The Return of the Condor Heroes 1995

This is my favorite adaptation of "The Return of the Condor Heroes" since it's more true to the novel than the 1983 adaptation, moves at a very fast pace, and has some good casting. I watched this about twelve years ago and recently just watched it again, and I still like it even after watching the 1983 adaptation.

Louis Koo: Although not as good as Andy Lau, Louis was able to create the image of Yang Guo in my mind. He's my second choice as Yang Guo. 5*****

Carmen Lee: She is Xiao Long Nu and I can't imagine anybody else in this role because she was cold to everybody but Yang Guo. She's really pretty and has elegance. 5*****

Gigi Fu: She's a good actress since she was successfully able to portray an annoying, spoiled, arrogant, and bratty Guo Fu to perfection. Her acting was completely different in "Mutual Affection" with Esther Kwan and Gordan Lam in which she played an extremely nice character. 5*****

Maggie Cheung: The prettiest Cheng Ying and she looks so sweet in here. I wished she had more screentime but that's only because her character is small in the novel. 4****

Louisa So: She never ages because she looks exact the same. She's also sweet in here. 4****

Theresa Lee: She's cute but I always imagined Guo Xiang to have a cute and "smart" look. Theresa is not the Guo Xiang in my mind but she did an okay job. 3***

Louis+Carmen: 4****

Themesong by Emil Chow and Chi Yen: 5*****

Rating: 5*****

A Recipe for the Heart

This is a comedy on cooking and for the most part, it was funny. There were some draggy scenes though, especially when it comes to Bobby Au Yeung and Esther Kwan's relationship and Lydia Shum and Paul Chun's relationship.

Bobby Au Yeung: 5*****

Esther Kwan: 5*****

Louis Koo: 5*****

Jessica Hsuan: 5*****

Maggie Cheung: 5*****

Bobby+Esther: 5*****

Louis+Maggie: I would have liked it better if Louis was coupled with Jessica but Louis and Maggie are not a bad couple either. 4****

Themesong by Lydia Shum, Paul Chun, Bobby Au Yeung, Esther Kwan, Jessica Hsuan, and Maggie Cheung: 2**

Rating: 2.5**

A Step into the Past

This is my favorite Louis Koo's drama and sadly, this is his last drama he has done (for now). The cast is pretty well known and they all did a pretty good job except for Sonija Kwok and Michelle Saram. ASITP is really funny and addicting to watch since it pretty much has everything in here. Although there are draggy scenes, they can be forgiven since as a whole, the drama was pretty much perfect.

Louis Koo: I love him in here although I wished his character wasn’t so obsessed with Sonija Kwok. 5*****

Jessica Hsuan: I love her in here too but she was more lovable in the second half since she was so stubborn and naïve in the beginning. 5*****

Raymond Lam: For his second big role (his first “leading” role was in "A Recipe for the Heart"), he was so good! I started to like him in here since his acting was pretty much flawless! 5*****

Sonija Kwok: I disliked Sonija because of this role since she was so stiff and I didn’t think she was very pretty. I’m glad her acting has improved throughout the years. 1*

Joyce Tang: Her role was small in here but she was excellent for the minimal screen time she had. 5*****

Kwong Wa: He’s always a good actor so no complaints here. I don’t think he’s acting anymore, which is a shame. 5*****

Michelle Saram: Although she was bad in "Meteor Garden II", she’s even worse in here since she was pretty much like a wooden person. 1*

Louis+Jessica: They are the best couple in all of TVB couples since they have so much chemistry together! They are legendary together so I just wish they would co-star in just one more drama and my life would be partially complete. Or even better, they should just hook up in real life! 5*****

Louis+Sonija: I don’t like this couple at all; it would have been better if Louis only ended up with Jessica. 1*

Themesong by Louis Koo: I love it even if Louis is not that great of a singer… 5*****

Rating: 5***** This is a classic and a must-watch!

Actors Part I

Favorites:

1. Louis Koo - same with Jessica Hsuan; I don't remember when I started to like him either. I like his roles in The Return of the Condor Heroes 1995 and War and Remembrance, but I love him when he's darker so I guess the obsession started in Detective Investigative Files IV.
2. Julian Cheung - I officially like Julian in Point of No Return but I enjoyed watching him in Take My Word For It.
   
3. Raymond Lam - I used to think Raymond was a copycat of Louis because they are both dark but I think he's an even better actor than Louis himself. It all started with A Step into the Past.
   
4. Bosco Wong - I used to dislike Bosco for his role in Find the Light but he won me over in Triumph in the Skies, even though his role was small.
   
5. Ron Ng - I'm embarrassed to say I like Ron since he's kind of a bad actor but he has been improving... I thought he was really good looking in Find the Light.
   
6. Andy Lau - I love Andy in Infernal Affairs and the Return of the Condor Heroes 1983.