha...I think we both miss him in Threshold of an Era.

    The whole Leung family annoys me except for Sunny and Jazz. Every single time Nancy Sit starts knitting her brows and her mouth forms giant red "O" my boyfriend yells out "dik kou jum chu long!" (drown her in pig cage).

  9. #9
    Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Posts
    84

    Default

    This series is moving a bit too slow for my taste. After 9 episodes, I was hoping for something to really push the story forward. This series lack the pace and suspense that makes you want to keep watching.

    I really don't like Pierre Ngo's portrayal of the younger brother, unless the script is to have him go down the path of no return and then die horribly. If it is one of those heart warming series where the younger brother later repents and sacrifices to save the family, Ngo is currently not evoking that sympathy from me.

    Ngo lacks the charm, which actors like Raymond and Michael Miu as Yang Kang has that let them get away with murder. For example in Golden Faith, Raymond is the reckless/dumb younger brother - but the audience is more forgiving because of his charisma, which Ngo lacks. With Ngo, he looks mature and crafty, so you expect him to be more worldly/cunning; hence, his unending suspicion towards Bowie is just annoying. If Ngo can pull off the repenting younger brother (from the previews, it seems Ngo will be doing a lot of bad things) that makes the audience sympathize with him, then kudos to him.

    Lastly, if you're going to go name the series after the area Jiu Jiang - make use of the nice scenery - waterways, small bridges, etc. You see some in the first episode, but paying more tribute to the natural beauty of the area will do it more justice.

    All in all - the storyline, although slow and not very engaging, is pretty solid. So far not a "must see," but something nice to pass the time.

  10. #10
    Senior Member charbydis's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2001
    Location
    White Camel Mountain
    Posts
    6,288

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by smurf120 View Post
    my boyfriend yells out "dik kou jum chu long!" (drown her in pig cage).
    Why? I thought pig cages were for adulterers and adultresses?

    Looks like your pig cage will be coming out soon.
    "Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self."
    Cyril Connolly

  11. #11
    Senior Member smurf120's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    Chicago
    Posts
    1,201

    Default

    LOL. He's referring to Nancy Sit's "shocked/pleading face", which sadly is her most relied upon expression no doubt honed in the days of the "yuet yu chan peen" (the 50's black and white dramatic series where the female character gets blamed for something and the old patriarch or angry village mobs yells "jum chu loong").

  12. #12
    Senior Member charbydis's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2001
    Location
    White Camel Mountain
    Posts
    6,288

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by smurf120 View Post
    LOL. He's referring to Nancy Sit's "shocked/pleading face", which sadly is her most relied upon expression no doubt honed in the days of the "yuet yu chan peen" (the 50's black and white dramatic series where the female character gets blamed for something and the old patriarch or angry village mobs yells "jum chu loong").
    Oh! I see! You should watch "Born Rich"! She was overacting like no tomorrow in there! I almost died laughing!
    "Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self."
    Cyril Connolly

  13. #13
    Senior Member smurf120's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    Chicago
    Posts
    1,201

    Default

    Oh dear, Born Rich - I think I was mentally blocking out the whole series - I'm pretty sure I completey blasted the ending on SPCNET. Nancy Sit was terrible but Gallen Lo was crazy!

    Pierre Ngo does look cunning - I expect him to be scheming in most scenes - but I also recognize that I'm pretty biased since he spent most of his life doing villain parts. Also his real life age is close to 40 so I am unable to attribute any childish qualities to him.

    I agree the cinematography cannot compare to Country Spirit or Plain Love.

  14. #14
    Senior Member arachidonic's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
    Location
    Land of the Pigs
    Posts
    2,355

    Default

    This has been good so far. Very heartwarming albeit a little slow. I feel that it's more to solving family drama rather than wine though.

    ..and you gotta love the themesong.

  15. #15
    Senior Member smurf120's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    Chicago
    Posts
    1,201

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by arachidonic View Post
    This has been good so far. Very heartwarming albeit a little slow. I feel that it's more to solving family drama rather than wine though.

    ..and you gotta love the themesong.
    In the beginning I thought the song was sung by either Bowie/Sunny/Pierre (in the manner that almost all themesongs are done by TVB artists starring in the show these days) and thought - wow they really did a great job correcting their voices!

    Turns out it is sung by Tai Chi! Haven't heard them sing for almost 15 years!

  16. #16
    Senior Member charbydis's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2001
    Location
    White Camel Mountain
    Posts
    6,288

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by smurf120 View Post
    In the beginning I thought the song was sung by either Bowie/Sunny/Pierre (in the manner that almost all themesongs are done by TVB artists starring in the show these days) and thought - wow they really did a great job correcting their voices!

    Turns out it is sung by Tai Chi! Haven't heard them sing for almost 15 years!
    I thought Bowie was going to see it then I found out Taichi was singing it! Since Taichi is a modern band so I had initial doubts about them singing a themesong for an ancient series. But hey, it turned out great with a ancient poignant feel to it. But if Bowie did indeed sing it, it woudl suit his voice as well.
    "Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self."
    Cyril Connolly

  17. #17
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    May 2002
    Posts
    523

    Default

    Agreed with you guys regarding the themesong. It is very soothing and pleasant to the ear.
    有了你開心D乜都清心滿意鹹魚白菜也好好味

  18. #18
    Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Posts
    84

    Default

    Kudos to Pierre Ngo for his villain roles. I cannot remember the last time I hated a character as much as Song ZhiChun. No, not even his role as Chiang BiWen in Rosy Business can evoke as much hate. Down to his snide comments and smirks, I just want to smack him every time he appears on screen.

    Nearly two thirds of the stories completed, I like the story building up - but still moving a bit slow for my taste.

  19. #19
    Senior Member arachidonic's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
    Location
    Land of the Pigs
    Posts
    2,355

    Default

    I'm liking how Bowie and Sunny react to everything that has happened so far, somehow, their characteristics feel fresh... and sometimes I keep telling Pierre Ngo's character that everything he's doing is pointless.. maybe because he's doing a good job. I really dislike his character :twisted:

    Overall, it's a good, heartwarming story.. but still.. I agree with Suzaku, it's moving slowly.

  20. #20
    Senior Member charbydis's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2001
    Location
    White Camel Mountain
    Posts
    6,288

    Default

    I just find Sung Chi Chun annoying because he is petty and narrow-minded rather than evil. But I agree that Pierre has done a good job. He excels in portraying brats.

    I atill looking forward to the pig cage scenes coming up. The story is moving slowly but the people and plot seem developed so I am happy.
    "Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self."
    Cyril Connolly

Similar Threads

  1. The Legend of Chinese Zodiac(十二生肖传奇)
    By swtaznlaydee in forum Mainland China TV Series
    Replies: 24
    Last Post: 08-01-14, 04:10 AM
  2. Relic Of An Emissary 《 洪武三十二》
    By galvatron in forum TVB Series
    Replies: 92
    Last Post: 07-25-11, 11:20 PM
  3. 一江春水向东流 A River Flows Eastward
    By JourneytoThreeKingdoms in forum ATV TV Series
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 03-15-08, 02:15 AM
  4. 九霄真经
    By QF in forum Wuxia Fiction
    Replies: 8
    Last Post: 12-14-07, 06:15 AM
  5. C.I.D. 刑警二人组
    By bluewave in forum Singapore TV Series
    Replies: 47
    Last Post: 06-16-07, 12:04 PM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •