novelraw Chapter 105 The New Works of the Two Directors
Chapter 105 The New Works of the Two Directors
Chapter 104 The New Works of the Two Directors
On August 30th, "The Banquet," directed by Feng Xiaogang and starring Zhang Manyu, Ge You, Daniel Wu, Zhou Xun, Deng Chao, and others, was released.
This is Feng Xiaogang's first attempt at a period drama blockbuster, and it is highly anticipated by the market.
However, the film had a troubled history. It invited Zhang Ziyi and Gong Li, among others, but eventually found Zhang Manyu.
After the huge success of "Reign of Assassins," the pressure shifted to "The Banquet." After all, if the box office was good, the media could easily say that Feng Xiaogang was not as good as the younger Zhang Jun.
For Feng Xiaogang, such accusations were clearly unacceptable.
Zhang Jun and Zhang Linwan went to the premiere of "The Banquet" together. Ever since the girl attended the celebration party last time and saw so many stars, she has become very enthusiastic about such events.
On the way there, Zhang Jun asked Zhang Linwan, "Xiaowan, do you want to be a star when you grow up?"
Zhang Linwan pointed to herself: "Can I?"
"sure!"
Zhang Jun laughed and said, "Brother, it'll be easy for me to make you a star like your sister Fan."
To everyone's surprise, Zhang Linwan resolutely refused: "I don't want to. I think teaching in rural areas is more meaningful than being a celebrity."
Zhang Jun was taken aback and asked, "Why do you think that?"
Zhang Linwan said, "In my hometown, many children can't afford to go to school, and the school infrastructure is very backward. I felt powerless when I saw it, but if I had the ability, I would definitely do something."
Zhang Jun never expected that his adopted sister would have such lofty ideals.
On the contrary, all he knew was how to make movies to become famous and make money, and then get into fights with female stars, which made Zhang Jun feel a little guilty.
However, he quickly said, "Okay, I support you. We can set up a charitable foundation for education in remote rural areas, and you can be in charge of it."
Zhang Linwan's eyes lit up: "Really? Brother, you're not lying to me, are you?"
Zhang Jun rolled his eyes: "What are you talking about? When have I ever lied to you, bro?"
"Of course!"
Zhang Linwan recalled the past: "When I was a child, you tricked me out of my New Year's money, saying you would buy me lanterns, but you ended up buying firecrackers instead."
Zhang Jun said he didn't know: "Really? Is that so? I forgot."
At the premiere, Zhang Linwan got many autographs and photos with celebrities. However, she didn't think the movie was good.
"Brother, I think this movie is boring," Zhang Linwan commented after watching it.
Zhang Jun instructed, "Just tell me this, don't tell anyone else."
"I know, we have to save face for them!" Zhang Linwan said, indicating that she understood.
After the last celebration banquet, the reporters all knew that Zhang Jun had a younger sister, so this time no one was so oblivious as to ask any strange questions.
However, regarding the film, Zhang Jun inevitably had to give it some insincere praise.
"Chinese blockbusters may be far behind Hollywood blockbusters, but Director Feng's courage to innovate and completely subvert himself this time is commendable."
For a director who is known for comedy and has a fixed audience to spend so much time and make such a huge investment in trying something new, this attempt is like pioneering.
Regardless of the outcome, it deserves praise.
That's a very clever remark. I didn't comment on the movie itself, but I'm sure it's okay for me to praise Feng Xiaogang's willingness to try new things.
Even if the movie turns out bad in the future, it won't be my fault. I never said the movie was good.
Zhang Jun speaks very politely and tactfully, but after the release of "The Banquet," the media gave it a barrage of negative reviews.
The Beijing Youth Daily commented: "When the film combines famous Chinese and Western dramas, the plot feels rather awkward."
In particular, the handling of the dialogue constitutes an unavoidable flaw in this entirely fictional story.
Regarding the inevitability of the relationships between the characters, its allegory reveals a pale and weak logic due to the lack of an analysis of "why" the characters' actions.
The biggest failure of "The Banquet" lies in its tedious and bland narrative and its incongruous dialogue.
The complex and profound human story rooted in "Hamlet" has been completely erased by the unrestrained and repeated embellishment of superficial sentiment, leaving only the so-called darkness and gloom in form.
The sheer number of repetitive elements makes the audience feel exhausted, making it difficult to connect with the film's emotions on a personal level.
The Shanghai Daily also commented: "Although this film is not history in the strict sense, and it does not tell the audience historical facts, it only consumes the image of a period of history."
However, the subject matter itself, as well as the creation of a somber atmosphere of court intrigue, widened the distance between the audience and the film, making viewers accustomed to "up-close" viewing feel unfamiliar and cold.
Therefore, they scrutinized the film meticulously, looking for its oversights and errors.
It should be said that, given the current aesthetic preferences of the general public, audiences are more tolerant of films that are familiar and relatable to everyday life.
However, the audience was very critical and demanding of "The Banquet," which reflects the overall aesthetic preferences of viewers in a specific era.
As a film director, one should guide and cultivate the audience's aesthetic appreciation through one's works, but this should not come at the cost of widening the audience's aesthetic distance.
How to better integrate artistic pursuits with popular tastes remains a major issue that Feng Dapao must consider in his transformation.
After all, film is a form of popular culture, an art form intended for a broad audience.
Online, the film received a barrage of negative reviews, with many viewers complaining that it was incredibly boring.
However, the film's strong cast, coupled with Feng Xiaogang's own appeal, still allowed it to gross 6630 million yuan in its opening week.
This result naturally couldn't compare to the opening week box office of "Reign of Assassins," so many people in the media and online started stirring up trouble, saying that Feng Xiaogang was not as good as Zhang Jun, who was younger than him.
Undoubtedly, these media reporters deliberately stirred up the conflict between Feng Dapao and Zhang Jun in order to see the two of them fight.
However, neither Zhang Jun nor Feng Dapao fell for the trick.
Zhang Jun said he really liked Feng Xiaogang's movies, and Feng Xiaogang also said he greatly admired Zhang Jun, a junior colleague. The media's attempts to sow discord were ineffective.
However, the media has always liked to fabricate facts and make a fuss about the matter, and the rumors of discord between Zhang Jun and Feng Dapao continued to circulate.
A few years later, it will probably become the source of the "conflict between Zhang Jun and Feng Dapao", but in reality, the two have nothing to do with each other.
However, privately, Feng Xiaogang was indeed somewhat resentful that "The Banquet" did not perform as well at the box office as "Reign of Assassins".
He wasn't blaming Zhang Jun; he wasn't that unreasonable.
However, this incident also ignited his competitive spirit, so he took out the war film he had been planning for a long time, intending to prove himself with this film.
When they saw the script for "Assembly", the CEOs of Huayi Brothers were actually quite reluctant.
"Big Cannon, shouldn't we play it safe and go back to your area of expertise, comedy?" the King advised.
Feng Dapao, however, was determined: "I think Zhang Jun made a very good point."
"What did you say?"
He said that a top director should have the ability to explore many areas, and I agree with that.
Feng Xiaogang was adamant: "I'm determined to make this movie. If the company doesn't invest, I can find other investors."
If this were to get out, it would probably cause a major upheaval in the Chinese film industry. A director of Feng Xiaogang's caliber would be welcomed anywhere.
Huayi Brothers obviously couldn't let their star director go to another company, so the two brothers discussed it and agreed.
"Alright, since you've made your decision, the company will fully support you, and resources will be at your disposal," Boss Wang declared.
With support in hand, Feng Xiaogang immediately took action. Although "The Banquet" was still showing in theaters, he had already completely forgotten about it.
At the same time, Feng Dapao was also very curious about what Zhang Jun's next film would be.
"Reign of Assassins" failed to secure another extension, and the film was pulled from theaters in mainland China with a box office of 1.73 million yuan. In Hong Kong, the film has grossed HK$1430 million, and in Taiwan, it has earned NT$8500 million.
The film grossed 10.35 billion yen in Japan and attracted 53 viewers in South Korea.
Including scattered box office revenue from other regions and revenue from previous copyright sales, "Reign of Assassins" was still profitable overall, and the profit was not small.
Compared to the film's box office exceeding 100 million yuan, profitability is what has garnered the most attention within the industry. Making a film profitable is no easy feat, and Zhang Jun has successfully proven his worth.
There's a lot of anticipation surrounding Zhang Jun's next project, including from investors. However, he hasn't revealed anything and is currently on vacation.
Yang Mi knew a bit about this, because she had seen Zhang Jun typing on the keyboard several times, clearly writing a script.
One evening, after Yang Mi finished showering, she saw Zhang Jun sitting in front of the computer, lost in thought.
She wrapped her arms around Zhang Jun's neck from behind: "Are you done with your work?"
Zhang Jun nodded, then turned to look at Yang Mi, sizing her up: "Let me see how many times you spin around—"
Yang Mi was confused, but she still did as she was told and spun around a few times. The towel wasn't tied tightly and fell down, revealing her beautiful body.
She thought Zhang Jun was about to start a fight with her, but Zhang Jun didn't. Instead, he said, "It's okay, it's not fully developed yet."
Yang Mi gave Zhang Jun a charmingly coquettish look: "What do you mean by 'not fully developed'? You said before that you were already quite good-looking."
Zhang Jun said, "What I mean is, you look very natural as a high school student."
"What do you mean?"
Yang Mi was taken aback, but then Zhang Jun pointed to a document on the computer and said, "Take a look, are you interested?"
Yang Mi was overjoyed. Does this mean she has a role to play?
She immediately looked at the document on the computer, a puzzled expression on her face: "Bad Genius? What's that?"
Does this mean I'm supposed to play a gunman, wielding a pistol and killing everyone like Chow Yun-fat in "A Better Tomorrow"?
However, after reading the beginning of the script, Yang Mi realized that the "gunman" referred to a cheater; she had thought it was a gunfight movie.
However, Yang Mi's interest quickly grew, and she read the script with great enthusiasm, her eyes shining brighter with each reading. Judging from the story alone, it was an extremely brilliant script.
She excitedly asked Zhang Jun, "Can I play the female lead?"
Zhang Jun nodded: "Yes, a script tailor-made for you, how about it?"
These words were meant to make Yang Mi happy; even without her, someone else could be found to play the role. However, Yang Mi had followed him after all and had always been obedient and diligently honed her acting skills.
Her acting skills have improved significantly recently, and given her relatively young age, she fits the character's description quite well.
"That's great, I knew you'd be good to me."
Yang Mi threw herself into Zhang Jun's arms, showering him with kisses.
Zhang Jun patted Yang Mi's shoulder, signaling her not to get excited: "Wait a moment, I need to make sure you can handle this important task."
Yang Mi was eager to try: "Whatever fighting pose you want today, I can make it happen."
"What are you thinking about all day long?!"
Zhang Jun flicked Yang Mi on the forehead, and Yang Mi covered her head and cried out in pain.
Zhang Jun explained, "I want to hold an audition to select suitable actors, and you have to participate too."
"Oh!" Yang Mi was a little disappointed for a moment.
Zhang Jun added, "Don't worry, as long as your performance is good, the role is still yours. Besides, I've shown you the script beforehand, so you can ask me if you don't understand anything."
If you still can't get the role, then I'm out of ideas.
Yang Mi's worries turned to joy: "Okay then, it's just an audition, don't worry, I'll handle it."
Yang Mi's natural charm hadn't been diminished yet; with proper guidance, she should be able to perform at a high level. Zhang Jun had already given her special treatment, which was quite considerate.
As for why Zhang Jun insisted on auditioning this time, the reason is actually very simple: to set rules.
His movies are profitable and incredibly popular—that's common knowledge in the entertainment industry. Besides the envious investors, all sorts of people with connections are eyeing Zhang Jun's films.
She's the son of some veteran artist, or the daughter of some wealthy man, or even a relative of some official, etc.
Although it is not obvious now, in the future, these back-door deals and favors will be a problem that Zhang Jun will have to face.
It would be fine if those second and third generation members were capable and talented, but unfortunately, not many of them were truly capable; most were just pretending.
The thought of having to use this kind of person in his movie terrifies Zhang Jun.
So, before these connections from the second and third generations spread, Zhang Jun decided to establish a rule: every role in his future productions would require auditions.
With this principle in place, we will have a suitable reason to refuse those who have connections in the future.
If you fail the audition, you can't blame me for not giving you face!
Who can you blame for being incompetent? It's because you didn't work hard enough and your skills weren't up to par.
Let's start by setting the rules with this film, "Bad Genius," where even Yang Mi had to audition. Knowing their relationship, I doubt anyone else could say anything.
Of course, he also gave Yang Mi extra help, letting her see the script in advance and study the character.
If Yang Mi still doesn't work, then Zhang Jun will have no choice but to eliminate her, even if it means sacrificing his own family.
However, Yang Mi shouldn't be that bad; at this time, her acting was still full of spirit.
Entering October, Zhang Jun, who had been on vacation for a long time, returned to work and officially submitted his fifth feature film:
"Bad Genius"
During the script review stage, "Bad Genius" faced significant problems. Because it deals with cheating, Zhang Jun clearly couldn't set the story in the college entrance examination hall.
Otherwise, it would be a miracle if this movie were even released.
Therefore, Zhang Jun retained the original SAT exam and changed the background to a fictional city called Pearl City, which was based on Hong Kong Island.
Students on Hong Kong Island do not take the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination (HKCEE), but due to their international connections, many students take the SAT exam.
Zhang Jun used this method to circumvent the review process as much as possible.
This strategy was very effective; the big scissors did not raise any objections to the script, and "Bad Genius" passed the review smoothly.
After the production entered the preparation stage, investors from all over flocked to it.
Just as Zhang Jun had predicted, not only investors, but also various people with connections began inquiring about whether they could get people into Zhang Jun's production team.