The Best Director

As early as May 2nd, “X-Men 2,” starring Hugh Jackman and Halle Berry, with a production budget of $110 million, premiered in 3,741 theaters. It kickstarted the summer with $107 million in its opening weekend. Now in its sixth week in North America, it has grossed $200 million; the same week also saw the release of the Disney teen movie “The Lizzie McGuire Movie.”

On May 9th, the $60 million budgeted comedy “Daddy Day Care” was released on a large scale; and the $150 million production of “The Matrix Reloaded” had its premiere.

By the following week of May 16th to 22nd, it unsurprisingly seized the first-week box office champion with $121 million, hot on the heels of last year’s “District 9,” which set a record of $131 million for the highest-grossing opening week for an R-rated film. Now in its fourth week, the North American box office has reached $250 million. Although its momentum has virtually run out, whether it can approach or break “District 9’s” high mark of $330 million for the highest-grossing R-rated film in North America is still a topic of interest for media and fans.

Regardless, “Reloaded” has been immensely satisfying for most film critics and sci-fi fans, with its stunning visual effects, elevated layers of thought, the expression of Eastern Zen, and the super cool Eastern kung fu… This uniquely styled Cult film has received some top-level accolades as “a perfect blend of commerce and art!”

Of course, there were also dissenting voices, deeming “Reloaded” as boring and stale, completely lacking the tight excitement of the first installment and leading to great disappointment. On Rotten Tomatoes, its scores are only above average, with an audience approval rating of 74% and a critics’ fresh rating of 74%. Andrew Sarris, a film critic for the “New York Observer” who gave a fresh rating, said, “I like this film and I recommend it with a clear conscience. But it never moved me, not to mention that it didn’t even come close to half of what Steven Spielberg achieved with ‘A.I. Artificial Intelligence’.”

And as the first person in history to win an Oscar for Best Director for a science fiction film, Wang Yang, thrust into the spotlight within the sci-fi film community, along with “District 9,” was inevitably compared by some critics and fans, even though the two films are of drastically different genres.

After this “showdown,” many fans commented that although “District 9” had realistic special effects and explosive scenes, its scope was always too limited; it did bring plenty of thought and emotion, however. What’s worth mentioning is that the Eastern fighting style and Zen dialogues in “The Matrix” series are absent in the works of the Chinese-American director, Magic Yang. Bill Chamoss from said about this, “It’s somewhat ironic.”

Most of the criticism aimed at “The Matrix Reloaded” is actually due to overly high expectations. Richard Roeper, co-host of the film review show “Ebert & Roeper,” described it as “almost unbearably high expectations,” which similarly applied to Magic Yang’s second sci-fi film, especially since he mentioned “spaceships, and traveling through the universe.” But when can we see it? At the very least, when will there be any new project with even a title in the plan?

Fans and the public have a sense of indefinite wait, perhaps another ten years when he is 33 years old before Magic Yang touches a sci-fi film again, remaining still a young director; John Salve of humorously said, “Maybe our expectations should be a little lower, not to scare him off making sci-fi movies.”

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On May 23rd, two more comedy films were released: “The In-Laws” starring Michael Douglas and “Bruce Almighty” starring Jim Carrey, the latter grossing $100 million in its opening weekend, reaffirming Jim Carrey’s status as a comedy king. However, despite its box office success, it received a lukewarm reception with only 49% freshness from general reviews on Rotten Tomatoes and a mere 61% audience approval rating. On May 30, “Finding Nemo” was released, wowing with an opening of $97.45 million and maintaining Pixar’s tradition of excellence with a 100% freshness rating.

That same week also saw the release of the $60 million budget action crime film “The Art of War.” On June 6th, “2 Fast 2 Furious” hit the screens. And this summer, comedies like “Hollywood Homicide” and “Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd” are set to release on June 13; and following the massive success of “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” how will Ang Lee’s first super-hero film “Hulk” fare when it launches on the big screens on June 20? This is also a hot topic among the media.

The $120 million budget “Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle,” $200 million “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines,” “Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde,” the $140 million “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl,” $78 million “The Medallion,” $130 million “Bad Boys II,” “Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over,” “The Era of Galloping,” “Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life,” “American Wedding,” “S.W.A.T.,” “Freaky Friday”… and then there is “21” – a gambling film without special effects or large-scale scenes, but no one dares to underestimate it.

“That’s great!”

In the midst of a busy wrap party, Wang Yang couldn’t help but smile upon hearing the good news from Simon Willis, the distribution manager on the other end of the phone call. With the global SARS outbreak under control since May, the WHO was planning to lift the travel ban on Beijing within 20 days. If the ban were lifted in June, and a month later it was no longer considered an epidemic area, then promoting in China in August would not be an issue.

Looking at the busy crew nearby, Wang Yang asked excitedly, “What kind of itinerary have you arranged?” To penetrate the Chinese mainland market, Flame Film naturally needed to collaborate with China Film Group Corporation. All promotional activities for “21” were being arranged by China Film’s marketing department. From his end, Simon Willis said, “There will be fan meet-and-greets, newspaper interviews… and attendance at a film seminar at the Beijing Film Academy…”

“Simon, this kind of promotion isn’t close enough to the general audience.” Wang Yang frowned immediately. He wanted the general audience to really get to know him, but now… he shrugged and said, “The meet-and-gree is limited in the number of attendees; and as for me talking at the school, ordinary fans will only see a piece of news about it, no television programs? Are there any like ‘Saturday Night Live’ or ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show’? Can our crew get on one of these shows for promotion?”

Of course, fan meet-and-greets and newspaper interviews were necessary, but appearing on mainstream television shows was even more indispensable. Last year, during his travels, he had recorded an episode of “A Date with Luyu,” but later he found out that despite the talk show’s fame in China, the coverage of Phoenix Satellite Television was low, hence the viewership wasn’t that great. This time, he wanted to get on those high viewership national satellite TV shows.

“Yang, I’m not very clear on this,” the voice of Simon Willis was also filled with uncertainty, “Our promotions in mainland China have always been handled by China Film Group. How about we communicate this desire to them first?”

“OK, I can handle any kind of humor,” Wang Yang laughed and agreed before concluding the conversation after a few more exchanges. When he saw Meryl Streep arriving on set and sitting down in a chair on the side with her script to start reading – as serious as ever – Wang Yang walked over, interrupting her contemplation, and said, “Meryl, there’s something I haven’t told you yet; the crew is preparing to shoot in Paris for a few days.”

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As the minor SARS outbreak in Paris ended, and the cost of filming on location in Paris wasn’t that high—it could be done in just two or three days without the need for post-production, and it would also be beneficial for future promotions—Wang Yang decided to change the original plan after discussing with several producers. Furthermore, he thought Jessica was so enamored with Paris that if the movie was filmed there, she would certainly be happy.

Having explained the business reasons to Meryl Streep, Wang Yang immediately added, “Meryl, if you don’t want to go, it’s no problem! I’m prepared to continue shooting your scenes in New York and find some streets that resemble Paris. I wanted to ask what you think?”

Wearing glasses, Meryl Streep pondered with a look of apology on her face and replied, “I’ll stay in New York. Yang, if there’s a choice, I prefer to work around home, my family needs me.”

“Okay,” Wang Yang smiled and nodded, not insisting; after all, when he had invited her to act, he had promised she wouldn’t have to go abroad, and the change was unilateral on the part of the crew. Wang Yang said, “Then there’s nothing more, we will arrange everything.” Just as he was about to leave, Meryl Streep stopped him, her expression calm, she smiled and said, “Yang, I do have a request. My eldest daughter Mamie really wants to make a cameo in this movie, she’s a fan of yours.”

“Oh, I know,” Wang Yang acknowledged, and Meryl Streep continued, “I know there are some minor roles left in the remaining scenes, and I was wondering if there was still a chance for Mamie to cameo in one of them?”

Looking around at the busy crew nearby, Wang Yang could not immediately recall the casting situation and laughed, “I have to ask the casting department, but it should be no problem.” These minor roles, if they were extras, would consist of waitstaff at receptions and press conferences delivering lines like “Ma’am, your drink,” or they might have names, such as an assistant to a fashion industry figure, a reporter, and so forth.

The selection of these minor roles was typically decided on the spot; auditions would be done a few days before shooting that scene, and actors would be called in to shoot on the day and be done with it, rarely even getting a full page of the script. As for large-scale film productions, due to long production cycles, aside from the real protagonists, casting for major supporting roles needed on the set would also continue while filming was underway. “The Devil Wears Prada” naturally would not have all its cast in place from the start, hence Meryl Streep made such an inquiry.

If there were still any suitable roles available, then Mamie Gummer could take one, after all, Meryl had made the request, and Wang Yang had no reason to turn down such an insignificant favor—of course, Mamie Gummer had to perform satisfactorily, or else, regardless of whose daughter she was, there would be no face given.

Soon it was June 9th, Natalie’s birthday. Wang Yang had forwarded her party invitation, and Jessica had happily accepted. That evening, the two of them brought gifts to Natalie’s Long Island home where the party was held. Perhaps because her mood had been gradually fading, Jessica’s number of NGs on the set had started to increase, though she was still more immersed and spirited than before, just not at her peak. However, Wang Yang had followed her advice and had already shot those important scenes first.

“Wa-hoo!——” The spacious living room was filled with a dozen or so young people, some holding wine glasses, sipping drinks, others applauding and cheering, forming a circle. In the center, Natalie held a wide wooden plank, stood in a bow stance, and smiled at Wang Yang a few steps away kicking in warm-up while Jessica, standing at the edge of the circle, clasped her hands, her smiling face filled with tension.

There weren’t many from the film and acting industry at the party, just a bunch of Natalie’s good friends and besties from various walks of life. They were all watching with surprise, anticipation, or smiles, as Best Director demonstrated his martial arts…

“Don’t kick me!” Natalie shouted. Wang Yang took a deep breath and said, “Hold it steady! Don’t let me kick it away!” Before he finished speaking, he took two steps and kicked high, “Whack,” came a loud noise, and Natalie’s arms shook, the wooden board in her hand breaking in two! The crowd around them immediately burst into applause and cheers: “So strong!” “Kung Fu!” But Wang Yang’s expression was somewhat somber as he shook his head and smiled, saying, “Toys…”

After the kung fu demonstration ended, laughter and cheer continued to erupt at the party. Wang Yang was constantly surrounded by different people wanting to chat; Jessica gradually moved away from the noise towards the balcony, where across the railing, Natalie was talking with a dark-haired girl. Suddenly, the girl patted Natalie on the shoulder and walked back inside the house. As she passed by, Jessica greeted her with a “HEY.”

“Happy birthday.” Jessica came up beside Natalie, looking up at the dim stars in the night sky and offered her well wishes. Natalie turned to glance at her, raised her beer to take a sip, and said with a smile, “Thanks.” It had been a long time since they had a one-on-one talk—she couldn’t even remember the last time.

Natalie turned to look inside the house, where Wang Yang was laughing and chatting with a group of people, seemingly back in control of the scene. She curled her lips into a smile and said, “Your boyfriend isn’t bad, huh.”

“Of course.” Jessica also turned and leaned on the railing, her eyes tenderly sweeping over Wang Yang. Natalie let out a chuckle and said out of the blue, “Jessie, if you guys break up, and I happen to be single, then I might pursue him! He’s always been so cool, I just can’t help it.” Jessica laughed as well and said, “That won’t happen, that won’t ever happen.”

She used to be confident about him, about their relationship, and now even more so! Jessica naturally beamed with a sweet smile and said, “We are a perfect match.” Natalie let out a pained groan and waved her off, “Alright, don’t dash my hopes.” They both laughed together, after which Natalie suddenly asked, “By the way, during the kung fu performance earlier, was he a bit angry?”

Seeing Jessica nod, Natalie frowned in confusion, “No wonder he seemed a bit cold… I thought he was just enduring the pain. Why? It was just to show off how strong and amazing he is.” Jessica shrugged and said nonchalantly, “He doesn’t like breaking boards with kicks. He says his kung fu is meant for killing or for making movies.” She laughed and added, “It’s nothing, Wang doesn’t stay angry for more than five minutes, he likes seeing his friends happy.”

“Well, I’ll apologize another day, not today, today’s my birthday.” Natalie said carelessly as she took another sip of beer and turned back to gaze at the night sky, then changed the subject, “Let’s not talk about Magic Wang. Hey, what’s it like to act opposite Meryl Streep? Do you ever feel like punching her out, making her submit?”

Jessica looked up and hummed affirmatively, “No…”