Fox Volant of the Snowy Mountain /雪山飛狐

Another year, another Jin Yong novel adaptation. This time around, the story is about Hu Fei, who father was killed when he was a child. As he grows up in the martial arts world, he sets out to seek revenge. But who is his true enemy? Of course, the story would not be complete without an ancient treasure thrown into the mix. I can't say I've read the original books, but based on this TV series, the plot's fairly generic.

So what keeps me coming back? The cast themselves. Some of the acting is fairly good (mostly veterans Alex Fong and Anthony Wong), but it's fun to have some recognizable faces such as Gillian Chung of Twins fame. The one big problem with the setting being in ancient times is that bad acting is immediately visible, and these moments do occur. Another potent problem is that the story gets repetitive when the same characters are on-screen scene after scene. Good guy, bad guy, rinse and repeat. This was especially problematic near the end, and I feel that the series would have benefited from a tighter editing. Forty episodes of this quality is simply too much to bear.

Another huge complaint I have is the conclusion of the series. I understand that the original novels ended in a climatic battle, and the scriptwriters have decided to fill in the gaps here. It was a good intention badly executed. The later chunks are so vastly different from earlier portions that I seriously wonder whether the later scripts were hashed out by the TV studio executives.

Despite all these problems, Fox Volant is not a bad series. It took some liberties with an established story and took a few wrong turns. But the core of the source material is still here, and the final product is an enjoyable series. Just don't pay too much attention while watching it.

Pros: Wuxia; good emphasis on the martial arts styles; swordplay
Cons: Repetitive; young, untested actors; hacked-on ending; not memorable
Conclusion: Fun series to watch if you have the time.
Score: 3/5

The Painted Veil

I like to think that I have a somewhat specialized taste in films. I even go as far as to imagine that my taste is refined to such a point that I can categorize films simply by reading its synopsis and watching the trailer. But then films like The Painted Veil come along, and I'm at a loss as to what to make of it.

Two things jumped out at me immediately: that the setting is in the early periods of modern China and Edward Norton is in it. After deciding that one indeed outweigh the other, I was pleasantly surprised at the gentle message the film depicts. Norton plays a very quiet doctor who volunteers to visit China to help with a malaria outbreak while Naomi Watts plays a naive girl who marries Norton to spite her family. When isolated from the English society they were used to, the newlyweds must learn to cope with each other and discover what it truly means to be married.

Norton and Watts do an admirable job at their performances, although this may not be entirely obvious to the causal observer. The film takes on a slow, walking pace, drawing the audience in. Even as the epidemic claims lives in the village, the feel of the film never changes. It is this slow development that proves surprising when the audience suddenly finds that they have established a bond with the characters.

The backdrop accompanying all the action (if you can call it that) is where The Pained Veil ultimately shines. The vast rice fields and the rolling hills convey an excellent sense of the setting, of the lives of the people that possibly existed during this time. I must commend the producers for not following stereotypical white-supremacy views as it makes the film much more realistic.

However, The Painted Veil is not for everyone. This is a very small story, an insignificant story about a couple in the middle of nowhere. There are no world-shattering events here. This is a simple story about two people living together. If you're looking for an epic plot, look elsewhere.

Pros: Great visuals; believable; Anthony Wong makes an appearance; Edward Norton speaks much better Chinese than Tom Cruise (in Misison Impossible 3)
Cons: A greatly simplified look at the relationship between two people; no mass appeal
Conclusion: Prepare for an artistic movie (everything opposite of an action film) - let the characters draw you in and you may find that they have something to offer.
Score: 4/5