Chinese Entertainment: Academic Director

Chapter 294 The attitude changed quickly

"Director Cao..."

"Director Cao..."

"Director Cao..."

……

The applause continued even after the movie ended.

The applause only gradually subsided when several key members of the production team came onto the stage.

The applause stopped, but the media reporters went wild, shouting that they wanted to interview the main creative team, specifically Cao Yang, and even Leonardo DiCaprio was left out in the cold.

Standing on the stage, Leonardo DiCaprio watched as Cao Yang repeatedly pressed his hands down, signaling the reporters to stop their frenzy. He couldn't help but think how lucky he was that he hadn't listened to his studio's arrangements and had insisted on making a cameo appearance in the film.

This was the second time he had watched the finished film, but even on the second viewing, he still found it fascinating and was still deeply moved.

Then there's another round of envy and jealousy of Depp's luck, that effeminate man who was shy about expressing himself, that weirdo whose acting range was originally as narrow as his urethra, that damn eccentric lucky guy!
Originally, everyone was in a similar field when it came to art-house films.

That bastard is working with that bastard freak director Tim Burton.

He followed the handsome Martin Scorsese.

Who knew that in the blink of an eye, that bastard would become director Cao Yang's go-to actor again, and what's most infuriating is that he won two Oscars for Best Actor with director Cao Yang!

Very angry!
Leonardo DiCaprio is almost certain that Inception is an imaginative and subversive film that will always have a place in film history.

What's even more infuriating is that he wasn't the male lead.

The more Xiao Li thought about it, the angrier he became.

Old Martin, don't blame me for being "disloyal" to you, it's just that Cao Yang... well, he's more handsome than you. You know, I like to make friends with handsome people.

After watching it, Xiao Gangpao's first reaction was relief.

His film "The Banquet" was originally scheduled for release on August 1st, which is Army Day, considered a good omen.

In addition, the domestic summer movie season ends on August 31, which is the last month for box office revenue to be harvested during the summer season.

However, he was cautious and remembered the lesson he learned from the previous "A World Without Thieves" being "blocked" by "District 9", so he called Cao Yang to ask about the release date of "Inception".

Upon learning that "Inception" was intended to be released in July, Xiao Gangpao was immediately intrigued and quickly asked Cao Yang for the specific release date.

Cao Yang was in the US at the time, and it wasn't yet decided whether the film would be released simultaneously in China or a few days later. He told Xiao Gangpao that it wasn't confirmed yet, but it should be in July.

Little Cannon was furious.

Then, in his mind, he automatically downgraded his relationship with Cao Yang by one level, from brothers to "that kid Cao Yang".

But there's nothing we can do about it. Last time, "A World Without Thieves" suffered a terrible box office blow, losing at least 50 million yuan.

Well, this is the box office performance that Xiao Gangpao himself believes has been affected.

The lessons of the past are still fresh in our minds. Don't say that Cao Yang will crash and burn. He's not stupid; he won't gamble on such a low-probability event.

So, after gritting his teeth and stomping his foot, and after banging on the table with the Huayi Brothers, he finally set the release date for "The Banquet" for August 30.

Since you haven't decided on a release date in July, I'll wait until the end of August. Even if you release it at the end of July, there will still be a month in between, which is more than enough!
I refuse to believe that Inception can be like Cameron's sinking ship, dominating the box office for two or three months.
Xu Fan listened intently and heard Cao Yang repeatedly avoiding the reporter's question: "The top keeps spinning, has the protagonist returned to reality?"

She resisted the urge to lean her head closer to Xiao Gangpao and asked softly, "Gangzi, what was the meaning of the movie's ending? Why did the top keep spinning? Did the protagonist return to reality?"

"Bah..."

As a director, Xiao Gangpao is quite talented. He immediately understood that this ending was just a gimmick by Cao Yang.

The goal is to create discussion and lasting memories for the audience, and even encourage many to return to the theater to scrutinize every detail and verify the final ending.

Pretending to be mysterious!

However, he then frowned. If a movie is mediocre, the director is asking for trouble by using such a gimmick.

Even though you know that "Inception" is just a gimmick, it's still so good that even if you understand that it's just a gimmick, you still want to think about it, investigate it, discuss it, and even feel the urge to watch it again.

"Hey, aren't you confused too?"

Xu Fan saw that Xiao Gangpao didn't answer, so he assumed that Xiao Gangpao was thinking and might also be stumped.

Little Cannon sighed inwardly; this was Cao Yang's brilliance.

Just like the plot of a movie, even though it's just a very ordinary little story, it can keep you entertained and focused for two and a half hours.

Is the so-called "dream theft" really that hard to understand?
No, forget about all those conceptual things like the four layers of dreams and the Lost Realm. To put it bluntly, it's just a Zhuangzi dreaming of being a butterfly!

Using the most ordinary stories and Eastern philosophy, it tells a complex and imaginative tale.

But how was he going to explain all this to Xu Fan?
But not explaining would make him seem less "capable" than Cao Yang, so he thought for a moment and said:
"Cao Yang may be trying to tell the audience: How can you prove that reality is reality, that it really exists? How do you know that our reality is not an illusion? Maybe we are just someone else's dream or a program."

"Huh?" Xu Fan stared wide-eyed, mouth slightly agape, as he turned his head to stare blankly at Little Steel Cannon.

"Could we...we be fake too?"

"Who knows?"

Little Cannon grinned, suddenly feeling incredibly awesome. Maybe the nonsense he had spouted to appease Xu Fan was the very idea Cao Yang was trying to convey?
Hey!
It's actually fucking possible!
No, I need to ask Cao Yang later... no, I need to ask my brother. If that's really the case, no one else guessed Cao Yang's true thoughts, only I did...

Cao Yang is awesome, and that makes me look awesome too!

"We might just be a figment of someone else's imagination, just like the different flow of time in a movie. What we perceive as a long life might just be a nap for the dreamer."

It's also possible that we are just a piece of code written by someone else, like in a computer game. You know computer games, right? The characters in them would never imagine that they are just programs controlled by us.

The more Little Cannon talked, the more he felt he completely understood Cao Yang's thoughts. The first and second layers of dreams, the Lost Domain—it was all fake!
Cao Yang wanted to express the philosophical question of "how to prove that reality truly exists!"
He decided that he would go back and think it over carefully, organize his thoughts and logic, and figure out how to present this viewpoint in a way that would attract widespread attention and discussion, and when would be the most appropriate time to do so.

At this moment, Little Cannon was so excited he wanted to slap his thigh.

Of course, it's not that he was excited because he thought he had guessed Cao Yang's thoughts.

Instead, his film "The Banquet" is about to be released, so he can take advantage of this opportunity to latch onto Cao Yang and ride the wave of popularity of "Inception"!

I'm a fucking genius!

"Go for a walk."

Little Cannon pulled Xu Fan along, stood up with a smile. The premiere was over, and he was thrilled with his own intelligence.

"Huh? Why the rush?" Xu Fan asked, puzzled.

"Maybe the whole world is fake. Let's hurry back while the Creator is still dozing off and have some fun, hehe..."

Little Cannon grinned widely, giving Xu Fan a knowing look.

"Hate!"

Xu Fan said he hated it, but his steps didn't stop, and he even seemed a little impatient.

It's rare for Gangzi to be in such a good mood, so we can't let him have a rushed ending tonight.

……

"Not long ago, I had the privilege of attending the premiere of Inception and getting a sneak peek at director Cao Yang's blockbuster Inception."

Originally, I planned to spend the whole evening carefully considering and writing a high-quality film review with a clear point of view. However, after watching the film, I was so eager to write that I couldn't hold back and had so much to say.

Let's not talk about the movies yet, let's just talk about the director... Well, I won't go into too much detail. In my mind, Cao Yang is the most talented, passionate, and creative director, without a doubt.

Okay, let's start talking about Inception.

I have a lot to say, but unfortunately the movie won't be officially released until tomorrow, so I can't give you any spoilers. I'll just briefly talk about a few things I've seen, heard, and thought.

When the screening of "Inception" ended and the theater lights came on, everyone sat in their seats, staring blankly at the screen. No one applauded, not even politely.

Was the movie really that bad?
No, I can say with certainty that the film is incredibly creative and the director is incredibly imaginative; it is absolutely the most brilliant film I have ever seen.

This is the most brilliant intellectual extravaganza in history.

……

To summarize, this is not a spoiler.

This is the most complex experimental film: exploring the five layers of a person's dream.

This is the latest theft ring: hired dream-stealing secrets.

This is the most bizarre way to die: using dreams to commit murder or being unable to distinguish between dreams and suicide.

This is a movie that will absolutely keep you completely engrossed from start to finish, and even after it ends, you won't want to leave your seat!

Less than an hour after the premiere ended, Singer Entertainment published this somewhat different film review, or you could call it a post-viewing reflection.

The author is Zhou Liming, who previously provided commentary on the 78th Academy Awards ceremony on Sina Entertainment.

Anyone who watched the groom's live stream commentary knows that Zhou Liming wasn't being objective; it was obvious to everyone that he was a big fan of Li An.

During the commentary, the speaker repeatedly expressed regret that Li An did not win the grand prize.

She was even later criticized quite a bit by the other two guests, Cheng Qingsong and Liu Miaomiao.

It's quite intriguing that such a biased person would publish such a effusive praise article immediately after watching Cao Yang's "Inception."

Is it the power of money, or is Inception truly as spectacular as Zhou Liming claims?
At least everyone who read this article was intrigued.

(End of this chapter)