Chapter 1530
Tang Monk's Flesh
There are generally two paths for a child to truly grow into a mature adult.
Those with harmonious families completely leave their parents to live separately.
For those with poor family relationships, learn to rebel against your parents.
Both can prove that one is capable of living independently.
However, the former is leaving, while the latter is getting rid of.
Those who leave can return home at any time.
They broke free and gained control of the relationship.
The same applies to the business world.
Especially for both Party A and Party B.
Take mobile phones, for example. Samsung and Qualcomm were once so powerful that they dared to make domestic brands kneel down and beg them for help.
If you upset me in the slightest, I'll cut off your stock immediately.
Many domestic mobile phone brands have suffered great losses because of this kind of thing.
Many originally good products have suffered a collapse in reputation because they cannot be sold due to stockouts or because they can only find low-end substitutes when they are out of stock.
However, once domestic brands such as BOE and MediaTek emerged, their former arrogance was no longer what it once was.
Most successful companies and giants are incredibly arrogant when they are at their peak, without considering whether others will retaliate when they decline.
Britain thought the sun would never set.
The 20-year-old thought he could keep firing three shots in a row and was full of energy the next day.
Zhang Yuan could understand Wanda's arrogance and domineering attitude.
They are now the world's largest cinema chain, although they achieved this through acquisitions.
But it must be said, they do have the ability.
At that moment, in other people's eyes, I might not even be a chicken, but just chicken feed.
Otherwise, why did they ignore us when we brought up cooperation last time?
This time, because you disagreed with being "taken advantage of," they gave you a hard time.
That already speaks volumes.
The film market now is different from what it was a few years ago.
Ten years ago, for films by directors like Zhang Yimou, Feng Xiaogang, and several Hong Kong directors to be profitable, theaters had to appease them to sell tickets.
Otherwise, how could Zhang Weiping have "held the emperor hostage to command the princes" for so many years?
The market is good now, and there are more and more plays that can make money. If you don't listen, someone else will.
Zhang Yuan remained calm, and Jiang Zhiqiang, who called, didn't ask any further questions, for the same reason.
It's not a big deal.
The other party is only giving us attitude now, and that only applies to the re-release of "Ip Man 1".
And according to his description, nothing major had happened that could have seriously offended the other party.
Mr. Jiang believes the situation is under control.
It's nothing more than youthful impetuosity. I'll just invite both sides to sit down for a meal and talk things out.
Zhang Yuan, however, had a slightly different idea.
He realized that a conflict between himself and the cinemas was bound to arise at some point.
Then it's better to take control of your destiny, let this conflict come sooner, and proactively choose a controllable conflict to minimize its impact.
It's much better than waiting until one day I have a film with an investment of hundreds of millions that gets sabotaged by the other side and suffers a huge loss.
Hesitation will only lead to more trouble.
If you give in easily this time because the other party is also trying to take advantage of you, you'll never be able to hold your head high in front of them again.
He put down his phone and admired the Siamese girl taking a selfie on the lawn in the backyard for a while longer.
She is beautiful, but we don't speak the same language and have difficulty communicating.
It's very troublesome to communicate through translators all the time.
In the evening, a chef would arrive in advance to prepare the meal.
There are also people setting up parties, DJs making music, and performers putting on shows.
Some security personnel even arrived.
These arrangements were all made by the real estate developer where the villa is located, so he didn't have to spend any money.
After the party started, people gradually arrived.
He didn't know any of them, so he could only greet each of the managers on the Siamese side one by one.
"This is the district head of Hangdong District."
"This is Councilor Sena Su."
"This is a producer from Chiang Mai TV..."
Anyway, a bunch of strangers were speaking in languages I couldn't understand, and they were having a lively conversation with him.
He was used to this kind of thing; it often happened when he went to brand business meetings.
At first, I wasn't used to it, and after a whole night of faking smiles, my cheeks ached.
Now I can control it freely.
This may be what some people mean when they say that if you wear a mask for a long time, it will become one with your face.
The other three crew members also hung out with him.
At least he can communicate in English, but these three can only laugh it off.
Meanwhile, the Siamese woman, holding a glass of wine, was led around by her agent, socializing and greeting her country's dignitaries.
Don't be fooled by her youthful and glamorous outfit and makeup that resembles that of a high school girl while traveling.
For such formal occasions, change into a white dress and apply bright red lipstick; even Westernized features can carry off this look.
Zhang Yuan would occasionally glance at it.
Seeing that she greeted people with a bright smile, without showing any girlish shyness or awkwardness, it was clear that she was a frequent socialite.
A hint of ambition also lingered in his brows and eyes.
At the same time, his smile also revealed a bit of the aura of a big star.
She was already quite famous when we communicated with Siam Culture & Tourism before.
But things are different now.
The comedy-horror film "Pee Mak," which her agency tailored specifically for her, has been released.
The final box office exceeded 10 billion Thai baht, which is about 2 million Chinese yuan.
Considering Siam's large population, this achievement is already quite remarkable.
Therefore, she is now known as the "Billion-Dollar Leading Lady".
Even with supporters, fame is fame.
Zhang Yuan would occasionally glance at her, and she would also glance at him unintentionally.
Her bright red lips were biting the wine glass, and her eyes were alluring.
She knows she's a "billion-dollar leading lady," but she's clear about whether it's her talent or luck.
Initially, the TV station and her agent asked her to be a "tour guide," but she was unwilling and immediately refused.
But when she learned that she was to be Zhang Yuan's tour guide, she became interested.
After her agent brought her Zhang Yuan's basic information, her interest turned into excitement.
In Siam, temples are small but evil spirits abound, and shallow waters teem with turtles.
No matter how much more they struggle, the market is only so big.
But China has a market of over a billion viewers. If it could break out of Siam and go to Asia, that would be a wonderful thing.
Moreover, Zhang Yuan is a Hollywood star. If he can use this opportunity to break out of Asia and go global, it will be even more incredible!
People always want to take shortcuts.
Now that Zhang Yuan, this "Tang Monk," has arrived in Siam, a spider demon naturally wants to achieve immortality.
After the social gathering, everyone left around midnight. Baoqiang, who was quite drunk, blushed and casually pulled the bald man and Huang Bo to say goodbye.
"Big brother, we're leaving now, so as not to disturb your date."
"roll!"
"Go back and rest early, don't delay tomorrow's filming." Zhang Yuan waved him away.
Looking at the house, which hadn't been lived in for a single day, it was already in complete disarray.
Party trash—bottles, dishes, confetti, and other debris—was everywhere. "We'll get someone to clean it up tomorrow."
He glanced at it briefly and decided to stay at a hotel instead.
He asked his assistant to turn off the power, and then they went to find a place to rest.
Inside the master bedroom on the second floor, on the large bed.
The Siamese girl, who had carefully arranged herself and was pretending to be drunk while lying on the pure white sheets, noticed that the lights had gone out...
Half an hour later, the house was eerily quiet. Unable to contain herself any longer, she went out and downstairs to check, only to find that everyone had already left.
I originally wanted to stage a scene where someone gets drunk and accidentally wanders into the emperor's residence, to create some fun and then get a little involved.
Don't let the other person eat it first; tease them.
Let go only after the other person can't hold back any longer.
Just like on the first day when she waited for Zhang Yuan to take her back to her room, this girl discovered that the Chinese never did what she wanted.
The woman scratched her head vigorously.
Could it be that he doesn't like me?
Why did you give me a cameo role in a movie?
She was very happy to be able to appear in China.
impossible!
I'm so beautiful, how could any man not like me?
Unless he's a liar!
The woman stomped her foot and had no choice but to call her agent to pick her up.
She doesn't understand.
The biggest reason affecting the birth rate is not the inability to find a partner, but working overtime every day.
Can vegetarianism and chanting Buddhist prayers help one abstain from lust?
It takes 996 or 007 to abstain from lust!
What kind of good man works overtime for a whole week and still has the mind to sleep with women when he gets home?
My phone is so choppy I can't even scroll anymore, and I'm still doing bedroom exercises...
This is the situation for Zhang Yuan.
After returning to the hotel, he became a heartless overtime machine.
He had a bunch of emails and documents waiting for him to read.
Among them, there is also the most refreshing one.
It is common knowledge that people never get tired when they are doing bad things.
Zhang Yuan didn't even need coffee; just looking at the materials for "The King's Feast" sent by the company was enough to keep him alert.
After glancing at the film schedule and the other party's publicity, he took out his notebook and scribbled down a few notes.
At this moment, Lu Chuan had already started doing promotional tours with Liu Ye and Qin Lan.
It is said to be the culmination of years of work by the renowned director Lu.
Whenever he sees Sha Yi in ancient costume playing Xiao He, the image of him kneeling and holding the imperial seal always comes to mind.
Upon seeing him, Zhang Yuan wanted to become emperor.
But it must be said that Qin Lan is a good woman.
She neglected her career for love when she was with Huang Xiaoming.
On Lu Chuan's side, they continued to support each other.
Speaking of which, Qin Lan is practically a specialist in playing Empress Lü, having portrayed her several times.
Among ancient women, Empress Lü, Empress Wu Zetian, and Empress Dowager Cixi are all very difficult to portray because these three women have many anti-feminine traits.
Ruthless, vicious, decisive, and power-hungry—these are characteristics that do not conform to traditional female portraits and are not likable.
What kind of women do Chinese people like?
Women like Empress Zhangsun, Empress Ma, or Wei Zifu, who, after being drawn, yield a bunch of SSR characters.
Liu Xiaoqing is undoubtedly the best actress to portray Wu Zetian.
Empress Dowager Cixi was Lü Zhong's teacher, without a doubt.
Yuko Tanaka's portrayal of Empress Dowager Cixi in "The Rise of the Phoenix" is also quite good, but it still falls short compared to Lu Zhong's performance.
This drama is also good, quite entertaining. The director is Wang Jun, who later directed "The Legend of Da Ru".
This shows that the person in question is capable of directing, and can direct, Qing Dynasty dramas well. So why did "The Legend of Da Ru" turn out like that...?
When it comes to Empress Lü, both Wu Qianlian and Gong Li have played the role.
But Zhang Yuan felt that Qin Lan was the best actress to portray the character.
Wu Qianlian's temperament is not like that. Gong Li's "The Conqueror of Western Chu" was just average. She was also young at that time, and her acting skills were not yet at their peak.
Qin Lan played an ugly character in "The Last Supper," and her performance was very nuanced.
That's one of the film's strengths.
Zhang Yuan recalled the play and said that it couldn't be said that it had no merits at all.
Just like Director Lu's previous film, "Nanjing, Nanjing".
Qin Hui had three friends; every scoundrel has his merits.
The cinematography and atmosphere of "The Last Supper" are excellent.
However, this drama was not directed by Yao Cheng's husband, Cao Yu, and you can clearly feel that the shooting style is different from Lu Chuan's other works.
The performances of the actors were also quite good, especially those from mainland China.
Liu Ye, Qin Lan, Sha Yi, Tao Zeru, Li Qi.
Although Lü Yulai, the actor who played Ziying, was not very famous, his performance was quite good.
On the contrary, Ah Zu and Chang Chen, one playing Xiang Yu and the other Han Xin, both former elite soldiers, gave rather ordinary performances.
Peter Ho looks more like him...
Aside from these points, the rest is not very good!
It's the same problem as in "City of Life and Death".
Lu Chuan's thinking is flawed.
In short: He's mentally ill!
Moreover, this is not just his problem; it's a common ailment among some of the top directors in the entertainment industry.
The most obvious examples are Lu Chuan, Chen Kaige, and Guan Hu.
I love the island nation style!
Whether it's "The Feast at Hongmen," "Xiang Yu the Hegemon," or "Emperor Gaozu's Ascension to the Throne."
These are all authentic Chinese stories.
However, in terms of setting, Lu Chuan uses the Japanese army's method!
Just like when Chen Shishi made "The Emperor and the Assassin" back then, it's a Chinese story, but it has the underlying logic of Japanese style.
The most direct point is that, as anyone familiar with history knows, Liu Bang was 24 years older than Xiang Yu.
However, in "The Last Supper," Liu Bang was only 5 years older than Xiang Yu.
Why is that?
This theory was proposed by Yasuhiko Satake, a scholar from an island nation.
His basis is that the statement in the Book of Han that "the King of Han was forty-two years old when he ascended the throne" may be a typo for "thirty-two years old".
Then, by drawing targets based on arrows and working backward from the data, they developed their own "school of thought".
This set of Japanese theories does not conform to the historical records such as the Records of the Grand Historian and the Commentary on the Book of Han.
But Lu Chuan just wouldn't listen, he was like a turtle chanting scriptures.
He claimed to have conducted historical research for several years, but ultimately adopted the Japanese's unorthodox theories.
This is just one example; many details are not right.
The costumes, props, and plot all have problems.
Zhang Yuan admitted that the cinematography in the film was good, but many of the shots and the visual style were actually imitating the masterpiece "Ran" by Japanese master Akira Kurosawa.
It becomes quite obvious if you watch two movies together.
Anyway, Zhang Yuan didn't know the specific reason why this was the case, and he didn't dare to ask.
If you really ask, just say "Sino-Japanese cultural exchange" and that's it.
The island's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has an annual budget of over 700 billion yen, of which 780 billion yen is a special fund for "responding to the spread of information overseas and the manipulation of public opinion by external forces".
Zhang Yuan even wanted to ask Poet Chen for Director Lu's contact information, since they could all make money together...
He gathered his thoughts, organized them, and then closed his notebook.
"It's not the right time yet."
He casually crossed his legs.
"Let the bullets fly a little longer." (End of Chapter)