Altogether now...尖叫 (jian jiao)！ In English...SCREAM!!!!
Just check out His Royal DIAOness' impressive bod in that poster below!!!
Anyway, the press con and new trailer for The Rooftop were unveiled on 8 May and I shall post some interesting stuff here first, as the news reports are not out yet.
The trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Ud727hVDIfM
Omg...I LOVE IT!!!! Jay just Kicks Ass! Notwithstanding his really cute look, with the pompidor hair and bandanna, his moves are really cool and the music sounds amazing! I love You Are Everywhere and I'm pretty sure I'll cry when I hear it sung during the movie.
Audio of You Are Everywhere, with subs...the lyrics are so heartrending and Jay sings it with such emotion:
Haha...we finally got to see the lead actress, whose name is Lin Xin Yi (I think). She's a model from China, without any acting experience. Jay likes to use newcomers for his movies so this is no surprise. She's really pretty (also unsurprisingly) and I'm soooo looking forward to see if she and Jay have the same kind of chemistry that he shared with Gui Lunmei in Secret.
Here is the link to my youtube playlist of the vids from the press con; the first three vids are mostly photo-taking. Vid #4 and #5 have interviews with the cast on stage. Vid#7 is where the reporters ask them questions.
I'll post some translations of Vids #4, 5 and 7.
Vid #4:
The four of them introduce themselves and their roles; I'm not too sure of the proper names but basically, Alan plays Jay's friend, Hei Lun; Eric is the boss of the Chinese medicine shop; Na Dou (the curly-haired guy) is Eric's son, Dou Fu and Jay is Lang Zhi Gao (I think it's a brand of hair wax or hair cream which was popular in the 1970s). Na Dou jokes that he did not have mony to buy hair wax then and used water instead. Jay added that sometimes they used soap, too which had fragrance.
Talking about how the casting was done, Jay said the father-son pairing was good, 'cos they look like father and son. And having Eric on set is always fun because he's such a jovial guy. He also learned alot from Eric; and found that he likes football so he included some football stuff into the movie.
Alan said he missed out on Secret 'cos he was busy with other projects. So when Jay invited him to work on this movie, he did not hesitate at all.
Eric has seen Jay develop his skills and for this movie, he declined offers to work in three other movies. Jay told him he was doing a music-and-martial-arts movie (play on the word 'wu')) and he was totally flummoxed by Jay's 8-pack! He immediately showed Jay his own 1-pack...lol!
Jay emphasised that Alan also worked out very hard for this movie.
Jay likes action movies and wanted to use music as well. He thinks his movie will be different from Bollywood movies in which a large group of people suddenly appear out of nowhere and start singing and dancing, without any explanation. His movie will have a reason for these song-and-dance sequences.
Eric was very touched by something tht Jay did. When he arrived and was btought to the set, he realised that Jay had closed off a whole street for the shoot but had compensated the residents there for the inconvenience and allowed them to stay and watch the proceedings; he felt that was a very nice gesture and was impressed that Jay wanted to keep to having a Taiwanese flavour to the movie.
Vid#5:
Jay explains that he likes vintage stuff and wanted to set the movie in the 70s which was suitable for his parents generation. As such, he has also used English pop songs from that era in the movie. After he did Secret, he was an actor for the next few movies and felt like he was just a pawn in a chess game. He wanted to be the chess player rather than the chess piece.
Alan Kuo says Jay is very hardworking and meticulous where movie-making is concerned, to the extent of shaving off some of his body hair...lol!
Regarding hopes for the mvie:
Jay hopes it will do even better than Secret at the box office.
Na Dou was quite surprised at Jay's multi-tasking and feels that it should do well as it will appeal to a broad range of audience.
Eric says the hardest thing was singing; Jay kept telling him he was a little offkey. Eric was quite exasperated. He is confident the movie will do well both in domestic and overseas.
Alan says there are so many different aspects in the movie and feels that it should do well too.
Vid#7:
Jay says he has worked hard for this movie and wanted Eric to see the fruits of his labour and that he was serious about it . He also wanted Eric to sing as that would be very Diao. Eric said the 8-pack was very impressive and that Jay would often change things whilst filming, depending on inspiration. It was a happy time. He was also grateful to have a chance to sing but didn't realise how difficult it could be to be in tune when he went to the recording studio. Jay wanted him to adjust a semitone but Eric simply could not get it.
Jay says Eric must have a singing part and also cos there's a Vegas feel to the show. Everyone has heard him sing love songs so singing a different genre of song would be very cool.
Jay says his 8pack is still there, concert is coming up.
He wanted to show off the culture of that era and feels many parents will like it as he has put in many old songs. Hence also the name Lang Zhi Gao, which is a hair wax or cream which was popular then..
Na Dou says Jay walks the talk, when it comes to his work.
Jay also asked Alan as he likes to have his friends doing the movie as the chemistry is there and very natural. Alan was very happy to get the chance for this movie too. Jay also feels that Alan is also one who has not been influenced by his music.
Regarding the lead actress, Jay emphasises that he wanted a newcomer and a fresh face. A question about Hannah was coolly responded to...he prefixed it by saying that it was a tabloid rumour. ;)
Eric says he would not be able to direct Jay in a movie. They'll keep chatting and nothing would be done!
Translated news article from Jay Chou Studio:
News is that the soundtrack will be released in June and the movie will be released on 11 July! And of course it will be shown in Singapore and Malaysia, with Jay being very likely to come for the gala premieres!
Stay tuned for more news!
Some nice pics here:
Love these cartoon depictions!
And this ADORABLE one of all his movie roles!
My thoughts
Well, it has been six years since Secret and the fans have been waiting very anxiously for his second directorial effort, so just based on pent-up anticipation, The Rooftop should hit big numbers at the box office.
From what I see of the trailer and Jay's explanations about the movie, it is, as always, a labour of love and inspiration from His Royal DIAOness. The older generation will identify with the era of the 70s and the younger fans should enjoy the romance and action stuff, not to mention Jay's music.
I love that he is sporting yet another look for this movie and one which is not that cool....if you know what I mean...lol...yup, that hair, bandanna and the retro clothes...but offset of course by THE BODY!
Can't wait!!
Hey! Do you know whether this will be showing in Singapore cinemas? I tried googling but couldn't find any info at all :-( I'm dying to watch it!!
ReplyDeleteHiya.
DeleteIt'll DEFINITELY be shown in Singapore and Malaysia. Release date is 11 July and it's likely Jay will be in town to for the gala premiere. Fingers and toes crossed!
Stay tuned for more news nearer the date!
Okay! Thanks so much : )) I'm so excited!!!
Delete@fangirlforever, do you know whether ROOFTOP will be showing in Indonesia? Jay albums and movies are very hard to find here and I'm unsure if the movie's gonna show here or not... do you mind helping me? :P
ReplyDeleteHi Livia.
DeleteWill try and keep you guys updated as best as I can! :)