Movie Master

The night is slowly falling, and the warm sea breeze is blowing in. It is not yet April, and the air in Los Angeles has begun to become hot. Lance drove into the torrent of the rush hour, and slowly drove the car onto Melrose Avenue, which crosses the entire city in an east-west direction. The bohemian-style shops on both sides looked peaceful in the night And quiet, most of the shops have closed early, making the street even more secluded. Although it is only two streets away from the bustling Santa Monica Avenue, this street always has a sense of life. Ordinary and undisciplined.

Looking around, Lance found a parking space, parked the car, and walked across the street under the moonlight.

This is a street made up of low bungalows. There are some messy graffiti on the buildings made of dark red brick walls. The owners of the second-hand shops around are closing their doors one after another. There are still a few shops that are already pitch black. I don’t know. Whether it is an abandoned store or closed early, the rusty metal bracket stretches lonely and barren under the light of street lamps.

Surrounded by an unremarkable store, there is no special sign at the door, and a dark red awning has faded due to the wind and rain. The name of the store can't even be found around, but the door is There was a long queue, and there were at least 20 people in a rough look. Even if it was the peak time for dinner, such a scene was not very common. Especially against the contrast of the peaceful and peaceful scene around, it became more and more lively here - lively but not noisy, everyone was just talking in a low voice, patiently waiting for the line to shorten.

Lance passed the queue, walked straight to the front, and walked into the store. A black reception desk was randomly placed at the door, and a young girl with dreadlocks was bowing her head and talking into the intercom, Received , the position of four people, Natalie, the position of four people. Then the girl looked up, saw Lance, and showed a bright smile, Good evening, welcome to Blu-Jam, How many do you have?

I have an appointment with a friend, Eisner. Lance said politely.

The girl narrowed her eyes slightly, looked at Lance curiously, and then pointed at Lance with the tip of a pen, as if she wanted to say something, but couldn't think of it for a while, and finally gave up, Eisner, right? He lowered his head to confirm the appointment form in his hand, Yes, Eisner has arrived, he is waiting for you inside, table 24, I will take you in personally.

Walking into the store, the warm air is mixed with joyful chatter and laughter, as if stepping into spring with one step. The decoration inside the store is very simple, the surrounding walls retain the original red brick appearance, and the oil paintings of unknown painters are hung neatly. The coffee counter on the left is connected to the kitchen diagonally in front, and the large blackboard behind the counter is neatly displayed. The menu is written, and there are daily special menus.

On the surface, there is nothing special, as if it is just a space for friends to sit down and enjoy a relaxing dinner. The warm and casual atmosphere makes it easy to relax.

The girl led Lance through the noisy lobby, along the corridor between the counter and the kitchen, So, you are Lance, right? The girl chatted with Lance with a smile, My boyfriend and I We are all looking forward to your new work this time. He is generous and straightforward, which adds a touch of goodwill to people for no reason.

The smile on the corner of Lance's mouth was also inspired, Looking forward to showing your support at the cinema. Lance's straightforwardness made the girl stunned, and then she smiled brightly, her eyes narrowed, but she But he didn't respond. Instead, he stepped aside and pointed to the front right, I hope you enjoy our dinner.

Looking along the girl's right hand, Lance saw the person he was meeting for dinner today: Michael Eisner.

This well-known tyrant looks like a grandfather who is enjoying his old age. Even without a smile, the wide cheeks are full of kindness, the seriously receding hairline has been stained with white hair, and the cheeks are red It was even more because of the warmth of the room that it turned red, making the eyes look a little cloudy, and there was no aggression in the whole body, which was far from the rumors.

But Lance knew that if he just judged someone by their appearance and underestimated each other, then it would be absolutely wrong.

In 1984, when Michael took over Disney, Disney was just a second-tier company relying on Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck to make jokes in the children's market. He is an old man who may be eliminated at any time. But after Michael took over, in just a few years, Disney rose strongly and became one of the top eight Hollywood film companies, creating 20 years of brilliance since then.

This tyrant, with his skill, scheming, ability, and courage, is also outstanding in the talent-gathering Hollywood.

Seeing Lance, Michael didn't get up, but nodded with a smile as a greeting. Lance didn't mind either. He took a seat opposite Michael, and the waiter immediately handed over the menu, It's dinner time, let's start with filling our stomachs. Michael's voice was dull and vague, and the words were not It is very clear, but it is full of breath, and it is very heavy in the ears.

Lance was not polite either, and started to look through the menu seriously, as if he really planned to come to eat. This is a traditional American restaurant. Burgers and French fries are the signatures, and steaks are also very famous. Lance ordered a filet mignon with chips and salad before handing the menu back to the waiter.

Take two more bottles of beer. Michael lifted the half-drunk beer bottle on the table and said to the waiter.

It seems I'm late. Lance said politely, but Michael waved his right hand indifferently, as if he didn't intend to continue discussing such details, If you want to play this game, there are many occasions Yes. Let's talk about business, you asked me out for dinner, what is it for?

Lance slightly shrugged his shoulders slightly, I thought we had skipped the part of false politeness, why I came to see you today, shouldn't you be clear about it? Since Michael is going to open the skylight To be honest, Lance is also willing to cooperate.

Michael curled his lips, You know what I mean. If you're going to keep going in circles, then we might as well enjoy dinner. Unlike Barry Meyer, and unlike Shirley Lansing, Michael didn't seem to want to be with Lance at all. It's like playing Tai Chi, throwing off your arms and going shirtless, simply and rudely tearing apart the hypocrisy wrapped in the appearance, but firmly controlling the initiative in your crisp words, that kind of condescending strength can only be faced face to face. You can only feel it when you talk, but you can't refute it.

As Michael said, today's meeting was proposed by Lance.

Lance is not a self-pitying pessimist, nor is he an innocent lamb at the mercy of others. He made an appointment with Michael just to prove his own ideas. If all his guesses are wrong, then...he will simply push everything on Michael and complain to Robert, saying that he is alone and unable to take over the important task of Pirates of the Caribbean. Even after signing the contract, the contract was torn up, not to mention that the two parties have not signed the contract. Not only can Robert not blame Lance, but he should take the initiative to stand up, confront Michael, Jerry and others, and show more sincerity.

But if Robert really intends to use him as a whetstone, then he has to let Robert know that sometimes the whetstone can hurt himself. He is definitely not a cannon fodder that anyone can easily call around. Tonight, he will sound the clarion call to fight back!

However, these are the results of thinking on paper, and the real calculations have to beware of the opponent's counterattack. What will happen in the actual situation can only be practiced step by step.

In fact, without revealing anything, Lance asked Michael, who had never met him before, to meet him, but Michael nodded and agreed. This incident itself explains a lot of problems - obviously Michael also heard the wind, compared to Lance who stood outside the situation and speculated wildly, Michael who was inside the situation had a much clearer grasp of the situation .

Although Lance had sorted out all his thoughts before setting off, because he still had too little information in his hands, during the actual confrontation, if he was not careful, he would reveal his own lies, and maybe it would be wrong to plot against others. Get yourself in. Therefore, at this moment, Lance is inevitably a little nervous, especially since Michael Eisner, the tyrant of a generation, is sitting opposite him, so he must be more cautious.

I've been talking with Robert Iger about the proposal for the sequel of 'Pirates of the Caribbean'. Robert invited me to direct the tube and promised to give me full rights to adapt the script. Knowing the contradiction between Robert and Michael, and not knowing the twists and turns behind this project, he said with a normal tone and speed, But some strange things have happened recently. First, the two leading actors came to me one after another. , dissuaded me from taking this work, and then the producer also gave me some interesting advice, but your company rejected my proposal. Just when I thought the matter was over, Robert asked me to meet... Lance's There was a slight pause in the words. When he mentioned that Disney rejected his proposal, Michael’s hands that were cutting potatoes paused for a moment. Although it was very brief, he caught it, “He hoped that I could make some changes to the script. Change, develop according to their original ideas. Do you think this is normal? Or is it not normal?

Lance simply and truthfully stated what had happened in the past period of time, without mixing too many personal opinions, while he was talking, he looked at Michael's expression. Michael just raised his eyes, but the kind smile on his face seemed a little alienated, and there was a hint of sarcasm in his eyes, and he didn't intend to hide it, So? So, what does this have to do with me?