Chapter 216: The Crew's Passion
[Chapter 216: The Crew's Passion]
Good times always seemed to fly by, and half an hour later, Sophia finally made her way downstairs.
Noticing her flushed cheeks, slow steps, and satisfied expression, the few uncles and aunts in the lobby did not need to think hard to guess what she and Link had been up to upstairs.
Director Coppola shot her a glare as he approached, a frown on his face. "Where's Link?"
"He's gone! Do you need him for something?" Sophia replied, knowing Link had taken the outside stairs down to avoid the lobby.
Coppola glared at her again, pulling Sophia's arm down the hallway. "Look at you. Don't you know Link is a playboy? Why would you hang around with him? What future do you expect from that?"
Sophia shrugged. "What future? Should I give up my career like Mom and so many other women to stay home as a housewife? Or marry an older billionaire to wait for him to die and become a wealthy widow? Or find a young stud, fall in love, and spend my whole life maintaining an illusion of happiness?"
Coppola frowned. "You may not see it, but what's so great about messing around with a guy like Link?"
"I don't know, and I haven't thought about it. I'm only 23; it's not time to worry about that yet. Besides, you guys always dream of dating the most beautiful women in the world. We women do the same. To me, Link is the most amazing guy ever. I'm happy and satisfied dating him. Don't you want to see me happy, Dad?"
Coppola snorted, "You might be happy now, but you won't be forever. You should find someone who truly loves you."
"Not necessary. I'm happy dating Link, and I'm also happy doing the work I love every day. You don't need to manage my personal life. I'm an adult and know what I should or shouldn't do."
Sophia waved him off and returned to the crew, ready to shoot.
Coppola sighed as he rubbed his back. "Girls grow up so fast."
---
After monitoring several crew filming processes, Link took the crew to Vancouver, Canada, to shoot their new movie. Vancouver, the third largest city in Canada, served as a political, cultural, tourism, and transportation hub for the western region. Due to its thriving entertainment industry, it was often referred to as "Northern Hollywood."
Link was filming The Butterfly Effect, which had been in preparation for more than three months.
"Scene 1, take 1, action!"
The script supervisor clapped the slate, and the crew commenced filming.
Since The Butterfly Effect featured a complicated plot, filming in the order of events often made it hard to follow the storyline. Link chose to shoot it in chronological order, starting from the four protagonists' childhoods and moving through their teenage years, leading up to the protagonist's time in a mental institution. This approach made the plot more coherent.
...
"Okay, okay... what now?"
The main character, Evan, was playing outside with a puppy when his mother, Andrea, called him from the front lawn.
Evan set the dog aside and quickly ran over to a small car, spotting his mother working on it. "We're gonna be late again."
"When did you ever care about getting to school on time?" Julianne Moore, portraying Andrea, teased while tightening a screw.
"We're putting up pictures for Parent's Night." Evan impatiently watching Andrea turn the bolt, "Righty-tighty, lefty-lucy."
"Thanks. Don't worry Evan, you'll have plenty of time.," Andrea replied, setting down her wrench and removing her work uniform to reveal her waitress outfit, showcasing that her job was that of an ordinary server.
"Um... can dad come this time?" Evan asked.
"Sweetheart, you know the answer to that."
"Can't he come out for one day?"
"We've been over this a hundred times. It's too dangerous for him."
"But Lenny said that his dad's coming... and Tommy and Kayleigh's dad... all the dads are gonna be there."
"I get the point, kiddo," Andrea said as she hopped into the car. "But I'm not so bad, am I?"
" No." Evan looked a bit disappointed.
"Good. Because I've been waiting to see your art projects all week and I'd feel terrible if all you about was your father not being there."
Andrea got behind the wheel. She turned the ignition and the engine roared to life. Evan wore a proud smile. "You're amazing, kiddo."
...
"Cut!"
Link reviewed the shot and approved it.
The young actor playing childhood Evan was a ten-year-old without much acting experience, but the crew had rehearsed several times before filming. He actually did a great job this time, while Julianne Moore also excelled in her role.
This film was a suspense thriller, captivating audiences with its unique time travel concept and exploring the complex cause-and-effect relationships in life, affecting every character's reality.
During filming, the focus was less on performance and more on editing the story to break the logical chain and create a complex narrative from a simple premise.
Such films tested the director's skill and the editor's prowess.
---
As The Butterfly Effect began filming, Guess Pictures' second movie of the year, Dumb and Dumber, was set to release.
Produced by Guess Pictures and New Line Cinema, the film had a budget of $16 million, was greenlit in August of the previous year, and wrapped in November. The story revolved around two dimwitted friends who both fell for a beautiful woman. Their pursuit led them to cross paths with a pair of robbers. Though not particularly smart, the duo often escaped crises by sheer luck, resembling the setup of Home Alone.
The film opened in 2,447 theaters across North America in its first week, grossing $16.36 million and clinching the top spot at the box office.
While the numbers were impressive, critical response was lackluster. Many film critics slammed Guess Pictures for producing low-IQ films. From Paranormal Activity to The Blair Witch Project and now to Dumb and Dumber, the protagonists often lacked intelligence, leading viewers who sought some logic to find these films unwatchable.
Renowned critic Rudin Batchelor grouped these films into "Link-style movies."
These films usually had low budgets, extreme plot setups, focus solely on shock value, and often crossed the line with humor, ignoring logic and serving only to make audiences laugh. Typically, they attracted less educated viewers with lower aesthetic standards, prioritizing marketing and box office revenue over artistic value, leading to high returns.
Batchelor's phrase "Link-style movies" gained acclaim among industry insiders, resulting in such films being labeled as "Link-style" over time.
...
Despite the criticism following Dumb and Dumber's release, ticket sales remained robust.
In its second week, the box office saw a rise, earning $24.39 million, with a total of $40.75 million in North America, surpassing the earlier-released Pulp Fiction.
Quentin, seeing the box office numbers, exploded in anger, shouting during an interview, calling fans of Dumb and Dumber fools, and lamenting that the audience's appreciation for cinema had entirely declined, drawing them to bad films instead of classics.
...
This stirred tremendous controversy in the industry.
Some supported Quentin's statement, heavily criticizing Link-style movies; others reprimanded him for insulting the audience and demanded an apology.
...
Jim Carrey, during a media interview, opposed Quentin's views, asserting that film was an entertainment product, free from class or intelligence divisions, and those with refined tastes shouldn't mock others. He insisted Quentin should apologize.
...
Courteney Cox, who played the lead in Ace Ventura, called Quentin a great director, but found his remarks concerning disappointing, urging him to apologize to the viewers.
...
Quentin refused, publicly denouncing Link-style movies in an interview, declaring them lowbrow and an insult to the audience, akin to junk food. He claimed Carrey and the Dumb and Dumber crew should be the ones apologizing. As a representative of this movie genre, Link also needed to step up and apologize.
...
While filming in Vancouver, Link was too busy to engage with the drama. Guess Pictures' PR team responded for him, asserting that movies served as pop culture entertainment meant to engage the public, not merely to please the filmmakers, and true filmmakers considered the general audience rather than catering to a select few or making films solely for awards.
Guess Pictures maintained that Link's films, including Dumb and Dumber, were indeed good movies because the audience enjoyed them.
...
Shortly after Guess What Pictures spoke out, the media reported that Quentin often went to strip clubs to watch performances and was a gold card member of a large strip club. There were also photos of Quentin laughing while watching Dumb and Dumber.
...
Upon seeing these pictures, Quentin seethed, calling Link to vent about the situation, expressing that he felt betrayed and couldn't understand why they would expose that when they had agreed to play up the controversy.
Link, however, pointed out that the publicity stunts were Harvey's responsibility, so if Quentin was unhappy, he should direct his frustration toward Harvey.
Quentin was not pleased; he claimed to have sacrificed much for the sake of publicity, sending out information detrimental to himself, and insisted he would expose Link's dirt too, such as his numerous girlfriends.
Link responded nonchalantly, "Go ahead."
*****
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