The Best Actor in the Vase of Meiyu

Chapter 1152 Preemptive Strike
Roger Ebert loved evenings like this, a movie, some light refreshments, some downtime, just him and his thoughts.

Movies, like a bridge, connect him with his memory, while also creating ripples between him and his life.

At this moment, watching a movie is a job, but it is more than just a job, it is also an opportunity to look back and think about life.

Roger himself had never expected that after watching "The Butterfly Effect", he would actually think of "Yi Yi". These two completely different and totally incomparable movies intersected in his brain in an incredible way.

"Of course, I'm not saying that 'The Butterfly Effect' can be compared to 'One and One', but the two films touch upon similar contexts in different styles:
Deconstructing the essence of life.

The difference is that one is a middle-aged man who has experienced many vicissitudes of life, while the other is a young man who is just starting out.

Different, yet similar.

Just like life itself, everyone has their own opinions and views, but there are no right answers.

Standing behind "Yi Yi" is a master director who uses his skills and wisdom to give life to film; and standing behind "Butterfly Effect" is an actor.

Anson Wood.

His existence is not only the core and focus of the entire film, but also the source of power for the film to continue to extend and ferment.

In a script with such overwhelming dramatic tension, the emotions are simple and direct, with no room for fermentation. Between continuous twists and turns and massive amounts of information, it is difficult for the actors to grasp the focus and present the layers and complexity of the characters themselves. It is a daunting task for anyone.

Yet, Anson did it.

There is no doubt that Anson has a deep and comprehensive understanding of the role and the plot. The structure he established for the performance is clear and complete, ensuring that every time he appears, he can grasp the key points and show his position in the torrent of time, drawing the audience into the world of this young man.

Accurate emotions, clear structures and rich and diverse levels ensure that the edges and colors of the characters can still be seen in the vortex of drama. When the story reaches the final climax, the audience can feel the shock and excitement of the final impact.

His eyes have a power that is difficult to explain in words.

But there is no doubt that this is an Anson Wood that has never been seen.

Moreover, with Anson as the center, a group of supporting actors also gave solid and professional performances, bringing the film whose dramatic tension overflowed the screen back to reality and making the film convincing. Rachel McAdams and Heath Ledger both left their own highlight moments.

The movie does need to be polished; but after the movie ended, I couldn't help but recall that scene -

Standing outside the doctor's office, eavesdropping on the conversation between the mother and the doctor, the camera focuses on the protagonist's eyes. At that moment, he has made a decision.

A decision that changed his life forever; and he had no fear.”

Movie, could it be better?

Of course. Without a doubt.

Roger would not deny this; but as Roger's usual standard, the quality of a film is relative. There is no need to use classic works of art to measure popcorn movies, nor is there any need to use spoof comedy movies to compare award season movies.

Compared with "One and One", "The Butterfly Effect" has a clear gap and can be said to be a failing student assignment; but compared with the "Scary Movies" series, "The Butterfly Effect" has obvious advantages.

Interestingly, from a purely watchability perspective, Roger thinks "The Butterfly Effect" is better than "Elephant," and overall it's not much different from "Cat and Mouse."

Movies are really interesting things, right?
Roger let out a breath and looked around. He thought that he should go home as soon as possible and write down these ideas before the inspiration in his mind calmed down or even disappeared.

On the side, groups of young people were talking and dancing with excitement on their faces. For them, at two o'clock in the morning, the night was still young.

"…Three. I've seen three endings now, but I can't imagine any other possibilities."

"So you're neither a screenwriter nor a director." "Hey! I'm serious, what else is possible for a movie?"

"I don't know. Destroy everything, turn into a super villain, use the diary to destroy the world, and drag the whole world to be buried with it."

"Hahaha, if this is true, it's awesome. I beg for a sequel."

"Then, he transformed himself and became the evil Spider-Man..."

"Haha, hahaha."

Laughter, wantonly and wildly, surged under the cold night sky.

"I plan to continue looking for the other two endings tomorrow..."

"It's difficult. It's said that the cinema doesn't know its own version either."

"But now the rumor has spread on the street. I guess tomorrow, no, today, everyone should know more details..."

The chattering conversation gradually faded away.

Roger stood there, looking at the backs of those young people with interest.

When they were sitting in the office reading newspapers and browsing the web, "Master and Commander" was everywhere. 20th Century Fox's publicity and distribution was very aggressive. Almost half of Hollywood was convinced that the "Butterfly Effect" had no chance, and the media reviews seemed to prove this.

From all aspects, Anson is about to encounter the first setback in his acting career. Whether the setback will develop into failure or even disaster remains to be seen.

However, when he actually stepped into the cinema, Roger saw a completely different scene.

Suddenly, Roger realized that perhaps the stupidity of the "butterfly effect" could become a weapon.

Don't get me wrong, Roger still likes "Master and Commander". He always thinks it is one of the best and most well-made movies this year. Russell Crowe has been hovering on the periphery of Hollywood's A-level actors in the past two years. This work is also attracting much attention. Hollywood is looking forward to whether Russell can make a breakthrough.

If successful, Russell will be the next member of the "20 million club".

Judging from the current situation, all aspects indicate that Russell is about to succeed, and he will be the first to enter this list by stepping on Anson's shoulders.

Roger definitely did not give the 100 points for "Master and Commander" casually. Even a few days after the premiere, when he had calmed down a little, Roger still believed that this was one of the best movies of the year.

But, Roger calmed down and thought, what about watchability?

Out of a full four stars, Roger gave "Master and Commander" three stars. It is very watchable, but not a perfect score.

As always, Roger's rating includes two parts: score and watchability. The two do not interfere with each other. A 100-point work of art does not mean it is worth watching, and a 20-point popcorn score does not mean it is useless. The gap between art and commerce is a focus that can never be ignored.

So, what about the "butterfly effect"?

How is the watchability? How should the rating be?

Roger fell into deep thought, and finally took a step forward, letting his thoughts spread and surge in the silent night. But no matter what his thoughts were, the audience would be the winners in the end.

It's a good thing that cinemas have a wide variety of options.

(End of this chapter)