Liu Yi Fei Gets Waxed at Madame Tussauds

 

Personally I would have loved to see her Xiao Long Nu wax figure more than anything else just like the character waxes of Nicky Wu as Emperor Kangxi and Sun Li as the legendary Zhen Huan. Instead it’s a modern version in an embellished pink gown. She joins other Asian stars including Jackie Chan, Donnie Yen, Sandra Ng and Kim Hyun Joong at Madame Tussauds, Wuhan.

Playful as she is, Liu Yi Fei kissed her wax self saying that she’s happy to have finally met her twin sister. She also coyly posed with superstars Michael Jackson and Johnny Depp and excitedly took a picture with Einstein.

 

The Four 2 Drops Fashionably Stylish Cast Posters

Trapped — Liu Yi Fei, Deng Chao, Liu Yan and Jiang Yan.

I remember watching the first film adaptation of Wen Ruian‘s novel series The Four Great Constables 四大名捕 last year which was aptly called The Four. It starred Deng Chao (Cold Blood), Liu Yi Fei (Emotionless), Ronald Cheng (Life snatcher) and Collin Chou (Iron Hands) as the titular characters. I watched it just out of curiosity and afterwards I remember feeling like I got the short end of the stick. It held a lot of promise in the beginning but sort of dwindled somewhere in the middle and gave itself a final shove towards the end. It didn’t help that you can practically compare it to Marvel’s X-men complete with a mind reading, wheelchair wheeling mutant. It’s not all snoozefest though. I like the action sequences and the infusion of wuxia and fantasy but I thought that the movie lacked that which propels a movie towards a satisfying end.

Anyhow, I wasn’t expecting a sequel to come out this soon. The first movie was released just last year and it did okay in the box office both in Hongkong and in the mainland.  The Four 2  is in 3D so I expect better special effects. If the people behind this movie paid attention to what Di Renjie: Rise of the Sea Dragon has done, they would know that it relied heavily on 3D special effects and look where it’s at. It’s currently the highest-grossing film this year. and breaking records to boot!

The Four 2 (which should not be confused with the TV adaptation) still has most of the characters from the first movie including Divine Constabulary’s head Anthony Wong with some notably female additional cast members. Gordon Chan once again directs. According to press release, this version is more tangled, the chase more complicated and the suspense more intense and I suppose this story will also focus not only on the cases and characters’ past demons but on the love angle which was missing in the first movie.  It hits theaters on November 22.

Check out the gorgeous and fashionable photos of some of the cast in an emotion-themed style  posters. Can I just say that I love them!  If these posters are any indication of how good the movie is, then I’d say sign me up quick.

 

Ambiguity

Innocence

Desire

Loyalty

Decision

Chaos

Control

Escape

Lure

 

Chinese Paladin 5 in the Works with Jiang Jin Fu

Fans of the RPG wuxia-fantasy series The Legend of Sword and Fairy or Chinese Paladin rejoice! Rumor has it that Chinese Paladin 5 is in the works. Can I just say, heck it’s about time! It’s been 8 long years since Chinese Paladin (2005) was released and launched the careers of then little known stars, Hu Ge, Liu Yi Fei and Ady Ahn. I still remember every detail of the series like I saw it yesterday. It can also be said that Li Xiao Yao is probably Hu Ge’s most memorable character. Now, Hu Ge is one of China’s most sought after actors, Liu Yi Fei and Ady Ahn have about 40 films and dramas between them. Even Eddie Peng who played funny Tang Yu has made a name for himself. However, I don’t know whatever happened to Ah Nu‘s Esther Liu. She’s probably around somewhere.

Chinese Paladin Official Poster

In 2009 Chinese Paladin 3 was released, again with Hu Ge as the lead character Jing Tian/Long Yang/Fei Pang, Yang Mi as Xue Jian, Liu Shi Shi as Long Kui and Wallace Huo and Tang Yan who played star-crossed lovers, soulmates and my favorite couple Chang Xing and Zi Xuan. This series is one of my all-time favorite. I’ve watched it so many times yet love it every single time. That’s how good it is. It’s probably because of what I can call a dream cast. We all know that Tang Yan, Shi shi and Yang Mi have become real-life BFFs after this. And I’ve become a solid Wallace-Tang Yan shipper! I still hurt recalling their “farewell scene”. Who could forget that scene? Tissue please!

Chinese Paladin 3 Official Poster

 

Fans of the series have long campaigned for another installment and looks like that prayer is about to be answered. According to various sources, production will start around November and will star up and coming “it” guy Jiang Jin Fu as the main protagonist Jiang Yun Fan. I think Jin Fu’s career is following Hu Ge’s career path just like Chen Xiao following Huang Xiao Ming‘s. Although personally, I think the “Ge Ges 哥哥” look better than the “Di Dis 弟弟”. Interestingly, the lead female Tang Yu Rou is said to be played by Victoria Song Qian of the K-pop group Miss A. What whetted my appetite though is not this pairing but the possible cameo’s of original cast members Hu Ge, Wallace, Tang Yan and Shi shi. But I know this might be so far-fetched given their red hot careers now. Scheduling conflicts might prevent this from ever happening.

If production starts this year, we may see Chinese Paladin 5 next year!