This director is vindictive.

Chapter 261 Only when the tide goes out do you discover who's been swimming naked.

The trending topic #ChenMoDoubleStandardWarning# is just as popular as the trending topic of Chen Mo's scathing reviews of the other two movies.

Don't be fooled by the fact that Chen Mo seems to have good relationships in the entertainment industry.

But in reality, there are more people who dislike him.

After all, he can easily dominate the trending topics and create buzz every time.

Many people are hoping for Chen Mo's downfall, so the sudden surge in popularity must be due to someone quietly pushing things along.

Moreover, this wave has indeed put Chen Mo in the eye of the storm.

Unless he actually gives the same sarcastic and critical review of "Hi, Mom," he will definitely not be able to get rid of the label of double-standard capitalist or sarcastic capitalist anytime soon.

So here's the question: "Hi, Mom" ​​itself was invested in by Shengshi Pictures.

Although the share is only a quarter, it's still quite a lot.

As an investor, it's fine for Chen Mo to endorse this film, but the problem is that if he dares to praise it, he's essentially confirming his double standards.

As a result, the premiere of "Hi, Mom" ​​became the focus of attention for countless people.

However, the main creators of "Hi, Mom" ​​drama, especially Jia Ling, were on high alert.

High popularity is a good thing, but sometimes too much popularity is not necessarily a good thing.

Compared to "Detective Chinatown 3" and "A Writer's Odyssey," although "Hi, Mom" ​​can't be said to be unknown, it's clear that in many people's eyes, it's not even in the same league.

Chen Mo hadn't really intended to influence the movie through his own efforts, but things didn't go as planned!

While he wasn't surprised by the shift in public opinion, he couldn't possibly have predicted it.

Chen Mo had seen the movie "Hi, Mom" ​​in his previous life, and if he watched it again, objectively speaking...

This movie can't be considered a classic; its strengths and weaknesses are quite obvious.

From the perspective of cinematic language, there are obvious flaws: the dramatic structure relies on the plot twist in the last 10 minutes to support the whole film, while the first 100 minutes are essentially a fragmented comedy in the style of a Spring Festival Gala skit!

Even the audiovisual language remains at the level of a TV drama, with multiple scenes exhibiting basic errors such as confused timelines and jump cuts.

The performance system is also inconsistent, with Zhang Xiaofei's immersive performance creating a significant disconnect between his stage performance and that of other actors.

Of course, its advantages are also obvious, namely that it can indeed be considered a "sincere work".

It can only be said that the reason this movie was able to achieve such high box office numbers in its previous life was entirely due to the perfect combination of timing, location, and people.

The 2021 Spring Festival film season coincided with the first peak in moviegoing after the pandemic, and the policy of celebrating the Spring Festival locally spurred a collective emotional need for "intergenerational family affection".

Therefore, the success of this film can be seen as a cultural phenomenon within a specific time and space, and there is indeed a gap between its artistic achievement and its box office status. However, objectively speaking, it is neither a "masterpiece" in the eyes of some people, nor should it be simply dismissed as a "bad movie".

Closer to home.

Finally, the moment everyone had been waiting for arrived.

Many people are curious about how Chen Mo will rate this movie.

The audience, media personnel, and even the main creators all looked at Chen Mo.

He naturally became the center of attention in the crowd.

At the premiere of "Hi, Mom," when the host handed the microphone to Chen Mo, all the reporters in the audience raised their recorders, and the cameras focused on his slightly pursed lips.

Regardless of how the outside world evaluates Chen Mo—whether he's a double standard, a man who dares to speak the truth, a cunning capitalist, or a trendsetter in film viewing—it doesn't matter.

But all of this only proves one thing: Chen Mo is practically a benefactor to the media reporters.

After all, he can bring news, generate buzz, and attract traffic; they don't care about anything else.

As for the main creative team members, they were somewhat apprehensive.

After all, Chen Mo's words can be truly deadly when they're sharp, but a single compliment from him can bring the dead back to life.

Chen Mo smiled and said, "Everyone, stop asking questions, I'll just get straight to the point!"

"Jia Ling's directorial debut, it certainly looks like a 'debut' film!"
To be honest, from a filmmaker's perspective, the cinematography of this film is as immature as a student's homework, and the editing rhythm is as chaotic as a medley of Spring Festival Gala sketches. But that's okay, the twist in the last ten minutes is enough to make the audience forget the mediocrity of the first 100 minutes.

If you ask me if this movie is good or not, I can only say it's very "tear-jerking"!
The costumes and props exude a 'low-cost' vibe, and the 80s scenes resemble nostalgic photoshoots in county-level photo studios. But it is precisely this 'rustic' feel that makes the memories more authentic—after all, whose youth isn't accompanied by a rough filter?

This movie is like a love letter to a mother—except that this love letter has been made into a movie.

In summary, I think this movie is like a sweater knitted by your mother—the stitches are crooked, but it's incredibly warm to wear.

As for whether this movie is a good movie or not?

I'm reminded of a popular term lately: "emotional value"!
For example, why are people willing to tip streamers when watching live streams? Because the streamer provides emotional value. So what about movies?
In my opinion, *Hi, Mom* is a successful "emotional product," but whether it's a "good movie" depends on your definition.

"In the end, the film may not receive great reviews, but its box office performance will be excellent! It might even become the dark horse of this year's Spring Festival film season!" Chen Mo said before putting down the microphone.

But for the journalists, it was more than enough.

This time, however, Chen Mo didn't use any sarcastic remarks, which surprised them somewhat.

As expected, this happened after the premiere.

Chen Mo's comments quickly went viral online, and public opinion became polarized.

Supporters believe that he pointed out the film's shortcomings while affirming its emotional value, making his evaluation fair and reasonable.

Opponents, however, insist that he downplayed the seriousness of the issues, deliberately concealed the shortcomings, and promoted the works he had invested in.

"Heh, as expected, a master of double standards. Every sentence seems to be belittling, but in fact, every sentence is praising!"

"Who can blame them when this movie is directly related to their interests?"

"Chen Yin-Yang is confirmed to be a capitalist! A skit movie is a dark horse? Does he really think his mouth is blessed and his words can become law?"

In a post-premiere interview, Jia Ling appeared unusually cautious when facing the media: "Thank you for Director Chen's comments. As a new director, I do have a lot to learn. The film itself is the result of the team's hard work, and the audience's word-of-mouth is the ultimate standard." This response was interpreted as a subtle way of distancing himself from the controversy surrounding Chen Mo's "double standards."

The following day, a well-known film critic published a long article titled "When Capital Influences Evaluation, How Much Truth Remains in Film?", directly targeting Chen Mo: "Previously, Chen Mo successfully established a persona of 'daring to speak the truth' and not speaking politely' through his sharp and incisive reviews of many films."

He truly deserves the title of marketing genius; his ability to market his own persona is unparalleled.

To be honest, I'm a little disappointed, as he recently attended the premieres of three movies in a row.

The film critic offered a sharp, sarcastic critique of the movies "A Writer's Odyssey" and "Detective Chinatown 3," but then gave a seemingly negative but actually positive review to the short film "Hi, Mom."

It's perfectly acceptable to use the influence of one's public persona to promote films invested in by one's company, but what's most unacceptable is his double standard.

He harshly criticizes films that are not of interest to him, while openly criticizing but actually praising films that are of interest to him. This kind of evaluation, which is influenced by capital, is undoubtedly eroding his public image.

This time, the magic halo faded, and when the tide went out, it was discovered that he had been swimming naked all along!

At the same time, a large number of sarcastic comments flooded Chen Mo's Weibo.

Some netizens dug up his old posts criticizing other movies and compared them with his current review of "Hi, Mom" ​​to create a meme.

This further confirms Chen Mo's claim of being a double-standard capitalist.

Meanwhile, the newly emerging topic #ChenMoScoringElasticity# has quietly climbed to the top of the trending searches.

Chen Mo suddenly felt like his "image had collapsed." Netizens' reactions were polarized—

Supporters believe his assessment is fair, pointing out both the film's shortcomings and affirming its emotional value: "I've seen 'Hi, Mom,' and what's wrong with him telling the truth? The film is indeed technically rough, but it's just so moving!"

"Although I haven't seen it, isn't it too early to say that there are double standards?"

"I think that if it weren't for the reviews of the previous two films, his review of 'Hi Mom' might have been misinterpreted as something completely incomprehensible."

"I'll wait until the movie is released and then see it before making any comments!"

Opponents mocked him for being hypocritical, criticizing him while secretly praising him: "'The stitches are crooked but they're incredibly warm'? Isn't that just a disguised compliment? He would have torn any other movie to shreds by now!"

"Hehe, capitalists' mouths are all lies. Why didn't he give such a review of 'The Legend of the Demon Cat' back then?"
The Yin-Yang commentary—whether it's Yin first then Yang, or Yang first then Yin—is a masterful exercise!

"Think about it carefully:"
Detective Chinatown 3: A successful commercial film, as long as you don't watch it as a mystery!
A Writer's Odyssey: I didn't quite understand it the first time I read it, so I need to read it a second time!
"Hi, Mom": Like a sweater knitted by mom - the stitches are crooked, but it feels especially warm when you wear it.

The first two parts are all about praising first and then criticizing, praising on the surface but criticizing in reality, while the latter is a typical example of praising by first criticizing, criticizing on the surface but praising in reality!
Learn from this; this is what you call Chen Mo's infamous double standards!

Some film critics even directly attacked: "Chen Mo's 'emotional value theory' is essentially a capitalist rhetoric - using 'tear-jerking' to cover up the film's own flaws and make the audience pay for cheap emotional appeal."

For a time, public opinion was in an uproar.

Supporters and opponents alike are all waiting for the final showdown.

That means the official release of several films scheduled for the Spring Festival!
After all, you haven't even seen the movie yet, what the hell are you talking about!
Finally, the 2021 Spring Festival has arrived.

January 12, 2021, the first day of the Lunar New Year.

Several films scheduled for release during the Spring Festival have been unveiled.

As a fan of mystery films, Cao Yu has been eagerly anticipating "Detective Chinatown," currently the number one detective film IP in China.

Although he wasn't a critic of Chen Mo, he was still quite dissatisfied with Chen Mo's previous review of "Detective Chinatown 3".

My main concern is that this film is being treated too negatively.

This IP has quite a few fans, and it can be said that those who are dissatisfied with Chen Mo make up the majority of them.

Most of the first people to go to the cinema to see this movie on the first day of the Lunar New Year were also fans of this series.

Cao Yu bought IMAX tickets for "Detective Chinatown 3" well in advance and even posted on his WeChat Moments: "I want to see just how bad this movie that Chen Mo has belittled is!"

The screening room was packed. Half an hour into the movie, Cao Yu frowned—because he realized that Chen Mo was actually telling the truth.

He even felt that Chen Mo's comments were actually quite lenient.

It's fair to say that the higher his expectations were for the third installment, the greater the disappointment he's experienced now.

The plot was riddled with holes, the product placements were awkwardly blatant, and Wang Baoqiang's exaggerated performance filled the entire theater with an uncomfortable atmosphere. When he saw the pun on "Tokyo Hot," he finally couldn't help but roll his eyes in the dark: "Is this what they call a custom-made production with an 800 million yuan investment?"

Even so, he still has high hopes for this movie.

After all, the major plot twist at the end of the first "Detective Chinatown" movie was the finishing touch.

He was still hoping for a twist at the end.

However, when Q's identity was revealed, he was genuinely "surprised".

He recalled Chen Mo saying, "Don't watch it like a mystery film."

He used to think Chen Mo was too harsh, but now he suddenly realized that Chen Mo was being very polite.

The deeper the love, the deeper the hate; the more he loved this series before, the more frustrated he is now.

As the show ended, complaints from the surrounding audience were constant:

"The mystery elements are not as good as the first two films."

"The funniest part of the whole movie is when Q's identity is revealed!"

"Now I understand why Chen Mo was so critical; he was so disappointed!"

"Chen Mo was absolutely right, he was practically my mouth doing all the guessing! I spent two whole hours guessing, and in the end I found out the murderer was... the director's imagination!"

"Wang Baoqiang's performance is still solid! I thought Chen Mo was just praising him, but now I realize that the Yin-Yang Master is indeed the Yin-Yang Master. Damn, the character Tang Ren has been noisy, greasy, and vulgar for ten years. He really... hasn't forgotten his original intention!"

"And Liu Haoran's face is still so handsome! I finally understand the true meaning of this sentence: Although Qin Feng's IQ fluctuates in this movie, it doesn't matter, he's handsome enough!"

"Masami Nagasawa's acting is phenomenal! Although her character's motivation is a mystery, her crying scenes are truly beautiful, so beautiful that you forget why she's crying..."

"No, doesn't anyone else think that the final appearance of the 'Q Organization' had such a high-quality CG animation that it brought back memories of 'Legend of Ravaging Dynasties'!"

Hearing the complaints from the surrounding audience, Cao Yu shook his head.

Regardless of how good "Hi, Mom" ​​is, Chen Mo's evaluation of "Detective Chinatown 3" is absolutely spot on!
On the other hand, the screening room for "A Writer's Odyssey" was even more outrageous than the screening room for "Detective Chinatown 3".

"The appearance of the Red-Haired Demon is like a boss battle in an online game, but after you finish fighting him, you realize that he has nothing to do with the main storyline."

"Lei Datou's bewildered expression throughout the entire performance, asking 'Where is my daughter?' made me feel bewildered for him."

"Chen Mo said that 'watching it a second time' was a favor, but the truth is that he wanted to get a refund after watching it the first time."

"Damn it, you can say the plot logic is stupid, but the dialogue is so awkward I want to pick my toes, okay?"

When Lei Datou swung the Gatling gun and shouted "Human Cannon," I realized: this is not a fantasy film at all; it's a performance art piece by the director, using 140 minutes to prove that "as long as the special effects are fancy enough, people will buy into any plot, no matter how far-fetched!"

And I actually paid the bill!

"Chen Mo said 'you need to watch it twice to understand it,' which is too mild! To put it another way: the first time you watch it, you'll be shocked to death, and only on the second watch will you discover the 'I'm a lunatic' Easter egg that the director planted!"

Meanwhile, in another cinema, as the end credits of "Hi, Mom" ​​rolled, the lights in the screening room slowly came on. Many viewers remained seated, heads bowed, wiping away tears, or silently savoring the final twist.

Someone muttered, "Chen Mo's line, 'The stitches are crooked but they're so warm,' really hit the nail on the head... Looking back now, all those fragmented jokes were just setting the stage for the knife scene in the last ten minutes."

One viewer, with tears in their eyes, said, "Damn it, Chen Mo said this was a 'sweater with crooked stitches,' but nobody told me this sweater was so heartbreaking!"

"To be honest, the beginning was indeed a mess, like watching a Spring Festival Gala skit, but the last 10 minutes had a plot twist. Even though I knew it was deliberately trying to be sentimental, I still wanted to cry, and I missed my mom too!"

As audience members left the theater, they took out their phones and shared their viewing experience on social media.

One netizen posted: "Just finished watching 'Hi, Mom,' and now my eyes are swollen like walnuts. Chen Mo's assessment is spot on—the technique is rough, but the emotional impact is too strong, and the final twist completely stunned me!"

This post was quickly shared, and the comment section was filled with people who felt the same way: "Same here! I thought it was just a regular comedy at first, but I burst into tears in the last ten minutes!"

"Chen Mo was being too kind by saying it was 'tear-jerking,' it was 'tear-jerking to the point of collapse'!"

As the release dates of the three films, "Detective Chinatown 3," "A Writer's Odyssey," and "Hi, Mom," have been extended, comments about the three films have begun to emerge.

Some movie fans compared screenshots of real-time audience feedback for the three films:
The hashtag #DetectiveChinatown3# is full of complaints about "poor reasoning" and "awkward advertising".

The hashtag #A Writer's Odyssey# was flooded with comments like "fragmented plot" and "special effects can't save the logic."
While there were criticisms of the "awkward cinematography" under the trending topic #Hi, Mom#, there were also many emotional responses such as "crying until my mask was soaked" and "regretting not bringing tissues".

Public opinion has begun to subtly shift. Many netizens who previously mocked Chen Mo for "double standards" have quietly deleted their memes and are now asking, "So... he was just telling the truth?"

A film critic revised his manuscript overnight and wrote in his column: "It must be admitted that Chen Mo's predictions for the three films were frighteningly accurate—he pointed out the opportunism of 'Detective Chinatown 3' by saying 'Don't watch it as a mystery film,' hinted at the chaos of 'A Writer's Odyssey' by saying 'It needs to be watched twice,' and his 'sweater theory' about 'Li Huanying' precisely revealed the dialectical relationship between technical defects and emotional value in commercial films."

(End of this chapter)