Breaking the Shadows 乌云之上: A Review (Sort Of)

This isn’t a full-series review—I stopped at episode five, and frankly, that’s all I could manage. Honestly, I was looking forward to this series; I like Sun Li and generally enjoy crime dramas. With a cast full of notable actors and its connection to the Light On anthology, it should have guaranteed some level of quality—or at least been enjoyable.

Review ~ Happiness as Flowers (2005) #幸福像花儿一样 (#孙俪 #SunLi)

This is the first time real life couple #SunLi (#孫儷) and #DengChao (#邓超) have worked together.  When they made this drama, they were only a reel life couple and only became a real life couple some time after this series and before the 2008 series Tian Mi Mi (甜蜜蜜).

I actually finished most of this review in Dec 2018 and hoped to publish it before the year turned because last year happened to be the 30th anniversary of China's Reform and Opening Up which would be kind of fitting since this series has something to do with it.  However, lots and lots of things got in the way and, in the end, I can only call this just one of many missed opportunities.

This is part of my ongoing effort to watch all of Sun Li's work and honestly, when I first decided to try this series, I was a little worried that it might be a difficult watch.  I don't particularly like idol type dramas, nor do l like generic sappy love stories that are designed to draw as many tears out of the viewer as possible.  As I was under the impression that this was a generic teary romance, I approached the series with a little caution.  However, it turned out to be a surprisingly interesting series, albeit with some caveats.

Unboxing ~ #孙俪 #SunLi #遇见你陪伴你 Meet You Accompany You - book

Sun Li (#孫儷) recently released a book called《遇见你，陪伴你》(Meet You Accompany You).  It's a book about Sun Li's love for animals and her life with them.  I think it's mostly about dogs and a little bit about cats.  Sun Li really likes dogs it seems and has quite a few of them in her home.  I think at one point she had up to six dogs but I'm not sure.  I happen to watch an interview of it some time ago and I've forgotten the exact number.  I've also not really read this book because I really don't have the time to do it yet.  I've only read a few lines and paragraphs so I won't be giving any comments or summaries on what was written because I can't just yet.

Review ~ Fearless (2006) #霍元甲 (#孙俪 #SunLi)

This is #SunLi 's debut film, although by the time she did this film, she's already had a few drama series under her belt.

I actually watched Fearless back in 2006 when it first screened which is why my memory of Fearless was a little hazy till I recently re-watched this for Sun Li's sake.  I thought that I liked this film enough but after watching it a second time, I realized that I probably didn't like it as much as I remembered which is why it's one of the few Jet Li films I have never watched again till recently.  This has nothing to do with Sun Li or even Jet Li.  I think I just didn't like the story that much.

I get what this pretty inaccurate biopic of Huo Yuanjia (霍元甲) is trying to do and say but I don't know if it really works that well.  The fighting scenes were cool but maybe I'm tired of the "man makes massive error → falls into depression and self destructs → only to have his soul saved after he is physically saved by native tribe / simple kindhearted girl / simpler way of living etc → thus finds redemption by the end of the film" type of story-line.  I think the story is pretty simple and kind of cliche to the point that I'm not really bothered about possibly giving any spoilers away because I don't think it's that hard to guess what would happen next. 

#SunLi #孙俪 ~ a film & tv guide for Sun Li fans (ver 01)

Sun Li in one of my favourite Sun Li dramas,
Nothing Gold Can Stay.

Lately, I have been spending most of my free time working on a guide of Sun Li's dramas and films as I slowly watch Ruyi Zhuan.  The guide is incomplete and a work in progress.  I published it as a "blogspot page" so that I can continue to work on it over time.  Here's the link for all who are interested.  CLICK ME.  There's a permanent link to it at the top of each page on the main blog too.

So far I wrote up capsule reviews or comments on all the dramas and films that I've watched her in and I also posted up links to the full reviews that I have written.  This reminds me of the days when I used to hang out on the Hong Kong film / TVB forums and when I helped my friend run her website on one of the TVB actresses.  I wrote a lot of reviews and did lots of translations then.  Too bad school and then work got in the way.  I feel I wrote better reviews and essays then.  So out of practice now.... it's been too long.

I quite regret not doing the same for Kajiura Yuki and Kalafina releases previously.  Would be easier to look for album / singles reviews and unboxings without having to crawl through the blog.  Maybe if I have more time in the future, we'll see.  Maybe if someone releases something soon, I'll get around to it. :P

Anyway, gotta go, I have work to do. :)

Review ~ One Metre Sunshine (2003) #一米阳光 (#孙俪)

One Metre Sunshine (一米阳光 ) is the fourth series that Sun Li (孙俪) has acted in if we don't count the one where she was an extra with no lines.  This is also the second time she's acted opposite Peter HO Rundong (何润东).  The first was in Goddess of Mercy (玉观音) which I also wrote a review of (click me).

Like a lot of Sun Li's older series, there is little information in English so I will write a synopsis of this 29 episode series.

SPOILER FREE SYPNOSIS

The story begins with a chance meeting between Yi Chuan Xia (Sun Li) and Jin Zheng Wu (Peter Ho) in Shanghai. Chuan Xia has been sent from the Nian Corporation's head office in Canada to be the manager of their Shanghai branch.  Chuan Xia is having an affair with her superior Nian Liang Xiu (Ai Wei) who is also the younger brother of the Chairman of the Nian Corporation.  Nian Liang Xiu sent a bottle of wine to Chuan Xia and the delivery man happens to be Jin Zheng Wu aka Xiao Wu and that is how they first met.  Xiao Wu also works as a talented bartender in a bar that Chuan Xia happens to frequent.  He quickly takes a liking to her and begins to woo this mysterious woman who is happy to check out the city with him but not happy to answer any personal questions about herself.

Review ~ Goddess of Mercy (2003 drama) #玉观音 (#孙俪)

Goddess of Mercy (玉观音) is Sun Li's debut drama.  Well, technically she's been in at least one previous series before but that's as an extra and it's a non-speaking part.  This is the fourth series starring Sun Li that I have ever watched.  By this time I am already a huge admirer of this excellent actress.  It only took one series and that's Nothing Gold Can Stay (那年花開月正圓).  I still hope to do a post on that series but that might take quite a bit of some time and so I thought I would do something that I think I might find easier.

I am trying to watch everything Sun Li has ever done to get a full understanding of her evolution into the exceptional actress that she is today.  So there's no place better to start than by watching her award winning debut performance.  This is the performance that heralded the arrival of a star-in-the-making which by default makes it an important series for anyone who is interested in Sun Li's progress as an actress.

My new love. :)

Recently I just discovered the incomparable #SunLi #孙俪  Although she's already pretty famous internationally for her role in Empresses in the Palace aka Zhen Huan Zhuan (后宫·甄嬛传), I actually didn't know who she was.  I actually avoided this drama when it was super popular back in 2012 because I'm one of the only ones I know who did not really like TVB's War and Beauty (金枝慾孽).  I wasn't very interested in yet another drama about scheming women who had questionable motives at times.

So how I discovered Sun Li is a little more unusual than most people.  Lately, I took a much needed big break from work.  And during this break I happened to watch ep63 of this Mainland Chinese drama called Nothing Gold Can Stay (那年花开月正圆) on TV.

 
Strangely, I found the episode quite interesting and I wanted to find out more about the relationship between this melancholic tree climbing mother and her rebellious adopted child.  And because of this, I started watching 那年花开月正圆 from episode one on-wards and I really loved most of it.  And more importantly, that's how I found my latest obsession, Sun Li.  She was phenomenal in the drama and I fell in love with her.

As all my old buddies know, when I really like something, I can get a little obsessive.  Haha!!  I feel compelled to watch all that they have done or listen to all that they have composed.  That's how it was for Lau Ching Wan, Ada Choi and Kajiura Yuki.  I've watched some pretty blah stuff for Lau Ching Wan's and Ada Choi's sakes.  Luckily Kajiura Yuki's work is mostly good so I didn't have to suffer too badly. :P  I also did the same for Zhang Yimou, Wong Kar Wai and Johnnie To.  I have watched a ton of their work and actually liked or loved a lot of them.