Twenty-two, Movie Romance (1)

  Every weekend, several eye-catching movie advertisements are posted at the entrance of the cafeteria. They are announcements of movies to be shown in the school cinema and several nearby cinemas over the weekend.

  The school cinema is relatively cheap, but it mainly shows old films and domestic films. The new film release time is also much later than the outside cinema. Students rarely go there.

  At this time, due to the gradual popularity of television, fewer and fewer citizens went to the cinema to watch movies, and the business of cinemas was very bleak. Students from various universities naturally became the main target audience for cinemas. For example, walking out of the back door of Medical University, it took less than 20 minutes to get to Hongxing Cinema, and riding a bicycle for a few minutes would also get you there. This cinema firmly grasped the preferences of university students and always screened classic films on weekends, such as "Gone with the Wind", "The Red Detachment of Women", "Rebecca" and "Roman Holiday". Every weekend, this cinema's advertisements were posted in the most eye-catching way, and it was also one of the cinemas that students liked to go to.

  However, cinemas still made far less money than video rental stores near schools. After all, video rental stores did not have copyright issues and were essentially cost-free businesses. Moreover, Hong Kong films were entertaining and very popular among the masses. Classic movies were just a bit too highbrow.

  Roman and Lin Fanghua are both movie buffs. Although they rarely go to the movies now, as they are busy studying foreign languages, they often discuss popular films and celebrities during their breaks. Roman is quite knowledgeable about films, but Lin Fanghua has a clear advantage thanks to her access to online information. Often, when Roman mentions a particular film or actor, Lin Fanghua will launch into a detailed account of the plot, behind-the-scenes stories, the actor's representative works, career trajectory, and acting style, leaving Roman completely absorbed in the conversation.

  After entering November, each department began to prepare for the celebration of the "December 9th" movement. This is a traditional patriotic activity of Medical University, and every year there will be school-level and department-level commemorative celebrations, mostly in the form of cultural performances. This year marks the 55th anniversary of the "December 9th" movement, so it's being celebrated more grandly, with even grade levels having their own celebrations. The Class of 1990 from the Medical Department is also preparing to hold a cultural evening party to celebrate. The third class is preparing for a dance performance called "Embroidering the Red Flag", led by Art Committee member Guo Ling and Team Branch Secretary Bai Yun. Fang Hua was originally invited to participate in the performance, but she declined due to her upcoming English level 6 exam. Lu Manli also wanted to decline the performance task assigned by her department, but failed to do so. She is going to recite a poem called "Yan'an Ode" with another male student, so recently she hasn't been able to attend evening self-study sessions with Lin Fang Hua due to rehearsals.

  It was Saturday afternoon, but Roman Li specifically found Fang Hua: "At 7 o'clock tonight, the Red Star Cinema is showing 'The Great War of Qin's Terracotta Warriors'. Let's go and watch it together!"

  "What's wrong, aren't you practicing tonight?"

  "Ah, I've long since memorized it! Every time it's that boy who makes mistakes, he says he's not familiar with it. So I let him practice on his own and then come find me to rehearse together!"

  "So you're not going to memorize English vocabulary anymore?"

  "There's still a month to go, don't die from reading books and become a bookworm. It won't hurt to slack off for two hours occasionally. Come on, let's go! This is a movie directed by Zhang Yimou and starring Gong Li, everyone says it's good!"

  Lin Fanghua smiled and agreed.

  After dinner, the two set off. Walking to the entrance of Red Star Cinema, they found that there were indeed not many people. Fortunately, the two arrived relatively early and bought tickets after waiting for a while.

  Lin Fanghua has seen this movie and also read Li Bihua's original work. She agreed to watch it again just to refresh her mind, which had been dizzy from reading books recently. Watching the film for a second time, she was no longer moved by the protagonist's past-life romance like she was the first time. This time, she savored the actors' performances, such as how Zhang Yimou performed as an actor and director; what Gong Li gained or lost in terms of acting skills apart from her beauty. At the same time, she paid more attention to the behind-the-scenes aspects of filmmaking, such as screenwriting, directing, action guidance, music composition, and the influence of these crew members on the film's style.

  After the movie, the two of them walked towards school while discussing the film they had just seen. Along the way, there were also many students from Medical University walking or riding bicycles in the same direction, apparently all having just watched the movie as well.

  Suddenly, two bicycles stopped one after another by the roadside. One of them shouted to them, "Lin Fanghua, did you just watch a movie too?"

  It turned out to be Class Monitor Dai Ping, and the other was Liang Jiahui, who was inseparable from him. She smiled and responded, and very naturally pulled Romanli towards them.

  Dai Ping was originally riding on the car, and when he saw them coming over, he got off the car and asked: "Why are there only two of you? Be careful on the road, it's not safe. Do you want me and Liang Jiahui to give you a ride back?" As he spoke, his eyes glanced at Lu Manli several times.

  Lin Fanghua politely said: "No need, we can just walk, it's not far."

  Dai Ping's voice grew louder: "Don't be polite! We're all classmates in the same class, so it's no big deal to give someone a ride! Right, Liang Jiahui?" Liang Jiahui didn't say anything, but just smiled and nodded at Lin Fanghua.

  "Alright," Lin Fanghua said, seeing that it was hard to decline the offer, and after glancing at Roman Li, who didn't seem displeased, added: "Thank you for your trouble!"

  Dai Ping smiled: "Nothing. Lin Fanghua, you haven't introduced him yet, who is this?"

  Fang Hua saw Dai Ping's smile and suddenly realized: "Oh, this is Roman Li from the English class in the pharmacy department! Lily (Lily is Manli's English name and nickname, Fang Hua is used to calling her nickname), this is my classmate, class monitor Dai Ping. That is study committee member Liang Jiahui."

  "Hello! Hello! Thank you!"

  As they spoke, Lu Manli got into Dai Ping's car and Fang Hua also got into Liang Jiahui's car.

  Dai Ping is a straightforward person, and Luo Manli is also not a shy person. Soon, they started discussing the movie they had just watched.

  Lin Fanghua got on the bus and politely asked Liang Jiahui: "Thank you. By the way, it's the weekend today, why didn't you go home?"

  "My mom went on a business trip and there's no one at home. I heard this movie is good, so I didn't go back."

  "Oh!"

  Then both of them fell silent, just listening to Dai Ping and Roman's conversation on that side.

  Manly is sighing that Gong Li is really beautiful, but Zhang Yimou is really too ugly, completely not matching, destroying the aesthetic of the movie. If he were to direct this film, maybe it would be even better.

  Lin Fanghua couldn't help but say: "This movie is a myth, fantasy, romantic style, which is the strong point of Hong Kong entertainment directors. Zhang Yimou is a realistic artistic film director, and he directing this movie would be likely to ruin it. Actually, I think Zhang Yimou's acting is still okay, feeling quite accurate, but unfortunately his face looks like an old farmer from Shaanxi, completely not the material for a romantic comedy young actor. On the other hand, Gong Li except for a few beautiful shots, her acting skills are average. She played Dong'er too stiffly, and the reincarnated Juliet was acted too exaggeratedly, a bit superficial."

  Lu Manli really likes Gong Li's, and can't help but defend her idol: "No way, Gong Li's portrayal of Dong'er is so pure, and the scene where she throws herself into the fire is so moving!"

  Lin Fanghua continued to explain: "Actually, Gong Li is a kind of mature beauty. Let her play a 16 or 17-year-old ancient girl, the temperament is completely different, don't you think it's awkward? And when Dong Er escaped and ran into Meng Tian, her surprised expression was too exaggerated and fake. She stared with her eyes wide open and her mouth agape for more than a minute! When people are really surprised, their expressions only last for one second, any longer is just pretending. So, her acting skills are still very immature and lack depth."

  However, she was indeed very lucky to have met Zhang Yimou, and the film "Red Sorghum" brought out her unique qualities, which made her famous. In my personal opinion, Gong Li can only be considered average-looking, and if we're talking about facial features, they're not even as good as those of our own Lili. It's just that the camera angles were flattering, making her look beautiful. But even in this film, there are many shots where she doesn't look pretty! However, there's a Western proverb that says a woman who can be both stunningly beautiful and strikingly ugly is truly a beauty. It seems that Westerners have always appreciated beauties with imperfect facial features, such as Sophia Loren, who was considered beautiful because of her unique thick lips. Gong Li has something similar going for her, which is why she's so popular overseas.

  She spoke eloquently, and the other three were all mesmerized. Dai Ping smiled and said: "Lin Fanghua, tell us your thoughts on this movie!"

  The film is indeed well-made, with a strong entertainment value that leaves the audience feeling relaxed and light-hearted. Unlike many domestic films, it doesn't have a heavy-handed message or profound meaning. This is likely due to the fact that the production team, aside from the actors, was largely composed of Hong Kong professionals. The director and martial arts choreographer were Ching-Po Chan and Hark Tsui respectively, with special effects directed by Xu Ke and music by James Wong and Lam Lai. Each member of the team is a veteran of the Hong Kong film industry, making for a very strong production. It's also clear that the Hong Kong team put their heart into this project, perhaps due to the collaboration with a renowned international director, as they didn't want to be looked down upon! The film's visuals are stunning and majestic, with a grand theme song and soundtrack. Even the costumes and sets were meticulously designed. The Qin dynasty warrior costumes worn by Meng Tianfang and others were modeled after terracotta soldiers, while Dong'er's wide-sleeved robes may not have been historically accurate but were aesthetically pleasing. Overall, it's clear that the production values were high. However, despite being well-made, the film still lacked a certain depth. In the original novel "Qin Feng", Hong Kong author Li Bihua used her unique writing style to vividly portray the transcendent and eternal love between the characters, which had a greater emotional impact. The film failed to capture the same level of imagination and creativity as the novel...

  It is said that "reading 300 Tang poems, even if you can't write poetry, you can recite them". Similarly, someone like Lin Fanghua who has watched a lot of movies and read many film reviews or related materials, plus having watched over ten more years of movies than others, naturally understands the style of famous filmmakers, so her critiques have the air of a seasoned film critic.

  Time passed quickly in the midst of chatting, and even though Dai Liang and the others rode slower than usual, they still returned to school very quickly. At the entrance of the girls' dormitory, Luo Lin and the others thanked them again before parting ways and returning to their dormitories.

  Dai Ping kept watching them leave, lost in thought. It wasn't until Liang Jiahui called out to him several times that he snapped back to reality and helped push the cart into the shed.

  Evening breeze: Today I have class, tomorrow I still have class. Poor me, my lesson plan for next week hasn't been written yet, so I'll take a day off from chasing after readers' views. The next update will be on November 2nd, still an even-numbered day!