The Heavenly Kings
Encyclopedia
The Heavenly Kings is a 2006
Hong Kong film
directed by Daniel Wu
.
, Andrew Lin, and Conroy Chan. Wu and his band mates posted information, updates, personal thoughts (including slamming Hong Kong Disneyland
, for which they were spokespersons), and the band's music, at their official website. In 2006, Wu made his writing and directorial debut with The Heavenly Kings, which chronicles Alive's formation and exploits. After the film's release, however, it was revealed that The Heavenly Kings was actually a mockumentary
of the Hong Kong pop music industry
, and Alive was constructed purely as a vehicle to make the movie; the film's characters represented only 10-15% of their real-life counterparts
The Heavenly Kings (四大天王) is a 2006
Hong Kong film
directed by Daniel Wu
.
, Andrew Lin, and Conroy Chan. Wu and his band mates posted information, updates, personal thoughts (including slamming Hong Kong Disneyland
, for which they were spokespersons), and the band's music, at their official website. In 2006, Wu made his writing and directorial debut with The Heavenly Kings, which chronicles Alive's formation and exploits. After the film's release, however, it was revealed that The Heavenly Kings was actually a mockumentary
of the Hong Kong pop music industry
, and Alive was constructed purely as a vehicle to make the movie; the film's characters represented only 10-15% of their real-life counterparts
The Heavenly Kings (四大天王) is a 2006
Hong Kong film
directed by Daniel Wu
.
, Andrew Lin, and Conroy Chan. Wu and his band mates posted information, updates, personal thoughts (including slamming Hong Kong Disneyland
, for which they were spokespersons), and the band's music, at their official website. In 2006, Wu made his writing and directorial debut with The Heavenly Kings, which chronicles Alive's formation and exploits. After the film's release, however, it was revealed that The Heavenly Kings was actually a mockumentary
of the Hong Kong pop music industry
, and Alive was constructed purely as a vehicle to make the movie; the film's characters represented only 10-15% of their real-life counterparts and much of the footage blurred the line between fiction and reality. Wu admitted his own singing voice "sucked really bad," and the band had their voices digitally enhanced
for its music, to prove that "it's easy to fake it."
, an achievement he called "a group effort."
The film has also been nominated for Best Original Film Song at the same Awards ceremony: Composer: Davy Chan; Lyricist: Li Jin Yi and Singer: Alive.
Hong Kong films of 2006
-2006:-External links:* * Hong Kong films of 2006 at * at Hong Kong Film Archive...
Hong Kong film
Cinema of Hong Kong
The cinema of Hong Kong is one of the three major threads in the history of Chinese language cinema, alongside the cinema of China, and the cinema of Taiwan...
directed by Daniel Wu
Daniel Wu
Daniel Yin-Cho Wu is a Hong Kong actor, director and producer. Since his film debut in 1998, he has been featured in over 40 films. Wu has been called "the young Andy Lau," and is known as a "flexible and distinctive" leading actor in the Chinese-language film industry.-Early life:Wu was born in...
.
Background
In 2005, Chinese media began to report that Daniel Wu had formed a boyband, Alive, with Terence YinTerence Yin
Terence Yin Chi Wai is a Chinese film actor, singer, producer and media relations. Yin has starred in over 30 movies, released one solo album and is presently residing in Hong Kong.- Early life :...
, Andrew Lin, and Conroy Chan. Wu and his band mates posted information, updates, personal thoughts (including slamming Hong Kong Disneyland
Hong Kong Disneyland
Hong Kong Disneyland is located on reclaimed land in Penny's Bay, Lantau Island. It is the first theme park located inside the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort and is owned and managed by the Hong Kong International Theme Parks. The park opened to visitors on 12 September 2005...
, for which they were spokespersons), and the band's music, at their official website. In 2006, Wu made his writing and directorial debut with The Heavenly Kings, which chronicles Alive's formation and exploits. After the film's release, however, it was revealed that The Heavenly Kings was actually a mockumentary
Mockumentary
A mockumentary , is a type of film or television show in which fictitious events are presented in documentary format. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on current events and issues by using a fictitious setting, or to parody the documentary form itself...
of the Hong Kong pop music industry
Cantopop
Cantopop is a colloquialism for "Cantonese popular music". It is sometimes referred to as HK-pop, short for "Hong Kong popular music". It is categorized as a subgenre of Chinese popular music within C-pop...
, and Alive was constructed purely as a vehicle to make the movie; the film's characters represented only 10-15% of their real-life counterparts
The Heavenly Kings (四大天王) is a 2006
Hong Kong films of 2006
-2006:-External links:* * Hong Kong films of 2006 at * at Hong Kong Film Archive...
Hong Kong film
Cinema of Hong Kong
The cinema of Hong Kong is one of the three major threads in the history of Chinese language cinema, alongside the cinema of China, and the cinema of Taiwan...
directed by Daniel Wu
Daniel Wu
Daniel Yin-Cho Wu is a Hong Kong actor, director and producer. Since his film debut in 1998, he has been featured in over 40 films. Wu has been called "the young Andy Lau," and is known as a "flexible and distinctive" leading actor in the Chinese-language film industry.-Early life:Wu was born in...
.
Background
In 2005, Chinese media began to report that Daniel Wu had formed a boyband, Alive, with Terence YinTerence Yin
Terence Yin Chi Wai is a Chinese film actor, singer, producer and media relations. Yin has starred in over 30 movies, released one solo album and is presently residing in Hong Kong.- Early life :...
, Andrew Lin, and Conroy Chan. Wu and his band mates posted information, updates, personal thoughts (including slamming Hong Kong Disneyland
Hong Kong Disneyland
Hong Kong Disneyland is located on reclaimed land in Penny's Bay, Lantau Island. It is the first theme park located inside the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort and is owned and managed by the Hong Kong International Theme Parks. The park opened to visitors on 12 September 2005...
, for which they were spokespersons), and the band's music, at their official website. In 2006, Wu made his writing and directorial debut with The Heavenly Kings, which chronicles Alive's formation and exploits. After the film's release, however, it was revealed that The Heavenly Kings was actually a mockumentary
Mockumentary
A mockumentary , is a type of film or television show in which fictitious events are presented in documentary format. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on current events and issues by using a fictitious setting, or to parody the documentary form itself...
of the Hong Kong pop music industry
Cantopop
Cantopop is a colloquialism for "Cantonese popular music". It is sometimes referred to as HK-pop, short for "Hong Kong popular music". It is categorized as a subgenre of Chinese popular music within C-pop...
, and Alive was constructed purely as a vehicle to make the movie; the film's characters represented only 10-15% of their real-life counterparts
The Heavenly Kings (四大天王) is a 2006
Hong Kong films of 2006
-2006:-External links:* * Hong Kong films of 2006 at * at Hong Kong Film Archive...
Hong Kong film
Cinema of Hong Kong
The cinema of Hong Kong is one of the three major threads in the history of Chinese language cinema, alongside the cinema of China, and the cinema of Taiwan...
directed by Daniel Wu
Daniel Wu
Daniel Yin-Cho Wu is a Hong Kong actor, director and producer. Since his film debut in 1998, he has been featured in over 40 films. Wu has been called "the young Andy Lau," and is known as a "flexible and distinctive" leading actor in the Chinese-language film industry.-Early life:Wu was born in...
.
Background
In 2005, Chinese media began to report that Daniel Wu had formed a boyband, Alive, with Terence YinTerence Yin
Terence Yin Chi Wai is a Chinese film actor, singer, producer and media relations. Yin has starred in over 30 movies, released one solo album and is presently residing in Hong Kong.- Early life :...
, Andrew Lin, and Conroy Chan. Wu and his band mates posted information, updates, personal thoughts (including slamming Hong Kong Disneyland
Hong Kong Disneyland
Hong Kong Disneyland is located on reclaimed land in Penny's Bay, Lantau Island. It is the first theme park located inside the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort and is owned and managed by the Hong Kong International Theme Parks. The park opened to visitors on 12 September 2005...
, for which they were spokespersons), and the band's music, at their official website. In 2006, Wu made his writing and directorial debut with The Heavenly Kings, which chronicles Alive's formation and exploits. After the film's release, however, it was revealed that The Heavenly Kings was actually a mockumentary
Mockumentary
A mockumentary , is a type of film or television show in which fictitious events are presented in documentary format. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on current events and issues by using a fictitious setting, or to parody the documentary form itself...
of the Hong Kong pop music industry
Cantopop
Cantopop is a colloquialism for "Cantonese popular music". It is sometimes referred to as HK-pop, short for "Hong Kong popular music". It is categorized as a subgenre of Chinese popular music within C-pop...
, and Alive was constructed purely as a vehicle to make the movie; the film's characters represented only 10-15% of their real-life counterparts and much of the footage blurred the line between fiction and reality. Wu admitted his own singing voice "sucked really bad," and the band had their voices digitally enhanced
Auto-Tune
Auto-Tune is a proprietary audio processor created by Antares Audio Technologies. Auto-Tune uses a phase vocoder to correct pitch in vocal and instrumental performances. It is used to disguise off-key inaccuracies and mistakes, and has allowed singers to perform apparently perfectly tuned vocal...
for its music, to prove that "it's easy to fake it."
Cast and roles
- Conroy Chan Chi-Chung - Himself
- Jackie ChanJackie ChanJackie Chan, SBS, MBE is a Hong Kong actor, action choreographer, comedian, director, producer, martial artist, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer. In his movies, he is known for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, use of improvised weapons, and innovative stunts...
- Cameo (uncredited) - Jaycee ChanJaycee ChanJaycee Chan Jo-Ming is a Hong Kong actor and singer. In 2004, he released his first Mandarin CD album in Hong Kong. He is currently based in Taiwan to continue his music career.-Biography:...
- Cameo - Jacky CheungJacky CheungJacky Cheung is a Hong Kong singer-songwriter and actor. The Chinese language media refers to him, Aaron Kwok, Andy Lau and Leon Lai as the Cantopop Four Heavenly Kings , with more than 60 million records sold as of 2000....
- Cameo - Stephen FungStephen FungStephen Fung Tak-Lun is a Hong Kong based actor, singer, model, writer and film director.-Biography:Fung's mother, Julie Sek Yin, was a famous Shaw Brothers actress...
- Cameo - Josie HoJosie HoJosephine "Josie" Ho Chiu-Yi is a daughter of Macao casino magnate Stanley Ho, and a singer and actress from Hong Kong.-Movie career:She was involved in numerous movies, TV commercials, TV dramas, and singing performances....
- Cameo (uncredited) - Tony Ho
- Ella KoonElla KoonElla Koon Yun Na is Hong Kong-based Cantopop singer, actress and model. She is French by citizenship.-Biography:Ella Koon was born in the French Polynesian island of Tahiti, of Cantonese descent. She was raised in Hong Kong and attended high school in Birmingham, England...
- Cameo (uncredited) - Jo KukJo Kuk-Filmography:-TV series:-External links:* at the Hong Kong Cinemagic...
- Kei Kei (as Jo Koo) - Andrew Lin Hoi - Himself
- Candy LoCandy LoCandy Lo is a Canto-rock singer-songwriter and actress from Hong Kong. She has released 9 studio albums, over 40 singles, 2 compilations, 1 live album and 1 EP with Sony Music to date. On June 11 she released her first EP on her new label WOW Music....
- Cameo - Karen MokKaren MokKaren Joy Morris, known more commonly in the Sinosphere as Karen Mok or Mok Man-Wai, is a three-time Golden Melody Award-winning Hong Kong-based actress and singer-songwriter.- Biography :...
- Cameo - Jason TobinJason TobinJason Tobin, credited in Chinese as To Jun Wai , is a British-Chinese film and television actor.-Early life:He was born in Hong Kong where he attended the King George V School in Kowloon, Hong Kong; he is of mixed ancestry, being half English and half Chinese.-Partial filmography:His film...
- Sandy - Nicholas TseNicholas TseNicholas Tse is a Hong Kong singer-songwriter, actor and musician, and son of actor Patrick Tse. He is a member of the Emperor Entertainment Group...
- Cameo - Paul Wong - Cameo
- Daniel WuDaniel WuDaniel Yin-Cho Wu is a Hong Kong actor, director and producer. Since his film debut in 1998, he has been featured in over 40 films. Wu has been called "the young Andy Lau," and is known as a "flexible and distinctive" leading actor in the Chinese-language film industry.-Early life:Wu was born in...
- Himself - Miriam YeungMiriam YeungMiriam Yeung, RN, is a Hong Kong actress and Cantopop singer. Before entering the entertainment business, she was a registered nurse at the Princess Margaret Hospital in Hong Kong. She studied at the Holy Family Canossian College Kowloon...
- Cameo - Terence YinTerence YinTerence Yin Chi Wai is a Chinese film actor, singer, producer and media relations. Yin has starred in over 30 movies, released one solo album and is presently residing in Hong Kong.- Early life :...
- Himself
Reception
Despite some backlash from the media over being intentionally fed false information in the movie about illegal downloads of the band's music, Wu won the best new director award for the film at the 26th Hong Kong Film Awards26th Hong Kong Film Awards
Ceremony for the 26th Hong Kong Film Awards was held on 15 April 2007 in the Hong Kong Cultural Centre and hosted by Bowie Tsang, Nick Cheung and Lam Chi-chung. Twenty-six winners in nineteen categories were unveiled, with film After This Our Exile being the year's biggest winner...
, an achievement he called "a group effort."
The film has also been nominated for Best Original Film Song at the same Awards ceremony: Composer: Davy Chan; Lyricist: Li Jin Yi and Singer: Alive.
External links
- The Heavenly Kings at HK Cinemagic
- Review at sanfranciscochinatown.com
- loveHKfilm entry
- Interview with Terence Yin: "Heavenly Kings: Revealing the Entertainment Industry". December 28, 2008.