Although Shion said something very exciting when they were in bed, she didn't do anything to tease Nanaya after getting up.
After a simple breakfast, the two were transported by Iioka to Washimine's North American headquarters building.
Along the way, Nanaya browsed through newspapers and read film reviews from major media at the fastest speed.
Nanaya flipped through the newspaper to the entertainment page as quickly as possible, a hint of joy in his eyes.
"Is Kiryu Nanaya a genius or a madman?!"
This was the title I saw in the film review column of famous film critic Roger Ebert after Nanaya opened the Chicago Sun-Times.
Probably to make the title more eye-catching, the title is enlarged and bolded.
"I watched FZ in the theater at midnight last night. I have to say that this movie is so ambitious that it can't be contained in a movie."
"Perhaps people will use the fact that FSN is also in two parts to refute my point, but what I want to say is that if FSN removes some unnecessary plots, it can be compressed into a 3.5-hour movie. The fact that FSN is divided into two parts is more for commercial considerations than for the necessity of telling a story."
"But FZ is different, and I'm not exaggerating. From the film's concept, character creation, actor selection, and the director's filming techniques, it surpasses the previous FSN."
"At first I thought FZ was just a simple remake of FSN, and the movie would revolve around Emiya Kiritsugu, but the fact is that this movie is more ambitious than anything else. The story is no longer limited to one person, but it tells the audience the entire Holy Grail War from a God's perspective and systematically explains it."
"I don't mean to disparage FSN, but in recent years we have seen too many movies with a single protagonist as the perspective. This time, FZ's group portrait perspective is completely refreshing."
"To sum it up in one sentence, FZ is a dark, complex and disturbing movie. Because of the rating, I can feel that the creators concealed and modified some of the plots, but if you think about it carefully, it still makes people feel creepy."
"Perhaps FZ's overly profound theme is not suitable for everyone, but I would say that FZ is the most truly commercial film to date that has achieved great artistic achievement! Of course, the premise is that FZ does not suffer a huge disaster."
In his long film review, Roger Ebert not only praised FZ highly, but also gave it his signature two thumbs up and a high score of 9 points.
"I think this guy is bribing you. He said if you don't have confidence in the lower part of FZ, you can show it to him first."
Shion, who was sitting next to Nanaya, said with a smile.
"This is the result of your public relations."
After reading Roger Ebert's film review, Nanaya shrugged his shoulders.
He knew that Roger Ebert was in poor health and that staying up all night watching movies was just a trick.
Shion admitted it straight away: "I sent him a copy."
Although he knew that Roger Ebert's praise had a public relations effect, Nanaya's mood improved a lot and he continued to flip through more newspapers.
Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times also gave FZ a favorable review.
"The film has a tight narrative and exciting plot. You won't realize that two and a half hours have passed until the end of the film. I believe that choosing this film over the weekend will make you feel that the money spent is worthwhile."
Nanaya nodded and looked at other newspapers, most of which had positive reviews.
Rolling Stone magazine focused its content on the technological applications of the IMAX 3D version of the film.
"This is an excellent film. Its application of 3D technology is a big step forward for the film industry. Regardless of FZ's box office performance, it will be a monument in film special effects technology that cannot be bypassed."
Of course, many other newspapers have given their own comments.
"In FZ's compact action plot design, Kiryu Nanaya used many camera techniques that were not used in the FSN period. This not only makes the audience shocked by the perfect pictures, but also makes them fall in love with this movie."
"More importantly, there is no clear villain in this film except for the blackened Kotomine Kirei and Caster group that everyone already knows. It can be said that everyone participated in the battle for their own goals, which is very rare and precious for commercial films where character creation has become stereotyped."
————The New York Times
"After watching FZ, I only have one thought - hurry up and release the second half of FZ!!"
————The Hollywood Reporter
"The movie is too mysterious. If you can't keep up with the pace, you will fall into a deep sleep for the rest of the movie."
————"Empire Magazine"
"Kiryu Nanaya once again did something stupid. This man proved with his actions what it means to not play without doing anything."
————The Washington Post
Film critics' attitude towards FZ is the same as most other commercial films. They will look at FZ from the most objective perspective possible.
Of course, this "objectivity" has a premise. Although Washimine did not give film critics special treatment, he did not treat them unfairly either.
At least the payment is in accordance with the industry price.
If it were Michael Bay, the director who has severely offended film critics, even if he made a movie with a score of 60, the critics would probably criticize him and reduce the score to 20 or 30.
Twenty years ago, a director like Michael Bay who was so hated by film critics would have been directly criticized and kicked out of the industry.
In fact, film critics also know that their influence is not as great as before.
So as long as the film company is willing to cooperate with them, they will not specifically target a commercial film.
It was only during the awards season that the true colors of these people were revealed.
It is an indisputable fact that the Oscars have increasingly developed into an independent film award in recent years.
After "Avatar" was released and 3D movies became popular, the Oscars became a complete joke.
This award, which was once the most authoritative film award in the world, is no longer a recognition of a film's performance, but has become a complete business.
In the past, the films were excellent, so they were recognized by the Oscars.
By 2010, all the movies had won Oscars, and then relied on the popularity of the awards and the fame of the Oscars to make money at the box office.
Many movies that are prepared specifically for Oscars would be so bad that even their mothers would be unable to tell if they didn't rely on the names of Oscar winners.
But this is the reality.
There is nothing in Hollywood that cannot be treated as a business.
Many people say that Hollywood has deteriorated because of the fat guy Harvey Weinstein's public relations for the Oscars, but Nanaya thinks that guy is just a pusher. The most fundamental reason is that film critics' ability to control the film market has declined and they can no longer influence the box office.
Therefore, Nanaya is very clear about one thing - film critics are lies.
In fact, it is not just film critics, many older generation filmmakers also have this tendency.
Nanaya remembers very clearly that Francis Coppola, the director of "The Godfather", praised the movie a lot when he was promoting "Black Panther".
He said the movie was really good, so after watching it he told the people around him, "Rewind, I want to watch it again."
However, when Martin Scorsese criticized that "Marvel movies are not cinema", Coppola was the first to jump out in support.
At the time, Coppola bluntly stated: "Scorsese was very polite. He didn't say those films were annoying, but I think they were. People don't get anything from watching the same thing over and over again."
Therefore, humans have always been animals whose brains are determined by their butts.
Of course, what Coppola said does make sense. Perhaps it is because "Iron Man" was too successful, and many of Marvel's subsequent movies have used this template.
Although the core of commercial genre films is that [the protagonist learns the "truth" from the "lie"], while other films treat this core as a propositional essay, Marvel directly treats it as a fill-in-the-blank question.
When a routine becomes permanent, problems will naturally arise. This is probably why the ratings of "Captain America 2" are much higher than other movies.
In a world of cookie-cutter movies, this one is truly refreshing.
"Maybe I can try to make Marvel a little more diverse." Nanaya said to himself.
Washimine Entertainment is not Dick Darling, and Marvel can completely get rid of the standard that all movies are family-friendly, and make their films more profound.
Nanaya's thoughts on MCU didn't last long, and he focused his attention back on his FZ.
Breaking the midnight record was undoubtedly a big deal, so after Nanaya and Shion arrived at the company, they went straight to the meeting room.
While she was on her way, Shion notified the main creators of FZ and the executives of Washimine Entertainment to hold a short meeting after she arrived.
When Nanaya walked into the conference room, there were already quite a few people sitting there.
Shiki Matsuno, Ori, and the others were already waiting for him and Shion.
[Fortunately, Rin and Sakura are not here. ]
After looking at everyone present, Nanaya breathed a sigh of relief.
Although they already knew about the relationship between her and Shion, it was impossible for them not to be angry when they saw her and Shion come in one after the other.
"Currently, FZ's audience reputation, attendance, and most importantly, box office figures have all exceeded our expectations."
Without any long-winded opening remarks, Iioka went straight to the most important point.
"But everyone is very unhappy about the fact that Kiryu Nanaya FZ is once again divided into two parts. Many people on the Internet have suggested not to watch the first part and just wait for the second part to be released."
"Are there many comments like this?" Shion asked.
Iioka replied: "There are quite a few. Of course, it is difficult to verify things on the Internet, but it has become a trend."
Nanaya answered casually: "This is easy. We just need to find a way to guide the network. Find someone to act cute and fool them."
Shion tilted her head: "You're going to do it?"
Nanaya refused immediately: "I can't do that. My public image is not the material for being cute. How about Old Gen?"
"He has no influence."
"Does that mean we need to find someone who has authority in the crew and a certain amount of influence?"
Ori said to himself, and he suddenly looked up at someone.
Nanaya and Shion also looked at the same person.
"Um...Is it me you are talking about?"
The corners of Shiki Matsuno's mouth twitched because everyone present was looking at him.
"You are the second director of this film."
"Your previous films still have a certain influence."
"More importantly, you're a funny guy."
Shiki flipped the table on the spot.
"Half-Nanaya, what do you mean?!"
··
That afternoon, Matsuno Shiki posted a message on the official account of [See Moon]:
[Remember to read after you finish cursing. →_→]
Then, Shiki Matsuno's account went viral.