King of Hollywood

"Speaking of Chinese food, I suddenly thought of a joke. One day during the Dragon Boat Festival, a Chinese lady made some zongzi. A new neighbor just happened to come next door. According to the custom, she sent some zongzi to their house. As a result, When I asked about this the next day, the hostess of the new neighbor said that the rice dumplings are delicious, but the lettuce outside is too hard.” Adrian said leisurely while holding a porridge bowl and drinking slowly.

Sitting opposite him, who was also eating breakfast in the suite, Gao Yuanyuan took about two seconds to react, and then burst out laughing, almost spitting out the porridge in her mouth.

"I hope Chinese food, in this respect, I believe that even the French can't compare with it," Adrian continued after handing her a tissue, "sometimes I think, maybe I can consider making A food show, used to introduce Chinese food, what do you think, the name of China sounds on the tip of your tongue?"

"Well... not bad." Gao Yuanyuan replied simply, smiling, very cute.

Adrian didn't say anything more, just looked at her without blinking, Gao Yuanyuan couldn't help lowering her head as if a little embarrassed, and then heard him sigh.

"I've been talking all this morning, don't you have anything to say?" Adrian asked.

"This..." The girl put down the bowl in her hand, as if she didn't know what to say, after all, they didn't know each other before last night.

"I just... I still... don't know you." Gao Yuanyuan said softly.

"That's right... also." Adrian rubbed his chin. "How about this? I'll stay here for a few more days. After I'm done with business, I can't miss those famous scenic spots. Last time I came here in a hurry, I couldn't make it. I remember you introduced yourself last night and said it was here people, right? Why don’t you be my tour guide for a few days.”

"Being... a tour guide?" The girl's eyes widened involuntarily, her throat visibly moved, and she still understood the meaning of the words to some extent.

"Yes, tour guide." Adrian's tone was very relaxed, as if he really just wanted her to be a guide.

"This...I still have a job. Kewell...Ed." Gao Yuanyuan didn't directly refuse, but said so in a low voice, scratching the delicate dishes in front of her with her chopsticks.

"Jin Yong's TV series "Yi Tian Tu Long Ji"?" Adrian asked, and then smiled in her puzzled eyes: "You said last night that this is indeed a good martial arts novel, and I have read it too. Jin Yong's I’ve read all twelve novels, and he’s good at telling stories. But I don’t like Zhang Wuji’s character very much, and the performance in the new version is not as good as in the old one.”

"Old version?" Gao Yuanyuan showed a curious look.

"That's right, the first edition that Jin Yong started serializing in Ming Pao," Adrian explained to her with a smile. "In this edition, Zhang Wuji finally became the head of the Emei School."

"The head of the Emei School?" The girl couldn't believe it, "Could you be..."

"Looked like "Swordsman"? Of course not." Adrian laughed, which made Gao Yuanyuan blush, "But I think it's probably because the same plot was used again in "Swordsman" Once, so Jin Yong removed this paragraph when he revised it. If you have a chance, you might as well find out the old version and have a look. See if it is different from the current new version.”

Having said that, the phone rang, and Adrian got up and walked over to press the speakerphone. Immediately, Ivanka's slightly stern voice came out: "It's almost time, sir, Mr. Wang is on his way."

Although she did not attend the dinner party last night. But it doesn't mean that she doesn't know that there are other women beside him at the moment, so she calls Mr. instead of Ed on the phone.

"Okay, I'll be out soon." Adrian agreed, then turned off the phone and turned to Gao Yuanyuan, "It's not difficult, just ask the crew for another leave, at worst I'm looking for someone to talk to them, Mr. Wang Zhongjun should be willing to help me with this.”

The girl who was about to speak then closed her mouth again. And Adrian, who tidied up his clothes, continued: "Today, I'm going to New Picture Company to watch the new film directed by Zhang Yimou. You should go with me. It's very rare."

After hearing Zhang Yimou's name, Gao Yuanyuan obviously bit her lip, hesitated for a few seconds and finally agreed in a low voice.

It's a bit of a decision. Seeing it, Adrian shrugged his shoulders, a little regretful and a little relieved. It is already very good to find half of a relatively white lotus root in the rotten mud pond that can not only appreciate but also arouse appetite.

After finalizing the matter and packing up, Adrian took Gao Yuanyuan away from the China World Hotel where he was staying this time, and drove to Chaoyang District where the new picture was located.

"I'm really sorry. I drank too much last night. I hope it didn't affect your rest." Wang Zhongjun, who basically arrived at the same time, noticed Gao Yuanyuan who came with Adrian, his eyes lit up, and he said with a pun.

"Of course not, I also want to thank Mr. Wang for his enthusiasm," Adrian replied with a meaningful smile, "By the way, I don't know if Mr. Wang is familiar with the crew of "Yi Tian Tu Long Ji"."

"What's the matter?" Wang Zhongjun glanced at the girl who was following him, showing curiosity.

"I want to communicate with the person in charge of the crew and ask for a few more days off for Yuanyuan. I hope she can serve as my tour guide in Beijing in the next few days." Adrian explained, very straightforward .

Wang Zhongjun raised his eyebrows slightly, as if he was a little surprised, but then he smiled: "No problem."

Later, the second picture in the new picture also saw Gao Yuanyuan, but they were just surprised and didn't ask about it. This kind of thing is very normal. Although Adrian is a foreigner, he speaks fluent Chinese and knows the mainland very well. Many times, they subconsciously do not regard him as a foreigner.

After chatting casually for a few words, we went straight to the screening room. Although the new picture covers two floors in this commercial building, there are not many screening rooms, but not many people participated. In addition to the director and producer, there are the Wang brothers and Adrian, plus his secretary Ivanka and temporary bed partner Gao Yuanyuan.

As I said last time, Zhang Yimou has a good picture, lens structure and color. In this respect, he is not inferior to Ang Lee. The various classical scenes and various fights shown in "Heroes" have merits , but the special effects are a little bit bad. When Wuming and Changkong confront each other, the scene of piercing the sky through the raised water droplets is a bit strange no matter how you look at it, but the flaws are not concealed, leaving aside some plot problems. For Chinese movies, the overall is still very good.

Interestingly, the lines in many places are different from those in Adrian's memory, the most obvious one being the part when King Qin turned his back to Wuming. There is no longer the creepy "widows have enlightened", "it is peace", "it is no war", replaced by a monologue, the central meaning is similar to what Adrian put forward at the beginning, I did not expect that Canjian is my own Confidant, but more archaic in grammar. He also corrected Adrian's original mistake - at this time, he was still the King of Qin instead of the First Emperor, so he claimed to be a widow instead of Zhen.

Thinking about it, a foreigner actually said that this dialogue is not old-fashioned enough, it is very contrary to harmony, and even dragged a section of ancient text for nothing, as long as the director, screenwriter, and producer are so good. Regaining face is inevitable.

As for the performances of the actors, it can only be said that they are not bad. After all, this movie is not about it. Although Lin Chiling does not have many roles, she still showed a lot of demeanor in the first story. Speak up. Adrian originally planned to stay with Lin Chiling, but she is currently busy with movies, and Lin Xilei won the role for her again, but this time she won it from Adrian on the bed.

Because of her inherent advantages, she saw the script of the second part of "Fast and Furious" very early, and immediately proposed to Adrian. That female undercover police officer can be changed to Chinese. This is indeed a feasible idea, plus Lin Xilei tried her best to cater to her on the bed, and Lin Chiling also cooperated after knowing it, so Adrian agreed.

But looking at Gao Yuanyuan beside her, it's a good thing she didn't follow.

Back to the movie topic, from the lens of Lin Chiling, you can see the level of Lao Mouzi. At the same time, he wears a bright red dress and also holds two curved swords. Lin Chiling's strong colors shown in the camera are completely different from the one in Adrian's memory. I can't say who is better, but the impact is very different in key points.

Therefore, apart from telling stories, the only thing Lao Mouzi lacks is vision. I remember that someone commented in the previous life, and it was also different appearances when different people narrated a thing. "Heroes" held the view that "the unification of tyrants is better than the melee of all countries", while Akira Kurosawa's "Rashomon" The view held is that "everyone is fabricating lies for their own benefit, and the truth of the world cannot be known."

One is a political point of view that is not particularly convincing, and the other is the plight and sorrow that mankind has always faced. Although it is not comparable in terms of box office, "Hero" is average and " Rashomon is a classic. It's not that Lao Mouzi can't do it, his films before this were quite good in this respect, but unfortunately China is so big, it's not easy to find a director who can make commercial films, so he has to shoulder the responsibility responsibility.

At any rate, Lao Mouzi will try his best to make the movie look good, and will try his best to make up stories, and things like "Steamed Bun Murder" are completely the product of self-inflated. It's a pity that he is not Ang Lee, he is not Taiwanese, he has no western education, and he has no experience in Hollywood, nor can he easily attract tens of millions or even hundreds of millions of dollars in investment, so he is destined to be inferior to Ang Lee in the eyes of many.

Although Adrian didn't think so, he didn't plan to do anything more. He just mentioned that how to go next is his own business.

Clap, clap, after the lights came on, the applause rang out. Adrian took the lead in clapping, and then Zhang Weiping and the Wang brothers all clapped together.

"Very good, very good. Although there are still some minor flaws, I believe this is already the highest level in China." Adrian praised without hesitation, "Can I hear your arrangement?"

The two exchanged glances, and Zhang Weiping immediately said, "The publicity here has been arranged, and it will be released in the Lunar New Year file in December. On the North American side, we want to hear Mr. Kewell's opinion first."

"Okay, then I'll just talk about it briefly," Adrian smiled, "I plan to arrange a screening of "Hero" in Los Angeles at the end of December. In order to get tickets for the Oscars, and then conduct a period of screening Low-intensity hype, gradually increasing until after the Oscars, and finally scheduled to be released between May and September during the summer vacation according to the specific situation-what do you think?"

The two fell silent.

"If the situation is not optimistic, it may be postponed." Adrian continued, regardless of what they were thinking, "Although I am very optimistic about this movie, I cannot represent all Americans, so if necessary, Definitely an extension and proper long-term hype. Don't worry too much. It's common."

Zhang Weiping looked at Wang Zhongjun at this time. Although he could handle domestic affairs, he lacked understanding of overseas markets, so he had to seek help from his current opponent, Huayi. For New Picture, it doesn't matter whether "Hero" makes money in North America, anyway, the copyright there has already been sold out to Universal, but if the box office is too low, even "Big Star" will not be as good. The skin is not very good-looking.

Because of Adrian's intervention, the new screen is now very close to Huayi, which is why the Wang brothers can come to watch the trial screening of "Hero". But because of this, the signs of competition are also much stronger. After all, Adrian said last time that he is only optimistic about Feng Xiaogang and Zhang Yimou in China at present. Moreover, Feng Xiaogang is a little more local, and the implication is that Lao Mouzi can be more international.

In this case, although the two parties are close, they must be for their own interests. Despite this, only Huayi has a better understanding of the situation in North America. When "Big Wrist" was released before, they had someone follow them all the way.

"I agree with Mr. Kewell's words. I think Universal's distribution capabilities are trustworthy." Wang Zhongjun nodded affirmatively.

That being the case, Er Zhang has nothing to say. Zhang Weiping believes that Huayi will not dismantle its own channel at this time, and there has not been a Chinese film that can be released in North America for several years. Internally one thing, externally another.

After talking for a while, about the details of the various needs of "Hero" and North America's views on foreign language films, etc., Adrian left. But when he came here, he took the car with Ivanka and Gao Yuanyuan, but when he went back, he took the car of the Wang brothers.

"China's entertainment market has not yet fully formed, and whoever strikes early and accurately will get a big piece of the market." On the way back. Adrian, who was sitting side by side with Wang Zhongjun, said so.

"That's right, but," Wang Zhongjun pushed his glasses, "the benefits are great, but the risks are also great, right?"

"Yes," Adrian affirmed, but his face did not change. "So it's better to change your thinking and shape this market instead of just intervening to take a share."

Wang Zhongjun immediately raised his eyebrows, and Wang Zhonglei, who was in the front passenger seat, also glanced at him through the rearview mirror.

"This—I'm afraid it's not that easy." Wang Zhongjun narrowed his eyes with a smile. "It requires great strength and rich experience."

"Strength can be accumulated slowly. As long as you seize the opportunity, the media can develop to this point in a short period of time because you have seized every opportunity in the past ten years." Adrian said calmly, "As for experience, I think we can complement each other, can't we?"

"I didn't expect Mr. Kewell to be so optimistic about Huayi." Wang Zhongjun laughed.

"Frankly speaking, I don't have much ability in business. Except for one thing, my vision has always been good. Every time I invest in the long-term, I can get rich returns, such as Apple, Google, Baidu, etc. " Adrian smiled slightly, looking straight into his eyes, "I am really optimistic about Huayi, Mr. Wang, I know China very well, I am not Murdoch, and I have never thought of controlling the media here, even if you Yes, but the government will not agree. I need a partner, and I need a partner whose influence can radiate the entire Chinese mainland, and in the future, the entire Asia! For this reason, I don’t mind making some initial investment, even if it may cultivate competition in the future Opponents come, please don't doubt my sincerity."

There was a pause for a few seconds at this point, and Adrian cast his eyes out of the window: "Look, I helped you release "Big Star" in North America, and you helped me hype Zhang Qiu in the Harry Potter series in China." In the future, it may also help the series to be released simultaneously in China, which is a good start.”

Liu Yufei has already gained a lot of popularity in China. The release of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" earlier this year made the whole series popular in mainland China. Afterwards, the casting of the Asian character of Harry's first love was a little bit Under the hype, it has received great attention. Growing up in mainland China, my mother is a well-known dancer, and I became a British citizen two years ago. She is cute and beautiful. These conditions are very attractive to Chinese people who are eager to be recognized.

Moreover, she has kept a low profile before, and was hardly noticed among those girls who took the opportunity to hype, so the surprise caused by the publicity in the end was quite big. Not only did various media rush to report, but the Internet was even more noisy. There are also fan-made official websites.

In this regard, Huayi has helped a lot behind the scenes. Although the hype techniques are sometimes immature, they have done a good job in general. The official website is only made possible by their push. When Adrian transmitted the information to them, although he didn't say it clearly, they still understood the meaning. From this point of view, Huayi is indeed a very good partner.

Following Adrian's words, the carriage fell silent, and Wang Zhongjun, who seemed to be thinking, spoke again after a long while: "I have a very strange feeling, Mr. Kewell, why... I seem to be talking to a Chinese Talk about business?"

Adrian laughed loudly: "I am honored to hear you say that, Mr. Wang." (To be continued...)