Chinese Entertainment: Academic Director

Chapter 446 Let's Bump It Together

What is the purpose of holding a movie premiere?
Simply put, it's for publicity and to generate buzz for the film's release.

By attracting public attention through celebrity appearances, media interactions, and audience participation, the film also conveys information such as its release date, creative team, and selling points.

The Joker has been promoted to almost everyone by Warner Bros.’s questionable tactics, but that doesn’t stop it from having premieres in different regions and countries.

You can never have too much hype and promotion before a movie's release.

Especially when the film is of high quality and has special significance.

Just like the premiere held at Xiao Rizi this time, when Cao Yang came in person, the filmmakers at Xiao Rizi gave him special face.

Many big-name directors and stars attended the event, and in subsequent interviews, they were all generous with their praise.

Takeshi Kitano gave an interview to the Asahi Shimbun and promised the reporter that he could compile the interview into an article for the Asahi Shimbun.
...The creation of "Joker" was fraught with difficulties: problems with the actors, and the burning of the film reels... This was the worst and most regrettable thing for filmmakers.

However, I believe that only by experiencing extremely terrible hardships can one be reborn and become a true strong person...

Perhaps feeling that his statement sounded boastful, he began to talk about the movie's content.

Joker doesn't feel like a movie adapted from a comic book at all. I think it's the most insightful analysis of human nature among all comic book adaptations, and it's in the top three of all the movies that have ever been made.

If I were to rate it, I'd give it full marks for the pacing, the thought-provoking themes, the artistic and dramatic aspects, and the character development!
I can say with certainty that director Cao Yang is the greatest director to emerge in the new century!
This film, *Joker*, will become a classic of realism, not the surrealism that some director who only makes animated films claims...

The reporter couldn't help but marvel at Kitano Takeshi's words.

It's only Takeshi Kitano who can say such outspoken and seemingly exaggerated things.

Of course, it would seem a bit exaggerated if only Takeshi Kitano said so, but what if most of the guests who attended the premiere said the same thing?
Hayao Miyazaki also gave an interview at the premiere of "Joker," praising the film highly.

However, when he saw the video of Takeshi Kitano's interview and the article in the Asahi Shimbun, he was also somewhat annoyed.

Coincidentally, Kinema Junpo, the oldest film magazine known for its in-depth film reviews and analysis of film art, invited him to write a film review, which he accepted, and wrote:

Some say Joker is a prophetic film, while others say it's a film cursed by God. I will refrain from commenting on these claims for now.

I think this is a surrealist film. Just recently, some nasty guy disagreed with me, saying it was a realistic film.

On this point, I can only say that arguing with someone who doesn't understand art but thinks they do is foolish, and intelligent people would naturally disdain doing so.

Why do I call this surrealism?

Surrealism rejects rational logic and pursues a reality that transcends appearances, while realism emphasizes the true representation of the objective world and insists on observing and depicting reality.

What we need to understand is that, in terms of the film's shooting time, when Cao Jun was filming "Joker," the financial crisis had not yet occurred, nor was there a global economic depression... Well, let's not go on and spoil the plot. In short, in terms of the timeline, the film is surreal.

Furthermore, and most importantly, the film's acting and handling of color tones are unconventional and completely violate traditional expression. How can such an artistic expression be considered realism?
Don't forget, surrealism seeks a reality that transcends appearances... well, for some guys who haven't systematically studied film, they might not understand these things.

Cao Jun's "Joker," a surrealist film—well, remember, it's surrealism, not social reality, haha…

The film "Joker" portrays a society where social classes have become severely entrenched, leaving the lower classes with no choice but to struggle, protest, and go mad.

Cao Jun is compassionate and empathetic. Through his films, he warns the world that societal madness can lead to antisocial collective madness, and perhaps all it takes is one bad day for everyone to become a "clown."

Perhaps for these reasons, Joker was cursed and suffered a series of tragic fates. From this perspective, perhaps it really is a prophetic film.

Perhaps one day when we look back at this film, we will realize that Cao Jun was the true great prophet and artist.

Takeshi Kitano was furious after reading an article about Hayao Miyazaki in the Kinema Junpo magazine. He then gave an interview, using "Joker" as an example, to launch an even more scathing critique of Miyazaki...

When these two started arguing, it naturally attracted the attention of the entire film industry. For a time, not only the two of them, but also "Joker" became a topic of discussion.

Many people have expressed their desire to see "Joker," a film highly praised by Takeshi Kitano and Hayao Miyazaki, as soon as possible.

As for whether the film is a realistic or surrealist film, some viewers may be curious, but most viewers don't really care about that.

The debate over realism versus surrealism is far less compelling than Heath Ledger's death, Jim Carrey's suicide, and the burning of the film reels of "Joker."

Besides these reasons, what greatly piqued the interest of ordinary people was that the film received praise from Takeshi Kitano and Hayao Miyazaki, as well as numerous celebrities, which was enough to make them go to the cinema.

The premiere of "Joker" in South Korea was just as lively as a small town, or even more extravagant.

South Korea has a unique group that resonates throughout Asia and is also the group that exports their culture abroad: girl groups and boy groups.

However, despite their immense popularity abroad, these idol groups hold a very low, very low, position in the domestic entertainment industry.

South Korea has a default ranking system.

Chungmuro ​​actors > film actors > television actors > singers > idols > gagmen (comedians).

In other words, idols may have the highest popularity, but their status is the lowest.

During the South Korean premiere of "Joker," many companies that specialize in training trainees tried to give their trainees or established idols a chance to appear at the premiere...

In any case, Cao Yang witnessed "customs" that were completely different from those in Europe.

At small gatherings in European arts and culture circles, actresses or models attend entirely voluntarily. The gatherings mainly provide entertainment, and only when everyone is on the same page will they get into a car together after the party.

What happened to trainees and idols in South Korea later is unknown, but nowadays these South Korean companies are really domineering towards their own artists.

Saying they can decide a person's life or death is an exaggeration, but they can certainly make these artists wish they were dead.

For example, if you attend a party or something, don't say it's all voluntary. If you hesitate even slightly when it's something the company has arranged, your agent or supervisor will slap you across the face.

You dare glare at me?
Then I'll use both hands to strike.

This is just the simplest and most brutal method; the company has countless ways to make them comply...

What I'm trying to say is that these idols with countless fans are incredibly gentle. They do whatever you ask them to do, and they do it exactly how you ask them to do it. They don't even hesitate for a second, let alone show any displeasure.

These are truly two cultures completely different from those in the European arts and culture scene.

It seems to be different from the customs around the world—in other parts of the world, it would be almost impossible for an artist with a large number of fans to do this.

It's a bit too deformed.

Well, perhaps only those special groups living a simple life would exhibit this kind of compliance when two people start performing arts.

Fans of these South Korean girl groups probably never imagined, or rather dared not imagine, the unknown side of their seemingly glamorous idols in private.

However, South Korean directors and actors, especially renowned directors and Chungmuro ​​actors, still hold a very high status in South Korea, representing a completely different stratum from idols.

South Korea is similar to China; it's also a country that admires strength.

Directors like Cao Yang, who have a huge global influence and are considered top directors in Hollywood, deserve even more extensive media coverage of the Joker premiere in South Korea.

Almost every South Korean director and actor who attended the premiere gave an interview, unanimously praising the film, which Warner Bros. had touted as a prophetic masterpiece.

Of course, these were not the things that surprised Cao Yang the most.

What shocked Cao Yang the most was that SBS, the famous TV station that produced "Running Man" and "My Love from the Star," openly claimed in an entertainment program that Cao Yang, the world's most famous director, was actually South Korean!
Damn it!
This is one of the largest television stations in South Korea!

How dare you?

When Cao Yang found out, he was dumbfounded.

However, they said it on an entertainment program. If it has a negative impact, they will definitely say it was for the sake of the show, and they will even make it sound reasonable and well-founded... Bullshit.

However, if someone who doesn't know the truth hears it at first glance, it might seem to make some sense.

In Gwangju, South Korea, there is a place of worship called "Wei Wu Temple," which locals claim is related to Cao Cao, a historical figure from the Three Kingdoms period.

Some South Korean scholars support this view. They believe that Cao Cao's ancestors were nobles from Goryeo who were forced to flee to the Central Plains due to war, and eventually chose to be buried in Gwangju and build a temple there.

Locals also claim that Cao Cao's ancestors were from the Xiahou clan, nobles of Goryeo, who fled to the Central Plains due to the invasion of the Wuhuan.

Then, their scholars, after research, concluded that Cao Cao's expedition against the Wuhuan was to "avenge the hatred of his motherland"...

In conclusion, since Cao Cao was a South Korean, Cao Yang, as a descendant of Cao Cao, must also be a South Korean.

Cao Yang was utterly speechless.

There are too many flaws.

When did Cao Cao become a South Korean?
His mother has a "Wei Wu Temple" which proves that it was Cao Cao's hometown.
This claim lacks rigorous historical evidence.

Moreover, when did Cao Yang ever claim to be a descendant of Cao Cao? He himself doesn't even know he's a descendant of Cao Cao, so how did South Korea so confidently prove it?

Ironically, almost everyone on the South Korean internet agrees with this view.

Furthermore, in order to support their "own person" Cao Yang, they launched a joint online campaign called "Let's go to the cinema together to support the national treasure-level director Cao Yang".

The event is incredibly popular, with many idols even encouraging their fans to participate...

I don't know if this is good news or bad news.

Cao Yang only found out about this after returning to China, and after it spread, Lao Tian mocked him for a long time.

What can Cao Yang do?
The only thing we could do was call them and give them a stern reprimand; there wasn't much else we could do.

Sigh, this trip to South Korea was terrible. Only the girl group was somewhat understanding.

On the 26th, just one day before its release, "Joker" held its premiere at the China Film International Cinema in Beijing.

Because the movie "Joker" is indeed a bit special and has so many gimmicks, a considerable number of directors and stars came to support it.

If the number of guests hadn't been limited in advance, there probably wouldn't have been any movie fans to watch; the audience would have filled the premiere hall.

Almost all the retired fourth-generation directors from the Beijing Film Academy came.

For the fifth generation, almost all the students from the Beijing Film Academy came to show their support.

Zhang Yimou, who was resting at home, Xiao Gangpao, who was filming "Aftershock", and Chen Kaige, who was promoting the movie "Mei Lanfang", all came.

Interestingly, Chen's "Mei Lanfang" was originally scheduled to be released on December 12, but a few days ago it was suddenly announced that the release date would be moved up to December 5, a week earlier.

This date is only a week later than "Joker".

While others were trying to avoid "Joker," Chen went against the trend and moved up the release date.

Right after Lao Chen decided to move up the release date of "Mei Lanfang", Cao Yang learned on the same day why Lao Chen wanted to move up the release date.

The official statement is that more than 12 movies will be released in December, including a big-budget sequel to "Red Cliff II".

As a biographical art film, "Mei Lanfang" was released a week earlier than scheduled, which not only gave it more room to be shown, but also left room for other domestic films to compete.

Furthermore, this was also due to the request from major domestic cinema chains and theaters to advance the release date.

"Mei Lanfang" is a joint investment by China Film Group and Emperor Motion Pictures. President Han will definitely tell Cao Yang the reason for the film's earlier release.

He said helplessly that this was something Old Chen insisted on moving up the registration date, and initially it wasn't just a week, but two weeks...

President Han sighed repeatedly, wondering what had gotten into Old Chen. It was obvious that Old Chen was targeting Cao Yang.

Then there's Li Xiaoran, the female lead in "Mei Lanfang".

She called Cao Yang and said that she had specifically asked Lao Chen about this matter. Lao Chen's response was very official, and Li Xiaoran had no way of understanding the specifics.

That evening, Sister Hong also called Cao Yang.

Unlike President Han and Li Xiaoran, as Old Chen's wife, she knew more.

According to Sister Hong, Old Chen was so ambitious back then, especially after winning the Palme d'Or at Cannes. It seemed like there wasn't a single director in the entire country he could look up to.

Including Zhang Yimou and Xiao... Little Cannon has never appeared in Lao Chen's sight.

As for Zhang Yimou, Chen always felt that this former cinematographer was quite talented in photography...

This situation continued until Cao Yang appeared.

When Cao Yang first showed his talent, Old Chen was quite satisfied with his junior brother, feeling that Master Situ had finally taken on another talented disciple before retiring.

He also decided that, as Master Situ's eldest disciple, he must take good care of this junior brother and guide him, so that Cao Yang would not go astray.

However, things didn't go as Lao Chen expected.

Old Chen never imagined that Cao Yang would rise to prominence so quickly. So quickly that before Old Chen could even react, Cao Yang had already left him far, far behind.

He felt that his junior apprentice, whom he felt needed to take care of, was not only more famous than him, but also had won more awards. How could he "feel at ease" accept this fact?

Old Chen was a proud and arrogant man, and this pent-up anger had become a source of anxiety for him.

He always wanted to find an opportunity to "compete" with Cao Yang, so that the world could see that he was not much different from Cao Yang.

I couldn't find a suitable opportunity before.

Now, the opportunity has arrived.

He doesn't expect to beat Cao Yang at the global box office, that's unrealistic, after all, Cao Yang's "Joker" is a Hollywood film, aimed at the global market.

He only wants to compete with Cao Yang in the country.

He didn't think he would lose.

Although "Joker" is a comic book adaptation, it is well known that Cao Yang made it into an art film; while "Mei Lanfang" is a biographical adaptation and also belongs to the art film category.

Old Chen specifically checked and found that almost all of Cao Yang's high-grossing films in China were science fiction or fantasy films, and none of his art films had particularly high box office returns.

This gave Lao Chen the courage to give it a shot.

In terms of actors, "Joker" features Jim Carrey and Bingbing, while "Forever Enthralled" features Li Ming and Li Xiaoran. In China, their fame and influence are roughly the same.

In terms of popularity, "Joker" is based on the Batman comics and has a certain level of recognition, especially after "The Dark Knight" grossed more than $10 billion worldwide this summer.

However, "Mei Lanfang" is a film adapted from the most famous Peking Opera master in China. In terms of fame, "Mei Lanfang" is much more famous than "The Clown" in China.

In addition, he believed that he had made "Mei Lanfang" very seriously, and that the story was told very well, so the quality of the film would not be worse than "Joker".

This is also where Lao Chen's confidence lies.

That's also why he thought he could meet Cao Yang in China.

"Touching him" is one thing, but Lao Chen just wanted to prove himself and vent his pent-up anger. It's not like he's going to fall out with Cao Yang. He'll definitely be at the premiere of "Joker".

Of course, he also wanted to see in advance what kind of film this was, which had premiered in many countries and was highly praised by everyone.

The international acclaim for "Joker" did not worry Lao Chen. China has its own national conditions, and what foreigners consider good may not necessarily conform to Chinese values ​​and perceptions.

Moreover, Lao Chen felt that the more foreign countries praised it, the greater his sense of accomplishment would be if he could achieve a small victory in China.

(End of this chapter)