hollywood melon man

Chapter 134 Eve of Release
  "Little Gilbert, do you have any ideas to fight for the Oscar?"

Roger Ebert asked little Gilbert over dinner with him.

Little Gilbert put down his knife and fork, wiped his mouth with a tissue, and said with a smile: "Mr. Albert, I think no one will refuse the Oscar stage, and I am no exception."

"Yes, the Oscars are the place that every Hollywood filmmaker longs for." Roger Ebert agreed very much, and then changed the topic: "But with your current production style, you won't be too popular at the Oscars. welcome."

"Yes," little Gilbert said nonchalantly: "There will always be special circumstances, Mr. Albert."

"Maybe," Roger Ebert made a phone call gesture: "If you need my help, call me."

Little Gilbert sits in the car after parting ways with Roger Ebert.

He drank a little and was not fit to drive, but now little Gilbert could afford a driver.

The driver is a second-generation Chinese who inherits the advantages of the Chinese. He is silent, down-to-earth, willing to endure hardships, and most importantly, has a strict mouth.

White people generally don't do jobs like private drivers, black people are talkative, and Latinos are dishonest, but Chinese people are more reliable.

The car started slowly and drove to the melon manor.

Little Gilbert held his chin and thought carefully about the significance of Roger Ebert's conversation with him today.

Are you sincere? Or fill him with ecstasy soup and let him go astray?
  This kind of thing is not unheard of. Let alone Frank Darabont, the director who made "The Shawshank Redemption", he gradually lost himself under the praise of film critics.

Since then, none of his works have been recognized by a wide audience, until he disappeared.

And the Wachowski brothers who made "The Matrix" later became the Wachowski sisters.

After the two made "The Matrix", they gradually lost themselves in the praise of film critics, which also led to the failure of "The Matrix III".

The subsequent works of the brothers (sisters) were each more mediocre than the last, and perhaps "V for Vendetta" deserves praise.

Little Gilbert was very impressed by the "Matrix" trilogy. As early as 1991, when "Shark Tank" was successful, he registered the relevant script with the Screenwriters Guild to take advantage of it in advance.

Not only that, in order to prevent the situation where a well-known original movie script in his previous life was already available but was just left in the dust without being filmed, Little Gilbert had already filed it in advance.

Of course, that was in 1991. At that time, I didn’t know that I would be able to reach the position of a first-line director in Hollywood.

Nowadays, the film company has full confidence in him. Whatever film he wants to make, the film company will definitely support him, including original films.

A conversation with Roger Ebert made little Gilbert realize that he must always be vigilant and not over-inflate.

Otherwise, even if you have past life experience, excessive expansion will push a person into an endless abyss and eventually lead to failure.

After the preview screenings, pre-release reviews of "The Island" began to appear in newspapers.

Roger Ebert gave his signature two thumbs up while recommending the movie to fans on his movie review show.

"If you ask me, the most worth watching movie in the summer is undoubtedly "The Island".

I went to the test screening, and what I can tell you is that the film is beyond imagination and is almost the pinnacle of today's action movies.

Therefore, I highly recommend that everyone go to the cinema to watch this movie as soon as possible, and you will have a hearty movie-watching experience. "

Roger Ebert's film review show is one of the most watched programs in the United States, so it's no secret that he can influence the movie viewing choices of millions of movie fans.

Another film critic, Kenneth Turan, complained that the film lacked artistry and did not delve into the inner world of the characters. The entire film was spent in boring explosions, gunfights and car chases.

But for summer movie fans, they are basically a bit judgmental. As long as they know that the movie is not lacking in bombs, gun battles and car chases, etc., they know that this is the movie they want to watch during the summer.

The reason why the summer season is a summer season is because this is a world of commercial films, and so-called art films will not work in this season.

The two film critics represent two groups of film critics with completely different opinions, one criticizing the other.

This is a normal situation. Any commercial film will encounter similar things, both touted and belittled.

The publicity and distribution department believes that neither one-sided positive reviews nor one-sided negative reviews is feasible. There must be debate, and debate generates curiosity, thereby prompting movie fans to enter the cinema.

During the last meeting before the release, Charles Rowan and Gilbert Jr. said: "After discussion with the publicity department, we feel that the premiere can be held on Alcatraz Island. What do you think?"

"Alcatraz?" Little Gilbert considered the feasibility of setting up a big screen on Alcatraz and holding an open-air premiere: "If the weather is good, going there seems to be a good choice."

"Don't worry, it's almost always sunny in San Francisco in May, and it rarely rains." Charles Rowan assured.

"That's good," little Gilbert agreed with the plan: "Then let's hold the premiere on Alcatraz. By the way, don't forget the guest list, especially Tom Hanks."

Charles Rowan had collaborated with Gilbert Jr. on several movies, and he also knew that Gilbert Jr. wanted to star Tom Hanks in his next movie.

So he nodded and said, "Don't worry, I'll come and invite you personally." The premiere was held on Alcatraz Island, and it was considered a unique premiere.

Similarly, as a commercial blockbuster that kicks off the summer season, the guest lineup at the film's premiere must be luxurious.

But before the premiere of "The Island", little Gilbert first attended the premiere of the movie "Love at Two Sights" starring Naomi Watts.

This is a low-budget romantic comedy film released by Disney's Buena Vista Pictures, and the heroine was originally scheduled to be Sandra Bullock.

As a result, Naomi Watts got the leading role because of little Gilbert.

The director of this film, Joe Deterduba, is just a small director who has made two less than successful films.

Before starring in the film "Love at Two Sights", Bill Pullman was a minor supporting actor in Hollywood.

For such a small-budget film with an unknown director and unknown actors, its premiere would naturally not be very large. Little Gilbert was actually the most well-known person in the audience.

Of course, Cameron Diaz and Charlize Theron also came together to support their good eldest sister Naomi Watts.

Matt Damon and Leonardo DiCaprio were also very generous. After receiving the invitation from Gilbert Jr., they also came to support the movie.

Looking at this guest lineup now, it seems that it is not very standard. But if you look at it in a few years, you will find that all the newcomers are Hollywood super stars.

Naomi Watts was very happy that little Gilbert was still thinking of her. Even though he was so busy with his movie about to be released, he still found time to attend the premiere.

When she held Little Gilbert's arm and introduced Little Gilbert to the film's creators, Naomi Watts's face lit up and she almost smiled crookedly.

"Love at Two Sights" is nothing special. It is similar to popular romantic comedies. It has some humorous plots that make people laugh.

Although Naomi Watts is not tall enough, she is full of charm, especially when she smiles, she is very beautiful.

At the very least, the involuntary shouts from the male fans in the back row proved the charm of Naomi Watts in this movie.

After reading the movie review, Gilbert Jr. said to Naomi Watts: "This movie has a bit of a "Sleepless in Seattle" feel, which is suitable for watching on a date.

It would be more appropriate if the film was released on Valentine's Day. "

Naomi Watts was very happy, and she asked little Gilbert: "Then will you come to see this movie?"

"Of course," little Gilbert knew how to coax women: "It's best to watch it with you."

Naomi Watts looked at Cameron Diaz and Charlize Theron in the back, and laughed again: "Haha, if you watched this movie with me, then I guess Michelle and Sally They will all demand the same treatment."

Little Gilbert was very proud: "Then just one person for one day..."

Although that is what he said, in fact, during the busy summer season, little Gilbert was very busy with work and could not spare any time to spend with the three women.

As little Gilbert had predicted, the quality of this romantic comedy is quite good.

It’s not the summer season yet, but you can already smell the smoke of summer season, and movie theaters are gradually recovering from the off-season.

"Love at Two Sights" grossed US$929 million at the box office in its first week, which is a pretty good result and won the weekly box office championship.

In the second week, which happened to be April 2356.5, the film had already grossed US$ million at the box office in North America. It had recovered its cost and made a small profit.

Before the summer season even started, the box office of this small-budget romantic comedy movie was enough to surprise people.

More importantly, this movie has a boost to Naomi Watts' net worth.

The director is an unknown little director, and the male lead was basically a little transparent before, so it can be said that the box office of this movie was supported by Naomi Watts.

Resisting the box office alone is a very important indicator of becoming a first-line actress. Julia Roberts can become a super first-line actress not because of her beauty.

When it comes to beauty, many of the San Fernando Valley porn stars are prettier than Julia Roberts.

But Julia Roberts can become America's super sweetheart and the dream girl of countless American men. And porn stars only come into play when men need to unblock their pipes.

The reason is because Julia Roberts has proven her commercial value through box office.

Therefore, beauty is only the foundation. There are many decisive factors besides this foundation.

Of course, Nicole Kidman may be an exception.

There are many actresses who are struggling at the bottom, waiting hard for opportunities, and eventually quit.

In contrast, although Naomi Watts also had the experience of struggling at the bottom, she was much luckier.

(End of this chapter)