Reviews

A couple of quick ones.



First, the updated version of Hawaii Five-O, which I absolutely LOVE. :)

Cable aired 2 episodes these past few days. The pilot was mind-bogglingly good, for many reasons.

There's the excellent cast, led by Alex O'Loughlin and Scott Caan, carrying on the bro-mance trend that's become so popular in recent years.

Whoever picked these guys deserves an Emmy award, 'cos I haven't seen such a great male pairing since Law & Order. Most detective shows these days prefer man-woman combos, probably so they can up the will-they-or-won't-they romance factor.
So it's very refreshing to see 2 hunky dudes bickering their heads off, and the scriptwriters really whip it up with the witty one-liners.

Of course, most of the credit goes to O'Loughlin and Caan, who share the most delicious chemistry on-screen, and trade insults with gusto. The former is all icy stares and business-like calm, the latter a ball of nerves and temper flares. I find it especially funny when the shorter Caan scolds the towering O'Loughlin. Just brings to mind an image of David nagging Goliath, heh!

Daniel Dae Kim and Grace Park provide the obligatory Asian ingredient, but don't make that big an impression, in my opinion. However, I'm glad to see minimal makeup on Park, a welcome change from the goop that's usually piled on actresses' faces - good examples: all the CSI series, all the teenager shows ( 90210, Gossip Girl, Vampire Diaries ). But I don't exactly buy into the hard-sell that Park's character is a kick-ass tough-as-nails cop worthy of joining the task force. Better to just let her use her feminine wiles and leave the whacking to the macho men, no?

One more thing worth mentioning: the super-slick action scenes, which caused my jaw to hit the floor. A memorable chase sequence in Ep 1 had O'Loughlin slide onto the back of a stalled car just as another one came crashing head-on into it. Doesn't sound that fantastic when I write about it, but trust me, it was wild!

He's been through a number of short-lived TV series, like Moonlight and Three Rivers, so let's hope Hawaii Five-O will be his breakout role, just as McDreamy helped Patrick Dempsey jumpstart his career.

As for Hung season 2, the censors are turning the show into an incomprehensible mess, so I may have to resort to my online sources for help.
It's definitely losing steam because the novelty is wearing off, so I may not stick around for season 3.

In other news, Russell Watson is finally performing in Singapore!
I've been a fan since his debut album almost 10 years ago, so you bet I'll be at the concert, with mom in tow.
Am also hoping for some "special access" privileges, so fingers crossed. :)