Chapter 154
"The ups and downs of the plot, the shocking soundtrack, the fierce and varied editing, and the outstanding performances of several actors, after the playfulness of «Home Alone» and the warmth of 《Pretty Woman》 , Eric Williams has brought us a dark horse with a different style.”
“From the mysterious opening song to the tragic symphony at the end of the film, the gorgeous soundtrack of《Running Out of Time》runs through the whole movie, but there wasn't a dull moment,
with the compact plot full of intensity, and the movie was without redundant scenes, leading to a two-hour visual feast that provides a kind of inner peace."
"Sex and blood have always been the two elements in a film that can stimulate the audience's adrenaline, but in many movies it's for sensationalism and there is sex for the sake of it, or blood for the sake of it, but the use of blood in《Running Out of Time》feels more natural. Whilst watching the move, every time there was a shot of Tom Cruise coughing blood, I could hear the apprehension of the female fans around me, but the exclamations were mixed with lots of excitement. A handsome, gentle but sinister and mysterious man that has most women falling in love at first sight, Eric Williams is still not satisfied, and there is a horny vomiting attribute attached to the main character. I am sure that the archetype of Andy, which is shaped by Cruise, will have filmmakers eager to imitate in the future."
"The wonderful performances of the two protagonists did not hide the brilliance of the several supporting roles. Joe Pesci raised eyebrows and shakes of the head give off a pleasant happy feeling. Reappearing after a few years of silence, Brooke Shields is even more eye-catching, perhaps because of the girl’s study at Princeton for several years, her performance is no longer superficial, and it’s a bit more profound and influential. She only had a few minutes of screen time, but she left a deep impact, and I believe this time, even if Brooke Shields cannot get a performance award, the Razzi judges will certainly not consider her again, and I am looking forward to Brooke Shields' performances in the future in other movies."
The next morning, accompanied by a slight clatter of paper shuffling, Eric sat on a chair in dining room and was intently reading the fresh criticism of the movie in today's newspaper. Then Nicole bustled around for a while, occasionally putting good breakfast on the table.
Soon, Drew, who was still sleepy, wore slippers and staggered into the dining room. She drew out a chair and sat down at the table, holding her chin in one hand as she squinted towards Eric to read the newspaper.
"Why don't you sleep more?" Eric asked without lifting his head.
“Hungry,” Drew said, pulling the small basket from the centre of the table and reaching for a bagel, but she was hit by Eric’s newspaper: “Brushed you teeth?”
“After eating? " She squinted and looked pitiful.
"Eating a.f.t.e.r. brushing," Eric stared at the girl, without any doubt, whilst waving the newspaper in his hand, ready to hit it again.
"Okay, okay, really, you old-fashioned old man," Drew stood up softly and floated out. She had gone somewhat crazy at the party last night, so that with not eating much, meant she looked ver lethargic at this time.
Nicole stood in front of the kitchen counter and listened to the conversation between the two people. Her heart was slightly envious. Although the two did not have any intimate words or actions, this kind of plain conversation made people feel the warmth of loved ones. In comparison, although Eric has been very polite to her, he has never treated her as his own. She had made an effort in this area, but it did not work much.
Putting the cooked oatmeal onto the dining table, she began to distribute the breakfast for the two people, but after placing a bowl of porridge gently in front of Eric, she inadvertently looked up, and saw Eric slightly frowning at a newspaper.
"What's wrong?" She sat down and asked softly.
Eric gently shook his head: "Nothing, it's just a critic."
Nicole looked at the newspaper in the hands of Eric that newspaper, opened her mouth and said: "Did some people criticise《Running Out of Time》?"
"Well," Eric nodded and said: "It a little bewildering. This person seems to be specifically aiming for me me. I don't even remember provoking this person." Eric said, his eyes moving down, hoping to find some authors' information. If drafts are submitted by more famous film critics, they often attach the film critics' information to the end of the article to make the reader feel that this person is very authoritative.
"It turned out to be a full-time film critic of《Premiere》magazine, who graduated from Columbia University's journalism department," Eric whispered next to Nicole, who heard the name of《Premiere》and her heart dropped: "Eric, can I have a look?"
Eric handed the newspaper over, and she smashed at the author's name. She felt a little guilty, as it was written by George Northern.
"...can not understand the portrayal of the storyline, the mysterious soundtrack and the repeated meaningless shots, which patchwork of a two-hour movie. I feel that this movie is a waste of viewers time and money..."
She just hurriedly sped through one of the sections, and quickly returned the newspaper, her eyes flashing slightly, she understood that this article must have been produced because of herself, because George Northern wasn't originally against Eric. The change in attitude may be due to the accidental coincidences of last night, which made the other party feel embarrassed.
If she had said something to smooth things over, rather than directly reject him, it may not happened.
Nicole thought so, and felt somewhat more guilty, so she cautiously asked: "Eric, this film review will not affect the box office?"
"No," Eric said: "Most film reviews aren't like this. As film keeps getting praise, even if occasionally one or two criticisms jump out of the articles, it is nothing, as long as the general direction of the word of mouth is not a problem."
"Oh," Nicole took a sigh of relief.
Eric carefully looked at the girl's expression: "Nic, what concerns do you have?"
"No, none," Nicole shook her head and denied it.
Eric did not ask further, and hurriedly turned towards the remaining newspapers and began to eat breakfast.
However, George Northern did not seem to be willing to publish just one critical film review. On the second day, on the third day, and in several other newspapers he appeared again in the reviews, and his words were more intense each time.
In the end, he even began to question whether the film was shot by Eric.
George Northern first listed some of the plausible commonalities of Eric’s previous films. After all, the styles of «17 Again», «Home Alone» and《Pretty Woman》are very warm, and then had happy endings. In particular, his several films such as «Home Alone» weren't comparable with the black and cold style of《Running Out of Time》. Finally, the reader was given a feeling that《Running Out of Time》had nothing to do with the previous films.
Next, George Northern began to comment on similar things that existed in movies made by other directors. From beginning to end, he instilled a point of view in the readers, that is, if several movies were made by one person, even if their style changed, directors can also find a lot in common between their works.
But《Running Out of Time》did not, so George Northern boldly hinted that the film was not actually made by Eric, but by a ringer that Colombia brought in. It was a money move made under the pretence of the director of Eric Williams's genius, and the fans were fooled.
Seeing this article, Eric shook his head helplessly, and realized that the ideas were not terrible, and he was afraid of the swaying of opinion. Because the analysis of this article is too detailed, the high level of professionalism was something Eric was unable to hold a candle to. It is worthy of a student from an Ivy League school. Even Eric himself had to admit that the analysis of the other party was very reasonable.
Because the influence of the newspapers that published George Northern were not bad, the 'ringer' view of《Running Out of Time》had had a significant impact on the public.
The box office slaughter in the summer catalogue was very fierce. Once there is an opportunity to crack down on competitors, the other film companies will definitely be willing to push for it. So, in just a few days, the media’s doubts have gradually increased, and Colombia was paying attention to this and contacted Eric to discuss emergency measures.
"Perhaps, we can sue the film critic named George Northern," said one executive in the conference room.
The management head of the legal department shook his head and retorted: "This method has been considered, it would be difficult to succeed, and the federal court will not even accept our request for prosecution. George Northern is too savvy, his article is more like a professional essay. It’s not clearly stated from beginning to end that《Running Out of Time》was not shot by Eric. He is always hinting at it, and his suggestions are very convincing. To be honest, if I didn’t see a movie before, during the filming process, I wouldn't be able to help but believe his view."
"Now, the most important thing is to make a clarification. We can't let this view continue to ferment."
"This is obvious, but It’s not easy to do it. You ask, how do we clarify it was Eric? Is it possible to have Eric shoot live on a TV station? We also looked for some news photos from during the original shooting process, but unfortunately, we have photographs of Cruise, Hanks and even Brooke Shields but we only have a few pictures of Eric looking pitiful, which would not be very convincing."
After everybody was worried for some time, because of some delays Eric finally entered the conference room late, and in his arms he was holding a cardboard box.
"Sorry, everyone, because I have to prepare these things, I had to delay." Eric sighed to the crowd and found a position to sit down.
The people involuntarily turned their attention to the small box that Eric placed on the conference table.
Eric noticed the doubtful eyes of the people and actively explained: "Oh, these are some videotapes. They're Drews, who ran around the studio several times and often played with a camera."