The Hospital/ 白色巨塔

The Hospital is perhaps the greatest Taiwanese TV drama ever. This is definitely a top-notch production. With a star-studded cast and a great source material (the novel of the same name), the Hospital is great in every respect. While at first glance, this may seem to be a rip off ER or other such established medical shows, the Hospital is original in that it takes the good elements from previous medical dramas and runs with it. It is the ability of the producers to bring out these elements that make the Hospital truly unique.

The Hospital stars Jerry Yan, formerly of F4 glory and is directed by Tsai Yueh Hsun, who created the hugely successful Meteor Garden series. Yan's character is rising surgeon who gets caught up in the political strugle within the hospital that occurs as two department heads fight for the position of chief-of-staff. It is a vicious battle, with sacrifice and loss on both sides. Unwittingly, Yan's character is dragged deeper and deeper into the struggle, and soon he must choose a side. Adding to the confusion is a female coworker Yan has chased after for 10 years. As his personal and professional life become indistinguishable, Yan must decide what his real goals are and what he is willing to give up to realize them.

Political struggle is not something one would normally associate with a hospital, and it is amazing to see it realized on screen. The Hospital shows that such struggles are commonplace, in every aspect of life. They continue onwards, bringing forth a vicious cycle, as each succeeding generation is forced by the system to rise thru the ranks. As one of the characters say, that's the way the game works. In order to do what he wants, he must first amass power. And if sacrifices have to be made along the way, so be it. Such brutal executions bring forth many questionable judgements, and the audience will find that their ethical sense is challenged at every turn of the story. The surprising thing is that, as the audience gets to know the characters, it will appear that no one is wrong. There're winners and losers, but no one is right and no one is wrong. The two do not equate, and The Hospital exemplifies this beautifully. It is when the audience begins to take sides that the twists in the plotline prove all the more astonishing, and ultimately satisfying.

The characters in the story are all very dynamic. Each of them come alive, as they each strive toward their own clear purposes, with many of them changing their perspectives along the way. This great feat is achieved in part due to the spectacular acting. There are a lot of actors/actresses present, lending a greater feel to the story. There is never a point where the drama felt repetitive or slow, as is often the case with long dramas with a rather small cast (The Hospital is 39 episodes long). I was pleasantly surprised at the believable performances from the cast, which was helped in part by the small use of "young" talent. Contrary to Meteor Garden, where the entire staff seems to be under 30 and the acting was sub-par, The Hospital aims to be a serious drama, and it largely succeeds due to the realistic setting it employs. Other than the main actor/actress, the rest of the staff appears to be veterans, giving the drama solid production values. With an emphasis toward portraying human-human interactions in as realistic a manner as possible, the "sappy" feeling that may otherwise surround The Hospital does not exist. Although some viewers may find that this detracts from the romantic elements in the story, I find that the concentrated bursts is more akin to real life. Work doesn't take a break for personal relationships, and the two intertwine at the hospital where everyone works, creating a hotbed of drama potential waiting to be unlocked in the series.

One area I found disconcerting was the pace of time progression in the story. Many major events occur in short succession, and a change of scenary often indicates a passage of several months. This quick movement of time occurs throughout the series, making the story sometimes a little hard to swallow. Even as the characters all behave plausibly in their life, the situations that crop up are not entirely so. This is noticeable many times, as important characters move on in the story. While one would expect them to return at some point, the story seemingly abandons them and continues on with the remaining cast. Thus, sometimes the drama does seem to get carried away, trying too hard to distinguish itself, to be different, to be captivating at all times, with no dull moments. This actually creates the opposite effect at times.

But these are little concerns in relation to the entire production. The Hospital is a great drama series that is well worth watching, if only to reach the end and understand the overall themes and morals being expressed throughout the story. The Hospital does not try to answer questions about life; it merely raises them. That is perhaps its greatest asset - it tends to ask the right ones.

Pros: Great depiction of the inherent struggle in life; great acting all around; good message!
Cons: Some elements that are not entirely fleshed out; not for those wanting a mindless show (especially the younger crowd)
Conclusion: This should be on everyone's must-watch list!
Score: 4.5/5

The Lives of Others/ Das Leben Der Anderen

How many of us truly know what it meant to live in East Berlin, a time when secret police were everywhere, and any stray thought was considered treasonous? The Lives of Others depicts the life of two individuals in such a situation in 1984, just five years before the fall of the wall. Georg Dreyman was a famous playwright suspected by the secret police and Gerd Wiesler was the agent assigned to keep taps on Dreyman. What occurs is that as Wiesler keeps tabs on every action by Dreyman, he is slowly influenced by the free thinking, love, and literature of Dreyman's world. But Wiesler is a survelliance agent. His own career is on the line to come up with incriminating evidence on Dreyman. What must he do now?

The Lives of Others is a refreshing film. It doesn't attempt to give us a history lesson. It assumes the audience already understands the basic framework of society depicted in the film. Instead, The Lives of Others gives a very select view of one individual, Dreyman, and the one agent, a part of the terrorizing secret police who receives a humanizing treatment. Thus, the story works wonderfully. Without any special effects, the plot slowly unfolds, with only the suspenseful music and the naunces of the characters' expression to move it along. Because of this, I find the acting superbly performed.

The Lives of Others is Germany's official entry for the Oscars, and it easily won Best Foreign Film. Generally, the winners of this category tend to be more focused on artistic merits, and so it should be obvious that The Lives of Others has these qualities in abundance. However, this might also make it appear slow to audiences expecting something quicker-paced, as the trailer for the movie might imply. But, give it a little patience, and The Lives of Others will surprise with its simple and elegant delivery.

Pros: Great execution of a simple story; intriguing details of the workings of the secret police
Cons: The scenes tend to be of one color - gray; not for those with short attention spans
Conclusion: It won the Oscars for a reason. Recommended!
Score: 4.5/5

Blood Diamond

Blood Diamond is a story that is at once obvious. There is nothing special about it, nothing different. At its heart, Blood Diamond is a simple story that tries to tell the story of a single diamond, perhaps the largest pink diamond ever found, and how two man, a South African mercenary Danny Archer and a local fisherman Soloman Vandy, are forced to work together to secure their future. From the onset, one can see many parallels between Blood Diamond and similar stories regarding precious jewels of value being found, such as the novel The Pearl. Just as in Steinback's story, the finding of a priceless jewel is both a blessing and a sin, as sacrifices must be made to cash in the diamond. This is perhaps the greatest appeal of Blood Diamond, the story of what these two man see in the diamond, what it means to them. The diamond is not something meant to be part of a ring or some spectacular setpiece - it is their future, a second chance in life for Archer and a reunion with his family for Vandy.

The plot has good mixes between those of action sequences and conversation between the characters, which are usually put to good use to comment on various aspects of the ugly side of the diamond business. However, the story does tend to be very positive in nature, which may not reflect the real world well. Archer, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, undergoes a simple transformation for the better, as is expected of his character. Everything is fairly cliche here, as there are little surprises. What the film has going for it is that the viewer is still compelled to see the ending. This is perhaps the highest compliment a movie can receive.

There is a romantic element introduced in the film between Archer and a journalist. This part I found very superficial, as her character did not appear to be necessary to the plot. However, it does work out in the end when she returns to England and Archer is still in Africa and the two converses on a satellite phone. This part is quite sappy, but I enjoyed it nonetheless, as by this part I had started to care about the fate of Archer. What an appropriate title "Blood Diamond" is.

Pros: Gets you emotionally attached to the characters; some good action scenes to break the monotony
Cons: You can probably guess how the story will go fairly early on.
Conclusion: Makes you wonder where those diamonds really come from...
Score: 3.5/5

The Last King of Scotland

The Last King of Scotland is a story about a select part of the world few people know about: Uganda. In the 1970s, military leader Ida Imin seizes power and takes control of the country. At the same time, a Scottish doctor decides to travel and ends up working in a Ugandan hospital, where he meets the new dictator, who at once uses all his charm to enlist the doctor as his personal physician. As a close confidante to Imin, Dr. Nicholas Garrigan wielded a sizeable amount of power, seemingly second only to the president himself. However, as time goes on, the reality behind the dazzingly lights of the parties and the fancy cars began to set in, and Dr. Garrigan suspected that something was very wrong. The country was not heading toward a new golden age, as Imin had promised when he seized power. Instead, the violence he vowed to end was perpetuated more fiercely by himself. People were dying in the hundreds of thousands. When Garrigan accidentally causes the death of a close colleague by merely casting suspicion on a colleague's motive, he realizes the peril he himself is in. He must get out of Uganda, away from this madman, this man who claims to love Scotland and rules Uganda with an iron fist.

Although this movie's plot is entirely fiction, based on a book exploring the possible relationship between a dictator and his fictional physician, Imin is a real historical figure. The film utilizes several ingenious devices throughout to keep the audience captivated. In the beginning, the innocence of the good doctor is very believable. As doubts creep into his mind, so do they creep into the audience's mind. Can the doctor be wrong? The evidence slowly builds against Imin, and there is a wonderful transition in Garrigan at each stage of the process. Garrigan does not appear to be an idiot sold by the charm of Imin. Instead, the film portrays the plausibility that anyone in Garrigan's position may make the same, bad choice. Other than the shock the viewer must feel along with Garrigan when he "switches sides," the greatest suprise in the movie is perhaps at the end, during the credits, when true facts about the terror of Imin is told in simple, plain text. The greatest shock is that such a tyrant existed in this world and was allowed to reign for eight years.

A large part of why this film succeeds is due to the mood it sets. Without the use of expensive setpieces or add-in effects, the film successfully portrays the mood at all times, usually mirroring Garrigan's mood. However, there really isn't much else to say regarding this, as there really wasn't much that warrants extra attention.

A particular point that did stand out was the performance of Forest Whitaker as Imin. He was very convincing at all points in the movie. His facial features switched from a charming to a genuinely frightening look in quick second. After watching the film, one has to wonder how scary it would be to have man like Imin around, as Whitaker's version of him is so good. I cannot praise Whitaker's performance enough, and I was not surprised when he won the 2006 Academy Awards for Best Actor.

Overall, the Last King of Scotland was a surprisingly good film that I felt was educational and entertaining at the same time.

Pros: Accurate portrayal of dictator Idi Imin, Whitaker's excellent performance
Cons: Some parts were predictable, ending could use more work, film style was nothing special
Conclusion: As far as plausible stories go, this is as close as it gets.
Score: 4/5

Pan's Labyrinth

This is perhaps the first time that I've had problems with Blogger, as magically my previous review of Pan's Labyrinth has disappeared. Here is a shorter review that hopefully captures most of the content of the original.

Pan's Labyrinth is one of those films that comes close to being a classic but fails due to a few glaring flaws. The story involves Ofelia, a girl caught up in a civil war in 1940s Spain during the height of fascism. Ofelia's stepfather is a ruthless captain sent to crush a resistance hiding in a countryside area. Caught up in the middle, Ofelia fails to understand what goes on around her, and instead delves in some magical pursuits, where she is the main character.

The coloring in the movie tends to be very dark, resembling much of the plot. The only colors I can recall are gray and the crimson red of blood, used rather liberally in the movie. As the story progresses, the characters start to gain stature, as the individual motivations become apparent. Most commendable is the dialogue, which is given with great suggestive tones that set the mood quite well. For those understanding Spanish, this movie will be a treat. For everyone else (including me), the subtitles will have to do.

Like a short story, Pan's is short on focus and depth. The characters undergo little development (besides Ofelia's dive into the fantastical) and the plot is fairly generic in nature. The segment covered is very short, and the anti-climatic ending truly destroys whatever suspense and excitement has built up in the hour before.

A constant question Pan's poses is whether magic exists. There is evidence that suggests both sides. I had decided in the first five minutes that magic did not exist in the world. However, I kept noticing the little signs that suggest otherwise, and I almost hate the movie for making me question this belief as the film progressed. But, that is the beauty of Pan's. It shakes things up.

Pros: Hopefully the first of many Spanish imports; gets one thinking
Cons: Doesn't live up to potential or hype; fairly cliche approach
Conclusion: This is one that is going to be whispered for a while, so you may as well watch it now.
Score: 3/5

Sword Stained with Royal Blood/ 碧血劍

What a show! Sword Stained with Royal Blood is another adaptation of a Jin Yong martial arts novel. Having read the actual novel, I had very high expectations of this series going in, and, for the most part, these hopes were met.

Set at the end of the Ming dynasty, the whole of China is in conflict. Ming's top general, sent to guard the country's northern borders against Ching invaders, is wrongly accused of collaboration and killed by Ming's ruler. His son barely escapes the slaughter of the family. After a good number of years have passed, Yuan Chenzhi seeks to avenge his father's death. On his journey, he faces many challenges he must overcome before he can achieve his aim.

The story is very complex, with a large cast of interesting characters. Being a martial arts story, the drama rife with combat sequences. In fact, there is not a single episode where there is no fighting. Although lacking a suspenseful build-up, the many sequences are satisfying on the whole. There are many special effects, with wiring and explosions aplenty. The only complaint I have in this regard is the lack of specilization and explanation to the fights. There are very few signature moves special to each characters. Other than the different weapons used, each person fights more or less in the same way. I would have enjoyed a bigger focus, as that was a highlight from the novel. There are many scenes in the novel where Chengzhi points out the flaws in his opponents techniques that I sorely missed in this adaptation. Another gripe I have is the lack of character development in Chengzhi. Events around him shift and change, but it is not obvious how he has changed. Without the improvement in his martial arts that was specified in the novel, it is puzzling how he beats an opponent that he could not earlier in the story.

Yuan Chengzhi is played by Bobby Dou, who does a decent job throughout the series, although the range of emotions he conveyed varied little from one scene to the next. Eva Huang, who played the notorious girl from Kung Fu Hustle without a single line of dialogue, plays Qingqing, the main actress. At times, I do find her to be a very irritating character, indicating that she must be playing her character right. When Chengzhi and Qingqing stand together, they do look like a very good couple, which is the most important factor for this casting.

A large part of the novel is about understanding the Ming-to-Qing turnover from different perspectives, and this adaptation does a good job of conveying the various factors that led to this historic event in Chinese history. The weaving of history and martial arts storytelling makes this a story that deserves to be told.

Given the emotional attachment to the characters, Sword Stained with Royal Blood is a series that I recommend to anyone who would like an entertaining dive into Chinese history, an entertaining story with nicely choreographed fight scenes, or story about a boy who must juggle the heavy burden on him with his relationships. As for me, I enjoy all of those things.

Pros: Great source material, excellent visuals, satisfying
Cons: De-emphasis on martial arts, weak romantic overtones, sometimes weak acting
Conclusion: A must watch for any lover of martial arts!
Score: 4/5

The Magicians of Love/ 愛情魔髮師

The Magicians of Love is the latest Taiwanese drama following in the footsteps of the successful Meteor Garden series many years ago. So here you have the one girl that starts out rather annoying along with several prominent guys that suddenly appear in her life. This all follows the well-treaded formula. However, from within this framework, Magicians of Love does a wonderful job of weaving the fantastically impossibles of the TV world with the realistic setting of Taiwan.

MoV stars the four members of the singing group 183 Club, three of whom play the role of world-renown hairstylists who just opened a salon in town, across the street from the local salon run by Xiao Bei (played by Joanne Zeng)'s father. The fourth member of 183 Club plays a neighbor who also work at Xiao Bei's family salon. The proximity of these two salons starts off a feud between them, until Xiao Bei decides to join the other team to make her dream of becoming a pro-hairstylist come true.

MoV starts off with the grand opening of the new salon, where huge crowds of girls cheer as the famous hairstylist arrive at the scene. Naturally, this is way over-the-top (come on, how many celebrity hairstylist do you know?). But this is also where MoV shines. Although there are some exaggerated scenes, the setting and scenarios are always on the verge of reality. It requires only a slight bit of belief in this world to accept the story. When the famous hairstylist are out and about, they are not treated as gods - they are recognized only by those who would care to visit their salon. They do not have overwhelming power to influence anything outside of the fashion world. This is a very good direction for Taiwanese pop drama.

One of the most important aspects of such a series is going to be the strength of the characters and their interaction with each other. MoV excels for the most part in this area, although most characters have fairly routine personalities, such as the obsessive parent, the sad girl with a tragic past, the mean guy with a good heart, etc. I must commend the director for casting a girl that actually looks cute straight up - that thing with casting a seemingly ugly girl that the audience will grow used to is simply intolerable at this point. This alone takes off much of the heat from the main actress. For the main actor, however, some more work needs to be done. His character's feelings appear genuine from time to time, but it is definitely not consistent. Aside from this minor quibble, the two main characters match very well together on screen. They complement each other well, and the chemistry between appears very real. When the two are happy together, the audience cannot help from smiling.

Thie leads to the next thing - the romance. The couple faces their ups and downs, as is expected. The problem I have is that we know they are meant to be together. This is reinforced in both the title and ending song. There is no ambiguity. While watching the series, the audience knows which choices the characters will pick to fulfill this destiny. No only does this detract from the suspense, this also leads the characters to make some choices that appear illogical.

Several miscellaneous items require mention. The settings rotate around several familiar locales, and the cast is big enough so that they do not appear repetitive. The light tone of the entire series does take away some of the audience involvement, as there is no great evil that challenges the characters. As usual, I paid particular attention to the ending. Although it does wrap up most of the loose ends, it was too abrupt to my liking. Finally, the theme of the series is rooted in fashion. Thus, characters are often very fashionably dressed, adding eye candy to an otherwise bland set. This gives a lot of flavor to the scenes.

TV series such as MoV is a very good move for the Taiwanese industry, as it is a good way to attract new viewers while spending a healthy budget. This is definitely a good response to popular Korean or Japanese romance series that tend to distort reality so much that every scene involves someone crying. Lots of sappy dialogue is not required for a touching story.

Pros: Involving story, adds to established drama framework, somewhat plausible, all on YouTube
Cons: Sometimes amateur acting, ridiculous comic relief, always happy
Conclusion: Excellent effort! Recommended for anyone seeking a solid pop drama.
Score: 3.5/5