Hollywood Road

"What are these things?"

In the theater, Michael Bilsson complained to his companions, "A scene without any lines was played for two minutes, did you make a mistake?"

His companion also seemed very dissatisfied, "The pace is so slow that I feel sleepy watching it. Is this a movie made by Murphy?"

The guy on the right shakes his head. "That's not what we thought. It's not an action crime movie."

Several people were silent at the same time. This movie is basically a personal biopic with a niche literary orientation.

The slow pace, the long shots used to express the characters' hearts, the painful choices of struggles, various artistic shots... It's completely different from the fast-paced noir movies they expected!

Not to mention the boring literary dramas before, the climactic scene in which Diego Ross designs to kill his gang boss in the end, according to Murphy's past style, there will be a comet hitting the earth anyway, but there is no such thing as a gunfight The drama flies by, and the film focuses on the intrigue of Diego Ross, and there are no big scenes at all.

Diego Ross took advantage of the conflict between the gang and Mexican drug dealers. A sheriff of the joint police station and an accountant serving the gang killed the gang boss and took over, and the film ended.

Although they saw the faces of James Franco and Jonah Hill, Murphy's fans were not very satisfied. When they left the theater, many people had disappointed expressions on their faces.

"The film is indeed dark and serious..." Some fans chatted as they walked, "but there is always something missing that makes people unable to get excited."

Someone shrugged, "Lack of a climax, the whole film is narrated slowly and seems very flat."

"This is not a movie for us to watch at all." Some fans inadvertently pointed to the crux of the problem.

In the premiere theater, watching the falling subtitles, Todd McCarthy stood up and applauded vigorously. This is one of the best films I have seen since entering the awards season. The narrative is gentle and the theme is profound, and the characters are brilliant. The design is ingenious, and it is more solid than the other "City of Chaos" directed by Murphy Stanton in the first half of the year!

Kenneth Turan was also applauding. The unique dark atmosphere of the film reflects Murphy Stanton's extraordinary director skills. The use of film language is more plain, and it is easier to arouse his emotional resonance!

There was thunderous applause in the theater, and Kenneth Turan saw the crew members in the first row walking towards the exit leading to the news hall, and said to Todd McCarthy, "Let's go, tonight is very rewarding."

Todd McCarthy followed Kenneth Turan, walked outside with the flow of people, and said as he walked, "Murphy Stanton finally abandoned the glitz in the movie and returned to the simplicity that the movie should have."

Murphy Stanton's past films are also good. Compared with this film with a calm narrative and profound themes, the plot is too fast, the shots are too short, the showmanship is too much, and the editing is too sharp some...

Movies like this kind of ordinary movie language that have a strong foundation are what he should pursue.

A press conference followed, and neither Todd McCarthy nor Kenneth Turan had any interest in participating and left the theater directly.

At the post-screening press conference of the film, Murphy was dealing with media reporters' tongue-in-cheek attacks.

"Director Stanton..."

The first person who stood up to ask a question was a reporter from The Hollywood Reporter. His question was more professional, "This film is mainly long-shot, and the rhythm is relatively slow. make such a change?"

"Because I first want to ensure that the audience can feel the emotional atmosphere of the story. Emotion is what I want to preserve at all costs in this film."

Compared with previous interviews, Murphy answered this question basically telling the truth, "What do you want the audience to perceive? When watching a movie, if the audience can feel the feeling you want to express from the beginning to the end, you It's all worth it. It's not the editing that they end up remembering,

It's not the cinematography, or the acting, or even the story, but how they feel. "

If you want the audience to remember Diego Rose, who is unknown to them, you have to empathize with them after watching it.

This is Murphy's idea, and he can't guarantee whether it can be done.

Another reporter stood up and took the microphone, and said, "Murphy, when I was watching the movie, I sat at the back with some ordinary fans. Very dissatisfied."

Murphy was silent for a few seconds, and then said, "As a filmmaker, you have to know that no matter how positive things look, you will always see bad reviews, and you will always notice that some people like exactly Some people hate it, so you can't act accordingly, I think just do what you believe in."

Murphy also expected what the reporter described. This kind of film will definitely not please his inherent fans, but the negative impact is also limited. After all, almost all big-name commercial directors have directed literary films, and he is in this literary-oriented film. After the movie, an absolute super commercial production will be used to eliminate these bad influences.

The questions that were asked later were all commonplace questions, such as the relationship with Diego Rose and related rumors. Murphy had already made sufficient preparations and resolved them relatively easily.

"I know you don't like to talk too much about yourself, but can I ask a less personal question?" A reporter turned the topic to Murphy himself, "What do you like to do when you're not making movies?"

Murphy replied directly, "I like being with my fiancée. I don't play golf, I don't know how to ride horses, and I don't like drag racing. When I'm with Gail, I can completely relax."

Perhaps inspired by the previous reporters, the next reporter's question was still aimed at Murphy personally.

"If you had a choice, which filmmaker would you like your future to be like?" he asked.

"Well, there are many great filmmakers in this world."

When he said the previous sentence, Murphy had already thought about the next wording. Now that the awards season has begun, he must be positive enough, "I am willing to work until my old age like some great filmmakers, such as John Huston."

After a short pause, he added, "I think Stanley Kubrick is amazing, if he wants to, he can make very personal films within the studio system, which I think is what most filmmakers crave. Yeah. Steven Spielberg has kept himself at the forefront of the movie, which is amazing! And Clint Eastwood! I think a lot of filmmakers are making movies like them now It’s as fun as the first big hit movie. It’s my ultimate pursuit to keep trying to make great work.”

Instead of handing over the microphone, the reporter asked, "Many years from now, when people look back on this era, how do you want them to comment on Murphy Stanton's movies?"

Murphy could refuse to answer this question, but he thought for a few seconds before saying, "I hope they say that my films are always ambitious, always sincere, and I work hard to realize this ambition. Hope, as far as movies being good or bad, I sure hope people like them."

Having said that, Murphy laughed, "But to be honest, that's really uncertain."

While Murphy was dealing with the reporter, Todd McCarthy had already arrived at his studio, entered the studio, turned on the computer, logged into his web column, opened his notebook and looked at it, taking advantage of the deep memory of the film, preparing for the first Update your own Internet video column at a time.

"In a film like "Diego Ross," Murphy Stanton's realistic portrayal of the chaotic Los Angeles of the 1980s and 1990s creates a modern apocalypse, one of the most thought-provoking What matters is what the so-called state and religion have given to the people? Can law and justice rise in this land of freedom? For the ethnic minorities, it is undoubtedly a huge cloud of doubts. They cannot imagine It’s hard to see…”

"The problems reflected in this film are not only in Los Angeles, and not only in the United States. It is a problem in this world. It is a problem of violence and religion in today's civilized world. It persecutes For every child and teenager growing up, the affluence of the upper class is always in stark contrast to the poverty and backwardness, and they, perhaps including us, have been struggling on the edge of the world of pain."

After updating his column, Todd McCarthy opened the online movie review column of his old friend Kenneth Turan, and found that the old guy moved faster and updated his column five minutes ago.

"Murphy Stanton's plot for "Diego Rose" is very elegant and unconventional, and the way of telling the story is very close to art. This is the most shining part of this movie."

"I admire his skills very much. It is difficult to find a clean and bright picture in film reviews where violence is rampant, guns are rampant, and drugs are rampant. The whole film is immersed in a dim, dark, stale, and old atmosphere. "

"Using an extremely realistic shooting and production method, he tore apart the reality of the characters' depravity due to the collapse of faith for each of us to see. The depravity of morality and the collapse of faith, the city of angels opened its bloody mouth, and everyone A young life devoured."

Just saw this, Todd McCarthy's phone rang, and when he picked it up, it was Kenneth Turan.

"I just got word that 20th Century Fox sent a copy to Roger Ebert a few days ago."

He spoke very fast, and before Todd McCarthy could speak, he added, "It is said that Roger Ebert has accepted a copy of this film!"