This director lacks vision.

Chapter 260 Controversy and Film Reviews

Xiao Yang took Wang Taili's suggestion seriously, believing that starting with film review accounts was indeed a viable path for development.

Once you have a fan base, you can shoot some online short films, and then you'll have an audience.

That day, he watched Lost in Thailand three times and then watched The Flowers of War twice.

As for Flying Swords of Dragon Gate, Xiao Yang had already seen it.

After returning home, Xiao Yang wrote a lot of things, but none of them were systematic.

His first film review was written with some of his own opinions, but without a clear theme to connect them, it seemed very scattered.

Unable to come up with any ideas, Xiao Yang decided to look for inspiration online.

He logged into Li Yi Bar and found that most of today's popular posts were about Lost in Thailand.

"Brothers, I need to see Lisa's real information within three hours!"

"Having just finished watching Lost in Thailand, I strongly suspect that Wang Sicong's 'Sicong-style sweet talk' is directed at a transgender person!"

“I checked the external website, and BOC has deleted Lisa’s information. It’s obvious that the previous information was fake.”

"To be honest, let's hear from those who have seen the movie to see how Wang Sicong's acting is."

"What acting skills does Wang Sicong have? He's all about being real. He's definitely been completely fooled by Jiang Yifeng! Thinking about this makes me want to laugh even more."

"Wang Sicong is awesome, but he can't escape Jiang Yifeng's grasp. You can only say Jiang Yifeng is too awesome!"

"Are king cobras really that big? A giant venomous snake four or five meters long! I was shocked after watching the movie!"

"What's the name of the song 'The Light of Righteousness'? I can't find it by searching for those words. It's a bit corny, but it's also really catchy."

"My record of never crying in the movie theater was broken, but not because I cried, but because I laughed until tears came out. Lost in Thailand is so damn funny."

"Let's all make predictions about how much box office Lost in Thailand will get, and what famous memes will emerge. I nominate Li Chenggong's line—'What a talent!'"

……

Seeing these posts, Xiao Yang truly felt the impact of Lost in Thailand.

If a movie doesn't rely on fans to inflate its box office numbers, then as long as there are enough viewers and the box office is high, it will generate a lot of related discussions.

Like a certain Ling, whose weight loss film grossed billions at the box office, or Zhang Yimou's Man Jiang Hong, whose film also had a high box office.

However, there is very little information about the film's content, discussions, or related topics.

The fact that all the controversy is outside the film itself is very problematic.

Lost in Thailand has only been out for one day, but it's already the focus of attention and is about to become a trend.

This effect is due to both the positive reputation built up by Jiang Yifeng's previous works and the effectiveness of the publicity.

Wang Sicong's acting skills and his signature sweet talk have been the subject of much discussion online.

Now that the movie is out, his relationship with the transgender person will definitely be the subject of ridicule.

Xiao Yang read many posts on Tieba but couldn't find any inspiration. He then checked other forums, but the result was the same.

So he logged into Weibo again.

However, it was discovered that the top trending topic on Weibo was not Wang Sicong or transvestites, but "Jiang Yifeng angrily criticizes the Flowers of War".

Upon seeing this topic, Xiao Yang's eyes lit up, and she became alert.

He clicked on the topic and found that Jiang Yifeng had posted a Weibo post an hour earlier.

"I've been busy with the company's IPO these past few days, so I haven't been paying much attention to the movie 'Lost in Thailand'."

Today was the premiere of Lost in Thailand, and I specifically looked at the related news, only to find that Zhang Weiping was like a mad dog, constantly chasing and biting me.

One minute they say I monopolize theatrical releases, the next they say I only know how to pander to audiences by making comedies and have no artistic aspirations.

The various idiotic remarks are laughable.

I went to the cinema specifically to watch Zhang Weiping's boasted "The Flowers of War".

Good heavens, it's disgusting.

I don't understand why such a terrible movie is being praised by major domestic media outlets. Is it just because this movie is aiming for an Oscar?

The Oscars are just a local American film award. They select films that conform to American values. To win an award, one has to cater to or even grovel to American values.

Why do Chinese films always strive to win the Oscars?

Ann Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film because he denigrated traditional Chinese culture and vigorously promoted the Western spirit of freedom in the film.

In essence, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is a Western film disguised as an Eastern martial arts film, showcasing the so-called superiority of the spirit of freedom.

The foreigners really liked this movie, so it naturally won an award.

Zhang Yi also understood this principle.

In an attempt to win an Oscar, he turned "The Flowers of War" into a pile of chocolate-shaped poop.

The entire movie is designed to satisfy the fantasies of white men coming to the East to be saviors and incidentally pick up women.

This fantasy is still based on the serious disaster of the Holocaust.

I ask you, is this art?
The fact that such a terrible movie can still get high box office in China is already a testament to the tolerance of domestic audiences. If Zhang Weiping is still not satisfied, then I have no choice but to give you a proper explanation.

I'll say it one last time: no matter what kind of movie it is, once it's released in theaters, it's a commodity, and commodities should be categorized.

Comedy movies should be funny; they shouldn't try to explore any profound human nature.
Historical disaster films should strive to accurately depict history and clearly explain the process and truth of the disaster, rather than trying to find the brilliance of humanity in the disaster.

If there is any glory, it is the glory of us Chinese people; we are the victims.

I'm baffled. On the subject of a massacre, first there was Lu Taijun trying to think from the perspective of the invaders, and then there was Zhang Yimou trying to show Bai Daren's compassion and glory. They're all disgusting things.

If you think my criticism is excessive, I'll post some pictures.

These are the evaluations of the Flowers of War by mainstream American media.

Look at how Americans view this terrible movie.

After reading Jiang Yifeng's Weibo post, Xiao Yang shook his head.

He felt that Jiang Yifeng's words made sense, but went too far.

The Flowers of War has its problems, but it's not bad enough to be considered a terrible movie.

As for Jiang Yifeng criticizing Zhang Weiping and the Thirteen Beauties of Nanjing, Xiao Yang agreed.

After all, Zhang Weiping, that big mouth, has been criticizing Jiang Yifeng quite a bit during this period.

Jiang Yifeng's retaliation was entirely justified.

However, Xiao Yang's opinion shifted after he clicked on the photo attached to Jiang Yifeng's Weibo post.

The first photo is a newspaper article published by The Hollywood Reporter.

One passage has been specially marked and translated.

"In Hollywood, only the most foolish producers would add elements of violence to a heavy disaster film like The Nanjing Massacre."

Not only did emo, but it also made sex one of the main elements.

This makes the whole film seem ridiculous and laughable, lacking not only logic and persuasiveness but also the weight of history and disaster.

The second photo is an article from The New York Times.

"The biggest problem with Emo is that it takes a detached, or even understated approach to the Nanjing Massacre. The whole story takes place in a fictional European-style church, and the film is full of suggestive allusions against the backdrop of the massacre. It is really disjointed and is just an extremely absurd soap opera."

Other photos include comments from the New York Post, Columbia University professors, the Los Angeles Times, and prominent Hollywood film critics.

Everyone agrees that "The Flowers of War" is a terrible movie.

Many people bluntly stated that Zhang Yimou's acting skills have declined significantly, and this is his worst film.

No matter how much Jiang Yifeng criticizes, it always seems like a tit-for-tat response.

But the comments from these Americans in the photos are real evidence, and the effect is too strong.

Even Xiao Yang, after watching it, felt that the Americans were right; The Flowers of War was indeed a terrible movie.

Jiang Yifeng's criticism of "The Flowers of War" garnered significant support from netizens, even influencing "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," with many people beginning to carefully study the film.

In the end, it was discovered that, as Jiang Yifeng had said, the film was indeed a yellow-clad, white-core movie.

Jiang Yifeng's Weibo post generated a lot of buzz.

Zhang Weiping couldn't sit still any longer and directly responded on Weibo. He used the same old tactics, saying that Jiang Yifeng was colluding with cinema chains to create a monopoly and that he only knew how to make comedies.

Seeing Zhang Weiping's comments, Xiao Yang suddenly had an inspiration. He thought of the theme he wanted to write about and started writing copy and making videos.

As Xiao Yang was making his first film review video, Lost in Thailand began its meteoric rise in the film market.

On December 22, the first day of its release, Lost in Thailand had an overall screening rate of 49.3% and a box office of 68.8 million yuan, once again setting a new record for the highest-grossing opening day and single day for a domestic film!

By around 2 p.m. the next day, the movie's box office had exceeded 100 million yuan.

In just one and a half days, the box office exceeded 100 million yuan, even faster than "Back to 20", setting a new record.

On the morning of December 25th, Jiang Yifeng updated a Weibo post announcing that the box office of Lost in Thailand had surpassed 12 million yuan in three days.

This has caused quite a stir!

Breaking 200 million in three days!
The Chinese film market has never seen such an amazing movie before.

This achievement wasn't obtained by cheating; it was earned through fierce competition amidst the onslaught of two blockbuster films, The Flowers of War and Flying Swords of Dragon Gate!
After the release of "Lost in Thailand," the box office of "The Flowers of War" was halved, with daily box office revenue remaining at around 10 million yuan. "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate" also declined significantly.

"Lost in Thailand breaks box office record again, Jiang Yifeng crowned King of Commercial Films!" This was the headline report on the front page of Sohu Portal on December 25.

This title is exaggerated, calling Jiang Yifeng the king of commercial films.

In the past, some people might have questioned or ridiculed him, but this time, netizens' opinions are unanimous—Jiang Yifeng deserves this title.

With just three films, Jiang Yifeng has become the king of commercial films in the hearts of many!

Seeing this, Zhang Weiping became even more furious and started firing off again.

"Isn't making comedies and getting high box office returns just taking a shortcut? What's so great about that!"
If everyone were to emulate Jiang Yifeng, the Chinese film market would be filled with comedies.

Is it healthy for a film market where everyone is making comedies? Will it develop in a positive direction?

In the past, Feng Xiaogang's comedies were very successful at the box office, but audiences and media professionals were rational and would criticize and question him, urging him to improve.

Now, Jiang Yifeng is making a lot of money making comedies, and instead of criticizing him, everyone is singing his praises.

If this continues, the Chinese film market will perish.

This Weibo post was met with ridicule from netizens.

"Will the Chinese film market see a large number of directors like Jiang Yifeng? The thought is too beautiful to contemplate! Thank you for your kind words, Mr. Zhang!"

"Come make comedies, I love watching them! They're much better than all the trash movies you guys make."

"Zhang Weiping is just a film businessman. He got angry and embarrassed because he couldn't make money, so he started talking about art."

"Aspiring directors should learn from Jiang Yifeng."

"Making comedies is actually very difficult. Today I saw a brilliant analysis on Sohu Video about Lost in Thailand."

After watching this video, you'll understand Jiang Yifeng's dedication. The link is here.

Jiang Yifeng also clicked on Zhang Weiping's comment section. He originally wanted to have some fun and see how netizens were mocking Zhang Weiping. He accidentally saw this comment and clicked the link, which took him to Sohu Video.

The video's title is—"Pure comedy? Did you really understand Lost in Thailand?"

Jiang Yifeng was drawn to the title, and he also discovered that the account was called "Chopstick Brothers".

After clicking on the video, Xiao Yang's voice was also heard.

"Hello everyone, this is the Chopstick Brothers' channel."

My name is Xiao Yang. I graduated from the Advertising Directing major at Beijing Film Academy and have ten years of experience as a director.

Starting today, we will be updating this account with videos analyzing movies and TV shows. If you're interested, please follow us.

In today's video, we will analyze director Jiang Yifeng's new film "Lost in Thailand" in detail, and introduce you to a brand new "Lost in Thailand".

This video contains spoilers. If you haven't seen the movie, please exit this video.

I highly recommend everyone go to the cinema to experience the charm of the comedy film "Lost in Thailand" for yourself.

There's an old Chinese saying: "A trade is like a mountain to someone outside it."

Businessman like Zhang Weiping, who doesn't understand the difference between good and bad movies, might think that comedy movies are simple and that "Lost in Thailand" is nothing special.

In fact, it is not easy to make a good comedy film, and it is even more difficult to make a masterpiece. However, the movie "Lost in Thailand" is a masterpiece among masterpieces.

First of all, the jokes in Lost in Thailand are dense and natural, and they can be progressively developed as the plot progresses. The small jokes are cleverly designed, while the big jokes are often the turning points or breaking points of the plot.

In comedy films, "plot-driven humor" is more important than "character-driven humor" and "small, fragmented jokes."

Good comedy films all have a logically sound plot, using misunderstandings and contrasts to create laughs; the characters should also be vivid and memorable, with funny moments, such as Niu Geng's jinx, Li Chenggong's baldness, Huang Bo's folk-song lover, and Bobo's "money-grubbing tour guide".

Let me now analyze in detail what efforts Jiang Yifeng put into designing the comedic effect of Lost in Thailand.

……

Secondly, the camera work in Lost in Thailand is also masterful.

Putting everything else aside, just look at the scene Jiang Yifeng filmed where the king cobra is chasing him; you couldn't find a director anywhere in the world who could film it so perfectly!
His camera work in Lost in Thailand has reached a state of perfection.

Viewers laugh and find it entertaining, but laypeople don't understand the intricacies involved in its execution.

That's why Zhang Weiping dared to ignorantly mock "Lost in Thailand," while Zhang Yimou hasn't come out to say that "Lost in Thailand" is bad.

I'm sure he's seen Lost in Thailand, and after watching it, he'll know how deep the water is in there.

……

Finally, let's talk about the so-called depth of film.

In my opinion, Lost in Thailand is quite profound. The film, amidst its humor and satire, reveals the absurd reality of Thailand.

Gangs run rampant, white men are supreme, warlords and religious problems are rampant, and the so-called tourism industry is just a place for lower-class white men in Europe and America to buy sex.

In order to escape poverty, the local poor women sell themselves, and the men mutilate their bodies to become transgender people, all in an effort to sell themselves.

This is why Popovich prioritizes money and uses "I need more money" as his catchphrase.

Why did Li Chenggong ultimately sell Boningqiang to an American company?

He had no choice but to sell; otherwise, he wouldn't be able to return to China.

The first time I watched the movie "Lost in Thailand," I laughed until I cried. The second time I watched it, I still laughed heartily. But the third time I watched it, I fell silent.

If you shift your perspective to the female protagonist, Bobo, you'll have a different experience.

She was born into an ordinary family in Thailand and was unable to attend school as a child. However, she was virtuous, ambitious, and did not want to sell herself on the streets, nor did she want her younger brother to become a ladyboy. So she worked as a tour guide and worked hard to earn money.

For this reason, he didn't hesitate to impersonate a ladyboy, and was hunted down by local gangs, almost losing his life several times.

After going through many life-and-death situations, she finally earned a sum of money.

When they got home, they found that their younger brother had been injected with a drug and had become a transvestite, and was now snuggling up to a fat, disgusting white pig.

If you were Bobo, would you still be able to laugh? Do you have Bobo's resilience and self-reliance? You'd probably have long since become numb and resigned to your fate, and started seeking blessings in the next life through religion.

This is the real and cruel world.

If our country doesn't stand up, we'll end up like Thailand.

Speaking of this, I am reminded of The Flowers of War.

This movie sends a white man to our country during the Holocaust to act as a savior, promoting false compassion. The idea is extremely disgusting, and the logic is completely untenable.

If you compare them carefully, you'll find that although Lost in Thailand is lighthearted and funny, its script logic and depth far surpass those of The Flowers of War.

Jiang Yifeng was very restrained. He knew the audience was there for a comedy, so he hid these conflicts and realities so as not to affect their viewing experience.

Those who are truly willing to savor good movies repeatedly can appreciate the beauty of "Lost in Thailand" by watching it multiple times.

I have to say, director Jiang Yifeng is truly amazing. If he doesn't succeed, who will?

Seeing this, Jiang Yifeng himself laughed.

Xiao Yang is quite good at bragging.

When Jiang Yifeng was filming Lost in Thailand, he didn't think about all that; he was just focused on filming.

After Xiao Yang's effusive praise, it seemed as if many things had been pre-arranged.

Judging from the comments section, many viewers believed it.

"Wow, this blogger is really professional! I didn't know there was so much to learn about comedy films! I've learned something new!"

"In this comparison, Jiang Yifeng has indeed completely defeated Zhang Yimou this time."

"The blogger is really meticulous. After reading his analysis, I want to go to the cinema to watch Lost in Thailand again."

"I just went to the cinema to watch Lost in Thailand for the second time, and I found that the blogger's points are indeed consistent with the movie. The blogger is awesome, but Jiang Yifeng is even more awesome!"

"No one succeeds easily. Jiang Yifeng always puts a lot of effort into his work. Thank you for the blogger's explanation."

"After watching Lost in Thailand, all I could do was laugh, but the blogger was able to analyze so many things. The gap between me and the blogger is as big as the gap between the blogger and Jiang Yifeng!"

"Jiang Yifeng's films have depth and meaning. Lost in Thailand satirizes the cannibalistic nature of white men, but it doesn't overshadow the main theme and still makes the audience laugh out loud."

In contrast, Zhang Yimou's "The Flowers of War" is clearly a disaster film, yet it praises the white man, and the female lead even has to offer herself to him and sleep with him. It's truly disgusting.

……

After seeing these comments, Jiang Yifeng thought for a moment and then forwarded the Chopstick Brothers' video.

On the one hand, this video praises Jiang Yifeng and Lost in Thailand very well, making Jiang Yifeng feel very comfortable. Moreover, after watching the analysis, many people are willing to go to the cinema to watch Lost in Thailand two or even three times.
On the other hand, Jiang Yifeng stole the luck of the Chopstick Brothers, so he should compensate them in some way.

If there's an opportunity in the future, we could sign Xiao Yang to Fengxing Media and sponsor his film production.

Under Jiang Yifeng's guidance, the Chopstick Brothers' video, "Pure comedy? Did you really understand Lost in Thailand?", became a hit online.

In less than two days, the video had been viewed over ten million times.

The Chopstick Brothers' account has also reached more than 30 followers, with rapid growth in followers.

Many netizens gained a new understanding of the movie "Lost in Thailand" after watching the video.

For a time, the internet was filled with praise for Lost in Thailand and Jiang Yifeng, with Lost in Thailand performing very well at the box office.

Meanwhile, The Flowers of War's reputation has become increasingly tarnished, and its box office performance has declined.

No matter how much Zhang Weiping struggled, it was all in vain.

As for Zhang Yimou, he continues to play dead, letting you all criticize him, but refusing to respond to any controversy.

(End of this chapter)