Fooling Huayu for Thirty Years

Chapter 340 Ice and Snow to Join? What a hoax! This is Feng Xiaogang's own choice!

"Mr. Ma~ Sister still has to act."

Li Xue's gentle and casual manner made it difficult for anyone to criticize her too much.

Li Bingbing's pretty face was also flushed, and she looked like she was begging for mercy.

Although Ma Xun was as firm as iron, he wasn't the type to force others.

"The way you're saying that makes it sound like I'm trying to leave something behind."

These words made Li Xue extremely embarrassed.

“Mr. Ma, my sister’s little schemes will naturally not escape your keen eyes.”

Li Bingbing's words were not bad; he was actually speaking up for his sister, but he also praised Ma Xun.

Ma Xun, who didn't care to begin with, naturally didn't bring it up.

"To be honest, I haven't had time to find out the details of this audition yet."

Ma Xun wasn't lying. He had only been in Hengdian for a short time, and he had seen Zhang Ziyi leave in a very unpleasant mood. Next was the ice and snow battle.

He barely had a chance to ask, so using this to change the subject is a good idea.

Li Bingbing was actually quite eloquent, but compared to her younger sister, she was a step below. So, she gave her sister a look.

Li Xue understood; this was originally her job as the younger sister—to liaise with the boss.

"This audition was something we really didn't expect; there was an unexpected surprise."

After seeing my sister's action skills, Quentin Tarantino, that great director, simply adjusted the role and added a female assassin..."

Wow, so that's how it is. No wonder the sisters gave such a special gift.

However, Ma Xun immediately understood what Quentin was thinking.

Li Bingbing was originally very strong. Over the years, he has filmed many martial arts dramas. He is good-looking, good at fighting, and most importantly, he fights in a beautiful way.

This definitely shocked Quentin Tarantino, after all, he had watched a lot of Shaw Brothers martial arts films before making Kill Bill.

Of course, we should still be honest.

The movie "Kill Bill" is actually an adaptation of the Japanese sword-fighting film "Shura Yukihime".

The anime "Shura Yukihime" was a huge hit back then. It was originally adapted from Kazuo Koike's manga of the same name. Those who are familiar with Japanese anime should know that Kazuo Koike's style is hard-hitting action and full of toughness.

However, in recent years... the East Asian De-maleization Program has been quite successful.

Hardcore films, TV dramas, and anime in Japan are almost extinct.

However, if we really talk about the place where the East Asian anti-masculinity plan was most successful, it was Taiwan Province. Ma Xun remembers that twenty years later, he conducted street interviews with students in that province, and the boys were even more effeminate than the girls.

But let's leave that aside for now and get back to the story of "Shura Yukihime".

This is basically the image of Lucy Liu in "Kill Bill". After she died, a song from the original film was played, which I think was sung by Meiko Kaji, the lead actress of "Shura Yukihime".

However, it's hard to say that Quentin Tarantino's film was plagiarism, as he incorporated many other elements, such as those from Shaw Brothers' kung fu movies.

One of the most distinctive shots is when a character appears, the camera quickly zooms in, and finally gives a close-up of the character's face.

Clearly, Quentin Tarantino's 'imitation' of Shaw Brothers is very similar.

However, since it is just learning, it can never be the same as the original, just like the famous "Five Thunder Heart-Shattering Palm".

The translation of this move is just amazing... It's still considered a classic meme twenty years later, and it's even been used in movies. People think it's a super move.

That's why Uma Thurman and Lucy Liu in this movie aren't actually practicing real martial arts; to put it simply, it lacks aesthetic appeal.

Lucy Liu is actually a bit better, after all, she is a really good actress, and her characters have a strong presence.

Uma Thurman is rather strange, mainly because of her fight scenes; you can clearly see that her movements are very stiff.

Although he is studying hard, it's clear that he has put in a lot of effort, enough to fool foreigners.

But for us Chinese who often watch martial arts action movies, it still feels a bit strange.

Now, with the addition of Li Bingbing, it will definitely be the icing on the cake for this movie.

It will definitely be played more naturally and with more aesthetic appeal.

Film, in the end, is still an art of beauty.

Even though Kill Bill is full of gore, it is still a classic example of violent aesthetics.

The wedding dress covered in blood, the various bloody scenes in the Green Leaf House, and the final battle in the snow.

Everything has to be beautiful.

Ma Xun was very optimistic about Li Bingbing's role this time, but the sisters didn't have much experience after all.

"Boss~ My sister is still a little lacking in confidence this time."

Li Xue was asking on behalf of her sister.

Ma Xun laughed and said, "That's too simple. Don't think that those Hollywood guys are anything special. They're just like that."

Regardless of who it is, just unleash your full potential.

Tell your sister to act like a superstar, to treat herself like a queen.

And then they even 'told your sister'?
The Ice and Snow Sisters were immediately amused and couldn't stop laughing.

After that, Ma Xun made a couple more comments about kung fu movies.

"They can't learn Chinese martial arts moves. Even if they try, they'll still fall far short. We have a unique advantage in this regard."

The Ice and Snow Sisters' confidence soared.

But there's still a small problem.

We've been talking about this for so long, and we've only discussed one movie, "Kill Bill." What about the others?

Li Bingbing exchanged a glance with his sister.

Li Xue, the younger sister, knew what to say, so she leaned closer and whispered in Ma Xun's ear, "Boss, you've treated us sisters so well, and we're not the kind of people who don't know how to be grateful. But right now, we can only make a living under the Wang brothers."

Ma Xun nodded. "Of course I know that, but how long can Wang Jinghua endure this?"

Upon hearing this, Li Xue knew that the important part was about to begin.

"Boss, the conflict between my master and the Wang brothers is irreconcilable, but the timing is not right yet."

Ma Xun smiled and said, "When the time is right?"

The ice and snow sisters exchanged another glance.

"Back then, my sisters and I knew without hesitation that we would come and seek refuge with the boss!"

That's a fair assessment.

However, Ma Xun was not someone who was easily fooled. He continued with a smile, "I am also good at making promises. For now, my focus is on Enlight Media. If you come, Li Xue can help me manage artists and discover new talents, while Bing Bing can further develop overseas business."

His phrase "good at making empty promises" can be interpreted as humility or self-deprecation, but take it with a grain of salt. It's not just empty promises; it's clearly a condition he's setting.

Moreover, this condition was extremely tempting to the Ice and Snow Sisters.

Most importantly, what Ma Xun said is absolutely reliable.

Just like now, Li Bingbing is able to star in Quentin Tarantino's new film, isn't he?
It's worth noting that this renowned director is currently one of the most popular directors in China, second only to Spielberg.

Nolan became the most popular later on, but now Nolan could easily be called a nobody in Hollywood.

And so... the Ice and Snow sisters exchanged glances again.

Li Xue blushed and said, "Boss, to show our determination... we sisters have also heard that your photography skills are no less than those of famous photographers."

What does this mean?
Ma Xun laughed heartily, "Isn't this a pledge of allegiance?"

Then I'll gladly accept it.

……

Regarding the addition of the Snow Sisters.

Actually, Ma Xun wasn't in a hurry.

Enlight Media is currently just starting out.

From our perspective within the industry, the Wang brothers' Huayi is actually nominally an advertising company.

Pay close attention to these details: Huayi, which went public later, was actually established after them.

It seems to have been around 06.

Then, when the Growth Enterprise Market (GEM) opened in 2009, they went public.

Ranked 27th... You can see it very clearly by looking at the stock code.

In other words, the Wang brothers are actually newcomers to the film and television industry.

Ma Xun's Enlight Media came a little later.

Originally, this was a media company, and its business scope included advertising and the like.

This is what has been remarkable in the film and television industry over the past two years.

If the Ice and Snow Sisters can join in the future, they will definitely help Ma Xun in many ways.

But I can't come right now... That's alright. After all, Enlight Media is a newcomer.

Leaving aside Li Bingbing, consider Li Xue's management methods.

Ma Xun can now rest easy for a while.

Even in the future, Li Xue will start his own business and become independent.

That's okay.

In fact, in the future, they will all hold shares in each other, with each other's shares intertwined.

This is the case for many companies.

Ma Xun has always been involved in the capital market, so no matter how things change in the future, he can maintain a firm grip on the situation.

No matter how powerful the Ice and Snow Sisters are, they can't escape from my grasp.

Now that things are settled... of course, we still need to wait for the right opportunity to act.

The conflict between Wang Jinghua and the Wang brothers... Let's find an opportunity to accelerate it for them!
In fact, Li Bingbing's performance this time has already explained a lot.

In the film "Cellphone," the Wang brothers recommended Huo Siyan to Feng Xiaogang.

But Li Bingbing was not pushed.

This is a significant contradiction.

There will be plenty of opportunities to make things happen in the future.

Ma Xun could say that victory was assured.

They had originally planned to have a few more ice and snow battles, as Ma Xun's physical condition was still at its peak.

It recovered quickly.

But unexpectedly, something still happened.

On this day, Ma Xun arrived at the Qingye House film set in Hengdian and immediately saw Han Sanping.

"Xiao Ma, you're doing a good job."

"Thank you for the compliment, sir. But why are you here?"

"I just wanted to see you!"

"No, we should be watching Kill Bill."

"Haha...you're really clever! But guess who else is coming?"

"Who else?"

Ma Xun was quite surprised by this.

Han Sanping laughed heartily and led him into the film set. Not long after, Ma Xun was stunned.

Who else...?

Zhang Yimou, Chen Kaige, Feng Xiaogang...

Good heavens, it's actually these guys!

It would be strange if Ma Xun wasn't stunned, but thankfully, he quickly realized what was happening.

He had heard about this back in the original timeline.

When "Kill Bill" was being filmed at the Beijing Film Studio, Han Sanping felt this was a great opportunity, so he invited these famous directors to come to the set to observe.

To put it bluntly, we need to learn from Hollywood and see how they make movies.

A rare opportunity.

However, the original film was shot at Beijing Film Studio, but now it has been moved to Hengdian.

Isn't that a bit inconvenient?
Ma Xun was stunned. "Is it because of this that you all came all the way here as a group?"
But since they actually came, what else is there to say?

Several renowned directors came over to greet Ma Xun.

Of course, it was also to greet Han Sanping.

Not long after, I saw Quentin again, and this guy's attitude was pretty good too.

After all, these are all well-known directors.

Interestingly, Harvey also came today.

That's right, that old swindler wouldn't let such a good opportunity slip by.

I'll fool as many as I can.

Immediately, this guy started talking to Feng Xiaogang about his new film, "Cellphone".

"Can it be released in the US?"

"$200 million for overseas copyrights!"

Alright, that old liar Harvey is about to start again.

Upon hearing this, Ma Xun thought... Could it be that Feng Xiaogang fell for this trick?

Should I... whatever!

If I, Ma Xun, were to say another word now, and Feng Xiaogang later finds out he's been tricked, he'd have to blame me!

Ma Xun understood human nature well, so he prepared...

"Oh dear, Mr. Ma sold me the overseas rights to 'Infernal Affairs' for $200 million!"

Holy shit! Fuck you!

Ma Xun really didn't expect this. He hadn't planned to get involved, but Harvey really wouldn't let him off the hook.

"Mr. Ma, is that so?" Feng Xiaogang came to verify.

What else can Ma Xun say?
"It's a North American copyright."

He could only tell the truth about this.

Harvey laughed. "They're all pretty much the same."

What he said makes sense. After all, what is most tempting to Feng Xiaogang is actually selling the film to the United States.

Because Zhang Yimou has already sold it!

The deal for "Hero" was already made beforehand.

Looking at Feng Xiaogang's eyes... Ma Xun could tell at a glance that this guy was definitely going to be fooled by Harvey.

There's no way out, there's no way out.

Ma Xun knew he couldn't save that damned ghost.

However, while Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige remained silent during their conversation about two movies, Han Sanping was quite different.

"I know about 'Cell Phone,' it's already scheduled for this year's Lunar New Year season, but this 'Infernal Affairs'..."

The meaning behind those words is quite clear.

Ma Xun, Ma Xun, why are you still hiding it?
Ma Xun felt genuinely helpless. "I didn't intend to fool you guys."

But you guys just had to take the bait... There's nothing we can do about it, the mastermind behind this scam is Harvey Weinstein.

If you've been fooled, blame him, not me.

"Boss, when I bought this movie, it was still in production. I've been extremely busy lately, so I haven't had time to pay attention to it. It seems like it's finished filming, but what about the release date..."

Feng Xiaogang couldn't help but say, "Why not bring it to the Lunar New Year film season?"

Is this a challenge issued by the king of Lunar New Year films?!
Ma Xun laughed; he actually understood what Feng Xiaogang meant... it was sarcasm!

He laughed and said, "Let's forget about it this year. In the end, I didn't direct this movie. I was just helping a friend with some arrangements."

That was a very polite and appropriate way of saying it.

Han Sanping was even happier to hear this, and in his heart he praised Ma Xun for knowing how to behave appropriately.

At least he didn't argue with Feng Xiaogang in front of foreign guests like Quentin Tarantino and Harvey.

So Han Sanping said, "If there are no major problems with this movie, then you can just pick any time."

Hearing this, Feng Xiaogang became even angrier.

Can Ma Xun choose any time he wants?
But Ma Xun certainly knew when was the best time: "Around March next year."

This time... the end of this year is SA-RS, right?

To be honest, in the original timeline, both "Hero" and "Infernal Affairs" were released at the end of the year.

They must have been affected by this major event as well.

Even so, it still achieved very high box office returns.

So, a blockbuster is a blockbuster, it's top-notch!
And now... hehe...

Feng Xiaogang, don't blame me if anything happens; this was your own choice.

(End of this chapter)