Hollywood Domination Chapter 72: Jennifer’s comedic talent

Just like the premiere of "Chicago", the premiere of "Pirates of the Caribbean" also invited well-connected film critics from all over the United States. Of course, since it is held in Los Angeles, the local media in Los Angeles will naturally get the most resources In addition to local film critics such as Kenneth Turan of the "Los Angeles Times", there is also Alan Morrison of "Empire", whose headquarters are in London, England, and outsiders who are resident in Hollywood, Roger Ebert himself Recently on vacation in Malibu, Los Angeles, his extended family is now playing in Disneyland, and he happily attended the premiere, while his partner Richard Rope is in Chicago waiting for the local premiere, or I watched it after the movie was officially released.

Although it is an A-level production, generally speaking, this time there are not as many critics as there are in "Chicago". If it is not a coincidence, it would be difficult to invite Roger from Chicago. Because critics and major box office forecasting agencies are not optimistic about Disney’s attempt, many people even describe Disney’s investment as crazy, including the news that the internal screenings before the premiere will not be optimistic. But there is still a hint of rumors leaking out. It is said that Disney executives who have seen the internal test screening think that this film is "confusing, and they don't know what the story is about." Then he directly said to Johnny Depp who was present, "I don't know whether your character is Alcoholic or Gay. You ruined the whole story."

Although this is just industry gossip, and it is only circulated in a small area, and no gossip tabloid publishes it in its own newspaper, many film critics have heard the news, and their performance on "Pirates of the Caribbean" is even more serious. Not optimistic, whether it is the director or the starring role, it is difficult to give them confidence. Of course Johnny Depp is a very good actor, but there are few excellent mainstream commercial films. He has always been mixed with cult, Verbinski? He may be a good director, but he is far from great, and his previous work has performed only poorly at the box office.

Roger still agrees with these analyzes rationally, but disagrees with another trend in the film critics—many people think that choosing Jennifer Jefferson, a newcomer with no qualifications, as the leading actress also expresses that The desperation and madness of the film crew, some people even questioned that there might be a scandal behind the casting this time. But Roger thinks that choosing "Pirates of the Caribbean" is a crazy decision for Jennifer Jefferson. Familiarity, if a big production like "Pirates of the Caribbean" fails, it will be almost devastating to her future. Trying to reach the sky in one step, in the end, there is a great possibility that she will return to Broadway to star in musicals, and this is what makes her A sad loss.

As a film critic, Roger is not closely related to the gossip in the circle, but he has also heard the name of Cesare Vijri, and it was he who personally brought Jennifer Jefferson to attend today Premiere - Although he avoided the media's camera, this handsome young man received only less screams from the audience when he appeared on the stage than Josh Branch. Now, he is sitting not far from Roger's front row place. Roger looked at his side face, thinking about what his plan was, and Vijay held Jennifer Bell in one hand, this notable newcomer - this year her "Underworld" will also be released , but it is said that the two have parted ways.

After Jennifer Bell, he spent more than a year to put the newcomers he dug out into the position of leading actress in A-level productions. There is no doubt that he is very energetic and ambitious. Roger is not too worried about Jennifer Jefferson's performance in this film. He is now more curious about how Vijay will arrange Jennifer's next film. After all, there are always big productions every year. Limited, the competition is so fierce, even Vijay, it is impossible to guarantee that every play of Jennifer is an A-level production.

In his imagination, the film has already started, and countless sparks are fleeting. In the flying sparks, the title appears in front of people's eyes. Soon, the camera sinks down, and a scene appears in the vast sea fog. A classic sea ship, this head-starting shot and unavoidable brave attitude, made many film critics nod secretly - different from ordinary audiences, they still pay attention to these details, at least the set crew and crew of "Pirates" The special effects work is well done.

As the camera progressed, a delicately dressed little girl appeared in everyone's field of vision. She was humming a pirate song, but was quickly stopped by an adult. With the conversation, everyone quickly understood The identities of this group of people have been revealed. This is the governor and his daughter who are going to a certain place, and of course the captain of the fleet who escorted him.

Seeing the young captain scaring the young Elizabeth Swan, many people smiled knowingly, and the dialogue in the opening also roughly explained the background of the times. Obviously, this is not a case where the British navy and pirates cooperated seamlessly. In the sixteenth century, the navy and the pirates have become irreconcilable, and the pirates are a symbol of criminals through and through.

"Captain Norrington, I think you will disturb my daughter if you continue." The governor stopped the conversation about the pirates in time, but the young Elizabeth said innocently, "In fact, I think this Fascinating."

"Yeah, that's exactly what I'm worried about." The governor replied. Provoking a knowing smile from the audience - it seems that Elizabeth's temper has always been wild.

Soon, the disgruntled Elizabeth found an umbrella floating on the sea, followed by a floating little boy. Clumsy, adding some joy to the tense atmosphere. And the atmosphere of the film immediately became tense. Many sailors appeared on the screen nervously saving people and pulling the sails. Afterwards, the scene scheduling of rescuing the little boy and discovering the merchant ship on fire all made people nod secretly——Pirates of the Caribbean The scene may not be as spectacular as "Titanic", but the level of special effects is obviously very good, and the audience can naturally invest in the plot without being confused by false special effects.

"The rhythm is a bit slow." Kenneth of the "Los Angeles Times" changed his sitting position, "It's a very old-fashioned opening, with very little information in the shots, and too many meaningless empty shots... Let's take a look at the top 30 Minutes."

Perhaps the editor is also aware of this problem. The childhood scenes did not last long. Thoughtfully rubbing the gold coin.

When she looked past the gold coins and looked into the distance, an all-black pirate ship mysteriously appeared in the sea fog, the sound of the music changed accordingly, and the atmosphere immediately became tense, but just at this When the camera turned, the adult Elizabeth Swan woke up from her dream.

In the beginning, there was a close-up close-up of the eyes, and then the camera slowly zoomed out. After the first three or four minutes of the dull plot, Elizabeth Swan's beauty enlivened the atmosphere of the theater, although she She is a typical Germanic beauty, but the identity in the film is British, but American audiences don't care so much - anyway, the British royal family has Germanic blood, as long as the person is good-looking, these can be ignored.

"Well, this is a shot that appeared in the trailer. She is indeed beautiful." Although he also watched "Chicago", for Kenneth who has never been to New York to watch a musical, Jennifer's beauty is still beautiful. Fresh enough for him to immerse himself in, rather than discovering physical flaws. "It's really pleasing to the eye, well, for the average audience, even just watching her can pass two hours."

Elizabeth woke up from the dream and remembered the past. She got out of bed, picked up the candlestick, and walked to the table. On the way, she accidentally kicked her little toe. He took out the gold coin from the dark compartment and limped to the mirror.

When she woke up, there was an awe-inspiring silence in the theater, and although the scene of Elizabeth screaming pain did not arouse laughter, it also made the audience smile knowingly. There is a sense of intimacy, but now, the life-like expression on Elizabeth’s face has faded away. Her eyes are staring straight at the gold coin, and her expression is also empty and indifferent. With the background of the soundtrack, the audience can easily feel Elizabeth is now being bewitched—or the temptation of fate, whoever it is, anyway, this state is not normal now.

In this strange atmosphere, Elizabeth hung the gold coin around her neck in a mysterious way, staring at herself in the mirror. The clothes and the dark lighting, the complicated Rococo style decoration... Although the ordinary audience in the venue couldn't find out why, they could still feel the beauty of this scene, even knowing that the director would soon After cutting off the close-up, I was still reluctant to let go, and wanted to take a closer look.

"Verbinski has made great progress." Roger felt flat for the first few minutes, but it was not annoying, but this shot made his eyes shine. Very good, the lighting is very comfortable and natural, the whole composition is very simple and beautiful, Jennifer can't take his eyes off under his lens...Why wasn't this scene cut into the trailer? It can be included in this year's top ten shots If he has this level in "Dangerous Lover", the box office of that film will definitely be higher."

After a short close-up, the knock on the door abruptly broke this magical moment, "Elizabeth, are you up? Are you dressed properly?"

After Elizabeth returned to reality, she grabbed the gold coin and looked down at it in surprise. She obviously didn't understand why she was wearing it. He replied very calmly, "Yes, father."

This pretentious tone, as well as the contrast between the sound and the picture, aroused light laughter in the theater for the first time - this Elizabeth is obviously a girl who can 'act' and 'pretend' .

The following dialogue also verified the audience's opinion. Although it was just a simple homely dialogue, it was nothing more than a doting father giving his daughter new clothes from London. The captain is about to be promoted to brigadier general, and he is likely to propose marriage today, but Elizabeth's unique face-changing skills still make the audience very interesting-when the governor turns around, Elizabeth always rolls her eyes and sighs silently, frequently making strange gestures. She expressed her disapproval of London fashion and Commodore Norrington, but when her father was face to face with her, Elizabeth could put on the expression that everyone should have a lady in an instant, and continue the conversation politely. Of course, her tone was the same throughout the process. She is an extremely lady, speaking with a standard upper-class aristocratic accent.

"Interesting." Roger was also amused by this simple funny technique, "This should be her first girl role, but Jennifer's performance is very smart, which is really surprising. It seems that she not only Only good at the role of young female offender."

Kenneth, who has been depressed all the time, also chuckled, "Well, this is the privilege of a beauty. Although the method is cheap, Verbinski has found a good actor to perform."

He does not dislike simple techniques. For commercial blockbusters, visual effects are also a very important part. No one will expect depth. A smooth storyline and vivid characters are considered qualified. Although the technique just now was simple, it immediately erected the character image of Elizabeth.

While Elizabeth was changing clothes, the maid knocked on the door to report that the governor had a visitor, and the camera also turned to the first floor of the governor's mansion. The adult Will Turner looked up at the decorated The image appears, and his appearance is also eye-catching-so far, the two important characters who have appeared on the stage are the same as the posters and trailers, handsome men and beautiful women, and their appearance is eye-catching.

Seeing that Will moved the lamp curiously, but broke a corner, looking back and forth between the lamp handle and the lamp socket, the smiles on the lips of the audience deepened— —It seems that "Pirates of the Caribbean" has a lot of funny elements, and both Will and Elizabeth have a certain sense of joy.

Of course, this is good news. Everyone is not very interested in movies about a group of dirty pirates fighting and killing people. They definitely prefer to watch handsome men and beautiful women playing tricks. Of course, the premise is that it is not too much. And the plot catches people.

Will came this time to give the governor a new saber that had been forged. During the conversation with the governor, Josh hinted at the audience through his expression appropriately. Although the governor praised his master, he Is the main maker of this saber. However, the governor didn't seem to care. He seemed to have some special emotions for Will, and the expression on his face was very playful.

When the two were talking, footsteps were heard on the stairs, and Elizabeth, accompanied by a maid, walked down the stairs slowly and gracefully, "Ah, Will."

At this moment, she is wearing a Chinese dress, her blond hair is combed meticulously, her green eyes are holding a mysterious smile, her expression is subtle, half a smile is not a smile, the whole scene and lighting fully show the director's intention—this is Elizabeth's amazing moment.

"The effect is good, Jennifer's expressiveness is also very good, this girl's eyes are very playful, it is obvious that she is interested in Will." Roger also curled his lips, "So in front of Will, she is like It's like a peacock."

He once again realized Verbinski's love for Jennifer, "It's strange that Verbinski seemed to be particularly inspired when he photographed her. In his composition and camera movement, Jennifer looks better than in It is more beautiful in "Chicago."

"Elizabeth, you look so beautiful." The governor praised his daughter enthusiastically, but Elizabeth ignored her father, and showed a friendly smile to Will after walking down the stairs.

"Nice to meet you." She walked over to Will, "I dreamed about you last night."

Will was obviously overwhelmed by her beauty, he said in a panic, "About me?"

The governor frowned, "Do you think this is an appropriate remark, Elizabeth?"

Elizabeth was so pampered by her father that she didn't know what to do. She just smiled and glanced in the direction of her father, and continued to concentrate on talking with Will, "Do you remember the day we first met?"

"Of course I remember, Miss Swan." Will also looked at the Governor, who seemed to have calmed down a lot.

A shadow passed across Elizabeth's face, and she made an unhappy expression that a pampered young lady often makes. She turned her head coquettishly, and said domineeringly, "How many times have I told you to call me Elizabeth?"

Her willfulness didn't annoy Will, but instead made him smile a little more, "It's always one more time than this time, Miss Swann."

The governor was obviously a little annoyed by his daughter's behavior, "Come on, we should go, put on your hat, Elizabeth."

Elizabeth just put her hat on her head and knotted her lace as she passed Will, her tone icy. "So, goodbye, Mr. Turner."

Although she looked very angry at him, after walking a few steps, she turned around again, wrinkled her nose at Turner with a slight smile, and made a funny face, which was very cute and funny side.

Will chased the governor and the others out of the house, watched her get into the carriage, looked at himself through the window with a half-smile, and then said softly, "Goodbye, Elizabeth."

Although it was only a few minutes of confrontation, the audience has been impressed by these few minutes, and felt a lot of information about the plot, as well as the chemical reaction between Will and Elizabeth. The relationship between the two protagonists, many viewers have begun to guess where Elizabeth is in love, whether it is Will or Captain Jack who has not appeared so far.

"Josh's acting skills have improved a lot compared to "Star Wars Episode 2." Although he is still impatient with the director's unhurried narrative methods, Kenneth is still very sure of Josh and Jennifer's acting skills , "All three of them performed very well in the play just now, and the dialogue and camera scheduling are also very rhythmic. The most important thing is that the chemistry between the two actors is attractive enough."

Although they didn’t say it clearly, Will and Elizabeth are interested in each other. Will’s scruples about his identity are unwilling to express, so Elizabeth is a little disappointed in him, and the governor knows everything well. These messages are conveyed to the audience through the actors’ performances. In their heads, they understood the relationships between the characters effortlessly, and began to look forward to the contradictions that would follow.

At this time, the camera turned again, and came to the route outside the port. Johnny Depp, the leading actor of the whole play—he played Captain Jack, appeared on the stage. A burst of laughter—if the audience smiled knowingly before, then the heavy makeup and outrageously dressed Captain Jack, but his appearance is enough to make him happy, but his boat leaked, so he could only bend over to scoop it up. The water scene also makes people feel funny and humorous. The soul of the whole movie seems to be active at this moment. The audience has completely established this concept: this is a blockbuster with cold humor and nonsensical special effects that generally conforms to social reality.

The pirates hanged in the port, the words and deeds of the governor to Elizabeth and Will, all express that this is a film that roughly follows the historical facts, and the funny performance of Will, Elizabeth and Captain Jack also shows that the protagonists are a group of people. A funny character who is flustered and mischievous, not a traditional hero who suffers from bitterness and hatred.

"This is very good, much better than the increasingly miserable Spider-Man." Roger also agreed with Johnny's performance, "I felt it when I saw the trailer. The tone may become the key point of the film's success, after all, people should have had enough of tragic heroes with a lot of heartache, it's time to be funny."

The film has been shown for 10 minutes, the atmosphere in the theater is very good, and the audience has maintained their concentration—although expressions cannot be seen clearly in the dark, people can still perceive the emotional atmosphere of the crowd. In the case of the film, the audience's attention will probably start to slacken at this time, but so far, Roger has not felt this emotion, but he began to look forward to what sparks will be sparked between the protagonist trio.

He was not disappointed. The audience was easily attracted by the appearance of Captain Jack, and kept chuckling as he bargained with the wharf officer. Stealing the wharf officer's wallet without hesitation, the audience let out a funny puff from their noses—this guy, it seems, doesn't like to suffer.

With a few majestic shouts, the awarding ceremony for Brigadier General Norrington began. Although it was a distant view, the audience found Elizabeth effortlessly. After all, her beauty stood out from the crowd. In the distant view, people can only see her constantly waving her fan. It was not until the camera slowly zoomed in that the audience realized that her cheeks were flushed and she was fanning herself with high frequency. It was obvious that she was about to Smothered by this London dress.

Seeing Elizabeth showing an encouraging and virtuous smile to Brigadier General Norrington who was looking over, the Brigadier turned his head and fanned himself with a serious face, the audience all laughed softly: This girl is really a superficial Not necessarily cute.

Soon, the plot formed two lines between Captain Jack and Elizabeth. As Captain Jack easily fooled the two Royal Navy soldiers for a moment, the audience either chuckled or Laughing, and when Commodore Norrington tried to propose to Elizabeth, they couldn't bear it anymore and let go of their laughter.

This is a carefully arranged picture. Brigadier General Norrington kept wandering back and forth because of his excitement. When he turned around, Elizabeth always looked like a demure lady, but when he turned his back , Elizabeth frantically fanned the wind. Obviously, she was about to be tossed to death by this new dress.

"...the beautiful woman I'm talking about is you." Brigadier General Norrington was unaware of this, and he continued his confession.

"I can't breathe." Elizabeth finally couldn't put it on any longer. She broke down and yanked off her collar, and asked Norrington for help. , "I'm nervous too——"

Elizabeth rolled her eyes helplessly at his back, but the eyes quickly turned into a faint roll, and her feet went limp, and she fell off the high city wall.

——Such a tragic experience aroused bursts of laughter in the theater, because the audience has already established the perception that this is a funny film, and now they begin to look at these exaggerated expressions with understanding eyes The method is also because the audience does not believe that anything will happen to Elizabeth at the beginning of the film.

Looking around at the audience, Roger rubbed his chin thoughtfully—he didn’t know why Disney’s executives didn’t like the movie. Loved it, and he can't help but say it's a good movie.

"Of course, the bigger surprise is Jennifer. Before today, I never knew she had such a talent for comedy." Roger thought, "As for her choking scene well... that's for her Say, it’s not news anymore, is it?”

Usually speaking, after fifteen minutes or so, you will have some feelings about whether a movie is good or bad. In the minds of film critics, the evaluation of this movie has roughly taken shape, but for ordinary audiences That said, they are just getting excited.

Several characters are very interesting, what will happen next? They were thinking with anticipation, adjusted their energy one after another, and waited intently for the arrival of the small orgasm, and a smile appeared on their lips in preparation—in this world, there is nothing more satisfying than watching a good movie It's over, isn't it?

The author has something to say: Note: 1 "Dangerous Lover" is a work directed by Verbinski, starring Brad Peter and Julia Roberts, and the box office response was mediocre.

2 The film critics mentioned here are all real people, and the comments made by the Disney CEO are also true, and the things that the industry and Disney executives were not optimistic about before the release are also true.

3 I changed some of the plot, which is the part performed by Jenny herself. If you are interested, you can compare the movie to see where the changes have been made.

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I recommend an old friend, who is also the new work of Bo Muyan and Yan Qin, the great gods I look up to,