Who are you calling "little fresh meat"? I'm the king.

Chapter 973 Screening of "The Medicine God" (23)

Romance movies…

According to netizens, romance films are a unique niche in Chinese cinema!
You know what, there's some truth to that!
Romance movies these days have been really bad.

Without specific holidays like Valentine's Day and Qixi Festival, we probably wouldn't see many pure romance films in theaters throughout the year.

These films are now exclusively for a single release period, enjoying the box office benefits for just one night.

Many people say that current romance films are just like current romances: either they are quiet and unassuming, or they are simply "one-night stands."

One of the best examples is "Ten Years of Loving You," which was released on Valentine's Day in 2022.

It grossed 1.43 million yuan on its opening day, dethroning "The Battle at Lake Changjin," which had held the top spot for 13 consecutive days.

The film is adapted from a novel of the same name, but the original work is said to have been "borrowed" from fan fiction written by K-pop group fans.

However, putting aside the controversy surrounding the original work, the novel, as a popular IP, already has countless fans.

A large number of fans watched the movie with great enthusiasm, only to be so angry that they gave it a score of 2.8.

Because the original novel's male and female protagonists had a ten-year love story that culminated in marriage, the movie version changed it to a tragic ending where the male protagonist was diagnosed with a terminal illness.

In addition, the film's music video-style editing not only fooled book fans but also left couples who watched the film with painful memories.

Such terrible content caused this film to sweep the Golden Broom Awards that year.

The fact that the film's producers would pull this stunt shows that they see romance films as products that only need to make money during their release period.

Given this positioning, who would bother to put in the effort to film it properly?

In the following years, the so-called romance films released during Valentine's Day and Qixi Festival not only had similar posters and content, but also appeared to be hastily produced.

One more thing: all romance films have jumped on the fantasy genre…

The reason is simple: pure love doesn't work anymore!

It has been declared that love has become a fantasy, and that dating and romance are no longer realistic these days.

Therefore, we can only add fantasy elements...

Shen Yan was thinking of "Love Like a Bouquet"...

"Love Like a Bouquet"... A movie that kills love!

The two came together because of their shared interests.

But real life often makes people put down their poetry, comics, and game consoles, becoming overwhelmed by pots and pans and rent bills.

Love is certainly more than just romance, but moving from the blissful honeymoon phase to the next stage can be a painful process akin to hell.

Most couples who initially click will lose their passion in the slow, insidious cycle of life, gradually turning their love into an awkward affair.

Very realistic!
After we finish filming "Something in the Rain" next year, we'll film this drama!
……

"Dying to Survive" held a preview screening at the Shanghai Grand Theatre, which had a capacity of 1,000…

At the pre-screening Q&A session, Fumino spoke first: "First of all, this is not a comedy... Rather, I would prefer to call it a biographical film, so I think everyone can lower their expectations a little..."

Speaking of actors, Wen Muye said, "Xiao Yang was the actor that Brother Yan specifically requested! At first, I thought he might not be suitable... but after working with him, I found that Xiao Yang is truly an actor who can easily move between comedy, tragedy, and drama. His acting skills are explosive and exceeded my expectations."

Shen Yan said, "I've seen 'Old Boy'... Later, I worked with Brother Xiao Yang on 'Detective Chinatown,' and I felt he was very capable... Coincidentally, President Cao of New Classics Media wanted to play the villain in 'The Woman in Red,' so I recommended Brother Xiao Yang... As expected, he handled it very well. This time, for the male lead in 'Dying to Survive,' we needed a middle-aged actor who could be both greasy and refreshing... I immediately thought of him!"

Xiao Yang is indeed a very good actor. His face would be considered a good face for a salesman if you put him among ordinary people. He is not aggressive, not handsome or outstanding, but he makes people feel at ease and thinks he is a good person.

You could say he's a replacement for Xu Zheng... or you could say he's a substitute for Shen Teng!
Shen Teng specializes in comedy, and his acting makes people want to laugh. He can only accept dramatic roles, but Xiao Yang can accept extreme, criminal, and even perverted roles. That's his versatility.

Xiao Yang is very suitable for that kind of tension and repression.

This tension and repression is often something that people cannot resolve, which manifests as a sense of helplessness and anger, and when extended to the specific characters' behavior, it becomes an intense emotion.

So, Shen Yan went to find Xiao Yang…

However, Xiao Yang was quite apprehensive: "When they approached me for the film 'Dying to Survive,' I learned about the real-life inspiration behind it and was quite surprised... I did a lot of preparation before filming..."

"Teacher Xiao Yang did a lot of preparation. To make himself look more greasy, he gained 30 pounds and got so tanned that his skin peeled off. He even had to lose weight halfway through filming..." Then Wen Muye changed the subject and praised Yang Mi: "I was quite surprised that Sister Mi took this role!"

Shen Yan spoke softly, "I was the one who advised her! I told her we should also play some roles that aren't so beautiful..."

“No,” Yang Mi interjected, “I didn’t want to take the role at first not because I didn’t like it… mainly because the character I was playing was a pole dancer, and I really can’t do that… and then the director and producer comforted me: ‘You can learn!’”

"I studied for four months, then practiced for another two months after joining the crew, and only then did we start filming!"

Xiao Yang interjected, "Mi Jie ruined her legs for this role... It's heartbreaking to see!"

Yang Mi smiled wryly, "I really didn't expect pole dancing to be so difficult..."

Shen Yan then chuckled and replied, "She called me several times, scolded me, and even cried... I thought she was going to give up, but I didn't expect her to actually persevere!"

……

The movie "Dying to Survive" is very good...

The theme is clear and relatable: health and medicine are big issues that everyone cares about.

A conflict between humanity, law, and morality!

While described as a realist film, it is actually more like a popular drama based on real-life themes that balances commercial appeal with narrative.

Cheng Yong was never a bad person from the beginning!

The creative process still leans towards popular entertainment, with both joy and sorrow, and using small things to reveal big truths.

The first half is full of dramatic and comedic moments, and the comedic elements do not offend anyone because they are not made up out of thin air. The humor comes naturally from the situation, without being exaggerated or diminishing the seriousness of reality.

In the middle section, when Cheng Yong went to India again to get medicine for the seriously ill Lü Shouyi, two real statues appeared in the thick insecticide smoke—a statue of Shiva and a statue of Kali, adding to the divine aura in the swirling smoke.

This scene, cleverly connected between the two scenes depicting Lü Shouyi's life and death, was carefully crafted.

Shiva embodies the duality of destruction and rebirth, and Kali also embodies the duality of death and rebirth.

"Death" refers to both Lü Shouyi's physical body and Cheng Yong's soul; he personally "buried" himself, thus "reborn".

Later, Cheng Yong felt guilty about Lü Shouyi's death and embarked on the path of "becoming a god".

In addition, the story is set in 2002!
It conceals the untouchable direct conflict with the system, portraying foreign pharmaceutical companies as externalized adversaries...

There's nothing we can do about it...

They even cut a scene where Lü Shouyi commits suicide…

After the screening, the audience—actually the media…

The event was for a thousand people, and the attendees were mostly media representatives!

(End of this chapter)