"Every Thanksgiving, I always think about how to decorate to co up with sothing new. It’s not an easy task, especially with more and more family mbers. But overall, these past few Thanksgivings have been pretty good, so I think I’m quite competent, don’t you think?" As Adrian was rambling on, a sharp razor was pressed against his throat.
"Shut up, Ed, if you keep rambling, I’ll just slice across," said Kate harshly, pressing against him from below.
Adrian imdiately fell silent and raised his hands in agreent. Then, Kate, kneeling in front of him, shrank a bit lower and carefully shaved away the white foam on his chin.
"Very refreshing; your skill is still as excellent as ever, Kate," Adrian said, rubbing his chin in the mirror after shaving, "But... I think there’s no need to keep this old-fashioned razor anymore. Of course, I’m not saying switch to an electric one, but perhaps a short-handled one might be a good idea."
"Co on, Ed, you know I would never really cut down," Kate teased while rinsing the razor nearby, "although sotis I’ve indeed had that thought."
"Okay, then should I thank Princess Anne or Goddess Selena and Miss Croft for their rcy?" Adrian joked, hugging Kate from behind, and rubbed his freshly shaved chin on the back of her neck.
Kate rolled her eyes, turned around and grabbed his collar: "You know, Ed, just for that move, I could accuse you of sexual harassnt."
"Oh?" Adrian widened his eyes, "Are you sure? You know..."
"But we’re not married," Kate snorted, "To play Josie well, I not only thoroughly reviewed her experiences but also learned about sexual harassnt laws in detail. Moreover, nowadays, the definition of sexual harassnt is much more detailed than it used to be."
"Alright, alright." Adrian had to raise his hands again, cooperating with her and letting her enjoy her little sense of superiority was fine.
"Go downstairs; if you take too long, they might think I’m secretly eating." Kate said, gritting her teeth as she began to walk out, but stopped a few steps later, turned back, and cupped Adrian’s face for a closer look.
"I think you could try growing a beard; it might make you a little sexier," she said.
Rubbing his chin, Adrian nodded: "I’ll consider it."
Coming downstairs, the living room was bustling. Lily was running around with Deva and Juliet, Eleanor was giggling behind them waving sothing, and little Mary sat on the floor with a pout, unhappy, unwilling to talk to anyone. Patricia and Aibo were both crying loudly, Evelyn was sleeping soundly, even in this environnt, while Kelis was probably taken by her mother for breastfeeding.
As for their respective mothers, the better ones like Sophie, Monica, or Blanchett were chatting on the side, leaving their kids to nannies and maids, only speaking to them when needed. The more unfortunate ones like Jessica, Julia, and Gwyneth had to spend ti coaxing their own children. Not only that, accidents happened from ti to ti, like things being knocked over, things getting broken, little ones falling over, or bumping into people. If it weren’t for the nannies and maids, the house would surely descend into chaos.
Even so, it wasn’t easy to relax. With the children around, the mothers wouldn’t miss out, and with Charlize, Sarah, Ivanka, and Yukie all living here, so... in short, even whoever got the first piece of turkey cut by Ed could lead to a silent standoff, especially this year with both pregnant Nicole and Naomi also coming.
This is the Cowell family Thanksgiving, noisy, full of hidden battles, and then repeated for Christmas. Sotis it’s really a bit self-inflicted, but Adrian never had the thought of canceling it.
"I don’t deny it, but this is family life, you know?" Adrian said, patting Lily’s head, who was already in bed ready to sleep.
"But you and mom aren’t married, and you’re not married to the aunts," Lily made a funny face, "So those guys at school often joke about it."
"Oh?" Adrian raised his eyebrow, "Who’s making fun of you?"
"Don’t worry about it," Lily waved her hand unconcernedly, "Ever since I punched one of them, those comnts have stopped. Of course, I assure you, even if the teacher found out, they’d still be on my side."
"Alright, that’s my girl. But now, the only thing you need to do is sleep!" He pinched his daughter’s cheek, then tucked her in, turned off the bedside lamp, kissed her forehead as he used to, and said goodnight before leaving the room.
Indeed, family life, this is why Adrian takes the risk of hosting a mothers’ eting every month and pulling them together during major holidays. Nonetheless, even in family life, so things can’t be stopped, and it can even be said to fuel the fire.
"Everything you asked for is ready." After leaving Lily’s room, Yukie, who was already waiting outside, bowed imdiately.
"Very well," Adrian nodded, "I’ll co over once the little ones are all asleep."
Then he thought of sothing, looked Yukie up and down a few tis, and smiled, letting her spin a few circles in front of him. Finally, he clapped his hands: "I’ve changed my mind, Yukie. Compared to 2D animation, which is a bit too ethereal, I need you to play Kasumi from DOA. Is that alright? Don’t tell you don’t have the costu. Don’t think I don’t know you’ve bought it."
"So, should it be Kasumi in love or trapped Kasumi?" Yukie asked gently, smiling after her surprise.
Adrian said nothing, just gave her a aningful look. Yukie waited a few minutes, then bowed again: "Got it, I’ll go prepare now."
She was always so considerate and perceptive, which was why whenever the won at the gatherings were stuck at a standoff, Adrian would stay at her place and play so tricks. In this regard, the won have always acquiesced. Firstly, Yukie always had an obedient deanor, never offending anyone. Secondly, being the only Asian among them, Adrian spending the night with her at least maintained superficial fairness.
Leaving family matters aside, 2005 ca to an end without AC dia’s competition, and major film companies all breathed a sigh of relief, sharing a decent box office. Even so, "Enchanted," released after Thanksgiving, still did well at the box office despite dropping the animated format in the opening and closing scenes, while Liv once again received either praises or critiques from critics as a ’decorative vase.’
"Just keep it up, Liv, this princess career suits you," soone teased.
Additionally, Disney’s new film was loosely connected to Adrian, adapted from British writer C.S. Lewis’ "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe." Initially, New Line’s CEO Robert Shaye had his eyes set on this series of novels. Despite losing "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, New Line’s finances greatly improved with Adrian’s support.
But this does not satisfy Shaye. Which company head doesn’t want to produce more profitable films? Especially after seeing AC dia’s subsidiary, Miramax, reap substantial profits from "Pirates of the Caribbean," Shaye grew even more restless. This ti he didn’t fancy "The Golden Compass," but rather "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe."
However, such matters usually require a heads-up with the higher-ups, so Adrian stepped in to suppress it, then recomnded it to Disney and made a small deal.
"There’s no denying that C.S. Lewis’s series is excellent, but it’s not entirely suitable for a film adaptation—or at least, not a full adaptation. You have good insight, Robert. ’The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’ is a great choice. As long as the film ets Hollywood’s consistent standards, the box office shouldn’t be a problem. The real challenge lies with the next one. A slight misstep, just a slight shift, and the next film could fail. That’s my judgnt. The connections between this series are relatively sparse," Adrian explained to the angrily restrained Shaye.
He then offered him a sweet deal: "Alright, Robert, I know what you’re thinking. I can offer you a series next year with low costs but astonishing returns if managed well."
Shaye understood what he ant, nodded after a few minutes of struggle, "I’ll follow up."
A certain series, due to Adrian’s interest, has already been officially published by his publishing company in the second half of this year. If all goes well, starting to prepare for a movie next year is not an issue. New Line needs a film series, and Adrian intends to give them one. This low-cost but high-return series is theirs.
But nothing cos easy. This lodramatic series needs to draw a large crowd of fantasy-loving youths to achieve high box office returns, alongside substantial comrcial promotion. Therefore, Adrian must send a representative to follow up, offering reminders at critical points and intervening in New Line’s internal affairs when necessary.
After all, even though AC dia acquired New Line, Shaye still holds so shares and, due to an earlier agreent, remains in the CEO position. Thus, New Line maintains a semi-independent flavor. So even though Shaye has been fairly honest and diligent, AC dia hasn’t given up the desire to control New Line, and this is a good opportunity.
Shaye understands this as well. Though reluctant, AC dia has always played by the rules in film resources and is basically fair. He has observed the developnt over the years, which is why he said, "I’ll follow up." As long as Adrian doesn’t go overboard, he’s likely to turn a blind eye.
Thus, 2005 passed by, and although many studios were thrilled with the release dates free from AC dia competition, they quickly stopped laughing because, in late December, several films began screening for Oscar consideration, such as Paul Haggis’s "Babel." This film, in terms of techniques and editing, was very similar to last year’s Best Picture, "Crash," leading so participating critics to ridicule that he lacks innovation—rely expanding the story scope from Los Angeles to the world. But most people still gave decent reviews.
"Maybe you’ll feel Haggis is forcefully arranging these coincidences, but undeniably, they’re a depiction of human helplessness in dire straits. The entire film appears oppressive yet has its monts of brilliance, and Dennis Knight and Jennifer Aniston delivered their best performances to date. Haggis deserves another Oscar statuette," soone praised.
Indeed, shortly after Haggis’s version of "Babel" was completed, Adrian watched it in a dedicated screening room. Although, like "Sideways," the segnted cuts and the original version had little connection, Haggis showcased the story with his approach. He had a more comprehensive grasp of the plot than "Crash," with the expression of thes matching the original.
It’s worth ntioning that although the Japanese storyline was slightly altered, Yukie perford remarkably well, especially when she couldn’t keep up with the rhythm while dancing due to deafness, ending with another woman stealing away the man she struggled to seduce. The self-destructive sense of loss and resentnt was powerfully conveyed to the audience.
Unfortunately, this is the United States, and critics’ attention is on Dennis and Aniston, who also perford spectacularly, especially when compared to "Mr. and Mrs. Smith," making this contrast more evident, thus ignoring Yukie. But it doesn’t matter; Adrian’s objective was already achieved, and next...
Originally, Haggis could’ve ended as the talk of 2005 if another film hadn’t also premiered. Indeed, "Locke," directed by Adrian and starring Natalie as the definitive lead.
The film’s promotion wasn’t extensive; only a trailer was released by mid-December when everyone was busy preparing for Christmas, whereas "Babel" had posters released everywhere two months earlier. Even so, it instantly captured much attention. The renowned Miracle Director was behind this work, and the aura of "Pianist" and his critique of European filmmakers continued to shine, not to ntion the star lead was the newly crowned best actress Natalie Portman.
"This is an indescribable, atypical Miracle Director’s work. Adrian has produced films with female leads before, as in ’Monster’ where Gwyneth won Best Actress—I frankly consider it one of his weakest works. But using a single female lead in a thriller is unprecedented. Unsurprisingly, Adrian maintains his precise grasp on plot and cinematography; apart from the slightly dragging opening ten minutes and between thirty to forty minutes, the overall pacing is tight with few flashy scenes, with suspense revealed at the final mont, leaving one in awe.
Natalie’s performance is unexpectedly brilliant. Here, there’s no trace of the passion seen in her Joan Carter role. She’s simply a poor girl deeply hurt and drowning in her chaotic inner world. Her commitnt is so deep that she almost rges with the character, deserving applause from everyone, and perhaps she can achieve even greater heights."
—The New York Tis, Richard Hansen
Positive reviews were inevitable, despite being a semi-original script. Adrian, after all, had amassed countless experiences, coupled with early conceptualizing, ensuring the film maintained an average standard overall. Natalie’s character bore nurous traits mirroring her own. With Adrian’s guidance during filming, she perford at 150% capacity, making it strange if there wasn’t praise.
However, despite good reviews from so critics, more attention was grossly elsewhere, not on those claiming, "You can guess the ending from the start," but their focus on the female lead.
"Predictably, Adrian always releases a year-end film with at least one actress delivering an outstanding performance."
"Natalie’s performance is truly brilliant, with Adrian once again making her showcase extraordinary talent."
"This is Natalie Portman’s third collaboration with Adrian, few others in Miracle Girl can claim such."
Jesting, teasing, admiration, jealousy, and gritted teeth—all underline what Adrian was scheming with his directing feat and the lead’s stellar performance, along with his record these past years.
This is outrageous! Who does he think he is? He really believes the Film Academy listens to only him?! Many thought in anger, hatred, or jealousy.
But when they contemplated reality, they were sowhat disheartened. Similar occurrences had happened multiple tis. Every ti it seed he couldn’t succeed, yet he still laughed the hardest at the end. Not to ntion anything else, just look at what the he presented at Cannes with "Pianist" this year. What anniversary of World War II victory it is this year, and how he built his image afterward. Perhaps it’s not a 100% guarantee, but under these circumstances, what’s the difference from 100%?
Nevertheless, Adrian didn’t feel particularly proud. Regarding "Pianist," he was already confident. But for another aspect, there was still so work to be done.
But he wasn’t in a rush. "Locke" hadn’t formally released yet, so after delegating tasks, he leisurely spent New Year and, as usual, visited Uncle in New York with his daughters. Of course, scolding was inevitable, and his daughters seed to enjoy seeing their father being reprimanded. Uncle noticed this, and after the initial serious comntary, he began using an exaggerated tone, at which point a group of little ones led by Lily gathered around with smiles to watch their dad respond.
Even his aunt, who usually stood by him, didn’t say much and even laughed, teasingly, "It’s nothing, Ed, you know your uncle loves you."
"Yes, I know." At this point, Adrian could only force a smile. (To be continued. If you like this work, welco to vote for recomndation tickets and monthly tickets at Qidian. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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