I'm not a drama freak, I can really see through the script

Chapter 316, Wu Yanzu: Self-abasement!

"Boring" is the lowest and most vicious compliment one can give to a movie.

A lower rating than 'ugly' or 'nonsensical'.

This is probably the assessment given by all the media professionals present regarding 'a film for one,' a cutting-edge art form.

One person, performing for almost two hours?

I'm afraid if I go to the bathroom to smoke for half an hour, I'll fall asleep if I see this.
But this expected thing didn't happen; there was no instance of someone being so bored as to hide in the toilet.
Absolutely not. It didn't appear.

See the end
It's not boring.

It was still very exciting.

And what attracts attention.

That's Li Xuan.

With absolute acting skills, he drew the audience into that coffin where hope and despair intertwined!
"too strong"

at this time.

Xiang Huaqiang couldn't help but exclaim, "An absolute genius!"

He suddenly realized that his help to this brother was definitely a bit of an overreaction.

With such talent, it's no wonder Andy Lau was so 'eager' of him.

At this moment, Andy Lau was among the most shocked people.

First and foremost, he was a spectator.

Secondly, there are Li Xuan's partners, and only then do other identities come into play after watching this movie.
He approached the issue from the perspective of both an actor and an audience member.

Li Xuan's acting skills.

Is he even more capable than me?
There are many opinions on this in the discussions about "Protégé": if Andy Lau had played the role, his acting skills would have been even better.

In fact, Andy Lau has always had this confidence, and giving Li Xuan the role was a form of humility.

It's a character that was 'picked up'.

But now, Li Xuan's acting skills have reached a rather astonishing level.

At least in Liu Dehua's view.

If I were to act in it myself.

It should be.
It's incomparable.

At this moment, Andy Lau examined himself, wondering if he would be in "Protégé" or "Buried Alive".

In terms of pure acting skills, not to mention his star power, how does he compare to me?

Compared to him, I am different.

Just how much is the difference?

"A simple story, told with the purest acting skills, and his acting is very strong."

At this moment, Er Dongsheng looked at Wu Yanzu beside him.

Wu Yanzu was also somewhat shocked and unsatisfied. Film critics only need to focus on whether it's good or not, while actors and creators should not.

He was then pondering another question.

What would happen if 'I' were to come to this work?
I can not do it.

They will admire and be captivated by my handsome face, but can they really maintain their fascination with my appearance for almost two hours?
at this time.

Wu Yanzu felt something break. He had always had this feeling.

It felt like 'Li Xuan and I were evenly matched'.

I think I deserve some credit for your performance in "Protégé".

I still have that feeling—that I did contribute something.

But when he saw how well Li Xuan acted, he suddenly felt a strange sense of inferiority.

When I watched "Buried" this time, I was truly shocked.

There were no fancy tricks, just pure acting skills.

The acting was so pure that it drew everyone into this world.

He was bound in this coffin, and the audience accompanied the protagonist for nearly two hours, showing him the journey from survival to death, from hope to despair, and finally to his descent into despair.

It's simply breathtaking.

Wu Yanzu realized that even without his supporting roles, his pure acting skills could still achieve a remarkably explosive effect.

That's the 'result'.

"That's amazing, truly incredible."

At this moment, Wu Yanzu, as an actor, deeply felt that there was an insurmountable chasm between him and Li Xuan.

A sort of.
Inferiority.

At this moment, Li Xuan was looking at himself in the movie.

It let out a final, desperate breath, and then stopped abruptly.

The movie theater lights then came on.

The premiere went fairly well.

"Congratulations." Xiang Huaqiang clapped his hands from the side: "A wonderful movie, Third Brother. Your talent is truly admirable."

"Second brother, this product still needs to be tested by the market."

Li Xuan then spoke rationally.

Ultimately, this product still needs to be validated by the market.

We don't do things like popping champagne too early.

At this point, the gossipy nature of the Hong Kong media ignored this major scoop—they couldn't wait to write a press release about "Buried Alive."

Regardless of whether they are media professionals or not, everyone knows about this movie.

Absolutely extraordinary!

The initial reviews are mostly out, and none of these films have any clear negative reviews.

First-day box office.

Also came out.

"The Warlords" grossed 25 million, "Assembly" grossed 15 million, and "Lust, Caution" and "Protégé" have only seen box office figures in Hong Kong so far, both of which are quite good results. "Protégé" grossed 5 million Hong Kong dollars, while "Lust, Caution" grossed nearly 10 million Hong Kong dollars.

"This time slot is practically a battle of the gods."

Han Ping was now focused on the box office results.

Judging from the current release schedule, it's a 'two-horse race' between Hong Kong and mainland China.

Hong Kong does not have a film called "Assembly".

There is no film called "Lust, Caution" in mainland China.

"Assembly" looks like it will easily break 100 million yuan again. Ma Xiaogang's box office appeal and his position as the top of the Fifth Generation of Chinese filmmakers are unshakeable.

In fact, he is considered the director most likely to rival Zhang Yimou.
They are friends, but more like 'arch-enemies'. But it is precisely because of the existence of 'arch-enemies' that they are forced to improve each other.

This feeling is quite nice.
At least Han Ping felt that the future of Chinese-language films should be a "three-legged stand" with "multiple strong contenders" and "new talents emerging".

The "three legs" naturally refer to his favorite Jiang Wen, as well as Ma Xiaogang and Chen Kaizi, three strong men.

The "strongest" aspect refers to the sixth generation of directors, whose dedication to artistic awards surpasses that of the fifth generation. Their main drawback is that most of their works are somewhat too sophisticated for the general public.

'Emerging talent and sharp edge'.

The seventh generation, led by Lu Chuan.

These people and these elements constitute Han Ping's expectations for the future of Chinese-language cinema. The film *Assembly* proves this point.

In terms of domestic first-day box office...

Compared to "The Warlords," "Assembly" isn't much weaker.

You should know that "The Warlords" is a work by that kung fu emperor, and the kung fu emperor has an explosive level of appeal in China.

Now it's all about the return on investment.

From a 'business' perspective
After all, commercial evaluations are more direct and intuitive than awards.

"Speaking of which, why did you only give Lu Chuan the title of seventh-generation representative in your blueprint?" Jiang Wen, who was standing next to him, said with some dissatisfaction, "What about Li Xuan? Li Xuan!"

Han Ping: "."

Lu Chuan is your apprentice, after all. You don't seem to give him any face at all!
Han Ping, standing next to him, twitched at the corner of his mouth, unsure of what to say.

"Lu Chuan is very capable. I have seen the movie 'Kekexili'. In terms of both artistic pursuit and commercialization, it is more balanced than the Sixth Generation."

"Tch, he's not my student. I've emphasized that many times."

Jiang Wen paused, slightly disdainful.

"It was merely a relationship of providing guidance, nothing more."

To Han Ping's surprise, although Jiang Wen did not have any special feelings for Lu Chuan, he was still grateful for Lu Chuan's teachings, so there must have been some sense of kinship.

As a result, the disdainful expression on Jiang Wen's face now was not fake; there was a genuine hint of disdain in it.

"His film 'Nanjing' was originally scheduled for release this year, but when he saw the other screenings for that period, he just naturally chose 'coward'."

Jiang Wen then explained his reasons for his disappointment.

The key issue is probably the choice Lu Chuan made.

Regardless of the quality of the work.

Any top creator treats their work like their own child—a creative attitude that shows a lack of trust in their own child.

What kind of works can they produce?

Jiang Wen was very disappointed by this.

Regardless of talent, family background, or ability, without a creator's mindset, one can only become a decent commercial director, but will certainly never reach a higher or more top-tier level.

"Um"

Han Ping stopped interrupting; Jiang Wen certainly knew more about the mindset and level of a creator.

However, he was looking at it from the perspective of a 'top creator'.
"From a human perspective, among the seventh generation of directors, who else would dare to take on the challenge at this time?"

"You forgot? Our Li Xuan, our Li Xuan!"

At this very moment, Jiang Wen emphasized this point.

"This time with 'Buried Alive,' the seventh generation of Li Xuan is no ordinary actor! He bravely faced the challenge, pushing forward even after knowing the release schedule!"

"Well, all I can say is that they have courage."

It seems there's no way to refute that.

Indeed, this is Li Xuan's first work as a 'film director'.
Frankly speaking, Han Ping, as a veteran in the capital industry, knows that the fields of TV series and movies are difficult to cross over. Li Xuan, who is more of an inspirational and gifted type, is not like Wang Jing, who is more of a methodological type, and is able to use learning methods to take care of both TV series and movies.

Han Ping subconsciously felt that Li Xuan's film achievements were definitely not as good as his TV series.

This is also based on the fact that "The Young Pioneers" is excellent and has great potential—you are very strong as an actor, and as a director, you also have enough potential to become an excellent television director.

However, the path of a film director is not one that can be directly crossed over between different paths.
Common sense dictates that the interchange rate between these two roads is not high.
This is common sense.

If Li Xuan had to be identified as having any obvious characteristic, it would be his boldness.

His courage deserves considerable admiration.

The courage to face difficulties head-on in this situation.

"Let the bullets fly a little longer. Whether it's courage or something else, we'll know once the media reviews are released and things have developed." Jiang Wen paused and said, "Of course, the simplest way is to watch it yourself and judge for yourself whether the work is good or bad and whether it has the potential to stand out."

Will the media ratings be high?

Han Ping had some doubts: with so many big projects here, how many reputable media outlets would actually evaluate Li Xuan's work?

This raises some questions.

On the first day, as expected, there weren't many media reviews; there were only a few scattered positive ones.

A masterpiece, unparalleled talent!
A movie for one, a film set for one.

An unbeatable solo performance.

So extravagant, it's obviously a Hong Kong media production; there's no surprise at all.
The next day, there were more media outlets, but the opening day box office was only around one million.

However, Han Ping was also surprised. A box office of one million was indeed a pretty good result for a new director.

This means that Li Xuan has box office appeal, and in fact, quite a good one.

This is also the feedback that "Protégé" has brought about as it has been developing.

On the third day, the box office went up to 1.5 million, and the extra comments were from people who had watched it two or three times.

That day, Han Ping had already sensed that something was amiss.
On the fourth day.
box office.

Two million.

In the box office rankings during this period, "Buried" is definitely out of place compared to those monsters.

But if we're talking about box office growth rate...

That is, being far ahead.

A sort of.

Buried Alive, a work by this seventh-generation director.

The growth rate of marketing monsters like "The Warlords" and "Assembly" is far ahead of the rest!
"This"

Han Ping was somewhat shocked and stunned by this.

In terms of absolute box office figures, "Buried" is definitely no match for those box office monsters.

However, if we are comparing relative box office growth...

Then Buried would be explosive!
It's going up almost every day!
Prices keep rising, and keep rising! They've even become a topic of discussion within Beijing's elite circles.

What kind of movie is "Buried"?
The opening day box office of "Assembly" and "The Warlords" was quite explosive, which is absolutely related to the level of their planning.

They are a powerful project of this caliber. It is perfectly reasonable for them to dominate the entire opening day box office.

That is only natural.

But "Buried Alive" was really unknown. If we had to name a big name, there was Li Xuan, one of the "Four Little Heavenly Kings" and "Man of a Thousand Faces".
Yes, it certainly has appeal.

But you can't be alone!
People say that one person can carry a movie's box office, and you really are the only one who can carry the entire movie, from director to screenwriter to actor. In this situation, it can still arouse some curiosity.

Starting with the initial box office feedback, the numbers began to snowball.

Han Ping remained silent.

To find out exactly what kind of movie "Buried" is, you'll have to go see it.

So he actually made time to watch this movie, which was made by one person.

Then he saw it for himself.

"Why?" Jiang Wen would say.

The extent of his achievements may exceed his own imagination.

What kind of talent is this?
He really did make a movie all by himself.

A truly complete and authentic film!

(End of this chapter)