(review of the first four episodes of "Flowers")
In the fifth and sixth episodes of "Flowers", the story finally changed, and Wong Kar-wai's long-lost humor also reappeared.
The philistines in the market, the shrewdness of the businessmen, the pomp of the bosses, the flexing and flexing of the merchants, overt and covert struggles are taking turns, and the forces of all parties are intertwined.
Lingzi is very philistine. She asked Abao to coax a woman's pearl earrings for 2,600, and then turned around and asked for 26,000. She knows how to do one thing on the surface and another behind the scenes.
Mr. Li and Mr. Bao are very shrewd. They hide half of what they do and reveal the other half. They have back-ups in every duel. Zhizhenyuan makes friends with everyone, not only for diners, but also for themselves.
Mr. Bao kept his head above water and defeated Mr. Wei and Mr. Li's alliance with all his strength. He also used celebrity endorsements and starvation marketing to build Sanyang's brand name.
Mr. Wei likes to show off. Eighty-eight Farewell My Concubine cannot spend money in vain. Money cannot be earned temporarily but reputation must be gained.
Fan can always bend and stretch, market economy, whoever can make me money is God, no matter standing or kneeling, no matter annoying or noisy, face is nothing, real money is the greatest dignity.
Each of them cannot be trusted at all. They may believe three or two and make false guesses. They have been ups and downs in the social ups and downs. They have all developed their skills and are good at acting. It is impossible to show the truth at will.
In the business war, let’s talk about human nature first.
Only by understanding a person's psychology and character can we strategize and win a thousand-mile victory. Great wisdom cannot be achieved by being careful. Great wisdom is understanding people, and talking about business is actually about making friends.
After these few episodes, everyone's character is clear at a glance. This is something Wong Kar-wai understands better than other directors. Therefore, "Flowers" was not good to watch at the beginning, but it gradually got better, because understanding a person is not achieved overnight.
Wong Kar-wai replaced the silence of language, expressions, and behavior in the novel with silence and calmness in the business world.
Business war is not about fighting, it is about worldliness. Stir-fried Niuhe is a favor, high imitation of Sanyang is also a favor. Tell the other party that there are hidden dangers. Chefs and piracy are crises for restaurants and brands.
Keep a side of everything so that we can meet each other in the future. We are still good friends if we see through it or not. This is silent, but it is also an interesting fog. When the layers are uncovered, a sense of refreshment will follow.
In addition to the already clear foreign trade business front of Mr. Bao and Li Li, Zhizhenyuan, which contains many secrets, seems to also involve the stock market.
There is a net behind Zhizhenyuan, like a behemoth, with tentacles extending to all directions. It is also Cthulhu without showing its face, and its intimidation and momentum are like the weight of a mountain.
What they opened was not a restaurant, but Bai Xiaosheng in the intelligence center, the Eight-faced Buddha in the network, the command post at the front line, and a great era that brought great changes.
What they want is not a hotel, but unification.
The single win of crossing the river and overpowering the local snake, or the win-win of golden scales transforming into a dragon, dry speculation in Niuhe is a strategy, high imitation of Sanyang is also a strategy, and he is an army.
The private room that Zhizhenyuan has been renovating is reserved for people from Shenzhen. Shenzhen and Shanghai both have stock markets. It may be inextricably related to Qilin, and a "Big Era" may be staged.
The shopping mall is like a battlefield, true and false, unpredictable, and a little carelessness can lead to heaven and hell in an instant. The foreign trade business on the surface is far less exciting than the stocks inside. Finance is also a symbol of Shanghai.
Of course, there may be feelings in the raging business war. In the
novel, A Bao and Li Li have a reciprocal but not reciprocal emotional line, which seems to be showing signs of appearing in the play.
Li Li may not be so beautiful on the surface, she may have a past that is unbearable to look back on. Under the mask of a strong woman's style, there is the tenderness of a fragile woman.
She may be a pawn in the net behind her, or she may be reborn after meeting a noble person. She and Abao appreciate each other, and may have some feelings for each other.
In the original work, one of them escaped into Buddhism, and the other was alone. It seemed that they were in love with each other, but they could not get married in the end.
This kind of feeling with regret is Wong Kar-wai's favorite. "Happy Together", "In the Mood for Love", "Ashes of Time", etc. Wong Kar-wai's movies always have regrets.
Since there is intention in the book, Wong Kar-wai should not be ruthless. The sad background of "Flowers" and the main body of love should not be just business wars but no emotion. Let's wait and see.
The business war drama in the fifth and sixth episodes of "Flowers" is very exciting.
But the plot of episodes 7 and 8 is more like an idol drama. As expected, even Wong Kar-wai is unavoidable. I hope that the business war that ends well will not become a foil for love.
has more of the excitement of turning the tide by one's own efforts, as well as the intrigues of overt and covert fighting, and less of the sweet talk between you and me, and the bloody plot of beauty saving the hero.
After all, Li Li was in full-scale war with the landlady on the Yellow River Road.
Li Li has something to do, but she sits firmly on the Diaoyutai, calmly and tells the story, while other proprietresses cut off water, power, and goods, causing trouble.
The dispute between old money and new money is about to break out. "Flowers" should focus on the development of these stories. The idol plot should still be used as a supplement and should not dominate the show.
In addition, during the first and second episodes, I thought Tang Yan’s character had changed.
But by the eighth episode, it is almost certain that Tang Yan will play the role of Silly Baitian again this time. No wonder director Wong Kar-Wai, who has such high requirements for acting skills, chose Tang Yan. This is her comfort zone.
Do you think Ms. Wang’s noise is already very noisy? Lingzi played by Ma Yili is even worse.
Reiko is becoming more and more annoying. She is a villain, stingy, philistine, treacherous, cunning, double-standard, selfish, and combines all shortcomings.
This is not the shrewdness of Shanghai women at all. It is only self-interest and everything else can be discarded. It is no different from Hu Shi. If the latter role is not cleared up, it may lead to regional discrimination.
Taken together, it is difficult to comment on the description of Shanghai and Shanghainese in Wong Kar-wai's "Flowers".
