Hearing the voice, Alexandra looked at the black woman and imdiately recognized her as Will Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, a familiar face throughout Hollywood.
"Hello, Mrs. Smith." She managed a polite smile. "Can I help you with sothing?"
Jada planted herself in front of Alexandra, blocking her path. She looked her up and down, arms folded across her chest, and declared, "A word of advice, young lady. Stay away from Matthew."
Alexandra’s brow furrowed slightly. "I'm sorry, I don't know what you're talking about."
Jada scoffed. "You think sleeping with him is going to make you famous? How naive. No one will even ntion your na. You’ll just be Matthew’s plaything for a few days."
"I know," Alexandra replied coolly, moving to walk past her.
Jada fell into step beside her. "Good. As long as you understand."
A small smile touched Alexandra’s lips. "You an, like you? Where no one knows your actual na, just that you’re Mrs. Smith?"
"What...?" Jada froze.
Alexandra pressed on, not missing a beat. "I’ll learn from your example."
She said the na with deliberate, slightly louder emphasis. "Mrs. Smith!"
"You..." Jada finally sputtered. "How dare you..."
Without breaking stride, Alexandra added, "Goodbye, Mrs. Smith."
Every ntion of "Mrs. Smith" felt like a barb. Jada stood frozen, and in that instant, Alexandra swept past her.
***
Her expression grim, Jada walked to the door of the VIP lounge. An attendant imdiately opened it for her, saying respectfully, "Please, co in, Mrs. Smith."
"Shut up!" Jada snapped, her face twisting in anger. "Don’t call
Mrs. Smith!"
The attendant’s smile faltered. He said nothing, waiting until the fuming Jada had stord into the VIP lounge before muttering sothing under his breath.
***
After washing her hands, Alexandra returned to the hallway and made her way back to the VIP lounge.
Jada’s words hadn't really bothered her. After all, she hadn't moved into the Horner Estate since the night of the celebration party. If she truly wanted to be the kind of woman Jada accused her of being, she would have taken Matthew up on his invitation to stay there long ago.
Alexandra went back, found Matthew, and took his arm. Keeping a smile on her face, she followed him toward the screening room, deciding it was best not to ntion the encounter.
Right now, she just wanted to enjoy their thrilling, romantic connection and not think about anything else.
Their two weeks together had only just begun, but they'd spent every night with each other. The physical pleasure sparked an emotional thrill, one that almost convinced her it was love.
But it didn't take long for Alexandra to realize their infatuation was purely physical.
She knew the kind of man Matthew was, and she wasn’t asking for anything more.
In fact, she and Matthew had talked it over just last night, and they were on the exact sa page about it.
As she entered the screening room and headed for the front row, Alexandra spotted Jada Pinkett Smith again. Jada saw her, too.
Alexandra offered a small smile; Jada imdiately looked away.
When they reached their seats, Matthew, who had noticed the brief exchange, asked, "What was that about?"
Alexandra just shook her head. "Nothing."
They had arrived a bit late, and soon after they took their seats, the house lights dimd and the opening credits appeared on the massive screen.
The chatter in the theater died down as everyone focused on the screen.
This was "Transforrs," directed by Michael Bay—a na familiar to anyone who regularly watches comrcial blockbusters. Matthew’s mory of this film was a bit clearer than his hazy recollection of "The Fast and the Furious" franchise.
The film’s basic plot was exactly as he rembered it.
The film ran for about forty minutes before the true protagonist, Optimus Pri, finally made his official appearance.
The protagonist’s debut felt a little late. The first half was dragged down by protracted fight scenes and so forced, tedious humor. As for the male lead, Sam, there wasn't much to say about him—thankfully, he had gan Fox in tow.
Her character was clearly the biggest draw for the first forty minutes. And while both lead actors seed completely out of their depth, gan Fox effortlessly stole the spotlight from Shia LaBeouf at every turn.
But once Optimus Pri appeared, the Autobots and Decepticons took over as the true stars of the show.
Michael Bay's films were never shy with explosions and special effects.
gatron appeared soon after, and Matthew felt a thrill of satisfaction when he heard the commanding voice declare, "I am gatron."
However, Matthew sighed as he watched the completely redesigned Transforrs on screen. The marketing had played up the nostalgia, as if saying goodbye to a childhood friend, but this film was definitely a childhood-wrecker.
Of course, that wasn't Michael Bay's fault.
Childhood is beautiful precisely because it exists only in mory. The mont you try to bring it to life, it ceases to feel like childhood at all.
The designs Michael Bay had co up for the Transforrs were truly bizarre.
While Optimus Pri was instantly recognizable, gatron at least bore a passing resemblance to his classic form.
Michael Bay’s aesthetic, while celebrated in Hollywood, was sotis just baffling.
Perhaps due to budget constraints and the high cost of CGI, "Transforrs" didn't feature many direct combat scenes between the Autobots and Decepticons. Most were fleeting glimpses, with the focus shifting instead to the Arican military.
Michael Bay was perhaps the Hollywood director with the closest ties to the Pentagon. From "The Rock" to "Pearl Harbor" and now "Transforrs," his films often felt less like movies and more like elaborate recruitnt ads for the U.S. military.
It was a well-known fact that many Hollywood blockbusters received direct or indirect sponsorship from the Pentagon. The goal was always the sa: to create a positive image for the U.S. ard forces and attract more young recruits. The most iconic example was Tom Cruise’s "Top Gun."
As far back as the early 20th century, the Pentagon had recognized the power of film as a communication tool, agreeing to let Hollywood studios use military equipnt, locations, and personnel for their productions.
As the film industry evolved and dramatic cinema took hold, the Pentagon gradually realized that movies, with their powerful impact and persuasive force, presented even greater opportunities to shape the public image of the U.S. military. The U.S. Army's public affairs office began to focus heavily on this, attempting to influence Hollywood into glorifying them. They guided studios toward making films that would promote a positive image of the U.S. Army worldwide and aid in its overall developnt.
The "Transforrs" franchise was a pri example of this collaboration.
It wasn't overly exaggerated in this first film, though Matthew vaguely recalled a scene later in the movie where a group of Arican soldiers managed to single-handedly take on an equivalent number of Decepticons.
Overall, this first "Transforrs" was a solid film.
Just then, the film on the big screen was drawing to a close.
Reviews
All reviews (0)