Chapter 154: The Worst Kind Is the Educated One
Chapter 154: The Worst Kind Is the Educated One
“A plot full of twists and turns, a soul-stirring score, sharp and varied editing, and several outstanding performances. After the playfulness of Home Alone and the warmth of Pretty Woman, Eric Williams has brought us a black symphony in a completely different style.”
“From the mysterious chant at the opening to the tragic symphony at the end, Running Out of Time’s magnificent score runs through the entire film, yet never once feels noisy. The compact plot is full of tension, without the slightest redundant shot. This two-hour visual feast instead leaves the viewer with a sense of inner calm.”
“Sex and blood have always been the two elements in film most capable of stimulating the audience’s adrenaline. But many films, in order to sensationalize, use sex for sex’s sake and blood for blood’s sake. In Running Out of Time, however, the use of blood never feels deliberate. During the screening, every time Tom Cruise coughed blood onscreen, I could hear the heartbroken cries of the female fans around me, yet mixed into those cries was an excitement almost like climax. A handsome, gentle, mysterious man who is both righteous and wicked is already enough to make most women fall in love at first sight, but Eric Williams was still not satisfied and added the highly stimulating trait of coughing blood to the protagonist. I dare say that Andy, the character created by Cruise, will definitely spark many filmmakers’ attempts at imitation in the future.”
“The brilliant performances of the two leads did not overshadow the supporting characters at all. Joe Pesci’s raised brows, curled lips, and head-shaking movements are full of comedy, while Brooke Shields’s reappearance after several quiet years is even more refreshing. Perhaps because of the years she spent maturing at Princeton University, Brooke Shields’s acting no longer remains on the surface, but has gained a measure of depth and restraint. Although she only appears for a few short minutes, she leaves a deep impression. I believe that this time, even if Brooke Shields cannot win a positive acting award, the Golden Raspberry judges certainly will not consider her as a candidate again. I look forward to seeing Brooke Shields’s performances in other films in the future.”
The next morning, accompanied by the soft rustle of turning pages, Eric sat on a chair in the dining room, focused on reading the freshly released film reviews in that day’s newspapers. Nicole busied herself back and forth, occasionally bringing the prepared breakfast to the table.
Before long, Drew, her face full of sleepiness, shuffled into the dining room in slippers. She pulled out a chair and sat down by the table, propping her chin up with one hand as she narrowed her eyes and watched Eric flip through the newspapers.
“Why didn’t you sleep a little longer?” Eric asked without raising his head.
“I’m hungry,” Drew said. She pulled over the small basket in the center of the table and reached for a bagel, only for Eric to smack her with a rolled-up newspaper.
“Did you brush your teeth?”
“Can I brush after eating?” The girl blinked her eyes pitifully.
“Brush first, then eat.” Eric glared at the girl, showing no intention of indulging her. He waved the newspaper in his hand, ready to smack her again at any moment.
“Fine, fine. Honestly, you’re just like a stiff old man.” Drew weakly stood up and drifted back out. She had played a little too wildly at last night’s party, and since she had not eaten much, she looked especially listless now.
Standing in front of the kitchen counter and listening to their exchange, Nicole felt a faint trace of envy. Although the two did not say or do anything intimate, this kind of ordinary conversation gave off a warmth that seemed to belong only between family members. In comparison, although Eric had always been very polite to her, he had never treated her as one of his own. It was not as though the woman had never tried in this regard, but the results had been limited.
After bringing the cooked oatmeal into the dining room, the woman began serving breakfast for everyone. But when she gently placed a bowl of oatmeal in front of Eric and casually raised her head, she saw Eric slightly frowning at one newspaper.
“What’s wrong?” The woman sat down and asked softly.
Eric gently shook his head. “Nothing. Just a film review.”
Nicole glanced at the name of the newspaper in Eric’s hand and asked softly, “Is someone criticizing Running Out of Time?”
“Mm.” Eric nodded. “It feels inexplicable. This person seems to be targeting me specifically, but I don’t remember ever provoking him.” As Eric spoke, his gaze moved downward, hoping to find some information about the author. Some newspapers, when requesting articles from relatively famous film critics, often attached the critic’s information after the article to make readers feel that the person had authority.
“So he’s a full-time film critic from Premiere magazine, and he graduated from Columbia University’s journalism department,” Eric muttered.
When Nicole beside him heard the name Premiere, her heart skipped. “Eric, can I take a look?”
Eric handed the newspaper over. The woman glanced at the author’s name and immediately felt guilty. Written there was George Nosen.
“...A story that cannot withstand scrutiny, noisy music that pretends to be mysterious, and meaningless shots repeated again and again are randomly pieced together into a two-hour movie. I feel that this kind of film is simply a waste of the viewer’s time and money...”
The woman only glanced hurriedly at one section before quickly returning the newspaper. Her eyes flickered slightly. She understood that this article must have been caused by her, because George Nosen had originally held a praising attitude toward Eric. Perhaps last night’s accidental coincidence had made him feel embarrassed, and that was why this happened.
If she had clearly rejected him when he first tried to strike up a conversation, perhaps this would not have happened.
Thinking this, Nicole felt even guiltier and carefully asked, “Eric, this review won’t affect the box office, will it?”
“No,” Eric said. “Most reviews are praising the film. It doesn’t matter if one or two critical articles occasionally pop up. As long as the overall word of mouth doesn’t go wrong, that’s enough.”
“Oh.” Nicole quietly let out a breath of relief.
Eric carefully studied the woman’s expression. “Nicole, you seem to have something on your mind.”
“No, nothing.” Nicole quickly shook her head in denial.
Eric did not continue questioning her. He quickly finished flipping through the remaining newspapers and began eating breakfast.
However, George Nosen did not seem ready to stop after publishing just one critical review. On the second and third days, his reviews appeared in several newspapers again, and each one was more intense than the last.
In the end, he even began questioning whether the film had really been directed by Eric.
George Nosen first listed some vague similarities among Eric’s previous films. After all, Back to Seventeen, Home Alone, and Pretty Woman were all warmhearted in style. Then he abruptly changed direction and made a detailed comparison between films like Home Alone and the dark, cold style of Running Out of Time. In the end, he gave readers the impression that Running Out of Time had absolutely nothing to do with Eric’s previous films.
Next, George Nosen began analyzing the similar elements that existed across many films made by master directors. From beginning to end, he instilled one idea into the audience: if several films were directed by the same person, then even in the works of those master directors with highly varied styles, many common points could still be found.
But Running Out of Time had none.
Therefore, George Nosen boldly implied that the film had not actually been directed by Eric himself, but by a ghost director hired by Columbia. It was entirely a money-grabbing work using the name of genius director Eric Williams, and movie fans had been fooled.
After reading this article, Eric could only shake his head helplessly. He deeply understood the truth of the saying: thugs are not frightening; the frightening kind are thugs with education.
Because this article’s analysis was far too detailed. Its professional standard was so high that Eric could only admire it from afar. As expected of a top student from an Ivy League school. Even Eric himself had to admit that the other party’s analysis made a great deal of sense.
Because the newspaper that published George Nosen’s article had considerable influence, the “ghost director” theory about Running Out of Time actually caused quite a stir among the public.
The summer box office competition was extremely fierce. Once there was an opportunity to strike at a competitor, other film companies were naturally very willing to fan the flames. Thus, within just a few short days, voices of doubt gradually increased among the media. Columbia also had no choice but to take the matter seriously and urgently contacted Eric to discuss countermeasures.
“Perhaps we can sue that film critic named George Nosen for defamation,” one executive said in the conference room.
The legal department manager shook his head and objected. “We’ve already considered this method. It would be very difficult to make it work. The federal court might not even accept our complaint. George Nosen is far too clever. His article is more like a professional thesis. From beginning to end, he never clearly states that Running Out of Time was not directed by Eric. He keeps implying it, and those implications are very persuasive. To be honest, if I hadn’t happened to see part of the film’s shooting process back then, I almost wouldn’t be able to stop myself from believing this viewpoint.”
“Right now, the most important thing is to issue a clarification. We can’t let this viewpoint continue fermenting.”
“That’s easy to say, but not easy to do. Tell me, how are we supposed to clarify things for Eric? Are we supposed to have a TV station broadcast Eric shooting a scene live? We also looked for some news photos from the filming process back then, but unfortunately, while there are plenty of photos of Cruise, Hanks, and even Brooke Shields, there are pitifully few photos of Eric. If we take them out, they won’t be very convincing.”
Just as everyone was frowning in worry, Eric, who had been delayed by some matters and arrived late, pushed open the conference room door and walked in, holding a cardboard box in his arms.
“Sorry, everyone. I was delayed a little because I had to prepare these things.” Eric apologized to everyone and found a seat.
Everyone could not help turning their gazes toward the small box Eric had placed on the conference table.
Noticing everyone’s puzzled looks, Eric took the initiative to explain, “Oh, these are some videotapes. Drew, that little girl, ran to the set several times to visit and played around with a camera while filming them.”