The Meyers family, as pure members of the "WASP" group, had deep-rooted connections in the US.
This was one reason why old Meyers wasn't afraid at all after Martin offended Bush before.
Speaking of Hillary and the Clinton family, their seniority in the "WASP" group wasn't as deep as the Meyers family's. Martin had already started contacting Hillary's backers early on; he didn't need her as a middleman.
Hillary obviously didn't know this point; bluntly put, she just wanted to freeload.
Hillary and Clinton, this couple, were typical of that extremely greedy politician type.
Clinton was better; though his wealth-amassing methods were unusual, his reputation for taking money and delivering was decent.
In comparison, Hillary's reputation was crap.
This was why, when Hillary ran for president, she had to use her husband's "Clinton Foundation" to raise funds, not her own—because those tycoons and elites trusted Clinton more.
...
Late September, Meyers Films' independently invested over 100 million hard sci-fi blockbuster The Martian released.
The film is adapted from Andy Weir's novel of the same name.
In the film, Matt Damon plays the protagonist Mark Watney, one of six astronauts on the Ares 3 spacecraft.
Mark Watney's ship encounters a fierce sandstorm during the Mars landing mission, leaving him stranded on Mars.
The other astronauts think he's dead.
Ship commander Melissa Lewis (originally Jessica Chastain, now Charlize Theron) feels deep self-blame but has no choice but to lead the others back to Earth.
Fortunately, Mark is a botanist and an extremely innovative and hands-on mechanical engineer. He miraculously survives on Mars but can't contact Earth to let them know he's alive.
Finally, after a satellite photo shows anomalies on Mars, NASA realizes Matt is alive and launches a rescue operation.
The operation must race against time, as survival resources on Mars will soon deplete.
Similar to Gravity, this is also a one-man show film.
Alone on "Mars," Matt Damon has to carry the entire performance.
From the shock and helplessness of learning he's stranded, to quickly regaining composure, using his professional knowledge and the abandoned equipment on Mars to miraculously grow potatoes that can sustain him long-term.
Then later, seeing the potatoes he painstakingly grew destroyed by a Martian gale, nearly extinguishing his hope of survival—his inner rage, anxiety, helplessness, expressed exquisitely through his eyes.
Finally, when Mark learns his teammates are risking their lives, temporarily returning from their Earth journey to rescue him, his desire for life and optimism are portrayed touchingly by Matt Damon.
The film's captivating points for audiences—are the constant problems arising, then the protagonist using various jaw-dropping methods to solve them.
Audiences and critics gave The Martian relatively high ratings after the premiere.
First-day viewers gave the film an average "A" rating.
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes gave the movie a high 94% recommendation score.
This also indicates that in the coming weeks, The Martian will unleash considerable box office potential...
"The Martian means far more than just filling Meyers Films' coffers; it will reignite humanity's desire to explore space, inspiring a new generation of astronauts." —Variety review
"Watching Damon's space solo is enjoyable; under his interpretation, protagonist Mark's Martian survival miracle is highly convincing." —The Hollywood Reporter review
"By commercial film standards, The Martian is a very smart big production; the script's ups and downs bring viewers simple, pure satisfaction. The Martian isn't as ambitious as Interstellar; it plays its cards steadily: this is a brainy commercial blockbuster, resonating more with real life." —Los Angeles Times review
"The Martian is one of Scott's rare films in recent years that brings pure enjoyment to viewers. No such flaws here—a fine popcorn movie." —Entertainment review
"This is a detail-oriented film, incorporating many Ridley film elements; the film's scientific logic is brilliantly solid." —Washington Post review
After the first weekend's three days, The Martian box office reached $89.75 million, topping the North American weekend box office chart, pushing the two-week 3D animated Hotel Transylvania 2 to second.
When Martin was interviewed, asked why Meyers Films' sci-fi productions could be hits one after another in this era of declining hard sci-fi, he said:
"Simply put, viewers enjoy 'hard sci-fi' films for three aspects of pleasure. First, satisfying curiosity; second, experiencing imagination; third, human emotional resonance."
"To satisfy these, first, choose fields that are cutting-edge, unfamiliar to viewers; second, film the plot fantastically beautiful, making viewers feel incredulous; third, portray universal human emotions—like District 9 focusing on human evil, Gravity praising human goodness, The Martian through protagonist Mark's nonstop self-deprecating banter, showcasing humanity's optimism, courage, resilience."
"As long as you can roughly achieve these three points, a 'hard sci-fi' film will basically succeed."