L.O.R.D. Legend of Ravaging Dynasties (Movie)

It's unlikely to follow Ice Fantasy without catching wind of L.O.R.D. 爵迹, an upcoming CGI animated film starring an ensemble cast led by none other than the reigning queen of c-cinema, Fan Bing Bing (Empress of China). 

Both adaptations are the brainchild of Guo Jingming who authored the novels that have turned into classic fantasy literature. In an attempt to do justice to the story, Guo Jingming was heavily involved in the making of L.O.R.D. as writer and director.

Motion capture is a technique often seen in Hollywood, think Avatar, Gollum and the Hulk's man-cancelling suit as stated by Mark Ruffalo himself. L.O.R.D will be the first of its kind for the Chinese entertainment industry, generating much hype due to the magnitude of its ambition. 

However, it is undeniable that most of the buzz has to be from its extremely high-profile cast that include Fan Bing Bing, Kris Wu (EXO), Chen Xue Dong (Tiny Times), William Chan, Amber Kuo (Tiny Times), Lin Yun (The Mermaid), Kevin Yan Kuan, Roy Wang (TF Boys) as well as special appearances by Yang Mi and Aarif Rahman. Each and everyone of them will be acting via motion capture that it has become a test of wit to try and identify who is who.

L.O.R.D. is scheduled to hit theaters on Sept 30, 2016 in 3D.

Source: YXDown

The Mystic Nine

Old Nine Gates 老九门 caught my attention since I was in the midst of watching Legend of Zu starring the same onscreen couple Zanilia Zhao Li Ying (Journey of Flower) and William Chan (Legend of Zu). 

Despite the plethora of Chinese dramas surrounding the Japanese occupation, I hardly watched any of it. In hindsight, maybe there were a few gems out of the countless DVDs on the subject but the sheer volume of c-dramas certainly felt like political propaganda for lack of a better word.

Old Nine Gates is based on a novel of the same name revolving around Zhang Qi Shan, a member of the Guomindang (Chinese Nationalist Party) and the leader of Old Nine Gates. He comes from a family of tomb raiders and is described as strong, resourceful and courageous. 

He is the perfect match to Yin Xin Yue, the lovable, smart and equally capable daughter of a wealthy hotel owner. They are your archetypal heroes, which seem fitting for a drama set during a war fraught era where heroism becomes a necessity. 

Then again, I haven't read The Lost Tomb novels at all and the barrage of trailers definitely indicate a youthful mesh of fantasy, adventure and mystery, which is as far as possible from what I initially thought to be a serious historical drama... The series premieres Jul 4, 2016 on Dragon TV.

For synopsis, cast and other info, check out my 2016 Chinese period drama listing.

Source: Newyx, HengdianTour

First Look: Legend of Zu

After all the hype and promo stills, Legend of Zu 蜀山戰紀之劍俠傳奇 is finally out. Fans of Journey of Flower might remember that through an unexpected chain of events, Zanilia Zhao Li Ying's character Hua Qian Gu was appointed as the Leader of Zu. Hence, it's quite interesting to see her in a drama that is practically in the same magical realm but hey, if it can break records like Journey of Flower did, why not.

Episode 1 begins with a backstory about the Chi Hun Stone, an incarnation of 81 ancient warriors that manifests its powers every 24 years. It is said that whoever has the stone can attain unimaginable strength but anyone weaker will perish at its presence. 

For thousands of years, the stone wreaked havoc until a man learned to control it and established the Sword Sect of the Zu Mountain. To maintain peace, it became the sect's sacred duty to safeguard the Chi Hun Stone. 

Another 240 years pass and it is time for the appointment of the next leader of Zu. However, Shang Guan Jing Wo (Nicky Wu), a student who has been imprisoned for years disrupts the ritual with the stone in tow. Fortunately, the new sect leader Zhu Ge Yu Wo was able to recover most of the Chi Hun Stone except for a missing piece and the sword fighting ends as Jing Wo and his pregnant wife jump off a cliff. 

Another 24 years later and we are finally introduced to the main couple Ding Da Li (William Chan) and Xiao Yu (Zanilia Zhao Yi Ling). Da Li is in a rampant rage and the villagers try desperately to hold him down. It seems to be a strange yet common occurrence for everyone involved and Da Li only regains his senses after seeing his wife Xiao Yu.

First Impressions: Episode 1 was all over the place but I try to be forgiving since I understand there's a necessary process to setup the story. The plot is a repeat of Sword of Legends and Legend of Qin where the main character has to cope with an evil within. I get the appeal because I personally would always want to root for the struggling underdog but I hope they either do something different or make it exceptionally good because otherwise, it's getting old.

I'm usually not this harsh so I wonder if my imagination is simply running wild because firstly, the opening scene reminded me of the movie 300 without the abs. Then I thought Nicky Wu in a cape was a Sith Lord. And what is up with the multi-colored outfits? It's like Power Rangers with plastic swords and overused CGI effects. Nevertheless, I will probably keep watching because I like all the main leads and whoever plays Green below, she is is very pretty. 

For more Chinese drama recommendations, click here.

Legend of Zu Stills

I was excited for this one because of the star-studded cast with Zanilia Zhao Li Ying (Journey of Flower) and William Chan (Sword of Legends) as lovers and Nicky Wu (Bu Bu Jing Xin) playing Zanilia's father, a man determined to have his revenge after being scorned by destiny time and again. 

This drama premiered on Jan 20, 2016. Check out my reaction to the first episode.

See list of wuxias to watch in 2015.

Source JNYLXW