Jay Chou's The Rooftop ROCKS!

Hi all!
I've been caught up with work and domestic issues the past week but of course still managed to find time to catch The Rooftop.
Well, I've finally watched His Royal DIAOness' labour of love...twice!
And the second time was even better!
And....I intend to go again next week.

First off, let me state categorically that my view of The Rooftop is, unavoidably influenced by the fact that I am a die-hard Jay Chou fangirl who has followed the progress of this movie from the very start, complete with all the press conferences, news updates, interviews, trailers, behind-the-scenes clips and promotional events.
I even started a Facebook Page for this film, which saw 300 Likes being reached on the day of The Rooftop's release, viz 11 July. As the number, 300, is also featured prominently in the movie, this was of even more significance to me. :)

https://www.facebook.com/TheRooftopAJayChouFilm



My thoughts on The Rooftop

Admittedly, the storyline in The Rooftop is quite simple and as Jay mentioned in many interviews, there IS NO 'secret' in this movie, unlike his first directorial effort in 2007.

Here is a good synopsis from Wellgo USA:

http://wellgousa.com/theatrical/the-rooftop

"Living on the rooftop, Gao and his friends are the happiest bunch in the city of Galilee. Though life can be tough in this bustling metropolis, that doesn’t stop them from churning out song and dance with a zest for life. However, when Gao meets his dream girl, Sian, fate takes him on a wild ride through romance, friendship, and gang rivalry, told in enchanting melodies and stunning dance numbers."

I have read some reviews of the movie already, some good, some not so and would have to say that some of the criticisms are justified but all in, it is a definitely above average as far as musical movies go.
It's not perfect, mind you but considering that there is absolutely nothing like this in the history of Chinese movies, I felt the reviewers should have kept this in mind and been a little more supportive.

I was captivated right from the opening frame, quirky and colourful as it went on accompanied by Jay's melodius soundtrack. The pace of the movie was good, with the song and dance numbers at appropriate places; true, it felt like a whole MTV show but then again, Jay intended for this to be a MUSICAL. And a fun one, at that!
Of course, there was the requisite star-crossed romance, various villainous guys and action of the kungfu and car-chase variety.
I found the ending a little over-the-top but at the end of the day, I did not go to this movie for the story and for that matter, for Jay's acting. ;)

Like Secret, on this movie, it was the MUSIC which enticed me and totally won me over....all the song and dance numbers and score written by our awesome Mr DIAO and which are what I enjoyed the most. Also what would compel me to go back for another viewing or more.
My absolute favourite (apart from You Are Everywhere) has to be Moonlight On The Rooftop....love Jay's voice!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pg3iGyYppU&list=PLbHLPahX3mJ5YifA0MJE8whDiLJ1RbeZD&index=8

Special mention must also be made of the Hajiu song in the night market. :)

But to be honest, every single track on the OST fits into the scenes tremendously well and just listening to them now already has the power to make me smile and touch my heart.

Here is my playlist of the OST:

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbHLPahX3mJ4gqyiMhLHSFMHCugFfgDh8


The fact that he was the director also gives him points in my book and as he has mentioned in an interview, how many directors can also be the composer for their own musical??
And write songs in so many different styles for that matter?


In conclusion:

Only His Royal DIAOness, Jay Chou possesses the multiple abilities and more importantly, BALLS to pull together a musically and visually spectacular treat like The Rooftop, which is truly a first in the Chinese movie industry and a far cry from Secret, his directorial debut in 2007.


Here's a nice interview with Jay from The Straits Times:

"What's wrong with showcasing skills that you have worked so hard to obtain and develop?"

Well said, Jay!!

PS:

I could not squeeze in a post about the premiere in Taipei but here's the playlist for you viewing pleasure:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbHLPahX3mJ5PFtqbPUJGw1Yb3-nZWoEc


So....how many of you have gotten to watch this delightful movie?
Do share your opinions in Comments below!

And here's a nice pic to end off with....Lang Zi Gao says:
"You can be extraordinary!"

Jay Chou: 24th Golden Melody Awards

First off, let me get this out of the way:

Jay was nominated for Best Male Singer and Best Album for the 24th GMAs but no, he did not win in either category.
But I get the feeling that this does not bother him much as he has already won so many GMAs in the past 13 years, about 15 or so, I think.
His focus is now on The Rooftop and what he will achieve with that and we are all super looking forward to the movie's imminent release.

However, even though His Royal DIAOness came away empty-handed this year, he still managed to leave his stamp on the show in his own DIAO way, as I will proceed to show. ;)


Whilst everyone else arrived in a normal car, Mr Chou just had to turn up in....a covered van!

Thankfully, his outfit this year was a vast improvement over last year's and I was terribly relieved to see him in proper fitting pants which showed off his trim figure wonderfully. Not to mention that low-cut top which gave us a good view of his toned upper chest complete with a hint of pecs cleavage! *faints*

Omg...this is my fave shot of him, strolling down the red carpet! SOOOO SHUAI!!!!! (Chinese for handsome!)

 Jay with his music arranger, Huang Yuxun, who was nominated for A Larger Cello but did not win.

See what I mean about PECS CLEAVAGE??

Vid of his red carpet walk and interview:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOo3wul3ucM&list=PLbHLPahX3mJ5AEyk31seq1urPfSYTshDT&index=1


Then came the ceremony proper and this was where Jay certainly shone and made an impression, with his utterly cool impromptu performance on the piano!
As we all know, he had been busily travelling all over China to promote his new movie the past week and had only just returned to Taipei from Shanghai on Friday afternoon.
He had not had time to rehearse and was not planning on performing for the GMAs.
However, Matilda Tao (the host) was not letting him get off that easily and at the opening of the show, she charmingly asked that he join her on stage....and Jay was sporting enough to play along!
With a casual shrug of his right shoulder and an insouciant glance at the camera as he sauntered up to the stage (that part kills me!) where a grand piano was wheeled out for him. He went on to entertain with his renditions of not just his own songs but other artistes' too, along with snippets from Chopin, Liszt and Super Mario game music to suit Matilda's scenarios at the end.
He was such a natural and so cool....I'm still awestruck. :)

Here's the vid of this awesome performance:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcSKhORAllQ&list=PLbHLPahX3mJ5AEyk31seq1urPfSYTshDT

 

Beautiful from any angle! And it seems like all the guys are going socks-less now. :)

His next attention-grabbing segment was when he co-presented with Jolin Tsai for the Best Male Singer award.
As is well known, the fans and media lurve to speculate on the Double-J connection and this was always going to be a highlight of this event.
Knowing all that, however, the two of them still graciously did their job and there was amusing banter amidst Matilda's repeated urging for them to hug each other...lol!
Jay mischievously asked Jolin if she had been working out and she replied that she had and also commented that he was looking pretty good too.
Lol at the part where she asked him to reveal more of his chest and Jay responded with a Chinese term of annoyance! ;)
Jay said it was good for ladies to work out too so that she would not get too breathless whilst singing and dancing. He also quipped that if her ' friend' (sly reference to her beau, model Vivian Dawson) was not able to take her to the gym, she could use his (Jay's)....lol!
Till the end of the presentation, Matilda was continuing her 'Bao bao' (hugs) request but I'm glad to say, Jay did not cave in to pressure and quickly made his exit, leaving Jolin to walk after him.
It was no surprise to me that he would not have done so as he is not the hugging and touchy-feely type and would have been doubly on his guard, especially where Ms Tsai was concerned. ;)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQol_I78uSM&list=PLbHLPahX3mJ5AEyk31seq1urPfSYTshDT


And with that, I shall now look forward to The Rooftop!

Cheers!

The Rooftop: Talkshows!

I'm writing this post as the Golden Melody Awards (GMAs) are going on; my Smart TV is recording the whole show (so that I can watch later at leisure and on the big screen) and I'm also getting updates from Facebook.
More on the GMAs in another post!


As is usual when Jay releases a new album or a new movie, he makes the rounds of all the talkshows to promote his stuff and The Rooftop has been no different.

My fellow Jay fans have been amazingly QUICK in uploading the vids...and whole, at that!
I spent pretty much of the past week catching up on all the shows and would like to share them here.
Unfortunately, they are, of course, all in Chinese without any English subtitles.
I have not mastered the art of adding subs yet but after watching them all, have come to some conclusions about the insights shared by Jay, Will, Kenny B, Xinai, etc.

So for this post, I shall share the links to the various talkshows and my take on the highlights as far as I can remember; 'cos after watching so many, I might get a little confused...lol!
Feel free to comment or ask anything!


Here goes!

Kangxi Lai Le:
Jay, Will Liu and two of the other supporting actors, one of whom is Ah Ken, who plays the bowling alley owner and the other guy plays a stallholder in the night market. :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DisoDK4CzWA&list=PLbHLPahX3mJ5cqVaYVEMrSvqVRGJIriie&index=3

SS Xiao Yen
Jay, Will and Kenny B; Kenny sings 'If' beautifully and Jay sings a short snippet from The Rooftop...also beautifully. :)
I like SS Xiao Yen's show very much; she's utterly charming but asks very probing questions yet with great warmth for Jay. I especially love it at the end when she gives her own opinion on her guest; her words are always very apt and meaningful. :)

20/08/2013: Hmm...vid no longer available. :(
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qM2Clwisp4U&list=PLbHLPahX3mJ5cqVaYVEMrSvqVRGJIriie





Totally Entertainment (Wan Quan Yu Le)
Watch out for Jay tossing basketballs and playing piano for Kenny B to sing If. :)

NB: Vid no longer available
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIeOxN-93iw&list=PLbHLPahX3mJ65oBdPiMzi3tnCHEUsiOVh&index=1




A Date With Lu Yu
Jay and Wang Xueqi on this show. With a special guest appearance by a youngster who has worked with Jay a few years ago. I always like Lu Yu's style of hosting too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1VPv2HM5cU

Sina Premium interview
Jay, Will and Xinai on this show, which is rather quieter but no less full of insights.

Vids no longer available.
Part 1:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7te4bnnwDE&list=PLbHLPahX3mJ5cqVaYVEMrSvqVRGJIriie

Part 2:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBoLlU-3OQg&list=PLbHLPahX3mJ5cqVaYVEMrSvqVRGJIriie

Ten Thousand Show Pig King (literally)
Jay, Will and Cong Cong on Zhu Geliang's show, where the host speaks mostly dialect.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=sH5D10QtAYk

I think there is still one more viz 100% Entertainment, hosted by Show Luo (Xiao Zhu) and Alien Huang (Xiao Gui), which promises to be another very fun episode. When it's available,I will insert it here so do check back for updates periodically.


My thoughts


Well, after watching the many talkshows which were aired over the past week, there are some points which Jay, Will and his co-stars have reiterated.

1. Jay is a very hardworking director who pays great attention to every little detail, down to shopping for clothes for even the extras or supporting characters. He would also make sure all the sets, props and even the subtitles were in order and long after everyone else had knocked off, he'd still be busy editing or rewriting the scripts, depending on whatever inspirations he would get.
Will Liu said that he would see Jay writing stuff when he went to bed and when he got up, Jay would give him the rewritten script to take and print out for the actors for that day. This. of course. led to uncertainty on the parts of the actors but nonetheless, they would eventually see that the re-done scripts or ideas were better than the original. So that made it easier to put up with the director's demands. ;)

2. Xu Fan did not think she would have to sing and dance as she felt her voice was not good enough and initially, she really did not. However, some time during filming, Jay casually suggested that she give the song and dance a try. One thing led to another and the end result was quite pleasing! \

3. Jay and Will had actually talked about making a movie together from as far back as during THe Green Hornet days. Jay had thought up about four or more stories and one of them was The Rooftop. Not all of them necessarily required him to be the lead actor either.
What made them decide on The Rooftop was the fact that even though it would be the toughest to shoot, it was also a movie which would be unlike anything ever done in Chinese cinema viz incorporating music, action and romance.
I remember mentioning some time ago that the logical next step for Jay, after pop music, is definitely to write a movie soundtrack or music for a live musical. He has shown his versatility in composing songs in different genres and his abilities can definitely be stretched more. With his knack of coming up with tunes to suit any scenario (as witnessed in many live shows and Mr J Channel), a movie score is not impossible for him.

4. Coordinating the fight scenes with music was a huge challenge for the choreographers and martial arts instructor (who was Korean!).

5.When they had to close off a whole street to film, Jay would make sure the residents and shopowners were more than adequately compensated for the inconvenience and their loss of potential income. Which built up a lot of goodwill for the movie. Not to mention, the locals got to see the stars and witness the shooting!

6. This movie has been a labour of love for Jay and it can be seen from the trailers, behind-the-scenes vids and interviews that he has really given his all in writing, directing and acting in it, not to mention all the post-production work. He has also candidly admitted that he hopes it will do well, not just at the box office but also be recognised with an award or two when the time comes.



Hope you guys enjoy the shows.
I will update accordingly when there are more. :)

I want to write about the GMAs next!

The Rooftop Updates

1. JVR released a very good trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Yq6uEC-1U8E

I thought this one is the best so far; Jay was very reluctant to reveal too much in the trailer and it took lots of persuading on Will Liu and Yang Junrong's part to finally get him to show more interesting parts so as to entice more audiences. ;)

Wonder what he's holding in that pic below?

2. Special advance screening for Uni students in Taipei and Kaohsiung, where Will and Jay made an appearance to promote and answer questions about the movie. The response from the students about the movie was really good!

Link to a clip with the students' rave reviews:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=NU4Y_5ehgSI


3. Beijing premiere on 1 July 2013

4. A nice interview from Sino-Us via WSJ:

http://www.sino-us.com/17/Jay-Chou-Forever-Young.html


5. Links to USA ticketing site and NYFF:

http://wellgousa.com/theatrical/the-rooftop

http://asiasociety.org/new-york/events/rooftop

"Closing the festival on July 15 is one of the oddest and yet most comfortingly familiar of this year’s entries. The Taiwanese musical “The Rooftop,” directed by and starring the pop singer Jay Chou (Kato in the 2011 Hollywood “Green Hornet”), combines a dreamy logic with a frantic pace. Pinballing from one fantastical scenario to another, it’s like a child-safe version of a John Waters movie.

Mr. Chou plays Wax, a resident of the bohemian enclave of the title who’s so cool that he uses a switchblade to smooth his pompadour. In the course of the film he romances a bashful actress and engages in kung fu battles with various thugs. (In a distinctly Asian twist, the main point of contention is a seat on the city housing authority.) The wonderful Eric Tsang plays an amiable charlatan who promotes his herbal medicines with a hip-hop floor show featuring women in mini-cheongsams and men in wheelchairs.

Mr. Chou never runs out of ideas: at one point a newspaper page reorients itself and becomes a nightclub stage for a production number about the dangers of the paparazzi. It’s a scene redolent of Busby Berkeley and Fred Astaire, and when was the last time an American movie made you think of them?"

See link below for the full story...but I just love that line:

"Mr Chou never runs out of ideas."

So true!!!

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/29/movies/new-york-asian-film-festival-offers-sturdy-hollywood-themes.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1&


6. Advance ticket sales have started in Singapore and I've booked mine for 11 July already, together with about another 12 friends.

http://www.cathaycineplexes.com.sg/movie_detail.aspx?status=coming&movie_id=1004#showtimes_section

Well, I entered a few contests to try and win gala premiere tickets....still waiting for results.
*fingers and toes crossed*


7. To end off, here are some truly DIAO pics of Jay and Xinai for more mags

And a fashion shoot clip....Xinai is really pretty and Jay is SOOOO HANDSOME AND SOOOOO HAWT!!!!

Jacky Wu must be eating his words BIG TIME now!!! :P

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=L9iejjJto7g


Cheers all!

The Rooftop: Radio interview with Jay Chou and Will Liu on 28 June 2013

Radio interview with Jay and Will Liu about...The Rooftop....what else?? ;)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0T4W6IdCkE&list=PLbHLPahX3mJ7dNLQLS-2jg7zyqyc_ApIc&index=12


The DJ has actually watched a sneak preview of the movie and felt it was very intriguing...as much as Secret was.

Here are some interesting insights from the director and producer:

Jay was very intent on keeping as much as possible a surprise for movie-goers and it was extremely difficult to get him to agree to the footage to be put in the trailer.

The Rooftop was conceptualised when Jay was doing The Green Hornet; he actually had a few stories in mind but felt this was more doable.
Will says Jay is very good at improvising music to suit a particular story but such music is not suitable for pop songs. So in the end, they felt...why not a soundtrack for a movie?
They definitely hope to win awards for the music.
Jay's directing style is not definable during The Rooftop...different feel from Secret.
Jay's acting has more range here compared to Initial D.
He likes to act with his friends...more natural.
Edited out 30mins of footage to get the final two hours of the movie.

Will: When I watched it with the DJ as an audience, it was a different feel and that the movie seemed to end too soon. Which is a good thing.

DJ: There were many impromptu-like and ad-lib-like moments in the movie.

Will: Had many brainstorming sessions to work out the storyboards and visuals. Meticulous attention was paid to details.
It will premiere in North America and be the closing film for the NYFF.
Jay wants to show the world a different side of Chinese movies.
The supporting characters are played by his friends with whom he has worked with for many years.
He likes to do that as he feels they are very natural together and it comes across nicely on screen.

Will was initially sceptical about doing The Rooftop as he felt it was actually more difficult to shoot.
But Jay wanted it because it was different from the usual Chinese movie, with all that he wanted to incorporate.
Three months of shooting, in China and Taiwan.
Costumes, props, etc...all had to be as realistic as possible, even for the extras!
Jay did the shopping himself as he had his own vision...flowery shirts!
Stylist is from Hongkong and has a similar mindset as him for the vintage stuff which he likes.

Jay was inspired by the director of Romeo and Juliet, Baz Luhrmann whose style in that movie combined an old-time story with a more modern feel.

Back to The Rooftop, Jay says the name of the lead actress felt right for the character's name.
The love story and romantic style is very Jay Chou-esque.
Very old-fashioned, cute and pure.

Jay likes simple ways of showing love.
Holding hands, etc....very unlike present-day shows.
Evident from his MVs, where he does not indulge in anybig love scenes.
First love is the sweetest.

Jay says he finds it very sweet when he sees older folks walking hand in hand, more so than when young people are kissing madly in public. That was the sort of feel he wanted for the movie.

After work, Jay still hard at work doing the details, changes of scripts and Will would have to print out the new scripts early the next morning for the actors.


Let me end with some nice pics, as usual:

Cheers!

DIAOness Updates: The Rooftop

Isn't that such a sweet pic of the star-crossed couple??

Here's a link to a JCS translated article in which His Royal DIAOness admits to his nit-picking tendencies, to the extent of proofreading the English subtitles...lol!

http://jaychoustudio.com/archives/director-chou-nitpicks-english-subtitles-in-the-rooftop/1599

Another article about the trailer:

http://jaychoustudio.com/archives/the-rooftop-mystery-jay-chou-keeps-the-secret-back/1600


Here are some new trailers and BTS clips to whet your appetites for this movie:


Latest trailer with more LZG/Xinai scenes and look out for Darren!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=mkmhNbf3sh0


Behind-the-scenes of the night market, where his co-star says Jay was a very hardworking Iron Man who seemingly never needed to sleep yet had a very clear vision of what he wanted from the music and the movie.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGVA9tqHYgk

60-second Bo Ye with scenes from the movie:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Dd5JnFJfPYk


Pic of the Lover's Lake Night Market...so picturesque!

More pics...of course, LZG MUST have a PINK bowling ball, right? ;)

Cute screenshot of LZG and Dan Hua (Devon Soong aka Dan Tou):

This is what I call puppy-dog eyes... :)

Jay loves wheels...not just cars but bicycles too:

The Rooftop merchandise:

Excited?

I know I am!!

Another fangirl gets Jay Chou's autograph!

Ok....everyone here can officially go green with envy when you read today's post, which I've taken from Celestia's account about her absolutely serendipitious meeting with His Royal DIAOness at his autograph session for The Rooftop on 12 June, just five days after she had seen him at OPUS JAY Singapore...lol!


Behold the signature at the bottom of the poster:

And here is Celestia's fangirl rave about the experience:

"I was in Taipei for a holiday and was pleasantly surprised that Jay would be there for an autograph session for The Rooftop the next day.
So of course I made plans to go. ;)
 
I reached the venue at around 9am and it was already super crowded (what to expect...it's JAY!).The ticket sales started at 11am but Jay would only be there at about 1pm. 
I bought the tickets and waited patiently for him to arrive. It was scorching hot but everyone stood in the sun. I managed to find a spot that was nearer to the stage. ( I wanted to be nearer to him! Haha!) Well, 1pm came but there was still no sign of him! 
The Emcee was entertaining us on the stage but I wasn't listening. ( too excited 'cos going to meet him for the first time!)
Finally, after about 15 mins, the emcee announced his arrival and he appeared with the female lead. 

Everyone screamed!!!
He started smiling for the media and we were screaming for him to look over to our side. The emcee tried to assure us that they would do it later. But it didn't happen! 
We screamed for Jay again and he turned for us! 
That's when I managed to take a beautiful shot of him. He's so kind and treats his fans so well! 
Love him!
 
Then the photo taking session started and everyone started to queue up to make their way up to the stage to see JAY! I was super excited and was planning what to say to him! 
Finally it was my turn. 
Looking at his handsome face and his dimpled smile , I nearly died! Haha! 
The security refused to let us take pics on stage as Jay had to sign 2000 posters! 
After the signing ceremony, he left quickly as he had to rush for another event. 

That concludes my brief encounter (with more to come) with the Man himself, JAY CHOU!"


For more pics of the event, here is a link the the FB album from the official Rooftop Page:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.502695219785926.1073741835.413768932011889&type=3 



Sigh...how come that didn't happen to me when I was in Taipei last December??