article丨Wu Zeyuan
Quentin Tarantino who temporarily abandoned his shadow and joined the article, is currently walking around for his new book "Movie Conjecture". This book is about the golden age of film in his mind - the 1970s.
Quentin Tarantino
Compared with that era full of passion, vitality and rebellious spirit, now Hollywood 's double decline in artistic creativity and ideology has naturally become the target of his promotion. He attacked superhero movies as conservative and uninteresting, arguing that in a Marvel movie, the director is just a wage earner with no room for development.
He also claimed that the stereotyped Marvel movies have almost wiped out movie stars in Hollywood, because in these movies, there are only IP characters, and there is no room for actors to hone their acting skills and develop their unique temperament. The familiar hero image in the audience's heart is close and serving.
After hearing this, Liu Simu, the lead actor of " Shang Qi and the Legend of the Ten Rings ", immediately became unhappy: Why am I not a movie star anymore? Feeling offended!
Simu Liu
So he issued a statement on Twitter: "I respect the directing geniuses of Quentin and Martin Scorsese , but if they are the only ones who set the standard for 'movie stars', I will Will never be able to star in a 400 million dollar movie! They have no right to criticize me and others (with marvel)... marvel is trying to achieve diversity of heroes so that they can Can inspire different communities from different parts of the world. In comparison, what else is there in your Quentin Martin film golden age except white people!"
I don’t know if Quentin or Martin will respond to Simu Liu’s statement—— Most likely not.
On the one hand, it's because Liu Simu doesn't have enough coffee spots, and on the other hand, it's because there are so many flaws in his words, people don't know which point to criticize first.
Well, before we talk about all of this, let’s establish the basis on which this conversation is built:
Quentin and Martin, who was innocently shot, are they at the point where it’s time not to say this anti-Marvel talk Will starve to death?
of course not.
Tentin's last film earned nearly 400 million US dollars in the global box office, and his two most recent books "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" novel version and "Film Conjecture" both topped the best-seller list in the North American book market. We can guess that even if he never makes films again, even if he spends all the money he earned in the first fifty years of his life, he can still live comfortably as a writer and film critic.
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)
As for Martin? His last film, " The Irishman ", was nominated for ten Oscars and received good reviews around the world. Now, he is going to cooperate with his old partners De Niro and DiCaprio in " Killer of the Flower Moon ". His directing fee in it exceeds 10 million US dollars, and many actors who are close to the first line can't get it these days to such a high salary.
"Killers of the Flower Moon" (2023)
So why did Quentin and Martin make these remarks that neither please the big companies nor the basic audience?
because they worry about the present and the future of cinema.
They don't want to see the movies they loved in the past and their ecology become what they are now. And they probably also know that even if their own creations and livelihoods are safe, there are still a group of (more aspiring) directors who don't want to make superhero movies.
Martin Scorsese
nowIn the world, not every , Noah Baumbach, and Sean Baker's new work can easily get investment and guarantee to be released in commercial theaters; After one film, there is another film to be made, rather than being "relegated" to working on a HBO or AMC TV series.
For these old film idiots, the film ecology they are accustomed to is in an unprecedented fragile state.
And they don't want to take away the joy of watching a Marvel movie.
They just want to tell everyone: "I am worried that the economic advantages of one party (super blockbuster) will marginalize the other party (film art), and even devalue the existence of the other party." (Martin) and: "I don't like comics. I don't hate them. But they shouldn't be the only ones allowed." (Quentin)
Guess what? This kind of voice of dissent from a personal standpoint alone is enough to make the super blockbuster stakeholders who have economic and public opinion capital furious.
Liu Simu wasn't even the first person to stand up and anger these old film idiots. Tom Holland once said a year ago that "Marvel movies are the same real art as other movies, the only difference is that the cost of the former is much more generous than the latter"; " Guardians of the Galaxy " director James Gunn said two years ago: "Martin criticizes Marvel just for "The Irishman" to attract traffic... His film is shrouded in the shadow of Marvel, so he has to use heat to seek attention."
James Gu En En
Even Mark Ruffalo , who worked with Martin in " Shutter Island " and praised the latter to the sky, once publicly criticized Martin: "Since you chose the commercial film competition Why complain about the whole system when you're not number one?"
Mark Ruffalo
Let's just say that Marvel employees understand the logic of switching. Martin’s arguments in the NY Times article — that Marvel movies lack the depth of humanity, adventure and challenge to create depth emotional resonance — were not refuted by Marvel stakeholders because they knew them The downside is real.
So they turn to attacking the motives of the critic himself: "Look, he's just jealous"; Simu played another new card: "They can't understand Marvel blockbusters because they are racist!"
Simu Liu's strategy is really interesting. Martin and Quentin are criticizing the entire movie system and its dying biodiversity, while he's saying - but I'm well fed, I starred in a super british flick that sold $400 million and embodies disney The Multi-Ethnic Family Strategy, so why are you hungry filmmakers complaining? Wouldn't it be nice to be thankful?
But as an example, he is the most vivid proof of Quentin's statement.
No one bought a ticket to watch "Shang Qi" because of Liu Simu's name.
"Shang Qi" (2021)
Maybe some people are watching "Shang Qi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" because of Tony Leung , but his appeal is limited to the scope of Asian art films, and the capital strength and IP appeal of Marvel The comparison is also relatively limited.
The success of Marvel movies is an extremely mature example of business operations. Everything from project approval to distribution is as precise and efficient as an assembly line (except for the small friction with China that did not affect the film studio’s money-making), and everyone involved is Screws that serve money do not have much room for personal creativity. Leaving the field of Marvel, Liu Simu is just an internet celebrity with no works.
Actually before, even the actors who played MarvelExpressed similar doubts as Quentin. Anthony Mackie who plays "The Falcon" once said: "There used to be movie stars, people would go to a Stallone movie, Schwarzenegger movie, now these don't exist. We The reason why Marvel actors are popular is because of the characters we are backed by, not because of ourselves. Because movies that have a little bit of complexity and depth are not made today."
Anthony Mackie
This is what many actors are facing The problem. They can't find good roles that can show their acting skills, because the film industry, shaped by infancy and globalization, has already completed the reshuffle of the product ecology.
Producers are no longer favoring lower-cost but riskier adult-oriented dramas, but are willing to pile all their capital into superhero blockbusters that are sure to make money. Movies have become financial products , and their connection with art has been infinitely diluted. Over time, the aftermath of this change will affect everyone.
Who knows that when the new muscle traffic rises, the variety show stars Chris Evans , Chris Hemsworth and Chris Pratt who don’t get the opportunity to play serious roles can still How long is the fire? Some of them are now "fluttering".
If you look at everything with the mindset of making quick money, Marvel's model seems reasonable. But Martin and Quentin obviously have a longer-term vision, and they are considering the future of the film ecology. A sound ecology will eventually benefit everyone, not just those who hold the economic lifeline and those who rely on the mainstream system.
But Liu Simu obviously couldn't see this. He wants to belittle Hollywood’s once-healthier ecology as a white supremacist construct. He thought that he and Marvel had made outstanding achievements in "representing" Asians, but he didn't think that in a more healthy and less emphasis on profit-seeking ideal environment, there would be many different movies and many personalities. Different voices to present different aspects of Asian life, rather than just one voice from the juvenile superhero world.
Both Quentin and Martin have contributed to the diversity of film culture.
If there is no recommendation from Quentin, John Woo and Lin Lingdong Hong Kong films will not get the global recognition they have today, they themselves will not get the opportunity to make films in Hollywood, Zhang Yimou "Heroes" "Nor will it earn tens of millions of dollars at the box office in North America.
Without Martin’s Film Foundation, Asia, Africa and Latin America historical treasures of film history covered by the cultural hegemony of the English-speaking world would not have the opportunity to be preserved, restored, and rediscovered at major film festivals around the world, thereby promoting The rewriting of people's cognition of film history and film art.
But these efforts from the old movie idiots are nothing in the eyes of the new generation of sensationalist traffic. When these people who lack basic understanding of film art grasp the current public opinion, how can you expect the future of the film ecology to be better?
But the advantage is that the wind of the times is like the ebb and flow of the tide, and everything is not permanent. Marvel's "tyranny" will end one day, and on that day, Simu Liu may also find that their pursuit of kindness is rewarding.
