I'm currently watching this 35ep TVB series called Dicey Business. Yeah, I know, it does have a pretty goofy title but it's kind of normal for a TVB series to have an English title that's not terribly elegant. Casino Wars was the working title for this series but although that does sound better, it's not that accurate though but enough of that.
I won't really go into the synopsis of this series as they are pretty easy to find on the internet and if you follow the link I provided above by clicking on the title of this series, you'll find the synopsis in English.
Here are my impressions of this series for my TVB watching friends. Currently I'm at ep18, I think. Well, I'm definitely on Disc 6 if you're watching the dvds.
This series isn't a bad rental if you like the main stars. The stars are Bobby Ouyang, Miu Kiu Wai, Jessica Hsuen, Bosco Wong, Tavia Yeung Yee, Hui Siu Hung (Benz Hui) and a number of some of TVB's better veterans. While not a bad rental, this series doesn't look like it'll be a classic by any means. While the story might make use of the gambling industry as a backdrop, most of the story is pretty much standard TVB relationship fare. The main three characters played by Bobby Ouyang, Miu Kiu Wai and Jessica Hsuen aren't exactly that interesting and their relationship isn't that interesting too. Miu Kiu Wai probably has the most intriguing of the three but the script doesn't really go too much into it.
Luckily enough, the script does more or less keep moving along and doesn't go around in circles so it doesn't feel draggy. Also, the performances are in general good to acceptable and so the series is rather easy to follow because there isn't anything that will really annoy one. The one exception is Jessica Hsuen whom I felt didn't have a good grasp of her character. And yes, I know her fans, whom I'm actually quite scared of as I have seen them rip into folks who don't think her performance is fantastic, will kill me. But I've never been one to shy away from saying what I think when it comes to TVB.
The problem with Jessica Hsuen's performance is that it simply isn't good enough. She's not bad and she's competent but she has so much screen time and so she really needs to be very good. Unfortunately, because she's unable to express the inner feelings of her character, she often comes across either a little over or a little flat but never perfect. It's really not one of her better performances and her best performance for me were still in Secret of the Heart and And I Hate You So. The look that she gave Aaron Kwok's character in And I Hate You So in the last scene that we see her character is the look I think she doesn't seem able to conjure up consistently enough.
Bobby Ouyang is good in this series. And even though his character isn't as intriguing as Miu Kiu Wai's, his acting more than makes up for it. He's really known more for his comic acting but really what many viewers always overlook is how strong he is in the dramatic department. Just watch Bobby Ouyang's eyes when he looks at Jessica Hsuen's character when she is sad, his eyes aren't just sad, his eyes are tender.
Miu Kiu Wai isn't as good as Bobby Ouyang in the acting department but he does cut a very dashing figure in his suit. And this character is very suitable for him, it is really a character he's played many times and so Miu Kiu Wai comes across very watchable and even quite sympathetic.
Hui Siu Hung is really funny as the sidekick in this series. His character is a little effeminate and fussy. If you've seen him in Running Out of Time, you'll know just how well he's playing this character. While he may not be laugh-out-loud funny here, he's used very effectively.
My actors I like the best in this series are, surprisingly, Bosco Wong and Tavia Yeung Yee. They seem to genuinely understand the characters they are playing and they act with they eyes and their body. Although, Bosco Wong's character does the kind of quick recovery from a man with severe psychological problems to a successful man that can only happen in a TVB series, he is able to pull it off partly because of the script does allow him enough time to do it and partly because his body language is rather good in this series.
But my absolute favourite in this series is Tavia Yeung Yee and her bimbo character. She's hilarious and very convincing as the ditsy, materialistic, silly and often deluded gal. If played poorly, her character could have been rather annoying but Yeung Yee makes her very likable. She's very natural and her body language is very good. What is even more impressive about this performance is that it is as convincing as her performance in Land of Wealth, Twin of Brothers and Eternal Happiness and she plays very, very different characters in all these series. A pity her screen time isn't too high and if you're a Yeung Yee fan, you'll be quite disappointed with that.
If you're looking for a TVB series to pass the time with, Dicey Business really isn't a bad rental. While it isn't a classic, it is definitely above average because the pacing is good and the acting is in general also good. Anyway, there really isn't any recently fully released series out right now that is more worthy of a rental than this series. Glittering Days does come close but it has moments that really don't work for me.
Right, that's it from me. I think I'll try and continue with Guizhou after this entry. Good night. =)
AMEND:-
I've just finished this series and I feel compelled to amend this post to add in a brief comment on how I felt about the series as a whole. Unfortunately, Dicey Business takes a turn for the worse after the halfway mark and sacrifices proper plot progression, pacing and character developement to force the events in the series to take some sensational turns. So I feel compelled to return to this entry and temper my intial mostly positive assessement of this series to average.
At the end of the series, I must say the only character I still find endearing is Tavia Yeung Yee's Chu Mei. And Jessica Hsuen still remains unimpressive except for the scene when she sits on the stairs and cries late in the series, she played that scene quite well and that's in my opinion her best scene in this series. And before I forget, I need to give Eileen Yeow a thumbs up in this series. She played her gambling addicted character quite gleefully well but yet was able to give her a vulnerability underneath that made her quite sympathetic by the time you get to the end of the series.
The ending for this series is typical TVB crap. While not as moronic as Square Pegs and, I'm not opposed to open ended endings, this one simply wasn't suspenseful enough or poetic enough to work. Not sure if I'll recommend this series now. It's still okay to pass the time I guess and if you're fans of any of the stars than watch the series and if you like Yeung Yee, then it really might be worth braving this series to see her even though she doesn't get a lot of screentime.
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