Chapter 498: Chapter 498: Irresistible
“Good morning, classmates, today we’re going to talk about how to win an Oscar…”
2,850 North American Cinemas made “The Magic Director” available for viewing, including the chilly Toronto. Since wrapping up “Iron Man” last month, Rachel had returned to Toronto to enjoy a leisurely vacation. She didn’t have any new films released this year, so naturally, there was no need for her to attend any awards season; the future release schedule listed only “Iron Man,” and currently, she didn’t have a single film offer in hand. The stage of numerous performances had passed, and perhaps it would never return.
“Haha!” A gentle laughter broke out in the theater, and it was hard to find an empty seat among the audience. Many viewers were drawn into the movie before even starting on their popcorn, somewhat surprised that the movie began so… interestingly.
Watching “Wang Yang” lecturing passionately in the classroom on the big screen, Rachel couldn’t help but find it amusing and laughed heartily. Was this really happening? Why hadn’t he mentioned it? She hadn’t read Ben Mezrich’s short story. It was easy to come by, but she just didn’t want to read it. She was sure it would remind her of some long-buried amusing incidents. However, Rachel was quite interested in the film, curious to see how others would portray him and herself, even though Yang had half-seriously and half-jokingly asked her to join the boycott…
“Woohoo, more exciting than reality.” Natalie silently applauded with a beaming smile, as onscreen, several classmates raised objections which the magical Yang immediately dismissed with a barrage of words. She had heard from Wang Yang about this incident before—it was just him babbling on his own; it was never this intense.
This dialogue-heavy opening scene immediately captivated all the viewers, very much reminiscent of Wang Yang’s demeanor while presenting and receiving awards on stage! “Wang Yang’s” speech and debates, full of classical references, broad-mindedness, and rapid pace, appeared to make sense while also eliciting knowing smiles from the audience. A genius teenager with a profound knowledge and insight into cinema leapt to the forefront, his character unfolding, and the critics noted that those lines were particularly thought-provoking.
Fun! Powerful! Most of Yang’s fans wore satisfied smiles. The actor did a good job, and the magical Yang was indeed cool! Evelyn leaned toward her friend Kelly, who was watching the movie with her, and whispered with a chuckle, “If it keeps up this fun until the end, I’ll give it a good review. Really looking forward to the love story.” Kelly stuffed a handful of popcorn into her mouth and muttered, “I’m looking forward to the most amusing part.” A San Francisco girl was twitching from being scared by “Paranormal Activity.”
However, the magical Yang didn’t continue to be cool. As the opening scene ended, the teenager jogged back to his dormitory on the University of Southern California campus, and the audience gradually saw an unwelcome and difficult person. This was due to his cynicism, craziness, and intelligence; usually, others simply chose to ignore him. And the reason he was like that seemed to be his terrible love life; the future magic director was dumped by his blonde girlfriend because she disliked his dream of becoming a film director.
“Hey, Yang! I’ve thought about this for a long time…” On the DV camera screen on the big screen, the blonde Caucasian girl said calmly, “Let’s break up. I don’t like your dream of being a director, and I don’t want to be the girlfriend of a director. We’ve argued about this for too long. That’s it, don’t call me!”
Ah! Knowing there’s another side to the story, Natalie shook her head and sighed, just like that, she missed out on a once-in-a-lifetime man, Summer oh Summer! She really felt pity for that woman.
The surrounding audience was engrossed, and so was Rachel. The truth was that Wang Yang’s DV camera was rented later and accidentally broken by Joshua, who then paid for a new DV camera for Wang Yang to complete the filming; whereas in the movie, it was as if Wang Yang already owned a DV camera, and his ex-girlfriend recorded a breakup video on it. This was an adapted feature film, with characters, details, and stories that differed greatly from the available information and unreleased facts. Regardless, Rachel then immersed herself in the state of watching the movie.
The camera cut, and Wang Yang emotionlessly replayed the footage.
Soon, through a sequence of rhythmically intense scenes, he was expelled from the school. “The Magic Director” didn’t focus too much on this section; the audience clearly understood what happened. Obviously, the film never wanted to discuss the racial topic too extensively – that was not the theme or style of this movie. Instead, the focus was on the magic Yang’s naivete, his temper, and his confusion, the brash and lonely angry young man suddenly hitting rock bottom in life…
“The opening of the film is really mocking the world.” Film critic David Edelstein found the more he watched, the more flavorful the film felt. In combination with Aaron Sorkin, David Fincher seemed to have found the key to complete victory, discerning where to dive deep into the subject matter and where to quicken the pace within the framework of the opening, this kind of storytelling was simply irresistible.
“Finch’s insight is impeccable, he’s given this story a new vitality,” Mick LaSalle was quite satisfied with what he saw so far. He was familiar with the story, which was different from the structure found in “Silicon Valley Legends,” where two main characters were in direct conflict. It was clear that Wang Yang’s classmates weren’t up to the task, and there was no other lead male role; “The Magic Director” was the type of narrative seen in “The Pursuit of Happyness,” always revolving around Wang Yang.
This kind of character exploration had become an even more crucial task, and now they did it remarkably well. Many details clearly revealed Wang Yang’s mindset, creating a teenager that came to life on the silver screen.
It was absolutely different from the flavor of “The Pursuit of Happyness.” Every aspect of “The Amazing Director,” from the script, camera pace, to editing, was filled with a fast-paced, tense coherence. There was a relentless stream of new events and changes, one twist after another, devoid of sentiment yet incredibly cool.
The most difficult part was to achieve this natural feeling, which made Chris Vognar of “The Dallas Morning News” couldn’t help but marvel, all pleasure without abruptness, truly a perfect state. However, David Fincher had already mastered this kind of single perspective in “Fight Club,” and now he was doing it with even more flair.
Unlike the fans, film critics wouldn’t consider the real Wang Yang’s situation; it wasn’t a serious biopic, after all. Yet it had to be said that “Wang Yang” up to now conformed to public image standards. His heartbreak madness and the crazy love for his ex-girlfriend were portrayed in “500 Days of Summer.”
“If that guy stood before me, I’d definitely give him a beating!” Upon seeing the lonely and wandering portrayal of the magical Yang by Allen Leong, fans like Clair and Evelyn were filled with righteous indignation. But then, the moment many female fans had been eagerly anticipating arrived! Evelyn sat up straight as the stylish and beautiful Camilla Belle appeared on stage. Wang Yang and Jessica met in the cinema.
Since both had laughingly mentioned reuniting in a cinema on different occasions, the audience knew this detail respected the historical facts. As for the specifics, movie fanatics, Yang’s friends, none knew, only the parties involved were aware.
On the big screen, the two had left the cinema and were walking in the streets. “Jessica” with her wavy brown hair, her straight brows highlighting her smile’s boyish charm. She was carrying a chic handbag, very mature and poised. By this time, she was already a well-known child star, seeking her first opportunity to star as a lead actress. In contrast, “Wang Yang” was concealing his nervousness to a point of near-stiff calm. He mentioned he had gone to the University of Southern California after high school, omitting the fact he had been expelled.
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Unexpectantly, Jessica excitedly suggested a visit to the University of Southern California since it was not far away. Ever since meeting her, it seemed like the intelligence of the amazing director had dropped significantly, or perhaps ensnared by helplessness, he took Jessica to the USC campus, only to be exposed, which caused Jessica to lose face as well.
After learning of this, although she seemed to choose to believe Wang Yang, Jessica’s attitude towards him turned significantly cooler, the bright smile gone. She told him to call her if he needed help and then left, saying she had a previous engagement.
“I guess that’s how it really was.” In the dim light of the screening room, Natalie could hear a soft muttering from somewhere among the audience, and smirked. It definitely wasn’t like that; otherwise, he wouldn’t have loved her so much. It must have been that during his lowest point, Jessica’s support was what helped her remain invincible! Of course, Natalie had long understood that this was only one of the reasons why the magical Yang was captivated.
“Damn it!” In a New York cinema, Jessica couldn’t help but curse furiously. She glanced around at the engrossed audience and wanted to tell them that night, she had returned to her childhood dreams and played with him all night long! Jessica took out her silenced phone and texted Wang Yang, who was at home with the kids: “I love you.” It wasn’t long before she received a reply from Wang Yang: “How much?” Jessica rolled her eyes with a smile and started tapping on the keyboard again.
The story on the big screen continued. Dreams and desires were propelling the young man forward. Back in his apartment, Wang Yang quietly sat on the sofa, looking at his ex-girlfriend on the DV camera’s screen, then at Jessica’s number on his phone, his brows furrowing then relaxing. The music crescendoed, and he made up his mind…
With lively music and smooth, rapid editing, Wang Yang got up with the DV camera and a backpack, went to the kitchen, swept the stuff on the dining table to one side, took out paper and a pen, and sat down to write and draw on the blank sheet. Under the accelerated video, lines of text and individual storyboard panels leaped onto the paper. He looked up around the apartment; the whole place began to spin, time passing, one day, two days, three? In any case, sheet after sheet brimming with writing and drawings spread across the dining table.
When the music ceased, Wang Yang’s hair was disheveled, but his eyes shone with a frenzy unique to him. He held up a sheet of paper depicting a long-haired girl with a fierce smile, silently observing the contour that strongly resembled his ex-girlfriend. His calm face slowly turned into a smile, and the paper’s top even read: “Supernatural Phenomenon.”
“Wow!” Audiences in North American Cinemas were getting pumped, and the critics were quietly impressed—exceptional entertainment! The film was progressing towards an increasingly intriguing direction. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please vote for it at qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation.)