The Best Director

Chapter 276 What Feedback Have We Received?

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In the pitch-black night sky, New York was as bright as day, with a new midnight screening underway at the cinema, where “The Devil Wears Prada” was slowly increasing its North American box office earnings; in Manhattan, inside an elegant hotel suite bedroom, Jessica was tossing and turning on the bed. She had been lying there for a while, pondering many thoughts and seemingly entering dreamland, but she realized she hadn’t actually fallen asleep. She opened her eyes and called out softly, “Yang, have you fallen asleep? I can’t sleep.”

Wang Yang, who had already been sweetly asleep beside her, showed no reaction, only his steady and long breathing could be heard: “Hoo…”

She might as well get up and take a look! Once again preoccupied with the reception of “TDWP,” Jessica couldn’t resist any longer. With a smile curving her lips and her eyes shining, she excitedly threw off the covers, got out of bed, put on her coat, and sat down at the computer desk. Every time one of Wang Yang’s films was released, she would feel the same thrill of excitement, anticipation, and nervousness about the reaction to the film, as she had with “Paranormal Activity,” “High School Musical,” “The Pursuit of Happyness,” “District 9,” just like now, unable to sleep.

However, over the past five-plus years, with one astounding success after another, one bout of endless praise after another, so in these harvest seasons, not only did Wang Yang’s excitement diminish a lot, Jessica’s nervousness had almost vanished too. It wasn’t that she was worried about “TDWP”; what could possibly go wrong with such a classic? But how would her performance be received?

“Wow! 8.0 points!” The computer screen displayed the IMDb page for “TDWP”: 8.0/10, rated by 50,416 users. Jessica’s face lit up with a happy smile. She didn’t know about the box office yet, but an 8 on IMDb! Since “The Pursuit of Happyness,” Yang had already had five consecutive films with IMDb ratings no lower than 8.0, a supremely high score. “TDWP” would be the sixth consecutive, wouldn’t it? Definitely!

“Hmm… Jessica?” At that moment, Wang Yang, who’d turned around to hug nothing, woke up in a groggy state, half-opening sleepy eyes and asking in confusion, “What are you doing?” Jessica turned her head to look at him and joyfully shared the news, “I’m checking out the reaction to ‘Devil,’ the IMDb score is 8.” The bedroom light was dim, but the computer screen shone brightly, casting light on her disheveled hair. Wang Yang couldn’t help but laugh, “Let’s check tomorrow, OK? I want to sleep holding you… and right now you’re giving me ‘Paranormal Activity’ vibes, it’s scary…”

“Ah ah—,” Jessica immediately raised her hands and made a playful ghost face, “Haha! Sweetheart, you just sleep peacefully, I’ll keep watch.” Knowing she wouldn’t sleep until she was satisfied – it wasn’t her first time after all – Wang Yang closed his eyes and said, “OK, just don’t stay up too late, I’m really scared.”

Three incredible performances! Jessica eagerly browsed to Yahoo Entertainment’s freshly published review and first read the section commenting on the actors, taking a quick breath, her smile growing even sweeter upon reading: “Witnessing Meryl Streep’s performance is a supremely delightful experience, as she creates an intimidating devil boss with effortless and exquisite subtlety alive on the screen.”

“Emily Blunt is a stunning newcomer, no wonder Streep said ‘She’s one of the most talented young female actors I’ve worked with.’ In every scene where she appears, Blunt knows how to steal the show, making her screen debut nothing short of spectacular.” “Jessica Alba also brings a surprising performance; she shows ample improvement and an impressive sparkle. We get to see a new type beyond her ‘Dancing Sweetheart.'”

After reading this part, Jessica’s eyes eagerly moved to the other sections of the review, humming softly to herself. It felt like there was something delicious to savor, something she was saving for last. Her favorite part was coming up – what did it say about Yang!

“What!? You must be joking…”

Jessica stared in disbelief, her delicate brows furrowing. What was going on?

“`

“Despite some outstanding performances, the mediocre Wang Yang wasted them,” the review read. “It was an utterly disappointing evening. Had this film been released five years ago, we would have hailed the arrival of a promising new director; if you ignored the director’s name, maybe you’d think it was not a bad film, just not bad. Now in December 2003, the director’s name is Wang Yang, and this is a mediocre, worthless Hollywood commercial film. The perplexed Wang Yang has produced a dull ‘The Devil Wears Prada (TDWP).'”

The overall rating for the film is B-, which falls into Yahoo’s “just okay” category. Previously, it had given ‘MIT-21-TEAM’ an A, ‘The Hangover’ an A, ‘District 9’ the highest A+, ‘Juno’ an A+…

B-!? The usually “pro-Yang” Yahoo gave a B-? Jessica chuckled foolishly, shook her head, then repeatedly slapped her own cheeks, “Am I dreaming within a dream? Is this the first level?” It turned out she was not dreaming; she muttered discontentedly, “Yahoo, you’re wrong!” Then she opened the official website of ‘USA Today’ and searched for the film review section… “No, no, no!”

“‘TDWP’ is a bland, superficial fairy tale film with flickering sparks of inspiration. There are some interesting details but more mediocre moments. Perhaps Wang Yang will be a great director in the future, but this time he has nothing to do with magic, only bringing disappointment.” — Claudie Yaupg, rating: 2.5/4.

Why? Another rotten review… Jessica had stopped her cheerful humming, touched her forehead awkwardly, and swept her hair back. Soon after, she exclaimed, “NO!!”

“Meryl Streep and Jessica Alba are the victims of Wang Yang’s latest fashion work, “TDWP.” It is a hobbling, timid, half-satirical light comedy. On one hand, Wang Yang upholds fashion, and on the other, he destroys it; saying ‘fashion is no big deal,’ while also showcasing fashion’s famous brands, models, and celebrities, which ultimately makes it ridiculous and uninteresting. This cunning commercial film shows that the ‘magical Yang’ who once ‘shamed Hollywood’ has grown up, his ambitions shifting from classic films to crass Hollywood blockbusters only concerned with US Dollars.” — Stephanie Zacharek, , rating: B-.

“A stylishly beautiful Hollywood light comedy, however, the biggest problem with ‘TDWP’ is that it tries to lend depth to an unremarkable theme that has been covered countless times in media large and small. Worse yet, Wang Yang has failed.”…

Panting, Wang Yang continued to sleep soundly and sweetly on the spacious bed. He dreamed he lay on an endless prairie, and on the horizon came a cowboy riding toward him, Heath Ledger? He propped himself up and saw it was a female cowboy wearing a Mexican hat.

“You’re all wrong,” Jessica took a deep breath and exhaled, the Rotten Tomatoes website had recently updated with some reviews, the critic freshness at only 30% and 25%, with the green rotten tomato icon so glaring. She was facing this situation for the first time; previously, wasn’t she looking at all fresh ratings? ‘MIT-21-TEAM’ initially neared 100% and is now at 87% and 90%; how can ‘TDWP’ be…

Jessica crossed her arms over her chest, looking at the screen with indignation and worry. After a while, she gradually sorted out her thoughts. The voices of these critics did not mean everything. Regardless of the performance of ‘TDWP,’ she could accept it, but she didn’t want to see Yang under any pressure or unhappy. But what if ‘TDWP’ really only had “rotten” ratings? What would his mood be like?

From 18 to 23 years old for him, and from 17 to 22 for her, both were facing the possibility of such a situation for the first time. Jessica felt the Wang Yang she knew wouldn’t care that much, “As long as the audience likes it!” She glanced at the right sidebar, audience approval at 93%! No worries then!

“A genuinely interesting film! Meryl Streep shows us her Oscar-level performance. I am happy to see how the fashion industry operates in this film, and I truly wonder what it would be like to work there…” — cooldevils; “The magical Yang has brought another amazing movie! Jessica Alba’s performance is great! And so are Meryl Streep, Emily, and everyone else!” — moviegun; “The best movie about fashion on this planet! The magical Yang has made a fair judgment of fashion.” — Eleanor D.

“Top-notch acting (especially Streep)! Its script surpasses the quality of the original novel. The only drawback is that I think the magical Yang could have done better because some scenes in the middle make you want to sleep (My first time).” — Justin Z.; “The main problem with this film is that I can guess what happens in the next minute, a terrible feeling! But I still love it, it’s filled with entertainment.” — Bridge…

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“Hey, is this Brokeback Mountain?” Wang Yang stopped the female cowboy riding a tall horse, carrying a huge sword, in his dream. Looking at her angelic face, he asked in doubt, “You are very beautiful, oh, do we know each other?” The female cowboy beckoned, “Yang, get on the horse!”…

IMDb 6.8, Rotten Tomatoes freshness scores of 71%, 74%, and audience approval of 68%—that was the reaction to the new film “Love is Compromise,” released yesterday on the 12th. Nancy Meyers received a comment that it was a “clever and funny romantic comedy,” and Columbia Pictures was satisfied with the opening reviews; meanwhile, the same day saw the release of Wang Yang’s new work “TDWP”…

Those movie fans who went online first thing in the morning were shocked to find that IMDb rated it 7.8. Where had Wang Yang’s die-hard fans gone?! Had the miracle of him receiving over 8 points for five consecutive films ended?! And what surprised people even more came later—despite a high audience approval rate of 90% on Rotten Tomatoes, which almost guaranteed another hit for “TDWP,” out of 142 reviews, only 40% general review freshness and 45% top critic freshness!? 85 rotten!?! Overall rotten rating!?

Wang Yang the Magnificent? Wang Yang the Rotten!? Claire, in front of her computer screen, shook her head with amusement. Had these people gone mad? How could such an exciting and interesting movie receive bad reviews? What were they thinking?

“You kidding me?” Joshua was eating breakfast while browsing the Los Angeles Times and suddenly his eyes widened— a B- rating? What was this critic thinking? This was Yang’s worst movie in his directorial career? Betsy Sharkey: “Aside from the astonishing acting, everything else is a disappointment, a very formulaic Hollywood movie. What made Wang Yang revert to the level of a 17-year-old? Maybe it’s time for him to reflect.”

“For the most part, it’s like a pretentious, stale high-end TV show introducing fashion, taking two hours to tell a half-hour story.”—The Wall Street Journal, Joe Morgenstern, rating B-. Natalie glanced at it and then tossed the newspaper on the table, stacking it with The New York Times, New York Post, New York Observer… The guy finally faced this situation, everyone’s harsh demands burst out all at once, what would happen to him?

Natalie furrowed her brows in thought. She learned how to deal with these voices at a young age, but Wang Yang had faced many questions in his film career since he was 18, yet he hadn’t faced such accusations: “Your movie is garbage!” She thought for a moment, and decided to send some comforting blessings to her good brother.

“It seems that refusing to star in ‘Firefly’ was the right decision.” Brad Pitt shrugged as he looked at the Los Angeles Times in his hands. He was neither gloating over misfortune nor voicing any defense for Wang Yang, just relieved he hadn’t accepted the blue glove roll. He was aware of Wang Yang’s changes— he had already won the Oscar for Best Director and was soon to be married. What’s Hollywood to someone on the cusp of such happiness—who really cares?

“Heath, it seems we rushed into ‘the blue glove’ way too soon!” On the phone, Steve Kenley’s voice was full of sighs, “I saw ‘TDWP’ in the cinema last night, just an ordinary commercial film, which for Wang Yang means it’s a downhill run. This life’s winner is momentarily satisfied! Oh my God! Next year he is getting married, might even have a child soon, who knows?! ‘Firefly’ could be dragged down.”

Heath Ledger was reading the Newsday in his hands—Gene Seymour: “‘The Devil Wears Prada’ tells a familiar story and does it so superficially! How shallow!…”

“I don’t think so!” Heath Ledger shook his head, saying earnestly into the microphone, “I don’t think so! Steve, I haven’t seen ‘TDWP’; I don’t know what it’s like; but ‘Firefly’? I am sure, very sure, and positive it will shock the world!”

“I just hope that ‘Firefly’ doesn’t have Jessica Alba, if Wang Yang makes her the leading lady, then it becomes endearing.” Steve Kenley sighed again, “Whether a movie’s theme is profound has already determined the outcome—look at what kind of movies Wang Yang makes when he casts his angel? He can’t bear to shoot even a kissing scene, and the themes often lean towards a fairytale-like ideal. What if ‘Firefly’ turns out to be just another fairytale? Jessica Alba dancing or showing off beautiful clothes?”

“`

Hearing Steve sigh and say, “Adorable!”, Heath Ledger closed the newspaper and spoke again, “I don’t think so! Once I put on the blue gloves, I was all in! No need to say more.”

“Haha, Wang Yang is finally finished!” Maoni, an average netizen, excitedly shouted while looking at the movie reviews on the computer screen. “YES! YES! Get lost, Chinaman! And take that Mexican bitch with you! Who does he think he is? A pile of shit!” White supremacist Nelson clenched and swung his fists, having been fed up with Wang Yang for too long. “Right in the face! Right in the face! He’s too full of himself, this is the beginning of his nightmare!!” Simpson snickered with Schadenfreude upon reading a sarcastic review…

It has to be said that with a 40% fresh rating in the reviews, even those saying “GOOD” had a lot of “BUTs”, criticism abounded, creating an atmosphere that “‘TDWP’ is trash, won’t sell at the box office, the end of Magic Yang”, which thrilled a certain cohort of people; even those who loved to watch for the spectacle and gossip were intrigued. For five years, they had grown accustomed to hearing a lot of “Unbelievable!”, “Magical!”, “Astonishing!” even the TV series “Prison Break” followed suit! They had long wanted to exclaim, “Crazy God!”

Now the film critique world was vastly dissatisfied with “TDWP”, with Magic Yang, with Firefly Films! Critics were talking in disappointed, cutting, and unpleasant terms, even though just months ago, these same people were enthusiastically supporting “MIT-21-TEAM”, about how stunning, edgy, and brilliant it was!

“‘The Devil Wears Prada’ is a movie targeted at adults, minors, grandparents, children, or who knows who else, or here, or there.” Even Roger Ebert, a staunch Magic Yang fan from the Chicago Sun-Times, gave two thumbs down, smashing a 2/4 rotten tomato score, deriding crazily, “Its idiotic director is, yes! The guy who made ‘Juno’, ‘The Hangover’, and recently a film called ’21’, now brings us a high-end fashion show, telling everyone how beautiful his sweetheart is! Why don’t I go to Paris for a catwalk show? Oh, Paris does not welcome a layman like me, so can’t I just turn on the TV and watch the fashion channel?…”

Overnight, more than half of the “praises” on newspapers, the web, and various entertainment media turned critical — they were unabashed in their praise and even less so in criticism, changing in a blink from warm old friends to cold-hearted nemeses.

Magic Yang’s reputation in the film critique sphere took a nosedive; and critics like Roger Ebert and Joe Morgenstern, who mocked “TDWP” as a “TV-SHOW”, along with those who ridiculed it for being cowardly and limp, meant to say, “This movie can’t even boast about balancing commerce and art, it has no art, and it’s even a commercial failure!”

An absolute bunch of crap! Unclear target audience, unclear comedic punchlines, timid and insipid… If you want to see beautiful dresses, designer handbags, wouldn’t watching TV at home be great? “TDWP” is a typical case of unsellability; its box office will nowhere be high!

Don’t be fooled by the high scores now on IMDb, the high audience approval ratings on Rotten Tomatoes, they appear very popular; but the first batch of viewers are just “Magic Yang Diehards”, and there are many expressing emotions of “good but not good enough.” What can “TDWP” achieve next, facing such poor critical reception, alongside the highly praised “Love is Compromise”, and with “The Lord of the Rings 3” set to be released globally on the 17th?

Critics have reason to believe that “TDWP” will set a new low for Wang Yang’s North American box office, not like his debut work “Paranormal Activity” that made $163 million, maybe $100 million, $110 million who knows? Magic Yang’s North American box office, global box office Waterloo is imminent.

Early in the morning, Wang Yang rubbed his sleepy eyes as he got up, having dreamt about “Brokeback Mountain” all night… “Oh!” he exclaimed in surprise to find that Jessica had woken up even earlier than him and was now sitting neatly on the edge of the bed, smiling sweetly at him. He greeted, “Hey, good morning!” Jessica kissed him and said with a grin, “Yang, good morning.”

How strange! Wang Yang stretched himself long, put on the clothes she handed him, and then asked with sudden suspicion, “Jessie, you didn’t stay up all night, did you? Haha!” It was just a joke, as he curiously and amusedly asked, “SO, what’s our response been like?” (