Exploiting Hollywood 1980.

Chapter 1300: Modern Man and Woman Stories
The Kansas Film Critics Association Awards are actually presented in Missouri. This is because there is a city called Kansas City at the border of Kansas and Missouri. And this Kansas City in Missouri has a respected mayor, Bartow, who knows that in order to revitalize the economy, the city's radiation must be expanded.

Not only did he support the Kansas Film Critics Association, the second state in New York to award film prizes, but he also moved a football team from Dallas to become the AFL powerhouse, the Kansas City Chiefs.

This allowed the city to quickly surpass neighboring Kansas City in Kansas (the two cities have the same name), becoming the largest city in the Midwest after Cleveland and Omaha.

Today, this is the first center of cultural and artistic industries and professional sports in the Midwest. The coaching center of the college professional sports league and the copy distribution center of Hollywood in the Midwest are all built here.

Ronald came here to attend the awards ceremony, and another purpose was to set up his own distribution office and welcome the opening ceremony of an old cinema acquired by Daydream after it was renovated.

"It's shocking, people here really like to watch movies..." Daydreaming Michelle Cannold said to Ronald in the lounge after a screening of "Beauty and the Beast" at the cinema.

The customs in the Midwest are relatively conservative. Unlike big cities like New York and Los Angeles, people in many places still regard watching movies as a fashionable form of entertainment.

This place is a bit like the small town in a Hollywood movie. It has been preserved as a whole to this day, and it seems that it was not opened until thirty or forty years later.

Young people either want to play professional basketball or football, or they want to get a job in the federal government to bring honor to their family. The movies they like are not the entertainment-oriented exploitation films since the 1980s, but movies like The Silence of the Lambs that explore religious justice and the FBI bringing evil murderers to justice, and movies like Other People's Money that show the American entrepreneurial spirit finally triumphing, or even traditional fairy tales like Beauty and the Beast. Only movies about the assassination of JFK or those against the Vietnam War have no market here.

And these audiences have one thing in common: they rarely went to formal movie theaters to watch movies before, and preferred cheap movie theaters like drive-in theaters.

As the economy improved in the 1980s and Kansas City and its surrounding areas recovered, the audience's preference for movie consumption was largely hindered by the backward and outdated cinema facilities.

"This is a good business, but we can't do it..." Ronald understood what Cannold meant. He wanted to expand the acquired cinema business from the East Coast and the West Coast to the middle.

But this is too idealistic.

"Why can't you do it?"

“Where can I find so many talented cinema operators willing to work here?”

"That's true..."

If a person flies from Los Angeles to New York, he chooses a window seat and looks down. When the weather is good, he can see Los Angeles and the Bay Area city cluster during takeoff. Then he will see Las Vegas, the mecca for gamblers in the United States.

Before landing, there is a dense urban cluster of the old thirteen states, with ancient industrial clusters and new industrial clusters, such as IT, pharmaceuticals, etc., as well as numerous Ivy League university campuses.

But for most of the journey in between, the countryside below is a large rural area scattered with a large number of very small towns.

To run a movie theater business in these places, you must have the right operators, because places with low population density do not have as many talented people as the East and West Coasts, and they can move for work.

If you want to do business here, you can’t do it without finding local people to cooperate with. So although there are business opportunities, because there is a lack of talent, Daydream is better off sticking to areas with competitive advantages and Chinatown to build its own cinema chain.

……

The Kansas Film Critics Association awards were presented, and Ronald's film "The Silence of the Lambs" won the Best Actress and Best Actor awards. The film critics here have very good eyes. Jonathan Demme also won the Best Director and Best Film awards, accepting the awards on behalf of Anthony Hopkins who was not in the United States.

He was very happy to win the award. Before working for Roger Corman, Demy was actually a film critic, also registered in Miami, a city not on the east or west coast. He came to receive an award with a long history and not closely related to Hollywood and New York, which made him feel like meeting an old friend he hadn't seen for many years.

Ronald gave him all the interview opportunities, and he and Helen Slater secretly went out to visit the NFL and college basketball museums in Kansas City. The two wore sunglasses and baseball caps, and they were not too worried about being recognized in this city. They really relived the feeling of their youth in a very pleasant way.

"Hello... Don Juan..."

Unexpectedly, in a hotel in Kansas City, Ronald met Michelle Pfeiffer, who had just helped him out at the Golden Globe Awards.

Just now, when the two of them let their guard down in the lobby and were kissing and hugging like a couple, they were seen by Michelle Pfeiffer, who also lived here.

"Oh, you live here too?" Ronald deliberately stayed in a newly built hotel in the suburbs of the city, separated from the main group. He didn't expect Pfeiffer to live here alone.

"I never thought you would be a man with a lover..." Michelle Pfeiffer also wore a baseball cap and sunglasses, but her cat-like face shape still betrayed her.

"I always thought you would become a top actress in Hollywood." Ronald laughed.

Michelle Pfeiffer's nominated film this time is the romantic film "Frankie and Johnny" starring Al Pacino and directed by Garry Marshall, who just directed the top romantic comedy "Pretty Woman".

She was nominated for Best Actress in a Comedy at the Golden Globe Awards, and both the New York Film Critics Association and the National Society of Film Critics gave her acting awards. This time she is also one of the hot candidates for Best Actor.

However, the Oscars do not distinguish between comedy and drama for male and female performances, so her chances are not high. The reason why she is popular this time is that her movie is different from ordinary romantic love movies.

To be precise, under the guise of love, this movie actually reflects a profound social problem in America, the problem of single men and women in big cities being disappointed in love.

In the rapid economic development and urbanization of the 1980s, not everyone was successful.

There are many young men and women from small towns who come to big cities with dreams, but end up failing. However, they cannot go back to their hometowns, and in big cities, due to their limited knowledge and ability, they can only do some low-level jobs, not as good as restaurant waiters.

It is impossible to buy a house, love is a luxury, and even dreams are becoming increasingly slim amid year after year of hard labor at the bottom of society.

This is actually the same social problem caused by the last generation of baby boomers pouring into cities ten years ago. It's just that these people are in their thirties, and the gangsters have become middle-aged people in small towns who can't go back now.

"Come on, have a drink with me..." Michelle Pfeiffer invited Ronald to the bar.

"I still have to..."

"Your lover won't wait too long. I really just want to buy you a drink. We haven't seen each other for many years... You won't force me to tell my friends, right?"

Ronald saw that Pfeiffer really had something to do, so he called Helen and accompanied her to the VIP bar on the executive floor to chat.

"Sometimes I regret that I should have married you. Although I might not become a star, you could have been a screenwriter and we would have lived a happy life." Michelle Pfeiffer took off her glasses and a tired look appeared on her face.

"We all know this is impossible..." Ronald didn't know what to say.

"Yeah, now I can't find a suitable marriage partner. Divorce may be a wrong decision for me. I always make a lot of wrong decisions and then hide myself until everyone forgets about me."

"Don't be ridiculous. Anyone who wants to marry you can line up from Beverly Hills to the Golden Gate Bridge, Catwoman... hehe..."

Michelle Pfeiffer is now at the peak of her career, and the audience has chosen to forget her affair with John Malkovich on the set. Her performance in Jonathan Demme's "Married to the Mob" marked her improvement in acting skills, and this Batman sequel, replacing the unlucky Sean Young as Catwoman, also marked the rise of her commercial status.

It is no exaggeration to say that such a woman is the goddess of millions of American men.

"Hey, you may have forgotten that I am already a 34-year-old woman... This movie is a true portrayal of me..."

Michelle Pfeiffer took off her mask in front of Ronald, revealed her true feelings, took a sip of whiskey and spoke quietly.

"That was a movie... um..." Ronald suddenly remembered that his past with her was also ten years ago. So, is Pfeiffer really thirty-four?
"At my age, it's hard to find a suitable marriage partner in Hollywood or other places. I don't want to marry an old man...so I just want to have a child of my own. Can you help me?"

"what?"

"I just want to borrow your seeds, whether it's natural or artificial, it's up to you. I think your seeds are good, and my children will definitely be very smart in the future..." Michelle Pfeiffer stroked her hair.

"This... this is not a joke. If you want to have a child alone, you can ask for help from the seed bank. I know that many elite women in New York do this..."

"Hey, eight out of ten people who donate there are arrogant people. I don't want to have such a child. I have investigated everything and you are the most suitable one. You are married and we are familiar with each other. I can give our children a good education. We will sign an agreement in the future and you will not get into any problems...

Besides, you are not a virgin, right? Think about it, and then we can make an appointment. I prefer the natural way..."

Michelle Pfeiffer reached out and touched Ronald, and instantly their long-lost memories came back.

"Ahem... I'm leaving first." Ronald, who had never expected to receive such a request, quickly left this place of trouble.

According to Michelle Pfeiffer, this arrangement was very common in old Hollywood. When the relationship could not be made public for some reason, the actress would often take a break from filming for a while, and then publicly announce the adoption of a child. This way, the actress could be prepared legally and in public opinion, and could also enjoy the joy of family life.

Ronald just thought this was too exaggerated. He did not reply to Pfeiffer, ended his trip in Kansas City, and returned to New York for a two-week stay.

"Hey, Director Luo, we have arranged everything very well here, thank you..." Xiao Yu and Lao Xi visited the set and came to New York to prepare for the shoot. They thanked Ronald for asking about their lives.

"That's good. I hope you get used to it. If you have any questions, you can talk to Yan Zi directly..." Ronald still values ​​the two Chinese actors. Director Wang Ying has great ambitions for this film, and wants to make Chinese culture officially appear in the mainstream society of America.

Ronald also has ambitions to expand the territory of Chinese-language films and Chinese films in Hollywood. This is something that no one else can do except him. If there are people in America who specialize in watching Chinese-language films in the future, this part of the market will belong exclusively to him.

Kung Fu movies from Hong Kong have a large audience among black people and lower-class white people, and Ronald has also consolidated the market by selling old videotapes. However, Chinese movies have little influence in the upper class, and some people know about them out of curiosity.

If we can get some feedback from mainstream society, we can truly take root in this multicultural society.

"Hey, Director Luo, I wish you a happy new year..."

At this time, another Chinese actor Ronald was familiar with also came to visit. Xiao Jiang, the lead actor of Red Sorghum, who later won the Berlin Honor for his zodiac year, also came to Ronald to wish him a happy new year through Xiao Yan and Yang Yanzi.

"Oh, thank you..." Ronald took a big gift bag, which contained a variety of Beijing snacks, folk paper-cuts and facial makeup, which made him very happy. He could put it at home as a decoration for the Chinese-style study.

"I'm in West Berlin, now it's called Berlin, thanks to the care of Director Luo. He's the most friendly Hollywood boss to us Chinese. You all should be smart." Xiao Jiang proudly lectured the Chinese people of all kinds behind him.

"Why do you have such long hair?" Ronald noticed that Xiao Jiang now had long hair, which was very different from the image of his friend who came down from the mountain during his zodiac year.

"Hey, I'm playing a cellist... I'm very artistic..." Xiao Jiang said proudly. This is our director Zheng, this is the art director Xiao Feng, and this is our buddy in New York..."

"You have a movie face, why are you acting in a TV series?" Ronald frowned. Isn't this a downgrade?

"This is all Xiao Feng's fault. He writes good scripts. I was so engrossed in the story of the editorial department that I forgot I was still cooking in the kitchen and even burned the pot. I didn't have the chance to act in a movie, so I agreed to them..."

"Okay, as long as you're happy..." When Ronald heard this, he knew that the film market there had collapsed badly. Apart from his goal of going to the European Film Festival to win an award-winning film, there might be no project suitable for him.

"Hehehe, well, Director Luo, we want to find a house in New York to film this time, do you think we can..." Xiao Jiang said rubbing his hands.

"Which house of mine do you like? Tell me..." Ronald knew at a glance that he wanted to take advantage of the exterior view.

"I heard that the house where the Godfather movie was filmed is now under your name?"

"Damn it, you are waiting for me here? Go talk to Yang Yanzi. I'll let you use it for free, but you can't damage the scenery. As for the tape and scenery, go call Xiaoyan..." Ronald patted him on the back and agreed.

As long as these people can use Daydream's backdrop tape and not mess around with it, I'll consider it as a charity for the domestic film and television industry.

“Brother Jiang, you are really awesome. You can lend me money just by asking such a big-name director, and I don’t even have to pay…” Everyone in the crew looked at Xiao Jiang, a little confused. How did he have connections and be so successful in New York?

"You don't understand. Americans also care about face. They love Chinese quintessence, Peking opera, paper cutting, etc. Director Luo is a famous China expert. I am trying to please them. Let's go to Staten Island, the Godfather's house... I say, how do we get there?"

The fat man they called to the crew stroked his messy beard and said, "Take the ferry... Haven't you seen Working Girl, which was filmed by Director Luo?"

……

"This year's Oscar nominees for Best Picture are..."

Ronald went to his Fifth Avenue apartment to enjoy time with Helen. The live broadcast of the Oscar nominations had just begun.

"The Silence of the Lambs, produced by Ronald Lee, Prince of Waves, produced by Barbra Streisand...Beauty and the Beast..."

"Ouch!"

When the animation Beauty and the Beast was announced as the best picture at the Oscars, the audience was screaming. It seems that the popularity of this movie is really extraordinary...

(End of this chapter)