The Best Director

Chapter 372: Chapter 372 Endless Praise (Seeking Monthly Pass)

“‘Firefly’ is a magnificent epic that comes once in decades.” — 100 points, Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com.

The famous rating website MetaCritic featured an exclusive special report titled “Firefly Conquers the Critics: Review Watch,” where Firefly scored an impressive 95 points, while Wang Yang’s previous controversial work ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ scored only 45 points.

“I’ve said it before and I’ll stress it again, ‘Firefly’ is not only the highest-rated movie of the year so far, but it’s also one of the top-ranked films in our entire database over the last decade, with ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King’ scoring just 94 points. Out of the 45 reviews we tallied, except for one moderate review, all were positive, including some critics who have not been fond of Wang Yang’s work and even those who had fought with him over ‘The Devil Wears Prada.’

The special report began with such an introduction, and Stephanie Zacharek was among the latter; she had given ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ a B- grade and blasted Wang Yang for “turning his ambitions from classic cinema to Hollywood popcorn movies that only care about US Dollars”; now she bestowed the word “Epic,” a term filled with utmost praise, on ‘Firefly.’

“Kimberly Jones, the film critic for The Austin Chronicle, has never been fond of Yang’s previous movies. Jones’ dissatisfaction with ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ mainly stemmed from the script’s shallow symbolism and Yang’s overly commercial directing style. She was a bit more fond of ‘District 9’, but remained dissatisfied with the director’s use of camera tricks, which she felt were distracting rather than drawing in, especially when the film moved away from the protagonist’s point of view. Regarding ‘The Pursuit of Happyness,’ she found the script excessively clichéd and sentimental, and with ‘Juno,’ she felt it failed to achieve the sharpness and clear standpoints that matched the characters.”

But now ‘Firefly’ seems to have effortlessly conquered her, with all her previous grievances perfectly resolved in the new movie. Her review reads: “Wang Yang’s team-up with Joss Whedon is like a perfect marriage; their humor permeates the entire script, the whole film.” “Underneath the light humor and intense tension, ‘Firefly’ weaves through like a ribbon with ease.” “Wang contributed the most beautiful and exhilarating sci-fi imagery of today.” “‘Firefly’ is a rare, substantive film; not necessarily the best, but certainly thought-provoking.” “I saw the maturity and rise of a young director.”

Another film critic from The Los Angeles Times, Kenneth Turan, praised ‘Firefly’ as a “powerful” story, whereas he previously thought ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ had a contrived plot, and ‘Juno’ was slick rather than witty. And ‘District 9’ had some logical inconsistencies. However, in ‘Firefly,’ with its multitude of characters of all stripes, every character’s dialogue is both interesting and uniquely characterized, offering a “rocket-launch-like force” and “an intrinsic explosive force that can penetrate any viewer’s eyes unwaveringly.”

The same critic rated it 100 points and wrote that the entire film, whether it’s the script dialogue or the shots, “doesn’t have an ounce of fat” and can be cleverly connected. He’s too eager to praise it all.

What else did the critics like? The special report summarized their evaluations of ‘Firefly’ from various aspects, be it story and characters, script and dialogue, visuals and shots, soundtrack and sound effects, cinematography and color, costumes and props, acting and direction… Although fans and audiences tend to focus on the visual shock and awe when discussing the magical Yang and ‘Firefly,’ the critics in the special admired him more comprehensively, including some from the ‘TDWP’ haters and the Yang critics:

100 points, Justin Chang from Variety: “Wang Yang’s direction this time is effortless and fully explosive, a paragon of cohesion. He has abandoned all the gimmicks he loved to play with before, telling his story through the traditional beauty of camera placement, prop setting, and editing.” Previously he had given ‘TDWP’ 60 points, with Wang Yang’s eight directed films averaging 82 points.

95 points, TIME’s Richard Corliss: “In this day and age, it’s almost impossible for anyone to make a better movie than ‘Firefly’! Wang Yang is a perfect director, who, while excellently finishing the work on visual shots, boosts morale and inspires the creativity of the backstage team, eliciting genius performances from a group of outstanding actors without a single flaw.” ‘TDWP’: 40 points, average for eight movies: 75 points.

95 points, The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Carrie Rickey: “Particularly astonishing is how, in the film, those parts with talking and walking can exude a fascinating atmosphere. Wang Yang slowly tells us what happened, then pulls us in, pulls us in deeply.” ‘TDWP’: 55 points, average for eight movies: 80 points.

100 points, The Hollywood Reporter’s Kirk Honeycutt: “From a dazzling technical perspective, this is Wang Yang’s most gorgeous to date, yet he has not gotten lost in special effects. A burst of talent and performances, along with unimaginable shots, contributed to his best work. I don’t want to mention ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ anymore; perhaps this young man has reached a level where he no longer needs to prove anything. He prefers simplicity or shock, and ‘Firefly’ is exactly the state many directors find themselves in when making their greatest movies, but we can’t forget he’s only 25 years old.” ‘TDWP’: 50 points, average for eight movies: 76 points.

92 points, Rolling Stone’s Peter Travers: “Whether it’s the wit in the language or the visual spectacle of fireworks, Wang Yang has created his best and most memorable work yet from his film career.” ‘TDWP’: 35 points, average for eight movies: 62 points.

95 points, The Wall Street Journal’s Joe Morgenstern: “Wang Yang doesn’t set clear boundaries between action and explosions, cabin dialogue, and fluttering plum blossoms; he arranges each shot with fearless energy and a solid tactile sense, ultimately creating a world of magic.” ‘TDWP’: 40 points, average for eight movies: 75 points.

100 points, New York Daily News’ Joe Neumaier: “Other directors might be overwhelmed by the multitude of elements, but Wang Yang unbelievably blends them all into a cohesive whole. Looking back, you even feel that you have seen many movies in the past two and a half hours. That is ‘Firefly’.” ‘TDWP’: 30 points, average for eight movies: 65 points.

92 points, Slate’s Dana Stevens: “Wang Yang very impressively turns a not-so-novel story into something both interesting and tense, not just spilling out exciting scenes with perfect music but also steadily building character and thought.” ‘TDWP’: 25 points, average for eight movies: 71 points.

However, despite ‘Firefly’ reaching an astonishing 95 points, not 100% of critics think it is a perfect movie. The only mediocre score of 60 points is given by TY Burr of The Boston Globe, who questions the director’s handling of female characters, with Zoe being Wash’s emotionally detached wife, Kaylee moonstruck, and River neurotic. He said, “Firefly’ is just missing a normal beautiful woman, and the element of normal romance.”

It is always impossible to satisfy everyone, but compared to this summer’s ‘Star Wars: Episode III’, ‘Kingdom of Heaven’, ‘Iron Man’, etc., ‘Firefly’ is so stylish, just like fireflies in the dark! Wang Yang thus conquered the hearts of nearly all North American film critics, regardless of those who previously did not like him, or had conflicts over ‘The Devil Wears Prada’. This time they were convinced, at least in their film reviews, they didn’t mess around, with Rotten Tomatoes maintaining a fresh score of 97%/100% (183/189).

“‘Firefly’ will surely bother you for a long time, and then you tell yourself, hmm, it’s just a science fiction movie after all.”—3.5/4 (87 points), Jeffrey Westhoff, The Northwest Herald. ‘TDWP’: 25 points, average for eight movies: 75 points.

Since the battle with ‘The Devil Wears Prada’, Jeffrey Westhoff, who was named at the time, has been biting at Wang Yang for nearly two years. He ridiculed works including ‘Prison Break’, ‘The Big Bang Theory’, and ‘Paranormal Activity 3’. However, this time, he bluntly praised ‘Firefly’ as a fine work! Perhaps reluctantly, the best film critics are like weathercocks, chiding Wang Yang because of dissatisfaction and praising him because of satisfaction, remaining an unbeaten critic.

“Heath Ledger delivered a great performance, savouring the madness of his role with relish and proving that he could potentially become an actor like Marlon Brando,” after praising the lead actors, Jeffrey Westhoff still mockingly criticized, “Had it not been for the terrible and uninspired performances by Wang Yang and Jessica Alba on the big screen, this could have been a masterpiece.”

His film review was laced with hidden blades, opting not to comment on all aspects but focusing on the acting, lavishing praise on Heath Ledger, Robert Downey Jr., and Ellen Page among others. In the midst of this consensus, he revealed his true, more biting viewpoint.

“Jeffrey Westhoff, everyone loves Top-Captain, except for you. You really do have unique taste!” Countless fans of Wang Yang and Firefly flooded Jeffrey Westhoff’s blog with laughter. Even IMDb was overrun, let alone a single blog. They wouldn’t let this famous critic of Yang get away with it. Inyhu commented, “I remember someone saying ‘Wang Yang is finished.’ Now he’s saying ‘I’m troubled.’ Who was it?” Alex-K said, “Of course you’re troubled; you don’t understand Firefly at all. It’s more than just a sci-fi movie.” Charles-L said, “That’s why some people always miss out on classic films and waste their time, thanks to The Northwest Herald.” Brien saw through the trickery, “Why aren’t you evaluating the direction? And Wang Yang did a pretty good job; I really don’t know what else could stump him.” …

“Ah, what to do!” Under the Los Angeles nightfall, Wang Yang paced around the spacious and elegant bedroom, holding an ultrasound image taken that day. He looked at the black film and the baby-like shape within, alternating between chuckles and sighs, truly worrying over nothing, yet beset by a plethora of problems. He felt sure his darling daughter would be super pretty and cute, a heartbreaker when she’s old enough to date. What if she gets deceived by a jerk?

“No way!” How could his darling daughter get hurt by some jerk?! Wang Yang swung his fist and walked a few steps with a bit of tightness in his chest, beginning to understand his father-in-law’s feelings, how could anyone else take better care of his darling daughter? And then there’s Helen’s past hurt… My God!

There was another big issue, unlike his and Jessica’s upbringing, the baby would be showered with love from all sides, losing much in the process of gaining a lot. What would be the right way to educate her? He definitely didn’t want his darling daughter to become a spoiled IT-GIRL, but the baby was sure to be like her mother, an angel descended to Earth. Speaking of which, he was seriously considering something like The Princess Diaries as a parenting plan. Could that work? And those paparazzi! What kind of relationship should the baby have with the media and the public? Should he go all out to protect her privacy, or be by her side and teach her how to deal with it from a young age? …He was going to explode!

“Honey, you’re thinking too far ahead!” Jessica, also delighted to be having a daughter and a planner by nature, actually had not so many long-term thoughts at this point. Sitting on the bed, she leisurely sorted through a pile of baby girl clothes they’d just bought that day, smiling contentedly. She was going to dress the baby beautifully, ensuring she grew up a happy and joyful swan, complete with hair clips, hats … Then, Wang Yang again let out a loud “NO!”

Jessica rolled her eyes and shook her head; it was only the 14th week of pregnancy, and he was getting way ahead of himself! She felt she would naturally have a full set of parenting methods by the time the baby came, with all the infant care magazines and books she had read filed away in her mind, not something that could be compared to his hastily skimmed ‘Complete Guide to Pregnancy’ for the purpose of a film shoot. Jessica picked up a baby T-shirt with a floral pattern and laughed, “You don’t need to think so much; leave it to me! Don’t worry, I’ll teach the baby properly.”

“Yeah, I believe you can do it.” Wang Yang nodded, looking at the ultrasound film and frowning again, “I can hardly imagine if the baby was Paris Hilton…” Jessica instantly got angry and shouted, “Please! Are we those kind of parents?!” She grabbed a pillow and threw it at him, irritably saying, “You’d better worry the baby doesn’t turn out to be a violent Monster!” Her shoulders twitched, “Who says not? Daddy is Top-Captain, and Mommy is Blue Gloves.”

“But I’m sure she will be even more beautiful than Charlize Theron.” Wang Yang caught the pillow and laughed foolishly. Jessica glanced back at him, “Really?” She, the pregnant lady! Wang Yang swiftly replied, “Of course, who do you think her mother is?” He flailed his arms and legs in a frenzy, roaring like a cornered beast, “Ahhh— No one shall harm my baby! I kick—” With a loud bang, he spun and kicked the bottom door of the dressing table so hard it almost broke. Jessica, at her wit’s end, gritted her teeth and hissed, “Oh my God!”

As the night deepened, in the quiet and dark bedroom, a rustling sound suddenly arose. Jessica, woken up, “click” turned on the bedside lamp, only to find Wang Yang standing by the storage cabinet looking at the ultrasound film, with the drawer naturally opened. As the light came on, he quickly turned, laughing awkwardly, “Uh, I got up to look at my daughter…” Jessica couldn’t help but smile too, patting her belly, “Your daughter is right here.” Looking at her eyes filled with tenderness, and her seductive little bite of the lip, Wang Yang put the film back in the drawer, and walked over smiling, “Right! I want to kiss her!” …

In the 3,845 North American Cinemas showing “Firefly,” the non-weekend midnight screenings weren’t exactly packed, but they were far from empty. At this moment, the film was showcasing the battle of New Shanxi, with numerous Firefly ships covering the entire sky on the big screen, eliciting gasps of “Wow” from the audience.

As days and nights passed, time went by, and on the North American weekly box office chart, “Firefly” was far ahead without any suspense; the fan wars on IMDB became increasingly hard to decipher, with the current top three being “Firefly” at 9.6 points, “The Godfather” at 9.1 points, and “The Shawshank Redemption” also at 9.1 points.

“Let’s all teach ‘Firefly’ a lesson together!” Brumlye rallied on the forum, “Let it return to where it belongs! First, let me clarify something—I like this movie too, but I just can’t stand some of the fans’ crazy antics…” Xman added, “I’m pissed off by ‘Firefly’! We can’t let IMDB become the playground of movie studios’ marketing.” EdenB retorted, “Who started the one-star rating spree? Can’t IMDB have movies rated 9.8?” Arianka didn’t want to mince words, “The Godfather’ is back up, keep slamming it!” …

Every day brought various new reports from the media, and Yahoo Entertainment quoted a piece of news: “‘Batman Begins’ encounters a dreadful assassination attempt, Warner Brothers claim they can’t blame Aronofsky.”

“It has nothing to do with Aronofsky, nothing to do with ‘Batman,’ it is a very helpless situation, you meet Wang Yang, and things turn out this way,” said Scott Rowe, a Warner Brothers spokesperson who had once excitedly claimed “Wang Yang taking over Batman is almost perfectly done.” He now felt deeply saddened as he told the media, “We haven’t lost hope, we still have confidence, ‘Batman’s’ box office should pick up in the coming weeks.”

In fact, his statement was an attempt to leverage the global attention on “Firefly” to remind moviegoers, “Come see ‘Batman’! Our box office numbers aren’t as bad as they seem, it’s just that ‘Firefly’ has outshined us.”

Regardless of whether ‘Batman’ had any glow, it and a slew of other films were indeed overshadowed by the space cowboys, and as June 17-23 faded into the past and a new weekend arrived, the weekly North American and global box office rankings were announced, with “Firefly” continuing its mythic performance.

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PS: Wali is still asking for monthly tickets!! The top ten position is hanging by a thread, please everyone give more support, thank you!! (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation.)