The Best Director-Chapter 499 - : Possibly the Best Movie of the Year
Chapter 499: Chapter 499: Possibly the Best Movie of the Year
As Wang Yang left the University of Southern California, the grand ambience of “The Amazing Director” shifted from campus to society. Wang Yang began making a DV movie named “Supernatural Phenomenon”. In the casting auditions, he almost immediately chose a blonde girl named Rachel who bore a striking resemblance to his ex-girlfriend.
“Ha ha.” In Toronto, Rachel let out a light laugh as she remembered the scene yet again. Could that be the reason? She really must ask the amazing Yang. Among the audience were those who had attended that audition, like the spellbound Annie-Darren, the former freckled girl who never saw her likeness on the big screen. Yet, she would never forget that day, the words of the young director, and the many things that happened afterward.
Annie also wondered what it would have been like if she had won the role and appeared in “Paranormal Activity”. It would have been an unforgettable week for sure. She was now confirmed to be playing a bridesmaid in Wang Yang’s production “Bridesmaids”, a member of the bridal party, collaborating once again.
On the big screen, “Paranormal Activity” began shooting the day after the cast was chosen, wrapping up in just a week, and completing post-production in another week. During this time, Wang Yang and Rachel developed a mutual friendship based on admiration. Jessica, who was indifferent, didn’t participate much. She seemed like an outsider with quite an interest in watching the show unfold. Watching this segment and seeing “Paranormal Activity” come to life step by step, audiences from the last century, who had been scared by it, found it quite amusing.
“Gentlemen, this is an opportunity!”
What followed was both inspirational and a display of genius. Wang Yang, carrying DVD copies of the film, kept hitting snags with numerous distributors. Then, Harry-George, later dubbed “the photographer Wang Yang picked up at McDonald’s”, entered the scene. The corpulent man didn’t believe in Wang Yang’s success, but thanks to Rachel’s referral, Wang Yang walked into the doors of Lionsgate. In that meeting room, Wang Yang showcased his eloquence to the fullest. His past failures made him even more adept at persuading, as he overwhelmed Jon-Filthimer and others with various analyses, incentives, and blueprints, convincing Lionsgate to distribute “Paranormal Activity” according to his plan!
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“I don’t want a buyout fee, no upfront payment of a single dollar. I hope my compensation comes from a share of the total revenue.”
Wang Yang proposed what would later be called the most insanely audacious and unthinkable profit-sharing deal, from 10% to 50% of the pre-tax box office profits, starting below one million up to one hundred million dollars! Lionsgate probably thought the box office wouldn’t be much, so they agreed. They smugly settled for paying the kid only 10% of the profits, 5% in the case of a loss, with a marketing budget of just one hundred thousand US dollars. If this was an opportunity, it was almost like getting a chance to play the lottery for free. The expressions of Filthimer and others who felt they got a bargain made the audience laugh out loud.
The story didn’t end there. Wang Yang used the sense of crisis brought by Artisan Company to force Lionsgate to take “Paranormal Activity” more seriously and to advance its release date. Some of these detailed records were revealed in the extras released with the film’s DVD, while others were disclosed by Filthimer and others on different occasions.
By this point in the film, that once cynical prodigious teenager had rapidly matured. He was no longer brash and disrespectful, not prone to fits of temper, but instead possessed an intelligence, confidence, and maturity beyond the ordinary, as if everything was within his grasp and plan.
Of course, Lionsgate wasn’t incompetent. In the big screen narrative, Jon-Filthimer, along with later Flame Pictures CEO Marc-Strunt and others, played a significant role in both Wang Yang’s maturity and the distribution of “Paranormal Activity”. Characters like Harry-George and Zachary-Levi seemed more like ordinary people set against the backdrop of a genius.
The story gained a new perspective as “Paranormal Activity” promotions commenced. Internet users entered the online world and encountered viral marketing news. A pair of young siblings, Alex and Catherine, came onto the scene. They discovered and believed in the internet rumors of spirits possessing people and committing murders. Alex was a staunch defender, truly convinced of their reality and voluntarily spreading the word online and offline.
On the other hand, led by Wang Yang, the publicity team tirelessly spread rumors and hoaxes online. The audience, who were previously fooled, couldn’t help but feel a bit of a complex taste in their hearts. The film’s pace was consistently fast, and amidst the fervor of the hyped demonic incidents, “Paranormal Activity” made its debut!
“Ahhhh—” As the movie reached its climax, the male lead “Kevin” was thrown into the bedroom, crashing into the DV camera, making it wobble. The screen inside the theater and the audience outside were filled with screams of terror from “Paranormal Activity.” In front of the camera, they were panicked and out of control, some were screaming and some were knocked backwards. Alex was also scared half to death. Beside him, his sister Catherine had a face filled with extreme panic, as if she had gone into a daze, her body shaking uncontrollably convulsing. Noticing his sister’s abnormal condition, Alex started yelling like mad, “Help, help—it’s the devil, it’s the devil! Save my sister—”
In the midst of the shrill and tense screams, the camera cleverly focused on the big screen, zooming in slowly, only to see the Lionsgate logo reappear after the film ended, under the logo were a few lines of tiny text enlarged by the camera that read “Producer: Young-Wang” and “This film is purely fictional,” which carried a hint of irony.
“Whew!” Countless audience members all let out a sigh of relief, with emotions ranging from excitement to shock, and even a lingering fear. It’s worth noting that many, many of them were just like those in the big screen who were scared senseless.
COOL—! Evelyn sat back in her chair with arms crossed over her chest, a ‘try and scare me’ look on her face, smiles all around. She seemed to have a unique take on the experience. Perhaps teenagers who had never experienced “Supernatural Phenomenon” found it exaggerated and fake, but that little girl was her! Her reaction was worse than wetting her pants, though wetting her pants would have been even more embarrassing… Kelly said to her, “You’re a genius.” Evelyn nodded, “I know.”
Unbelievable! Newspapers with related news sold one after another, screenings sold out show after show, with new changes everyday. Young people packed those 25 cinemas to the brim, and Lionsgate decided to increase the screenings next week. “Paranormal Activity” spread like wildfire, raking in $1.05 million at the box office in its first week!
Soon, all of America was in shock! In its second week, “Paranormal Activity” wildly collected $37.51 million across 750 North American Cinemas, beating “Saving Private Ryan,” which was in its third week. An old Jewish man with round-framed glasses resembling Spielberg wrinkled his brow while reading the newspaper; after the third week, this DV movie produced on a budget of just $10,000 had approached a total box office nearing $90 million! Phil Teitler and others felt as if they were in a dream!
“Haha!” Natalie laughed heartily, Rachel, Annie… and many others were all reflecting on their magical director’s madness!
But things changed rapidly. The media confirmed that “Paranormal Activity” was a staged film, and the originator, Wang Yang, became an overnight sensation, a meteoric superstar. However, his past was quickly exposed, and he found himself swirling in a controversy of racism; but in less than a week, a turnaround in the wind proved his innocence, and the marvelous Yang faced no more obstacles to becoming an attractive, controversial new star in America.
“Beautiful!” Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times praised inwardly. The climax of the movie was thrilling and exhilarating, with clever pacing and dazzling editing, perfectly and completely presenting the “Supernatural Phenomenon” as a historical and social event on the big screen, taking into account every aspect without any unnecessary dragging.
Throughout the various changes in the event, Wang Yang encountered shifting attitudes from others and the public, but he always remained calm and collected. His approach to handling things had completely changed from a few months before. At the end of the film, Wang Yang’s genius performance continued; he had changed, probably forever shedding his cynicism and learning more about people and society. On the media and talk shows, he was the beloved public’s darling.
Facing tremendous success, he had some self-inflation but also self-restraint; however, some desires couldn’t be contained. He had already won Jessica’s favor, and finally, after a date one evening, the two of them became intimately involved…
Since “The Amazing Director” was rated PG-13, the audience didn’t get to see any scenes inappropriate for children, only Camilla Belle’s very seductive look and dance, followed by a youthful and passionate kiss between the two.
The film was nearing its end, and Lisa Kennedy from The Denver Post was very satisfied. David Fincher’s treatment of female characters was still consistently cold, even dating scenes had a sense of separation, yet he crafted a great, complex depiction of youthful restlessness and romantic love.
In the film, Jessica’s attitude towards Wang Yang naturally changed over time. At first, she was indifferent, even cold and enjoyed watching the drama unfold, but as “Paranormal Activity” gradually became a success, she began to see him in a new light, and Rachel’s presence only fueled her jealousy. She started to reel him in with her lure and temptation, and when he became a national idol, she pulled in her line—her affection contained many complex elements.
This was a character brimming with allure and intelligence, while the ordinary college student Rachel seemed to be a tragic character from beginning to end. Because she resembled his ex-girlfriend, she won the audition and became a tool for Wang Yang’s revenge; they had wonderful memories in Chicago, but Jessica effortlessly dispensed with her…
The ex-girlfriend Helen was especially unique. She broke up with Wang Yang because she didn’t like him being a director, but Wang Yang used that DV camera to shoot “Paranormal Activity” and made the whole world believe she was a murderous demon. And now that he was a national idol, a superstar director, the youngest multimillionaire… she still had no interest in him, didn’t call him, nor did she answer his calls. She definitely wasn’t looking for reconciliation.
“Paranormal Activity” seemed like a huge prank. Wang Yang successfully took revenge on his ex-girlfriend, the University of Southern California, and the entire world, bagging fame, fortune, and beauty. The road ahead for this genius young man, this miraculous director, seemed like a glorious boulevard.
“Ahh, ahh—” the screams of Kevin from “Paranormal Activity” echoed in the 2850 North American Cinemas, becoming more desolate and powerless, sending shivers down the spine. Even on the big screen was the DV footage of “Paranormal Activity,” a dimly lit, empty bedroom, “tap, tap, tap, tap…”
The pulling back of the camera revealed the entire screen, then suddenly the angle switched to face the audience, showing the scattered viewers with Wang Yang sitting in the middle. The horror sounds faded away, replaced by upbeat music, and in slow motion, each audience member’s face was contorted with fright; popcorn buckets flew, some people flipped backward, some gaped wide… Only the young man in the middle sat unfazed, his lips curled into a slight smirk, revealing a playful smile.
The big screen went black, then one by one, the names of key creators appeared, “Director: David Fincher; Screenwriter: Aaron Sorkin, Ben Mezrich; Producer: Scott Rudin…”
“Wow, that was amazing!” exclaimed more than one viewer in the cinema. Even those who had many complaints about it had to admit it was a good movie. Evelyn was caught in a dilemma, wondering whether to give it a high score or a low one?
In the blink of an eye, 2 hours had passed, and there was not a moment of dullness! Yet this was a movie full of dialogue scenes, abundant in potentially dull settings like cinemas, conference rooms, and in front of computer screens. But the time passed unnoticed, leaving the viewers excited and longing for more. They watched it but wanted to watch it again!
However, the credits were rolling on the screen, “The Marvelous Director” was over. What would come next for Wang Yang? Perhaps no viewer was unaware that now, eight years later, Wang Yang had become even more impressive, married to Jessica with a daughter, living a happy and perfect life. His 11th directed film “The Deceased” was about to be released worldwide.
“I think it did incredibly well, really, really fun. I’ve seen a lot of biographical films, and this one is definitely part of the truly good ones.” “Without a doubt, it deserves to be nominated for an Oscar! Might be the best picture of 2006. It’s just that in the end, Wang Yang didn’t seem very happy, right, but that guy acted pretty well!” “I mean, Fincher did an outstanding job. It’s the kind of movie that can easily get a lot of hype, then easily completely overlook the quality, the artistry of the film, but ‘The Marvelous Director’ didn’t.”…
Under the cover of night, the audience left the cinema filled with satisfaction and buzzing discussions, enchanted by the film’s numerous intriguing interpretations and detail-rich moments that credibly and powerfully shaped Wang Yang, making him seem like such a person who simply matured and became more affable as time went on.
“Woo ah, woo ah—” Jessica let out a dissatisfied whining as she made her way to the parking lot. She really wouldn’t do that, even if he was just a real estate salesman. As long as one strived for improvement, it didn’t matter! She was determined to hit IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic, Yahoo… to smash in those bad reviews!
“Hahaha, hahahaha!” Natalie let out inexplicable bursts of laughter, pulling down her cap and donning sunglasses to fly under the radar, convinced her entrance was the best (the poster of “Léon: The Professional” on the wall of Wang Yang’s dorm), and she wanted to use that internet slang, LOL!
In Toronto, with a smile, Rachel took out her phone and bit her lower lip, sending a text to Wang Yang asking about the interpretation of her character in “Supernatural Phenomenon,” specifically adding a P.S. that said, “I’m not joking.” Soon the phone pinged crisply, and Wang Yang replied with a long message: “Remember you haven’t played ‘Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?’ yet? It’s time to show off what you’ve got! It won’t take much of your time, I promise.”
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As dawn turned to dusk, the throngs of moviegoers and film critics alike began to offer their verdicts, and come Thursday morning, surprises abound at Paramount! People like Scott Rudin were fiercely making victory gestures!
YEAH—! An absolute triumph! The highest-rated film of the winter, and for that matter, of the entire year of 2006!
“Supernatural Phenomenon” scored an incredible 98% audience approval on Rotten Tomatoes, 100% critic approval, which meant with the earlier screening feedback, there was nothing but applause in the mainstream media, with not a hint of criticism yet! Even more delightful was the audience approval rating of 87%, with an average score of 4.1/5; on IMDb, it scored 8.5—a number that says it all, with IMDb’s fans known for their fierce loyalty overwhelmingly satisfied.
“David Fincher’s films possess a rare and beautiful quality, along with a dazzling hero.” Roger Ebert gave two thumbs up, granting the film a perfect score of 4/4 and a wealth of praise: “It’s confident, impatient, cool, thrilling, and inherently understanding.”
The “impatient” storytelling pace and editing rhythm that the old man described were parts that critics eagerly praised, and these included its overall unique style. The San Jose Mercury News’s Charlie McCollum also gave it a full 4/4 stars: “From its very first scene, you know ‘Supernatural Phenomenon’ is something very special.” Michael Philip of the Chicago Tribune gave it 3.5/4 stars saying, “From the first scene to the last, the film is irreverent, a wunderkind’s tale. The incredible marriage of director and screenwriter produced one of the most thrilling films of the year.”
“This is the main event of the 2006 Oscar season, living up to all the hype and anticipation it generated.” — 3.5/4 stars, James Berardinelli, ReelViews; “Somehow, it just walks you through to a perfect state at the end.” — 4.5/5 stars, Chris Vognar, The Dallas Morning News;
“The story of Wang Yang and ‘Paranormal Activity’ quickly gets you excited and maintains nearly two hours of suspense.” — 4/4 stars, Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle; “Thanks to David Fincher’s straightforward and forward-driving direction, Aaron Sorkin’s Oscar-worthy screenplay, and a bevy of clever performances, this is one of the best films of the year.” — 5/5 stars, Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper; “This might well be the film of the year.” — 4/4 stars, Peter Howell, Toronto Star…
The terms “one-of” and “may-be” weren’t just for politeness or to provide leeway, but no one dared to claim the best film of 2006 before seeing “The Deceased.” (To be continued. If you like this work, please feel free to vote for it on qidian.com, or give it a monthly ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
