King of Hollywood-Chapter 266 - 264 This is Too Much

Chapter 266: Chapter 264 This is Too Much!

Chapter 266: Chapter 264 This is Too Much!

“Gary Oldman once again revealed his sinister traits. He played a neurotic, evil cop who dealt drugs on the side and murdered someone’s entire family because an informant had skimmed off a tenth of the drugs. Yet, this same man enjoyed listening to Beethoven and Mozart, liked to get high on drugs while listening to classical music and committing murders, showcasing a contradictory character. Gary essentially merged with his character, fully expressing the evil cop through both his gaze and body language. His outstanding performance alone warrants adding an extra point to the film’s score.

Moreover, Jean Reno, a previously unknown French actor, also delivered an equally brilliant performance. He played an assassin who was cold and ruthless on the job, but full of childlike innocence in his private life. After rescuing the only surviving girl from the family Gary had killed, he engaged in a duel with Gary, ending with both of their deaths. He fully embodied the character’s silent and brooding nature, giving the assassin a sorrowful air, and his actions carried both flamboyance and an extraordinary passion. He brought the assassin to life in a way that could not be underestimated.

However, the most eye-catching role in the entire movie was that of 12-year-old Natalie Portman, who played Matilda. She portrayed a precocious, fragile, strong, and sensitive girl, born into a family devoid of affection yet deeply caring towards her younger brother. Having witnessed her family’s tragedy, she had the presence of mind to seek help from the assassin, thus entering into his life and developing a subtle relationship with him. It must be said that Natalie is the most gifted actress I have seen to date. I cannot fathom how a 12-year-old girl could achieve such a level of performance; her grasp and interpretation of the character were almost perfect, as if she and Matilda were completely fused, indistinguishable from one another. It can be said that without her, the movie would lose at least a third of its charm!”

The Los Angeles Times’ Martin Philip detailed the leading actors’ performances in his column, with Natalie receiving the most praise. The majority of the critics shared this view.

“This reminds me of Judi Foster in Taxi Driver. Although Natalie falls slightly short of Judi, taking her age into account, she deserves full marks.” — Eddie Baker, USA Today

“She is so outstanding that you can’t help but applaud. If it weren’t for Gary and Jean ultimately steadying the scene, she might have stolen the limelight.” — Bruce Collins, New York Times

Hollywood has a particular fondness for young actors. In some ways, what adults achieve in acting isn’t significant, but when a child does it, it shows immense talent. This is why many child actors are outstanding when young but fade as they grow up. Everyone knows that the closer you are to the peak during the climb, the harder it is to ascend further. Having already done what adults can, it is not easy for them to take another step forward, let alone for these growing children.

Put simply, they begin so high that their room for growth is limited, and the path is full of various temptations. One slight misstep could result in a fall from which they might never recover. Such examples are countless in Hollywood. That’s why there’s talk of the ‘child star curse.’ Thus, young stars need more opportunities, suitable roles, and positioning than others to escape this curse.

The Professional was liked by many, earning nearly 20 million at the box office in 1500 cinemas during its opening week. Adrian’s fans cheered wildly; the ‘Miracle Director’ had finally returned to the realm of cult films. Although some argue that the movie is too warm-hearted to be categorized as a cult film, at least it wasn’t a dull piece like Howards End. It had exciting and explosive scenes coupled with warm and sorrowful plots, naturally delighting fans who enjoy a good story.

This also somewhat suppressed certain reviews, although Adrian had been very careful to subtly downplay ambiguous scenes, such as Matilda telling the apartment manager that Leon was her lover, or her pointing a gun at her own head and crying in front of Leon. These scenes blurred the lines between romantic love, father-daughter affection, and gratitude for saving a life. Nevertheless, the main narrative was inevitably about the odd relationship between the strange uncle and the young girl, drawing attacks from some self-proclaimed moral guardians.

“I don’t understand why this director would choose such a subject, depicting a middle-aged man’s unhealthy love for a girl just over ten years old for such a lengthy part of the film. This isn’t something God would permit; it’s disgraceful!” a local newspaper in Salt Lake City commented. As one of the most conservative states in the United States, Utah is known for such rhetoric. Other newspapers and media shared the same sentiment but were much more discreet.

People like this exist everywhere. A stable society will inevitably have stable mainstream values, but it should also tolerate the existence of other thoughts, even absorbing useful portions to enhance itself, provided they do not occupy too much of the discourse. However, when one’s beliefs become so rigid that they cannot be touched, and judgment is passed from a moral high ground without knowing the facts, it becomes quite ridiculous.

One does not need to be a paragon of virtue to criticize others morally; one just needs to be a bit higher than the other on a moral scale. But the conservatives in Salt Lake City aren’t clean themselves, and Utah has had more than its share of scandals in this regard, yet they hardly seem to be deeply troubled.”

Well, all that is beside the point. Although it came under attack from conservatives, there were still many critics who found “The Professional” remarkable. Coupled with the film fans’ adoration, the movie’s outlook was very promising. According to Laverne’s estimate, based on the current momentum, it shouldn’t be a problem to hit around 60 million in box office takings in North America. As for Europe, thanks to Jean Reno’s participation, the film would at least enjoy a significant following in France.

This is the charm of a good story. As long as a story is consistent in its logic, supplemented by brilliant storytelling techniques, it will inevitably attract an audience. From the 1980s to the 1990s, with the rapid development of film technology, the techniques for storytelling increased in number and became more sophisticated, resulting in the birth of so many classic films.

Unfortunately, after entering the 21st century, due to the proliferation of technology and profit-driven filmmakers who mostly tilted towards the technological side, the quality of storytelling significantly declined from the past. Even so, it’s still much better than those European directors who cling stubbornly to the past. Although technology may be overused, natural corrections will occur if it goes too far. Clinging to the past is merely a lack of progress, fundamentally no different from those zealous missionaries of the Middle Ages.

In any case, two weeks after its release, “The Professional” increased its theater count as various big productions were taken off, and consequently, the total box office in North America rose to 40 million. Among the actors, apart from Reno who made his mark in Hollywood, Natalie reaped the greatest benefits. The media bestowed upon her a variety of titles, calling her the most promising child star. This was the difference resulting from the fundamental differences between Adrian and Luc Besson.

After all, Luc Besson was French. Although the film investment included American funds, it was still labeled as a French film. Americans have always disdained films outside Hollywood, and coupled with Besson’s characteristic French romanticism, the original “The Professional,” with its excessive emphasis on the ambiguities between the oddball and the young girl, drew a lot of criticism from reviewers. So, although it was quite well-known in Europe upon release, it was a flop in the United States.

Now, with the film produced by director Adrian, the “Miracle Director’s” reputation was widely recognized. Moreover, with targeted modifications made while retaining the key scenes, and a company adept at marketing, the achievements were naturally incomparable to Luc Besson’s, elevating Natalie to new heights.

Faced with the media’s adulation, Natalie maintained her composure and answered the journalists’ questions very appropriately. After all, she was a smart, precocious girl, and she had her mother beside her to offer guidance. Of course, all these were just the surface. In private, Natalie seemed always to be in a state of excitement, with pride constantly present in her expressions and tone.

Adrian understood the girl’s feelings well, but he still sensed that something was not quite right, though he couldn’t put his finger on what it was—just that it was very similar to the unease he felt the last time Natalie took the initiative to show off her abilities. However, he didn’t think too much about it. After seeing Natalie and her mother off on the plane to New York, he privately agreed to keep in touch through letters and instructed her agent, Sandy, to be cautious in selecting scripts. He then turned his attention to other matters because on February 7th, the Film Academy announced the 66th Oscar nominations!

As expected, “Schindler’s List” became the most attention-getting film, with nominations in 11 categories including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor; followed by “The Piano Lesson,” which had 7 nominations including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actress. The least was “Philadelphia Story,” with just 4 nominations for Best Actor, Best Original Screenplay, Best Makeup, and Best Musical Score—Adrian originally thought Demi could snag a Best Director nomination too.

Impressive results, right? Everything was within expectations. But no matter how well you plan, there will always be unforeseen troublesome matters, so making choices based on the actual situation is also necessary.

Adrian felt a warm body leave his embrace in a daze, so he yawned and opened his eyes. Charlize was sitting on the edge of the bed, her back to him, putting on a flesh-colored bra.

“Ha, you’re up so early?” Adrian teased, propping his head up with his arm on his half-birthday.

“Because in addition to being an assistant and a secretary, I’m also half a nanny,” Charlize said indifferently, glancing back at him before deliberately standing up to take her underwear and bending over to put it on, revealing her beautiful form unreservedly to Adrian’s view. And she was moving slowly, giving him plenty of time to appreciate.

“Are you seducing me, Charli?” Adrian asked with a chuckle.

“Suit yourself,” Charlize said without turning her head, quickening her pace.

Women, however, require much more time for dressing up than men do. Although Charlize picked up her speed, by the time she had finished washing up and was sitting at the dressing table doing her makeup, Adrian was already prepared to leave the bedroom.

“Ha, even though you got up before me, I’m still the quicker one,” Adrian came up behind her, leaned over to wrap his arms around her waist, and deeply inhaled the scent of her hair before kissing her smooth, nape.

“What, wasn’t I fucked enough last night? You want to continue now?” Charlize, applying her lipstick, asked Adrian through the mirror in a don’t-care manner.

“That’s not a word a lady should use, Charli,” Adrian said with a light laugh, looking at Charlize in the mirror.

“I’m not a lady to begin with,” Charlize shrugged. “Do me a favor, Ed. Since you’re all dressed, hurry down for breakfast. Don’t forget you still have to go to the film company today.”

“Alright, alright,” Adrian kissed her neck again. “You too, don’t forget. As my assistant and secretary, you need to come with me.”

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Hearing this, Charlize stiffened, ground her teeth in annoyance, and only turned her head after Adrian had walked to the door, “Oh, one more thing, Ed, I hope you can get a separate phone to contact them, so they won’t keep calling our landline. I won’t be responsible for any misunderstandings.”

Adrian gave her a deep look and then smiled faintly, “I’ll consider it, I promise.”

Only after the bedroom door closed in front of her did Charlize let out a sigh and held her head in her hands. Oh, hell, what the hell was I saying just now? What’s gotten into me? Why am I acting so…

“Good morning, Mrs. Galen,” Adrian greeted as he entered the kitchen where Mrs. Galen, who had arrived early, was busily at work.

“Good morning, Mr. Adrian,” Mrs. Galen nodded at him, “I’ll bring it right over.”

“No, no, no, it’s fine right here,” Adrian waved his hand and sat down at the kitchen table, taking a sip of the coffee she handed him.

“Still as delicious as ever,” Adrian commented appreciatively.

“Thank you,” Mrs. Galen shrugged, laying out his breakfast in front of him.

Adrian had wanted to say something else, but considering Kate’s current situation, she probably couldn’t move into the mansion like before for a long time. Besides, even though Mrs. Galen likes Kate, it’s been a year, and she was already used to his philandering ways—it was more a relapse into an old habit than anything.

When it came to Kate, she was still as attractive as ever, no, even more so than before. It was always Adrian who went to her, each time ending in compliance after her weak resistance. The thought of stripping her half-heartedly and throwing her on the bed, as she looked at him with resentful yet shy eyes, and then passionately and helplessly lying in his arms afterward, filled Adrian with satisfaction.

I really am a bastard, he clicked his tongue twice in his mind, though without much concern. He just felt he should be a bit more discreet. Monica and Julia had started to notice, and women were particularly sensitive to such things, especially since both were already aware of what kind of person Adrian was.

Monica, of course, didn’t care about anything, while Julia seemed indifferent on the surface, she couldn’t help throwing tantrums now and then. Of course, this tactic was useless against Adrian. She had also tried to “exhaust” him to prove a point before, but sadly each time, Adrian left her nearly fainting, so she had to act as if nothing happened. After all, it was still just conjecture, so it was better to focus on her main target. Yes, between Julia and Monica…

“Good morning, Mrs. Galen,” Charlize’s voice sounded at the kitchen door.

“Good morning, Charli,” Mrs. Galen answered with a nod.

Adrian then interrupted his thoughts; unless necessary, don’t think of other women in front of one. He was always good at this.

He smiled at Charlize, who responded with a roll of her eyes. Shaking his head indifferently, Adrian began reading the newspaper while eating his breakfast.

Soon finishing his breakfast, he had Glover bring the car around to head to the company. During this time, Adrian had adjusted his mood. After getting into the car, he asked Charlize to take out the relevant analysis materials and began pondering.

Without a doubt, the executives at all the major film companies knew, especially those who were well-informed, that this year’s Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, and several other awards were almost certainly—well, it’s best not to be too definite—about 90% likely to belong to “Schindler’s List” and Spielberg.

Just look at the enthusiasm that has burst forth from across the Jewish community and organizations for this film. Box office figures are the most direct impression. Nearly 60 days after release, with just over 1000 theaters, the North American box office had already reached $55 million! For such a film to achieve such a high box office, one can only imagine how supportive they are. And it’s not even over, with at least four months of screenings left, reaching over a hundred million wouldn’t be impossible.

Alright, no matter. While Bossworth Film Company might be envied and hated for their luck in investing in Spielberg’s film and might dominate these awards, there are still other awards to contend for. But even there, they’ll be facing strong competition from Bossworth, like the rare gem of a film directed by a woman who received the Golden Lion Award at Venice as well as seven Oscar nominations for “The Piano Lesson,” which they also financed and distributed. Plus, “Philadelphia Story” with its four nominations, this is just… too much! (To be continued. If you want to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com. More chapters are available, support the author, support genuine reading!)