This director is vindictive.

Chapter 213 The main theme and the love story don't match.
Of these three movies, Chen Mo was most familiar with "My People, My Country." As for the other two, he had seen "The Captain" in his previous life, but "The Climbers" was really unfamiliar to him.

It just so happens that the premieres of these three movies were all scheduled to be off-peak; otherwise, Chen Mo would have been really overwhelmed!

On September 19, the film "My People, My Country" premiered at the National Library of China in Beijing.

As the film with the biggest cast and most luxurious lineup of this year's tribute films, the premiere of this movie was naturally unprecedented in scale.

Not only Chen Mo was present, but people from the other two films, even though they were competitors, also attended the premiere.

70th anniversary, seven directors, seven major historical milestones, seven segments!
It can be said that this film is a work that has the perfect combination of timing, location, and people.

However, to be honest, after watching it, Chen Mo found it to be quite good overall. It recreates historical scenes from the perspective of ordinary people, evokes memories of glorious years, and expresses patriotism, which is perfectly fine in itself.

However, the problem lies in the fact that each director has a different style, and each story is told in a different way.

As the general director, Chen Shiren was in charge of the "Daytime Meteor" segment, but Chen Mo always felt that this segment was the most bizarre.

As a result, Chen Mo was naturally surrounded by the media at the premiere.

He gave off an impression that you weren't going anywhere until he said a few words.

"Okay, what do you want to ask?" Chen Mo had been in an unusually good mood lately, so he didn't mind saying a few more words.

"We see your name listed as a screenwriter in 'My People, My Country.' Which of these stories did you participate in writing?" the reporter asked.

“Not a single one!” Chen Mo replied with a smile.

For a moment, the reporters at the scene were stunned by Chen Mo's answer.

"Not a single one? Then why is your name listed as a screenwriter, Director Chen?" the reporter quickly pressed.

At this moment, Poet Chen walked over.

"Let me answer this question! It's true that Director Chen Mo didn't participate in the screenwriting of this film, but it was my request to add his name to the screenwriting credits!" Chen Shiren said with a smile.

"I'm sure everyone is curious about why? Let me put it this way, the inspiration for this film can be traced back to the first time I met director Chen Mo. At that time, he told me that I should make a patriotic film, saying that past patriotic films focused on famous historical figures, but they were not down-to-earth enough. He also said: Why tell the stories of some ordinary people?" Chen Mo said.

"The inspiration for 'My People, My Country' came from this very idea he mentioned back then. Our film offers a unique take on seven key historical moments in this great 70-year journey."

Each story within is not told from a grand perspective, but rather from a grassroots viewpoint, focusing on the ordinary people behind each event.

I remember him saying that these ordinary people who are not remembered in every major event are also participants!
Therefore, in each of our stories, we choose to focus on "I" and "mine," on the unsung heroes who are yet crucial, on the subtle corners behind the curtain of major events, and then on "the motherland."

True history lies dormant in the daily lives of ordinary people.

"So I think that although he didn't participate in the film, he still deserves credit!" Chen Shiren said.

"Director Chen, you often make predictions about movies in the past, and they are very accurate. So this time, can you make a prediction for 'My People, My Country' as well?" a reporter asked Chen Mo.

Unfortunately, this year's National Day film season is quite special because it consists mainly of patriotic films, so there aren't many "juicy" stories to report.

Therefore, entertainment media outlets are racking their brains to find "juicy scoops," and with Chen Mo, a walking news-making machine, right in front of them, they certainly can't miss it.

Poet Chen was immediately delighted. Wasn't this one of the reasons he invited Chen Mo over?
Chen Mo laughed. This time, he didn't hold up a few fingers or anything like that. Once you use that thing too often, it's not a novelty anymore.

"Then I'll make a bold prediction: this movie will be the biggest winner of this year's National Day holiday."

Although Chen Mo didn't raise a finger this time, his answer was more impressive than his previous three-finger gesture.

It's worth noting that while "My People, My Country" boasts a star-studded cast and is a tribute film, it doesn't mean it's without competition during this year's National Day holiday.

On the contrary, the opponents were quite formidable. Both Bona Film Group's "Pride of China Trilogy" finale, "The Captain," and "The Climbers" were the strongest rivals to "My People, My Country."

In particular, "The Captain" is also a film adapted from a real event, and with the excellent "The Bravest" preceding it, it should not be underestimated.

As a result, Chen Mo actually said that "My People, My Country" would be the biggest winner of this year's National Day film season.

Where does this leave the other two films?

Chen Mo predicts that "My People, My Country" will be the biggest winner during the National Day holiday!

"The inspiration for 'My People, My Country' came from the first meeting between two directors, one from the older generation and the other from many years ago!"

"Chen Mo is optimistic that 'My People, My Country' may become the biggest winner. Will the magic still work? Let's wait and see!"

There weren't any particularly "explosive" entertainment news during this National Day holiday, and it wouldn't be appropriate for any particular event to happen. So, Chen Mo's words suddenly became the subject of numerous media reports.

However, Chen Mo's influence is indeed exaggerated.

Especially after seeing the overwhelming media coverage, Bona Film Group's Yu Dong couldn't help but call Chen Mo to complain.

"Director Chen, you haven't even seen 'The Captain' yet, that's not fair of you!"

"President Yu, aren't you overestimating me? What? Just because I said it would be the biggest winner, does that mean it will actually come true?" Chen Mo said, somewhat speechless.

"Director Chen, you're a renowned investment guru in the film and television industry! You have no idea how influential you are. Almost everyone is optimistic about 'My People, My Country,' and even I'm a little worried. What do you think?" Yu Dong said.

"Then I'll give 'The Captain' a good shout-out, okay?" Chen Mo joked with a smile.

"Then it's a deal!" Yu Dong suddenly revealed his true intentions.

Isn't this exactly what he wants?
In fact, Chen Mo really underestimated his influence, especially after he won two movies in the summer season this year and dominated the box office. It can be said that his evaluation of movies is regarded as a golden rule by many netizens.

Because Chen Mo really hasn't made any major mistakes in this regard.

What? "Yunnan Insect Valley"?
That's really not good, is it? Chen Mo said back then, "I haven't seen it yet, and I didn't direct it!"
Wu Jing immediately called Chen Mo.

"Director Chen, please put in a good word for 'The Climbers' when the time comes!" Wu Jing said on the phone.

"Easy to say, easy to say!"

However, Chen Mo didn't agree as readily this time.

The main reason is that although he hadn't seen this movie in his previous life, he didn't really remember it very well.

If Chen Mo doesn't remember the movie very well, then there's only one possibility: the movie wasn't as good as he imagined.

Otherwise, in terms of subject matter, this kind of patriotic film would have a very high probability of becoming a box office hit if it were released during this year's National Day holiday, the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

However, Chen Mo didn't really have much information about this movie in his memory, which meant that the movie probably really had problems.

The premiere of "The Captain" quickly followed that of "My People, My Country".

This film, as expected of one of Bona Film Group's "Pride of China Trilogy," is truly a continuation of their legacy.

It has to be said that Bona Film Group's strategy this time was really right, because they were all adapted from real major events.

Both the earlier film "The Bravest" and the current film "The Captain" are based on true events, and the biggest advantage of this kind of subject matter is that...

Even if the movie isn't that great, as long as it's above average, the box office will definitely be decent.

For many viewers, what truly moves them is the real-life prototype story, and this kind of emotion greatly enhances the film.

However, Chen Mo really shouldn't praise this kind of movie too much.

Therefore, when asked by the media for his opinion on the film, Chen Mo responded rather tactfully: "The Captain is based on a true story, and the original event can be said to have created a miracle in the world of civil aviation. In some ways, it is similar to The Bravest. As for this film, I think everyone can understand by referring to the success of The Bravest!" Chen Mo didn't want to say much more, mainly because, well, how should I put it, the two films were made?

It can only be said that they are of the same lineage.

The emotions were right, the deeds were moving, and the disaster was terrible.
However, the movie's only redeeming quality is its chosen subject matter!
Although Chen Mo didn't exaggerate as much as in "My People, My Country," for Yu Dong, Chen Mo's words were already quite respectful.

The press release was issued very quickly.

Chen Mo once again praised "The Captain," saying its box office performance may surpass that of "The Bravest"!

Chen Mo endorses the National Day film "The Captain"!

"Chen Mo has endorsed two patriotic films and given them high praise!"

That's how people are. Once you make a prediction, like Chen Mo's prediction that "My People, My Country" would be the biggest winner during the National Day holiday, everyone thinks it's very reliable.

However, when he reiterated that the box office performance of "The Captain" would not be worse than that of "The Bravest," it drew criticism from many netizens.

"No way? Chen Mo has changed too? Everyone who's seen it says it's good? What's the difference between him and other directors?"

"Exactly! Before, he said that 'My People, My Country' would be the biggest winner of the National Day holiday, and then he said that 'The Captain' would surpass 'The Bravest' at the box office. In his eyes, none of these movies are any different! Isn't that just typical empty talk?"

"I thought things would be different this time, but it seems Chen Mo's aura is going to fail again!"

The main point is that Chen Mo has directly endorsed two movies so far, but hasn't said anything that would stand out from the crowd.

That, on the contrary, is somewhat disappointing.

They felt that Chen Mo was starting to say polite things, which was different from what they had expected.

However, some netizens commented: "Actually, it's really different. Chen Mo didn't just say polite things. Look, for 'My People, My Country,' Chen Mo directly said that it would be the biggest winner of the National Day film season! But for 'The Captain,' do you really think that was a compliment? The reviews for 'The Bravest' don't seem to be very good, do they?"

Compared to other directors' platitudes, Chen Mo was actually quite honest. He practically said, "The film's subject matter was good, but how well was the film made? Take 'The Bravest' as an example, understand?"

"Wow, Chinese language and culture are truly profound! Thinking about it, it's really true!"

"It suddenly occurred to me that Chen Mo's promotion for 'Ne Zha' was completely different from his promotion for 'The Captain' this time!"

"It seems he'll also be attending the premiere of 'The Climbers,' I'm waiting to see what happens!"

The entertainment industry is never short of prophetic figures, but most of the time, they are not very famous.

Not to mention comparing him to Chen Mo, one of the most sought-after directors of our time.

Therefore, Chen Mo's evaluations of several films for which he has no vested interest appear to be relatively objective.

Of course, it's also because Chen Mo rarely endorsed bad movies in the past. At least, his evaluations of some obviously unpopular films were quite "real"!

For example, when talking about Chen Mo's film "The Legend of the Demon Cat", Chen Mo sincerely said, "The visuals are very grand and magnificent", but he didn't mention the plot at all. Later, it was proven that Chen Mo was right!
While the visuals of "Legend of the Demon Cat" received widespread acclaim, the plot was somewhat lacking.

Of course, the reason why Chen Mo's every word and action was amplified by the media is mainly because, as mentioned before, the entertainment industry was very quiet during the 70th anniversary celebration, so there really wasn't much juicy gossip to be had.

So naturally they needed a story to tell, and Chen Mo just happened to fill that gap.

Chen Mo attended the premiere of "The Climbers" with Yang Mi.

Chen Mo was invited by Wu Jing, while Yang Mi was invited by Hu Ge.

Speaking of which, when Chen Mo saw Hu Ge's name in the cast list for this movie, his previous bad premonition became even stronger.

Hu Ge is a well-known figure in the entertainment industry.

This famous thing, however, is divided into two parts.

Part of it is television dramas, and the television dramas he starred in seem to have consistently good ratings.

And they've produced quite a few best-selling items!

The Legend of Sword and Fairy series can be considered Hu Ge's most famous representative work, as can the later Nirvana in Fire.

In short, the TV dramas he starred in were basically a guarantee of high viewership ratings.

However, there is another group of films that are equally famous, and those need to be put in quotation marks.

Compared to television dramas, the films he starred in generally performed poorly at the box office.

Even if you don't remember the movie starring Hu Ge very clearly, you can imagine that his performance was not very good.

Otherwise, he would have already had a representative film.

It's hard to judge the fate of some people. Speaking of which, those who became famous through the "Chinese Paladin" series, including the three beauties of "Chinese Paladin" and Hu Ge, don't seem to have had any particularly good performances on the big screen.

That's right, Yang Mi is the same!
Getting back to the main point, in terms of cast, "The Climbers" is in no way inferior to "My People, My Country" during the National Day holiday period.

This marks Wu Jing's first leading role on the big screen since "Wolf Warrior 2" and "The Wandering Earth." The female lead is played by Zhang Zhiyi, and the cast includes several popular and talented middle-aged actors, with even Berlin Film Festival Best Actor winner Wang Jinchun in a supporting role.

It's fair to say that this cast is both famous and talented.

The anticipation surrounding this film is in no way inferior to that of "My People, My Country" and "The Captain"!
However, Chen Mo immediately began to secretly ponder what to do next.
He is in a difficult situation too!

If someone invites you to a premiere, it's a very generous invitation, so you should definitely give them face.

But you can't just say things against your conscience, can you?
Isn't this just ruining his public image?
However, after watching the movie, Chen Mo's bad premonition came true.

Why? Because this movie is damn hard to review.

In terms of subject matter, this subject matter is actually okay.

Actors? There doesn't seem to be a problem with the actors.

But the problem actually lies in the most crucial element: the plot!
Not only the plot, but there were also some issues that Chen Mo found somewhat inexplicable.

Movies often use the actors' own voices, unless their acting skills are really bad; otherwise, this is the case most of the time.

The fact that this movie underwent extensive changes to the dialogue and was re-dubbed is a real waste of Zhang Yi and Zhang Zhiyi's acting skills!

As a fundamental requirement for a film, the lip-syncing was consistently off.
Chen Mo was a little confused. What was the director thinking?

And then there's the biggest problem, or rather, the one that embarrasses him the most: love! Love! Love!
Goodness, "The Climbers" is supposed to be a patriotic film. Even if it takes a different approach, does that mean it can't tell a story without love?

What Chen Mo finds hardest to accept is that they're using public communication channels to date while climbing Mount Everest! Goodness, this is truly romantic if this were a pure love story!

After all, isn't it incredibly romantic to casually talk about love while climbing Mount Everest, the world's highest peak?
So here's the question: this is the teammate of the first Chinese female mountaineering team to summit Mount Everest North Peak!

Did you portray him as someone obsessed with love?
And the era, pay attention to the era! That's the 60s, are they playing at such romantic love?
So as he watched, Chen Mo put on the mask of pain.

It's not exactly a bad movie, but it's not exactly a good movie either, so it's kind of awkward!
What's even more embarrassing is that what moved Chen Mo the most in the whole film was actually those simple, smiling faces in the real footage at the end! It could be said that what moved him was the weight of history, but not the film itself.

That's just outrageous, isn't it?

Films like "The Bravest" and "The Captain" have at least one or two moments or scenes that are genuinely moving, but this is hard to judge!
(End of this chapter)